Dumbledore nodded. "I kept delaying my departure because as long as I remained at Hogwarts, they wouldn't dare go too far. My name, my wand, my very existence—they were a line of defense. They pressured us through the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors, and I held them off. They spread rumors through the media, and I refuted them. They made little moves within the castle, and I watched them. But once I leave, that line of defense will collapse. They will infiltrate the Board of Governors, manipulate the Ministry of Magic, and turn Hogwarts into—"
He did not finish. But McGonagall knew exactly what he had left unsaid. A controlled Hogwarts. A Ministry of Magic dominated by pure-bloods. A Wizarding World governed by cowards and opportunists like Fudge.
"So you need me to stay." McGonagall's voice was calm—so calm that even she found it unfamiliar.
"I need you to hold this line for me." Dumbledore looked at McGonagall, his blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight like two stars freshly drawn from the bottom of a well, still dripping with water. "Not for long. Once I find their weakness, once I find the person hiding behind everyone—I will return."
"How long will that take?"
"I don't know. Perhaps a month, perhaps a year. Perhaps—" He did not continue. McGonagall knew he had wanted to say, "Perhaps never."
"Minerva, you needn't worry about the children in the castle." Dumbledore rose from the grass and brushed the dirt and blades of grass from his robes. "Lockhart will teach them how to use their wands. Severus Snape will protect them from harm. You need only do one thing—hold Hogwarts. Do not let anyone, any force, turn it from a school into a barracks."
McGonagall rose as well. One of her knees