A Hogwarts Intervention

Chapter 14: Ministry Meet Founders

At the ministry everyone had watched in shock as Dumbledore gasped, clutching at his chest before keeling over in a dead faint. His pale features had taken on a grayish pallor convincing everyone he needed to be rushed to St. Mungoes. Unaware of anything happening at Hogwarts the healers pronounced his severe drop in magic as a tragedy and confined him to the hospital for the next six months.

Umbridge was officially declared the new Headmistress since Dumbledore's health was clearly too fragile to run the school any more. Fudge had completely ignored the healer's warning that the shock of loosing his long held job might kill him in his current state. He even made a parade about officially installing Umbridge as the Headmistress. As a result it came as quite a shock to both the media and the ministry delegates that neither the gates nor the wards of the school would open for any of them. The commotion at the gates drew the attention of the staff and the founders but when they saw Umbridge Godric lost his temper.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Godric grumbled as the four founders quickly approached the gate, trailing half the school and all three of their Heirs. Severus had finally been talked into accepting the adoption in exchange for the recipe for a potion that would eventually give him the gift of Parseltongue, much to the amusement of everyone present. The fact that this had happened in front of most of the school was simply icing on the cake as far as everyone but the potions master himself was concerned.

"I think its that pink toad with an entourage. What say you? Shall we go toad hunting?" Salazar asked evilly, easily loud enough that the idiots at the gate heard his comment.

"I suppose... and Rowena did give us permission to use lethal force if she won't take the hint," Godric said with feigned reluctance, instantly catching on to his friend's ploy.

"Could you first explain my recent lack of insanity to them so that I don't have to face down ridiculous calls for my imprisonment and execution?" Voldemort snarked in a perfectly aggrieved tone.

"I suppose so. Its not like we didn't bother to document everything, including the fact that you were tricked into using that ritual by one of your teachers," Rowena said with a mischievous thoughtfulness. "We did handle the curse once we were awake enough to do something about the essential attack on Sal's heir. Its not like we had a choice in letting him fall to the manipulative old goat at the time or go on that insane murder spree. Incidentally I'm tempted to charge Dumbledore not only with the attempted theft of Hogwarts out from under us but also the abuse he's knowingly subjected our heirs to."

"Oh, I'm insisting on it Ro. If the so called ministry won't do anything about it we'll just have to invoke our treaties with the various magical creatures. Its not like Voldemort's people will be a problem since we've healed him back to sanity in the first place and the loyalty oaths are still valid. Come to that... Tom? I need you to summon your servants so that I can give them all a once over. If you insist on keeping them than they have to be in a fit state to act as the servants they are. I presume you raided your father's secret chamber for the basics of whatever spell you came up with to bind them to your service? If so I'll need Sal to help me look them over and double check your spellwork to avoid conflicts," Helga said airily, getting a reluctant nod of agreement from the still grumpy Dark Lord.

"You can't! This is impossible!" Fudge spluttered incoherently.

"Some how we tripped an ancient spell or ward or whatever. To get out we had to remove the spellwork trapping the minds of the founders in a hidden tapestry cursed only to speak in rhymes. Waking them revealed that the school was nearly drained of magic so Lady Rowena Ravenclaw designed a chant that allowed the students to refuel the school. Once a certain amount of magic was absorbed into the school they were able to leave the tapestry they were trapped in and resume physical form. Between the refueling and breaking of some of the more detrimental enchantments they decided I needed my sanity back and tricked me into performing the necessary ritual," Voldemort explained sourly.