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Chapter 55

Augusta Longbottom did not like what she saw upon her arrival at Hogwarts, not at all. Unfortunately she did not have time to do more than observe the Slytherin's interactions, both between themselves, and with the other houses as well as the visiting schools. Her opinion further deteriorated as she watched and listened to the interaction of the Malfoy boy with those around him.

She had arrived, as far as the majority of students were concerned, to have a discussion with their headmaster as a member of the Board of Governors about the dismissal of two of their professors. In addition was the fact that one of those dismissals was Dumbledore, plus the ramifications that could still come from the accusations that had been in the morning Prophet. In part that was true, but there were other things to be learned as well.

She leaned closer to Minerva and spoke quietly. "I do not think now is the time for the announcement of my taking up the role of their head of house, or as a professor. With the calling of a special session of the Wizengamot, I think the best course of action is for that to take place this evening. Is it possible to arrange separate meals for our visiting friends? This is something that should not be done in front of others, if it can be helped."

Minerva nodded. "That is most likely for the best. I had expected Lucius Malfoy to arrive before now. I assume his son sent him an owl immediately after the announcements yesterday."

Augusta shrugged. "He has other concerns at the moment, I'm sure. He is probably already at the Ministry building trying to use Dumbledore's mess to further his own goals. I wish him the best of luck with that," she said as she chuckled.

Minerva frowned at her. "Gussy!" she hissed.

Augusta rolled her eyes at her old friend, then explained. "What? The most he's going to accomplish, even with his connections, is a fine. Yes it will be rather large, given the circumstances, but this is Dumbledore we're talking about. He has more political capital and favors owed to him than any twenty other members! Other than that, Malfoy may… and I stress 'may', be able to get a vote of no confidence called against him as the Head Warlock. It will fail in the end however… This is nothing Dumbledore won't be able to survive. He has too many people that still see him as a shining example of the 'light'."

She sighed, and continued, "He'll make it through this, a little charred but none the worse for wear… Though I do expect him to lose Supreme Mugwump, but he will still be our representative to the ICW, no one else in the Ministry even seems interested in attending those meetings… Sad really."

"You could…" Minerva began.

Augusta shook her head. "No, Minerva… I'm getting too old. I would never have agreed to this much, but that it is only until the end of the term. I just hope I have impressed on Neville how important being a part of our Wizengamot is…"

A sad look crossed the elderly woman's face. "I believe I have made many mistakes raising him… I look at him and see so much of Frank, but he is also his mother's child… He is so like her in temperament I can scarcely believe it. He would be content to spend all day in the greenhouse… don't get me wrong, he shows much promise, and will see that part of her legacy continues, but she was also a strong willed person. One that would push back if someone stood against her, it is what made her a great Auror during the war despite that not being the occupation of her choice… I have tried everything I could think of to bring that part of him out, hoping he would show the same fire and conviction, and in the end I feel I have only driven him further away."

Minerva studied her long time friend for a moment. For whatever reason, she had bared a large piece of her soul in that moment, her hopes and fears for the person she held most dear in her life, but did not seem to understand.

She placed her hand over her friend's. "Gus… He's Frank's son too… who was the only person Frank never figured out how to say no to? He loves you, and never goes against you, and he is brave, as well as compassionate, very much so. He was the one that led us to find young Ms. Granger when she was injured during her first year, the only one in Gryffindor to notice she was missing. He has guarded the younger Gryffindors every year from the Weasley twins and their pranks, even if he ended up in the line of fire instead… He will be a fine man sooner than you think."

Augusta smiled at her weakly. "I hope you are right…" Her eyes glistening with unshed tears, she shook her head. "At any rate… I must be going within the hour. Even though the verdict is almost a forgone conclusion, there are a few… discussions… I wish to have prior to the session."

"Do you really believe he will only be fined?" Minerva asked.

Augusta nodded sagely. "I do. Dumbledore is just too well connected politically. Though this will hamper him in further endeavors, and being dismissed from his position here will discolor him further."

Minerva sighed. "I just hope dismissing him was the correct thing to do."

Augusta shrugged. "It was the only thing you could do. He had already been caught doing the same thing once before, in front of the Head of the DMLE no less, even if he did offer up a 'reasonable' situation. By dismissing him, pending the outcome of the trial, you took the only course you had available, if only to protect the school. As it is Hogwarts' reputation has been tarnished by his action. Your quick decisions to release both Snape and Dumbledore will have mitigated some of the recent damage and you are taking steps toward fixing others." She gestured toward the table to her far right.

Minerva sighed in relief. "I do hope that you are right, my friend."

Augusta stood, retrieving her purse from next to her feet as she did so. "I would like to speak with Neville before I go, if you do not mind?"

"Please, be my guest." Minerva smiled as the woman made her way toward the far left of the room.

Tannim made his way to the front of the classroom, and sat on the stool. "Alright today I want to talk to you all about a few things before we get on with our normal class. As you know Albus Dumbledore has been removed from the school citing misuse of the 'mind magic' spell Legilimency also known as telepathy."

He waited a moment for them to give him their undivided attention and when he got a confused look from one of the students he explained. "Telepathy, for those who don't know, has the same effect as Legilimency only without the use of a wand or spell; it is the ability to read someone's thoughts."

Pansy nodded slowly, she had read about it of course, as well as its defense Occlumency, but it was considered one of the most difficult forms of magic to master as well as illegal to use under most conditions.

He continued, "The first thing I want to talk to you about is the morality of using such a skill." The group nodded. "Yes, Pansy?"

The girl with her hand raised asked, "Is this something you have seen before? Because from what I read it is very difficult to master, and it's rare to find any one that can do it."

Tannim shrugged. "I was going to talk about that in a minute, but we can start there as well." He stood and started writing on the board. "There are several races in Underhill, and a few groups on this side that are known to use telepathy or its sister skills, in one form or another; this includes the elves. The way they do it varies greatly. For some it is a natural skill, uncontrolled, they are often seeking training to help control the ability. For others it is hereditary but takes some training to be able to use it, and for a few it is something they can learn and master like any other discipline."

He drew a large Y on the board, on the left side of the Y he wrote Seelie Court, on the right Un-Seelie Court, in the Valley of the Y he wrote Neutrals. "What separates them is why they use those skills. Most of the people and races fall within one of these," He gestured to board. "Other than the royals, Oberon and his family. The main difference…"

"Oberon is real!" said Pansy, rather loudly.

Tannim nodded. "Yes, and he is all the stories say he is, and more… Thankfully he has a great deal of patience, and even then rarely takes notice of the affairs of mortals… or much else for that matter."

Pansy slumped in her chair, embarrassed at her outburst as well as stunned by the revelation. Tannim continued, "The Seelie will follow the accepted morality, as will the majority of neutrals. The Un-Seelie… they on the other hand have few compunctions against gathering information in such a way, but generally only use it in cases where they are protected and can do so unseen, such as in their own lands or if you have been captured and are being held for some reason."

He put the pen down. "This means that in most cases you are perfectly safe without having some form of passive mental defense, which you can learn at a later time if you feel it is something you wish to know. However, there are more ways to use a telepathic power than just to read a person's mind that you need to be aware of. It can also be used for something much like an illusion, or to heighten fear or anxiety, or even to calm a person or group. Any number of things, but as you say, it is a rare ability." He sat again. "Now what I wanted to talk to you about was the morality of using that power. When is it appropriate to use it?"

Hermione was the first to raise her hand. "If someone is injured, or poisoned, or something with a need to figure out what happened and they can't answer."

Tannim smiled. "Right, and just to save time, the most accepted reason is in instances of life or death… Now, Mr. Dumbledore has been caught misusing his ability by delving into the most private of a person's possessions, their mind. This was an inexcusable breach of the person's trust, your thoughts are yours and yours alone. I trust you keep this in mind if you decide to pursue the study of such a skill in the future, as most find it an egregious breach to do so, and in some cases it could be seen as an act of war."

He took a deep breath, then clapped his hands together. "In conjunction with this I want to show you a way to protect yourself if you suspect someone is trying to look into your mind. Now this is what is known as an active defense and it does work in most cases, so it will do until you have been trained further. An active defense means that your mind is so busy that it becomes difficult for the attacker to find information within the torrent of activity." Reaching over to the table next to him, he pushed play on the CD player. "Once you have listened to this, and committed it to memory you will be able to stop them from actively probing your mind, by keeping it so busy the only thing they can read is this! Ladies and gentlemen I give you… They Might Be Giants…"

(Now for those of you reading go listen to the They Might Be Giants: Flood, I think you will figure out the way the defense works before the third song is over.)

"Harry I'll meet you down at the shop, in ten minutes. We have a lot of work to do."

Harry groaned…

The next morning the Fairgrove group was just making their way toward the doorway out of the Great Hall after breakfast, when an unusual sight greeted them. Slytherin students walking in two lines, one line of boys, one line of girls, side by side, each person in line linked at the hand to the person in front of them, and being led by a stern looking older woman in black robes.

Pansy stumbled to a stop, as did Hermione and Luna, and stared as the group walked past, with their eyes downcast and faces red from embarrassment. The four of them followed in the wake left by the passing students, if nothing more than to see the reaction of the rest of the school as well as those of the visitors.

A stunned silence passed over the hall as the lines were led between the wall and the Gryffindor table, in front of the Staff table, finally arriving at their normal table. The severe woman motioned them to line up, boys on one side, girls on the other, where they all stood in silence. She then conjured herself a comfortable wing back chair which she placed at the end of the table and sat, finally motioning them to follow suit after she had filled her plate for breakfast.

When they finished filling their plates, the extra food disappeared and the Headmaster stood, rapping out, "Attention. Your attention please!"

She waited a moment till the focus had moved from the group of students to gather on her. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, two professors from Hogwarts have been dismissed recently, our Potions Professor, as well as our Transfiguration Professor. For both of which there are, I have no doubt, many rumors circulating."

Murmurs came from around the room. "As you will most likely read in the morning's paper, Albus Dumbledore pleaded guilty to the use of Legilimency upon an unwilling individual, and as such will not be returning to this institution."

The sound increased to the point the Headmaster was forced to use a Cannon Charm to quiet them. "Professor Snape was also dismissed at that time, due to his decision of not clearing his choice of secondary hostage for the second task, placing a visiting student at risk, his appeal being rejected by the Board of Governors yesterday as well." She knew this second announcement was not news to the Hogwarts students, as they had learned of Snape's fate the night before, but all of it was news to the other gathered schools. "To those that were placed at risk or injured by their actions, the staff of Hogwarts and I offer a sincere apology."

She paused to take a deep breath, before starting again. "Our new Potions Professor will arrive sometime this afternoon, and classes will resume as soon as he or she deems possible. As for our new Transfiguration Professor, and Slytherin Head of House, may I present Augusta Longbottom."

The severe woman stood, and bowed slightly toward the room. "I think you will find that Slytherin House will shortly be a very different House from what it was under Mr. Snape. I wish to invite you all to visit us at your leisure; our door will be open to all from 7:00am to first curfew at 8:00pm. Please feel free to drop by any time," she said, a pleasant smile gracing her face as she returned to her chair and her meal.

Eyes around the room widened, while many at the table she presided over gritted their teeth. The group standing at the door looked at each other and made their way toward the door and out of the castle as fast as their feet would take them. Each knew whatever happened next they didn't want any part of.

Pansy broke out into roars of laughter the moment they stepped outside, and ended up leaning against the castle holding her sides and gasping for air. "I bloody love it!" she finally gasped out. "The Dowager Longbottom is in charge of Slytherin! I would have never believed it! And did you see the way she had them enter the Great Hall!" She broke out in laughter again.

While the others thought it was funny, and laughed, they didn't quite understand her point of view.

As they waited for Pansy to gather herself, Luna tapped Harry on the shoulder, and pointed down toward the gate that led towards Hogsmeade. "Harry, I think we need to go…"

Harry followed her gesture, to see several people standing outside the gate, led by Lucius Malfoy. "Hmmmm… So the elder one is here… Alright, let's get to class. We don't need to waste our time by being drawn into Hogwarts' drama."

Minerva and three of the four Heads of House met the group who had been let in by Hagrid, on their way up from the front gate. "Minister, Mr. Malfoy, Madam Umbridge, what brings all of you to Hogwarts at such an early hour?"

The Minister removed his hat as he stepped inside, his aggravation evident, but it was Madam Umbridge that spoke first. "We are here to discuss your evident lack of ability to oversee Hogwarts! The fact that Albus Dumbledore has been convicted of a crime has cast a large shadow over his appointment of you as his replacement! As has your decision to remove Professor Snape from his position as Potions Instructor as well as Head of Slytherin, for nothing more than a misunderstanding!"

Minerva bristled with anger. "Madam while I respect your opinion on the matter, my decision will stand! It was presented to the Board of Governors last night and it was determined that no appeal on the matter would occur!"

The Minister cleared his throat before the woman dressed in pink could continue. "Ahem… be that as it may, you are in need of two positions at present, and Ministry has made a decision on how to proceed."

From the hallway to their right a new voice joined the conversation. "Oh? The Ministry has made the decision? Or was it actually Malfoy whispering in your ear?" Augusta Longbottom walked up to stand next to Minerva. "Hello Cornelius, Dolores, Lucius." She spat the last name out almost like a curse.

"Mad-Madam Longbottom!" The Minister stuttered. "I wasn't expecting you to be here this morning."

"Well, that much is evident, otherwise you would not have tried this ill advised attempt at interfering with the way Hogwarts is run," she said, as she glared at the man. "You know that the Ministry only has jurisdiction over O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. testing, or in the event that the Headmaster is under investigation for a class 1 crime, none of which is the case here. Granted Minerva could have contacted the Ministry if she ran into issues finding someone to fill those positions, but that has not proved to be so."

The Minister's head snapped back, stunned by the news. "The positions? They have both been filled?"

A vicious smile curled Augusta's lips. "Indeed they have, Minister." She gave a knowing look at Malfoy. "The first was filled before Snape's bags were packed, I would have thought you were made aware of that." Her eyes moved back to the smaller man. "The ICW was nice enough to help with that, as their representative was present at both incidents, and knew of several qualified instructors."

She paused for a moment, and let him absorb the idea that the information he had was incorrect. "As for the Transfiguration Professor, that position has been filled as well. Though, if she had chosen, I'm sure she could have managed to teach those classes herself if it had come to that."

Malfoy's face darkened. "And what of the Head of Slytherin?" he asked in a growl.

"That has been sorted as well, and the Professor has already taken the House firmly in hand," Minerva replied.

"And the things my son told me about in his recent letter? How does their Head of House feel about the indignities they have been forced to endure since the dismissal of Professor Snape? I trust they have voiced their displeasure?"

Augusta spoke before Minerva had the chance. "Oh, they have made their feelings abundantly clear about the situation the House has found itself in, and now the Slytherin students are being treated just as they have earned," she said smoothly, all the while keeping a pleasant smile on her face. "I am pleased that, as a parent, you are showing interest in the way Hogwarts is being run, but in the future may I suggest contacting the Headmaster directly if you have further concerns; or if necessary the Board of Governors holds an open meeting every three months and the date is posted in the Prophet each week for the month prior to the meeting. I'm certain the Minister has more important things he could be seeing to rather than concerning himself with the day to day workings of Hogwarts."

The Minister nodded in agreement. If there was one thing the man was, it was a political animal, and he knew to take the out he had been presented with. "Yes, well… I was just offering Ministry assistance in the case that it was needed, but it seems you have things well in hand, along with Madam Longbottom."

Minerva smiled politely. "Thank you for your concern, Minister. It is nice to know the Ministry was prepared to help if necessary. Now if you will excuse us we have a day of classes to finish preparing for."

The Minister nodded, and motioned to the now fuming Umbridge and Malfoy to head back out of the reception hall door just as Malfoy spoke again. "And these replacements, might I know their names? As well as the person that has taken over as Head of Slytherin?"

Minerva nodded. "The potions position will be taken over by a Mr. Ambrose. He is currently Head of Potions for the Wizarding Hospital in Brussels, the center for the ICW; he is taking a leave of absence to do so."

"As for the person taking over Transfiguration," Augusta said, deciding she wished to deliver this blow personally, "as well as Slytherin, I have consented to accept both positions." Her face never wavered from the pleasant smile she had adopted.

Malfoy blanched at the news. "B-but… you're… you're…"

Augusta's eyes twinkled with mirth. "I was a Slytherin," she said with a small chuckle, she wanted each moment of this burned into her memory… Maybe she would even show it to Neville, she thought. "Didn't you know? My maiden name was Burke. So you can trust me to treat everyone within my House with exactly the respect they deserve… as Slytherin."

With that the gathered teachers turned and made their way deeper into the castle, leaving the now defeated Malfoy just outside the outer door.