"Headmaster, are you seriously allowing Miss Schwarzwald to remain in the castle as a student?"
Armando Dippet took his cup of tea, which happened to have a bit of scotch in it, and took a comforting sip. Today wasn't going to be a good staff meeting, he could tell. "And what exactly would I be penalizing Miss von Schwarzwald for, Albus?" Dumbledore gestured with his hands. "She attacked a student in the Great Hall!" Sitting a few chairs away, Professor Greengrass looked over at Dumbledore. "Really? From what I could see, she acted accordingly, especially if her accusation was correct." Dumbledore turned to her. "Exactly! It was nothing more than an accusation!" Teresa bristled. "I can assure you, Albus, that her accusation was genuine. I spent the morning repairing the damage to her lungs myself." Armando lowered his cup of tea. "I have also been contacted by the DMLE. They will be interviewing both students but are likely to consider the matter settled. The Blood Feud between the two families is registered with them and the ICW, so any unilateral actions by one of the families can justify retaliation from the other. The fact neither of them died is considered quite the relief."
Dumbledore shook his head. "That doesn't excuse her. Miss Schwarzwald attacked her opponent using some seriously dark magic, magic that our Wizengamot is considering to identify as deserving of a prison sentence. That she as a fifteen year old can cast it successfully speaks to how dangerous she is. If she is allowed to continue as a student, more children will wish to learn how to use that magic for themselves!" Theseus sighed. "On the one hand, Albus has a point. There will be a lot of interest in the students concerning the spells used by the two students for the duel. On the other hand, the duel lifted all spell restrictions and was governed by the magics of the Rings that govern the Heads and Heirs of the Magical Families of old. Both acted in accordance with the rules, regardless of what we personally believe regarding their spell choices." Albus turned to Theseus. "I am not surprised that you would defend her. You have had that girl working on the Thestral stables. Who knows how many people she has killed to be able to see them. She is very likely to be a serial killer and you would have her remain within our Castle." Horace Slughorn slapped his hand down. "Now that is uncalled for! Since she has arrived at the Castle, von Schwarzwald has been a model student, one that has been dedicated to caring for her housemates and the younger children!"
Melia Greengrass spoke up. "I concur with Professor Slughorn. In the months that she has been here, Miss von Schwarzwald has displayed a kind and respectful demeanor, showing care for the younger years and some of my more isolated students. That she is knowledgeable in the Dark Arts is no surprise to anyone familiar with her family name. Yet, she has only ever demonstrated it during that duel, which is exactly where the Dark Arts belong." Merrythought nodded. "Agreed. While her papers demonstrate a superior knowledge of the Dark Arts and Dark Creatures, she has never been overly interested in demonstrating or utilizing them in class. She respects the fact that the Dark Arts aren't for every student in the classroom, but refuses to let her fellow students be ignorant of how narrow their understanding of the subject is by sticking to a limited discussion on the dangerous prevalent in the world." Armando stroked his short beard. "I can understand your frustration to a degree, Albus, but the Charter is quite clear. Punishing a student for actions that are allowed by the Charter itself is prohibited. They engaged in a lawful duel within the bounds of the Charter." Albus shook his head. "She is fifteen! She should not be wearing a Head of House Ring in Hogwarts at all!"
Elphias sighed. "True, but she is a refugee here, not a citizen. The laws that govern her Family Magic and the rings associated with it are not ours. That she is worthy of wearing the ring at all demonstrates that she is, as far as the magic of her family can judge, the rightful Lady of the House of von Schwarzwald. That is nog something anyone here or in the Wizengamot can deny. To do so would set a very dangerous precedent." Armando nodded and turned to Dumbledore. "I believe we can, as the Staff of Hogwarts, request that neither of the two students engage in any further duels or acts of violence towards each other, but that beyond a verbal warning, we are to leave the matter be. Any irregularities will be sorted out by the DMLE in their follow up investigation. For now, how about we move on to the real point of the meeting? Theseus. You mentioned that the creatures brought to the Castle for the OWLs and NEWTs needed a longer period of time to settle down. Have they reached a point where it's safe for the students to interact with them?" Armando did his best to listen and comment on the preparations of his professors for the upcoming evaluations, all the while keeping a close eye on Albus Dumbledore.
While Armando held no love for the Dark Arts, he understood the need to know and study them. There were many foul and dangerous creatures in the world, ones even born as human beings, capable of maintaining an air of civility and even sincerity in their public interactions. These beings only revealed their true nature in the peak of fear or in the most private of locations. The fight between the two students revealed that such a student resided here, and it wasn't the young witch. Rosier did his best to conceal his nature but, as the fight dragged on and he was forced to bring his full strength to bear, Armando was able to see a growing manic smile on the boy's face. His use of fire curses did well in cornering his opponent and he relished in her pain. Lilith von Schwarzwald, in contrast, used Darks Arts from the very start, but her face never lost itself in the moment. The spells she used were nothing more than a tool for combat against a dangerous foe. She could have easily taken the boy's life and chose to spare him, though Armando was certain she gained something else from the duel. Still, her nature showed a far better understanding of the Dark Arts, something that Albus couldn't see, than what many adults possessed. He hoped that his Transfiguration Professor learned to see past the surface danger of the Dark Arts and would come to understand the nature of it that lay hidden, before it was too late.