After the feast ended, Douglas went to the Headmaster's Office.
Only then did Dumbledore study Douglas carefully and ask curiously:
"Have you felt any discomfort?"
Douglas blinked and said with a smile:
"I feel wonderful, full of energy."
Dumbledore pulled apart two ice cream bars that had stuck together and handed one to Douglas, saying:
"Well, I'm still very glad to see you here for a second school year. This will save me a great deal of trouble in the future. You know, the rumors out there are running so wild now that new professors are hard to find.
"By the way, Professor Lupin wrote to me earlier saying that a wooden Patronus charm you gave Harry captured a Dementor... You always have so many unusual ideas and approaches."
Douglas tasted the old-fashioned ice cream bar and frowned slightly. It was far too sweet. Then he explained to Dumbledore:
"That was an idea of mine. Since it's a protective charm, it shouldn't just defend against simple Dark Magic. But I can't yet create a spell that can directly block the Killing Curse, so I thought of another way.
"Capture a living being inside the space I created in the charm. At a critical moment, that living being could take an Avada Kedavra for Harry.
"Originally, I hadn't decided what sort of living being to keep inside the charm. After all, keeping a living being alive isn't easy.
"But because of this accident, it suddenly struck me that a Dementor would be a very suitable choice...
"Professor, the Ministry of Magic isn't going to ask for this Dementor back, is it?"
Dumbledore ate his ice cream with great satisfaction and said casually:
"Oh, certainly not, unless they can find this Dementor themselves..."
Clearly, Dumbledore had no fondness for Dementors either.
Early