Alarm at Hogwarts

Amelia's POV

As the Headmistress was talking to Albus, unknown alarms were going off at the Ministry. It had been so long since they had sounded that no one knew what they meant. People were running around casting spells to see what place was in trouble. They were having little luck. They were pushing and shoving as each one thought they were doing the right thing — when they were all wrong. The whole room was in chaos, and looked like some sort of Muggle comedy, with people knocking each other over, and getting tangled in a mass of limbs.

When the alarm didn't stop, Amelia stormed in the room. Upon seeing people, she thought were mature adults, having fits over something so simple it made her rub her forehead. The headache she already had was now worse by tenfold. Lifting her wand, knowing it was going to make the pain worse, she fired off some bangs. Everyone stopped at the noise and looked her way as her voice rose over the blaring of the alarm.

"What is wrong with you people?" she demanded, stomping over to a bookshelf, and taking down the directory. "Have you used magic for so long that you've forgotten what a book is?" she questioned as she thumbed through it. When she got to the right page she slammed it on a table and pointed to the correct entry. "It's right bloody here. The alarm we're hearing is for Hogwarts. Get up there, and see why it's going off," she snapped, pointing to three Aurors, who ran from their irate boss. "Stop the blasted thing," she stated loudly, pointing to a few office workers.

They moved to do just that, and soon there was quiet.

"Don't blame them, Amelia," said an older woman, who had just come into the room. "That book is only used by the Head of the Department, which is me." She made her way to her desk, gradually sat, and rested her weary bones. She had heard the alarm but was slow in responding. Perhaps, it was time to retire.

"Sheila, where have you been?" Bones asked, trying not to snarl at the woman. She knew the older woman had held this office for over eighty years, and was pushing 125, so she respected her. Why Ministry employees stayed on for so long was lost on Amelia. She had only been in office a short time, and she was already looking forward to retiring.

"I am allowed to take dinner," Sheila stated softly, yet firmly. She didn't want to say that age had caught up with her.

"You need to tell others about this book. If I hadn't happened along then who knows how long it would have taken to respond to the alarm," the head of the DMLE said much more calmly. The only reason she knew about it was that earlier in her career she studied under Sheila for a week. One day, she had gotten curious and read it. She had no idea that it was such a secret, and to this day couldn't figure out why. The stupid Department wouldn't tell her. They kept claiming it was for national security.

"Yes, perhaps you are right," the old woman sighed, waving the next in line for her position to come to the desk. The man beamed and hurried over. He had been waiting for years to learn from her. "The rest of you leave," she ordered, knowing that the knowledge would be Obliviated from them in short order. It was procedure. She would keep quiet about Amelia, like she had so many years ago. It was always good to have a backup.

"I apologize for snapping, everyone," Bones said with a heavy sigh as they all left the room at the Head's command. They grumbled as they walked past her, causing her to shake her head and leave the room. She made it back to her desk, removed her monocle, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. This blasted headache was going to be the death of her.

It had been a rough two weeks; with the trials, the fallout, and the Minister trying to get her fired. She was bloody exhausted. That and, there had been nothing on Dumbledore's case. Oh, she had lots of rumor, but little fact. The man had done too well in covering his tracks. All his past misdeeds were as if they never happened, and with the main witness to his newest crime having amnesia, well it wasn't going well.

She knew that the DADA professor from Susan's first year disappeared, but they could find no trace of the man. Lockhart had been Obliviated and was useless. Lupin's word would not hold up in court, since he was a werewolf. And nothing Dumbledore had done this year was out of his preview. The wards were the result in Voldemort's tampering, and it would take some creative wording to get the Wizengamot to see that Albus didn't try hard enough to get them back.

The ex-Headmaster's disappearance did put him in a bad light, and all his titles were suspended, pending his trial. They wouldn't pull him complete away from his offices, not on her word. No, she had to get more evidence to prove the man was criminally neglectful.

She got up, made some strong tea. Taking her cup, she sat and looked over all the evidence — again. She about making a trip to Azkaban and picking Snape's mind. The man had been in on most of the old man's plots, perhaps he could shed some light on this.

Soon enough the men came back, stating that Dumbledore had tried to get in the castle, but was denied by the wards. They said that he got away again.

Amelia just rubbed her forehead and sighed. She wondered why he hadn't used his phoenix, maybe Fawkes was realizing that Dumbledore wasn't as Light as he portrayed. Although she hoped that it wasn't so. The last thing she needed was another Dark Lord, and one as formidable as Dumbledore would be bad. It was a no-win situation.

She was damned if Fawkes stayed, because Albus would always be able to escape, and they'd all be damned if he left. Well, she'd just have to find a way to keep the phoenix out of the Ministry, and Azkaban. A problem for later, right now, she needed to get a far more solid case than she had.

After getting nowhere for hours, she got up, donned her outer-cloak, and headed home. It could all wait until tomorrow.

.....

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