Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right

“And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

“They’re playing Harper instead; he’s in my year and he’s an idiot.”

But Black’s by-the-by now. The point is

Oh, no,’ muttered Harry. The three of them turned to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous furry hat and overcoat with matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystallised pineapple and occupying at least a quarter of the shop.

‘I see you are –’

‘Dumbledore’s man through and through,’ said Harry. ‘That’s right.’

‘He will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him,’ said Harry, smiling in spite of himself.

he knew that at that moment they understood each other perfectly, and that when he told her what he was going to do now, she would not say ‘Be careful’, or ‘Don’t do it’, but accept his decision, because she would not have expected anything less of him.

He could not let anybody else stand between him and Voldemort; he must abandon for ever the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one: that the shelter of a parent’s arms meant that nothing could hurt him.

And he knew, without knowing how he knew it, that the phoenix had gone, had left Hogwarts for good, just as Dumbledore had left the school, had left the world … had left Harry.