Ministerial Candidate

Wade had thought Dumbledore would soon summon him to discuss Slughorn's memory, Voldemort's Horcruxes, or further news about the Golden Kettle, but that never happened.

For several days in a row, he did not see Dumbledore at all.

When he entered the Great Hall once again and looked up at the Staff Table, searching for the figure who always sat in the middle, a cool voice suddenly came from beside him:

"Professor Dumbledore isn't at school."

Wade abruptly turned his head and saw The Grey Lady's translucent form drift through several empty chairs, hovering quietly beside him.

As she spoke, The Grey Lady did not look at him either. Her melancholy gaze passed over Wade's head toward the empty Headmaster's seat.

"Where did he go?" Wade asked in a low voice.

The Grey Lady answered softly, "The Ministry of Magic."

"This is bad!" Nearly Headless Nick suddenly poked half his body out of the wall. He reached up to steady his wobbling head and said nervously, "I just heard from the Headless Hunt that we might be getting a new Headmaster!"

Wade jerked his head up. "What do you mean?"

Nick lowered his voice mysteriously. "It means... there are rumors that Dumbledore has been nominated twice in a row as the new Minister for Magic!"

"Absurd!" Bloody Baron emerged eerily from who knew where and said stiffly, "Albus Dumbledore would never abandon Hogwarts."

The chains on his body clinked. The Grey Lady gave a cold snort and passed straight through the wall, disappearing.

As Bloody Baron watched her vanish, he suddenly lost interest in speaking as well. His entire ghost sank downward and passed through the floor.

"This time is different!"

Nick made an exaggerated gesture, and his head slid straight off his neck, dangling dangerously against his chest. He