Checkmate, Headmaster
"It's ready," said Harry, as he looked at the small chest in the middle of the room.
Thanks to his special glasses, he could see how all the magical connections that had once tied the Mirror to the castle's traps now flowed into this new object. All thanks to the efficient help of the two house-elves.
With a barely dark smile, he added,
"Let's go."
He turned to the others and calmly said,
"Remember to leave the mirror at the mansion. Oh, and if you can extract the Philosopher's Stone… please send it to Mr. Flamel."
Without another word, the house-elves nodded, took the mirror and the students, and vanished with a soft pop.
They reappeared in the center of Ravenclaw's common room, dropped them off with Liz… and disappeared once more, as if they had never been there.
Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map, scanning the hallways quickly.
All the professors were currently escorting Fluffy back to his place, while Red —of course— had managed to sneak away at some point and was now calmly approaching the common room entrance.
Harry went to open the door.
Red walked in, tail wagging with such pure joy that it was hard to believe he'd just participated in a highly illegal operation. Harry gave him a pointed look.
You were part of this chaotic little masterpiece too.
"Great… maybe now we'll have a few normal school days," Draco sighed, exhausted.
"The best part of using something as bait… is when it's not even in the castle," said Daphne with a satisfied smile.
"I wonder what faces they'll make when they realize the stone is gone… Quirrell or Dumbledore," Harry said, grinning mischievously.
"I'm going to bed before you come up with another crazy idea," Hermione announced, turning around.
"Oh, but there's one more thing," said Harry, stopping her.
"What now?" she asked, looking at him seriously.
"A dangerous cerberus was walking through the halls of the school. Don't you think our parents should know? Actually… all the parents should."
Harry smiled.
"Sometimes you really are a demon," Draco murmured with a slight smirk.
…
The next morning.
"Hello, Hagrid," said Harry as he saw the giant walking down the halls with a worried expression.
"Oh… hey, Harry. Good to see you're alright," Hagrid replied with a faint smile.
"Those scratches and bruises… were they from Fluffy?" Harry asked, pointing at the visible marks on Hagrid's arms.
"This? Nah… this was from a bit earlier," Hagrid said, looking slightly embarrassed. Then he caught Harry's tone. "So… you found out."
"Sorry, Hagrid. We actually discovered it and told Professor Flitwick."
"It's alright, it's alright. Better that than someone getting hurt by accident," Hagrid sighed. "Though… it looks like Fluffy's little escape gave the headmaster some trouble. That's why I've got to take him out of the castle."
"He's not going to get in trouble, is he?" asked Harry, feigning concern.
"Luckily, no. The headmaster took responsibility. Fluffy's safe… poor Dumbledore," said Hagrid with a tinge of sadness.
"Yeah… poor him," Harry repeated, with an almost imperceptible smile.
"Harry! We've been looking for you," said Hermione, approaching with Draco and Daphne close behind.
"Hello, Hagrid," she added calmly.
"Hi, Hermione. And you lot too," Hagrid said, nodding to the three.
"How strange… you've got the same marks as Sirius," Daphne noted with a curious look.
Hagrid coughed slightly, clearly nervous.
"It's true, Harry. Your godfather came by. Went to speak with the headmaster," added Draco.
Hagrid's expression immediately shifted to one of worry and urgency.
"I've got to go see the headmaster. I'll tell him Fluffy is my pet," he muttered, getting ready to run.
"If you do that, they'll probably fire you… or worse, send you to Azkaban. Bringing a dangerous creature into the school isn't exactly a minor offense," Draco said, completely serious.
Hagrid froze mid-step. For a moment, he paled, as if a horrible memory had just resurfaced. Harry noticed… and raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Harry said in a calm, reassuring tone — though with just a hint of sarcasm. "Headmaster Dumbledore has a lot of political power. He's Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and most of the Wizengamot supports him. He's respected throughout the magical community."
The half-giant nodded firmly.
"You're right. Dumbledore is very respected. If he needs my help, I'll give it without hesitation. I'd better go now, before they come up with excuses to blame him."
And with that, Hagrid walked away with determined steps.
Harry watched him leave in silence.
"Did you notice?" he asked suddenly.
"Hagrid's very easy to read," said Draco, nodding.
"Do you think he's brought in dangerous creatures before?" Hermione asked, serious.
"Should we investigate?" asked Daphne, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.
"Nah… let's just enjoy our school year like normal students," said Harry, watching Hagrid's retreating figure.
"And watch the world burn at the director's feet."
…
"Mr. Black… it seems that ever since you took your new position, I've seen you more often than when you were a student," Dumbledore remarked with a soft smile, watching the man seated across from his desk.
Sirius didn't respond immediately. He was leaning back slightly on the sofa, one arm draped over the backrest, the other propping up his chin. His gaze was cold, serious—very different from the warmth he showed when he was with Harry or any member of his family.
There was something aristocratic, proud, and calculating about him now. No trace remained of the reckless, playful man he often pretended to be. This was the face he wore when the name Black meant power.
"You're right, Dumbledore," he finally said in a low voice. "Even back when I was in the Order of the Phoenix, most of the time you simply sent out instructions… commands. Like a puppeteer pulling strings from the shadows."
His words were sharp. Not an outright accusation—but close.
Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly.
"If you're referring to the trial—"
"I'm not interested in the trial anymore," Sirius interrupted with a dismissive gesture. "If anything, it opened my eyes. Enough to see certain… inconsistencies. Not spotting the spy. Not placing protection around the Potter and Longbottom families when you knew they were in danger. Holding James's invisibility cloak when he needed it most. The attack on the Potters… followed immediately by the Longbottoms, even though they were the very two families you said needed safeguarding."
He paused—each word deliberately slicing the air.
"But that's not why I'm here," he added coldly.
"We were at war, Sirius. And in every war… there are casualties. But we also saved many lives."
"Mortgators', perhaps," Sirius said with a sarcastic smile. "After Voldemort fell, they all claimed they were under the Imperius Curse. And what did you do? You disbanded the Order. You didn't hunt them down. You didn't stop them. You just… let them go."
"It was a political war. If we had gone after them, we could have caused more problems than solutions," Dumbledore replied firmly.
"Interesting. Because I remember being sent to Azkaban without a trial. Labeled a Death Eater, and no one—no one—spoke up for me. And yet those others… walked free with ease. And you, you did nothing."
Dumbledore held his gaze for a few seconds. When he finally spoke, his tone had deepened.
"Tell me, Mr. Black—why are you here? If it's to drag up the past, I don't think your new title will be of much use to you."
"I said it before. I'm not here for myself. I'm here because the parents of Hogwarts students are worried about their children's safety."
"If you're referring to Fluffy, that was an unfortunate incident caused by a small chaotic dragon," Dumbledore replied neutrally. "But the dog was contained, and no one was hurt."
"Chaotic dragon? You mean Red—Harry's pet?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes. "And how are you so sure he caused the commotion? More importantly… why is there a cerberus in a school?"
"Some portraits saw Harry's creature heading toward the room where Fluffy was kept. Shortly after, they were seen walking the halls together. The cerberus was guarding something important."
"Portraits answer to the headmaster. They don't count as evidence. In a real trial… they wouldn't be admissible. At least not in a legal one," Sirius said with a mocking smile.
"Professors Sprout and Flitwick also saw Red walking with Fluffy."
"Yes… Red tends to make friends with anything that has legs. That doesn't mean he let him out. He could've just found him. I had someone check the door where Fluffy was being held. It wasn't destroyed by magic or claws—it was opened. With tools. And you know what? There's absolutely no excuse for placing a dangerous magical creature in a school full of children."
He leaned forward.
"That's what places like Gringotts are for. Ah, right… I heard about the recent trouble in your vault. Maybe you should consider keeping important things in your home. Just saying."
Sirius stood and adjusted his robes.
"You should seriously reconsider your priorities regarding student safety. Otherwise, your position as headmaster might be at risk. Maybe what Hogwarts needs… is a new director. One with a different vision."
He turned toward the door.
"Starting next year, there will be a dedicated official in charge of student safety. It could be someone from the Ministry or the School Board… but we decided that the best people to watch over Hogwarts are the parents themselves."
He glanced over his shoulder with a sharp smile.
"A few of them have already agreed to take turns being present throughout the school year. I'm sure you'll recognize some names. I suspect it'll be a very entertaining year for you."
Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and left.
The moment the door shut, laughter echoed through the office.
The portraits turned toward the sound… and quickly found the source.
Phineas Nigellus Black.
"Now that's how a proper Black behaves," he said, laughing. "That was a rough one, eh, Dumbledore? That's my descendant."
"Are you really happy to see the headmaster being cornered?" asked a former headmistress with a disapproving look.
"He brought it on himself," another portrait replied. "We warned him that bringing the stone here was a mistake."
"Dumbledore knows the risk. He did it to protect the wizarding world from… you-know-who," one of them defended.
"At the cost of putting students in danger?" asked another former headmistress firmly.
Silence.
All of them had once been headmasters or headmistresses. All of them understood what was at stake.
"What are you going to do, Dumbledore?" one of them finally asked.
"For now… we'll secure the stone with a different system. We'll remove Fluffy. And as for the parents coming in… I hope they focus on observation rather than interference. Perhaps it'll help them understand how difficult being a professor really is."
"That'll depend on who they send," Phineas said with a smirk.
Dumbledore looked at him in silence.
And frowned.
Thinking. Calculating.
Perhaps—for the first time in a very long while—he wasn't playing with the advantage.