Chapter 13 – Staff Meeting
The trio stuck to the shadowy corridors of the school, allowing the students left behind to filter into the Great Hall. Romana didn't need her telepathic abilities to recognise the air of defeat hovering around the youngsters. Rage began to bubble underneath the surface and her infamous War Queen of Gallifrey incarnation threatened to take over. Her last regeneration had been cold, ruthless and almost without mercy towards her enemies. She was barely any kinder towards her allies either, often coming to verbal blows with long time friend the Doctor during his Eighth incarnation.
The War Queen got along much better with the warrior he regenerated into and gleefully pointed him towards legions of Daleks, confident in the knowledge that they would soon be destroyed. Romana though didn't want to be the War Queen today though, as evil as they were the Death Eaters were still human. She had to at least give them the chance to surrender but if any of them threatened or harmed children against, she might not be able to control herself.
Lingered outside the Great Hall for a couple of minutes, Romana was soon satisfied that all the students were inside. She quickly scanned the statues outside the door and deactivated the chameleon circuit on the TARDIS. Time was of the essence and she couldn't waste precious seconds trying to find her ship. The illusion soon dissolved in the now familiar red telephone box rather than the default cylinder shape of the TARDIS, "This is starting to grow on me", she rubbed the outer shell of her craft, "no wonder the Doctor is so reluctant to fix the circuit on his TARDIS".
Out the corner of her eye she spotted Harry about to charge into the Great Hall but the Time Lady stopped him, "I'm not going to let Snape play at being Headmaster longer than I have to", the dark haired wizard spat, "you know what he did".
"Yes I do", Romana answered, "but I learned one important lesson I learned during my adventures with the Doctor".
She opened the door to the hall a fraction to allow Snape's speech to filter outside, "I have heard rumours that Harry Potter is inside the castle", the silky smooth voice of the Headmaster reached the Time Lady's ears. Just the sound of his voice chilled Romana's blood, there was something unnerving about a human who had tight control on his emotions, "I am here to confirm that these rumours are false".
The former Potions Master droned on for a minute or so, spouting the usual rhetoric about Voldemort and how he was in full control over the school. She could see the two wizards itching to charge in but she kept a tight grip on the door handle, "This thing you learned from the Doctor, how is it important right now?" Ron asked.
Romana held up a finger, still listening to Snape's speech, "Harry Potter is a coward", the Headmaster boomed, "he would not dare defy the Dark Lord and step foot in this castle".
The Time Lady smiled broadly, "He taught me how to make a dramatic entrance", and with that she pulled the doors open forcefully and almost pushed Harry into the Great Hall.
The entrance had the desired effect and almost instantly the Great Hall was stunned into silence. Every single head turned into their direction, followed soon by a quiet whisper. Romana could feel the mood in the room lift as the trio strode towards the staff table. Instead of the usual house tables the students were standing in two large groups, the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs on one side with the Ravenclaws and Slytherins on the other.
The Time Lady was confident that at least three quarters of the room were on their side. Certainly the Gryffindors were, they were practically bouncing with excitement. The Slytherins were harder to read, they had an air of someone who just had the wind knocked out of them, their once confident air deflated just by Harry's presence. On that point Romana wasn't delusional, even though Ron and her human alter ego had gone on the Horcrux hunt, it was definitely Harry who was the beacon of hope for the wizarding world.
Further down the natural aisle between the sea of students, Romana spotted a few older Slytherin students notably Draco Malfoy. These students almost looked fearful at the sight of the Time Lady to the point that Romana wondered what was written into human history about her species. There was even a few that respectfully nodded, indicating that news of her true heritage was beginning to spread.
The trio soon reached the staff table with Romana sure to keep Harry at the head of their small group. She could feel that Harry wanted to defer to her but Romana kept him in front. For better or worse he was the focal point of this, not her. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had a ghost of a smile on their lips but kept it control. Hagrid though couldn't contain his excitement at seeing the trio again. All this made Romana sad that they wouldn't get to say a proper farewell to Hermione Granger. These Professors had been her human disguises favourites but now that student was gone, overwritten by her true self.
There were two other Professors at the table that Romana didn't recognise and she quickly deduced that these were the infamous Carrow twins. The murderous and unhinged glint in their eyes certainly helped with her deduction. That just left Snape whose face was its typical neutral mask or at least it was until he laid eyes on Harry. The teen certainly didn't help matters with the broad smirk on his face, "My ears are burning Headmaster", he spat that word in disgust, "were you talking about me?"
"Arrogant to the last Potter", Snape sneered in return, "just like your father". Romana waited for the emotional outburst from Harry but to the teen's credit, he kept control of his simmering temper, "Nothing to say for yourself?" Snape added.
"How dare you", Harry began with a hushed tone, "how dare you stand where he stood and lecture these students". For a brief moment Snape looked like he had been slapped but quickly regained emotional control, "Tell them what you did" Harry continued, his voice beginning to crescendo, "tell everyone how you murdered Albus Dumbledore".
Suddenly Romana was alert and ready to fight, Harry had just thrown a match onto a highly volatile situation. Angry jeers came from the side of the room with the Gryffindors whilst the Slytherin section looked ready to jump in defence of their former head of house. McGonagall and Flitwick had their wands ready but were beaten to the punch by the Carrows. This was exactly what she was trying to prevent, rash action fuelled by primitive human emotion. She was ready to step in but Harry beat her to it, firing a blasting spell into the air, "Stop, this isn't what Professor Dumbledore would've wanted", he cried.
"Nothing but Dumbledore's pet", a jeer came from the Slytherin section, the shrill voice sounded suspiciously like Pansy Parkinson, "I say we hand him over to the Dark Lord, he'll reward us handsomely".
Another wave of anger and verbal curses, fortunately not magical ones, flashed across the Great Hall. Romana finally had enough and edged closer to Snape, "Tell me Professor does this scene make you happy?" she began with a dangerous whisper, "your school is degenerating into anarchy yet you appear to be doing nothing to stop it".
"Let me Severus", the female Carrow twin piped up with glee in her voice, "I'll teach these little bastards some proper respect".
Romana was very close to pulling out her sonic blaster but it appeared that Professor McGonagall had the same idea. With a furious look that the no one gather had ever seen before, she quickly cursed the female Carrow, sending her smashing into the staff table. Her twin immediately jumped to her defence, only to run into the diminutive Professor Flitwick. A brief but furious duel erupted but the former duelling champion and head of Ravenclaw quickly overpowered Amycus Carrow. The male twin fell to the ground wrapped in heavy iron chains and for good measure, stunned into unconsciousness.
The display of power soon silenced the Great Hall and even Romana was impressed. She had encountered some skilled warriors over the centuries and the two Professors could count themselves amongst that number, "There will be no more death here Severus", McGonagall began in her Scottish brogue, "tell that to your master".
Snape had his wand ready but looked reluctant to unleash any curses. The numbers were certainly against him, McGonagall and Flitwick's quick defeat of the Carrow's had galvanised the student body. Romana was certain that anyone not wearing green and silver would be willing to take their shot at the Headmaster.
Instead of unleashing a spell Romana suddenly felt Snape try to enter her mind. His efforts were swiftly and painful rebutted, the complex nature of her alien biology proving too difficult to breach with Snape's human mind. As he clutched his head in pain, a murmuring began to build around the Hall, "You just had to know if it was true didn't you?" Romana snorted derisively, "tell me Professor what did you see?"
The Time Lady almost rejoiced at the fearful look on Snape's face, he now knew the truth and if he had any sense he would run. Romana wasn't too surprised when the Headmaster pointed his wand in her direction. There must be something about the human psyche that caused it to lash out violently against the unknown. If she ever got around to finishing the thesis she started nearly three hundred years ago, she would definitely explore this further.
Very quickly Harry and Ron stood defensively in front of the Time Lady, swiftly followed by McGonagall and Flitwick. Face with overwhelming odds Snape began to back away but Romana had some parting words, "I used to be very merciful but your master is trying my patience", she said coldly. "Tell him this Severus because this is his final warning. If he or any or his followers take aggressive action against the school or its students, he must be prepared to face the consequences".
Romana wasn't sure but she was almost certain there was a stiff nod from the Professor. Before she could question it further the Headmaster turned into a cloud of black smoke, flying through the stained glass window behind the staff table. Instantly three quarters of the room burst out into cheers and applause. The Time Lady used the happier mood to refocus her mind, pushing her darker thoughts away, "You three shouldn't have come here", McGonagall finally address the trio, "but it's good to see you", she added with a broad smile.
"Good to see you too Professor", Harry replied, "he's coming here, tonight", he added with urgency. The mere mention of the Dark Lord soon brought the fate back into the room, "We need to clear as many people out as possible".
The Deputy Headmistress nodded and addressed the gathered student body, "All students return to your common rooms where your prefects help you floo to safety. They are aware of the safe location for student transportation". She then turned towards the current Potions Master, "Professor Slughorn, please ensure that Slytherin House is safely secured in their common room".
Another loud cheer erupted as the Slytherins were escorted from the Great Hall. Not for the first time today, Romana wondered how things had gotten so bad that a quarter of students were instantly distrusted because of the house they were sorted into. "Alright Potter what do you need from us?" McGonagall asked the dark haired teen.
"Time Professor", Harry began, "we have a plan but we'll need time to put everything into place-"
"And we'll need the Great Hall cleared", Romana interrupted the wizard, "not just cleared of people but tables, benches, fittings and basically anything that isn't nailed down". McGonagall looked confused by the request but quickly granted their request and began to prepare the defence of the school.
With the Hall beginning to empty of people, Romana led the two wizards towards the entrance where her TARDIS was parked, "When I said we have a plan", Harry began, "we do have a plan right?"
"Of course we do", Romana replied, "if by we you mean me, naturally".
"What about the Horcrux in the Room of Requirement?" Ron asked, "shouldn't we get in there and destroy it?"
Romana thought about this, for her plan to work it wouldn't be essential to destroy the Horcrux. Having said that it would have to be disposed of sooner or later and sending the wizards after the item would keep them from getting bored whilst she set her plan into motion. "Fine I'll leave you two in charge of that", she began, "the Sword of Gryffindor is still in the TARDIS. You can let me unload some of my equipment before setting off".
The Time Lady unlocked the TARDIS to allow the teens entrance and after taking a quick look around to make sure they weren't being watched, followed inside after them. Romana didn't look closely enough, if she had then she would've seen a curious Ginny Weasley watch the trio disappear into the cramped looking telephone box.