Something moved on the headmaster's desk and he immediately raised his hands to stop Mrs Winstead.
"Pardon me, Olenna," the headmaster said.
"It looks like we have our board representative with us now."
Immediately, the door opened and a figure that Magnus had encountered during the days he had served at the Leaky Cauldron entered.
Of course, it was Malfoy's dad.
"Lucius, I almost thought you wouldn't make it," Dumbledore said, pointing the man to a seat.
Mr Malfoy gave the equivalent of a sneer as he moved to the only remaining seat located right next to Mrs Winstead.
He gave a nod to Snape and to the Ministry officials before turning to the headmaster.
"Unfortunately, I was caught up in some urgent business at the Ministry. I hope you will all forgive me. Please go on, I hope I haven't missed much."
"You haven't missed anything, Lucius," Dumbledore said calmly. "We were just getting underway."
Mr Malfoy slumped back in his seat.
"In that case, then no harm is done."
"Glad you could make it, Mr Malfoy," Mrs Winstead mumbled.
Magnus could tell Mrs winstead's welcome was probably more out of fear than respect.
"I had to be present, Olenna. It is no doubt a very important milestone for the school and, as a parent and also the board representative, it was of utmost importance that I be present."
"Certainly," Dumbledore said. "Olenna, please, if you could carry on."
Mrs Winstead nodded and turned to Magnus.
"As I was saying, the most important step we should focus on is safety, which is why I would like you to help me understand a few concepts, Mr Magnus."
At the mention of his name, Magnus saw Mr Malfoy's gaze light up and then darken as he stared at him.
"This is the boy, then... He seems too old to be a first year."
McGonagall drew the man a murderous stare.
"There is a difference between age and height, as I am sure you know, Mr Malfoy."
The man threw her a dismissive glance before turning to Mrs Winstead.
"Pardon me, Olenna."
Mrs Winstead stared at her clipboard uncomfortably, as if she was tired of being interrupted. Most probably, she was.
"What I would like to know, Mr Magnus, with your help, is exactly how you managed to achieve this evolution. Let me bring the recent case to your attention. You say that the reason why you had to attack Mr Weasley was because at that point you had to catch the Pokémon by surprise and trigger extreme loyalty. Correct?"
Magnus nodded.
He was becoming too uncomfortable under Mr Malfoy's gaze. Not to mention, on the other hand, he could feel Snape's eyes fixed on him as well. He only hoped the potion master was not trying to read his thoughts even now.
"Correct?"
Mrs Winstead repeated despite the fact Magnus had already nodded.
"Correct, ma'am," Magnus said in a shaky voice.
"Good."
"My question then is, did you try any other way before that incident, and if not, can you authoritatively say that there was no alternative to achieve this without putting you or Mr Weasley in danger?"
The question felt more like an accusation. Magnus had to remind himself that they had already had a hearing which had favored him. Otherwise, he would have been ready to go defensive.
"I can't, ma'am."
She looked at him for a couple of seconds, like she was expecting a clarification.
Magnus did not know what else to say.
I mean, she was right. He had not given it much thought. He just knew what he knew from Pokémon lore, but he could not tell her that.
"Would you mind elaborating on your answer?"
Fuck, this was proving to be harder than he had expected.
What was there to elaborate?
"What I mean," he began, "is based on the research I had done and, like I mentioned earlier, Fred's Eevee had shown signs of leaning towards a psychic type. We had conditioned it for a while and, at that point, I knew the only thing remaining to achieve its physical transformation was to trigger its extreme loyalty and readiness to defend its owner.
At that moment, I couldn't think of something better that could give the result I intended."
"And where exactly is this Pokémon we are talking about?" Mr Malfoy interrupted again, scanning the room.
A couple of teachers were staring at him murderously.
Even Mrs Winstead looked quite agitated at the rude interruptions.
Not even an excuse me or even an if I may ask, just blatant interruption.
Even by the way Lucius was seated, it was like he was the minister in the room.
"The said Pokémon is in the daycare Lucius. I am afraid we are not here because of the Pokémon. We are here to deliberate about the club, so I would kindly request that all of us allow Mrs Olenna and Magnus to address this matter with minimal interruption so that we can make much use of the time we have."
Mr Malfoy, however, was not ready to let it go that easily.
"That is all good," he said, now sitting upright.
"But as a representative of the parents, I am required to at least observe these creatures before we commit to anything. Parents need to know their children are safe, and I am told this Pokémon almost killed a student. It was only a lucky thing that the said student was the one disobedient enough to go behind the Ministry and cause such a transformation," he added, looking at Magnus.
The headmaster adjusted his glasses, and Magnus could see a hint of impatience creeping in.
"Lucius, that matter was addressed by the Ministry, including the Minister himself. I regret you were not present, but the Ministry's decision, as well as the school's, was that the school establish a Pokémon club. The board chair was informed."
"But the board members did not get to discuss that," Mr Malfoy interjected. "The Ministry is right to decide about the boy's fate as far as the use of magic is concerned, but matters of Hogwart and decisions affecting students and parents are to be passed by the school board. You know that, Dumbledore, or are you now taking matters into your own hands without consulting the board?"
The malice in his voice was no longer being suppressed.
"Like I told you, Lucius," the headmaster said calmly, "the board chair knows, and I am certain all the members other than you are aware. You yourself would have known if you cared to consult with the board or to respond to the letters sent to you. But I am certain you were tending to matters more important, which we all agreed to excuse you."
Mr Malfoy did not seem to have an answer to that, so he went back to slumping in his chair.
"In any case, if you want to see these Pokémon, you are welcome to. After the meeting is over, I will personally escort you to see Mrs Granger and Mr Weasley's Pokémon. I am sure they are at the daycare, right?"
Both Fred and Hermione were looking Petrified. But they managed to nod
"Now, I kindly request you, Lucius,"
this time Dumbledore was direct with the man, "do not interrupt so that we can make progress, otherwise your sacrifice to be present will have been in vain."
Looking at the casual disregard in the man's face and the hidden glances he kept throwing at Snape, Magnus knew Mr Malfoy was only getting started.
The man had certainly not come for a mere Pokémon club meeting. He had his own agenda, and most likely Snape knew.
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