Work Text:
Tribute
by BookwormDragon
Disclaimer: Neither the Harry Potter Universe nor any of the Characters in the Harry Potter Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.
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When Harry named his son Albus Severus, most people, his wife included, assumed that it was intended as tribute to Dumbledore and Snape. Harry let them go on thinking that, because, in a way, they were right. But only in a way.
In reality, his motivations for naming his son after the two men who had had the most lasting and significant impact on his life were far more complicated than mere tribute. No, naming his son after Dumbledore and Snape wasn't a tribute. It was a reminder. A reminder of their flaws and faults. A reminder that they, in their arrogance, had become more twisted than the Enemy they were fighting. A reminder that, in the end, despite all their power and manipulations, they had been nothing but bitter old men who had died alone. A reminder of what could have been if only two men had not decided that they alone had the right to decide the Fate of others. But most of all, it served as a reminder that he never wanted to follow in their footsteps. He never wanted to become a manipulative old man, carrying the expectations of an entire world on his shoulders, willing to sacrifice an innocent child's future for the Greater Good. He never wanted to become bitter and filled with hatred, unable to set aside the prejudices of his youth, determined to visit the sins of the Father upon the Son, professing his undying love for a dead woman, but unwilling to be a Champion for her infant son. He would not be another Dumbledore, another Snape. He would not!
And so, when the Wizarding World tried to make him into the next Merlin, he looked into his son's innocent face and remembered what he could become if he allowed them to have their way.
And when young Albus became friends with Scorpius Malfoy at Hogwarts, he heeded the unspoken warning in his son's name, and welcomed the boy into his home, where he treated him with kindness and respect. It was difficult, at first, for him to set aside childhood memories, because Scorpius looked a great deal like his father and grandfather. But it grew easier with time, to see the boy in light of his own merits and faults and not as a reflection of his family.
So naming his son was a tribute to two great men. Just not in the way that most people thought. As long as his son was there to remind him of the consequences, he would never follow in their footsteps. There would be no Mortal Enemy, no innocent Chosen One, no Greater Good for him. He was never going to be the next Merlin, the next Dumbledore. He would be just Harry Potter, a man who loved his family and treated others with respect. Let others lead their own lives as they saw fit, and he would do the same. It would be enough. And if he ever forgot, or lost his way, then his son would be there to remind him.
It was a fitting tribute to the lives of two powerful men.