The Cupboard Series 5: United We Stand ...

Chapter 7

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall stood stoically beside her colleague as she waited. Her hands were clasped behind her back and the longer that she was made to stand there, the thinner her lips became.

After the past year where the Department of Magical Education of the Ministry of Magic seemed to owl her nearly every other week demanding a time to inspect her school, the fact that they were now nearly half an hour late to an appointment that she'd requested grated on her nerves.

A year ago, she, along with Sirius and Cyrus Greengrass had spent hours filling out the required forms to set up a new magical school. And those forms were essential, regardless of the fact that there were only to be fourteen students. Now that Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies had moved location and was set to cater for ten times as many students, it seemed that the Department's required forms and procedures had multiplied at an arithmetic formula that she was unable to deduce.

"It wouldn't hurt to sit while you wait, Minerva," her Deputy Head called.

Minerva closed her eyes momentarily before turning to see Remus lounging in one of the chairs set off to the side of the Security building. She'd just begun to open her mouth in order to retort when she was interrupted by the goblin at her side.

"The FLOO is activating," Chert, the school's Security Chief stated.

Minerva spun back around to look through the window into the Receiving Room. Indeed, the flames in the far fireplace were now green. As the first of their visitors stepped through the flames, she felt Remus come to stand beside her.

The first two men through the FLOO were well-known to the two administrators of Diricawl Academy: Tiberius Sheppardton, the Head of the Department of Magical Education and Arthur Weasley, the Head of the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. Minerva had never been able to determine exactly why Arthur was involved in these discussions. The only thing that she could come up with was the fact that their school placed muggle education of their students as important, right alongside their magical education.

The sound of a great gong resounded unexpectedly throughout the Security Room and a strip of fluorescent red appeared around the door into the Receiving Room.

Minerva's hand shot to her breast as she tried to steady her nerves from the unexpected sound and she whirled to the goblin beside her.

"What is Merlin's name is that?" she demanded.

"Dark Mark," Chert growled, lifting his axe from the wall and giving it a couple of experimental swings. "Someone tried to come through the FLOO with a Dark Mark."

Minerva looked back through the observation window to see the form of the ancient Griselda Marchbanks, Head of the Wizarding Examination Authority, step from the fireplace. None of the three looked startled by the sound of the alarm gong, indicating that the room that they were in was silenced from outside noise.

"One of them has the Dark Mark?" she asked.

"Not one of them. Another. Whoever it was didn't make it through our wards," Chert stated.

"Whoever it was would have been bounced out of the FLOO system entirely," Remus added. "Whoever and wherever they are, I'm betting that they've got one hell of a headache right about now."

Minerva's eyes narrowed as she continued to observe the three Ministry workers on the other side of the window.

"You are positive that none of them bear the Dark Mark?" she asked.

"No Dark Mark," Chert stated. "Their intentions, though, that's another matter."

"Perhaps we should greet them and find out the identity of the fourth person?" Remus suggested.