"Good evening, Headmaster," Minerva greeted as she stepped inside the Hogwarts headmaster's office.
"Good evening, Minerva," Dumbledore responded with the usual smile on his face and the grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes. "Have a seat."
He waved his hand, and a chair materialized across him, on the other side of the table. Why Dumbledore never kept a permanent chair there and instead conjured one each time a visitor arrived was something only he knew.
Minerva nodded as she took her seat on the chair.
"You called me?" she asked.
Dumbledore studied her expression as he nodded. She wore her usual stern look on her face and carried herself with her familiar no nonsense demeanour. Yet Dumbledore, ever observant, noticed the difference. She was stiffer than usual, her expression sterner, her presence more commanding, and probably more resolute. It was the mark of a hardening resolve, and he could already guess what this hardening resolve was about to be.
"Did you take your classes today?" Dumbledore asked. He started with an off handed and not an important topic.
Minerva shook her head and replied, "I missed a couple of classes in the morning because of the hearing, and since I was feeling a bit tired and overwhelmed by what I saw today, I cancelled the rest as well. I will make it up in the coming days."
Dumbledore nodded, "l am certain you will."
He knew that Minerva would not like him beating around the bush and therefore he moved directly on the conversation he intended to have with her.
"Why did you vote in support of Antonio Olario?" Dumbledore asked.
'Contrary to my suggestion,' he added only in his thoughts.
"I felt like doing it," Minerva replied, without any change in her expression. "All the arguments made by Lord Olario were just and true. I felt myself resonating with it. Everything he said was justified."
"On the other hand," she continued, "Crouch's arguments were weak. Mere twisting of facts. He could not answer a single counterargument Lord Olario presented. Even a naïve person could tell that Lord Crouch was bluffing. He had nothing solid."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, as if weighing her words.
"And what do you think of what happened afterwards?" he asked. "The brutal killing of Lord Alicus Marius. Although not directly, your vote was among the enablers of that outcome, and you will be counted as one who supported Lord Olario. And probably supporter of his actions as well."
"I do not see a problem in it," Minerva drawled causing a small surprise to Dumbledore. "I supported Lord Olario for his earlier deeds. It has nothing to do with what he did afterwards. Even so, I do not inherently condemn his actions."
"For what happened afterwards, true, Lord Olario could have been less brutal. But Lord Marius should not have expected otherwise. The moment he challenged for an honour duel, he should have been prepared to die."
"And to be honest," Minerva added, "no spell could have made the killing less brutal. Sever his head, kill him by boiling his blood, burn with a fiendfyre or impale a sword in chest, everything is brutal. The only curse that is not brutal and grants instant death, the Killing Curse, is classified as an Unforgivable."
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Because casting an Unforgivable requires one to muster an immense amount of hatred. Only very dark wizards are capable of it. It has nothing to do with the outcome it produces."
Minerva did not respond. She was already aware of it.
"Even so," Dumbledore continued after a brief pause, "I believe that abstaining would have been a better choice."
"The Death Eaters were surely in the wrong, but Lord Olario's methods were not right either. It may seem that he has done nothing wrong for now, but we should not encourage such actions. Who knows what he may do in the future? Perhaps his target will shift from Death Eaters to someone else, and again he will have a valid reason to defend his actions."
Dumbledore sighed and continued, "Letting a crime go unchecked simply because it was committed in response to another crime is nothing more than encouragement for future crimes. The Death Eaters too began their rampage under the pretence of 'righting things' for the pure bloods, and now they are bent on killing even certain pure bloods themselves."
"And as Lord Olario stood up to the Death Eaters," Minerva countered firmly, "someone else will stand up to him if he ever strays down the wrong path."
"Standing against evil is the correct thing to do. And do not compare his actions with those of the Death Eaters. Even in their first killings, they did it for pleasure and power, not for justice."
"Even the blind would see that, Headmaster," she added with a well directed jab at the headmaster.
"Might be," Dumbledore sighed in defeat. Seeing Minerva's aggressiveness, he decided it was unwise to confront or preach to her further. He did not want to upset his greatest and most powerful ally. He would make this compromise. Anyhow, what had been done could not be changed. He did not need to ruin his future prospect over this matter.
"Headmaster," Minerva said, "I plan on taking action regarding Lily's complaint. As vice headmistress and head of her house, it is my duty to ensure her grievances are addressed in an impartial manner."
Dumbledore remained silent for a few moments. He knew that this had been coming. Minerva's action today in the Wizengamot had more been a result of Lily's complaint and his own inaction rather Minerva being very impressed with Antonio's arguments.
He also knew this was her indirect way of telling him that, as Headmaster, he did not have the authority to stop her in this matter. Dumbledore was a man who liked to keep all authority in his own hands. He trusted no one with even an iota of independent power. And in this particular case, keeping the powers of house heads under his control, he did so to ensure that every action taken by them guided students towards his own ideology and beliefs, nurturing them with an understanding of kindness, empathy, and love.
If he interfered too much with her duties, or if their differences of opinion grew too wide, the matter could be taken before the Board of Governors. And for now, Dumbledore's position on the board was slightly weakened. Not that he intended to let this issue escalate to that point.
"What do you intend to do?" He asked with a sigh. It seemed that he was going to make another compromise today. He could only hope to minimise his losses.
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