"Cough, cough."
A bout of dry coughing interrupted the conversation in the office. Snape turned to his left, where a figure had appeared in the previously empty portrait frame.
Phineas, who had hurried back to his own portrait, reported to Snape, "Headmaster, Yaxley asked me to tell you that he'll be coming to visit you after ten tonight."
"About Hogsmeade?"
"About Hogsmeade," Phineas confirmed. "Yaxley seems to have just received some bad news. He looked extremely angry."
"I understand."
Snape glanced at the clock by the wall. Seeing that there was still nearly half an hour before their appointed time, he continued discussing recent events with Dumbledore.
When he mentioned his suspicion that Professor McGonagall and the others had remained at Hogwarts with a Hidden Motive, Dumbledore in the portrait also fell briefly silent.
"You're worried that Minerva might cause some trouble that can't be cleaned up?" Dumbledore guessed what was troubling Snape.
"You know, I never had much interest in being Headmaster." Snape's voice was thick with resentment.
Ever since becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts, he had been plagued by endless trouble.
Especially after Hogwarts had been ordered to expel Muggle students, he had not enjoyed a moment's peace.
And in order to uphold his agreement with Dumbledore, he had practically become a professional cleaner-up for students who loved causing trouble for themselves.
Dumbledore clearly understood how difficult things had been for Snape and hurriedly reassured him, "They don't actually have any plans."
Seeing that Snape did not believe him, he continued, "Mr. Anderson used prophecy long ago to see that the final battle of this Wizarding War would take place at Hogwarts. That is why Minerva and the others have remained at the school, waiting for that day to arrive while protecting the students from the Death Eaters."
"Parkinson's