"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 after ten tonight."
"About Hogsmeade?"
"About Hogsmeade," Phineas confirmed. "Yaxley seems to have just received some bad news. He looked very angry."
"I understand."
Snape glanced at the clock by the wall. After confirming that there were still nearly half an hour until their appointed time, he continued discussing recent events with Dumbledore.
When he mentioned his suspicion that Professor McGonagall and the others had stayed at Hogwarts for ulterior motives, Dumbledore in the portrait fell briefly silent as well.
"You're worried Minerva might cause some trouble that can't be easily cleaned up?" Dumbledore guessed what was troubling Snape.
"You know, I never had much interest in being headmaster," Snape said, his voice full of resentment.
Ever since becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts, he had been plagued by endless trouble.
Especially after Hogwarts had been ordered to expel its Muggle students, he had not enjoyed a single moment of peace.
And in order to keep his agreement with Dumbledore, he had practically become a professional cleaner-up after students who enjoyed causing him trouble.
Dumbledore clearly knew how difficult things had been for Snape, and quickly reassured him. "They don't actually have any plans."
Seeing Snape's disbelief, he continued, "Mr. Anderson used a 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 come, while protecting the students from the Death Eaters."
"Parkinson's