The knock on her office door startled Amelia Bones and she spilled tea on some papers and her lap. Even though she was expecting visitors, she hadn't expected them so soon. After taking a few moments to mop up spilt tea, she called out, "come."
"Auror Broadmeer, ma'am," the oldest auror told her. "I have Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape here as requested."
"Thank you, Auror Broadmeer," Madame Bones quickly recovered from her surprise. Knowing Dumbledore as she did, she had expected the canny old wizard to try and stall their arrival as long as possible. "Please bring Dumbledore in and escort Professor Snape down to a holding cell."
"Yes Madame Bones," he turned to fulfil her orders and then remembered the message that Harry Potter had asked to be passed on. "Ma'am, I also have a message for you from Mr. Potter. He requested that whoever is sent to pick him up for the hearings, that it not be Auror Tonks."
Madame Bones made a note on her calendar on the date she had scheduled for Snape's and Umbridge's hearings for Auror Shacklebolt to pick up Mr. Potter and if he wasn't available for Broadmeer to do it. "I have taken care of it. Thank you again Auror Broadmeer."
"Thank you ma'am."
As the Auror left, Dumbledore came in.
"Tea Albus?" Madame Bones asked.
"That would be lovely, Amelia." Dumbledore was relieved to see the evidence of civility. Maybe things weren't as bad as he had envisioned. "I am surprised that Severus is not allowed to join us."
"He is being taken to a holding cell." Amelia told him as she handed him a cup of tea. "I have a few questions to ask you before you join him there."
After taking a sip of his tea, Dumbledore asked, "May I ask what I am being charged with?"
"You are being charged as an accessory to the crime of assault and mind rape by Professor Severus Snape upon the person of Harry James Potter. You may also be charged with negligence with regards to Madame Umbridge's actions during the year she was teaching at Hogwarts." Madame Bones told him. "And until today, if anyone had ever told me I would be arresting Albus Dumbledore for instigating an assault upon one of his students, I would have said they were mad."
There was a pause before Madame Bones looked him in the eye as she asked. "What I want to know is how could you stand by during Mr Potter's fifth year and allow Snape and Umbridge's actions toward the boy to go on unchecked?"
Dumbledore sipped his tea in silence for several minutes, his mind working frantically, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Finally he had to admit, "I'm afraid I do not know anything about the assault you are referring to, Amelia. The only task I assigned Severus outside his normal teaching duties was to teach Harry Occlumency in an effort to try and protect his mind from Voldemort. As for Delores Umbridge, I know from Minerva that Harry had a lot of detentions with her, but from what I was told she just had him writing lines."
Madame Bones stared at him in disbelief. "Do you think I'm that gullible, Albus?"
Dumbledore stared at her shocked. What had he said that was wrong?
Madame Bones continued before he could say a word. "I may not know everything about how the wards in and around Hogwarts work, but I do know the Headmaster or Headmistress is linked to them so that they have an early warning system in case of danger. The Sorting Hat links all students into the wards at the time they are Sorted so that if a student is in 'real' danger and it's not just a matter of two students throwing hexes at each other in a fit of anger, he or she is supposed to be alerted. Are you trying to tell me that you knew nothing about the attacks by Snape upon Mr. Potter, or the fact that Delores Umbridge brought an instrument of torture into your school and used it on him and other students as well?"
"What instrument of torture?" Dumbledore growled.
"She brought a Blood Quill into the school and used it upon a minor, several minors in fact. Not only that, but she threatened Mr. Potter with the Cruciatus curse." Madame Bones told him then asked. "What happened Albus? How could the wards not have told you what she and Snape were doing to that boy?"
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