The following is a deleted scene of the last chapter.
I wanted to add a bit of humour...but decided to change it in the end as it seemed a bit...too much.
Two days later, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmasters office.
Albus Dumbledore was in his office, sitting on his favourite chair, enjoying one of those rare moments when he could take a brief break all to himself away from his work.
He was reading a muggle manga he had confiscated from a sixth-year student and was giggling at a lewd scene.
"Oh Gellart, you naughty little thing," he said with another giggle as he read a scene of questionable content. One hand was underneath the table, while the other was wiping away a small nosebleed with a handkerchief.
He was so immersed in the manga that he didn't notice someone had given the password to the gargoyle that guarded the stairway to his office until they were already at the door. A second later, the door opened and Minerva McGonagall, his deputy head, stepped into the room.
Caught red-handed in a compromising situation, Albus Dumbledore did the first thing that came to his mind. In a move that would have made western duelists weep with envy, he quickly removed his hand from underneath the table, straightened himself up and tossed the manga out of the open window before she could see him.
"Minerva!" he blurted out in a high-pitched squeak before he could regain his composure. He then coughed to disguise the change in tone and acted as if nothing had happened. "I didn't see you there," he said calmly.
"Is this a bad time? I can come back later," she asked him as she noticed the bloodstained handkerchief on his desk.
His eyes followed her gaze and he hastily pushed it into a drawer.
"No, it's just a nosebleed, nothing to worry about. No...nothing to worry about at all," he answered, cursing the slight blush on his face.
"Hmm, I see," Minerva said, giving him a gimlet-eyed stare that suggested she didn't believe him but wasn't going to comment on it further.
"Yes, well, what can I do for you?" he asked her, desperate to change the subject.
"Your mail for today," she said, handing him the mail. "And the new order of lemon drops you asked me to collect from Hogsmeade for you," she added, handing him a small bag of candy.
"Ah, thank you, Minerva. Much appreciated. I was running out of them," he said, taking the bag eagerly. He quickly switched his right hand for his left when he noticed a certain white stain on the inside of his right.
"No problem. I was in Hogsmeade anyway." She paused and then asked, "Any news of finding Aryanna?"
"No, unfortunately not," he answered with a sigh. "But I won't give up."
"I should hope not. If you had listened to me back then, we wouldn't be having this problem," she said, reminding him that she had been the one to warn him that her relatives were the worst sort of people to raise a magical child eight years ago.
He simply nodded. What could he say? She was right. "Yes, Minerva, I know," he said as he started to open his mail. He had succeeded in discreetly cleaning his hand while his back was turned to her on his way back to his desk.
"Have you chosen her new guardians yet? For when you find her?" she asked. It wasn't a question of if but when they would find her. She wouldn't accept anything else.
"I was thinking of the Weasleys if they will have her," he answered. I have already contacted them and they said yes. The Weasleys were a light-sided family with seven children, six son's and one daughter who had always wanted another daughter. They would protect her and treat her like one of their own. He was sure of it. They were also fanatically loyal to him which was a bonus. 'Yes, they would do nicely,' he thought, as he inserted a new lemon drop into his mouth and sighed contentedly.
"Have you heard of any issues with the students? Are your Gryffindors getting along with the Slytherins?" he inquired, changing the subject as he skimmed through his new mail. The first item was an invitation to a Ministry ball. He wasn't really interested in it, but as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he would have to attend. Ah, the joys of politics.
"Shouldn't it be the other way around? But no, all seems quiet for now. However, I suspect the new Weasley twins are plotting something. I have no proof yet," she replied, furrowing her brow. The old parchment they carried with them left her feeling uneasy - a sensation she hadn't experienced since the Marauders' departure.
"Ah well… children will be children. I'm sure they will be fine. All we can do is keep our eyes and ears open," Dumbledore said, a knowing smile on his face, as he opened the next letter.
"Hmm… right, if you say so," she replied.
"Anything else, Minerva?" he asked.
"No, that's all," she answered.
"In that case, thank you again for the mail and the lemon drops. You may go.