Betrayal? Dumbledore Was No Saint (Part 1)

News of Dumbledore's temporary suspension spread throughout Hogwarts during breakfast.

As usual, owls flew into the Great Hall in flocks, dropping letters and parcels before their owners. But today, aside from the Daily Prophet, nearly every Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw table had received an official notice bearing the wax seal of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. The Slytherin table had none. They did not need notices—they had learned the news before anyone else.

Harry's fingers trembled as he opened the envelope. The letter was brief, only a few lines long, its wording cold and formal, as though copied straight from a legal document: "Following consultations between the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is hereby placed on temporary leave, effective immediately. His duties will be assumed by Professor Minerva McGonagall. The date of his reinstatement will be announced separately." There was no explanation, no apology, no "thank you to Headmaster Dumbledore for his years of service." Only a cold notice that read like a sentence.

The noise in the Great Hall seemed to have been seized by the throat. It dropped abruptly, then erupted again in a lower, more frantic murmur.

"Dumbledore's been suspended?"

"Why? Because of Hagrid?"

"Hagrid's been locked up. I heard he's in Filch's office."

"Eight Aurors escorted him in! I saw it myself!"

"What about the Chamber of Secrets? Who's going to investigate it?"

"The Ministry of Magic is sending people."

"The Ministry? What do they know?"

Hermione set down her pumpkin juice, her face pale and her lips pressed into a thin line. She said nothing, but her fingers tapped unconsciously against the tabletop, a habit she had whenever she was thinking desperately. Ron stared at the letter for a long time before crushing it into a ball and stuffing