BORN TO DIE | R. Arcturus Black

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Chapter Three: The Headmaster

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Janet's opinion of Albus Dumbledore was bittersweet at best. 

It's very hard to deny the fact that Dumbledore was a skilled manipulator, almost always using his influence and authority to steer people towards his desired decisions and his best interests. He had a knack for convincing others to do what he wanted, either through subtle manipulation or outright coercion or maybe even through legilmency. 

On one side, Janet admired his ability to remain calm in the face of danger and death and his – sometimes aggravating – commitment on doing the right thing, even when it meant going against the majority.

On the other hand, she was quite aware of the actions that he had made in the past that had caused harm to many others and that he had been guilty of keeping secrets from those who joined and put their lives in for him.

She also had a strong opinion on the fact that he had been too slow to act on the threat of Voldemort and had prioritized the survival of the Wizarding World and magic over the safety of innocent people. Hundred and thousands of both muggles and wizards have died under the hand of these decisions.

It was also true that Dumbledore seemed to always show a preference towards Gryffindor, the house he was sorted into in his time at Hogwarts. He often gave Gryffindor extra points and awarded them more rewards for their achievements (who awards sixty points for a game of chess!), and he was known to have had a very – concerning in Janet's opinion – close friendship with Harry.

His bias towards Gryffindor caused some resentment and frustration among the other houses, who felt that they were being unfair. Even the Sorting Hat, which traditionally sorts new students into one of the four houses based on their qualities and values, seemed to favour Gryffindor above all and always placed an abnormally high number of students in that house. Although that seemed expected as it was Godric Gryffindor who created it.

— The Headmaster's office was a luxurious room with gold-tinged walls and a large window that overlooked the school grounds. The furniture was made of polished oak, and a roaring fire crackled in the hearth. Dumbledore himself was seated behind his massive desk, his fingers wrapped in rings and steepled as he leaned back in his chair, studying her. "My dear," he said, his voice quiet and measured. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," She replied politely as she took a seat.

She took a deep breath, hyper aware of her surroundings. Her dress laced loosely against her skin, and the soft fabric shielded her from the cooling charms set in the room. Her hands were trembling under the invisible layer of glamour that covered it, and the effects of the cruciatus curse still lingering even after the passing of a week. The unfamiliar feeling of leaves, still wrapped around her wounds and chest, brought her back and added a welcomed layer of warmth.

"If you could please fill me in on what happened? I must admit, I was quite concerned when I found Centaur Neyom demanding to see me about a student getting injured and lost in the forest. And you can imagine my surprise when I realised you weren't even a part of Hogwarts." He started.

Janet stared at him for a little longer, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she tried to plan what she was about to say or how she would take this. In my defence, there was a 99.9% chance this would fail, and I would die, but who said miracles don't happen.

"Yesterday night, I woke up and found myself in the care of the centaurs, without any memories of how I got there." Janet lied. It brought a sick-like feeling to her stomach, and it made her want to puke, but she managed to hold it in and bite her tongue.