The wide grin Bones was now directing at him had Dumbledore sigh and drop back down to sit on the edge of the bunk. 'Who, before, had ever thought to set their wards well inside their property boundary? Everyone always set them out at the boundary or slightly beyond,' he thought. 'That's bloody clever... bugger it.'
"And, just so you know, Dumbledore," she said. "I've also informed your boss, Headmistress Marchbanks, that you're currently my guest and will not be returning to Hogwarts until Monday afternoon after lunch, at the earliest.
"She is not happy with you, at the moment. She's told me she'll be having words with you come Monday afternoon."
'Which means she has grounds to... reprimand me for not being present for this afternoon and half the day Monday,' he thought with another mental sigh.
He barely even noticed Bones leaving again.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Marchbanks walked into the faculty break room 'fashionably' late; not as long as Dumbledore's usual ten to fifteen minutes, but just under five.
She walked directly to the head of the table, conjured a cushion for her seat, and carefully sat down.
Once sitting, she placed the card file she had filled with her notes for the meeting before her, pulled out of it blank parchment and ever-full quill and set both aside.
After readying herself she finally looked to her staff. Looking around the table she mentally checked off the names that she had on a list before her. Four were missing. Of course, one of them was Dumbledore.
"Where are Sybill Trelawney, Rubeus Hagrid, and Argus Filch?" she asked.
"Hagrid has locked himself in his hut and won't come out," said Sprout.
"I tried to talk to Argus," Charity Burbage, the current Muggle Studies Professor, finally replied. "He said... ummm..."
"Out with it, dear," said Marchbanks.
"He said he has no time for such nonsense," she finished.
"I see," Marchbanks nodded. "And, Professor Trelawney?"
"Passed out drunk in her rooms," huffed Sprout.
"You're sure she is drunk?" asked Marchbanks.
"I am," said Sprout. "The rest of the staff can back me on this; the witch is an alcoholic who can polish of around three bottles of sherry a day. When awake, she is is rarely, if ever, sober."
The rest of the staff nodded.
Marchbanks gave a nod and said, "Then we shall excuse her from the meeting. If what you say is true then she will be out of the castle by the end of the day. I will not have a drunken sot teaching classes. I have enough other positions I need to fill; one more won't hurt."
Picking up her quill she then wrote two quick notes on a sheet of parchment before tearing it in half between them.
"May I have an elf, please," she quietly said.
With a slight pop of displaced air one appeared next to her left. "Yes, Lady Headmistress?"
Handing the elf the first note she said, "Please give this to Rubeus Hagrid, down in his hut." Then handed the second note over. "And please give this one to Argus Filch."
The elf gave a nod, said, "Yes, Lady Headmistress." Before it gave a bob and popped away again.
She then wrote a third note, tore the bottom half off it, folded the top note and called for another elf.
When it popped in she said, "Please deliver this to Sybill Trelawney. If she's asleep, wake her by any means necessary and make sure she reads it. I find tossing one out of bed and dousing them with cold water to be a good way to wake someone who's been drinking too heavily."
"Yes, Lady Headmistress," the elf replied before it popped away again.
Looking down the length of the table at the staff who were present, she said, "As you heard, each of those notes went to Rubeus Hagrid, Argus Filch and Sybill Trelawney. When I call a staff meeting for a specific time and state that all staff are to attend, I mean it.
"The only people that are excused from such meetings are Medi-wizard Robinson - but only when he has a sick patient in his Infirmary that requires constant care - you, when you are patient under bedridden medical care, or when people are away from the castle on authorised leave.
"Both Mister Hagrid and Mister Filch have just been informed, in writing, that if they are not here within five minutes of those notes being sent then their employment will be terminated, effective immediately, on the completion of that five minutes. They are to then be out of the castle by the end of the day.
"Sybill Trelawney has just been informed she will present herself to me in my office in two hours or she will have been fired, effectively immediately, and is to be out of the castle by the end of the day."
That had a few of the staff gawking back in shock.
"We will now wait for that five minutes for Misters Hagrid and Filch to arrive before that time expires before we start the meeting," she declared.
"While we wait for them "said Flitwick. "May I point out we are also missing Albus Dumbledore?"
"Albus Dumbledore left the grounds without my authorisation," she said. "He then went to the property of a muggleborn student. As he is not Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster, Head of the student's House or was even invited there he attempted to trespass the property.
"He was arrested and taken to the DMLE, where he currently sits in a cell. I have been informed by Madam Bones that he will abide there until Monday afternoon while they investigate the criminal complaint that was filed against him by the owner residents."
While some staff seemed shocked, Flitwick wasn't one of them.
"Good," he said, quite emphatically.
Sprout had a pleased smile on her face.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Three minutes later, Filch came stomping in with Hagrid on his heels. Filch appeared angry while Hagrid was quite morose.
Filch stepped up to the table and, before sitting down at one of the vacant seats, demanded, "What is the meaning of this?" And waved the note in his hand. "I've never been to a staff meeting before! Why are you making me attend now?"
"Mister Filch," Marchbanks sternly but calmly replied. "You will watch your tone with me, or I will fire you; right here, right now."
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