A/n: Okay, a little background building and then Dumbledore!
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Minerva McGonagall frowned over the last report she was checking for one of the Aurors that happened to be a part of the Order of the Phoenix. As deputy to both the School and the Order there were things she had to deal with on a regular basis. Thankfully Moody handled most of the Order business as Albus' primary combat lieutenant. She had insisted that she had too many jobs as it was to run both those of the order on sensitive missions as well as being a prime public contact point. Unknown to all she was also a part time Unspeakable stationed as part of security for high risk and high ranked students at the school. Among her official charges as an Unspeakable was Harry Potter (Wizarding Hero), Susan Bones (Niece to Law Enforcement Department Head), Draco Malfoy (son of a Magical Lord), and Justin Finch-Fletchly (Son of a Muggle Lord and high ranked Judge) to name a few. By accident she had figured out that several other teachers were also Unspeakables: Filius Flitwick, Argus Filtch, Rolanda Hooch, and Aurora Sinestra. She had also realized that young Harry was also on the watch list for Filius Flitwick as both an Unspeakable and a part goblin representative of the Gringotts Nation.
Thinking back to just after the disastrous Hogsmeade visit made her remember exactly how angry she was with Dumbledore. It also reminded her of the highly selective staff meeting afterwards.
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Flashback
"Minerva? Where is Mister Potter?" the small part goblin professor asked carefully as the last of the students hurried past the waiting staff into the safety of the castle.
Minerva could only give him a grave look.
"Shall I grab the Counters team or send out a call for the Headmaster's Bird Club?" Professor Sinestra offered her obviously distressed colleague softly.
"I will inform the... Bird Club later. Call the team... one of our students has been legally remanded into the current Dark Lord's custody," Minerva answered somewhat woodenly. "The rest of the students need to report to their common rooms. Their remaining meals will be served there. Tell Umbridge, assuming that she is even in the castle, that we are discussing something a student did which is interfering with the wards and acting to fix it. After all we can't call in a Wardmaster without the Headmaster and the Governors signing off on it."
The soft cursing in various languages did nothing to comfort the nearby lingering students or the staff who were not members of the unofficial "Disaster Squad". Three hours later, the mixed group of undercover protectors sat in stunned silence after having watched the entire confrontation using the projective enchantment on the School's pensive. A pensive that Dumbledore frequently pretended was his personal property and thus not available for school use.
"Did you honestly not know him?" Filus asked as he studied his colleague.
"It took me time but I did, in fact, figure out who he was," Minerva admitted. "The tip off was that he called me Minerva so familiarly and that he was assessing me as if he was fully aware of my dueling style. The assessment, however, noted a former weakness from school that I have since fixed. His eyes also looked for a protective amulet that I used to keep on my belt as a student. From these clues and from a brief memory of seeing the back of the enchanted diary that young Harry destroyed in his second year I can only conclude that the Dark Lord was one of my schoolmates, Tom Riddle."
"Well I can tell you just from that memory alone that he is more stable now than during the last war," Argus Filtch offered up with a scowl. He had been a front line fighter during several fights but had always used something to hide his face. As a result his appearance as a "squib" looking for a job combined with his unusually high talent for wandless magic made him a perfect shoe-in for the nasty castle caretaker position.
"Does anyone know about the protection that Severus offers Mr. Potter? I couldn't understand the Parseltongue, of course, but we might get a better idea of what he was instructed to swear if we knew the other oath," Aurora inquired thoughtfully.
"Vow," Filus corrected. "The original was an Unbreakable Vow. You could tell by the coloring. As long as Severus is able to protect Mr. Potter they will both survive this. Also, I will need some way to know Mr. Potter's warrior status to get any significant aid from my cousins. Something which you have denied me previously."
"I didn't, Dumbledore did," Minerva shot back, just as irritated over the lack of detailed answers over the years as her colleague.
"We can ask them when we get them back and we will get them back," Aurora said pointedly. "For now... the Dark Lord legally and magically holds them hostage with some unknown deal made by both of them to protect the students and possibly the staff."
"This has to be reported," Rolanda Hooch said firmly. "I realize that we all have other charges but we also all have Potter on our list for various reasons. Minerva acted as witness and thus helped seal the deal, protecting our charges and our lost boys. At this point we can only do damage control and hope that the parts of the deal we can't understand aren't too horrendous or that we can help them get out of it. Fudge is an idiot but we still have to report in. It is, as the muggles say, above our pay grade."
"Watch Poppy," Minerva warned. "None of us have figured out yet if she is actively colluding with anyone, incompetent, bribed, bound by something be it magic or threat, or oblivated. Severus was always our official medical back up whether he realized it or not. I refuse to loose any of the children, special charges or not, to something that could have been prevented or fixed."
That ended the meeting. By morning their reports would be in the hands of the Unspeakables and the goblins.
End Flashback
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Minerva grimaced at the next memory which detailed her rather sharp chewing out in polite, official, terms. Something which had then been followed by a "good job, next time try to keep the kid safe inside your area of further protection". If wasn't long before she was back to playing the loyal deputy to the Defeater of Grindelwald... even if it did make her feel sick to play the part from time to time.
Dumbledore, having gotten back to Britain the night before the Emergency Meeting, stalked furiously down the Ministry corridors in the direction of the Grand Meeting Hall. He was absolutely enraged when he had discovered the official notice for the meeting and the flat statement that it was a call to all magical leaders, thus granting all attendees safe passage and amnesty under the old magics meant to protect all of them in times of great danger. Voldemort would be there and he would be unable to do anything about it. At least, Dumbledore thought, Harry was safely at Hogwarts and wouldn't be drawn into this mess though it was his right by blood and magic to attend.
Minerva McGonagall had said something had come up while he was out of the country but that Madam Bones had officially handled it. Dumbledore, distracted by the meeting notice, had promised to review everything after the meeting, brushing her off. Minerva had been visibly displeased but unknown to her employer she had already handled the Order Members and was ready to rip him a new one. After all Harry might be legally and magically protected by the deal she had stood as witness for but the Headmaster's unhealthy interest in her student had been noticed by the woman. She had also noticed his marked disregard for Harry's mental and physical well being over the years. This? This was just the last straw. As far as she was concerned Severus was now Harry's primary guardian and caretaker, damn the official paperwork! If she was lucky she would be able to talk both younger wizards into letting her help.
In the end, Dumbledore left for the ministry without ever realizing that he had completely lost control of his Deputy, his pet Potions Master, and his young weapon.
The Grand Meeting Hall had been designed by Merlin and King Arthur for balls, galas, international meetings, and the rare times when all of Magic or the entire Realm was at stake. It had many protections but it answered first to royal blood in case of mass rebellion. The current Royal family hadn't set foot inside the hall since the Statute of Secrecy had been enacted when an official split, kept secret, between the Magical and non-magical branches of the Royal Family had occurred. The Magical branch had been purposefully hidden within many loyal pureblood lines, blood adopting all of the magical royal children at the time as instructed long ago by Merlin. A family secret to protect the realm both by magic and by law. Rough hewn stone greeted the observer with equally rough carved runes that glowed with eldritch power. Carved stone benches and various wooden seats lined the hall for those attending to such serious business as that which opened the hall for use.
Dumbledore watched over the hall with a mix of disgust at those assembled and smug knowledge. Knowledge that he only needed to declare one or more of them as dark to Harry and the public to see them destroyed... or so he thought. Any observer would only see his grandfather act and that was the way he liked it!
"Come to order please! Come to order!" a scribe announced as the doors shut, linking with ancient wards to protect the room and its occupants. Dumbledore quickly found his seat and happily ignore the water beetle shaped reporter that he had allowed to catch a ride on his robes from the Atrium. Rita Skeeter was going to have a field day and if Dumbledore played it right she would happily crucify any opponent he happened to have in this very hall.
Once everyone was seated Dumbledore was surprised to note that Madam Bones and several Aurors were putting the final touches on various materials to share or present. Taking a quick glance around the room he realized that the stupid woman had called a full magical court of every species and people that she could reach. His heart sinking Dumbledore could only think of one thing that would let her issue the call for such a meeting without first going through him and the Minister. The entire magical world faced a threat that could wipe them out down to the last.
Glancing around again at those summoned for the apparent presentation Dumbledore nearly had a heart attack! What the devil was young Harry doing here with Severus at the side of the Dark Lord no less?!
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A/n: Fury to come anyone? Ideas on what technologies and history events they should be panicking over?