A silence permeated the room before Minerva finally spoke.
"I had promised three favors to Lord Olario in return for his services in training Miss Lily Evans," Minerva explained. "He was calling in one of those favors."
Dumbledore was slightly surprised by the answer, though not entirely. During their previous conversation regarding Lily leaving Hogwarts for her training, Minerva had already hinted at a price, a favor in return for Antonio's services. He simply had not been aware of the specifics back then.
"Not that repaying the favor was my only motivation," Minerva continued. "Even if he had not called for it, I would most probably have still jumped in against the Dark Lord. I would not have stood idle while people would have been killed and massacred in front of my eyes."
Dumbledore nodded in understanding. He was curious and intrigued and wanted to ask about the future of Lily's training program, specifically, whether it would even continue. After all that had happened, would Antonio be willing soon enough to continue Lily's training?
However, it was likely that even Minerva did not have an answer to that yet. Antonio till now had not even regained consciousness. It was better to be patient and see for himself when the time came.
"Did you consider my suggestion about allowing James to approach Miss Evans?" Dumbledore questioned.
Minerva groaned inwardly. This was the one topic she did not want to deal with right now. With everything that had happened, she was in no mood to get frustrated or irritated any further. But she did not truly have a choice.
She had already delayed Dumbledore long enough, and an answer was now inevitable. And she had already thought of her decision.
"Yes," she replied. "I concur with your suggestion. Mr. Potter may approach Miss. Evans."
"That is great!" Dumbledore interjected, his eyes almost twinkling with happiness.
"But," Minerva continued in a firm tone, leaving no room for argument. "Mr. Potter must maintain a very respectful approach toward Miss Evans. He must respect her personal boundaries and do nothing that makes her uncomfortable. His behavior must be impeccable, and he must keep in mind that his previous attitude of pranking, irritating, and harming others must be kept in check."
"Oh! Yes, yes," Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "That is absolutely a given. No need to worry on that front."
"And Mr. Potter must remember that this is his only and final chance if he truly wishes to make amends with Miss Evans," Minerva added as a final remark. "If Miss. Evans expresses even a shred of discomfort regarding Mr. Potter, that would be the end of his chance."
Dumbledore nodded, satisfied. This single chance was enough. He was quite sure that his plan would work and that the conditions imposed by Minerva would mean little once James and Lily grew closer to one another.
"How is Edgar doing?" Dumbledore questioned.
"He is fine for the moment," Minerva replied, the blank expression on her face cracking slightly as a hint of sadness crept in. "But he is definitely devastated."
"He lost his father and now he is an orphan," Dumbledore stated as a matter of fact, his expression somber. "He would surely be devastated."
Minerva nodded.
"I have asked Professor Sprout to keep an extra eye on him," Minerva continued. "She is someone who is very well suited for this role. Her motherly instincts might provide some sense of reassurance and security to Mr. Bones."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
"You must also continue to keep an eye on him," he said. "I have given my word to Miss Bones that her brother will be fully protected at Hogwarts. And when I said this, I did not mean only physical protection. I want him to be given emotional support as well."
"I will keep an eye on him," Minerva said with a nod.
"What now, Headmaster?" Minerva questioned, after a couple of moments of silence. "After everything that happened yesterday, a chaotic storm has been unleashed upon Wizarding Britain. A storm which is uncontrollable and untamable."
"Be it the common man or a Lord of the Wizengamot, everyone is going through an extremely tense and anxious period. No one knows what is happening and what will happen," she continued. "The situation is alarming. Lords are holding meeting after meeting with one another, and even they are completely clueless. No one even knows which Lord can be trusted and which Lord is in cohorts with the Dark Lord."
"The Ministry of Magic is also under immense pressure, and it is all but certain that the Minister will resign from his post," she added. "Even so, the baying for blood will not stop. They are demanding answers. They want to know how the Dark Lord was able to take hold of the Ministry wards."
"Alastor Moody and Barty Crouch are investigating, but so far they have not been able to reach any conclusion."
"What now?" she repeated. "What do we do now?"
There was barely any change in expression on Dumbledore's face. He remained as calm as ever.
"Relax, Minerva," he said with a smile. "We do not have any real stake in all this mess. We should keep our distance."
Minerva's face turned into that of confusion and she tried to open her mouth.
"My first and foremost goal is to keep my school and my students safe and sound," he continued, not letting her speak. "Apart from that, I have my personal ambition to take revenge against Voldemort for what he did to two of my students and to my school. He cannot escape my wrath."
"As for the Ministry and the Lords," he said. "Let them descend into chaos. The Minister will surely resign, and I do not see the Lords coming to an agreement anytime soon regarding who should be his successor."
"It will take a few days, more or less, before everything else calms and normalcy returns," he added. "And I have full belief that Voldemort will not be making any moves for the next few days. So, things will eventually settle."
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