Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Harry McGonagall - Chapter 13 - Justice - Part Two
As Harry and Hermione's families were making their way to the Ministry of Magic's atrium, doing their best to ignore the cameras and questions that the press had for them, an unfamiliar voice shouted happily at them.
"Minerva! Or should I say Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, it's sooo good to see you again!" Harry looked around for the source to see a blond man flamboyantly dressed in light purple dress robes.
"Do I know you?" she asked, as the man grabbed her into a brief one-armed hug. She was too shocked to do anything before he let go of her immediately after a photo was taken. Harry noticed that the stranger had made sure to show his perfect teeth to the camera.
"I suppose I have changed a lot since we last saw each other. My smile has gotten better and my muscles have expanded, but surely you remember your favorite former pupil, Gilderoy Lockhart."
Aunt Minnie's brow furrowed as she tried to recall. "Yes," she said tersely after a few seconds. "I do remember you. Based off your O.W.L.'s you weren't…"
"Yes; I wasn't proud enough for beating even your record," interrupted Lockhart jovially. "When I was informed that the press that was supposed to be at my recent book-signing for my autobiography, Magical Me, which incidentally is celebrating its twenty-eighth week atop the Daily Prophet best-seller list, was occupied with this story of my former head of house's struggle against the politics of…"
Minerva looked at him like he was insane. "Weren't you in Slyth…"
"I certainly was incensed to learn that one of our peers was abusing his authority…"
"Our peers?" she asked with an annoyed expression.
"Yes, as I'll explain in a minute. I knew I had to show you my support and make my grand announcement here instead of at Flourish and Blotts. I have been contracted to be Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and will thus insure that my subject shall not fall victim to the poor quality of teaching that Potions has. Not to mention that I'll be on the alert for the slightest hint that any other professor is not up to snuff. Together, Professor McGonagall and I shall protect Hogwarts from corrupt authority figures, so that students shall feel safe to confide in their professors once more."
Harry's group escaped during the applause that followed Gilderoy's `impromptu' speech. Briefly, the boy wondered how Lockhart would've reacted if he'd known that the `Boy-Who-Lived' had been less than five feet from him. As it was, he didn't want to see the next morning's Daily Prophet - no doubt with Aunt Minnie hugging Lockhart on the front page. He glanced back in time to see Dumbledore and Snape disapparate away without answering any questions. However, Snape had managed to send a venomous look at Harry and Hermione before leaving, which Harry happily noted was photographed. Nothing could ruin Harry McGonagall's mood today! With a genuine smile still plastered on his face, he joined the Grangers in the line at the Visitor's Exit to Muggle London. The rest of his family followed.
-
The Grangers and McGonagalls (even Brianna - just for the night) went out to a muggle restaurant that had games for the kids to play, along with an arcade designed to empty parents' wallets, one game at a time, as kids asked for more and more money. When they were on their way home, Minerva noticed something in the sky.
"Idiot!" she said quickly. "It looks like Dedalus Diggle is sending shooting stars again - just like he did when You-Know-Who was vanquished eleven years ago."
"Does that person have family at Hogwarts?" asked Marissa Granger as she admired the magical fireworks.
Minerva nodded. "Yes, a niece in Hufflepuff."
"Then he does have cause to celebrate."
A smile briefly appeared on Minerva's lips. "That he does."
-
Later that night, when the McGonagalls had returned to the manor, Harry asked if he could have a private word with his aunt.
"Certainly, Harry," Minerva said as she got up to walk into a different room. "First of all, I would like to thank you for helping me to rid Hogwarts of that menace."
Harry grinned at Aunt Minnie. "That was my pleasure."
She grinned back. "I'd imagine so. What's on your mind, Harry?"
At this point, her nephew looked down at the floor, as though nervous. "Um, I was wondering, um, if you think Professor Dumbledore is going to get sacked."
She frowned for a moment before answering. "Truthfully, yes I do. As much as it pains me to say it, he has not been acting in the best interests of the students for over a decade, and therefore hasn't been a good headmaster since you were a baby." With a nostalgic look in her eyes, she continued. "Before then, he was the greatest leader our world has ever known, but somehow he changed when Snape came crawling to him. The complaints about Severus started less than a week after he was hired. A few months later the headmaster tried to place you with the Dursleys."
Harry nodded grimly. "The reason I'm asking is because I think you'd make a great Headmistress."
She blushed at the compliment. "You flatter me. I was always best at being the second in charge, not the decision-maker."
"You try to treat everyone fairly, even me. You never favor Gryffindors over anyone, and you honestly want what's best for the students. You have a lot of experience, the respect of all the students, and your position as Deputy Headmistress makes you the obvious choice! Tell me I'm wrong."
Still blushing at Harry's praise, knowing that he actually was right, she responded, "Possibly, but I'm happy with my role as a teacher."
Harry frowned for a moment. "Everything I said is true, but there is another reason I really want you to try to get that position."
Now Minerva was curious. "Why is that?"
"Did you notice Lucius Malfoy at the hearing?"
Her brows furrowed, and Harry could tell she was thinking. "I noticed he was there. Why?"
"He was smiling when Snape said what Dumbledore had promised him, even though he knew it meant he'd be sacked. I think he's up to something."
"You think he's going to try to place one of his…associates…in the position of headmaster, don't you?" Harry nodded. "I suppose it would be worth sacrificing Snape to do that," she said pensively.
"I thought that if you were pushing that you had earned the position and wanted it, then that might stop him from succeeding." He then grinned at his aunt again. "It would be for the good of the students."
Taking a deep breath, she said, "I shall consider it. I think it's about time you went to bed, young man. You've uncovered enough conspiracies for the evening."
-
Harry spent the next day at Hermione's house. It wasn't the first time he'd been there, but he always enjoyed it. She lived in a two-story house not dissimilar to his own, but the Grangers had a swimming pool. Hermione's mom, Marissa, had the morning off from their surgery, so she joined Harry and Hermione in the pool - mainly playing a game of keep-away (also known as `monkey in the middle'). It seemed like no matter what Harry did, he couldn't stay out of the `middle' for more than five minutes. Hermione and her mum enjoyed laughing at his predicament.
After about an hour of that, Harry put his hands up. "I give up. I don't know if it's because it's your pool or what, but I just can't win."
"I think it's because we're faster swimmers," said Hermione with a smug smile.
"Hmm," said Harry, refusing to admit it. "I think I'm ready to get out of the pool."
-
After drying off and changing, the two kids ended up sitting on a couch playing Dr. Mario against each other on an original Nintendo.
"Harry, that wasn't nice," said Hermione. "You just ruined what I was doing."
"It's part of the game," he responded with a chuckle.
"I didn't do that to you," she calmly stated.
"Not my fault." At this point he was laughing as he just messed her up again.
"Fine," she said in frustration as she lost that round, "You win. Let's play a different game where you don't attack me."
She turned off her system, pulled out the game, and walked over to the shelf that held her small collection of Nintendo games. Harry noticed the boxes for Mega Man 3, Super Mario Bros. 3, Final Fantasy, Tetris, and Dr. Mario.
"What's Final Fantasy?" he asked.
Her face lit up. "Oh, that's a really good role-playing game. A sequel came out for Nintendo's new system last year while we were at Hogwarts." She looked down. "It takes way too long to play, and it's only one player anyway. We'd be better off with Super Mario Bro. 3."
"Sure. I should've asked my parents to get that game for me before I started spending most of the year far away from home. Maybe Brianna will get my parents to buy a Super Nintendo. It comes with Super Mario World, which is supposed to be even better than this game. Besides, I heard that next month they're coming out with a Super Mario racing game."
Hermione started the game, playing the role of Mario when Harry decided it was a good time to talk about something else. "Do you have the spells ready? I'd like to do it tomorrow."
It took Hermione a moment to remember, but when she did, her face it up. "Of course. The paper's in my room." She paused her game and ran upstairs, leaving Harry alone for about two minutes. When she returned, she had a spiral notebook in her hands and a large eagle owl on her shoulder. It had a large beak and enormous talons, but its most noticeable feature was its striking orange eyes. Its brownish plumage was mostly mottled but with bolder streaks on the breast. It looked at Harry and hooted.
Hermione turned to the bird. "Rowena, this is my friend, Harry." She turned to the boy sitting on the couch. "Harry, this is Rowena, the owl my parents bought me."
"Isn't she a bit…heavy for your shoulder? She's bigger than Hedwig."
"A bit, but she won't stay there long." As though she was listening, the owl flew off of Hermione's shoulder and out an open window. "After we got her at the owl emporium, we stopped by the Magical Menagerie to get some owl treats. They're cheaper there. Anyway, I saw this adorable large, fluffy ginger cat named Crookshanks that the owner said people didn't seem to want. I just fell in love with it and asked my parents to buy him as an early birthday present."
"Really?" asked Harry, more interested in the notebook she was holding than some cat, but not wanting to be rude.
"Yes, but my parents said that I need to prove I can take care of Rowena for awhile before they'll let me have another pet. They said they'd consider it at Christmas if Crookshanks is still there."
Sighing, Harry said, "That's too bad. Can I see the notebook?"
Huffing a bit as she realized he really wasn't interested in the cat, she handed him the spiral.
"Aren't they just a few spells, Hermione?" he asked after browsing through it to find it was half-filled with notes.
"Yes, but I thought you'd want to know the background of the spells. It's so lucky that you can do magic at your Aunt's house." Then her brow furrowed. "Are you sure we should still do this to Brianna? She did confess, after all."
"Of course," he said with a grin. "She'd do the same to me. This prank is harmless - it'll only irritate her." He chuckled a bit before continuing. "Besides, it'll show her that she's still my sister. She'd probably be hurt if I didn't do this." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "It's all for her."
"Yeah, right," said Hermione, giggling. She then picked up her controller and unpaused the game.
-
The next morning, Brianna was sleeping soundly when suddenly she felt something touch her face. She slapped it away and awoke immediately as the sound of buzzing filled her ears. She slowly looked around the room as her eyes got wider and wider. The buzzing sound was still filling her ears. "Harry!" she hissed. Her bedroom walls were covered with posters from the baseball team she hated more than any other - the White Sox.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that the posters weren't tacked or nailed to the walls, which meant they were held by a sticking charm. She walked over to her dresser to see that, "He's taken my wand! And where's that buzzing coming from?"
She opened the door and marched over to Harry's room, pushing it open without bothering to knock. She found him sitting at his desk talking to Hermione on his mirror.
"Good morning, Brianna," he said with a grin.
"Where is it?" she demanded.
"The morning is everywhere in this hemisphere," responded Hermione from the mirror. "It's night everywhere else."
"You know what I'm talking about, Harry! Give me it!"
Ignoring that statement, Harry smirked at the front of her nightgown. "I'm glad to see you changed teams, Brianna. It was the right decision."
"What are you…GIVE ME MY WAND!!!" she screamed as she noticed that her nightgown had the words `White Sox Rule!' in bold letters. Before he could answer, she spotted its tip sticking out from under Harry's dresser and dove to the floor, grabbing it before Harry could summon it away. She glanced back at her brother to see he was talking to Hermione again. "What is that buzzing sound?" she demanded.
He looked up from his mirror. "I don't hear a buzzing sound. I only hear a little sister who's being pranked for the day in retaliation for…"
"Fine, but it's not very creative." She then performed a, "Finite incantatum," on her clothes, getting rid of the offending phrase. "It'll be over in a few minutes."
She marched back to her room and took the posters down. She was surprised at how easily they came off. "He had to have done something else," she muttered to herself. She grabbed some clothes for the day, including her favorite Cubs jersey, and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
After ten minutes under the hot water, she stepped out and dried herself, only to find that the only available towel was advertising the White Sox. "Ha ha," she whispered as she dressed, proudly showing her support for the Cubs.
Suddenly, the buzzing stopped. She looked around and saw a Snitch floating near her forehead, its wings fluttering slightly. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it looked like a miniature winged baseball instead of a golden sphere. She reached out to grab it, only to have it disappear the moment she touched its wings. The buzzing sound resumed, and she realized that it was still near her, but moving too fast for her to see. She glanced at the mirror on the way to the door only to see that her jersey was no longer advertising the Cubs. It was now a White Sox jersey.
"It must have changed when I touched that stupid Snitch," she muttered as she grabbed her wand.
-
Once more wearing a Cubs jersey, the girl exited the bathroom. The buzzing stopped and she could once again see the baseball/Snitch. Shaking her head, she ignored it and walked downstairs to breakfast. The buzzing resumed.
The prank lasted all day, with Brianna getting more and more irritable, but not saying what was wrong. Harry would chuckle every time he saw her getting upset. She only forgot herself twice and touched the winged baseball, and none of the adults were in the room when she did. At seven p.m., the buzzing stopped and she noticed the baseball moving away from her. She followed it to Harry's room, even opening the door for it. She watched the Snitch land inside a small case before Harry put down the book he was reading and performed a `Finite Incantatum' on the winged ball, turning it into a normal Snitch a moment before closing the case over it.
Brianna smacked her forehead in aggravation as her brother laughed. "All I had to do was perform that spell on the Snitch?" she questioned.
He nodded, unable to talk through his laughter. Her face turned pink. "That was mean! I ought to…"
"You ought to let it go, sis," said Harry firmly. "I told you that you were still getting pranked, and so you have been. Now we're even."
She looked down for a moment in shame over what she'd done to Hermione. "Fine, but if you even think of doing something like that again, I'll…"
"…get even. I know. It's nice to be pranking you again, Brianna."
She smiled at him for a moment, turned around, and left the room.
-
Harry's birthday party on Wednesday, August 12th. His whole study group (Hermione, Padma, Anthony, Neville, Hannah, and Susan) came to McGonagall Manor for it (Padma and Hermione came early and stayed late). Hermione (and her parents) gave him a Nintendo Game Boy, along with extra batteries and a few games for it (Mega Man 3, Super Mario Land, and Final Fantasy Legend). She was relieved when it worked at McGonagall Manor.
"I wanted you to have some games you could play for the rest of the summer, and I was hoping that maybe it'll work on the Hogwarts grounds if you get far enough from the castle. Hogwarts, a History only says specifically that electricity doesn't work…"
"…inside the castle itself," completed Harry. "I never thought about that. If it works outside then we might be able to play muggle music there too - maybe at a picnic or something!"
Minerva looked stunned at the prospect. "In all my years teaching there, I've never heard of a student trying electric gadgets outside. It was always inside the castle."
"It certainly won't hurt to try," said Harry.
He received books, magical candy, and similar presents from his other friends. He got the Game Boy game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers from Brianna, leading him to believe that she knew what the Grangers were getting him.
After all the guests besides Hermione and Padma left, Minerva gave Harry her gift - a very thick book called, A Guide to the Animagus Transformation. She said, "Harry, as you know, you've done extremely well in all your classes, including Transfiguration. I believe that you would be an excellent candidate for becoming an Animagus. If you can keep your grades up, read this book and write a report for me on every chapter before your next birthday, then I'll start giving you private Animagus lessons during your third year. You're not to attempt any of the exercises mentioned in this book without my specific permission."
She looked around to Padma and Hermione, who were staring at her in awe. "This offer goes for both of you as well. I'll leave it up to Harry if and when he loans you his book. I will say that if he doesn't earn the lessons none of you will." She grinned for a moment. "It is my first case of favoritism, but it doesn't count because this is not part of Hogwarts' curriculum. She then looked at her niece. "You'll get the same offer for your third year if you do as well as they have - that is an `O' in Transfiguration and at least an `E' in everything else." Padma hadn't broken any records, but had done very well. "This offer and those lessons are to be a complete secret until you're ready to register with the Ministry."
After they all agreed, Harry's parents gave him their gifts. They gave him a traveling case for his Game Boy and a few more games, along with a small cd/cassette boombox with extra batteries. "We figured you could try this out at Hogwarts as well. We brought some of your `Weird Al' music with so you could try it out. If it works, then tell us what else you want us to send you."
Harry spent Friday, August 14th, swimming, playing video games, and reading his Animagus book with Hermione at her house. The next morning, her family, along with Harry's dad and sister, left for America. The Grangers were just spending a three-day weekend revisiting some of their favorite places (all but Brianna who was still grounded), but they were actually going there to attend Hermione's hearing that Monday. However, Harry wouldn't see Brianna or their father until Christmas.
-
Hugging Brianna in the magical part of the airport, Harry said, "Good luck at the trial, Brianna. You're doing the right thing. I love you."
"I love you, too, Harry."
"Take care of yourself, sis."
"I will."
"And stay out of my stuff," he added with a smirk.
"I will," she replied with an innocent expression on her face. "...you won't notice a thing out of place when you come back for Christmas."
Harry then hugged his dad goodbye, and then wished Hermione good luck at the hearing, promising to see her on Tuesday.
-
On Monday, August 17, 1992, a group of two men, one woman, and two girls walked into the large courthouse in Little Salem. Each of the girls was holding her father's hand as they made their way along the dark gray tiled floor toward a group of small burgundy carpets in the middle of the half-circular foyer. A nearby sign said, `Stand on a carpet and state your destination.'
"I guess we ought to, huh?" said Mark McGonagall, while stepping onto the nearest carpet.
"I wonder if they're flying carpets," said Marissa Granger excitedly as she joined Mark.
"I hope so," said Brianna with a smile that temporarily replaced her downcast expression. She hopped onto the carpet.
"They're banned in Britain," commented Hermione nervously as she stepped on it, "so this will be a unique experience."
"Are you sure we can't just walk?" asked Adam Granger as he took a deep breath and joined the others.
Mark cleared his throat. "Er, please take us to courtroom seven."
"Whoa!" they all screamed as the carpet started moving straight up. Hermione barely managed to avoid falling as she looked up toward the ceiling, only just noticing that the only ceiling above them was the actual roof. The carpet took them past the first and second floor in what seemed like five seconds, stopping at the third floor. It was at this moment that they realized their feet were stuck to the carpet. Otherwise they'd have kept going up. The carpet then started moving to the left, crossing the threshold to the third floor and continuing down a hallway. It stopped and landed in front of a set of double-doors labeled, `Courtroom Seven.' The whole trip took twelve seconds.
Once the carpet had landed, they found that they could walk freely once more. Adam opened one of the wooden doors, and taking Hermione's hand, he led the way inside. A wizard wearing something that resembled a Marine dress uniform, complete with the white hat, whispered, "This way," to them. They noticed he was wearing a visible wand wrist holster. He led them to a group of about fifty chairs with different people who apparently had been accused of breaking a magical law and were having their day in court. Since there were only about thirty people present, almost half of which were children, they had no trouble finding a place to sit together.
The judge was a stern-looking man with grey hair and a well-trimmed beard. He was wearing black judge's robes that would've fit in if they were in a muggle court. There was no gavel to get people's attention, nor a microphone. There was a projection Pensieve in the middle of the room, as well as a large muggle television with a built-in vcr on a cart with wheels. It was currently in an empty corner of the room, but obviously it could be rolled wherever needed. There was also a pen that seemed to be writing everything that was said down as the fanfold paper kept moving.
As they waited for Hermione's case, they watched as a blond girl about sixteen years old claimed that she thought no one was looking when she apparated directly out of her muggle high-school classroom. She had elected to complete her magical education the way that Harry had started his - going to a muggle school full-time and a magic school part-time. The judge replied with an irritated look, "Twenty-three people had to be obliviated. You have risked the exposure of our world, and exercised very poor judgment. Your fine stands, and your apparition license is suspended for the next six months. Case closed."
"SIX MONTHS?!" she yelled, "That's NOT fair!"
The judge glared at her for a moment. "You're right. Make that a year, and don't yell at me unless you want to be held in contempt of court. Next case."
"I…" shouted the red-faced airhead before falling over petrified. Several of the spectators chuckled softly.
Hermione pointed to the man pointing his wand. "That's the officer who showed us to these seats," she whispered. "I'm glad we didn't resist." They continued watching as the girl was levitated out the door with her parents following and the paper work for the next case was given to the judge.
As they watched each case, they realized that this was the courtroom where all statute of secrecy violations by muggle-born minors were handled (In America you could get an apparition license at sixteen-years old). The adults were all parents, and the fines were given in dollars. One boy had hit a muggle bully with the bat-bogey hex. A girl had accio'd her glasses after some muggle girls had stolen them. For cases of self-defense like them, the perpetrators were fined a hundred dollars and given a written warning about exposing the magical world. Others, who did it for any other reason, were fined a lot more. Brianna got more and more nervous as she imagined what the judge would do to her, but she was determined to tell the truth.
Finally, the judge was given paperwork and a videotape. After glancing at the top paper, the man called out, "The case of the Little Salem magical community versus Hermione Granger is now in session. Is Hermione Granger present?"
Nervously, the bushy-haired girl stood up and began walking toward the center of the room. "I am, your honor."
"Were the people you were sitting between your parents?"
"Yes, sir," she nodded while her parents did the same.
Adam said, "We're Adam and Marissa Granger, sir, and feel that our daughter can speak on her own behalf."
The judge nodded, and turned back to the buck-toothed girl in front of him. "It says here that you are not an American citizen. Is that correct?"
"Yes, sir. I'm from England. I was visiting some American friends."
"I see. Did they take you to a muggle baseball game on July 22nd?"
"Yes, sir."
"You are accused of using magic to interfere with the game, causing the baseball team known as…" he looked back at the papers in front of him, "…the Cubs to win. Your wand was identified as the instrument used for this cheating violation of the American Statute of Secrecy. How do you plead?"
Hermione took a breath and rehearsed her reply once more in her mind before speaking. "Not guilty, sir." He looked surprised but she continued before he could say anything. "It was my wand that was used, but I wasn't the one using it. The person who did this is here and wants to confess. She was with me at the game."
"Very well, call her up here."
Hermione looked toward her best friend's little sister and kindly said, "Brianna, would you come down here?"
The obviously frightened girl stood up and started walking toward Hermione. She was slightly trembling. Hermione gave her a small smile and stepped back, allowing the ten-year-old to take her place. She was the youngest child they'd seen take the stand.
"You don't have to tremble so much, child. I haven't had a little girl executed in hours," the judge said with a slight smirk on his face, earning a few chuckles.
"S-s-sorry, sir," she said softly, looking at the ground.
"Please look at me and state your full name for the record."
She looked up and swallowed. "Brianna Minerva McGonagall."
"And when were you born, Miss McGonagall?" he asked kindly.
"March 8th 1982."
"Are your parents here, Miss McGonagall?"
"My daddy is, sir." She pointed out her father.
"Is your daughter an American citizen, Mr. McGonagall?"
"Yes, sir," Mark answered from his seat.
"Very well." The judge turned back to the frightened girl.
"Would you mind telling me what happened at the baseball game?"
Clearing her throat, the brown-haired girl began to tell the story. "You see, sir, we were watching the game. That is my parents, Aunt Minnie, my friend Bobby, my brother Harry, his friend Hermione, and her family were there. In the first inning, I saw that a member of the Cardinals - the team the Cubs were playing against, was cheating magically by summoning the ball."
"Wait a minute," said the judge, "You're claiming that a member of a professional baseball team is magical and cheated?"
"Yes, sir. The name on his uniform is Lightfellow."
The judge made a note on his paper. "Please continue."
She looked down nervously. "Um, I…" She then started blinking her eyes rapidly, as though to stop tears and swallowed. "I, um, took Hermione's wand and waited until just before the game ended and, um, started cheating by summoning the baseball to make sure the Cubs won. I even made Lightfellow's small wand fall out of his baseball glove for a few minutes before he got it again. Anyway, I snuck Hermione's wand back into her pocket just before the policeman caught her." She looked down again as a few tears did start falling down her cheeks. "I, I was too scared to tell him I was the cheater, but I'm admitting it now."
The judge scratched his chin for a few moments. "Thank you for confessing, Miss McGonagall. You may have a seat back with your father while we watch the muggle video of the game." He then turned to the court while one of the officers took the tape from him while another rolled the TV cart to a position where everybody could see it. Brianna noticed that there was an extension cord that reached across the room to an outlet.
The judge addressed the seated people. "Muggles record many things in their own way using electricity so that they can be watched on their televisions. Baseball is one such thing. Since we had a case pertaining to the game, we acquired a copy of the recording as evidence. We're now going to watch relevant parts of it. I ask that no one use magic during this presentation, as it can interfere with muggle electricity."
The tape was played, skipping the irrelevant parts, and it was quite obvious that Lightfellow was cheating. They didn't focus on what Brianna did (since she'd already confessed it), but instead on the baseball player.
When the video was finished, the judge declared, "We will definitely be speaking to Mr. Lightfellow." Then he turned to Brianna, who had returned from her seat. "While I can understand how you felt watching that man cheat, I can't condone your actions. Two wrongs don't make a right."
Looking at the ground, she said, "Yes, sir. I'll never do it again."
Glancing at Hermione, the judge continued, "Miss Granger, all charges against you have been dropped."
"Thank you, sir," the bushy-haired girl responded with a smile.
"Miss McGonagall, you are hereby fined $50 that must be paid within a week. Case closed." He pulled out his wand and caused it to make a sound like a mallet hitting a piece of wood.
A different officer led the McGonagalls and Grangers out of the courtroom, giving them both appropriate papers regarding the results of the hearing. The officer led them to a flying carpet that quickly took them first (upon Mark's request) to the appropriate desk to pay the fine, and then to the exit. On the way out, Mark told Brianna how proud he was of the way she handled herself, and for telling the truth, and that he would be deducting the fine from her allowance for the next five weeks. She accepted it without complaint.
"As soon as we get home," said Mark, "We're gonna call your mom, Aunt Minnie, and Harry on my mirror."
-
Harry was sitting in the den at McGonagall Manor, playing (and losing) a game of chess against Aunt Minnie, when Blinky popped into the room with something small in his hand. "Blinky is sorry to interrupt Mistress Minnie and Master Harry, but Mistress Breenie, Master Mark and your Grangeys is on Master Harry's mirror. It is being in Master Harry's room, so Blinky is bringing it." The elf held out his hand, revealing Harry's mirror.
"Thanks, Blinky," he said as he took the mirror. "Could you please tell my mom that they're on the mirror? She'll want to hear how things went, too." He spoke to the person displayed on it. "Hey, Brianna. How'd it go?"
"I, um, told the judge what happened, and he showed a video tape of the game in the court. He said they were going to investigate Lightfellow, and that the charges against Hermione were dropped."
"That's good. I'm proud of you, sis. What did he decide your punishment would be?"
"A fifty dollar fine. Dad already paid it and said he'd take it out of my allowance."
"That's not too bad. It could've been a lot worse."
"I know."
"Are you going to hog the mirror all day?" came Hermione's happy voice from behind Brianna. "I want to talk to him, too."
"It's my mirror. I'd like to talk, too," said Harry's dad.
Together, all three of them told Harry, Minerva, and Cindy (who joined them a minute after Harry send Blinky to get her) all about the building, flying carpets, and everything they could think of. Hermione told them that her family was returning at eight in the morning so that her parents' surgery could open at ten. Cindy and Harry would be there to pick them up (in a muggle taxi - not the Knight Bus), but Minerva would have to be at a meeting at Hogwarts with the Board of Governors.
-
"Let the Hogwarts Board of Governors Meeting on the 18th of August, 1992 begin." The chairman of the board, Augustus Stepover, tapped his wand on a bell, causing it to emit a chime which got everybody's attention and caused a nearby quill to start writing on a parchment. "Let it be noted that all twelve members of the Board of Governors are present, along with Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall."
The short, thin, balding man was speaking in his raspy voice, his long, gray hair flowing behind him. They were seated in a large classroom on the first floor of Hogwarts, at a table that looked like it was normally in the Great Hall. The room had been charmed imperturbable once everyone arrived.
Minerva was very nervous as she sat near the far end of the table. She noticed that the twinkle was gone from Albus' eyes. He looked older than he ever had before. She'd been to several of these meetings before, but never had she considered nominating herself to be headmistress. She still hadn't decided whether she would do it or not, but she had a scroll with her qualifications in her purse, just in case. Every so often, she would glance at Lucius Malfoy suspiciously.
"The reason for this meeting is that it has been called to the attention of this board that Headmaster Dumbledore has not been acting in the best interests of this school or its pupils for quite some time. It is quite embarrassing that it was brought to our attention in such a public fashion," he continued, glancing at Minerva.
She spoke up, politely but firmly. "I tried letting you know over six months ago at a meeting, but you refused to believe that things had gotten as bad as they had. Therefore you gave me no alternative but to bring this issue to the courts if I wanted to return Hogwarts to the institution of learning that it was meant to be." Looking straight at Albus, she continued, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that it had to happen the way it did, but I stand by my decision. My primary concern is the welfare of this school and its students."
"Very admirable," said Lucius cordially. "I applaud your efforts, Professor McGonagall, in exposing the incompetence of Severus Snape. I'm afraid that I allowed my personal friendship with the man to temporarily cloud my judgment during the meeting you mentioned. For that I apologize."
She nodded politely, knowing that she couldn't publicly insult Malfoy if she wanted a chance of becoming Headmistress.
"However," Lucius continued eloquently, "Headmaster Dumbledore has been letting his personal friendship with Mr. Snape cloud his judgment for eleven years and ignored all the complaints about him, refusing to personally investigate the matter. I hereby make a motion that he be dismissed from his position…" Minerva noticed Albus, who'd been silent thus far, put his head down in resignation. "…and that I be appointed headmaster in his place." Both Albus and Minerva's heads snapped toward Malfoy.
Minerva spoke first, doing her best to control her Scottish temper. "With all due respect, Mr. Malfoy, I do not believe you are qualified for that position. For one thing, you have no teaching experience. The head of a school should be someone the students are familiar with. It should be someone that has taught for thirty-five years. Someone who has been head of a Hogwarts house, and deputy to the Headmaster."
"In other words," said Mr. Stepover in his raspy voice, "you are suggesting yourself as Headmistress."
She nodded curtly and said in a steady voice. "Yes. I believe I am the most qualified person for this position." She glanced over to Malfoy, and to her surprise he didn't seem upset or annoyed at all. He remained silent while several board members started whispering to each other, glancing at McGonagall every few seconds. She felt like every eye was on her.
After about a minute, Stepover hit the bell again. "We must have order. First of all, it hasn't yet been decided whether or not Professor Dumbledore will be dismissed. It is usually customary to let him defend himself before talking about who will replace him. Headmaster, do you have anything to say?"
Looking between Lucius and Minerva, the twinkle returned to his eyes. "While I am forced to admit that I have been wrong in my handling of the situation with Professor Snape, I believe that the rest of my actions have been in Hogwarts' best interests." He raised up a hand when someone wanted to protest. "I know that some of you disagree, and that the debate could go on all night long with no resolution."
He took a deep breath. "I therefore offer a compromise. You may vote on my replacement now. I will retire willingly if and only if Minerva is appointed as my successor. As she has stated, she is the most qualified person for the position and cares so much about the students that she stood up to me. However, is she is not my replacement, then I will fight this, and you will need seventy-five percent of the votes to sack me, which I don't believe you will obtain. I believe that at least four of you still respect the good I have done in my years at Hogwarts enough to overlook one or two mistakes. I am, after all, only human."
"Very well," said Stepover. "We will accept your compromise. However, before the vote I must mention that Minister Fudge, who may I remind you has no power over this Board, spoke to me yesterday and suggested that a his senior undersecretary, a woman named Delores Umbridge, would be an excellent replacement for Professor Dumbledore in the event of his resignation. He gave me her resume." He pulled out a scroll and opened it. Based off of the way that he read the scroll, Minerva could tell he was completely against hiring anyone Fudge suggested but felt obligated to mention her.
"We will now have our vote. Mr. Malfoy, Professor McGonagall, since you two are candidates we ask that you leave the room while we vote. We will, of course, count Mr. Malfoy as having voted for himself. We will allow Headmaster Dumbledore to stay. Although he has no vote, he will be allowed to speak more on behalf of his candidate of choice during the debates that no doubt will begin the moment the door is closed. We'll call a house elf to get you when we're done." The spell was taken off the door and the two exited. The door was immediately closed.
"Professor McGonagall," said Lucius cordially, "It seems that we are competitors. May the best one for the job win."
"Yes. If you'll excuse me, I have lessons to prepare." She added as an afterthought. "If I'm appointed headmistress, I'll still continue teaching until I find a suitable replacement. When one is hired, I'll offer my lesson plans to that person until they come up with their own." She quickly walked off, proud of herself for being courteous, and went to her office. She thought about mirror calling her family, but decided not to. She'd rather wait until this was over.
-
She had just completed updates to her sixth-year curriculum when an elf she wasn't familiar with popped into the room. "Professor Mc-Goney-gal. Plankey is being asked to be summoning you back to your meeting."
She smiled at the elf's mispronunciation of her name. By now she was used to the fact that house elves couldn't say `McGonagall.' "Thank you, Plankey," she said as she got up.
-
She found the classroom door open, and walked in and sat in her chair. Albus' eyes were twinkling madly. She took this as a good sign but kept a neutral expression. Moments later Malfoy entered and the room was resealed.
After sounding the bell once more, Mr. Stepover began speaking. "Professor McGonagall, it is the decision of this board to appoint you to the position of Headmistress. Congratulations."
A small smile crossed Minerva's lips. "Thank you." She glanced over at Lucius to see that he had an unreadable expression.
"I would imagine that your first order of business will be to find a suitable Potions professor, and I suppose a Transfiguration one as well."
"The Potions teacher is my priority. I can handle teaching my subject for awhile until I find someone." She thought about mentioning how poorly it had been taught in the past, but so no point.
"I see. Does anybody here have a suggestion for a replacement?" he said, looking around.
One of the members, a tall, fat man with a vacant expression on his face named Robert Eatalot, spoke up in a very neutral voice. "I know someone who might be qualified. A Potions Master from France named Sharon LaVelle. I can give you her address."
"Thank you," Minerva answered.
The rest of the meeting went by in a blur, although it was quite boring. She wrote her letter to Ms. LaVelle while the others were talking about various unimportant issues like changing the shade of black the students' robes are. When the meeting was over, she was given the address to send her letter. She slowly approached her former boss.
"Albus, how are you?"
"Splendid. Congratulations on your promotion, Minerva."
"W-would you like to accompany me to the owlry? I have a letter to mail."
"Certainly," he said happily.
Once they were out of earshot from the others, Minnie said, "Albus, I…"
"Don't say it, Minerva. I've thought a lot about what was said at the trial." He took a deep breath. "You were right. I was putting Severus' needs above the students. I could have protected him another way without compromising the quality of education here. I'm doing that now. I found a way to allow him to use his talents and yet be protected."
"Have you?" she asked, slightly interested.
"Yes. He's brewing potions at a house under the Fidelius charm. I've gotten him a contract to supply potions for some stores in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. He can stay in the solitude that he prefers most of the time."
"That's good. What are you going to do now?"
He sighed. "Well, when the Wizengamot isn't meeting, I believe I'll start searching for Harry Potter."
Reinforcing her occlumency shields, she replied, "Harry Potter? Why now?"
"Why not? According to the school's records, he's still alive somewhere. I'm the one who placed him in danger, and now that I have the time I have to try to locate him."
Not trusting herself to say anything about his search, she simply said, "Good luck," as she tied her letter onto a school owl and sent it off.
"Thank you. If there's any way that I can be of assistance, let me know."
-
There was a celebration that night when Minerva gave the news of her promotion. She didn't really feel like celebrating, but knew that it was for the best that she got that position. Harry, especially, was very happy about it.
Over the course of the next two weeks, Headmistress McGonagall spent most of her time away from home. She met and hired Sharon LaVelle as Potions master, telling Harry that she was one of the nicest people she'd ever met. She also found out that Lockhart was indeed contracted to teach for a year and it would be very difficult to break the contract without proof that he was a bad teacher. She decided to at least give him a chance. Besides, it would be very difficult to replace him now. She decided to hire a seventh-year Ravenclaw named Matthew Shapon as assistant professor to grade Transfiguration papers for the lower years (and possibly lecture) to free up some of her time. She hadn't found any suitable replacement for herself yet, although she thought that Matthew might be a possibility after he graduates if she can't find anybody for a whole year.
She was surprised, though pleased, to receive a report on chapter one of the Animagus book from each member of the Golden Trio before school started. She'd thought that all Harry was doing was playing his Game Boy.
The first time she walked into her new office was August thirty-first. She'd been avoiding it as long as possible, working from her old office. She'd ordered an elf to bring her stuff there earlier that day. She was startled by a new portrait on the wall. Albus Dumbledore's image was sleeping inside a frame. "What?" she whispered to herself. "How? I thought…"
The portrait of Headmaster Dippet answered her question. "When a headmaster or headmistress dies, a portrait appears and wakes up within a few weeks. However, when one retires, his or her portrait appears, but stays asleep until that person passes away. If you need advice from Albus Dumbledore, I'm afraid you'll have to speak to the real one. I suppose this happens mainly so that the portraits stay in the right order. Otherwise they could die in the wrong order."
"I see. Well, I suppose I'd better get used to the new office." She sat down on her new chair and took a deep breath. This was going to be an interesting year.
-
Please review. Thank you to those who have.
P.S. I looked up the release dates of all the games I mentioned on Nintendo's website.
Special thanks to zeropolis79 (of Fanfiction. Net) and his wife for consultation and betaing this chapter. I've been betaing his stories as well lately, and you may enjoy reading them.
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