Poison Pen

Chapter 26: Due Notice

Albus sat alone in his office at Hogwarts, staring at his cup of tea. Where had he gone so wrong? In front of him was a copy of Harry's files and brief for the meeting that had happened early that day.

It was all there in front of him. Every bit of information that he had somehow missed. He was supposed to uphold the laws he had helped create in the Wizarding World, instead he was now the victim of those very same laws.

He never dreamed that forcing Harry to do the tournament he was basically saying: "Yes, Harry, you are old enough to know what's going on, old enough to make your own decisions. By competing, you, my boy, are an adult."

Then Cornelius' ploy at trying to discredit Harry in that trial, trying him in front of the full Wizengamot as an adult. What was Cornelius thinking?

Albus had been suspicious that Harry was up to something, he just couldn't figure out what. The boy never received any mail as that owl of his was too noticeable. How did the boy do it?

The wards really needed to be fine-tuned, but since Harry now refused to go back to his relatives, he could not clear the school. His only option was to force Harry to remain at Hogwarts.

It wasn't safe for the boy outside of the school and Sirius Black wasn't responsible enough to keep a fifteen year old boy in check. Merlin, Sirius had never grown up himself, what with his stint in Azkaban. How could he be a proper guardian for a teenager when he needed a guardian himself?

No, Harry was now lost to him. He would never regain the trust the lad once had in him. Or had he ever had it? Included in the file was a mind healers report. Severus had a lot to answer for. How could he have missed this? How did Harry submit to a healer? He never left the school, that Albus knew of.

~~

Later that afternoon, Minerva and Poppy were sitting in the infirmary office sharing their usual afternoon tea. So far the conversation had focused on the events leading up to Harry's emancipation.

"Poppy?" Minerva queried as her old friend refreshed their cups, "Have you noticed anything unusual about Albus of late?"

"If you mean other than his normal meddling?"

"No, no," Minerva replied. "I was referring to his rather frightening obsession with Harry Potter." She sighed. "I know he has always taken an unusually strong interest in young Harry's life. I'm afraid the stress of being on constant watch for so many years is...well..." She stirred her tea slowly, lost in thought for a bit.

Poppy watched her friend as she sipped from her own cup.

"Are you asking me if Albus is losing his ability to make rational decisions, Min?"

There was a pause as Minerva collected her thoughts. "Yes, Poppy, I am. Lately he has become more and more adamant that he have total control over Mr. Potter's life." Minerva hesitated and then continued. "He has gone so far as to tell me that the wards will not be retuned because Mr. Potter MUST stay at Hogwarts if he is not going to be at his relatives. He used the argument that staying with Sirius was too dangerous. This even after Harry won his emancipation. Albus is at this moment holed up in his office looking for a way to regain control of the boy."

Minerva looked up at her old friend, tears shining in her eyes. "I'm afraid, Poppy, afraid his mind is buckling with the strain and there is nothing I can do to help him."

Poppy leaned forward, placing a hand on her old friend's arm. "Don't fret Min, I'll see to it he comes in for a mandatory physical this week. While he's in here I'll be sure to check for stress and mental acumen as well."

Minerva gave her a watery smile. "Thank you Poppy. I'll be sending you the necessary paperwork so you can release your results if you find anything amiss."