"And yet it is the only way we can," the old man returned.
"You can always hand over the reins of the organisation to another until you manage to rid yourself of your auror guard," suggested Flitwick.
Dumbledore just scowled back and, almost imperiously, said, "I'm afraid I cannot do that. There is so much of what is going on I simply cannot share with anyone else."
"Hubris," snapped Flitwick.
Eventually, the signal of the co-ordinates of where the attack was taking place was received and Dumbledore immediately created the portkeys for the members.
As soon as the auror guard saw what the old man was doing, though, they immediately moved forward towards him. And stopped when they saw the items used being handed off to the Charms Master.
Flitwick hurried from the room with them.
Less than ten minutes later Longbottom strode into the infirmary and, not even waiting for Dumbledore to erect anti-listening and -surveillance wards, proceeded to verbally rip into the old man. "So you've refused to grant me permission to go, have you?" he demanded of the old man. "Need I remind you I'm a lawfully recognised adult... and Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient House? Who... the fuck... do you think you are to attempt to refuse me permission to do anything?"
After rapidly throwing up silencing and anti-listening wards, Dumbledore tried, "Now, Neville―"
"Lord Longbottom, you peon!" Longbottom loudly snapped back.
Suddenly glaring back at the insult, Dumbledore was a moment before he quietly said, "Be aware of with whom you are speaking, Mister Long―"
"Lord Longbottom, Mister Dumbledore!" Longbottom barked.
With an angry grimace, Dumbledore again hesitated before he quietly said, "Lord Longbottom; be aware of with whom you are speaking."
"Oh, I am!" said Longbottom. "Someone... who seems to think they have some right to order me about. Someone... who seems to think they have the right to deny me something as if they're my master! Someone... who will cease with that nonsense... immediately!
"If you don't cease with that nonsense... immediately... I'm gone! I will take my grandmother and my parents and move overseas. I will be gone within the day."
As the two then glared at one another, Longbottom finally slumped as if in defeat. In a much quieter voice he almost whined, "Did you see what Peverell did to me when you weren't specifically shielding me? Did you see the sheer number of hexes he landed on me? "At least seven, Albus. He hit me at least seven times and I couldn't even get close to landing one on him."
"They were only prank hexes, my boy," said Dumbledore.
"Yes," said Longbottom, again getting a little irritated. "But, you're not getting it, are you? You're not understanding... or accepting... what that means.
"He hit me at least seven times, even with you actively protecting me. Yes; they were prank hexes. However, they didn't have to be if he didn't want them to be. He could have just as easily launched deadly curses with the same effect - and I would be dead!
"Don't you get it? He was playing with me. He did not see me as a threat. And, if he can so easily give me a magical spanking, even with you there, what is You-Know-Who going to be like when he finally stops running from me?" "We won't know until―"
"We already do!" snapped Longbottom. "That evidence was firmly cast at me yesterday morning; and only an utter foolwould refuse to accept the truth of it. If You-Know-Who finally stops running from me, I'm toast!"
As Longbottom was almost panting in exertion at the force he was mentally employing to get the old man to understand what he was getting at, it gave Dumbledore the time to rebut.
"Neville, my b―"
"Lord Longbottom, you fucking arsehole!" screamed Longbottom, snap drawing his wand.
That shut the old man up. He even winced. And Longbottom's wand, unknown to him, was spitting sparks onto the floor as he held it pointed down. Dumbledore saw it, though.
"I've never given you leave to address me so... cavalierly, old man," snarled Longbottom. "You used to always address me as Mister Longbottom. You always did... right up until Harry went through the Veil. You used to so cavalierly address him as 'Harry, my boy'; never as Mister Potter, unless you were annoyed with him.
"Harry goes through the Veil and... what do you know?... you start addressing me in your condescending cavalier manner. Well, it ends today, you wanker. Do it ever again and I will swear on my magic and my very life that I will not go after You-Know-Who until I have certifiable proof that you are already dead."
As Dumbledore gaped back in shock, Longbottom continued, "At which point... Albus, my boy... it'll be For the Greater Goodthat you kill yourself."
"Nnn- Lord Longbottom, y-you can't be serious!" the old man stuttered. "Well, it seems to be working already, doesn't it?" Longbottom snarked back. "Remember this, Mister Dumbledore... it is youwho needs me... not the other way around.
"This will also be the last time you ever make decisions for me. Do it again and you'll never see me again!"
Without waiting for Dumbledore to reply, he spun about and stormed back out of the room.
Scowling worriedly at the back of the retreating young man as he walked out the door, Dumbledore was annoyed even further when he saw both aurors at the doors were grinning at him. They might not have overheard what was said, except for the opening words, but that didn't mean they couldn't see that Longbottom had given the old man a right royal telling-off.
Down for a later breakfast than had become their norm the next morning, Harry and Luna were now 'busy' first thing in the mornings, the two walked into the kitchen to find Sirius was already down and reading the Daily Prophet. He'd already finished his breakfast and was drinking a cup of coffee at the time.
When the two walked in, as soon as Harry sat Sirius slid the Prophet down the table to him. "Front page," he said, by way of explanation.
Unfolding the paper from the single fold Sirius made in it before sliding it down, Harry saw what his godfather meant; there was an attack on a pure-blood home the previous evening.
The Daily Prophet were all up in their wands, not just because the home was a pure-blood one, but because the Order had turned up and not managed to drive them off without injury again. Actually, one of the Order members had been killed - Daedalus Diggle.
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