Pilikia: trouble.
June 30, 1994
The clouds of smoke from Hogsmeade station billowed up above the distant tree line, silver-gray in the streaming sunshine that had persisted for weeks. A faint breeze rippled the emerald lawns, but outside of that, the grounds finally lay still and quiet. Peaceful, some might call it, but Albus Dumbledore surveyed the landscape with his ancient gaze and rather thought it looked lonely without hordes of laughing students filling it up.
"They'll be back before we know it, Albus."
Dumbledore did not so much as flinch at the voice coming out of the Entrance Hall behind him.
"Life goes by quickly," he agreed sagely. "I'd thought you went home with the rest, Minerva. What keeps you here?"
"Sirius Black escaped, Remus Lupin resigned, and Hagrid's condemned hippogriff vanished. Am I right in assuming none of those things are coincidences?" McGonagall asked, coming to stand beside the Headmaster on the broad stone front steps.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore responded infuriatingly vaguely.
"Potter seemed rather morose considering his Quidditch victory, decent marks, and Gryffindor's winning the House Cup. Is there a reason for that?" she persisted.
"There no doubt is," Dumbledore nodded.
McGonagall repressed an irritated sigh before giving it one last shot. "And the papers on my desk this morning. Do you really plan to reinstate that tournament?"
"I do indeed," said Dumbledore gravely.
"Dumbledore, for heaven's sake!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Don't you think our students get into enough trouble on their own without us organizing it for them?"
"I think," Dumbledore said slowly, "that Mr. Potter will find trouble no matter what we do. And I would rather know what it is he's getting into. And I believe that now more than ever is the time to reach out to our foreign allies. One can never have too many friends."
The pair of them stood in silence for a moment, staring out across the smooth surface of the lake at the clouds rolling across the mountains in the distance.
"I don't suppose you'll tell me what's coming?" McGonagall asked resignedly.
"Go home, Minerva," Dumbledore told her. "Enjoy the fine weather while it lasts, and we will deal with next year when it comes."
And with that, he turned and swept into the comparatively gloomy Entrance Hall, leaving his deputy Headmistress with more of a pit in her stomach than before as she pondered what sort of trouble was gathering on their horizons.
A/N: So I hate adding chapters in the middle of the story because now all my chapter numbers are off for reviews. I did add June 10, btw, but you might not be able to review it if you already reviewed the original chapter 116. You could review 118 instead, I think. I'd appreciate it if you did :) Slowly filling in the gaps here! I think I'll just add new chapters to the end and put them in proper order when I update the newest chapter so you all don't have to remember which dates you've read and which are new.
Thank you for your encouragement and love you all! :)