The air in the office was thick with palpable tension as Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with intrigue, expressed his surprise upon learning of the peculiar wrist-watch. "A watch, you say?" he inquired eagerly, his bushy brows arching in curiosity. "Pray tell, what kind of watch is this?"
Bryan brushed aside Dumbledore's suspicions with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "A watch forged from magical metal, though nothing too extraordinary," he replied dismissively. "Its primary feature lies in its absolute precision in keeping time and its remarkable resistance to damage."
The three wizards sitting in this office understood each other, all knowing what 'kind' the others were.
Dumbledore was well aware the watch Bryan gave Harry was probably not an ordinary traditional watch. Yet, he refrained from probing further, an unspoken agreement between the two men that required no words.
"Well then, Headmaster, regarding what you mentioned before—" Bryan began, only to halt abruptly as his gaze shifted towards the doorway. Simultaneously, Dumbledore's beard twitched ever so slightly, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a knowing smile.
"It would appear you find yourself rather preoccupied, Bryan," Dumbledore remarked, his tone laced with amusement.
"Alas, troublesome matters do seem to appear in clusters," Bryan conceded with a shake of his head.
"Professor Watson, Sirius has gone to find you, ahem!"
"And Harry's gone after him too, err!"
The frantic cries of Hermione and Ron rung in the air as they burst into the office, their faces flushed with urgency, but upon seeing the smiling Dumbledore seated on the sofa, Hermione's face instantly flushed red as her fists clenched tightly with nervousness. Ron, too, seemed to have lost his voice, his mouth agape in a comical imitation of a pumpkin with its mouth sawed off.
Dumbledore's presence was not the source of their discomfort – no, it was the rigid, suspicious glare of Snape that drained the color from their faces, leaving them flustered and tongue-tied.
The atmosphere was suffocating, oppressive in its intensity.
They had sought out Professor Watson's help in hopes of dissuading Sirius from going after Snape. Yet, to their dismay, one of the parties embroiled in the conflict sat before them, rendering them utterly speechless and unsure of how to proceed.
"It seems they have come to see you, Bryan,"
Dumbledore said, his slender fingers interlaced as he reclined against the couch, feigning interest in the vibrant sunset visible through the window. His demeanor suggested a purposeful detachment, a reluctance to intervene in the unfolding events.
Bryan's gaze flickered momentarily towards Snape, taking note of the man's darkening face, before settling upon the flustered young wizards. The corner of his mouth twitched in an amused smile as he had a vague guess in his heart. With a skillful flick of his wand, its glowing tip traced intricate ripples upon the air, conjuring a solidified, ominous serpent with two wings – one black, one white – that slithered through the air with grace.
Hermione's eyes widened as she noticed Professor Watson's pale purple irises flash with a deeper shade of violet for the briefest of instants. Simultaneously, the flapping winged beast's eyes mirrored the same fleeting flash before Professor Watson's Patronus shot forth like a bolt of lightning, its ethereal form passing through the wall and disappearing from the room.
"No need to worry," Bryan reassured them, crossing his fingers over his raised knee. "I have called Sirius here."
Watching the increasingly flustered Hermione and Ron scurry away with even greater haste than their initial burst into the office, Bryan shook his head, an amused smile upon his lips.
"I have warned you before, Severus," Dumbledore withdrew his gaze from the window, as he said to the expressionless Snape with a resigned yet solemn tone. "What you see is only what you wish to see. Past events have clouded your judgment, but if you let go of your prejudice, you'll find that Harry is a very nice child."
Snape's demeanor made it abundantly clear that he passionately disagreed with Dumbledore's assessment of Harry. He snorted mockingly, his lips curling into a disdainful sneer as he replied in a dry, scathing tone,
"Wise words indeed, Headmaster Dumbledore – 'What you see is only what you wish to see.' And perhaps those very words apply to you as well."
Sirius, having failed to locate his target in the basement, soon arrived upon the third floor. Bryan had expected to be greeted by a face twisted in rage, perhaps even the sight of Sirius drawing his wand in preparation for a confrontation. However, to his surprise, Sirius entered with a relatively calm expression, though his eyes showed an undisguised hatred when his gaze fell upon Snape.
"I'm here," Sirius stated curtly, offering a curt nod to Dumbledore and Bryan.
The air was thick with the choking scent of gunpowder, a palpable tension that threatened to ignite at any moment. Unwilling to allow the mutually hostile pair to sit in close proximity, Bryan levitated a chair from behind the desk, gesturing for Sirius to take a seat.
Bryan and Dumbledore exchanged a meaningful glance, a silent communication passing between them. Then, Bryan spoke, his voice carrying an air of authority. "I hope we can reach some consensus here today—"
His words resonated with a weight that left no room for argument or disagreement.
"You two harbor a deep-seated loathing for one another, with no apparent intention of reconciliation," he continued. "I am no idealist, and I harbor no delusions of changing your perceptions of each other. However, this is Hogwarts, a sanctuary for hundreds of young witches and wizards, here for knowledge and personal growth. You must understand that any conflict between you within these walls could very well have profound repercussions upon those underage students entrusted to our care."
"What Bryan said represents my views as well," Dumbledore said sternly. "I hope you both realize and truly understand the responsibilities borne by a professor."
The weight of Bryan and Dumbledore's words seemed to have some effect, as Sirius and Snape, who had been locked in a heated glaring contest, averted their gazes, staring expressionlessly into the distance. However, after a few tense moments, Sirius turned his head back, shooting Snape a provocative glance before fixing his eyes upon Dumbledore.
"I have made a decision, Headmaster Dumbledore. I mentioned it to Bryan earlier, but he insisted that you be made aware as well."
"Oh?" Dumbledore's voice took on a serious tone. "And what might this decision involve?"
"This coming summer, I want to take Harry away from his aunt and uncle's home." Sirius stated resolutely. "I have already consulted with Harry himself, and he is more than willing to do so."
Snape's eyebrows shot up in surprise, his lips parting as if to speak, but in the end he remained silent, his complexion paling slightly.
A prolonged silence descended upon the office, the lack of response speaking volumes in itself. Snape, whose complexion had not been great to begin with, now showed a subtle change in color, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as they curled into his trademark mocking sneer. Sirius, on the other hand, who had been certain that Dumbledore would not object, found his own face darkening with a storm of emotions.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," Dumbledore finally spoke, his gaze steady as he looked directly at Sirius. "I cannot grant your request."
"I'm Harry's godfather!" Sirius erupted, leaping to his feet in a surge of barely contained rage as he glared boldly at Dumbledore. "Harry himself desires to live with me. And you may be unaware of this, but Harry's Muggle aunt and uncle have been abusing him. Harry confided in me that before coming to Hogwarts, they forced him to live in the cupboard under the stairs!"
Sirius's voice grew increasingly enraged as he rapid-fired off every detail Harry had shared about his mistreatment at the hands of the Dursleys, his words lashing out like bullets from a machine gun. Hearing this, even the previously smug Snape who had initially seemed to take pleasure in Harry's misfortune, subtly changed. He was first visibly shocked, then a strange, unfamiliar anger began to swell within him, a feeling he himself couldn't understand.
'Petunia Evans, that insufferable, ridiculous woman, dared to—'
"In fact—"
Sirius was still in the midst of his outburst, recounting the unfair treatment to which Harry had been subjected, when Dumbledore gently cut him off, his tone tinged with a weary resignation.
"I may be more aware of Harry's life with his aunt and uncle than you might imagine, Sirius—"
Sirius fell abruptly silent, staring at Dumbledore with an expression of utter disbelief that was mirroring Snape's astonished face.
"Why?" Sirius uttered coldly. "If you were aware, why did you not intervene and rescue Harry from those despicable Muggle couple? Why did you simply sit idly by, Dumbledore? If not for James and Lily's sacrifice, if not for Harry himself, we might still be unable to escape Voldemort's reign of terror. This is—"
Bryan could sense that Sirius had been on the verge of accusing Dumbledore of being ungrateful and disappointing the memory of the deceased Potters, but he had swallowed those words in the depths of his fury, out of residual respect for the old man. However, upon observing the ashen faces of Sirius and Professor Snape, Bryan knew that Dumbledore would need to provide a substantive justification to defuse this volatile situation, otherwise the aftermath may spiral beyond their control.
And Dumbledore, too, seemed to recognize this fact, the wrinkles etched into his forehead multiplying as a heavy silence hung in the air.
"Please sit down, Sirius. And you too, Severus. I will give you a reasonable explanation."
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