The old wizard glanced at her, and his voice caught as he said, “Minerva, you have known me long, and as well as any soul still living—tell me, have I lost myself to darkness already?”
“What?” said Professor McGonagall in genuine surprise. Then, “Oh, Albus, no!”
The old wizard’s lips pressed together tightly before he spoke. “For the greater good. I have sacrificed so many, for the greater good. Today I almost condemned Hermione Granger to Azkaban for the greater good. And I find myself—today, I found myself—beginning to resent the innocence that is no longer mine—” The old wizard’s voice halted. “Evil done in the name of good. Evil done in the name of evil. Which is worse?”
“You are being silly, Albus.”
The old wizard glanced at her again, before turning his eyes back to their way. “Tell me, Minerva—did you pause to weigh the consequences, before you told Miss Granger how to bind herself to the Potter family?”
She took an involuntary breath as she understood what she had done -
“So you did not.” Albus’s eyes were saddened. “No, Minerva, you must not apologize. It is well. For what you have seen of me this day—if your first loyalty is now to Harry Potter, and not to me, then that is right and proper.” She opened her lips to protest, but Albus went on before she could say a word. “Indeed—indeed—that will be necessary and more than necessary, if the Dark Lord that Harry must defeat to come into his power is not Voldemort after all—”
“Not this again!” Minerva said. “Albus, it was You-Know-Who, not you, who marked Harry as his equal. There is no possible way that the prophecy could be talking about you!”
The old wizard nodded, but his eyes still seemed distant, fixed only on the road ahead.
I don’t think Dumbledore thinks it’s cheating: