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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 236: Preparations For War
One week before the start of a new school year.
Some of the professors had already returned to Hogwarts and begun preparing everything they were going to need for their classes.
The Deputy Headmistress was currently inside the Headmaster's office, sharing some of her concerns. "Albus, how come we still don't have a professor for D.A.D.A.? Was there no one to apply for the position?"
"Mmm?… what?" Dumbledore lifted his eyes from the desk.
A frown appeared on McGonagall's face. "Did you hear anything that I said? What has gotten you so distracted?" she asked with concern.
Dumbledore tried to show a reassuring smile despite everything that was currently going through his mind. "It's nothing… I couldn't get enough sleep last night."
McGonagall was not foolish enough to believe that lie. Despite not being part of the newly formed council where Dumbledore, Pollux Black, Amelia Bones, and Fleamont Potter would discuss the state of the war, she had heard some of the things that were happening in the country.
The alliance of dark houses with Lord Voldemort, as well as the strange movements of giant tribes and violent clans of werewolves, had everyone nervous already.
One could feel the tension in the air, and after the last attack on Diagon Alley, everyone was waiting to see what happened next.
The professor was sure that Dumbledore was more involved in these matters than he showed. "You know you can trust me with anything, Albus." She could not help but feel a bit offended. "We have known each other for a long time."
Dumbledore gave her one of his grandfatherly smiles. "Yes, I know that." Had the situation been different, he would have likely asked for her help. But with James Potter doing most of the heavy lifting, this was no longer necessary.
His role was merely to gather information, and he had already played that role the best he could.
Last night, he had received concerning intel. There had been sightings of giants, trolls, and werewolves entering the island from different points.
Authorities had acted too slowly and were only able to catch a handful of suspicious men wearing black cloaks, who turned out to be teenagers from minor wizarding houses.
Regardless, he had passed this information to James and was now waiting for his response.
'Although he is taking too long to respond,' Dumbledore thought.
He then decided that he would need to speak with Amelia Bones and start preparing some defenses.
"The issue is that we don't know where they are going to attack first…" He could think of a few likely targets.
"Albus…" McGonagall shook his shoulder after getting no response for over a minute, as the man seemed to be deep in his own thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Minerva, but… could you give me a bit of time? There are a few important matters that I need to attend to."
The professor sighed when she saw the determination in his eyes. It was obvious the Headmaster was planning something and didn't want her involved. "Albus… you can t—"
"Can I leave you in charge of these school matters?" Dumbledore interrupted her. "I'm sure you can make sure everything goes smoothly even without my help."
"Erm… right." McGonagall muttered. "But what about the Defence professor? Do I need to look for someone at the last minute? Because that won't be easy."
"That won't be necessary. I already have someone in mind for that position," Dumbledore responded.
She raised an eyebrow at this. "Who? And why isn't this professor registered? We already sent the list of school supplies for the year, and we couldn't include any books for that subject so it's still empty."
"I'll deal with that… another day," Dumbledore said.
"Fine…" McGonagall was obviously displeased but agreed to let the matter rest for now. "If you need something, I will be in my office."
After saying that, the Deputy Headmistress left the office and closed the door.
Dumbledore took a short moment to collect his thoughts and stood up from his chair before turning to the fireplace.
"I thought she was never leaving…"
"What?!" Dumbledore heard a voice coming from outside and when he looked towards the large window, he spotted James Potter jumping inside his office. "James!"
"You shouldn't be so surprised," James made a complicated expression. "Seriously, improve your defenses."
"Did you receive my message?" Dumbledore asked. "You didn't respond. I was getting concerned, so I was about to contact Amelia Bones."
"The Director of the Aurors? For what?" James asked.
"What do you mean? He's coming here with an army." Dumbledore couldn't understand why James was so calm in a moment like this.
"Forget it. I told you I would take care of him. The reason for my lack of response was that I was busy finishing all the preparations." James brushed aside the old wizard's concern. "I came here for another reason… I need your help with one last detail."
"And what would that be?" Dumbledore had no clue as to what James could be needing him for.
"I need access to the castle's core," James simply said.
Dumbledore's face went pale. "What do you need that for?" There was evident worry in his tone. The core was the most crucial place in Hogwarts. It is where all the magical energies are concentrated and stored so the castle can use them. All Hogwarts defenses and functions depended on that core. If something happened to it, it would just become a normal Muggle castle, and without the Founders' original manuscript, it would be nearly impossible to repair or replace.
James wanted to roll his eyes at the lack of faith. "I'm not going to damage it. I just need to borrow its source of energy for a minute or so."
"What are you planning to do?" Dumbledore asked.
James smirked with confidence. "I am going to destroy Voldemort's last layer of defense."
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