The Intruder
Minerva McGonagall noticed the intrusion at once. Someone had circumvented the wards of Hogwarts and now stood in the little cave harbour, to which the first years were usually led on their first day of school. At once, the deputy headmistress left her rooms and swiftly proceeded along the many corridors of the castle, wand at the ready.
She saw Severus and Umbridge enter just before she herself reached the door to the room where the intruder was. A ghost of each of the four houses was present: The Baron, Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Friar and Sir Erkledown. Filius was there, too, and all had their wand at the ready, facing the person who had managed to get through the wards of Hogwarts.
Minerva noted his waist long, white hair and beard, which was very much like that of Albus Dumbledore, and the whiter than white robes that gleamed from beneath his dark grey cloak. The wizard leaned on a staff and watched the crowd with mild curiosity. The power he radiated was immense, but all the same Minerva did not feel threatened. There was nothing evil or ruthless in his bearing, nothing to give her the same sense of threat as did Dementors or Deatheaters.
Umbridge (looking her best with a cute pink bow in her hair) did not seem to have taken charge. She was snivelling in Severus' wake, holding her wand in a trembling hand. Well, if the headmistress did not choose to confront the intruder, her deputy would have to do so. Without hesitating, Minerva stepped up to the powerful wizard and as she met his eyes, she was impressed by the wisdom and power she saw there. He gave a little bow in her direction and spoke to her in a slightly rough voice.
'Greetings to you, Lady of this castle', here Minerva's eyebrow shot up in surprise, 'Please excuse my sudden entry, which I see has caused great alarm, and let me introduce myself. I am Gandalf the White, servant of the Secret Fire and wielder of the flame of Anor...'
He was interrupted by Umbridge who chose this opportunity to give that hateful little cough of hers: 'Hem, hem.' Minerva was aware of Filius' satisfaction that the wizard had overlooked Umbridge in favour of herself, while Severus showed his own wicked pleasure with a sneer. The wizard Gandalf turned towards Umbridge, and Minerva did so, too, reluctantly. Soon after, Umbridge's high and penetrating voice permeated the little room.
'Professor McGonagall is not the Lady of this castle, Mr. Gandalf; she is deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. I am its headmistress and as such it is my business to deal with you.' She said, and Minerva at once noticed the special emphasis she put on the word 'my'.
This was a wonderful opportunity to give the would-be-headmistress some trouble and Minerva did not let it pass her by. 'In that case, Dolores, we will no longer disturb you and let you handle your business.' She said and she swept off, trusting everyone but Umbridge to guard her back. Severus, Filius and the ghosts followed her outside and into the room after the next. There they stayed, in case the strange wizard chose to get out of Umbridge's company and further inside the castle.
'He is no Deatheater.' Severus told them, putting his wand back inside his sleeve.
'But he's very powerful.' Filius added. 'Our dear headmistress stands no chance against him.
'If he is no Deatheater, what could be the reason for his intrusion?' Minerva asked, furrowing her brow. 'Did you see how pale he was? As if he hadn't seen the sun for decades.'
'Just like Severus.' Filius chuckled.
Snape scowled and did not deign to answer. He turned to Minerva. 'Do you know what the Secret Fire or the flame of Anor are?'
She shook her head. 'No, but I will ask him as soon as I have the possibility to do so. And maybe we can find some information in the library.'
Just then Umbridge's voice, obviously amplified by a 'sonorus' charm boomed through the rooms: 'MINERVA, SEVERUS, FILIUS, I REQUEST YOU BE AT THE CAVE HARBOUR AT ONCE!'
'At once be damned!' Severus muttered.
He voiced the thoughts of all three of the professors, who now started to stroll leisurely towards Umbridge and Gandalf. They appeared at the door together, Filius struggling for his composure, Severus showing his contempt for Umbridge's helplessness and Minerva the only one who managed to keep her features neutral.
'What is it, Dolores?' She asked crisply.
Umbridge wore a terrified look in her eyes and pointed a trembling finger at Gandalf 'He -he is a freak! My petrifying spell has no effect on him!' She wailed.
'That his shield is stronger than your spells seems to me no proof that he is a -freak.' Professor McGonagall said coolly, wondering if Umbridge knew how pathetic she was. 'It merely proves that Mr.Gandalf IS a very powerful wizard and shows that it is possible that he may actually have gotten through the wards of Hogwarts all on his own. And if that is the case, I don't see how we could hinder him from doing it again, or breaking out of a Ministry Prison, for that matter.' Then she addressed Gandalf, who was still comfortably leaning on his staff. 'Mr.Gandalf, are you aware of the fact that this castle is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?'
'I was not aware of the fact.' He replied. 'I was without contact to the world for a long, long time and I cannot remember having heard the name of Hogwarts before today.'
'Of course', Minerva answered, not quite sure if she should believe him, but willing to let the matter slip for the moment. She didn't comment his reply, but introduced him to those present, including the ghosts who had followed Filius, Severus and herself all the while. Gandalf greeted everyone with a friendly bow of his head, which was answered by everyone according to their predispositions.
Umbridge then chose to voice another of her coughs. 'Hem, hem.'
Minerva pointedly ignored her and asked Gandalf a question instead. 'How long have you been out of things?'
'Since the end of the Third Age of Middle Earth.' He answered cryptically and caused her to shoot him a quizzical glance, all the while ignoring another 'hem, hem'.
'Neither 'Third Age' nor 'Middle Earth' have ever existed to my knowledge.' She told him and added some information. 'Currently, you are in Great Britain.'
'Do you not call your world Middle Earth?' He asked, only slightly puzzled.
Purposely overhearing Umbridge's third 'hem, hem', Minerva answered Gandalf's question. 'We choose to call our world the Earth, Mr.Gandalf, but surely, you must have been aware of that. Why are you here?' She added, asking the important question.
'Hem, HEM!'
This time Minerva did not ignore the cough. She turned to the Potions Master. 'Severus, Dolores seems to have caught an unpleasant cold. I hope you have some more of your Pepper-up potion, I'm sure it would do her cold a lot of good.'
Umbridge, however, did not even react to the bait, but addressed Minerva at once. 'Minerva, surely this is inappropriate. The creature must be put somewhere where it can do no harm to the students at once. There is no time for idle dilly-dallying.'
'I quite see why you think so, Dolores. Where do you propose we put Mr.Gandalf and how do you think we could get him there?' Minerva asked sweetly, successfully controlling the urge to roll her eyes.
The other witch did not have a ready answer to this and Minerva took the chance to ask Gandalf what the Secret Fire and the flame of Anor were. She soon found out that Anor meant sun and that Gandalf had a special affinity to fire, but before she could learn more, Umbridge interrupted them again.
'Hem, hem. I have an even better plan, my dear colleague! Stay here and talk to it, while I summon a Dementor to us. It will take care of it.' She said with her flutey voice and smiled gleefully.
It was beyond Minerva how Umbridge could ignore the danger the Dementors presented and how she could talk of using them for her purposes with such confidence. I was like the proverbial child playing with matches, Minerva decided, and steeled herself to be ready to cast a 'Patronus' if need be. Severus and Filius did the same, Minerva could actually see them straightening up and concentrating in anticipation of the Dementors, while Umbridge went on smiling in blissful ignorance. Minerva gritted her teeth. If Albus had been in charge, there would not even have been the question of summoning a Dementor.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Gandalf asked: 'What are Dementors?'
Filius answered the question, he looked as troubled as Minerva felt. 'Soulless creatures that drain away all thoughts and feelings of happiness and warmth and feed on the misery and terror of the drained people. And if you are administered the Dementor's Kiss, your soul is taken from you for ever, and all that is left behind is its shell, the body, unfeeling and empty.'
'The remedy to a Dementor's presence is chocolate and the creatures can be chased away by a 'Patronus' charm.' Added Minerva, hoping that no such remedy would be necessary.
Minerva McGonagall noticed the intrusion at once. Someone had circumvented the wards of Hogwarts and now stood in the little cave harbour, to which the first years were usually led on their first day of school. At once, the deputy headmistress left her rooms and swiftly proceeded along the many corridors of the castle, wand at the ready.
She saw Severus and Umbridge enter just before she herself reached the door to the room where the intruder was. A ghost of each of the four houses was present: The Baron, Nearly Headless Nick, the Fat Friar and Sir Erkledown. Filius was there, too, and all had their wand at the ready, facing the person who had managed to get through the wards of Hogwarts.
Minerva noted his waist long, white hair and beard, which was very much like that of Albus Dumbledore, and the whiter than white robes that gleamed from beneath his dark grey cloak. The wizard leaned on a staff and watched the crowd with mild curiosity. The power he radiated was immense, but all the same Minerva did not feel threatened. There was nothing evil or ruthless in his bearing, nothing to give her the same sense of threat as did Dementors or Deatheaters.
Umbridge (looking her best with a cute pink bow in her hair) did not seem to have taken charge. She was snivelling in Severus' wake, holding her wand in a trembling hand. Well, if the headmistress did not choose to confront the intruder, her deputy would have to do so. Without hesitating, Minerva stepped up to the powerful wizard and as she met his eyes, she was impressed by the wisdom and power she saw there. He gave a little bow in her direction and spoke to her in a slightly rough voice.
'Greetings to you, Lady of this castle', here Minerva's eyebrow shot up in surprise, 'Please excuse my sudden entry, which I see has caused great alarm, and let me introduce myself. I am Gandalf the White, servant of the Secret Fire and wielder of the flame of Anor...'
He was interrupted by Umbridge who chose this opportunity to give that hateful little cough of hers: 'Hem, hem.' Minerva was aware of Filius' satisfaction that the wizard had overlooked Umbridge in favour of herself, while Severus showed his own wicked pleasure with a sneer. The wizard Gandalf turned towards Umbridge, and Minerva did so, too, reluctantly. Soon after, Umbridge's high and penetrating voice permeated the little room.
'Professor McGonagall is not the Lady of this castle, Mr. Gandalf; she is deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. I am its headmistress and as such it is my business to deal with you.' She said, and Minerva at once noticed the special emphasis she put on the word 'my'.
This was a wonderful opportunity to give the would-be-headmistress some trouble and Minerva did not let it pass her by. 'In that case, Dolores, we will no longer disturb you and let you handle your business.' She said and she swept off, trusting everyone but Umbridge to guard her back. Severus, Filius and the ghosts followed her outside and into the room after the next. There they stayed, in case the strange wizard chose to get out of Umbridge's company and further inside the castle.
'He is no Deatheater.' Severus told them, putting his wand back inside his sleeve.
'But he's very powerful.' Filius added. 'Our dear headmistress stands no chance against him.
'If he is no Deatheater, what could be the reason for his intrusion?' Minerva asked, furrowing her brow. 'Did you see how pale he was? As if he hadn't seen the sun for decades.'
'Just like Severus.' Filius chuckled.
Snape scowled and did not deign to answer. He turned to Minerva. 'Do you know what the Secret Fire or the flame of Anor are?'
She shook her head. 'No, but I will ask him as soon as I have the possibility to do so. And maybe we can find some information in the library.'
Just then Umbridge's voice, obviously amplified by a 'sonorus' charm boomed through the rooms: 'MINERVA, SEVERUS, FILIUS, I REQUEST YOU BE AT THE CAVE HARBOUR AT ONCE!'
'At once be damned!' Severus muttered.
He voiced the thoughts of all three of the professors, who now started to stroll leisurely towards Umbridge and Gandalf. They appeared at the door together, Filius struggling for his composure, Severus showing his contempt for Umbridge's helplessness and Minerva the only one who managed to keep her features neutral.
'What is it, Dolores?' She asked crisply.
Umbridge wore a terrified look in her eyes and pointed a trembling finger at Gandalf 'He -he is a freak! My petrifying spell has no effect on him!' She wailed.
'That his shield is stronger than your spells seems to me no proof that he is a -freak.' Professor McGonagall said coolly, wondering if Umbridge knew how pathetic she was. 'It merely proves that Mr.Gandalf IS a very powerful wizard and shows that it is possible that he may actually have gotten through the wards of Hogwarts all on his own. And if that is the case, I don't see how we could hinder him from doing it again, or breaking out of a Ministry Prison, for that matter.' Then she addressed Gandalf, who was still comfortably leaning on his staff. 'Mr.Gandalf, are you aware of the fact that this castle is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?'
'I was not aware of the fact.' He replied. 'I was without contact to the world for a long, long time and I cannot remember having heard the name of Hogwarts before today.'
'Of course', Minerva answered, not quite sure if she should believe him, but willing to let the matter slip for the moment. She didn't comment his reply, but introduced him to those present, including the ghosts who had followed Filius, Severus and herself all the while. Gandalf greeted everyone with a friendly bow of his head, which was answered by everyone according to their predispositions.
Umbridge then chose to voice another of her coughs. 'Hem, hem.'
Minerva pointedly ignored her and asked Gandalf a question instead. 'How long have you been out of things?'
'Since the end of the Third Age of Middle Earth.' He answered cryptically and caused her to shoot him a quizzical glance, all the while ignoring another 'hem, hem'.
'Neither 'Third Age' nor 'Middle Earth' have ever existed to my knowledge.' She told him and added some information. 'Currently, you are in Great Britain.'
'Do you not call your world Middle Earth?' He asked, only slightly puzzled.
Purposely overhearing Umbridge's third 'hem, hem', Minerva answered Gandalf's question. 'We choose to call our world the Earth, Mr.Gandalf, but surely, you must have been aware of that. Why are you here?' She added, asking the important question.
'Hem, HEM!'
This time Minerva did not ignore the cough. She turned to the Potions Master. 'Severus, Dolores seems to have caught an unpleasant cold. I hope you have some more of your Pepper-up potion, I'm sure it would do her cold a lot of good.'
Umbridge, however, did not even react to the bait, but addressed Minerva at once. 'Minerva, surely this is inappropriate. The creature must be put somewhere where it can do no harm to the students at once. There is no time for idle dilly-dallying.'
'I quite see why you think so, Dolores. Where do you propose we put Mr.Gandalf and how do you think we could get him there?' Minerva asked sweetly, successfully controlling the urge to roll her eyes.
The other witch did not have a ready answer to this and Minerva took the chance to ask Gandalf what the Secret Fire and the flame of Anor were. She soon found out that Anor meant sun and that Gandalf had a special affinity to fire, but before she could learn more, Umbridge interrupted them again.
'Hem, hem. I have an even better plan, my dear colleague! Stay here and talk to it, while I summon a Dementor to us. It will take care of it.' She said with her flutey voice and smiled gleefully.
It was beyond Minerva how Umbridge could ignore the danger the Dementors presented and how she could talk of using them for her purposes with such confidence. I was like the proverbial child playing with matches, Minerva decided, and steeled herself to be ready to cast a 'Patronus' if need be. Severus and Filius did the same, Minerva could actually see them straightening up and concentrating in anticipation of the Dementors, while Umbridge went on smiling in blissful ignorance. Minerva gritted her teeth. If Albus had been in charge, there would not even have been the question of summoning a Dementor.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Gandalf asked: 'What are Dementors?'
Filius answered the question, he looked as troubled as Minerva felt. 'Soulless creatures that drain away all thoughts and feelings of happiness and warmth and feed on the misery and terror of the drained people. And if you are administered the Dementor's Kiss, your soul is taken from you for ever, and all that is left behind is its shell, the body, unfeeling and empty.'
'The remedy to a Dementor's presence is chocolate and the creatures can be chased away by a 'Patronus' charm.' Added Minerva, hoping that no such remedy would be necessary.
