Chapter - 28 : Secrets Unveiled part - 3

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Albus glanced down at his now unwanted lunch and reckoned losing weight was the least of his troubles. Minerva's news had once more robbed him of his appetite. "Are you certain Barchoke was serious about removing Harry from Hogwarts? Filius said the boy was sent here to mingle with his peers."

His deputy attempted to get across the seriousness of the situation. "When Barchoke heard about yesterday, he appeared ready to behead Filius in the entrance hall. Barchoke may have sent Harry here to mingle with his peers, having his son forced to kill a troll to save his friends was never part of the deal."

The headmaster was a shrewd enough negotiator to know that going into any meeting where the other party held all the cards was not conducive to getting the result you wanted. Albus couldn't think of one single thing he had to bargain with. There was more than that disturbing him though, Harry had terrified him yesterday. "I just can't get past the image of that young boy casually wiping the blood off his sword, using the vest of the troll he'd just killed. He's certainly not what I expected."

Pomona just had to comment on that. "The first year timetable sees me teaching Harry more than anyone else, a miniature James Potter he's not. The lad is polite, courteous and shows no sign of the arrogance that plagued his father at the same age. He is also physically taller and certainly broader than the skinny boy an eleven year old James was. He's already attracting the attention of witches a few years older than him."

Minerva had to chip in her two knuts worth into the pot too. "I saw the pair greet one another before heading off to lunch, Don't doubt for a second that there is not a very close father / son relationship present between Harry and Barchoke. I'm starting to think that Dursley did the right thing by taking the child to Gringotts."

This drew some looks of disbelief from her colleagues, Minerva though was not for changing her opinion. "I watched those muggles for a full day and protested against Harry being left there in the first place. The fact that they gave the child away proves I was right. It would seem to be pure luck that Harry appears to have been raised in a nourishing environment."

An upset potions professor put his knife and fork down. "You seem determined to deny me the same nourishment. All this talk about that brat is ruining my appetite again." Severus' sarcasm valve was stuck on fully open, he was not having a good Friday. "I intend to complain to the board of governors about the alternative potions class that took place this morning..."

He wasn't given time to properly get into his rant as Minerva cut him off with a question. "On what grounds do you intend to complain?"

Severus was staring at the deputy as if she had just asked the stupidest question he'd ever heard. "Are you serious Minerva? Potions being taught inside Hogwarts by a goblin, the board will never allow that. It's degrading to the rest of the staff..."

Again Minerva jumped all over him. "I am reliably informed that Master Pitslay is the premier potions master of the goblin nation. After observing him teach a class this morning, I am confident the students he teaches will be at the very least on par with the best that your class produces." From the pained expression on his face, you could be forgiven for thinking Severus had a fish bone lodged in his throat. His mouth was open and moving but no decipherable sound was coming out. "You also need to take into account that Augusta Longbottom is a very influential member of that board, and her grandson is one of Pitslay's students. Did I mention Hogwarts latest tutor hopes to be finished the first year curriculum before Christmas?"

To Severus, here was proof that this goblin had no idea what he was taking on. "Good luck with that! Weasley just managed to melt the first cauldron of the year, I fear it won't be his last as following simple instructions appears beyond him. The only reason he's not spending the evening in detention with me is because he apparently has a prior detention with you."

Since Severus decided to bring up one of her cubs at lunch, Minerva thought some retaliation should be on the menu. The Head of Gryffindor knew just how to tweak his large nose some more. "Mr Crow has obviously been having private potions tuition for a while now, Pitslay has him brewing the wit-sharpening potion next week. If I'm not mistaken, that's usually done near the end of fourth year?"

That was all it took to see the potion master's napkin hit the table, the very thought of James Potter's offspring as a potions protégé was enough to see Severus heading back to his dungeon. Dumbledore was only partially paying attention to what was happening between three of his heads of house, most of the headmaster's attention was still on what to do at the meeting after lunch. This had the potential to be bad, Harry - whatever he wanted to call himself - leaving Hogwarts would be a disaster.

Filius led the father and son to the headmaster's office and handled all the introductions. Barchoke sat with Harry beside him, waiting to see what happened here. Dumbledore had requested this meeting, before the troll incident took place, so the first move was his.

Albus was left really with only one choice. When your opponent held the stronger hand, your options were either bluff or fold. Folding was not an option here so bluff it was.

"On behalf of the witches and wizards of Britain, I would like to offer our sincere thanks for doing such a superb job of raising young Harry here. I feel it's time though that Harry Potter returned to the magical society and asked you here today to discuss if we can reach some sort of agreement on how this could be achieved."

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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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