"Headmaster, are you alright?" Poppy asked from her place by his bedside.
Acutely feeling his age for once, he gave a tired sigh, "Fine my dear, just lost in thought," he replied, as the healer nodded her head in understanding before turning back to her primary patient.
...
He looked around the rest of the hospital wing, seeing the many casualties of Lucius' latest plot, before looking back at the cursed boy of prophecy. He made a promise to himself to see Lucius brought to justice this time, for his mad schemes of power. But the truly important question was what to do about young Neville? He once again considered the possibilities.
So lost in his own troubled thoughts, he didn't even realize that Minerva was calling for him before he was roughly shaken, and found himself looking into the deputy headmistress' tired and concerned eyes. "Oh, what is it Minerva?"
"The board of governors is here; they're demanding a meeting," she offered soberly as he fought another tired sigh from escaping.
"Lucius was certainly quick to mobilize, faster than even I expected," he noted warily, once again confirming Lucius' guilt in his own mind.
"Do you believe Lord Malfoy is involved?" his deputy asked.
"Indeed. I believe he was also behind the Chamber of Secrets, but I have no proof," he unintentionally confessed as he stood from the bed, with one more look around the hospital wing. "Walk with me Minerva." The pair of them silently left the hospital wing.
After discreetly casting a powerful mobile privacy charm around them, he began again, "Minerva, there is a very good chance that I'll have to resign as Hogwarts' headmaster today," he started with tired sigh, as he saw his many plans starting to unravel around him. "But we cannot allow Lucius to be appointed as acting headmaster in my stead, which I'm sure is his goal. I can only imagine what Hogwarts would become under his hand. Therefore, I have to place a terrible burden on you and ask you to take on the responsibility of headmistress of Hogwarts in my place."
Several long minutes passed as they slowly made their way to the staff room. "I understand Headmaster, I'll keep the school running," she expressly soberly.
"I'll do what I can to assure your appointment," he encouraged, trying to remain positive. "If I can't, then I'll probably get Severus appointed, since Lucius would readily accept his friend's appointment over you."
"Severus is hardly a suitable choice for the headmaster position Albus. He's ridiculously unpopular with both the students and the staff," the cat animagus argued.
He mentally agreed with her assessment, but at this point it was mostly about damage control. At least with the fake Severus in charge of the school he would still have some influence, even if it was behind the scenes. "You are correct Minerva, but it is the lesser evil compared to allowing Lucius to take command of the school," he countered as they reached the staff room door, taking a moment to compose himself. "On that note, I ask that you continue to retain Severus despite his conduct, it is necessary for the greater good."
"I'll give him a chance," she replied evenly, but promising no more.
"Thank you, Minerva. I know you and Severus have had your differences in the past, but this is important," he voiced grimly. "Fawkes," he called aloud, as his familiar appeared next to him, the immortal fire bird landing on his shoulder. "I need your help once again my old friend." He gently stroked Fawkes' chin as a beautiful song was sung and a wave of calm started to wash over him restoring his shaken faith.
"Once again into the breach," he muttered, opening the door as he stepped into the room, with a still singing Fawkes on his shoulder.
...
( Number 12 )
Harry silently watched through the enchanted mirror as the meeting unfolded in the staff room, the aging headmaster zealously defending himself against the board of governors' attacks on his character and his leadership of school, despite the angry looking phoenix on the headmaster's shoulder giving the governors its best disapproving stare, which was rather intimidating actually. It soon became abundantly clear that the meeting was well planned and scripted, as he watched several of the governors take turns leading with baited questions designed to lure the headmaster into cleverly hidden traps.
Throughout it all Lord Malfoy carefully directed this masterpiece of gamesmanship, often interrupting his own governors' rants in favour of restoring order and playing the role of reasonable neutral party during the meeting, then subtly directing the discussion down another pre-planned avenue of attack. It was almost something to be truly admired, the ruthless efficiency and cleverness of it all, even if the man had tried to kill him.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kill the death eater, the man that wanted him dead and had worked hard to make it happen. He restrained his overwhelming primal impulse to remove the threat, while taking comfort that this was just the opening stage in a clever plan of entrapment.
The minutes slowly ticked by as he watched more and more of the actually neutral governors fall to the murderous lord's clever manipulations. It soon got to the point that only a small group of governors remained steadfastly loyal to the headmaster, under the leadership of Madam Longbottom, who was giving the Lord Malfoy an accusing look.
It was then that he saw it; the recognition of defeat on the headmaster's face, of resignation at what was to come, at the realization that the battle was already lost, and that it was time to save face and withdraw to fight another day. "I will resign then. My deputy Professor McGonagall will make a suitable successor. She is strict but fair," several of the governors muttered their agreements to the idea.
"I don't believe that to be wise headmaster. Hogwarts needs a fresh start after these recent terrible events," Lucius spoke up with only a hint of smugness detectable. "We need to clean house. The school needs new leadership, untainted leadership."
"Perhaps, but that also means Professor Snape will have to be fired since he himself has received far too many complaints over the long years. Complaints which have been brushed aside to protect the school's good name and image," the headmaster noted aloud.
"It's also traditional that the deputy head teacher take over the position upon the resignation, or retirement of the current headmaster," the Chief Warlock countered as he looked around the table with another soft smile.
"And we can't simply ignore long held tradition now can we?" the headmaster asked the table as several of them nodded. "Tradition and history are the backbone of Magical Britain and its social structure, just like Hogwarts is the symbol of Britain.
It was here long before the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot came to be. If we start deciding what sacred traditions are to be ignored and changed at our leisure, then others can equally be removed and challenged, the order of things upset," Albus lectured evenly, with a hidden threat.
"Indeed," another governor voiced in agreement, as the others nodded and grumbled their own reluctant agreement.
"My mistakes are my own, not the staffs', not my deputy's. She has done nothing but follow my instructions," he defended the head of Gryffindor house. "If you want my resignation without a fight, you have to accept my choice in successor."
"Are you implying something headmaster?" Lucius enquired, easily ignoring Fawkes' piercing look.
He watched as the signature grandfatherly amused smile appeared on the Chief Warlock's tired features.
"Oh nothing, but with all my additional free time, I'll finally be able to fully take part in Ministry and Wizengamot politics, rather than having to spend many hours of my day dealing with school related problems and administration issues.
Already I can see all the free time I'll have to launch myself back into Ministry affairs, who knows, maybe I'll even finally choose to become the next Minister of Magic, They have asked for that very thing so many times in the past." Harry watched the governors give each other nervous looks at this new information, this obviously being something they hadn't considered.
It was then that he saw it, as he realized that Dumbledore was like some newly awoken beast, finally stirring from their long slumber, ready to lash out viciously and without mercy at his harassers. He wasn't even truly in the room and his inner animal was urging him to back off to a safe distance.
He knew right then and there that he was going to back off in his latest scheme and merely watch the new changes unfold. That was a much safer option compared to being marked as a threat, a rival, as he eagerly watched the scene. Several of the grown adults gave the elderly wizard nervous looks, as Lucius met the headmaster's stare straight on.
Watching as the meeting quickly drew to a close, he sensed a shift in the atmosphere; Dumbledore was no longer on the defensive, he was readying himself for war.
...
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