"Where is Headmaster Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"I'm afraid Dumbledore has been suspended," Malfoy answered, handing a parchment with the Hogwarts logo on it to McGonagall. "You will find all twelve signatures are in place. With this latest attack, the governors and I feel he's rather lost his touch."
"Why are you sitting at the Headmaster's desk?" asked Percy in his 'I am a prefect' tone.
"I would mind your tone, were I you," Mr. Malfoy warned. "If you must know, the board of governors has decided to take a more… active role in the running of the school."
"What role might that be?" McGonagall said, giving him a frosty look. "As Deputy Headmistress, I believe I am the best qualified to run this school in Headmaster Dumbledore's absence."
"Have no fear, Professor McGonagall," Malfoy said with a smile. "I am not here to usurp your throne. You may retain your position as Acting Headmistress. I have been appointed by the board to the position of High Inquisitor. I have decided that this shall be my office."
"High Inquisitor?" asked McGonagall. "Are you sure that is necessary? There hasn't been a High Inquisitor at Hogwarts for over four hundred years."
"You have a student petrified in your Hospital Wing, Headmistress," Malfoy said. "Clearly, something must be done."
"What's a High Inquisitor?" asked Fred. McGonagall gave him a quelling look that clearly told Fred that now was not the time for questions. Since he asked in front of Mr. Malfoy, though, she had to answer.
"Traditionally," she said, "the High Inquisitor managed discipline and standards of teaching. It is not something we have needed for centuries."
"The board felt that it's time has come again," Malfoy added. "Now, what can your High Inquisitor do for you this evening? I believe it is already past curfew."
All of them hesitated. McGonagall hadn't thought twice about bringing the girl to Dumbledore, but she just couldn't subject Ginny to Lucius Malfoy.
"It is not your concern," she answered. "It was an issue I was going to bring to Headmaster Dumbledore. As I am now Acting Headmistress, I believe the duty falls to me to deal with."
"Surely I can help?" Malfoy insisted.
"You've only just been appointed," McGonagall responded. "It is also, as you have reminded me, already past curfew. I will be returning these students to their dormitory."
"I think not," Lucius said. "Whatever is the matter, it was important enough to have four students to make the trip all the way up here from Gryffindor tower after curfew. Surely you can tell me why?"
"It's my sister," Percy said, hating to tell anything to the elder Malfoy, but recognizing that they'd have to tell him something before they'd be allowed to leave. "Ginny has been having a tough time fitting in this year, and she was upset. She wanted to see Headmaster Dumbledore."
"I see," said Lucius, letting his gaze settle on Ginny. "And the book?" he asked, looking back at Percy. "I cannot help but notice your sister seems quite... fixated on it."
"It's her diary," Percy said, knowing he would be caught if he tried to lie.
"Why, Mr. Weasley, are you in the possession of a young girl's diary?" Lucius inquired. There was an awkward moment of silence.
"This is clearly a family issue," McGonagall said, trying to end the inquiry.
"I note that a considerable number of points was just taken from Gryffindor," he said, gesturing at a small version of the points hourglass in the great hall that sat upon the headmaster's desk. "As you have said, discipline issues are now my responsibility as High Inquisitor. Might I inquire as to the reason for the point loss?"
"We got into a fight," one of the twins said, sulkily.
"A fight," Malfoy repeated. "Well, we cannot have that, now can we?" He stood up, abruptly. "All of you," he said to the Weasley children, "put your wands on the desk for inspection." All of the Weasley's looked at each other for support. McGonagall sighed and nodded to them. They placed their wands in a row on the headmaster's desk. Lucius picked up Percy's wand, waved his own wand over it, and muttered an incantation. A mist appeared above the wand. It must have made sense to Malfoy, though, because he looked up at Percy.
"A summoning charm?" Lucius asked. Percy nodded. "And what might you have been summoning?"
"My sister's diary," Percy answered, stiffly.
"Tsk, tsk," the new Headmaster scolded. "Have you no shame?" Malfoy extended his hand towards the diary, clearly ordering Percy to hand it over. Percy did so with a scowl.
"Theft of personal property," Lucius said. He put Percy's wand back on his desk, away from the others. He placed the diary next to it. He picked up either Fred or George's wand next and performed the same spell on it.
"The Furnunculus Curse," he said with a smile. "On whom did you perform this?" he asked. No one answered. "Assault," he said and placed the wand next to Percy's. He did the same with the other twin's wand. "Lumos?" he asked with a frown.
"That's right," said one of the twins, gesturing at his identical brother. "George here lost something under his bed, he was looking for it."
"I suppose we can count that as a confession for the curse," Lucius said, placing the wand he was holding on the desk, away from the other two. He picked up Ginny's wand and said the incantation again. "A color changing charm?"
Ginny didn't say anything, just kept her eyes at the carpet in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"She's been learning it in Charm's class," Percy said.
"Of course," said Malfoy. He put her wand next to the one that indicated a lumos charm and picked up the diary. "You have my most sincere apologies, Miss Weasley," Lucius said as he handed the diary to the young girl. "You have my assurances that this theft of your diary will not go unpunished. Your diary is yours to write in however you see fit, and it is certainly none of my business to know what it contains." He turned to McGonagall. "Please return Miss Weasley to her dormitory at once."
"All of you," McGonagall said to the Weasley children, "pick up your wands and come with me." They all grabbed their wands from the desk, and McGonagall turned to lead them out.
"You may take Miss Weasley and whichever of them used the Lumos charm," Malfoy ordered, "but the other two will remain." McGonagall turned to face Lucius.
"I will not be leaving children alone with you for any reason, Mr. Malfoy," she said, sternly. "The board may have appointed you as High Inquisitor, but until such time as Albus Dumbledore returns, all of the children in this castle are under my protection. I remember very well when you were a student here, and I recall many of the crimes you bought your way out of taking responsibility for. Quite frankly, if the law would allow it, I would remove young Draco from you as well."
"You should be careful," Malfoy hissed. "As High Inquisitor, I do have the power to inspect all of the teachers. I would be extremely disappointed to find your performance… wanting."
"I have every confidence in my abilities as a teacher, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said, ushering the Weasley children out of the door. "I was your transfiguration professor, after all. I taught you everything you know about the art. I did not, however, teach you everything I know about it."
"I will need to speak with Harry Potter in the morning," Malfoy said, abruptly changing the subject."
"May I ask what for?" McGonagall asked.
"It's none of your concern," Malfoy said, dismissively.
"As his Head of House and Acting Headmistress, I disagree," McGonagall said. She stared at Malfoy expectantly.
"I will be removing these outsiders from the castle," Malfoy said, "and thought it only polite to inform him."
"I see," McGonagall said. "Indeed, you might find them difficult to remove unless he orders it. The troopers answer to Mr. Potter. Also, I will remind you again that access to this castle is granted or denied at the pleasure of the Headmaster. Or, in this case, the Acting Headmistress. Kindly refrain from activities that fall outside of the scope of your position, Mr. Malfoy."
"That will be all," Malfoy said, coldly.
"I will give you some free advice, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said. "Harry Potter is not a typical twelve-year-old. He is not one who can be bullied or pushed into doing what he does not wish to do. Come to think of it, neither am I. I highly advise you to keep that in mind during your time in this school, short as it will hopefully be."
"If that will be all?" Mr. Malfoy sneered.
"One final thing, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said. "You were seventeen years old when I caught you dragging a second year into a broom closet against her will. Your father bought your way out of a trip to Azkaban then. Try it again, and I will not be putting my faith in the Aurors a second time. Do we understand one another?"
"How dare you?" Malfoy spat.
"I take my responsibilities to my students very seriously, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said. "I dare because it is my duty to. I will be returning these students to their common room now." She turned away to usher the Weasley children out. She stopped and turned back. "Oh, yes," she added. "You do not have the luxury of choosing the Headmasters office as your own. Kindly clear out of my office, immediately."
"How am I to manage this without you?" Minerva ranted. She was pacing back and forth in Dumbledore's quarters.
"I have every faith in you, my dear," Dumbledore said. "Unfortunately, this is no longer a conflict I can fight from within Hogwarts. Having been suspended by the board, I can remain only as a guest. I will go to the ministry, and see if anyone there still remembers any of the favors most of them still owe me."
"Will the ministry be able to override the board of governors?" Minerva asked.
"Not directly," Dumbledore answered. "As you well know, the ministry has no direct influence on Hogwarts. But indirectly, pressure can be placed on certain individuals to bring about a desired outcome. It's not how I prefer to operate, but when you're riding a hippogriff, you must rely on his wings."
"You should have seen him sitting at your desk, as bold as brass," Minerva groused. "He actually had the nerve to try to claim your office for himself."
"Yes," Albus said with a smile. "In truth, it was the office of Headmaster he was truly after. Not the physical space, but the power that comes with it."
"Merlin forbid," Minerva said fervently. "He would abuse that power mercilessly."
"It was his argument that I have already done so," Albus said. "His original demand was for me to be sacked and for himself to be my replacement. Fortunately, enough members of the board are still loyal enough to me to limit my termination to a suspension. Lucius, however, had a backup plan. This saw him installed as High Inquisitor. I admit that I had not foreseen that. I will be looking to you to protect the students in my absence."
"I refuse to allow that man to be alone with any child but his own," Minerva insisted.
"Of course," Albus agreed. "You have held your post as Deputy Headmistress for many years. The castle grants some additional privileges, as you know, to the acknowledged headmaster. One of the less well-known facts is that the headmaster is the highest authority to access in and around the castle."
"I have already had to remind him of that fact," Minerva said.
"Yes," Albus agreed, "but I would caution you to be careful as to the usage of that power. If you were to have the wards remove him without a cause that the board would recognize, there will be consequences we do not wish to pay."
"You're saying we're stuck with him?" Minerva asked, clearly disappointed.
"For now," Albus said. "This too, shall pass, however, and we are only stuck with him for now."
Lucius Malfoy was seething. He was pacing back and forth before Dumbledore's desk. High Inquisitor was a fine office, but he had told the board he wanted the Headmaster position. Eventually, he would make them suffer for defying him. He had been growing concerned over the diary's lack of progress, and he had clearly been right to worry. If he hadn't, the diary would now be in Dumbledore's hands. McGonagall was another who would have to pay. He was infuriated over her demand that he clear out to lesser quarters. Since she retained the Acting Headmistress role, he could not completely defy her orders. If he refused, she could oust him from the castle. He would have a cup of tea at Dumbledore's desk before he did so, though.
"Dobby," Lucius called. There was a small pop as Dobby appeared beside him. This was accompanied by the loud siren of an alarm that sent Lucius's hands to cover his ears. It took him a few tries with his wand to reset the alarm. He looked suspiciously at Dobby, who was cringing in fear. Was it a coincidence that the alarm had gone off when Dobby had arrived, or was something going on he had not yet considered?
"Dobby," he ordered, "go back to the manor and get me a pot of tea. Make sure you enter this room in the same manner as you just did."
"Yes, Great Master," whimpered Dobby. He popped out, not being able to refuse. While he waited, Lucius called for a Hogwarts house elf to come and bring him a small meal. No alarm sounded at the house elf's coming or going, though the elf eyed him suspiciously. Another soft pop announced Dobby's return, accompanied by the alarm again. He only needed one try to reset it again.
"Would you care to explain," Lucius hissed at Dobby, "why there is a ward keyed to you in this office?" he asked the cowering elf.
Dobby could not answer. He could only sit there on the floor and shiver as his master approached him with his wand pointed at him.
A/N - So, that little hiatus lasted for almost a year. At first, the delay was caused by myself having written my way into a corner. That's what happens when your characters start to rear their heads and protest your writing choices for them. Then, there was an unexpected change at my job. A similar hiatus in the first book was caused by a change in my job. This one was caused by that move not working out well, and my transitioning back to my old job. My situation has stabilized now, and I have time to write again. This story has never been far from my mind, however, and I"d really like to finish it. Thanks to everyone for not giving up on me.