A/N: I can't say for certain, but I believe that the discussion in Dumbledore's office in this chapter was at least partially (and unconsciously) inspired by a similar scene in "Broken Chains" by DarthMarrs (though the scene in that fic involved Hermione).
Also, just so there are no misunderstandings, no new bonds were created at the end of the last chapter. What you saw was a solidifying of the existing bond. Just as the soul bond itself is advanced as the relationship between Jasmine and Hermione has progressed (which is the reverse of how soul bond stories tend to be written), the bond with their shieldmaidens solidified because their relationship with them deepened — note Fleur's words shortly before it happened.
Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "Unexpected Assistance" by SymphonySamurai. Hermione isn't the only one who believes that Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire. An unexpected person approaches them and offers to help. Harry/Hermione/Daphne.
Chapter 51 - We're Not Gonna Take It
Saturday, March 20, 1995, Evening.
The hour had grown quite late by the time the four witches finally left the Room of Requirement, but none of them regretted the time they had spent there together. All of them felt significantly better — more relaxed and content — even though only two truly understood why. Hermione at least knew that there was a lot more going on than she was aware of, and while she didn't say anything, she suspected it had something to do with whatever the veela were keeping from her and Jasmine. She silently vowed to move this to the top of her research list.
After making arrangements to meet before dawn the following morning for their Eostre celebration, and assured by Hermione and Jasmine that they would be careful and stay safe, Fleur and Gabrielle were directed to a series of secret passages that would take them to a spot near the Great Hall so they could leave the castle as circumspectly as possible. The two Gryffindor witches made their own way to their common room, where they were greeted by very unexpected hugs and expressions of support.
Most surprising of all was Lavender, who dragged the two into an alcove at the side of the common room, where she handed them a sealed parchment and told them that Parvati had already left at a run for the Ravenclaw common room. "Word has gone out all over Hogwarts about what happened to you, Jasmine," Lavender explained. "We're all behind you! Well, all the witches are, at least. Some of the boys," she spat the last word in a very uncharacteristic expression of vitriol, "don't seem to understand what the big deal is, but they won't say anything if they know what's good for them. And don't want to end up like McLaggan." There was a fire in Lavender's eyes that the other two had never seen before — indeed, that they never would have thought the flighty Gossip Queen was even capable of.
They didn't dare ask what had happened to Cormac McLaggan, though.
"I'm surprised that everyone is making such a big deal about this," Hermione said as Jasmine opened the parchment and started to read. "I mean, it's not trivial, but I wouldn't have expected all this." She gestured to the roomful of Gryffindors — mostly witches — conversing earnestly, though she obviously meant the underlying current of anger that was running through the crowd.
"You don't think that Snape is going to let Jasmine get away with it, do you?" Lavender asked. "He'll want her expelled! Or worse, taken in by the aurors!"
"It wouldn't be the first time," Hermione pointed out. "And I doubt that Professor Dumbledore would actually go that far..."
Lavender straightened a bit before saying in a very determined voice, "It's different now. Malfoy showed us that we aren't safe with people like him running around, but Jasmine demonstrated that we can fight back! And you and Jasmine both have shown us that we all have to be willing to fight back!"
Hermione started to respond, but Jasmine shoved the parchment in front of her and said to Lavender, "You're right, Lav. One of the things that was running through my mind when I beat that prat into the ground was that I refused to be a victim anymore." Lavender nodded enthusiastically. "Now," the green-eyed witch continued, "this note tells me that Daphne organized the others into informing the rest of the school and provides me with some ideas about how to defend myself, but do you know what it means when it says more is coming?"
"Yes," Lavender responded. "I haven't read it, but I was told that it's a summary in case the right witches couldn't get to you in time. There are several copies floating around the castle, just in case someone else found you first. Parvati has gone to Padma, who has connections in Slytherin. With any luck, we'll have one of the snakes here before any of the teachers even knows you're back with us."
Jasmine shook her head, "The Fat Lady will send word along the portraits. They already know, I'm sure of it." Lavender was distressed to learn that the castle's paintings would inform on them like that, then started fretting about how much time Parvati was taking.
It wasn't long before Professor McGonagall emerged through the portrait hole on the other side of the room. "Miss Potter?" she asked, "We've been looking everywhere for you. Come with me."
"Where are you taking her?" came an angry witch's voice from the crowd.
McGonagall's eyes widened slightly in surprise at being challenged like that. "Not that it's any of your business, but the Headmaster would like to see her."
"Is she going to get a fair hearing?" came a second angry voice. "What about Malfoy?" came a third. "Yeah!" came several others, accompanied by a lot of muttering and angry looks.
McGonagall took half a step back and looked around at the indignant faces which seemed to surround her — mostly witches, though not a few wizards had joined them. Only now did she realize that upon stepping into the lion's den that evening, she was being received more as an interloper than as an elder of the pride. Her gaze shifted over to the corner where Jasmine Potter stood, a suspicious and defiant look on her face. Hermione Granger stood right next to her with an equally defiant expression, and a camera flashed off to the side while several witches moved quietly to stand between her and their head of house.
The old Transfiguration professor first quirked an eyebrow, but then gave a slight smile before addressing a crowd that she recognized could easily turn into an angry mob. "I take it you all object strenuously to what Mr. Malfoy is reported to have done?" She was answered with a chorus of fierce agreement. "And I further take it that you agree with Miss Potter's response, but fear that certain members of the Hogwarts staff" — several murmurs of "Snape" could be heard from the crowd — "will use this as an excuse to harm her?" Once again, their voices rose, and there was no doubt of where their sympathies lay.
McGonagall nodded, having gotten the responses she had expected. "Rest assured that I will be with her the entire time and will protect her interests." This seemed to mollify her lionesses — and they were starting to act like her lions and lionesses again — so she gestured for Miss Potter to follow her. When Miss Granger made to accompany them, she had to insist that the other witch remain behind. She was quickly engulfed by supportive witches from all seven years, something that warmed the professor's heart because she knew just how alone and isolated she and Miss Potter had always been.
"We'll walk as slowly as we can and take the longest route possible to the headmaster's office," McGonagall spoke quickly to Jasmine, "but we'll still need to talk fast. First, though," she cast two patronuses in the forms of tabby cats and sent a message with each. "Now then," she continued, "tell me exactly what happened — the whole truth. I can't help you if I don't know everything."
And so Jasmine explained what happened early that afternoon — the group meeting, the altercation, Malfoy's words, and the suddenly remembered threats from his father a couple of days before. This was a very different story from what the headmaster had relayed to her, though she wasn't the least bit surprised. Unlike him, she had asked around and heard a very different version of events. She was pleased that Miss Potter was able to confirm that second version. She was even more pleased to learn that, despite how violent Miss Potter's actions had been, she had reacted to significant provocation and only after trying to avoid a confrontation at all.
They hadn't gotten far before they encountered a Slytherin student breathing hard as if she'd just run across half the castle. Jasmine looked very surprised as she was given a fierce hug by the blonde witch.
"Miss Greengrass," Professor McGonagall said sternly, "we are on our way to see the Headmaster, and I'm afraid that you cannot…."
"I know, Professor," Daphne said quickly. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I'm here to help. I have information."
McGonagall raised one eyebrow to both inquire about the information and to express her skepticism that the young witch had anything that important to say. Daphne proceeded to explain, as quickly as she could, what she and Jasmine's other friends had been doing almost from the instant they had separated earlier in the day.
Both Gryffindors stood there in surprise — even Jasmine, who now had a much clearer picture of what had been happening back in their common room. "You mean to tell me, Miss Greengrass," McGonagall said in a mix of disbelief and awe, "that you have managed to incite the students of Hogwarts — and the witches of Hogwarts in particular — to rise up in defense of Miss Potter, even against the Headmaster and your own head of house?"
Daphne looked a bit intimidated at that summary, but quickly rallied and stood a little straighter before nodding and saying, "Yes, Professor — I was sure we could do this. I also wanted to help Jasmine come up with the best ways to defend herself."
McGonagall smiled and said, "Very good. I award you ten points to Slytherin for promoting inter-house unity, and another ten for supporting a fellow classmate, because I know your head of house won't." This brought a surprised grin from the Slytherin witch. "Now," McGonagall continued, "we've wasted enough time standing around. We must get moving if we're to avoid arousing suspicion."
The rest of the way the three witches discussed the day's events and the likely arguments Jasmine would be confronted by. As much as McGonagall would work to support her, they knew it was inevitable that Jasmine would have to face down her accusers and make her own case if she was going to be taken seriously.
As they entered the corridor where the entrance to the headmaster's office was located, they encountered Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick, the two professors whom McGonagall had messaged earlier. She believed that once she could get them on Jasmine's side, she could more easily override any obstructionism from Snape and Dumbledore. "What's the emergency, Minerva?" Sprout asked. "Is this about the assault on Mr. Malfoy?"
McGonagall's lips thinned at the comment. She knew that Pomona had developed a bias against Miss Potter because of the tournament and the perceived slight against Mr. Diggory, but she had hoped that that had abated somewhat in the wake of the second task... or at least enough that she wouldn't take the headmaster's initial report at face value. Flitwick was quiet, but no less concerned. Although he knew the Gryffindor witch much better now, he had also helped her learn a number of darker spells. McGonagall could tell from the look on his face that this incident caused him to worry about whether he had set her down a dark path.
Although she hadn't had much time to digest everything herself, she managed to give both a quick but thorough summary of the day's events. As McGonagall had hoped, neither of the other professors was happy about the biased story they'd earlier heard, making them even more sympathetic to Jasmine's case than they would have been otherwise — as if the horrible threats from both of the Malfoys weren't enough. They were also impressed enough with Daphne's actions to tell her that they'd have awarded her points if McGonagall hadn't already done it, and she was sent away with a lot more self-confidence than she'd had even just that morning.
It was a very unhappy but determined group that finally climbed the stairs to the headmaster's office.
As Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk waiting for Jasmine Potter to arrive, he reflected on the awful rollercoaster of the past few days. He had been more than a little skeptical of Miss Granger's hysterical report about Miss Potter's absence, despite Minerva's endorsement. However, a careful check of the wards — a taxing process that he was loathe to repeat except under the most serious of circumstances — informed him that she was, in fact, not in the castle.
It was only after he'd broken into Alastor's room and found his old friend locked in his own trunk that the awful truth had been revealed. The shame of having harbored a Death Eater all year, allowing him to teach DADA and giving him a chance to kidnap the Girl Who Lived, was a failure that still burned; but it was the thought that she would be killed, making the Dark victorious before the war even started, that had made him physically ill.
Contrary to expectations, her return to the castle hadn't made him feel much better. She was alive, but every bruise, every cut, and every tremor was a testimony to how much he'd failed her. Then, just this afternoon, he'd been informed about a vicious, unprovoked attack on Mr. Malfoy by none other than Miss Potter! Yet another failure of his where she was concerned.
Dumbledore remembered the anger and barely-leashed violence he'd seen in her eyes just before the second task. Now, it appeared, her violence was no longer leashed. Perhaps it was a consequence of her torture by Tom, or perhaps Tom had done something else to her; but either way, such attacks were a characteristic of the Dark, not the Light, and he'd have to act decisively if there was to be any hope of saving her.
Oh, he knew how unlikely it was that the attack had been completely unprovoked, but after seeing how bad the boy's injuries were, he couldn't help but agree that it must have been undeserved. Mr. Malfoy's typical taunts and insults had never risen to a level which would justify such an assault. I thought that Miss Potter was finally learning how to deal with insults and taunts in a graceful, nonviolent manner. It is such a disappointment to find that I was mistaken.
Finally, the gargoyle at the bottom of the steps to his office announced the arrival of visitors. He glanced over at his Potions professor and wondered, not for the first time, why the man harbored such anger towards the girl when she resembled her mother far more than her father. I just hope he doesn't allow his personal feelings to interfere with what needs to be done, he thought.
When he saw how many visitors were entering his office, he was unable to mask his surprise. "Professor McGonagall," he greeted her as he looked at all the faces, recognizing expressions of displeasure, "I believe I only requested to see Miss Potter. I confess myself curious as to why we are now such a large gathering,"
"Headmaster," she replied, "given the serious nature of the accusations leveled against my student, I thought it prudent to ensure that she received a fair hearing in front of impartial members of staff." Dumbledore stifled a sigh and nodded in acceptance. In truth he disliked committees because in his long experience, the larger they were, the less they accomplished; but he couldn't easily object to this.
He also disliked the implication that she didn't consider either Severus or himself to be impartial. This meeting has scarcely begun, and already it's going downhill….
"Miss Potter," the headmaster said once everyone was seated. "I have received a very disturbing report about your behavior today. I'm afraid that the consequences for you will be rather serious."
"Rather serious, Headmaster?" Snape cut in. "She should be expelled, period. No other punishment will do."
"Perhaps we should hear Miss Potter's side of the story?" Pomona Sprout suggested, causing everyone to turn their attention to the young Gryffindor witch.
"Professor Snape, why are you defending someone who wants to be a rapist?" Jasmine asked. Dumbledore raised one eyebrow, curious about the purpose of such an accusatory question. She was acting calmly, not at all like a student facing severe punishment. No, she acted like someone with a plan.
"Excuse me?" Snape responded in an affronted tone.
"A rapist," Jasmine said. "Draco Malfoy wants to be a rapist. He threatened both me and my friend with violent rape."
Snape snorted. "It figures that you'd try to come up with some story to justify your violent behavior. But you only have your word for what you claim Mr. Malfoy said, your word against his and his three friends."
"So if there were more witnesses to agree with what I said," Jasmine responded, "you'd believe me?"
"As if that would happen," Snape sneered, though anyone who knew the man like Dumbledore did would recognize the glimmer of worry in his eyes.
"Well, it's a good thing that I have about a dozen people who saw the conversation and would be happy to tell the truth," Jasmine announced. She then started ticking off fingers while looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "There's Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts champion; Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang Champion; Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion; Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff; Padma Patil from Ravenclaw; Ron and Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor... need I go on?"
The question hung there for a moment while everyone processed the fact that Jasmine had far more support for her story than Mr. Malfoy, which meant that Mr. Malfoy and his friends had been lying. Dumbledore closed his eyes and shook his head regretfully, annoyed that Snape had brought this to him without having investigated properly. He was even more annoyed with himself for having assumed that whatever Mr. Malfoy had said before he was hurt had simply been part and parcel of his usual taunts.
"It doesn't matter," Snape insisted. "Beating Mr. Malfoy like that was a completely inappropriate response to what he said."
"Thank you for accepting that he did indeed threaten to rape two female students, Professor Snape," Jasmine said, earning her a vicious glare from the Potions professor that she didn't hesitate to return. "But I wonder, did Professor Dumbledore inform you that Voldemort is back?" He had indeed communicated this information to all four heads of house so they could prepare themselves and keep a closer eye on their charges.
"What does that matter, Potter?" Snape responded with another sneer. "Do you think that having seen the Dark Lord will get you special treatment here? Even your father wasn't that arrogant." Dumbledore suppressed a sigh at yet another attempt by the man to compare the girl to her father. He didn't miss the looks of annoyance from the other professors, either.
"So you were told about Voldemort's return, thank you," Jasmine said before turning to the headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore, why do you employ a man who wants me dead?" Everyone except McGonagall froze at that question; even the portraits all looked shocked.
"What on earth are you blathering on about, girl?" Snape demanded angrily while Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
"That's a very serious accusation, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said, "and one that certainly isn't true..."
Before he could continue, Jasmine interrupted, "If I get expelled, my wand is snapped, correct?"
"It's no less than what you deserve, Potter," Snape growled.
"So, Professor Snape, you want to expel me from the security of Hogwarts and send me out into the world without any way of defending myself from Voldemort — despite not only knowing that he's back, but that I had to use my wand to protect myself from him and his minions — including Lucius Malfoy, by the way — just a couple of days ago."
Everyone went very still as they followed the logic of her statements. What she said was obvious in retrospect, but the news of Tom's return was so new and unexpected that the full implications hadn't been completely processed by everyone, not even the headmaster. As he glanced around the room, he noticed that three heads of house looked like they wanted to strangle the fourth.
I'm not sure I can blame them, either, he lamented. Severus' behavior of late has become intolerable, it seems, and I may not be able to continue my lenient attitude towards him. Given recent events, he'll need to be more careful anyway.
"I ask you again, Professor Dumbledore," Jasmine said in a tight voice, her hands balled into fists, "why do you employ a man who is actively seeking my death? A man who happens to be defending a student who wants to rape me? What kind of school is this?"
Dumbledore's gaze turned very hard as he looked over at Snape, who muttered, "I... withdraw my demand."
"Yes," Dumbledore said sternly. "Expulsion is off the table." He wasn't sure whom he was angrier with: Severus for appearing to seek the death of Miss Potter, or himself for not having discussed the issue of expulsion with Severus before the meeting started. If I'd given the issue a bit more attention, I would have noticed how a threat of expulsion might seem to others and could have cautioned Severus not to say anything. Now everyone else thinks that I either don't care about her death or am willing to allow a member of staff to plot it. Could this possibly get any worse?
A quick glance told him that the other heads of house were still horrified and outraged at what they thought had been in the works. Turning to face Jasmine again, who looked no less angry, he did what he could to salvage things. "I never seriously considered expulsion. That's a punishment I try to reserve for those who are completely unrepentant and pose a continuing danger to other students — something I'm sure isn't the case with you." Another quick glance around the room told him that this was helping. Slightly.
"The fact that Professor Snape no longer wants me dead doesn't make me feel much better since he offers no apology for wanting me dead a few minutes ago," Jasmine grumbled. The sneer on Snape's face told everyone that no apology would be coming anytime soon, if ever.
"Given that the initial reports about what happened were... flawed," Dumbledore said, flicking a pointed glance at Snape, "why don't you tell us what you remember of the incident."
Jasmine proceeded to do just that, explaining the meeting in which she told her friends about her kidnapping, her encounter with Malfoy, her attempt to just leave, his threats, her flashback to similar threats from his father, and finally her hitting him.
"That... is quite a disturbing story," Dumbledore said when she finished. He didn't need to look around to know that the others were upset at what they had just heard, even Snape. "However," he continued, "what you did was wrong and must be punished. We cannot have students attacking each other on the grounds, regardless of the provocation."
"And what do you intend to do to punish Draco?" she demanded.
"Mr. Malfoy is in the hospital wing and will have to remain there for at least a full day while all of his injuries are healed," Snape announced, still trying to protect his student. "That's more than punishment enough."
"Really?" McGonagall drawled, getting a curious look from Dumbledore. "If what Miss Potter did to him qualifies as 'punishment' for his threats, then it must have been deserved, appropriate, and legitimate. If that's the case, then you can't punish her for doing it. If, however, you punish her for what she did, then what she did was illegitimate and therefore can't qualify as punishment for him."
Flitwick chuckled softly before saying, "She's got you there, Severus. Either both must be punished, or neither can be punished." This earned him a very annoyed glare.
"Minerva," Dumbledore said tiredly, "do you really think that Mr. Malfoy deserves to suffer even more than he has already?"
"He hasn't suffered nearly enough!" Jasmine interjected angrily.
"Miss Potter!" Dumbledore exclaimed in shock. He had hoped that she would be repentant enough to justify a certain degree of leniency, thus proving that she hadn't really strayed too far from the Light after all. Declaring that the injured boy should be hurt even more was worse than merely not regretting how much he'd been hurt already.
"Ever since I started here," Jasmine explained, looking less and less calm, "you've let Draco get away with absolutely everything, including praising murder."
"Murder?" Dumbledore asked, not understanding where this was coming from. Even the four heads of house were surprised.
"Yes, second year," Jasmine answered, "He said, 'You'll be next, Mudbloods,' when he saw what he thought was Mrs. Norris' dead body under the the message from the Heir of Slytherin. In other words, he proudly announced that fellow students would be murdered in the castle's halls and made it clear that he looked forward to it. No one punished him for that, just like no one ever punishes him for constantly using the word 'mudblood.' You are responsible for this entire situation: a bully who thinks he can say absolutely anything, and a witch who feels so threatened that she is forced to use violence to protect herself."
Dumbledore paled slightly, never having realized that Mr. Malfoy had been that bad at such an early age. He'd long hoped that the young wizard could be redirected from the path his father had set him on, but this information suggested that he'd never had any chance at all. Should I not have given him so many opportunities to come around and change his mind? he asked himself.
"It's a dark, depressing mirror of magical Britain as a whole," Jasmine continued with a scowl. "Draco is just like his daddy, a man who thinks he can say or do anything. In his father's case, I also had to use violence to defend myself. You," Jasmine said this while looking back and forth between Dumbledore and Snape, "are creating a whole new generation just like Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort: people who believe they have a right to do whatever they want, just because they can. It's one reason why I'm considering not staying in this society."
"What?" Dumbledore croaked out in a panic, his initial umbrage at being accused of making things worse having been immediately overridden by this new disaster. "But this is your world, your community!" he tried to protest. "How could you possibly consider not staying?"
"My world?" Jasmine asked bitterly with more than a little bit of disdain. "No, it's your world. I grew up muggle. You saw to that, Professor Dumbledore, remember?" The headmaster winced, having never imagined that his decision might cause such a problem. "As it is, I have little love for muggle Britain, either, thanks to the Dursleys and the failure of muggle authorities to stop their constant abuse of me, so I'd probably leave this island entirely."
"Would you really give up on magic?" McGonagall asked, sadness clear in her voice.
"Magic?" Jasmine asked, turning to look at her head of house. "Not at all. I don't need to live in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley to use magic. I enjoy magic. The more contact I have with wizards and witches, though, the less happy I am. That goes double for magical institutions and authority figures. After all, those authority figures forced me, an underage, barely trained witch, to compete in a dangerous tournament so I could act as bait for people who then kidnapped me right out from under the noses of those same authority figures. Those kidnappers then tortured me, molested me, threatened to rape me, and tried to kill me." It was clear that she was only barely keeping her anger in check.
Everyone except Snape winced at her description of events. As blunt and unkind as her words were, they were also accurate. And while most of the responsibility for it all fell on the headmaster, the heads of house were not without some responsibility themselves. Jasmine looked back and forth between the adults, all of whom were looking more than a little uncomfortable. "You shouldn't be wondering why I'd consider leaving. You should be wondering why I haven't already emptied my trust account and fled the country."
Dumbledore noticed a slight look of happiness on Snape's face at this declaration — a very unfamiliar sight. Apparently, McGonagall noticed too and asked, "I suppose you'd like that, wouldn't you, Severus? Well, if it happens, I'm sure you'll sleep soundly knowing that you were an important factor in Miss Potter deciding that magical Britain isn't worth living in. I wonder what the public would do when they found that out. And you can be sure they would."
Desperate to stop talking about the Girl Who Lived abandoning Britain, a problem he'd have to tackle later when he had time to examine it more thoroughly, Dumbledore tried to steer the conversation back to its earlier topic. "Be that as it may, we cannot have a school where students think they are free to attack each other. There must be order."
"There must also be safety — and a feeling of safety," Sprout said, "something we don't have if students feel free to go around threatening to rape other students."
"Miss Potter and I discussed this on the way here, and she'd be willing to accept a moderate punishment, though only under certain conditions," McGonagall said.
"Conditions, Potter?" Snape sneered, "Your arrogance knows no bounds."
"I don't consider it arrogant to expect fairness in how one of my students is treated, Severus." McGonagall snapped. Realizing that he'd overstepped his bounds, Snape subsided and looked sullen.
"Miss Potter would accept a ban on Hogsmeade visits and a few weeks of detentions," McGonagall continued, "but only if Mr. Malfoy gets the same plus at least a few weeks more for provoking the incident in the first place. I believe we're agreed not only that there was provocation, but that it was unusually extreme and inappropriate?" The others nodded their heads while Snape remained silent, remembering that he'd inadvertently conceded that point earlier.
"I'd also recommend some punishment for those who lied about the incident. In addition, there would have to be no more tolerance of threats like those Mr. Malfoy made today," McGonagall went on. "No more tolerance of bullying. No more tolerance of words like mudblood or of insults shouted across the Great Hall. If young witches in our care know that such behavior won't be tolerated, then maybe they won't have to fear for their safety or their virtues, and thus won't feel the need to lash out with violence when threatened."
"And if those conditions aren't met?" Dumbledore asked, not liking being pushed into a corner, even if he was hard-pressed to find fault with the proposal. They were things McGonagall had been pushing for repeatedly over the years, but he'd resisted in the expectation that looser restrictions would make it easier to entice students from certain families to a better path. However, based on what he was learning today, at least some of his assumptions may have been mistaken.
"Then I suppose we witches will have to assume that the staff supports bullying and threats of rape," Jasmine asserted, apparently unhappy that he'd even consider not accepting the deal. "We will have to assume that we are in danger in the halls of this castle and must therefore be prepared to defend ourselves — swiftly and violently."
"It's arrogant for you to assume that anyone else shares your delusional attitude, Potter," Snape said dismissively. Dumbledore noticed the smirks that the others had in response to Snape's comment, making him suddenly very worried about what had transpired before they all entered his office.
"No, it's just common sense," McGonagall said, "because by now, the entire student body has learned about the nature of Mr. Malfoy's threats — both the father and the son, in fact, and what Miss Potter has endured at the hands of both."
"What? How?" Dumbledore asked with a worried frown. He knew that rumors flew fast in the castle, but he hadn't authorized the release of any specific information.
"There were witnesses, remember?" Jasmine pointed out. "They were as horrified and outraged by his threats as I was. If I hadn't hit him, one or more of them might have." Looking pointedly at Snape, she continued, "Not every wizard in this castle defends or supports rape."
"If Mr. Malfoy is treated leniently like he always is," McGonagall said, "our students will see that as support for rapists. If Miss Potter is treated harshly, the students will see that as an attack on witches who are threatened with rape, which will only fuel their fears and increase the potential for violence."
"And that's before their parents get involved" Jasmine added. "I don't know how many of them have been informed that by now I've had to defend myself against a would-be rapist student just after having to defend myself against his would-be rapist father, yet I'm facing punishment for reacting to those threats the only way I know how, given the failure of the staff to protect me."
"Miss Potter," Dumbledore responded automatically, "I can assure you, Hogwarts is the safest..."
"I've never been safe here!" Jasmine interrupted. She seemed to struggle to not shout at him. "Setting aside all of the threats to my life I've faced in all my other years, do I really need to remind you about the past couple of days alone?" Dumbledore winced at the rebuke. Normally he'd chastise a student for speaking that way to any member of staff, but he couldn't fault her for objecting to something that even he recognized now wasn't a legitimate defense. He'd been unable to protect her from the elder Mr. Malfoy, forcing her to fight to defend herself, so why should she believe that he'd do better with the younger Mr. Malfoy?
Dumbledore slumped wearily in his chair as he removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyes. Snape wasn't paying attention to this and still seemed to expect her to receive a harsh punishment — detention until she graduated, perhaps, if not longer. The other three heads of house, though, were watching both, and were pleased to see that Dumbledore was being convinced.
"I will not be a victim — not any more," Jasmine proclaimed in a strong, steady voice. "I will not allow myself to be victimized, and I will not stand by while anyone else is victimized. Not anymore. Not by Malfoy," she turned and fixed the Potions professor with a steely eye, "and not by anyone else." She turned back to the headmaster, who had not missed the message she had just sent. "That is not negotiable."
"Nor should it be," Flitwick added, getting a curious look from Dumbledore. "If we permit the victimization of students entrusted to us, then we are not doing our jobs anymore."
Dumbledore nodded in response. "Perhaps it is time we take a few steps back and reconsider current policies in light of such principles." This received looks of surprise from everyone there.
With a heavy sigh, he continued, "You have given me a lot to think about, Miss Potter, and I'm ashamed that it needed to be brought to my attention like this at all. I clearly need to give more thought to the protection of you and the other students — more than I have been giving, at any rate." He looked around at each of them before concluding, "I will need to consider things carefully before I make my decision. Because of the seriousness of the issues, I will not act in haste. I will announce my decision tomorrow at lunch."
Recognizing the dismissal, they all exited the office, leaving the headmaster to his thoughts.
Saturday, March 20, 1995, Late Night.
It was dark in the headmaster's office and had been for hours, though the moon had risen not long ago and would soon bathe the office in silvery light and long shadows. Dumbledore hadn't bothered to light the torches or candles because he felt the darkness was somehow appropriate, given the nature of the circumstances and of his thoughts. He was facing so many different problems that he wasn't sure which way to turn, and every day things got worse instead of better.
Well, maybe not so many different problems, given that the majority seemed to revolve around Jasmine Potter. Her involvement in the tournament. Her kidnapping. The return of Tom through the use of her blood. Her altercation with Mr. Malfoy. Her secret training. Her changes in personality and behavior. The influence Miss Granger had on her. The apparent uprising of the school in support of her.
Normally he had things under control, or at least well managed, but these days so much was out of control — and she seemed to be the most out-of-control of all. Not in the sense of having become wild, but unpredictable. Independent. He didn't want a puppet, but he couldn't afford a loose cannon, either. He had plans and contingencies in place that could be ruined if she wandered too far afield. Her desire to protect victims, for example, fit in nicely with what he and the wizarding world needed. Her willingness to jump to using violence? Not so much. And he wasn't sure how to get her to separate the two, preserving one while abandoning the other.
He needed her defiant in the face of adversity and darkness, but not of the greater good or of wizarding traditions. He needed her determined, but not stubborn; strong, but not ruthless; forceful, but not domineering; brave, but not reckless. In short, he needed someone who would defeat the Dark without themselves becoming dark and thus able to fill the political, social, and magical vacuum he'd leave behind when it came time for his next great adventure.
That wouldn't happen if he couldn't keep her on the right path, and it most certainly wouldn't happen if she abandoned Britain entirely because she objected to the results of how he was managing things. He had to ensure her safety. He had to dampen her apparent reliance on violence. He had to provide her with reasons to want to stay in Britain. And the first step was devising a response to her fight with Mr. Malfoy that satisfied all parties and didn't start a riot among the castle's headstrong witches.
It was times like this he was quite glad of never having gotten involved with the fairer sex. Why couldn't it have been a Boy Who Lived? he asked himself — and not for the first time, either. A Boy Who Lived would have been so much easier to mold. We could have... bonded or something.