Hogwarts Without Albus
No one noticed that Dumbledore had been gone for a day when at lunchtime Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall in travel clothes. She looked rather annoyed.
"Where does Albus have to go in such a hurry, or did he leave already?" She asked the inhabitants of the lunch table and was met with blank faces.
"What do you mean, Minerva? He's leaving or has left? I don't think he informed anyone yet," Filius said with a frown. "What about the wards? Who did he transfer them to if he left already?"
"How should I know?" Professor McGonagall said rather waspishly.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron exchanged excited glances. This was such a great holiday! So many interesting things were happening!
"He wrote yesterday that he urgently had to leave Hogwarts and for me to take up the reins for the time being. I'm sure he's still in his office waiting to hand the wards over to me."
With that, the annoyed woman marched out of the Great Hall to find the misbehaving Headmaster.
"If it was so urgent, why did she only come today?" Ron asked.
"That's a good question, Mr Weasley. Hopefully, Professor Dumbledore did exasperate the urgency a little bit and all is well," Professor Sprout said kindly and then asked the other teachers, "When was the last time you saw Albus?"
Most said they had seen the man at lunch yesterday, and Professor Snape added, "I saw him in his office yesterday afternoon after I returned from the Ministry. I gave him the good news that the object that had been responsible for the petrifications had been found and was safely in the hands of the Unspeakables. And no, he gave no indication that he had to leave in a hurry. He looked thoughtful and serene."
The students had a hard time staying quiet about the news, so nonchalantly shared, but they wanted to keep hearing the teachers talking, too. They managed.
"It's a mystery. So, he might've left yesterday, after writing to Minerva or he might still be here. Well, we'll find out soon. I'm just wondering what happened with the wards, should he have left already," Professor Flitwick said.
"Professor? Do you have any idea what might happen if the Headmaster didn't transfer the wards?" Hermione asked.
"I do have ideas, but as I said, I'm wondering that as well. What I know for certain is the very old rule that either the Headteacher or their Deputy has to be at Hogwarts to hold them. I think the wards would return to their first setting, which the Founders of Hogwarts implemented so long ago. So, they would be a bit outdated. But do not fear, Miss Granger, Hogwarts is safe either way."
"Oh, that's interesting! I'm sure I read about it in Hogwarts A History. But I left the book at home because it didn't fit into my trunk anymore."
"I'm certain you'll find a copy in the library, Miss Granger," Professor Flitwick said kindly.
"If any of your Ravenclaws returned one to it, certainly," Hermione scowled.
"What do you mean?" Flitwick asked, frowning.
"Every single copy has been checked out by members of your house after the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Professor."
"Oh, dear. It seems we need to tie one copy to the library so not all copies can be checked out."
"Sorry to say, Professor, but that would need to be done for a lot of books. It has become quite common that the Ravenclaws check out anything relevant for essays members of our house have to write as well," Percy said quietly.
"Is that so?" Professor Flitwick frowned. "Why haven't you said something?" The Charms Master asked the Gryffindors in astonishment. He also observed the two lone seventh-year Ravenclaws, who were looking very innocently down at their food. Flitwick narrowed his eyes at the sight of them.
"We did bring the issue to Professor McGonagall in her capacity as the Deputy Headmistress a few times. She always said she would take care of it. But nothing ever changed," Percy explained.
Flitwick shook himself and answered, "Well, that cannot stand. No wonder the essays of Gryffindors are always filled with unrelated and irrelevant topics. I wonder how your Slytherins manage, Severus?"
"Oh, we've collected quite the library down in the dungeons. That problem doesn't seem to be new. And my guess is, they wouldn't dare with Hufflepuff."
Professor Flitwick frowned, "But we've our own library as well. It doesn't make sense that they check out everything relevant. I just hope they don't do it to sabotage another house!"
Hermione's Hair puffed up in indignation, "That would be terrible, Professor!"
("And very Slytherin. Commendable," Professor Snape could be heard muttering, much to the two Ravenclaw's dismay.)
"It would indeed, Miss Granger. Be assured, I'll investigate it and set it right. And it makes sense to keep one copy of the books we've more than one of in the library. I'll discuss it with Irma when she has returned from her well-earned holiday," Flitwick said.
Thank you, Professor," Percy said, and Hermione nodded emphatically.
The side door to the staff room banged open and a, now very angry-looking, Transfiguration Professor walked out. "He isn't in the castle! He left already! When?"
"Well, he was last seen yesterday afternoon," Professor Sprout said. "So, it was between then and now."
"But that was more than twelve hours ago! The wards don't hold any longer than that without one of us being in the castle!"
"Well, did you try taking them up?" Severus asked the obvious.
"Not yet," Professor McGonagall's neck reddened a little and she closed her eyes.
Everyone was waiting with bated breath.
Professor McGonagall's eyes flew open, and she said wanly "I cannot reach them." She sat down heavily on an empty chair.
"What do we do now?" Hermione asked, looking worried.
"Now, Miss Granger, we look into Hogwarts Book of Rules," Professor Flitwick said and got up.
"Where is it?" Hermione asked.
"In the Headmaster's Office. Please excuse us, students," he answered, and he and all the present teachers got up and left the Hall.
The students stayed sitting in front of their half-eaten lunches and were wondering what they were supposed to do now. But as they were sure the adults would fix it; they shrugged and went on eating.
The teachers found that in the case of both the headteacher and deputy headteacher leaving the castle for more than twelve hours, the wards reset themselves, and all the current Heads of Houses had to unanimously agree on who should take the office then. They could also appoint an interim headteacher until the topic had been resolved.
McGonagall obviously (to some) expected them to ask her to take the mantle for the time being, but Sprout said, "Severus, would you mind taking the job until Albus returns?"
Severus looked slightly startled and seemed to think about it. He then shook his head and said, "Thank you, Pomona, but I have to decline. I don't want to give up my Head of House duties, I'm the provider of potions for the Hospital Wing as well and we could not find a replacement quickly, nor could we find a Potions teacher on such short notice. Why don't you or Filius take on the interim job?"
The two looked at one another thoughtfully and Sprout said, "I'd rather not. You, Filius?"
Flitwick nodded. "Yes, I can do it until Albus returns. It probably will be soon anyway. And I always wanted to have a look at the wards," he said grinning.
"Very good, so we are all in agreement?" Sprout asked and the other two Heads of Houses nodded. McGonagall rather reluctantly, but she did agree.
The wards settled on Flitwick's small shoulders unceremoniously. He blinked and then looked thoughtful. "It'll take me a while to study them, to look up what has been done with them in the past and adjust them accordingly."
McGonagall huffed again and said, "Just wait till Albus comes back. He'll set them to rights. He wouldn't want anyone messing up his domain."
Flitwick looked a little taken aback and then said mildly, "I won't 'mess them up' and I'll document anything I'm doing, so a reversal is always possible. Do we appoint an interim deputy as well?"
"Will you need to leave for longer than twelve hours in the near future?" Severus asked.
"Not that I know of. And Minerva is right. Albus might return any minute."
"So, I'm not the deputy anymore?" McGonagall pursed her lips.
"You can be if you want," Flitwick offered.
"No thank you. Let us wait for Albus," she sniffed. "I wish you luck with the mountains of correspondence," McGonagall snapped and walked out of the office, throwing a parting sentence over her shoulder, "I'll be back when term starts again."
They all stared at the closing office door.
"What just happened?" Sprout asked dumbfounded and looked at all the other teachers that had come up with them to look up the rules. She was met with equal bafflement.
"Maybe she was angry you didn't ask her to take up the mantle?" Vector guessed.
"Oh, that's possible. I didn't ask her because she's always complaining about her workload," Sprout exclaimed. "I'll write to her later to clear that up."
Flitwick, who was eying the aforementioned mountain of correspondence that was now plainly visible to all, nodded, and said, "No wonder, Albus asks her to do much of his job."
He then waved his wand and the letters started sorting themselves into one big and one smaller pile.
"Well, could I ask all of you to help me get a hold of the school-related correspondence? I sorted out all of Albus's personal letters, for him to look at when he returns."
The others nodded and Vector said, "If we tackle this together, we should make quite a dent in a couple of hours. Let's move to the staff room, why don't we?"
"Good idea."
Soon, the letters were packed into conjured baskets and the teachers moved to the staff room, with the full baskets floating serenely over their heads.
At dinnertime, the curious students only found Hagrid, who missed lunch that day and therefore was as clueless as they were, at the table.
When asked, the huge man said he would go and find out, and went to the side door, opened it, and stuck his head in.
The students couldn't understand what was talked about, but when Hagrid returned, he told them, "They're sorting letters. Huge piles of them. And answering them, too. And Filius is headmaster until Professor Dumbledore comes back."
"Where did all the letters come from?" Hermione asked.
"Headmaster Dumbledore wasn't very good at reading and answering his letters, they said. So, they're helping him. It was just the letters to the school."
"Oh, so the letters my parents wrote him might never even have been read?" Hermione said, astonished. "I thought he was Albus Dumbledore!"
"He is," Harry said drolly.
Hermione giggled, "Yes! I meant…"
"We know," Ron reassured her grinning. "I'm surprised too."
"Me too," Harry piped up.