A sharp crack! exploded beside him.
Scrimgeour jerked his head up, but everyone seemed not to have heard it. Only a few Wizards gathered around him and asked with concern, "Director Scrimgeour, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Let me rest a moment. I have a headache." Scrimgeour waved them away, troubled by how to hide the marks on his hand.
Hogwarts.
The Great Hall had been cordoned off. After all, all the Hogwarts students had come.
The High Tower group had arrived too.
Though they were on the outskirts, Will had used Transfiguration to enlarge the fertilizer box Neville had just finished using.
Standing on it, they could see what was happening around Dumbledore.
When Draco saw Lucius, he slapped a hand to his forehead, looking pained.
Facing a crowd of reporters and a smug Fudge, Dumbledore no longer wore his customary gentle expression.
His smile had faded, leaving a stern, imposing face.
The camera flashes and clicks stopped. Seeing Dumbledore look so uncharacteristically stern, the reporters suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
The smile on Lucius's face began to falter too.
Then Lucius said solemnly, "Dumbledore, please respect the Board of Governors' decision.
You see, Dumbledore, this business with Hagrid puts you at a considerable disadvantage. Both the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic have made their decision."
Despite his words, his tone lacked force. He sounded almost as though he were trying to reason with Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked Lucius up and down. "Lucius, of course I'll give up my position, if this truly is the Board of Governors' decision and not the work of people with no regard for the school's safety..."
Fudge immediately stepped forward and shouted with more bluster than conviction, "Dumbledore! Watch your words! The man standing before you is the