= Wands High =

Chapter 37 - 18 May 1998, Monday

- Principal, a word please.

Principal Ashdrake froze, her hand reaching for the door handle and rolled her eyes at the enchased surface. Of course she had heard the rhythmical thumping of wood against the marble floor. But for a moment she had allowed herself to enjoy the notion that it wasn't her it had been chasing after.

- Can't it wait until after the meeting? – she asked and turned around trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

- In theory, it can. But we both know that's the worse option – Professor Phaedros stopped in front of her. – You know how persistently annoying I can be.

- Far too well – she muttered and nodded sharply to the side. – At least let's not stay at the door. What do you want, Sorin? – Ashdrake asked once they were several meters away.

- The same – clarity.

- You'll have to be a little more specific.

- Oh, you know far too well what I mean. I'm curious about the reason why we keep pretending this isn't a serious situation?

- You think that's what we're doing? – Ashdrake raised an eyebrow.

- I think we're running around with our heads shoved up our asses, if you insist on my honest opinion, and I know you do – Phaedros responded leaning on his cane, eyes blazing with emotion that she couldn't immediately identify.

Ashdrake took a deep breath.

- What do you want me to do, Sorin? None of us are sitting on our hands; we've done everything we could possibly do aside from a hunger strike in front of the Minister's office...

- And how is that helping? We still have only a handful of people to protect a school full of students from who knows what.

- That's not the ca...

- Is it not? What do you think we could do with only two Aurors? Are you – or me – in a real fighting shape beyond weaving smart elegant spells that take time? How many of the others are according to you? And what use of those cops they sent us, if we really are talking about wizards aware of the Vox' existence and properties, and crazy enough to go after it?

- You seem to be misjudging the abilities of many people – Ashdrake answered coolly. – People that you've been working with for years and despite your notorious speeches about slobs and idiots and demotivated slugs, people whose abilities you're perfectly familiar with.

- On the contrary – I'm being realistic. You made me teach a bunch of kids a charm that would make them hate their lives for a whole new reason on the slim chance that one or two may be able to spot something in the castle that we won't be there to notice. And I will teach it to them but explain to me what's the point if those same kids can't throw anything better than a stupid stupefying charm if that hypothetical dangerous thing jumps them out of nowhere? And yes, I know we have some dueling champions and some other capable young adults here, but what about the others? We can't teach every first year student to throw lightning bolts and we can't provide each of them with a personal bodyguard – Ashdrake opened her mouth to respond but Phaedros interrupted before she could produce a sound: - Don't give me again that ridiculous "help-the-Aurors-figure-it-out" formula as if it's heavenly manna, Hilda. That's what we're all doing. And I am witnessing with my own eyes Griffin Slade coming up with more and more ideas and ways to test them in a way that could shame most investigators I've met. It's not that I doubt his abilities or his training, or his mentor's appraisal, or her experience. I know Smith's husband from my work for the Ministry and I'm aware of her reputation too. But she is just a single uncompromising professional in a situation where we need ten like her. And Slade, though brilliant for his age, is somewhere deep inside just a boy overworking himself because he somehow feels guilty that the world is so screwed up and that he couldn't be there to save his dad. What do you think will happen with this brilliant young man if, say, one of his brothers gets hurt – or worse – while we're chasing our tails around? You think he'd be able to keep doing his job the same way?