Trouble in The Staff Room
Chapter Six: Preparations for the New Term

Professor Dumbledore had flown back from his holiday in Barbados over a week early in order to try and sort out the situation that had aroused whilst he had been away. The board of Governors had received letters from Professor Binns, Professor Flitwick, Mr Filch and Professor Trelawny. They were all refusing to work with Professor Snape.
Frederick Flitwick, Albert Binns and Sybil Trelawny had all been offered jobs elsewhere, but Professor Binns could not leave the castle.
Perhaps if they take him in a little piece of Hogwarts stone, he can haunt that Dumbledore shook himself before he could think more of these thoughts. He couldn't allow staff members to leave because they were homophobic. Filch had, had a problem with Snape from the start, but over the years they appeared to become friends.
I can do without Filch, so perhaps he could go and I could employ another caretaker, perhaps one with a little bit more enthusiasm about his or her work. Dumbledore stopped himself again. No he would not allow any of his staff who had a problem with gays leave the school, it was pure racism.

* * *

Severus began his lesson plan. He had spoken to Dr Sciene; the Potions Technician and they had worked out how much it was going to cost the school to buy certain potions ingredients.
"Why don't they include these Potions in the Basic Potion Supply?" Dr Sciene asked as the prices began to get ridiculously high.
"They're not basic ingredients." Snape replied, forgetting what he had been doing. "Damnit!"
"What?"
"I've forgotten what I was doing then." Dr Sciene laughed. "It's not a laughing matter Charlotte."
"I know." She passed him rubber, so that he could start again with his calculation. "You're very good at mathematics (a/n I will explain why it's maths and not Arithmancy later) and I don't see why you need to use pencil and paper."
"Even the best of us make mistakes." He smiled.
"You know," she said looking at him. "That's the first time you have smiled in weeks." There was a pregnant pause.
"Shall we get on with the budget?"
"Yes I think we should."

* * *

Professor A. Binns floated gracefully down the deserted corridor. He hummed an old tune as he went. He didn't quite know why he was humming the tune; maybe he was happy, he had forgotten why.
"Daisy, daisy,
give me your answer do,
I'm half crazy over the love of you!"
His voice crackled like an old grammar phone and echoed around the walls, magnifying his voice to unbearable tones.
"Albert." A soft voice interrupted his singsong. He spun round mid air and came face to face with Albus Dumbledore. "Good Morning, I wondered if I could possibly have a word please."
"Certainly headmaster." He answered. "Your office?"
"Yes please, don't" it was too late, Professor Binns had already floated up through the ceiling. "Take the short cut." Dumbledore finished and then sighed. "Oh well, soon I will be able to take the short cut." He stopped his hand on the stair-rail. "What am I saying? I don't want to be killed accidentally or murdered. Dear me, sometimes I do wonder about my sanity."

* * *

There was a knock on Snape's office, waking him from his sleep. For he had fallen asleep whilst checking his figures.
"Come in." he said sleepily. Hagrid had to stoop to come into the small office. "Oh Hagrid, what can I do for you?"
"Nought." Hagrid replied, sitting gingerly down in one of the armchairs. "I wanted ter say, tha' yer have me entire suppor' o'er this matter bout yer sexuality."
"Thank you."
"An' tha' I won't let any of them idiots in the village, put yer off havin' a norm'l life."
"Thank you, yet again Hagrid."
"Yer Welcom'. Jus' remember yer've me suppor' in this matter." Hagrid got up and left the office.
"He woke me up for that?" Snape asked himself wearily. He let his head fall back on to the desk. "Ow." He stayed with his head on the desk.

* * *

Dumbledore arrived at his office, slightly out of breath.
"I'm getting to old for this job." He muttered as he opened the door to his office. It creaked on its hinges. "UmI need to get Hagrid to oil the hinges."
Professor Binns was sitting, or rather floating, in front of Dumbledore's desk, looking opaque and unchanged.
"Now then." Dumbledore said, sinking into his leather chair. "I wanted to speak to you about your wish to resign."
"It is a simple matter, headmaster."
"Yes, well, I am not going to allow you to."
"What?! That's preposterous! You can't not allow a resignation!"
"Albert." Dumbledore said quite severely. "I cannot allow you to resign over the reason you have stated and once more have you forgotten that you cannot leave this school until your purpose has been completed?" Binns' expression changed. It turned sombre.
"Headmaster, I believe that I can complete my purpose at any time." He cleared his throat and Dumbledore shuddered. "However, my like of teaching and this school has prevented me from doing so. Now I believe that I can finally inform the proper people who did murdered Archibald Dunnings!" he disappeared.
"Oh well." Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Maybe I can get better luck with Fred." He looked at his pocket watch; Neptune had just slipped inside Pluto's orbit. "I better wait until tomorrow. The staff are all due back then."
The Owl Post arrived.
Dumbledore opened the first letter using his silver paper knife. It was a model of Excailbur. The Sword that had been brought from the lake by the White Maiden of the Lake, King Arthur's great sword.

DuMbLeDoRe
YoU aRe StIlL eMpLoYiNg ThAt GaY fAg SeVeRuS sNaPe. HeEd mY wOrDs AnD sToP eMpLoYiNg HiM yOu WiLl LiVe To ReGrEt YoUr DeCiSiOn

He shuddered at the words. So this was the type of message Snape had been receiving, and what did the sender mean by "you will live to regret your decision" if he continued to employ Severus?
"I suppose, we can only wait and see."