Before the Board we Stand
Chapter Five

Albus Dumbledore pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron, he scanned the room with his brilliant blue eyes until he spotted the young man staring at a half full glass of Butterbeer.
"Severus." Dumbledore sat down next to Snape.
"Headmaster." Snape replied. "Something's been bothering me."
"Me too."
"Who told the governors about me?" Dumbledore looked into Snape's black eyes and shook his head sadly.
"Alas, I do not know. Who ever it was must be a cold hearted individual, someone who is not worthy to be on my staff."
"Who would want to?"
"Shall we explore the possibilities?" Snape nodded. "It is obviously someone you offended in some way. Professor Flitwick?"
"No,"
"Professor Sprout?"
"No."
"Professor McGonagall?"
"No."
"Professor Binns?"
"No."
"Can you please say another word besides 'no'?"
"No, I mean yes." They both laughed.
"Professor Sinsitra?"
"Not that I know of."
After nearly half an hour of going through every member of the staff, they could find no one that would want to report Snape to the governors.
"Unless…" Snape began
"Unless who?" Dumbledore interrupted.
"Could we find out if the governors were told anonymously?"
"Possibly. Why?"
"Well, Sirius Black is still on the run and he…."
"Knew about your sexuality?"
"Yes." Snape went slightly red.
"We shall ask this evening. In the mean time I need to get some work done, I shall meet you back here at a quarter past six."
"See you then." With that, Dumbledore vanished. Severus Snape went back to staring into his half full glass of Butterbeer.

* * *
Meanwhile, the school governors are deciding what to do.

"I think we ought to sack him." Oscar Crabbe said. "There aren't going to be many people who want a homosexual teaching their kids."
"And his attitude towards the other houses is appalling!" Joshua Zabini added.
"We can't dismiss him on medical grounds."
"I agree, he could take us to a tribunal if we do that." Dr. Parkinson replied.
"What about his relationship with Minerva McGonagall?" Albert Jordan suggested.
"McGonagall is the deputy headmistress, head of Gryffindor, a renowned professor of Transfiguration and one of the seven known Animagi this century! They both deserve to be sacked for that!" Cornelius Fudge shouted down the table.
"Yes, well only one member of the Hogwarts Staffs job is under scrutiny at the moment." Crabbe reminded.
"Snape is highly qualified though." Said a mysterious voice from a dark corner of the room; the board stared into the corner the voice had come from. A ghost of a tall, thin man, with short black hair, a hooked nose and glasses.
"You would speak up for him wouldn't you." Lucious Malfoy said under his breath.
"Malfoy, you are not worth the galleons you hold in your Gringotts account." The ghost retaliated irritably.
"What are you doing here?" Crabbe challenged.
"All the members of the board we called, past and present. I believe that invitation included dead members of the board as well." Crabbe shrunk back in his chair. "Sorry I'm late." The ghost gave an evil smile and stepped out of the shadows.