Since 1932, Dumbledore had never encountered such a completely out-of-control situation. He remained frozen in shock for a long while before finally speaking.
"Dana, you cannot… Although you are one of the Castle's builders, you are not a school board member. You have no right to dismiss the Headmaster."
"School board member?"
Dana sneered.
"When Old Avery sold his only remaining property to me, he also handed over his position on the Hogwarts School Board.
Although the official recipient was Dak Dantes, revealing my true identity won't cause me any real problems—it simply makes things slightly more inconvenient to manage.
However, gentlemen, just because I don't care much about the consequences doesn't mean you are free to expose me recklessly."
Dana glanced calmly at Dumbledore.
"Before I voluntarily reveal myself, I don't want more people to know about my dual identity. At present, only five living people know my true identity. Of course, three of those so-called 'living people' aren't doing very well.
Ah, forgive me. I've digressed again.
Without a doubt, I am now a legitimate member of the Hogwarts School Board.
Therefore, whether as one of the founders or as a board member, I have the authority to remove you from the position of Headmaster."
Dumbledore drew a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure.
"No. The dismissal of a Headmaster requires a formal board meeting. All board members must be present, and the resolution must pass with more than eighty percent approval."
Dana shrugged.
Without any hurry, he pulled eleven two-way mirrors from the pendant hanging around his neck.
He transformed into Count Dantes and opened the first mirror.
"Malfoy, I need your Hogwarts School Board position. I'll exchange it for a standard residential unit in the second phase of Merlin City. Do you agree to the exchange?"
"Oh, Count, you are far too generous! I agree! I absolutely agree!"
"All right. Go and sign the agreement with Wang Shujing immediately."
"Thank you, Count!"
Count Dantes closed the mirror, gave Dumbledore a playful look, and opened the second two-way mirror.
"Mr. Greengrass?"
There was a long pause.
Dumbledore and Professor Snape watched in silence as Dana, through a few short conversations, utterly seized control of Hogwarts—both its ownership of the Castle and the management rights of the school.
Count Dantes's words carried terrifying weight among the pure-blood families of Britain, especially now, when everyone was desperate to recover their losses from the Merlin Phase II project.
"Actually," Dana continued casually, "even without a formal board meeting, if I decide to remove you as Headmaster, you won't even be able to enter the Castle anymore, as long as I wish.
But you are, after all, more than a hundred years old. I believe the respect due to you should still be given.
So now I ask you, Mr. Dumbledore—since I am the Board of Directors—do you have anything else to say?"
What could Dumbledore possibly say?
He had lived in Hogwarts for nearly ninety years, and at this moment, he truly had nowhere else to go.
The Dumbledore family now consisted of only himself and his younger brother, Aberforth Dumbledore. And ever since their sister Ariana's death, Aberforth had practically regarded him as an enemy.
"Oh, wait a moment."
Dana suddenly spoke again.
Dumbledore looked up at him, a trace of hope flashing across his aged face. For a brief second, he almost believed that Dana had changed his mind.
"I almost forgot something," Dana said lightly. "If I don't keep you under my watchful eye, there's practically no way to prevent you from secretly informing Gai Avery.
So, since you have nowhere else to go, I'll reluctantly allow you to continue living in Hogwarts.
However, you will not be permitted to leave the Castle, nor use the Castle's owl system.
As for your phoenix, I'll be adding a patch to Hogwarts Castle to block phoenix-based teleportation."
Dumbledore looked as if he had aged ten years in a single instant. He staggered back two steps, his voice trembling.
"Dana, you can't do this. This is house arrest."
Dana shrugged calmly.
"If I'm not mistaken, a few minutes ago, you were the one who wanted to put me under house arrest. Or am I remembering it wrong?"
Dumbledore closed his eyes, completely speechless.
"Professor Snape," Dana said coldly, turning his head slightly, "keep an eye on Mr. Dumbledore. If, despite these arrangements, Gai Avery still finds out what happened here, you will never see Lily Potter again in your lifetime."
"It's Lily Evans," Snape corrected in a low voice.
Dana shrugged.
"Whatever."
At that moment, one of the many two-way mirrors in Dana's pendant began to heat up. Someone was trying to contact him.
"Lord Count," a voice said from the mirror, "two minutes ago, Mr. Stirlinger released a memory projection of Mr. Barty Crouch. The entire Ministry of Magic is now in chaos."
"Understood. I'll be there immediately."
Dana put away the two-way mirror and looked back at Dumbledore.
"Mr. Dumbledore, as you can see, I am very busy and must leave now.
I wish you a pleasant remaining life at Hogwarts.
Goodbye."
Professor McGonagall placed her knife and fork down with elegant restraint.
Why Dumbledore had gone to see Dana was none of her concern. Her thoughts were entirely consumed by what she had just witnessed.
Dana could summon the dead back to life.
How unbelievable was that?
Elphinstone Urquhart… my beloved, can you really come back?
Elphinstone Urquhart was Professor McGonagall's second great love.
Before 1982, Professor McGonagall had been deeply in love with her first love, Dougal, the son of a farmer who lived near her childhood home. However, because her mother was a witch and her father was a Muggle minister, she had seen from a very young age how painful and suffocating a marriage between a wizard and a Muggle could be.
Her family had lived in secrecy and fear, and she had almost no happy memories of her childhood.
In the end, she had chosen her duty to the wizarding world over love.
It was not until 1982, after Dougal's death, that Professor McGonagall finally accepted Elphinstone Urquhart, her superior at the Ministry of Magic, who had quietly pursued her for many years.
They bought a small house in Hogsmeade and lived a peaceful, joyful life together.
However, just three years later, Elphinstone Urquhart was accidentally injured by a Venomous Tentacula and died unexpectedly.
Unable to bear living alone any longer in their small cottage, Professor McGonagall eventually moved to Hogwarts permanently.
She slowly stood up from her chair.
Perhaps she should find the time to speak with Dana properly. If the price was not too great, she wanted to bring her beloved back to life as well.
After all, how much he had loved her.
Suddenly, Professor McGonagall felt a powerful connection with the Castle itself.
She froze, confused. What was happening?
Many of the Castle's permissions suddenly opened to her, and she instinctively understood that those privileges had originally belonged only to the Headmaster.
She hurried back to her office and felt her bond with the Castle grow even deeper.
After a moment of hesitation, she attempted Apparition.
Whoosh.
She succeeded.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared inside the Headmaster's Office.
There, she saw a dejected Dumbledore and a visibly dazed Snape.
"Albus," she asked, her voice carefully controlled, "what exactly happened? I suddenly feel…"
Dumbledore waved his hand weakly, interrupting her.
"Minerva… congratulations. You are now the Headmistress of Hogwarts."
Count Dantes appeared inside the main conference hall of the Ministry of Magic.
Rufus Scrimgeour was standing on the central stage—the very podium from which he had once failed in his bid for Minister for Magic.
However, at that moment, he did not look like a defeated man at all.
Instead, he looked like a hunter who had finally seen his prey step into the open.
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