"Dear Professor Levent,
We have received intelligence that, since the Christmas holidays, you have been producing and selling a prohibited item, the Memory Mirror, without authorization, with transactions amounting to hundreds of thousands of Galleons.
This conduct gravely violates the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, the Regulations on Muggle Object Modification, and the Standards for Magical Product Commerce, causing significant negative impact. The Misuse of Magic Office has filed a lawsuit with the Wizengamot, and we regret to inform you that you are required to appear at the Ministry of Magic for a hearing on February 2nd at 10 a.m.
Failure to attend without valid reason will result in a default judgment.
Yours faithfully,
Dolores Umbridge
Misuse of Magic Office, Ministry of Magic"
"February 2nd… that's today," Melvin muttered, eyeing the signature with a wry smile. Now he understood why Scrimgeour had wished him luck yesterday. The Auror Office and the Misuse of Magic Office both fell under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Scrimgeour, the Head Auror, must've known Umbridge had set her sights on him.
Melvin was surprised but not rattled. He'd dealt with the Magical Congress of the USA back in Broadway and faced similar hearings before.
During the Christmas holidays, while negotiating partnerships with pub owners across the country for the Memory Mirror, Wright and Burke had warned him. They'd said the Mirror, much like the Wizarding Wireless Network, might catch Umbridge's attention, potentially leading to unconventional Ministry tactics to regulate it.
It could be worse. The Wireless Network had thousands of witches sending Howlers in protest, but the Memory Mirror was new, lacking a solid fanbase. Umbridge could easily push to ban it outright.
"I thought I'd be summoned right after Christmas. This letter's actually later than I expected," Melvin mused.
The preparations made by the Mirror Club would finally come in handy.
He glanced at the other seats at the staff table. Quirrell and Snape were absent as usual. The other Heads of House had eaten early and left, and Dumbledore had stepped away minutes ago. Only Professor Kettleburn, eating slowly with one hand, lingered.
Passing the blueberry jam to the mobility-impaired Kettleburn, Melvin wiped his hands with a napkin and left the Great Hall to request leave from the Headmaster.
His professor had a lawsuit to attend.
---
At the entrance to the Great Hall, Melvin expected to find Dumbledore in his office. Instead, he spotted the Headmaster in the courtyard, braving the cold breeze—likely a post-breakfast stroll to aid digestion. An old man's stomach troubles, understandable.
Approaching along the corridor, Melvin noticed a cluster of branches hanging over Dumbledore's head. The winter trees were bare, snow clinging to their boughs, mirroring the Headmaster's snowy beard and hair.
Hearing footsteps, Dumbledore turned, clearly in good spirits. "Good morning, Melvin."
Melvin glanced at the branches above, then back at him. "I received a summons from the Ministry about the Memory Mirror."
"Related to the Mirror, I presume? I got one too," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "I was just discussing it with Minerva. The school's professors and Quidditch teams are tied to the Mirror, so Ms. Umbridge believes the Headmaster shares responsibility. She sent me a summons as well."
"…"
Melvin narrowed his eyes at the equally summoned Headmaster, piecing it together. "Where were you talking with Professor McGonagall?"
"She's auditing the hospital wing's accounts this morning, so we chatted briefly in the corridor outside."
"Let me guess—Professor Quirrell just happened to be in the hospital wing and overheard you?"
"Well…" Dumbledore feigned a thoughtful look.
"So this is your excuse to lure Quirrell out of the castle?" Melvin asked calmly, seeing through the Headmaster's poor acting. "You planned this in advance?"
"I just needed a reason to leave Hogwarts. Umbridge's pursuit of the Mirror was convenient, so I let myself get roped in," Dumbledore admitted, gazing at the snow. "Will the Mirror cause you any trouble?"
Melvin shook his head. "I've been in touch with Madam Marchbanks. Many in the Wizarding Examinations Authority are Wizengamot members and know about the Mirror. Plus, the pub owners have connections. The infamous Ms. Umbridge shouldn't be able to pin anything on me."
"It might be more complicated than you think," Dumbledore said patiently. "My friend, Minister Cornelius Fudge values his subordinate highly. He wants to use her to counter other difficult officials and fast-track her promotion. The Mirror could be Umbridge's stepping stone to a shiny new badge."
In the years since Voldemort's fall, the wizarding world had been relatively calm. Former Minister Millicent Bagnold retired peacefully. Barty Crouch, the most qualified candidate, was tainted by his Death Eater son and withdrew from the race. Dumbledore recommended Cornelius Fudge for Minister, believing that, despite his average talents, Fudge's diligence would maintain the peace.
Many Ministry employees looked down on Fudge, seeing him as Dumbledore's mouthpiece. Senior officials often ignored his opinions, acting with impunity—people like Scrimgeour, Amelia Bones from Magical Law Enforcement, or Barty Crouch Sr. from International Magical Cooperation.
Early on, Fudge took the criticism in stride, consulting Dumbledore on major issues. But after two years as Minister, with his position secure, power had fueled his ambition. He found the dissenting voices grating and began promoting his own allies, with Umbridge as his pick for Senior Undersecretary.
"With so many at the Ministry clashing with Umbridge, I'm even more confident," Melvin said with a soft laugh. "Even if they won't help a new professor, they'll oppose her just to spite you."
"You might be disappointed," Dumbledore replied. "Many senior officials may dislike Cornelius, but they'd be thrilled to see this old man's influence diminished."
"Is that why you met with Scrimgeour yesterday?"
"I believe Scrimgeour is an upright and reliable Auror, firmly against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. If he's prepared, he could be a great help…" Dumbledore paused, shifting topics. "Quirrell's in position. Someone needs to remind Harry about their weekend tutoring session."
"Tch…"
Just an elective professor, yet somehow always stuck with overtime.
Grumbling, Melvin turned back toward the Great Hall, flicking a branch as he passed. Snow cascaded down, dusting the old Headmaster.
Dumbledore glanced at the snow on his shoulder and chuckled silently.
---
February brought a slight thaw. The frozen Black Lake was melting, and strolling along its shore, you could hear the ice crack. Snow lingered on the grounds and courtyard, but the skies had cleared—spring was coming.
Hermione, lugging a heavy satchel, walked alone to the library.
This month held another Gryffindor Quidditch match. Harry and Ron were obsessed with tactics, ignoring the Philosopher's Stone and Hagrid's dragon egg. Only Hermione worried Hagrid might lose his job. She was headed to the library to research dragons.
The books were surprisingly fascinating.
Shaking her head to clear distracting thoughts, she sighed in frustration. "Merlin's beard, Hagrid's going to get sacked…"
"Who's getting sacked?" a gentle voice asked.
Hermione looked up. "Professor Levent?"
"You said Hagrid's getting sacked. Why?"
"N-Nothing!"
"I thought Hagrid got drunk and caused trouble again," Melvin said, ruffling her hair casually. "Last time we drank, he insisted on telling me about his three-headed dog. Loves gnawing cow knuckle bones, hates fleas, falls asleep to music… all sorts of nonsense."
Hermione froze, her mind buzzing with connections. Fluffy falls asleep to music. Hagrid spills its weakness when drunk!
She clearly remembered Hagrid's dragon egg came from a pub bet with a mysterious, unidentified wizard.
"Professor… I need to tell you something." She reached for his sleeve.
"Tell me when I'm back. I'm off to the Ministry with Dumbledore to handle some business." Melvin pressed a handful of sweets into her hand and hurried off.
Hermione stared as he vanished around the corridor, his footsteps fading. His words echoed in her mind, her face paling. "Hagrid leaked Fluffy's weakness, and the Headmaster's leaving today… How's that for a coincidence?"