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."
