"Dumbledore, this is the Board of Governors' official resolution." Mr. Greengrass spoke at an unhurried pace, as though reciting a speech he had long since memorized. "After a comprehensive assessment of the recent series of Petrification Incidents at Hogwarts, the Board of Governors believes that you committed serious dereliction of duty in your handling of this matter. Specifically: first, you failed to locate the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in time, allowing the attacks to continue; second, you handled the suspect, Rubeus Hagrid, improperly, shielding him and allowing him to remain active within the school for an extended period, worsening the panic among students and parents; third, in your management of students, you allowed Harry Potter, who has come under widespread suspicion, to remain at the school without implementing any effective isolation or surveillance measures. Based on the above reasons, the Board of Governors has decided—"
"Based on the above reasons?" Walburga's voice suddenly cut in, sharp and shrill, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. She had remained silent for so long that McGonagall had nearly assumed she was merely there to observe. But the moment she spoke, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Her gray-blue eyes, identical to Narcissa's but far sharper, shifted from the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and fixed themselves on Dumbledore's face.
"Based on the above reasons, Greengrass, you are still far too polite." She lifted her chin higher, her voice carrying the undisguised arrogance of someone steeped for decades in the highest ranks of pure-blood society. "Dumbledore, your problem is not 'dereliction of duty.' It is incompetence, stubbornness, favoritism, and the conceit of an old man unwilling to admit that he can no longer control this school."
McGonagall's fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. "Mrs. Black—"
Walburga