A/N: Sorry, I know it's been ages again, but I assure you I do not intend to abandon this story, even if I take a long time to upload. My original plan of updating once a week is obviously not very realistic, so I'm amending my update schedule to once or twice a month. I'm hoping that this will be more realistic and I'll therefore update more regularly. Thanks to all of you for sticking with me and a massive thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! Here's to my reviewers:

tripmight: Thanks for the review, I've re-read the last chapter and she does figure it out quite quickly doesn't she! I think I wrote it like that to emphasise how intelligent Rose is and also to move the story along onto this chapter, which I had a lot of fun writing! In regards to Remus I plan for him to have quite a major role, but I reckon it'll be a few chapters before he arrives on the scene!

The Three Stoogies: Thank you very much!

LambdaOfTheDead: Thank you so much, that's really lovely to hear!

tabea.koegl: Thank you! Good thinking, you may be right ;) I think the real question is why he's thinking like that! In this chapter Dumbledore's 'plan' is referred to several times and it's all related to that!

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Chapter 7, Dumbledore's Dilemma

Tuesday 3rd November 1981

18:19

Albus Dumbledore was in a wonderful mood as he strolled down the corridor towards the Great Hall, whistling an old Muggle tune called Greensleves. He had had a marvellous day, predominantly due to his success at convincing Crouch that there was no need to waste time giving Black a trial seeing as the evidence was stacked against him as both a mass-murderer and servant to the Dark Lord. Crouch had soaked up every word that Dumbledore had said without a flicker of disagreement, henceforth why Dumbledore was so happy. He had at least been expecting a bit of resistance, but alas, he had overestimated Crouch. What a gullible idiot!

The other reason why Albus Dumbledore was in such a good mood was a much lighter one. He had discovered that the house eleves had made his all-time favourite meal for tonight's dinner - steak and ale pie, with lemon tart for dessert. All in all, Dumbledore was thinking that this could well be one of his best days in a long time.

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18:44, Great Hall

Dinner was in full swing and Albus Dumbledore was in the middle of a conversation with Filius about how his Seventh Year students were picking up the NEWT material so quickly.

All of a sudden the loud chatter of the students stopped, and instead turned into murmurs of surprise.

"Woah! I wonder who it's for?"

"I want to know what they've done first!"

"It must be something terrible to have one at dinner time, in front of the whole school!"

"Oh my gosh it's heading towards the staff table"

"WHAT, no way!"

"It is, look!"

"Why on earth would anyone send a Howler to the staff? They're adults!"

"It's probably Snape's mummy telling him to ease off on us with that awful mood!" suggested a Sixth Year Gryffindor.

His friends burst into laughter and started clapping him on the back.

"Haha, good one mate. This is gonna be a right laugh."

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Albus Dumbledore looked up and his eyes widdened.

The unknown owl had dropped the Howler in his food. HIS food.

Who on earth has sent me a Howler? The last time I got one of those I was still a teenager. Why didn't they just send their message in a letter like any normal person? I can't think of anything that I've done that would warrant a Howler, aside from Black of course, but he's locked up anyway.

The Howler started smoking. Dumbledore made eye contact with a smirking Sixth Year Gryffindor whose friends were laughing and clapping him on the back.

Ah of course! That's it, it's a prank. Thank goodness! No wonder those Sixth Years are looking like they've just been given an Order of Merlin, not even the Marauders thought of sending me a Howler, let alone in front of the whole school! I'll let them have their fun, it's only a harmless prank after all.

Suddenly the Howler burst open and started shrieking.

ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE

My full name! How did the Sixth Years find that out?

HOW DARE YOU KEEP THE DEATH OF MY SISTER AND HER HUSBAND FROM ME.

WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THEY'D BEEN MURDERED 3 DAYS AGO

YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO COME AND SEE ME

Blimey! It's Primrose Evans! She's sent me a Howler in front of the entire school? Good grief, this is not going to go down well. Avada me now!

DID YOU EXPECT ME TO NOT REALISE THAT THEY WEREN'T RESPONDING TO MY MESSAGES?

HOW THICK ARE YOU?

I AM BEYOND FURIOUS WITH YOU AND I'M EXPECTING ANSWERS

I FOUND OUT FROM STRANGERS WHILST AT WORK THAT MY SISTER HAD DIED

TRY AND IMAGINE WHAT THAT MUST FEEL LIKE FOR ONE SECOND

AND THEN I WENT TO MY OTHER SISTER'S HOUSE - THE ONE WHO YOU LEFT A BABY ON HER DOORSTEP - DOES THAT RING A BELL?

AND I FOUND MY NEPHEW, HARRY POTTER, LIVING IN THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS ON A SPRINGY MATRESS

AND WHAT WAS WORSE WAS THAT HE HAD TEARS STREAMING DOWN HIS LITTLE FACE AND THAT PIECE OF DIRT THAT IS MY SISTER AND HER HUSBAND HAD LEFT A RED HANDPRINT ON HIS CHEEK FROM WHERE THEY'D SLAPPED HIM

No, no, no! How does she know that? She cannot have just told all the students and staff in Hogwarts! No!

THEY SLAPPED A BABY WHO'S PARENTS HAD JUST BEEN MURDERED AND WHO'D BEEN LEFT ON A DOORSTEP ALL NIGHT

HOW COULD YOU PUT HIM WITH THEM - THEY'RE ABUSIVE DUMBLEDORE, ABUSIVE!

Sweet Merlin! Can this get any worse?

BUT I'M NOT DONE YET DUMBLEDORE, AND ANYONE ELSE LISTENING, OH NO I HAVE MUCH MORE TO SAY

YOU SEE WHEN I CONFRONTED PETUNIA I FOUND AN INTERESTING LITTLE FACT

YOU, ALBUS DUMBLEDORE HAD LIED TO HER, TELLING HER THAT YOU HAD SPOKEN TO ME AND I HAD REFUSED TO BE HARRY'S GUARDIAN AND THAT I HAD SUGGESTED THAT PETUNIA SHOULD LOOK AFTER HIM AS SHE ALREADY HAS A YOUNG SON

YOU MANIPULATIVE, LYING OLD BASTARD

No! Please don't tell me everyone heard that! How am I going to explain this? Oh goodness, Filius does not look pleased. At all.

Oh no! If looks could kill then Minerva would already be in Azkaban! Sweet Merlin, I told Minerva that Primrose had refused guardianship, and now she knows the truth. No! What am I going to do now? Stupid, stupid Evans.

YOU AND I ARE WELL AWARE OF THE SITUATION, BUT I THINK OUR LISTENERS WOULD LIKE SOME CLARIFICATION, DON'T YOU DUMBLEDORE?:

DUMBLEDORE HAD NOT EVEN INFORMED ME OF LILY AND JAMES' DEATHS

I WAS NOT OFFERED GUARDIANSHIP OF HARRY

DUMBLEDORE KNEW THAT LILY AND PETUNIA HAD NOT SPOKEN IN 3 YEARS

AND LILY AND I WERE IN CONTACT RIGHT UP UNTIL HER DEATH

SO I'LL CLARIFY: DUMBLEDORE LEFT HARRY POTTER WITH HIS ABUSIVE AUNT WHO HATES MAGIC AND HADN'T SPOKEN TO HIS PARENTS IN 3 YEARS WHEN LILY AND I WERE CLOSER THAN BEST FRIENDS, I KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT THE MAGICAL WORLD AS LILY DID, AND I LOVE MY ADORABLE LITTLE NEPHEW MORE THAN ANYTHING

I COULD DO WITH SOME HELP IN FIGURING THIS ONE OUT

That's just perfect! Could she have stated that anymore clearly? I can't pull off the whole 'you don't understand what really happened' excuse now!

OH BUT THERE'S MORE

More! MORE! How can there be anything else to damage my reputation?

I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF THE NAME SIRIUS BLACK, AND IF I'M CORRECT THEN YOU ALL THINK HE'S SOME EVIL DEATH EATER WHO SOLD LILY AND JAMES TO VOLDEMORT

Bugger! I'd forgotten about Black! She can't possibly know that though. At least I convinced the Potters not to tell anyone of their true Secret Keeper.

YOU WOULD ALL BE WRONG

SIRIUS WAS JAMES AND LILY'S BEST FRIEND AND DID NOT BETRAY THEM TO VOLDEMORT

NOW I'M NOT SO SURE IF YOU'VE HEARD OF PETER PETTIGREW, YOU KNOW THAT SMALL CHUBBY BOY, WHO WAS ALWAYS TAGGING ALONG WITH JAMES, SIRIUS AND THEIR OTHER BEST FRIEND REMUS

WELL, PETER PETTIGREW WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER AND WAS THE ONE WHO BETRAYED THEM TO VOLDEMORT

SIRIUS WAS THE DECOY, NOT THE ACTUAL SECRET KEEPER!

Damn, she knows! At least she can't implicate me with this, thank goodness.

SIRIUS IS COMPLETELY INNOCENT, HE WOULD NEVER BETRAY LILY AND JAMES

IF YOU'RE WONDERING HOW I KNOW THIS, THAT'S BECAUSE LILY TOLD ME BEFORE HER DEATH

Damn you Lily Potter, why did you have to tell your idiot sister?

I NEED TO BE OFF SOON, BUT ONE MORE THING BEFORE I GO:

DUMBLEDORE KNEW ALL ALONG THAT PETER WAS THE SECRET KEEPER AND THAT SIRIUS IS INNOCENT

Shit. How is the name of Merlin can she know that? Now I really am dead. Minerva alone will make sure of that by the look on her face. Someone please Avada me now.

I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOUR RESPONSE DUMBLEDORE

OH AND I'LL BE VISITING THE PROPHET ON FRIDAY IF I'VE NOT HEARD BACK FROM YOU BY THEN. I IMAGINE THEY'LL BE VERY INTERESTED IN MY STORY, DON'T YOU?

And with that the Howler exploded while the whole Great Hall stayed frozen in shock.

A few seconds later all the students started talking and shouting in shock at what they had just heard. Whilst Dumbledore was sat in his seat with his mouth hanging open in shock, literally. His brain was whirring away.

How in Merlin's name did she find out? That was not part of the plan! And then she had the nerve to send me a Howler! A Howler! In front of the whole student body and all the staff! How on earth am I going dig myself out of this one? All the staff are going to want answers, so does Evans and then there's the whole student body to deal with! Oh goodness, the first thing the students are going to do will be to write home to their families 'You'll never guess what Professor Dumbledore, leader of the light, did Mummy and Daddy! He made the Boy-who-Lived live with abusive muggles! And apparently Sirius Black is innocent and Dumbledore knew!' Oh yes, that would go down a treat for my reputation. Sweet Merlin! What if one of the Slytherins were to write to the Daily Prophet with this story? It would certainly make the front page. No, I cannot allow that. Time to come up with some ways to restrict the damage to my reputation. Hmm...

"ALBUS!" shouted Professor McGonagall, trying to get his attention for the fourth time, "a word."

Dumbledore paled as he remembered where he was and what had just been revealed, yet he made no move to get up out of his seat.

"NOW!" barked Professor McGonagall, her lips drawn into such a thin line they had almost disappeared and her eyes showed only blazing anger.

"I wish to join you Minerva," said Professor Sprout.

"Me too," squeaked Professor Flitwick in such a high voice it would have been comical had it not been for the pure anger in his eyes.

"Myself also," added Professor Snape, with a look of utter distaste aimed at Dumbledore.

"Of course," Professor McGonagall replied, "Aurora, watch the students while we discuss this... unexpected situation... if you will. Keep them all in here until we have returned."

And with that Professor McGonagall stalked out of the Great Hall, followed by Professors Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick and Snape.

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A/N: Ooh a bit of a cliffhanger! What will McGonagall and the others do to Dumbledore? Will his secrets (not so secret now!) be exposed to the entire Wizarding World, or will he manage to confine them within the walls of Hogwarts? And how will he deal with Rose? All this to come soon! Also to come soon, how did Rose send him a Howler when she's a Muggle? Is she really a Muggle?

I would love to hear your thoughts so please review!