Asher paced around McGonagall's office, paying close attention to Amon's account of what Hermione and Harry had talked about. Minerva listened with growing concern, jotting notes as he spoke. When the bird had finished, she sighed.

"Mr. Potter is right," she said regretfully. "I will do my best with the board, but since I haven't heard from them, I imagine Mr. Rummage is working them into a frenzy before contacting me. I wouldn't be surprised if they simply appeared here before long." She paused, thinking. "If that is the case, then having you in my office might work in your favor." She held up the letter from the Ministry. "If they know that you brought this immediately to my attention, perhaps they will not be so harsh."

"I'm going to lose my position, Minerva," Asher said dully. "I don't know who spilled the beans, but they've screwed me six ways to Sunday."

Minerva hadn't heard this phrase before, and lifted her eyebrows, but said, "Indeed they have."

Asher flopped onto a squishy armchair and scowled. "You know I couldn't have turned myself in. You know what it would have been like for me."

"I know," McGonagall said quietly. "Pretending you were a child out of wedlock from some other mother was a far better course."

"At least now I can stand up for myself. I'm smart enough and strong enough to take care of myself… and to disappear, if I need to."

"There will be no talk of that," McGonagall admonished firmly. "I will fight for you even if I am the only one to do so." She added deviously, "Not many know just how relentless I can be."

"Oh?" Despite the situation, Asher felt curious.

"Well, once, I made your uncle- back when he was Minister- completely change his mind about whatever the Board had asked him to do simply by staring at him."

"Oh, but he's a sissy," Asher said. "I've done the same thing."

"But most people present an argument first," Minerva grinned. "I stared at him without a word until he'd talked himself out, convinced himself it was a bad idea, and walked backward out of my office."

Asher's face spread into a wide smile as she imagined the scenario. "He's such an idiot," she chuckled.

They related a few more Cornelius Fudge stories, laughing or scowling over his general incompetence, until there was a knock at Minerva's door. "Here we go," Asher muttered for the second time that day.

McGonagall waved her wand at the door and it opened, revealing three Board members with angry looks on their faces. Asher noticed with a small amount of satisfaction that the anger flashed into fear and uncertainty at her presence. To her dismay, Draco Malfoy was among them.

The man had somewhat redeemed himself in the wizarding world, having submitted his mansion to intense Auror scrutiny and given intelligence to the Ministry about the remaining Death Eaters after Voldemort's demise; he had also donated a large sum to help those orphaned or left homeless by the Dark Lord. He'd married one of the Patil sisters, to everyone's surprise, but she seemed to have softened him a bit, and he was now known as a philanthropist. Still, Asher found him a somewhat cold, irritating person to deal with, and given his current expression, it would take many more years for him to completely move past his upbringing.

"Sirs and madam," McGonagall began, once they'd all come in and the door had closed behind them. "A letter announcing your arrival would not have gone amiss."

"Considering the news, we decided not to waste any time, Headmistress," spoke the eldest member, a witch rather unfortunately named Thusnelde Woodbead. She was short and slim with a round face, squishy nose, and shrewd gaze.

"And what news is this?" Minerva replied shortly.

There was a pause, in which Asher could see Draco swallow nervously; it hadn't been that long since he had had McGonagall as a professor, and Asher gathered his voice had left him.

"You pretend ignorance when the 'news' is sitting right in your office?" demanded the other wizard, a tall, narrow-shouldered man with a broad face and thin neck.

"Perhaps a letter would have shed some light on this increasingly confusing situation, Mr. Rummage," McGonagall said briskly. "Professor Erised was consulting me on a personal matter."

"Pardon me, Headmistress, but can a matter be called 'personal' when it concerns the students?" Malfoy had found his voice, but he hadn't managed to insert the amount of indignance intended. "The Ministry has discovered that Professor Erised is not who she claims."

"Are you confessing to reading my staff's post?" questioned McGonagall sharply. "Or have you been sent by the Ministry?"

Another uncomfortable silence descended. Asher mentally cheered.

"My wife works in the Being Division." Mr. Rummage pulled himself up to his full height. "She alerted me to the presence of a dangerous, predatory non-human teaching at Hogwarts."

"You do realize I'm sitting right here," Asher inserted dryly. Minerva shot her a look and she quieted.

"Dangerous? Predatory? Whose expertise do you reference when you make these claims? I recall not a one of you taking advanced Magical Creatures courses."

Shots fired, Asher thought gleefully.

"My wife, for one," exclaimed Mr. Rummage. "You are sheltering a succubus!" He dramatically pointed a finger at Asher.

"I hired a succubus," Minerva corrected, unruffled. "And you are only half right. She is part-human." She turned to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, you were in Professor Erised's year. Do you recall her ever harming a fellow student?"

"Well, no-"

"Neither do I. Do any of you recall a student coming to harm in an incident for which Professor Erised was responsible?"

There was an explosion of responses.

"No, but-"

"Not yet-"

"So far-"

Minerva cut them all off with a wave of her hand. "Well, then, that's settled. How long have you been teaching here, Professor?"

"Nearly two years," Asher replied, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice at the furious, red faces of the Board members.

"And for many more, I hope," Minerva continued. "Potions marks have never been so elevated school-wide." She smiled tolerantly at the three visitors. "If that will be all, I do have some business to attend to." She gestured at the door.

Mr. Rummage swelled angrily. "That most certainly is not all!" he bellowed. "She is unregistered and a danger to the students! Parents will be pulling their students out by the dozen once they hear of this; she must be dismissed. We cannot allow it!"

Minerva seemed to freeze, slowly turning her head from Asher to the shouting man. Asher nearly shivered at the cool look in her green eyes; Mr. Rummage seemed to deflate as those eyes fell on him. Slowly, coldly, lending dangerous emphasis to each word, she said, "Name one incident in which my professor has harmed a student, Mr. Rummage, just one, and I shall comply." At his silence, she said again. "Name one."

None of the Board members said a word. McGonagall let the quiet grow, staring at each of them in turnover her spectacles. When she finally spoke, it was as if a spell had been broken. "Should you find a genuine danger to my students, please do let me know. Until then." She turned away from them, seated herself behind her desk, and, without looking, waved her wand at the door, which opened meaningfully. Looking at each other helplessly, they filed out.

Once the door had closed, Minerva seemed to slump in her chair. "Albus always made it look so easy."

Asher grinned widely, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "That was brilliant, Minerva. Fucking brilliant."

"And only the first round, I'm sure," the Headmistress added dourly. Then she chuckled. "Harby- Mr. Rummage to you- always did have a predilection for shouting. I thought I'd cured him of it in school."

"Think you might have this time," Asher laughed. She sobered as Minerva looked at her with worry.

"I think it best that you reply to the Ministry promptly, and schedule an appointment with St. Mungo's for as soon as you are able. Let's not give them any further excuses to call for your dismissal." McGonagall sighed heavily. "I feared this day would come. No one can hide forever."

"I know." Asher rose from the armchair, straightening her crumpled robes. "I'm just glad I have you in my corner." She offered a smile at the woman who was practically family. "Look, if you do have to fire me- I get it. I won't be mad."

"I certainly will be," muttered the Headmistress as Asher walked out. "You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find a Potions professor."