"Albus! You promised me!"
Professor McGonagall's furious voice echoed through the enormous circular Headmaster's Office.
The portraits covering the walls no longer kept their eyes shut and pretended to sleep. They opened their eyes one after another, watching this rare spectacle with keen interest.
Some portraits whose frames contained fruit platters, beer, and food were packed to bursting.
Munching apples and raising their beers, they watched the greatest light wizard in history, President of the International Confederation of Wizards, President of the Wizards' Association, holder of the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot get thoroughly berated by his own deputy headmistress.
Dumbledore waved his hand, and a glass of chilled lemon juice glided lightly over from one side of the desk.
"Minerva, have something to drink. Relax..."
"Relax?" Professor McGonagall fixed Dumbledore with a piercing stare through her square spectacles.
"What did you tell me? You said you would stay with them the entire time! We were lucky this time. Zhang's unusual items played a major part, but what if... what if something had gone wrong?
How would you expect me to face their parents?
Would you have me tell those parents, devastated by the loss of their children,
'Although you entrusted your children to Hogwarts, our headmaster's negligence resulted in their accidental deaths.'
Is that it? Albus?!"
Dumbledore quietly gazed at his deputy headmistress, the woman who had devoted everything she had to Hogwarts after losing her husband.
He suddenly realized that no matter how many excuses he offered, such as leaving Fawkes behind, they all seemed utterly hollow before Minerva McGonagall.
The faint rustle of whispered conversations vanished. The portraits fell silent. After a while, Headmaster Dippet said softly,
"Albus, Minerva is right. You should not have disregarded the children's safety."
Dumbledore nodded