Harry thought about it for a moment before walking back to the desk and accepting the wand. "Thank you, Headmaster." Then turned back and rejoined the girls in leaving the office.
As they walked, in the usual formation once they'd descended the stairs to the corridor, Daphne asked, "Would you have really gone ahead with it, Harry? Left the magical world?"
He replied, "Dumbledore would never have allowed it to happen. The prophecy makes sure of that. I just needed him to believe I was resolute in my desire to leave. That way, I've forced his hand to get things fixed around here."
Hermione cut in and said, "Dumbledore will bend over backwards, wear a pink tutu and sing 'I'm a Little Teapot' in the middle of Diagon Alley during the height of Christmas shopping, if he felt he had to do that to keep Harry here," She then looked at Harry and asked, "What would you have done if he'd let you walk out that door?"
"Gone directly to Gringotts, pulled out all of my trust fund and named you my Heir... so the likes of Malfoy wouldn't be able to get his hands on the Potter fortune," he replied. "Then, gone to the offices of the Daily Prophet and given Rita Skeeter a tell-all exclusive interview of my life, together with why I was choosing to leave the magical world. Then gone to the DMLE where, I've no doubt, Dumbledore would have been waiting for me to stop me. If not, I'd have requested it.
"I also have little doubt Madam Bones would have bent over backwards to stop me, as well. She'd want to know why I was choosing that path, and that would have put her on the warpath against Dumbledore.
"No, I doubt very much I'll ever get an actual opportunity to walk away from the magical world. No one will ever accept the Boy-Who-Lived would want to not live in the magical world. There'd be rioting in the streets. Well, except for the period between Voldemort's resurrection and the battle at the Ministry; or, whatever is going to happen here."
"And what's going to happen... what are you going to do... when your name comes out of the Goblet?" asked Daphne.
"Create one Hell of an almighty stink," he replied with a shrug. "I don't know if there actually is a loophole in the so-called magical contract that can be used to get me out it or not. But, that's beside the point. What I've set up, back there, is how I'm going to deal with the student body before things like those 'Potter Stinks' badges come out.
"I'm okay with competing, now. I know what I'm going to face; and, I'll be prepared. I just don't want to have to tolerate the scorn and derision from the other students as I did the first time through. I've made it so the staff will have to come down on them, hard. I'll remind Dumbledore how, by not competing, I'll be 'squibbed'. And how that'll be a free pass for me to escape into the muggle world. There's nothing he could do to stop it, if that's the case. He'll make damned sure I choose to compete by forcing the student body to leave me alone."
"In other words, you've got him over a barrel," smirked Hermione.
"Eww!" Harry shuddered in response. "You know he's gay, right? That's a vision I didn't want. He might actually like the idea of being over a barrel."
Both girls laughed in response.
At 11:00am, the senior staff of the school attended a mandatory staff meeting in the Headmaster's office. They were told to cancel any classes they may have had for that period and the next two hours, and attend. Lunch would be provided.
As they all congregated in the office, Dumbledore conjured a conference table with surrounding chairs. "Please, be seated," he requested.
Once the senior staff - The Headmaster, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape and Sprout, and Madam Pomfrey - were all seated, the Headmaster said, "Professors McGonagall, Snape and I recently had a most worrying and troubling meeting with Mister Potter and his two bondmates. The meeting was originally supposed to only cover Mister Potter and his bondmates' concerns about the return of the two youngest Weasley children to this school."
"I'm not surprised," huffed Professor Sprout.
After a moment to glare at the Professor, who didn't look abashed at all, Dumbledore continued, "In the meeting, Mister Potter raised a number of other concerns - as well as his concern about the two Weasley children. He raised issues of which I'm only partly aware or not aware of at all. We are going to discuss those points, right now."
"I cannot believe you're going to kow-tow to that little..." Professor Snape began to snarl.
With a firm slap of his palm against the surface of the table, Dumbledore interrupted him and barked back, "Severus! Enough!"
The Potions Master visibly flinched back but did hold his tongue.
Looking back at the rest of the staff, the Headmaster began to raise the points Harry had raised with him. "It appears, and I have no reason to doubt him after what I heard, Mister Potter believes things have gotten so bad for him at Hogwarts, he is willing... I dare say even eager... to see his wand snapped, his magic bound and his eviction from the magical community as more desirable than remaining a student here."
Of those staff who weren't at the earlier meeting, Professor Sprout gasped in horror, as did Madam Pomfrey, while Professor Flitwick looked completely stunned.
"That's horrible!" stuttered Madam Pomfrey. "Why would he want such a thing?"
"That's what we're going to discuss," the Headmaster firmly replied.
During the subsequent meeting, he also let them know just how angry he was with them for him not being aware of many of the points raised.
Finally acting as the executive unit they were supposed to be, the staff, with the Headmaster leading the discussion, made decisions.
Once again sitting table at the Slytherin table, the three had just finished lunch when Professor McGonagall approached and said, "A decision has been reached. I'll escort you to the Headmaster's office once you've completed your lunch."
A quick glance at both girls to make sure they'd finished, and Harry looked back up at the Professor and said, "Thank you, Professor. We're done. If you've not, though, we can hold off."
"No, I've completed my meal, thank you," she replied with a smile. "If you're ready, we can go."
The three teens then rose and followed the Professor back to the Headmaster's office.
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