Dr. Ellison yawns. "I do not know what time your body thinks it is, Bob, but mine thinks it is bedtime."
Blankenship smiles. "I'm quite tired."
"I'll get you to hospital. We'll deal with the administration tomorrow so that you can be reinstated."
Wait, what? You've got Blankenship's position. Are you being fired?
Dr. Ellison sees your consternation. "Dr. Blankenship has tenure, of course, but more importantly, he is still bound to the department, just as you are."
As a condition of employment, you had to agree to a binding pattern with the pattern magic department. It compels you to work to the department's best interests, and to not tell non-practitioners about magic's existence. In return, the department has to represent you fairly and protect you against other practitioners if necessary. It's an ancient ritual from a time when practitioners tended to have more deadly relationships with each other, also known as "the early twentieth century." You considered it a formality at the time. Evidently you were wrong.
"We did not cancel that binding because…" Dr. Ellison looks lost for such a brief moment that you doubt you saw it. "Hope springs eternal, and it is always a pleasure when that hope is rewarded. We will balance your duties as best we can."
That Should Go Well