She stopped for a moment in her walk, smirked to herself, turned around and began to walk to the Entrance Hall; her cane, tapping away each second step. Estimating the distance and paces of the individuals involved - her and Dumbledore - she knew she'd make it there in plenty of time to greet him as he walked in through the main doors. His distance was almost five times greater than her own. She knew there was no need to hurry.
Albus might think he was a master of the craft of always looking like he knew what he was doing, but she'd perfected it before he'd even attended Hogwarts as a 'Firstie'.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After the minor injuries he sustained in the Stewart Village, followed by the 'rude' bounce off the Hogwarts wards, Dumbledore was now limping a little more. However, he was ignoring the pain in his 'dignified haste' from the gates to the main doors of the castle. After all, he convinced himself, it wouldn't do for the students to actually see him running.
It wasn't as if he could, anyway. That three minutes of running from where he felt the wards ripped from his control to the apparation point outside the main entrance to the village had winded him enough he couldn't have run the distance from the gates to the doors if he'd tried. And it would leave him panting in over-exertion as he walked in through the doors if he'd succeeded. Not a good look.
Finally reaching the doors and ignoring the looks he was receiving from the students who were outside at that moment, he strode in with his head high and posture erect.
Marchbanks was waiting for him in the middle of the Entrance Hall. She stood there, leaning slightly on her ever-present cane, smirking at him as he walked in.
"Good morning, Albus," she said. "It's about time you got back from wherever you went. Were you not aware you were required by the School Board to attend an emergency Extraordinary Meeting, this morning?"
"Griselda?" he frowned. "Why are you here? And I don't have time to pander to the whining of the Board, this morning. I have far too much important and urgent business to attend."
"Oh?" she asked, as it appeared he was about to turn away and head towards 'his' office. "And what sort of important and urgent business took you away from what should be your duties to the school? After all, you'd already been away for a week. I'd think your duties in the school would be far more important than anything outside of it."
"If you must know," he snapped, "I went to see Minerva to see if we could come up with a way to get her reappointed to her proper post as Deputy Headmistress.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things I need to do."
"I will not excuse you, Albus," she returned. "As Headmistress, I need to speak with you about what, if any, role you will continue to play in this school."
With a start of shock he stared at her. "What?" he exclaimed.
"You heard me, Albus," she smirked. "If there's a problem with your hearing then that is something we'll have to take into consideration―"
"I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Griselda," he snapped.
"No, Albus, you are not," she calmly replied. "Your failure, whether through arrogance or inattention, to attend the emergency meeting of the School Board was the last straw for them, as they say. You have been removed from the post as Headmaster and I have been appointed in your place."
"No, damn it!" he snarled. "I will not allow this! They have NO RIGHT!"
Then he spun on his heel and stormed off, towards what was now his old office.
Snickering under her breath, as she knew where the man was heading she turned to serenely follow along. Again, she knew there was no hurry as Dumbledore would not be able to get into the office until she allowed him to.
Immediately on the switching of the wards to her, the gargoyle that guarded the office stairs entrance would now only respond to her until she set a password with it that would allow the staff and anyone else to enter.
A couple of minutes later the old man stormed down the passage way that was the last until the gargoyle. As he approached, he snarled at it, "Sugar Quills!"
However, it didn't move.
Now having to stop before it, he snarled, "I said, 'Sugar Quills', blast it!"
Again, the gargoyle didn't move.
"Blood Pops!... Lemon Drops!... Ice Mice!" he finished with a yell.
Finally, after the morning he'd had let alone the previous evening in that very office, he snatched his wand out of his belt and cast an overpowered blasting curse at the base of the statue.
A split-second later he was unconscious, lying sprawled on the floor about ten feet back from where he'd stood when he'd cast. The last thing he saw was his curse reflected back at him....