Wednesday
9th November
3:00 pm
Ruby was gone.
It was a blow when he heard the news. Two years in Azkaban. Might as well be ten, any amount of time in contact with Dementors was too much. It was a rough situation, one he felt partially responsible for. But in the end, she was the Headmistress, tragedy had struck on her watch, and the captain goes down with the ship.
When the news came out of Ruby’s guilt, it was no shock that someone else was offered the job of Headmaster. Gideon wouldn’t have been considered after the clusterfuck that was last term. He wouldn’t have wanted the position anyway. Deputy was fine with him for the foreseeable future.
Galen MacLean. Captain in the Army. Wizengamot Member, one partially responsible for his acquittal. Unless he had voted for his guilt, but Gideon was hoping that was not the case. Galen a Captain, Gideon a step below as a Lieutenant in the war. He knew how to take orders, which would come in handy with the new Headmaster.
They had met over the years. Both in the army, both Purebloods. It was inevitable that they would cross paths. Both Hogwarts graduates, but Galen was a couple years older. His initial thoughts were good, Hogwarts needed a strong leader and Galen fit the bill.
Where Ruby failed, Gideon hoped Galen would succeed. Security, discipline, safety. Time would tell. The wildcard in the scenario was James Laurence. His Grace. The voice in his ear. Gideon, his eyes on the inside. With the trial of Maddox and the Minister still pending, it would be interesting to see how the new Headmaster dealt with the fallout. It was already happening with Ruby’s prison sentence. Who knew how bad it would get with the results of the other two trials.
The Groundskeeper had let Galen in, alerting Gideon to the new Headmaster’s arrival. The Deputy let him have the morning to get settled, but it was time to get the introductions underway. Walking up to the staircase, saying the password that would inevitably need to be changed. “Anteoculatia,” he said, the stairs coming to life before his eyes.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Gideon smoothed his hands down the front of his suit, checked his watch, then knocked on the thick oak door.
Haswell’s verdict was expected, the sentence a bit surprising. And when Galen had been approached after the trial with the offer of taking her spot at Hogwarts, he hesitated. Not because he didn’t think he could do it (he knew that he could), but the role was now tainted.
It was a mess that Galen knew that he could clean up. So after recovering from the offer, he accepted and immediately turned in his notice at Oxford. He would miss his students and teaching anthropology every day, but this calling would be far more important.
After the mess that Ruby left – initially not hers, but now all hers – Hogwarts needed someone a bit more… firm. Steady. Level-headed.
His military training would come in handy, that was for sure.
Galen spent the morning situating the office; Haswell had been ushered straight off to Azkaban without much notice. Her things had been sent away before he arrived, so it was just a matter of making it suit him.
Now, he was studying the files of the staff. Each file had a photograph of the person, so he was learning names, faces, and backgrounds. That would certainly help him get acclimated, and he wondered if Haswell had even bothered.
The knock on the door drew Galen’s attention away from the studying he’d been doing. He lifted his wand and flicked it, the door swinging open without a word from him. The man on the other side of the door was a familiar one, though not someone he knew very well.
Blackwood. Of the gentlemen’s clothing shop that Galen purchased all of his suits from. “Hello, Deputy,” Galen said, holding his hand out to shake the others. Some other notes in the man’s file – engaged to the Hufflepuff Head of House. Would that be a problem? He hoped not.
“Please, sit. Would you like a drink?” Galen asked, lifting his own glass of whiskey. He was sipping it slowly, not drinking quickly.
Gideon shook his hand, giving it a good firm squeeze. Wanting to show strength, but not be an asshole.
“Hello, Deputy, Please, sit. Would you like a drink?” Gideon nodded, “Thank you, I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Moving into the sitting area, he took a seat in one of the soft leather arm chairs, accepting the drink when it was offered. He took a sip, letting the amber liquid roll over his pallet. “Glencadam? 1912? Nice vintage. light, creamy, notes of pear, citrus, and vanilla. One of my favorites and always stocked at Blackwood & Sons.”
He took another drink, sighing as it burned his throat. It was a warm feeling, immediately taking him back to the bar.
“How was moving in? If you need help with anything, please let me know.” Taking another sip, nursing the alcohol, not wanting to come across like a drunk, Gideon held the glass in his hand, resting it on his knee.
His eyes took in the new Headmaster. He was of the rugged sort. An Army man, Captain if he remembered correctly. Gideon had reached the rank of Lieutenant before retiring from service. He had crossed paths with Galen many times over the years: in battle, at his family’s store (and speakeasy), the trial and of course in Pureblood society.
“I’m sure you have some thoughts on how to change or improve the castle. I am here to help in any way I can.” Thankfully Gideon was free and still working at the castle, unlike Ruby who was currently sitting in a cell. Would he have won his case without the influence of James Laurence, His Grace. Possibly not, but that didn’t matter now. He had a job to do, one written in his contract and another one agreed upon by handshake. Both, he would do to the best of his ability.
Galen nodded and made his way over to the little bar he had set up. He poured some whiskey in a glass for Blackwood and then met him in the sitting area. He handed it over and sat down across from him.
“Glencadam? 1912? Nice vintage. light, creamy, notes of pear, citrus, and vanilla. One of my favorites and always stocked at Blackwood & Sons.”
Nodding, MacLean took another sip. “It’s really the best, truly,” he commented and pulled a cigarette out of his suit jacket. He lit it and took a puff. “Want one?” he offered.
“How was moving in? If you need help with anything, please let me know.”
“It was fine. Mostly just had to move stuff around,” he responded. He’d gotten just about all of it done. He had some books he needed to find homes for, but he wasn’t worried about that. The important thing is that his desk was set up.
“I’m sure you have some thoughts on how to change or improve the castle. I am here to help in any way I can.”
The man nodded again and raised his brow as he looked at him. “Well, more aurors will be arriving first thing in the morning. I want this place locked down. I’m confident the Ministry cleared everything out over the summer, but… I question the previous leadership.” Specifically Ruby Haswell.
Galen had never been so proud to be involved in the Wizengamot than he did when everyone agreed to find her guilty.
“I’m going through the employee files to make sure nothing was missed.” He took a puff off his cigarette. “I know the previous administration gave you the okay, but do I need to be concerned about you and… Byrne, is it?” He watched Gideon, ready to assess any body language that might hint at it being a problem.
Gideon shook his head, he rarely smoked and when he did partake, it was usually a cigar.
He wanted to get down to business. Galen was sure to have questions, possibly reservations in regards to Gideon’s character. It was to be expected. Sure, he was cleared of all charges, but that didn’t mean Galen trusted him implicitly.
“Well, more aurors will be arriving first thing in the morning. I want this place locked down. I’m confident the Ministry cleared everything out over the summer, but… I question the previous leadership.” Gideon nodded. It was to be expected, and honestly he didn’t disagree. He had questioned Ruby on the lack of Auror presence after the events of last term. Sure, there were a few floating around the castle, but with Thayer living under their noses for nearly a year, and going undetected, safety and security needed to be addressed.
“I completely understand, and I agree. Beefing up security and adding Aurors is the right thing to do. I understand the difficult position you are in, and I am willing to work with you to help rest any concerns that you may have.”
Watching the girls nearly die at the hands of Thayer would never leave his mind. Whatever needed to be done to stop something like that from ever happening again was his top priority.
“I’m going through the employee files to make sure nothing was missed. I know the previous administration gave you the okay, but do I need to be concerned about you and… Byrne, is it?”
Gideon didn’t waver. His eyes stayed connected with his new boss, but a smile did appear on his face. “No sir, I don’t believe you will have any concerns. We have been together for just under a year. We both have separate living quarters. Which we stay in, nightly, alone. That was the main rule for Haswell. We needed to be in our quarters to be available for our students, and we take that seriously. She was a surprise, that’s for sure. I had loved once before, she was killed in the war, so Roisin was not on my radar, but she kicked the door down anyway.” He chuckled.
Taking another sip of his drink, Gideon sighed. He absentmindedly shook his head, eyes going foggy while thinking of the past few months. “Times have been hard, with the trial. Not knowing the outcome was difficult. Now that it’s behind us, we are focused on planning a wedding for this summer. My sister and my mum are helping with that so that we can focus on the students and our jobs. We know where our priorities need to lie.”
Something in Gideon shifted upon the mention of Byrne. Which was interesting. He knew Blackwood to be a bit darker than someone who would smile and speak about love. Galen didn’t have many thoughts about that, honestly.
It was good to hear that Haswell had some sense in making sure neither adult abandoned their duties to be together. That was the biggest concern, really, because they needed to always be available. This was promising though.
Galen took another sip of his whiskey, listening as the man spoke about his past. He was a widower, that was hard. And that was one reason he was fine being alone. Despite how much his little sister might want to set him up with someone, he had no interest.
He was relieved that both Blackwood and Byrne were taking their roles and responsibilities seriously and not letting wedding planning get in the way. He nodded. “Very good. And I understand that she has a child with another of the professors…” he said, watching.
Typically, an arrangement like this would be complicated and messy. And it was one of the reasons he preferred to just focus on work instead of personal relationships.
”Nothing disruptive there, I hope?” Galen’s eyes remained locked on Gideon’s face. Reading people is what he had been doing his entire professional career. And so far he saw nothing concerning coming from the Deputy.
Gideon took another sip of his whisky. The burn warmed him and easing his nerves as the conversation went on. “Very good. And I understand that she has a child with another of the professors… Nothing disruptive there, I hope?”
The backstory on the Maddox Rose story was theirs, and not one he would share with the new Headmaster. He could ease the man's concerns though, as best he could. “No Sir. Maddox and Rose work very well together. There is no animosity, no conflict. That being said, if you would like the specifics of their relationship and parenting plan, you will need to speak to them.”
Taking the final sip of his drink, Gideon set the glass down on the table that separated the two men. So far, their introductions were professional, but he wondered if it would remain as such.
“May I ask, do you have any reservations in my ability to do the job? You were there, at the trial. Are there any questions you need me to answer? Concerns? I am here to keep the children safe and teach them magic. If you need reassurance that I am capable, I don’t blame you. So, please. If you have any questions, ask.”
It was bold of him to lay it all out, but if they were going to work together, he needed to get this out of the way.
“No Sir. Maddox and Rose work very well together. There is no animosity, no conflict. That being said, if you would like the specifics of their relationship and parenting plan, you will need to speak to them.”
That is precisely what Galen wanted to hear about the situation. He’d be meeting with everyone else separately, but to just get the overall sentiment between them all would definitely help in his case. He would likely ask both Byrne and Barlowe about it as well, but he trusted Blackwood’s assessment.
“May I ask, do you have any reservations in my ability to do the job? You were there, at the trial. Are there any questions you need me to answer? Concerns? I am here to keep the children safe and teach them magic. If you need reassurance that I am capable, I don’t blame you. So, please. If you have any questions, ask.”
Galen smirked and shook his head. Of course Blackwood would want to be sure; after everything that happened, it was only natural for the man to want to put his new boss’ mind at ease. But there was nothing to put at ease. He already knew Gideon to be a man of his word.
”I have no reservations, no. I just wanted to understand that situation on a higher level. It’s great that everyone can work together and get along. The last thing we want, after last term, is a mess on our hands,” Galen said and then downed the rest of his whiskey.
”The only other concern I had was in regards to Haswell’s record keeping,” MacLean stated and stood up. He made his way back to the desk and opened another folder. ”I see the folders on each of the girls who were taken, and I know that the other two are fine, but Miss Ravenstone’s folder seems to be missing some things,” he said and sat down so he could shuffle through the loose pages.
”That’s concerning, don’t you think? From what I am seeing, it seems as though her communications with the parents were… well, few and far between.” The man shook his head and sighed. ”I will be drafting a new letter tonight and hopefully we can get this cleared up in the morning. But in the meantime, please keep an eye on her.”
He lowered his hand from his forehead that he’d been rubbing in exasperation with the insanely juvenile issues in the previous Headmistress’s record keeping. ”I am quite concerned for her well-being, and we need to be sure the parents are aware.”
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