"How the Daily Prophet find the information they do is no longer my concern," he huffed.
"I notice you didn't deny either of those points, Albus," she said. "Try again."
"I will neither deny nor admit, Griselda," he snapped. "I am not on trial, here."
"Trial? No," she agreed. "You are, however, being asked by your employer if you had any role to play in the Daily Prophet getting wind of Lord Potter's desire not to attend the upcoming Yule Ball. The Yule Ball, I might add, which will likely not be going ahead, anyway.
"And you are to address me directly as 'Headmistress Marchbanks' or simply 'Headmistress'. I have not given you leave to address me as anything else.
"Now, answer the question I put to you; do you deny you both knew it was going to be Lord Potter's intent not to attend, or that you are the so-called staff member of Hogwarts who informed the Daily Prophet of this?
"If you do not give me a direct answer to that question, then I will accept it as being both you being blatantly disrespectful of senior authority and a negative response in both cases."
Dumbledore stood there, frustrated. Eventually he replied, "No."
Marchbanks sat there staring back for a long moment before she said, "An honest answer. Just so you know, Albus. I'm fully aware Lord Potter informed you of his intent not to attend the Ball. I'm also fully aware that, until that article appeared in this morning's Daily Prophet, no other member of my staff was so aware other than myself.
"As I know I did not inform the Daily Prophet of Lord Potter's intent, that left only you."
"As such, Albus, you have yet again brought disrepute onto this school. As you know, that's one of the clauses by which I can terminate your tenure. That's yet another entry for my file on you I can present to the School Board to show why I have done so, when I do so.
"You are dismissed. Get out."
Dumbledore glared back for a moment before he spun about in fury and stormed out.
This time Marchbanks almost, but not quite, slammed the door into his back as he stormed through the doorway.
"Idiot," she muttered.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After breakfast and the Granger adults had left for the day, Harry had just called Dobby to bring down the stack of House documents Ted had delivered when Sirius mirror-called him. This morning, he had his mirror on him when he came down for breakfast.
"Padfoot," he said to the mirror.
When it cleared Sirius immediately said, "You were right. I found it in the Black library."
"Counter-curse?" Harry immediately asked back.
"Yep," grinned his godfather now waving the book in front of him.
"What about the two portkeys?" he asked.
"Being organised."
"Then all that's left to do is have them delivered and activated," said Harry.
Switching to a worried expression Sirius asked, "Are you sure you don't want to wait until Longbottom inducts her brother into the Longbottom Seat as Proxy?"
Harry thought about that for a moment and instead of making a decision he asked, "Heard anything about when your trial is likely to be?"
"Yep. Tuesday morning immediately prior to the Wizengamot General Meeting," he replied.
"In that case, we'll see if the goblins of Gringotts are willing to allow the use of their time chamber for this," suggested Harry. "If they are, then yes. I don't want that man in the Longbottom Seat for long if she successfully gets him into it.
"Mind you, I don't think getting him into the Seat is her play."
"Why not?" asked Sirius.
"Because I think her play is to try to get him into the Seat and not succeed," he replied. "I think she wants me to successfully block it, so she can then claim she needs more time to find a better, more suitable candidate.
"The problem for her is, I know that's her play and I also want it to succeed. That way she thinks she's won against me.
"Oh, and I'm going to have to let Madam Bones know I'll be taking my Seat immediately after your trial for the beginning of the day; and why.
"'Uncle Algie' is going to find himself being arrested instead of inducted.
"Toss my god-brother off a bloody pier and drop him out a window, will he? Let's see how he likes two charges of 'Attempted murder of an Heir Apparent of a Noble and Most Ancient House' rammed down his throat."
"Ah!" said Sirius. "Now I understand why."
Harry nodded.
"If you're done?"
"Yep," he replied.
"Then let me talk to my magical ward," said Sirius.
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