Dumbledore was a troubled man once again. It had been only a few days since he had made the momentous decision to alter his methods and ways. He was shifting his ways from a man who avoided direct action to a man who would force things as per his ideology and desire. He was moving away from the persona of a mediator who relied on manipulation, tricks, and persuasion, toward a man who would make things happen by sheer will.
This change in tactics did not mean his destination had shifted. His destination, his ultimate goal still remained the same.
To transform Wizarding Britain into a place where equality was paramount and the most valued trait. He envisioned a society where muggle-borns and half-bloods held the same rights as pure-bloods, A society where discrimination existed on the basis of blood status.
He sought a world where ancient pure blood practices, customs and traditions no longer held special legal significance. A place where they could be easily challenged and, if necessary, repudiated. A place where the muggle born had equal opportunity to grow and they were judged on their talent and not on their blood status.
This had been his goal and he was still striving for the same goal. Just that, this time, he would be forcing things towards his ultimate desire.
One realization had struck Albus Dumbledore profoundly during this transition. Previously, he had hoped to use Voldemort and his Death Eaters as a catalyst to create an environment that would make his desired changes easier to implement. The hatred they would have induced in the name of pure blood would have been that catalyst.
He had been wrong. The Death Eaters were far too unpredictable to be relied upon as a tool for any use. Worse, they were too monstrous and disgusting to leave unchecked.
Their brutality was such that no more innocents could be allowed to fall. Dumbledore had allowed for enough sacrifices felt in the name of the Greater Good and he clearly felt the heavy burden of the many lives already lost.
Thus, Dumbledore had charted a new path, one where chaos was going to be an essential element. But this chaos would be a controlled chaos and he would be the puppeteer of it. And the killing of two Death Eaters was the first element of it.
But it seemed that someone else had decided to walk on his path. Not many days later, three more Death Eaters had been killed and Dumbledore was curious of the identity of the perpetrator. Even so, he was not very tense about it. If someone was going to kill Death Eaters, so be it.
But to ensure this chaos, even further, Dumbledore had purposefully fanned the flames of Antonio Olario's hostility toward Rodolphus Lestrange.
He had long, from the beginning, suspected Rodolphus was behind the attack on Antonio's home, but his recent encounter with the three Death Eaters had confirmed it. Dumbledore was not certain if Antonio knew the truth yet, but the man would surely have his doubts. Now that Dumbledore had dropped a strategic hint, he hoped Antonio would seek the answers himself and finally confront Rodolphus. Dumbledore would not mind in heping Antonio collect a couple of pieces of evidence, witnesses, in the matter. Dumbledore was certain that if Antonio had proper evidence, he would not hesitate to go against Rodolphus. Antonio Olario was a hot head, in his estimate and the clash of titan like him against the Lestrange family would fuel the chaos that Dumbledore wanted.
Dumbledore, still, was willing to play the patience game but on his terms. He would be the one controlling things and no one, absolutely no one, would stay in his way.
The sensation of an approaching magical signature towards his office snapped Dumbledore's attention back to the present from his thoughts. He had summoned Minerva, and she had arrived.
"Come in," he said in his usual style, before Minerva even had a chance to knock on the door.
The door was pushed open and Minerva stepped inside.
"Good evening, Headmaster," she greeted him with a small nod of her head.
"Good evening, Minerva," Dumbledore said, offering a genuine smile. "Have a seat."
Minerva nodded and took her place across from him.
"How have you been, Minerva?" he asked. "We have not been able to see much of each other these past few days, thanks to the unfortunate events that have struck Hogwarts."
"I have been well, Headmaster," she replied. "And yes, it has been a busy time. I only hope that Hogwarts never sees such an unfortunate event again."
"Something like that will not happen again, Minerva," Dumbledore said, his voice booming with absolute confidence. "Not under my watch. Never again."
Minerva nodded and fell silent. She knew Dumbledore had not summoned her to discuss school safety or pleasantries. It was something else.
"Today, I heard that you took Lily Evans outside of Hogwarts," he began, his tone casual but his gaze sharp. "You returned alone, only to leave again five hours later to fetch her. Is this true?"
"It is true, Albus," Minerva replied without hesitation. She had known from the moment she walked through the gates that this conversation was inevitable.
"And may I ask where you dropped Miss. Evans off, and for what purpose?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his half moon spectacles.
"You may," Minerva said firmly and continued. "In light of the situations that have developed."
"You know," she continued, "Lily being targeted by the Slytherins, her formal complaint about the matter, my action on it and then finally the life threatening attack she suffered, I have arrived at a conclusion."
"When Lily eventually graduates from Hogwarts, she will face immense hardships. There are many who will try to target her. And when I say target, I mean they will try to kill her and she needs protection. She cannot be this underprepared to face the outside world. She has the talent to be a great witch and it is better to put that talent in use."
"And thus," she continued, her voice unwavering, "for her to be prepared for the world outside these walls, she needed to be trained. Trained by a powerful person so that when she leaves Hogwarts, she could have some measure of self protection."
"Oh!" Dumbledore seemed genuinely surprised. "There is another person whom you thought is better suited than you to train Miss. Evans."
"I am truly surprised," he said. "And may I know who that person is? And why did you not think yourself fit enough to train her?"
Dumbledore's gaze remained fixed on Minerva as he waited for an answer from Minerva.
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