Trust Misplaced

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything of the Potterverse. I only write this for my own enjoyment or catharsis. If others also enjoy it, I appreciate it but don't really expect it. I recall seeing a rather crude comedy show that had the disclaimer "Viewer discretion is advised but not expected."

Minerva McGonagall was strolling down the corridor of the teachers' residential wing and the sixth floor of the castle, chatting with Filius Flitwick about this and that, discussing various teaching techniques and some previous students they had shared. As they approached her own quarters, the diminutive teacher saw her brow furrow, and enquire, "Can I ask a question about something that has puzzled me? It has to do with a Gaelic phrase you expressed to me."

The Charms professor's eyes opened wider, but said our loud, "Certainly, Minerva. We both love ancient languages from our history, and I would be glad to help." As he said this he nodded his head towards his own private quarters in an imperative manner.

As they entered his apartment, Flitwick closed the door and immediately cast some powerful privacy spells. McGonagall looked around his sitting room and saw that he had no paintings on the walls. Her glance was noticed by the small man, who smiled and nodded. He said, "I prefer my private quarters to be just that, private, and all the Hogwarts paintings are required to report things they see to the Headmaster, should he ask. A remnant of the days of the Norman invasion and the reign of Henry the Eighth, both times when the castle had to defend its inhabitants from unwelcome visitors who wanted control of everything they could grab quickly."

The elder witch nodded and smiled. "Is this why you cast the additional mind-protection spells in the Headmaster's offices? I have noticed that I seem to be more inclined to agree with him when I am there, and that fact is beginning to disturb me. I hate to think he doesn't trust me anymore, but evidence is accumulating, even if I would prefer not to believe it."

The Charms master nodded. "I have to agree with you. I do know that there are mild compulsion charms in the Head's offices, again from past centuries when the defence of the castle required that the Headmaster's plans meet with general approval and quickly. However, I too have noticed that they have been strengthened recently, and I don't think I like it. I don't think I like it one bit."

"Minnie, you were a good strategist at Quidditch, and a hell of a chess player too, but remember that I was at the top of the dueling league for many years. To accomplish that, you have be get to the point where you can almost read your opponent's mind, even without using legimency. You learn to block mind-probes, but still read the cues. This is why I warned you about the Headmaster and Snape. I can see that your trust in the Headmaster is failing, and you never did trust Snape as far as you could throw a bludger. I don't trust either one of them any longer, and I suspect it has to do with Harry Potter."

McGonagall grimaced, and said "I got that from your comment in Gaelic. I had thought my shields were fine until Albus implied they were not. Fil, I have to say that I had not been aware of any issues, or any attacks in the last ten years since Potter was placed with his relatives."

Flitwick nodded. "Minnie, I checked your mental shields, and they were fine, and to a very high degree. But since Potter has come out of hiding, I have seen that Dumbledore has become quite obsessed with him. I suspect he believes that Voldemort's followers are going to attack him, and us, and try to find out what he did to the Dark Lord ten years ago."

"To me, it seems like Dumbledore, and Snape, are both worried that Voldemort wasn't completely killed by whatever Potter did, or what happened when his parents were murdered. Perhaps a spell that his mother cast, some old protective magic that we don't know about. Whatever it was, I believe that there was a prophecy made that ties Harry Potter and Voldemort together, as least in the minds of Snape and Dumbledore. I don't know what it is, but Albus is obsessed with getting Potter under his protection and more, under his control. And somehow, Snape is involved. I know that Snape hated James Potter, and this seems to have been passed down onto Harry's poor head, which is part of why Harry is not in attendance with us. Snape has his own agenda, and I get the feeling that somehow, Dumbledore forced him to swear something related to Potter. I just can't quite figure out what, because his actions contradict any rationale explanation I have come up with. The closest I can come up with is that Dumbledore had Snape swear to protect Potter, the look-alike son of the man he hated more than anyone in the world, and the mental conflict is a problem for him."

"Potter's absolute refusal to come back to Hogwarts seems to have upset the applecart badly for the both of them. Dumbledore wants him here, and Snape very much does not. I suspect this means there is trouble ahead, and the two are going to fall out over it."

"His obsession seems to be distracting the Headmaster from his duties. You know that last year, before Potter came to us, he would never have missed the troll coming into the castle and scaring the bejeesus out of young Miss Granger. I don't know whether it is his obsession, or he's just getting too old for the job, or just what's going on. But I don't like it, and I'm worried."

"Minnie, I don't know exactly what they are up to, but they aren't telling us the full story, and that's why I don't really trust either of them at the moment. As the two senior members of staff, I think we have to keep our eyes open and our minds well protected."

McGonagall nodded. "He keeps claiming that Hogwarts is the safest place in the country, yet this year, we had the troll get in somehow, and he refuses to let us look into the matter and determine how it got in. Potter was abused and then he attacked and injured some students, although I must say I suspect that was deserved. Students are attacking each other in the halls, and Professor Snape refuses to discipline them, claiming he needs to maintain his 'cover' with the Dar Side types. Fil, I am very much unhappy with what's going on. I agree, we have to keep a weather eye on the Headmaster."

As was typical on the third Thursday of each month, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge flooed to the office of Headmaster Dumbledore. As was also standard practice, he was accompanied by two Aurors of his personal protection staff. Fudge was going to a meeting in a supposedly very secure location, and so he brought only two, just to maintain his all-important protocol and as befit his belief in his proper status, rather than the ten he usually travelled with, really more to demonstrate his importance than from actual paranoia.

What was not typical was that as he and his entourage arrived, they were met with a massive barrage of red spellfire.

When Headmaster Dumbledore revived the Minister, he introduced Fudge to retired Master Auror Alastor Moody. The old retired auror was sitting calmly in a corner, with his wand very much pointed at Fudge's security detail who all lay on the office floor, stunned.

Fudge faced Dumbledore, and screamed in rage, "What the hell are you trying to pull off, Dumbledore? Are you trying to assassinate me, so that you can take over as Minister?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Far from it, Cornelius. I have absolutely no desire to be the Minister of Magic, or even to replace you at the moment with another candidate. I do, however, have some serious qualms about those you have surrounded yourself with. Your security people for example."

Fudge shook his head. "I don't believe you! I come here for our regular meeting, and I am attacked! By this cripple!" as he pointed at Moody. "I presume you trust him!"

Dumbledore smiled, with his eyes twinkling (which pissed off Fudge as always). "I trust Alastor precisely because he trusts no one. No one!"

Fudge glared at the retired auror, and said "I don't believe you. This is another one of your lies to supplant me as Minister!"

Dumbledore raised his wand, and spoke formally, "I swear on my life and magic that I have no wish to become the Minster of Magic!" Lowering his wand, he looked at Fudge and said, "now do you believe me?"

Fudge glowered, and said "Okay, so you don't want my job, but I can't believe that he doesn't trust you."

To Fudge's surprise, both the other two conscious wizards laughed.

Dumbledore smiled as he said "Alastor and I fought together in the Grindewald war and the Voldemort war too. However, every time we meet, even to this day, he holds me at wand-point until I can tell him about some event that only he and I witnessed, or where we were alone together and that only the two of us could know. Even then, there have been times where he had his wand in hand until enough time past for polyjuice to wear off. Just like he now refused to let me revive you until adequate time had passed."

Fudge looked at the grizzled old man, and asked, "And what special abilities do you have, Master Auror, and what benefit has your chronic and obsessive mistrust gained you?"

Moody smiled, and said quietly, "I'm still alive! And a hell of a lot of others aren't! Good people all, but they trusted people and now they are dead. That's not a mistake I intend to make."

Fudge looked down at his bodyguards, who were still lying on the office floor, stunned. Turning to Moody, he demanded, "Well, aren't you going to revive them?"

Moody smiled. "All in good time Minister. In Good time." With that, he cast a spell that ripped the left arm of the aurors' robes, exposing their left forearms. He nodded, and cast Enervate at the two.

As they awoke, and looked from Moody, whom they knew well if only by reputation, and then at Fudge, Moody looked at them as said "Welcome back to the world, boys. Now, if you can help me with these other four."

Fudge shook his head angrily, and shouted at Moody, "Other four! What other four?"

Moody smiled, and casting the spell removed the disillusionment on two lying on the floor, and reaching down, pulled off invisibility cloaks from two more. The then cast the same ripping charm, exposing the left arms of the four, all of which clearly displayed their Dark Mark tattoos.

Turning to Fudge, he smiled and said, "These four, your blind idiot. It must be nice for you travelling with a Death Eater escort everywhere. Probably to make sure you don't see or do things you shouldn't."

Pulling a vial from a pocket, he revived one of them and poured the Veritaserum down the man's throat. Reviving the person, who now looked at four wands pointed at him, Moody asked, "Under whose orders are you travelling with the Minister?"

With glassy eyes, the man tried to fight the effects of the truth potion, but eventually said clearly, "Lucius Malfoy."

Fudge shook his head. "Impossible! Malfoy is a good friend and a good man."

Moody shook his head, and said, "Fudge, you better pick your friends more carefully. You have been played for a fool. Malfoy always was and is a Death Eater and is currently their leader, since young Potter blew away their master."

Grimacing, Moody turned back to his prisoner, and asked, knowing that Fudge had to be told, "Was Lucius ever under the Imperius curse?"

The death eater laughed. "Hell no! We all found it hilarious that you all fell for that crap. Nobody got the dark mark except by choice. The Dark Lord insisted that his servants did so willingly, and only by committing actions in his name. If you weren't his, body and soul, you didn't get The Mark, and you didn't live long. Fudge, we all laughed at you."

Fudge shook his head, in spite of both Moody and Dumbledore nodded at the statement. The one thing the egotistical politician could not tolerate, or even accept the possibility of, was ridicule. He sputtered, "But Malfoy was found to be innocent – he was under the Imperious! He had to be. They proved that in court!"

Dumbledore quietly shook his head. "Cornelius, there was no trial. There was not even a questioning, and he certainly was not questioned under veritaserum. He and all the others just claimed they were under the spell, and they were let off. Right about the same time Minister Bagnold retired from a job that only paid thirty thousand galleons a year, into a mansion that cost fifteen million. Where do you think she got all that money? Likely from the same place Malfoy got the funds to donate to your re-election fund. The Death Eater bank accounts. And where do you think they got all that money? It was not from their own old family money, because other than the Malfoys, most of the ones who were let off didn't have rich families."

"No, I think you will find that most of the money, and some of the gifts that you have been getting, were loot from Death Eater activities. Cornelius, you have been receiving blood money, and Alastor and I think it a very good idea for you to stop accepting it. In addition, we think it a good time for you to take a close look at some of the people close to you, and some in the Ministry who have achieved high offices through means besides just their merit."

"Minister, it is time to clean the rats out of the house!"

Fudge continued to bluster. "We have to cover this up. If the people learn about this, I am finished! This has to be kept out of the Prophet!"

Moody looked at Fudge in disgust. "Minister, I have already sent a note to the Prophet, pointing out that if they don't publish the truth this time, I will arrange for their crimes to be made public. No! I have seen too many good people die because to the lies that you and your predecessors put out there. It ends now. You end now."