In a place the girl could not see, Deathstroke was speaking with Dumbledore in the principal's office.
The old principal sipped honey water and ate Cockroach Clusters, his eyes peering over his half-moon spectacles toward the other side of the desk. The Phoenix named Fawkes stood on a perch behind him, looking somewhat listless.
"I called you here because I wanted to discuss something. Hagrid complained to me that you slaughtered Magical Creatures in the Forbidden Forest."
Old Dumbledore said this while still eating, making his words rather muffled.
Su Ming shook his head. He sat on the sofa across the desk, smoking with exceptional calm. "Believe it or not, the spiders attacked first. They wanted to eat my students, so I had no choice but to let my students eat them."
Dumbledore tilted his head, apparently not getting the joke. His long white hair looked disheveled beneath his wizard's hat.
"But Hagrid considers the spiders his pets. He says they have never harmed anyone."
"If they really are pets, they should be kept in a glass tank at home, not allowed to occupy the school grounds. The Forbidden Forest belongs to Hogwarts. He is only the gatekeeper and gamekeeper; he should not be the one deciding what gets released into the forest. Today he can raise giant spiders, tomorrow he can raise dragons, and the day after tomorrow the Ministry of Magic will come arrest him and send him to Azkaban. We both know he is capable of it."
Old Dumbledore nodded and pushed over the dish of jelly beans on the table. "So, he is accusing you of killing his pets, while you are reporting him for occupying school property. How about you both take a step back? Let us leave it at that."
"Of course. But Principal,