The afternoon in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office should have been peaceful.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, dancing on the swirling silver of the Pensieve, the golden-red feathers of Fawkes, and the humming, peculiar silver instruments.
However, a cold heaviness hung in the air, like the low pressure before a storm.
Bang!
The office door was slammed open.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, his bowler hat askew on his sweaty forehead, burst in like an eager bull, followed by a grim-faced Professor McGonagall.
"Albus!" Fudge's voice was almost a shout as he waved a copy of The Daily Prophet, its front page emblazoned with news of the attacks, the paper rustling loudly.
"This must stop! Immediately! Now! Dozens of students have been petrified! In your school, right under your nose!"
Dumbledore looked up from behind his large desk; he first nodded to the Deputy Headmistress, signaling her to leave, and then said calmly, "Please sit, Cornelius. Would you like some tea? I understand your concerns…"
"Understand?"
Fudge didn't even look at the chair; instead, he leaned on the desk, body forward, spittle almost spraying onto the surface. "What good is understanding? The public demands an explanation! The Ministry of Magic needs to see action! Hogwarts can no longer be seen as a dangerous place that could kill students at any moment!"
Dumbledore looked at him, and Fudge's voice immediately, unconsciously, lowered, carrying a hint of imperceptible apprehension and a desire to distance himself.
"So, Cornelius, what do you expect me to do?"
Fudge seemed to have been waiting for that very question; he immediately straightened up, his voice becoming urgent and resolute. "It's simple! Hand over the culprit. We need someone who can quickly calm the situation—Rubeus Hagrid! He's right by the Forbidden Forest, isn't he? He was let off fifty years ago, but now the attacks have happened again—it's too much of a coincidence! Hand him over to me, that will be the fastest way to reassure people and put parents at ease!"
The temperature in the office seemed to drop several degrees.
Dumbledore's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying an undeniable authority. "Cornelius, Rubeus Hagrid is innocent. He was fifty years ago, and he still is now. I will not allow you to send an innocent man to Azkaban for political convenience."
Fudge's face instantly turned a purplish-red. "But you have to think of me too! I'm under immense pressure—I have to do something. The situation is out of control, and the Ministry won't just sit idly by. Someone has to bear the consequences!"
"Ah, Minister, Professor Dumbledore! What a 'timely' meeting!"
A sickly sweet, artificial voice interjected.
The office door had been pushed open at some point. Professor McGonagall walked in again with a stern face, while Rita Skeeter leaned against the doorframe, a professional fake smile on her lips.
Her emerald-green Quick-Quotes Quill was already hovering above the parchment, its tip trembling excitedly, ready to capture any stray word.
"It seems I've arrived at the heart of a major news story?"
She twisted her waist as she walked in, her gaze sweeping over the two like a searchlight. "For the thousands upon thousands of worried readers of The Daily Prophet, for the parents who can't sleep at night, please allow me, Rita Skeeter, to conduct a… well… an in-depth interview with you two regarding this terrible Chamber of Secrets attack?"
Her gaze was firmly fixed on Dumbledore.
Fudge, seeing the reporter, seemed to grasp at a lifeline; he immediately adjusted his crooked hat, trying to project an air of being in control. "Ms. Skeeter! Yes, the Ministry is actively intervening to ensure student safety, we—"
"Actively intervening?"
Rita's quill immediately began to fly wildly. "Minister, does this mean you believe Headmaster Dumbledore is no longer capable of handling this crisis? After all, such a large-scale attack, right here in what he claims is the safest fortress…"
Her attack instantly turned to Dumbledore, her smile full of ill intent. "Professor, regarding the Chamber of Secrets, regarding Slytherin's legendary monster, do you possess crucial information that the outside world doesn't know? The vast majority of parents and the public have an undeniable right to know!"
Her quill drew an exaggerated question mark in the air.
Dumbledore calmly looked at Rita and her malicious quill, his voice still steady. "Ms. Skeeter, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets has been dealt with, but the truth has not yet come to light. Any irresponsible speculation and insinuation now will only create unnecessary panic. I advise you not to spread unverified rumors, as that would only make you an accomplice to darkness."
"Oh, dear Professor, 'rumors'?"
Rita's smile deepened, and a strange light flickered in her eyes.
"The public craves to know the truth! Especially when a highly respected Principal seems… well… to be struggling. If the school cannot provide convincing answers and assurances to the public, I believe the public and the gentlemen of the school board will have their own judgment. My pen"—
She elegantly pointed to the excited quill—"merely faithfully records all the facts that are currently unfolding."
The quill spun triumphantly in the air.
As if to confirm Rita's prophecy, the office door was pushed open for the third time.
This time, Lucius Malfoy entered silently.
He was dressed in a well-tailored suit, and his silver serpent-headed cane made crisp, regular clack sounds on the floor, each step carrying a cold oppression.
His pale face was expressionless, and there was no ripple in his grey-blue eyes as he arrogantly swept his gaze over the slightly flustered Fudge and the excited Rita. Finally, that cold gaze, like a tangible force, fell upon Dumbledore, carrying undisguised scrutiny and disdain.
"Good afternoon, Minister. Ms. Skeeter." His voice was drawn out, finally turning to the person behind the desk. "And Dumbledore… Headmaster."
He deliberately omitted the title "Headmaster," each syllable seeming to emphasize something.
Fudge appeared somewhat flustered. "Lucius! You've come at just the right time, we were discussing…"
Malfoy slightly raised his hand, a subtle gesture that silenced Fudge, and his gaze never left Dumbledore.
"No need for pleasantries, Minister. I am here on behalf of all members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors."
His voice was steady and cold as he unhurriedly took a parchment scroll sealed with deep purple wax from his pocket and elegantly placed it in the center of Dumbledore's desk.
"In light of the… extremely disturbing and completely unacceptable malicious attacks that have recently occurred at Hogwarts," Malfoy's voice echoed clearly in the office, "and the resulting… widespread, uncontainable panic, and serious doubts about the school's current management capabilities…"
He paused deliberately, seemingly savoring the solemnity hidden beneath Dumbledore's calm demeanor.
"The Board convened an emergency meeting last night, and after deliberation, unanimously determined that the current situation constitutes a significant threat to Hogwarts' reputation and student safety. This document"—he tapped the scroll with his cane—"is a… suspension order… jointly signed by myself and eleven other school governors."
The air seemed to solidify.
Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill scribbled frantically across the parchment, almost sparking.
Lucius's lips curved upwards in a slow, subtle arc, and he continued: "It requires you, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, to suspend all your powers as Headmaster of Hogwarts, effective immediately."
He clasped his hands over his serpent-headed cane, his tone harsh: "Until… the Board deems that the school has restored safe order, or until you yourself find and thoroughly resolve the true source of the current crisis."
He spoke his last few words exceptionally slowly, with heavy sarcasm.
Dumbledore did not immediately look at the suspension order on the desk, which lay there like a venomous snake. He slowly, steadily, stood up.
"Lucius," Dumbledore's voice remained steady, "the Board exercising its oversight powers granted by the charter is beyond reproach."
His gaze swept over the varied expressions of Fudge and Rita, finally returning to Malfoy. "However, the crisis Hogwarts is currently facing cannot be resolved by a mere suspension order. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets has been dealt with, but the true culprit has not yet been apprehended."
He gently patted the large Headmaster's chair. "Whether or not I sit in this chair, protecting students, uncovering the truth, and confronting all darkness that seeks to defile this Castle are the undeniable and inescapable responsibilities of myself, and every person who truly cares about the future of Hogwarts."
He extended his hand unhurriedly and gently picked up the weighty suspension order.
He did not break the wax seal, but merely held it in his old yet strong hand, weighing it, as if weighing the contempt and conspiracy contained within.
"I have received this order," Dumbledore's voice sounded somewhat weary, "but before I leave this office, I must remind you all: the true crisis does not stem from this chair in the Headmaster's office."
His gaze, through his half-moon spectacles, swept firmly and calmly over everyone. "Expelling me, perhaps, is easy. But expelling the darkness lurking deep within the Castle requires true wisdom and fearless courage, for this is not about political machinations and the venting of personal grudges."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a raven landed on the windowsill. It tilted its head, looked at everyone in the office, and then coldly uttered a sentence:
"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in the girls' lavatory where Myrtle is."
~~~~~~~~~~
o(*≧▽≦)ツ💫 Read up to 12+ chapters in advance on P@treon/DarkDevil1 👉 Get early access & exclusive perks!✨