Chapter 19

When all three cleared the end of the table, and Professor McGonagall joined them, she said, "I believe the Headmaster only wanted to speak with you, Mister Potter."

"I'm sure it's an error on his part, Professor," said Harry. "After all, it's not difficult to know he wants to talk to us about the bonds."

With a gesture towards the doors and a smile, he said, "Shall we?"

The Professor only frowned and didn't respond. Instead she turned and led the way towards that year's entrance to the Headmaster's office. This year it was on the third floor.

As they approached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the stairs to the Headmaster's office, Professor McGonagall firmly said to it, "Gummy Bears."

The gargoyle nimbly leapt aside and the stairs began to rotate upwards.

Still following the Professor, Harry gestured to the stairs for the girls to precede him upwards.

Coming out on the landing in the tower, Professor McGonagall had already opened the door and led them in.

"Ah!" said Dumbledore, from behind his desk. "Thank you for escorting young Harry to see me, Minerva. You may go."

Professor Snape was perched on his stool and lurking in the corner. Harry could see Dumbledore's familiar, Fawkes, the phoenix, sitting on his perch next to a low bookcase. The Sorting Hat sat on a nearby shelf.

"Thank you, Headmaster," replied Professor McGonagall. "However, Mister Potter has requested my presence."

At first a little surprised, Dumbledore said, "I'm sure that won't be necessary. You may go."

Harry, having heard enough, stepped past and said, "Nevertheless, Headmaster; I asked for her presence... as is my right to any meeting with you."

"Arrogant, Potter!" snarled Professor Snape. "Just like your father!"

"I wouldn't know, Professor," Harry calmly responded. "After all, someone betrayed my parents and got them killed, when I was but a toddler. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Snape surged to his feet; but, before he could retaliate, Dumbledore raised his hand and said, "Now, Severus! That was uncalled for. Please curb your outbursts towards young Harry."

"It definitely was uncalled for," huffed Professor McGonagall, quite scandalised. "Professor Snape, another outburst of the likes of that from you and I'll be placing you on probation!"

"Now, Minerva," tried Dumbledore, before Professor McGonagall cut him off.

"Don't 'now, Minerva' me, Albus," she snapped back. "Professor Snape will rein in his behaviour or find himself facing the School Board on a staff disciplinary hearing!"

Dumbledore sighed, turned to Professor Snape and said, "Severus, you will cease your ire towards young Harry. He is not his father."

Snape only sneered in response, but kept his mouth shut as he retook his seat.

With barely a hesitation Dumbledore turned back to Professor McGonagall and said, "Of course, as young Harry has specifically requested you for this meeting, you may remain."

Harry just snorted and shook his head in exasperation. It didn't pass unnoticed by anyone. Even Dumbledore frowned.

"Take a seat, please, Harry," said Dumbledore, indicating the single chair before his desk.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster; but, that would be quite rude of me to do so," Harry calmly replied. "After all, there are three ladies here, who should be seated before me."

"Of course, my boy," said Dumbledore. With a quick gesture of his wand, three identical chairs appeared alongside the first.

Harry guided both Hermione and Daphne into chairs, and waited for Professor McGonagall to sit, before he sat between the two girls. Daphne sat on his left, and Hermione sat on his right. He then looked at the Headmaster with a mien of curiosity.

Clearing his throat, Dumbledore adjusted his robes and his seat and said, "Now, Harry; I'd like to hear how this... bond... formed between you and these two lovely ladies."

"No, Headmaster," said Daphne. "That's a private matter between the three of us. It is not your concern."

Dumbledore's eyes lost that little twinkle of his for a bare few moments. He didn't even acknowledge what Daphne had said.

"Harry?" he asked.

"Headmaster?" asked Harry right back.

"I'd like to hear about how the bond came to be," said Dumbledore.

"I said no, Headmaster," Daphne snapped back. She then glanced at Harry and said, "You are not to tell him. It is a major breach of our privacy for him to even visit the topic."

"I wasn't going to, Daphne," Harry replied with a smile. "I happen to firmly agree with you."

Turning back to Dumbledore, Harry said, "Move on, please, Headmaster. As you've been firmly told, that particular topic is off the table."

Harry 'felt' the compulsion charm hit him and an immediate attempt at Legilimency. What Dumbledore didn't know was that the three were immune to the effects of compulsion charms. And Harry was already prepared for the Legilimency attack.

As soon as Dumbledore tried it, Harry was there, in his mind, before it. He grabbed the probe and absolutely shredded it, sending a powerful backlash back at the old man down the link.

Dumbledore snapped his head back and screamed as his hands came up from under his desk to grab either side of his head. His wand, which was in his right hand at the time, went flying. Using a bit of covert wandless casting, Harry summoned the wand to his hand as it sailed through the air, and surreptitiously pocketed it as he surged to his feet and drew his own wand forth.

"You bastard!" Harry screamed at the Headmaster, pointing his own wand right at Dumbledore.

The outburst was wasted, however, as Dumbledore began to slip sideways out of his chair and slump to the floor behind his desk, clearly unconscious.

Very quickly realising the old man was out of it, Harry immediately swivelled to point his wand at Professor Snape, who had also surged to his feet and drawn his wand. With Harry beating Snape to the draw, so to speak, the Professor froze in place, glaring back at Harry down the length of Harry's wand, with the softly glowing tip.

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