Over the course of his extraordinarily long life, Dumbledore had mastered many different forms of magic; but even after studying a hundred different forms of magic, the one thing that Dumbledore was most proud of mastering was his ability to keep a calm façade in the face of someone shouting at him, even as his annoyance grew with every word.

First, Narcissa Malfoy had barreled through his fireplace and taken him to task for his apparent 'utter stupidity' in not informing the Ministry, the moment that Dumbledore figured out what the creature that had been attacking students was.

Then, Cornelius Fudge and two dozen Aurors had followed Narcissa through; after sending the Aurors to seal the castle and begin their search for the beast, Fudge had rounded on Dumbledore and the aged wizard had been forced to listen to another rant. Releasing a tired sigh, Dumbledore raised his eyes from his lap and gazed out at his surroundings, while Fudge continued his angry rant, unaware that Dumbledore was no longer paying the man, full attention.

Sirius and Carnage were standing next to each other, arms crossed over their respective chests as they leaned against the far wall by the door and glared at Fudge; Carnage looked as though she wanted to end the fool's life as painfully as possible, and Sirius wasn't far behind.

Narcissa was sitting in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk watching the argument with a sour look on her face; though she might not like Dumbledore's decisions as of late, she still respected the aged Headmaster, something that did not transfer to Cornelius Fudge, whom she looked at as a slimy, conniving, politician, who would do or say anything to keep his power.

As Dumbledore's eyes returned to Cornelius Fudge, Dumbledore's mask slipped for a mere second, and his lip curled in distaste for the man, something that did not go unnoticed by Sirius, who smirked at seeing Dumbledore's true thoughts regarding Fudge, even if it was only for a split-second.

Fudge was wearing his customary jade-green robes, with his bowler hat crumpled between his tight fists as he stalked back and forth in front of Dumbledore's desk. Behind him, standing a respectful distance, Alastor Moody, nicknamed 'Mad-eye' due to the magical eye that had replaced his real one, years before, stood watching the room warily, in case anyone should try something; yet even as he watched the encounter, Mad-Eye couldn't keep the sneer off of his face as he gazed at Fudge's back, showing how little respect he had for the politician.

"Hogwarts is the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore!" Fudge snarled, "That means that you should have told me the moment that the first child was attacked! Not scurry off and make some sordid deal with Goblins! You had no right to give the Basilisk's corpse to those beastly creatures!"

"I'd be very careful how you insult my people, wizard…" Carnage hissed, causing Fudge to turn to her, "Soon enough there will be an army of them here to kill Slytherin's monster, and not all of them are as patient in dealing with insults as I am."

Fudge visibly swallowed at that, his eyes turning toward Mad-Eye, and seeming to gain courage from the scarred Auror's presence.

"And YOU should remember with whom you speak, Goblin!" Fudge growled, "I am the Minister of Magic! And with but a word, I can have your bank's charter revoked! I don't give a damn what 'deal' Dumbledore made with you! That beast belongs to the Ministry, and as such, when your people arrive, I intend to send them packing!"

"Typical wizard behavior," Carnage growled, "It's no wonder why the majority of my people think wizardkind is dishonorable. You make deals in good faith and then break them with no thought of the consequences of such actions."

"That deal was made without my knowledge or approval!" Fudge snarled, his anger at the insult overriding his common sense, "Despite what others may think, I am the leader of this country, not Albus Dumbledore!"

"Granted," Carnage nodded, "But a deal was made all the same, and you would be wise to follow through with it. Unless, of course, you want another war with my people. If I recall, your kind didn't do too well in the last one, did you…? And this time, you would be without your weapon to save you."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop at those words, and Fudge visibly paled as his mind went back to his school days and the history lessons he had taken; the last war between the Goblin nation and the Magical World had been truly brutal, and by the end of it, the Magical World had been cut down by nearly half.

The only reason why the Goblins had agreed to an armistice was because of a lone witch, named Agatha Cristolf, who had created a spell that unleashed destruction beyond anything the world had ever seen before, which had wiped out sixty percent of the Goblin nation in Italy, and then threatened to use it again on the Goblins in Britain; the world would not see such a weapon again until the Muggles created the atomic bomb nearly a century later. Sadly, Agatha had become ashamed of her creation later in her life and made sure to destroy all knowledge of it, before her death; the Unspeakables had spent many decades trying to recreate it, but all to no avail.

"Things have changed since then, beast!" Fudge hissed, "We are far more powerful than our ancestors were, and if it's war you want, then it's war you'll get!"

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, slamming his hands down on his desk as he rose to his feet, his overpowering magical aura spreading throughout the room like a typhoon and making everyone gasp for breath as it made them all bow slightly from its presence. Sirius gasped from where he stood, one hand propped against the wall as he tried to remain standing against the literal weight that was trying to press him to the floor.

"I would have thought you more intelligent than this, Cornelius!" Dumbledore thundered, gazing down at the gasping Minister who was currently on his hands and knees, "While I agree that I erred in making a deal with the Goblins rather than informing the Ministry, I did so to ensure that the Basilisk was properly taken care of! That you would even think of starting a war with the Goblin nation just to soothe your bruised ego leaves me wondering if you even deserve your title of Minister, any longer! Should I put in a vote of no confidence in the Wizengamot before you start a war that no one even wants?!"

If there was any blood left in Fudge's face, it swiftly vanished in the wake of Dumbledore's threat, and he immediately tried to raise his head and speak as Dumbledore's magical aura slammed into him again, nearly sending him completely to the floor.

"Albus! That's enough!" Mad-Eye growled, leaning heavily on his wooden staff, "I understand your anger at Fudge's stupidity, but he's still the Minister! At least for the moment, anyway."

Dumbledore glared at the heaving Minister for a moment longer before releasing a weary sigh and sitting back down, the overpowering aura disappearing in an instant and leaving those in the office gasping for breath as they tried to regain control over their shaking limbs.

"You… You nearly killed me!" Fudge gasped angrily as he rose slowly to his feet, "I could have you arrested for treason, Dumbledore!"

"Yes, you could indeed…" Dumbledore sighed, clasping his hands onto the desk before him, "But then there would need to be a trial, not even you have the power to deny me that, and then the Wizengamot would learn of how the leader of our country nearly started a war with the Goblin nation due to his own arrogance. You might destroy me, Cornelius, but I would undoubtedly destroy you as well. Your victory would be an internecine one. Now, if that's the game you wish to play, then I am more than happy to proceed…"

Fudge visibly swallowed as he realized the truth of Dumbledore's words; the amount of goodwill and respect that Dumbledore had gathered throughout his decades of service, not just to England, but to the entire world as well, had made Dumbledore almost untouchable politically, something that Fudge did not share. If Fudge tried to destroy Dumbledore, the chance was very slim that Fudge would actually succeed; the reality was that it would be Fudge who would most likely lose, and if the Wizengamot were to ever learn how close Fudge how come to starting a war with the Goblins, Fudge would be shown no mercy.

A moment later, Sirius began to chuckle, which then turned into full-blown laughter, causing Fudge to turn to face the Lord of House Black, in confusion.

"Now, that's a fight I would love to watch…" Sirius laughed darkly, "So, by all means, Cornelius. Let's light this candle…"

Swallowing down his impudent anger, Fudge's eyes swiftly began to move to the others in the office, searching desperately for an ally, yet finding only disgust leveled at him in every eye.

A moment later, a loud knock echoed throughout the office, making everyone turn to the door.

"Headmaster," Professor McGonagall said softly, her eyebrow rising slightly as she took in the tension in the office, "There is a large force of Goblins standing at the gates of Hogwarts and requesting permission to enter."

"Thank you, Minerva" Dumbledore nodded, "Please direct them to the Great Hall so that I might speak with them."

"Understood, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall nodded,

"Have the students all been secured in their common rooms?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall nodded again, "All the entrances have been magically sealed to ensure that no student feels the urge to sneak out."

"Very good," Dumbledore nodded, "Then once the Goblins have been properly briefed, we can begin tearing Hogwarts apart until we find the beast's lair, and then destroy it."

As Dumbledore rose from his chair, Fudge suddenly seemed to find his voice again,

"Now, just one moment, Dumbledore! We are not finished speaking!"

"Cornelius…" Dumbledore sighed, "Allow me to speak plainly with you. I have absolutely no interest in continuing this asinine debate with you about whether or not I have the authority to do everything in my power to keep my students safe. When this battle is over and the Basilisk is dead, then you are more than welcome to try and 'rake me over the coals' as the Muggles say. But right now, I must organize both our people and the Goblins and prepare them to fight a thousand-year-old beast that very well may end up killing many of them before we manage to bring it down."

At the end of Dumbledore's speech, Fudge looked like his teeth might shatter from how hard he was gritting them; his bowler hat was now crumpled in his grip and looked like it would never be wearable again.

"The moment this is over," Fudge growled, "So are you, Dumbledore. You may think yourself untouchable, but I will show you just how wrong you are! I swear it!"

With a snarl of fury, Fudge spun on his heel and stormed past the disappointed-looking Professor McGonagall, and out of the office; with a sigh of annoyance, Mad-Eye nodded once at Dumbledore before following.

"Well, that could have gone better…" Sirius sighed, running a hand through his long hair, wearily.

"Your Minister is quite the fool," Carnage growled, "If he thinks that my people find him even the tiniest bit intimidating…"

"That might be the case," Narcissa sniffed, "But his political power is not to be underestimated. There will be far-reaching repercussions for this, for both your people and mine. I guarantee it."

"My cousin is right, Albus," Sirius sighed, "Fudge won't let this go. If I were you, I'd ready myself for whatever he has planned once this battle is over."

"Surely, the Minister is not fool enough to try and challenge the Headmaster?" Professor McGonagall sneered, "Albus has spent nearly a century in selfless service, whereas Fudge's career has been one scandal after another. He would be starting a war he cannot possibly win."

"He doesn't need to win," Narcissa replied, "He just needs to show that Dumbledore can bleed. Once he does that, the other sharks will come out and then instead of fighting one enemy, Dumbledore will have to fight dozens…"

Dumbledore sighed wearily as he recognized the truth in Narcissa's words; over the course of his many years of service, Dumbledore had made quite a few enemies, especially during the last war. If they all combined their collective might, both politically and monetarily, they could prove to be quite the inconvenience; perhaps not enough to actually destroy Dumbledore, but enough to make sure that the future would be one long headache for him that would make retirement seem like a more-than-earned reward.

"Whatever Cornelius will or won't do in the future is not our immediate concern…" Dumbledore sighed, "All that matters at the moment is the safety of Hogwarts and her students, and to do that we need to destroy Slytherin's Basilisk. Sirius, Carnage, you know what to do?"

"We do…" Sirius nodded, "While you and the others are looking for the Basilisk, the Goblin and I will be completing our own mission."

"What mission?" Narcissa demanded, "What could be more important than helping find and destroy this beast?"

"Good," Dumbledore continued, completely ignoring Narcissa's question, "Once the Basilisk is dead, I will join the two of you, if you haven't already found the item."

"Item?" Professor McGonagall asked in surprise, "What item, Albus?"

Turning toward his old friend, Albus stared for a moment, causing Sirius and Carnage to wonder just what he was about to say; Professor McGonagall could be trusted, of course, but Narcissa was another story, entirely.

Finally, after several tense moments of silence, Dumbledore spoke again,

"We believe that Voldemort was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and killed poor Myrtle with the Basilisk. Furthermore, we have discovered evidence that the Dark Lord left something at Hogwarts that awoke the beast, and it is this device that we must find and destroy if we're to have any chance of ensuring that the Basilisk does not return in the future."

"Why not just tell the Minister about it, then?" Narcissa demanded, her voice torn between horror that it was Voldemort who unleashed it the first time, and shock that he would be so stupid to leave it at Hogwarts for someone to find.

"Pfft, surely you jest, cousin?" Sirius sneered, "If Fudge were to learn of it, he would undoubtedly waste lives trying to find this thing in order to try and control the Basilisk himself. Can you even begin to imagine what would happen if Fudge had control of a Basilisk? There would be no one to stop him from making himself king."

"Indeed, Sirius speaks true," Dumbledore replied, "Such power could easily corrupt even the best of men, and Fudge is far from the best of men. Better to ensure that whatever this thing is that can control the Basilisk is destroyed rather than risk it falling into the wrong hands."

"Albus… You've yet to explain how this thing awoke the Basilisk in the first place…" Professor McGonagall said shrewdly, "If the beast has been asleep for the last fifty years, then who woke it up…?"

"I cannot say," Dumbledore replied, holding up a hand to silence both women as they began to protest, "I know this is a hard thing to ask, but you must trust me. The one who awoke the beast is not in control of themselves, I believe. That is why I have asked for Carnage's help in this matter. I believe that whatever Voldemort created to control the Basilisk is incredibly powerful and can easily corrupt those who are not equally powerful enough to resist. Whoever is responsible for this did not do so willingly, and so it is my duty as Headmaster to protect them from undue punishment."

"You think it's a student…" Narcissa guessed after a moment of silence, "A child did this…?"

Professor McGonagall's head snapped toward Dumbledore at that, and her eyes narrowed as she searched his face for any sign that Narcissa might be right.

"Albus…? Is she right? Did a student cause all of this?"

"As I said, you both must trust me," Dumbledore sighed, "If a student is, indeed, responsible, I can assure you that they were not in control of their actions. As far as the Ministry knows, Slytherin's Basilisk awoke on its own, and that will not change. Once Voldemort's device is destroyed, the situation will be resolved and the matter settled."

"And should Fudge discover your deception?" Narcissa asked softly, causing Dumbledore to turn hard eyes on her, causing her to freeze in place like prey after being caught in the gaze of a predator.

"As of right now, only the ones in this room know the truth of the attacks on Hogwarts. Should that change, the one responsible will find me most… Displeased. I will not have an innocent suffer due to no fault of their own, not while there's a breath in my body."

Narcissa visibly swallowed at that and quickly nodded, causing Dumbledore to relax as he made his way around his desk.

"Now, if you will all excuse me, I need to speak with our guests from Gringotts about where to start their search. Lady Malfoy, you are more than welcome to wait here or return home until the situation has been resolved."

"You forget yourself, Headmaster," Narcissa sneered as she rose to her feet, "I may be the Lady of House Malfoy, but I am also the youngest witch to earn her mastery in charms in the last century. I believe I may be of some assistance, and so I ask to be allowed to participate in the upcoming battle."

"Cissy… I don't think that's a good idea…" Sirius said at once, "I mean no disrespect, I know how talented you are, but this will be a fight to the death. How long has it been since you've even seen such a fight?"

"I am not some delicate flower!" Narcissa spat, "I am just as much a Black as you! I know well enough how to fight!"

"No one is saying you don't," Sirius replied, holding up his hands defensively, "I know well enough how good you are, but you're a mother, Cissy! Your kids need you! What happens if you die? Can you even imagine what Lucius will do to your children if you're not there to stop him?"

Narcissa bit her lip at that, she knew Sirius was right; Lucius had already tried to sell Rhea to the heir of House Goyle, and would have if Narcissa hadn't put her foot down and stopped it at the last minute. But if Narcissa was no longer there to hold Lucius' leash? She shuddered to think of what would become of her beloved babies; Draco was already being torn seemingly in two between trying to be like his father and trying to be better than Lucius. As for Rhea…. Her distaste for her father was well known, and the girl didn't even try and hide it anymore, something that had caused more than a few headaches for Narcissa.

"I'm not going…" Narcissa growled, causing Sirius to open his mouth to argue, only for her to cut him off before he could, "I have spoken, and you will not change my mind. Harry saved my little girl, and this beast nearly killed him. I will have blood for that offense."

Without another word, Narcissa rose to her feet and stormed out of the office, not even giving Sirius a passing glance as she did so, and slamming the door behind her.

"Damn the stubbornness of my family!" Sirius growled, "She's going to get killed!"

"Perhaps…" Dumbledore said, slowly stroking his beard, "But it is her decision. However, I will do everything in my power to ensure that does not happen, I give you my word."

Sirius nodded gratefully at that before running another tired hand through his hair,

"Well…. No point putting it off any longer, let's get to work."

"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded, "I'll buy you as much time as I can, but you must find your target quickly."

"We will," Carnage replied, "My device should take us right to it, just don't die before we destroy it."

"I will do my best," Dumbledore laughed as the group stepped out of the office.
XXXX

In Ravenclaw tower, Luna Lovegood was sitting on her bed in a meditative position; clutched in her hands was a black journal that seemed to be glowing slightly in the dark room. Slowly, her eyes began to open as she ended her meditation; yet, instead of her normal eye color, her eyes were blood-red as a cruel smile began to spread across her face.
"Time to play..." Luna whispered, her voice coming out cold and wrong as she rose from her bed and made her way out of her room.
XXXX

Author's Note:

It's time to wrap up Harry's second year, so I hope you're all ready for it. The next three chapters are going to be one long battle, and I intend to make it as incredible as I possibly can because I feel that you all deserve it for sticking with me for so long. Until next time, peace!