Still angry, but now also quite fearful, the old man snarled, "Do you realise what you've done?"
"I am a Ward Master with over forty years experience," replied ET. "Of course I know what I've done. And I resent the implication―"
"I need that tap!" yelled Dumbledore. "When Voldemort comes back, that tap is the only way I'll have enough power to again fight him!"
"Albus Dumbledore; that is enough!" snapped Marchbanks.
When Dumbledore just glared back in fury, she practically hissed at him, "You and I will be having a long talk, later, about you siphoning power from the Hogwarts wards for your own ends. An act which, I will point out, is clearly illegal."
Turning a glance to ET she said, "Though, by his own admission to having committed this act has practically rendered the idea moot, please check."
ET gave a nod and, like a striking snake, quickly raised his wand and lashed out with a charm at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, still with most of his attention on Marchbanks, was not even prepared to fend it off. It made him immediately glow green for a moment.
"It's confirmed," he said, still staring at Dumbledore and prepared to react. "The power tap was, indeed, linked to Dumbledore. It was feeding him the power."
"Thank you," she nodded, also still staring at Dumbledore; her eyes fixed upon him just as intently as ET's. "Professor Dumbledore, you are dismissed. Leave my office, now."
Dumbledore, his wand gripped in his hand in white-knuckled anger where he'd suddenly drawn it from his belt without even realising it, stared back for a few moments before he suddenly spun on his foot and stormed out.
As he stormed out, Marchbanks snapped, "And, due to your behaviour, your leave to attend to your shopping in Diagon Alley is now hereby revoked!"
Ignoring her, he clawed his hands into fists and stormed out the door. Marchbanks banished it shut and sealed it.
Not until a few seconds after he had gone did either Marchbanks or ET relax again.
"I think you'll be leaving via my floo, Edward," said Marchbanks. "I take it your people are waiting for you out in Hogsmeade?"
He gave a nod and replied, "They are."
"Then I recommend flooing to the Three Broomsticks and meeting up with them there," she suggested. "And I expect a copy of that report within three days."
"You'll have it tomorrow," he said. "You'd have it this afternoon if I didn't have to go and talk to the Acting Madam Minister, first."
"Thank you, Edward," she nodded.
As suggested, as soon as he exited the floo in the Three Broomsticks ET collected the rest of his team and headed directly back to the Ministry. After he gave a verbal report to the Acting Madam Minister he'd be able to go and celebrate with his team. The report could wait until after that.
In her office, Marchbanks carefully listed in her ongoing report concerning Dumbledore's actions this latest 'shenanigan'. However, his siphoning power from the castle's wards, on its own, she already knew to be enough to fire him.
Now she just needed to consider when she would do precisely that.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
While Harry was still working through a lot of the financials regarding the House of Potter, Hermione had taken Neville on a tour of the house.
She first took him to the top floor and showed him her suite and the other two guest bedrooms located up there, then down to the first floor with the Master Bedroom suite and Harry's suite. She next took him on a tour of the upper ground floor (main floor), where they tended to spend most of their time. And, finally, down to the lower ground floor with its access to the double garage, the laundry, the media room and the servants' quarters which the aurors had taken over.
Coming back up to the main floor she led him back into the dinette.
Knowing the tour would soon be over when Hermione led Neville down to the lower ground floor, Harry had decided to pack away what he was working on for the time being.
He had just entered the kitchen and was already arguing with Dobby about what to have for lunch.
Harry was all set to make snacks, while Dobby was insistent he have a proper meal.
Hermione took one look at the stance of the both of them and said, "Harry, stop arguing with Dobby. Dobby, Harry needs a mid-morning snack."
"Master Harry be cookings dinner," the little elf declared. "Dobby be cookings brekky and lunch!"
"I was just going to―" Harry started, until he saw the look on Hermione's face and the shock on Neville's. He sighed and grumbled, "Fiiiine."
"Harry, we have a guest," she said. "Between the two of us we need to come up with how to keep the three of us occupied."
"We could always―" he stopped as he had a sudden idea and his face lit up in happiness. "Hermione; you have a video player, right?"
Surprised at the idea, she said, "Ah! That is a good idea."
Rounding on Neville she asked, "What do you know about the muggle entertainment medium known as 'television'?"
Neville looked back in confusion and replied, "Nothing?"
As both other teens grinned back, Harry snapped out of it and said, "Hermione, take him down and get things set up. See if you can find something that gives a halfway decent showing of modern muggle Britain. I'm going to teach Dobby how to make... popcorn!"
As she began to lead Neville out again, she said, "Don't worry about drinks. There's a small bar fridge down stairs that we use to store the fizzy drinks in!"
As they left, Harry wheeled on Dobby and said, "I'm about to show you something muggles snack on when they're at, what they call, cinemas. It's really quick and easy to do and only has three ingredients - butter, dried corn kernels and salt. The secret is in the timing and heat."
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