Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There's also nonconsensual potion use as well as violations of personal mental autonomy. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: Once again, I'm kind of left with what canon has given me, regardless of how much Dumbledore is a fandom favorite. Regardless of how I feel about McGonagall and Hagrid, neither deserve what happens here.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 12); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Gryffindor MC (x3); Magical MC (x3) (x1 Y); Rian-Russo Inversion; Lunar Era; Old Shoes (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Two Cakes; Green Ribbon; In a Flash
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 12 – Assignment 9
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane Prompt Challenge [358](Albus Dumbledore); 365 [99](Extreme); Geek Pride [Merlin](Having to Hide Something)
Other MC4A Challenges: Sp Bingo [3B](Tea); Tr Bingo [5B](Knight Templar); Hunt [Sp Consumables](Tea); Chim [Doug](Baked Goods)
Representation(s): Minerva McGonagall; Albus Dumbledore
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Middle Name; Unwanted Advice; Delicious Lie; Tomorrow's Shade; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Pear-Shaped; Bee Haven; Fizzy Lemonade)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: SN (Rail; Negate)
Word Count: 679

(^^)
Violations over Tea
(^^)

Albus knew that he could not allow anyone to know where he had stashed the Potter boy. It was imperative that the boy be raised in the environment that the Dursleys would provide so readily. Without the crucial training young Harry would receive from those Muggles, there would be no guarantee that the boy would be willing to do what would need to be done. It was a sad reality that the boy would need to die eventually in order to fulfill the prophecy, but Albus could not allow that to soften him.

The unfortunate side effect of the need to keep the boy hidden away was what he would now be forced to do to his most loyal servants. Minerva and Hagrid both knew the exact location of the Dursley household, and that they were currently in possession of the boy. As the old proverb goes, three can keep a secret, but only if two of them were dead. Since killing the pair would be wasteful, the only other option was simple.

He just needed to remove the secret from them.

Both Minerva and Hagrid provided unique challenges in this endeavor.

Hagrid's giant heritage made magic tricky if nigh impossible to cast upon him. Albus would need to lower Hagrid's defenses in some way before he would be able to even begin the process of extracting the memories in their entirety. Hagrid's habit of drinking to the point of drunkenness was a boon. Combined with the groundskeeper's complete trust in Albus, it was far simpler than it would have been. Albus didn't even need to make sure Hagrid was unconscious. If the man lost a few skills due to their connection to the memories in question, no one was likely to notice, not even Hagrid himself.

Minerva on the other hand was far trickier. While her Animagus training had given her formidable mental shields, it was actually her intelligence which made the procedure harder to do. Her mind formed more links between her memories. Extracting a single set of memories without accidentally removing additional things that she would immediately notice missing would be tedious in the extreme.

Once Albus had finished with Hagrid, he summoned Minerva to his office. He had a tea service waiting when she arrived. The tea was her favored Earl Grey. She just adored the traces of bergamot that it had. To complement it, he had chosen a variety of lemon pastries. Just as Albus loved sherbert lemons, he loved anything else with the flavor as well. Something about the sweet and sour flavor delighted him.

"Would you like one lump or two?" he asked the witch as he poured for both of them. It truly was a pity that he could not drink his own cup. By the color and smell, the elves had outdone themselves brewing the pot. If he had not already added the sleeping draught to this pot, he would have enjoyed relaxing with a nice cup himself. Alas, the sacrifices one must make to defeat evil.

"One lump will suffice," she answered. Her sharp eyes were even sharper as she watched him prepare her tea. "I must insist that we discuss the Potter boy, Albus."

"Once we're settled with our tea, my dear," Albus insisted, "we can discuss this matter. We must not rush through the trappings of civilization, after all. We're not barbarians!"

With a frown worthy of her feline counterpart, Minerva took a measured sip of her tea. Immediately, her eyes began to droop, and she slumped to the side. It was only Albus' quick wandwork which kept her teacup from hitting the ground and the tea ruining his flying rug. Albus let out a regretfully sigh before setting to the delicate work of removing the secret that necessitated all of this subterfuge.

"I am sorry," Albus told the sleeping woman. "Hiding him for now is for the Greater Good. I regret that it has come to this, my dear, but I cannot leave anything to chance. I'm sure you understand."

There was, of course, no reply.