Professor McGonagall's voice carried a trace of confusion as she looked at Dumbledore and Snape coming down the stairs, asking them what they had been discussing upstairs.
Dumbledore waved a hand like some muddle-headed old fool, chuckled twice, and rambled off a few incomprehensible words.
"Ah, Severus always likes reminding me to be careful of others."
Snape's expression did not seem particularly pleasant, though it never had been.
Snape had brought Aisling over to warn Dumbledore about Elias. Elias's attitude in the dueling arena had made Snape catch a faint whiff of deeply concealed ill intent.
Unexpectedly, though Dumbledore had not appeared in the Great Hall, when Snape told him about what had happened in the dueling arena, Dumbledore seemed unconcerned.
Snape had no idea how Dumbledore had seen the duel without being there, but Dumbledore's reaction made it clear that nothing could escape the Old Bumblebee's eyes.
Upstairs in Dumbledore's bedroom, Snape had approached him with a grave expression, his sharp gaze fixed on Dumbledore as he questioned the relaxed old wizard in a low voice.
"Don't tell me you have no idea what happened. That man is driving a wedge between Slytherin and the other houses."
Faced with Snape's near-interrogation, Dumbledore's easy smile faded. He looked calmly at Snape and replied in a noncommittal tone.
"When Elias returns to America next year, he will be promoted to Head of the Auror Office. Your few words alone are not evidence enough to accuse a high-ranking official of the American Ministry of Magic."
At that moment, Dumbledore had shed his usual befuddled act. This seemingly easygoing old man now fully unleashed the presence of the White Lord. Snape knew this was the White Lord's true face.
"He is American, with the American Ministry of Magic behind him. To a certain