"I always had a feeling you monster of a kid must have had some grand conspiracy cooking," Moody growled, his prosthetic eye wandering as though it had a mind of its own, sliding between the two seated across from him and the pair flanking him on either side, fixing them in turn like nails driven through flesh, "but never did I think you were this much of a madman."
Atop the heavy oak desk, five cups of steaming hot tea sat carefully arranged, their faint spirals of steam lifting into the tension that filled the room. The Headmaster's office felt unusually confined, crowded not by bodies but by intent, and the council assembled there kept their voices low despite wards laid thick enough to suffocate any secret long before it reached the walls.
"You are not the first to call me mad, Mad Eye," Mavrick replied, lifting one shoulder in a careless shrug as he reached for his cup, "but here we are all the same, and every person in this room stands in agreement with my goal."
"I do not recall ever calling you mad, Professor Caesar," Flitwick said lightly, his feet dangling as he leaned back, a small chuckle escaping him as his eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Please, we all thought it at first," McGonagall cut in, removing her spectacles and cleaning them with deliberate care, her lips curving into a smile that did not quite reach her eyes, "and I still do, by the way."
Dumbledore joined them with a soft laugh as well, fingers steepled atop the desk, his serenity strikingly out of place given the subject at hand.
Their casual demeanor set Moody's brow twitching, then twitching again, his grip tightening on the arm of his chair as he looked from one to the next, all four of them speaking with the ease of staffroom chatter instead of conspirators standing on the edge of turning the wizarding world upside down.
"You know what," he said finally, his voice rough and worn, "let me rephrase that. You are all mad." He paused, exhaling through his nose as his hand rose in a tired, dismissive gesture. "Whatever. Now that you have laid all of this out, I suppose falling in line is my only real option."
"Oh," Mavrick said, raising his cup and taking a slow sip, his eyes never leaving the veteran Auror, "so easily decided?"
"Do I have a choice?" Moody leaned back. "At the very least, I know I am not walking out of this office without you lot doing something to my memories."
"That depends," Mavrick replied smoothly, setting his cup down. "Do you want us to?"
"Stop that," McGonagall snapped, her eyes rolling. "For Merlin's sake, you are making it sound like we are some dark band of evil wizards."
Easy for you to say, woman. I am the one pinned here by the most powerful wizard alive and an equally monstrous kid, with the pair of you hemming me in from both sides. Naturally, he didn't say it aloud, striving to keep his expression impassive while the corner of his mouth twitched despite his efforts.
"Fine," he said after a moment, straightening. "Let's say I side with you. I have more than a few points about this whole operation that I want clarified."
"Please," Dumbledore said, gesturing with one hand. "I would be far more worried if you did not, Alastor."
"For starters," Moody said, turning his gaze toward Mavrick, "this double agent of yours. Lucius Malfoy. How much trust do you actually place in him, enough to be certain he will not betray you?"
"None at all," Mavrick answered without hesitation. "But I trust my magic, and I trust that he will not believe Riddle will emerge victorious against it."
"So you have him blackmailed."
"I have made him realize that his survival, and that of his family, depends entirely on siding with me."
Moody's brows furrowed for a moment, after which he let the matter drop with a short grunt. "And the other spy," he continued, turning to Dumbledore. "Should he not be joining this particular discussion?"
"He has his own arrangements," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Severus... he knows nothing of the grander plan."
"And he will not," Mavrick added. "I have no intention of involving him in any of my operations."
"Why," Moody asked, eye narrowing, "if you do not mind me asking?"
"For no reason other than the fact that he is incapable of rational thinking."
"You really do not like Professor Snape, do you, Mavrick," Flitwick said with a chuckle.
"Severus has his flaws," Dumbledore began, as though ready to defend the man, though Mavrick cut in without hesitation.
"The man has the emotional control of a teenager, Headmaster. You cannot convince me otherwise."
"Enough," McGonagall said sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose before looking back at Moody. "Please, Alastor, are there any other matters you wish to clarify?"
"There is one last thing," Moody replied, glancing briefly at McGonagall before fixing his gaze once more on Mavrick and Dumbledore. "The bait. How certain are you that that lunatic will fall for it?"
Mavrick nodded, unsurprised, leaning back as a slow smile tugged at his lips. "Let's just say he has no other choice. We have cut off every alternative, even planted an insider he will be forced to trust, and monitor his every move. There's really little he can do except dance on the strings we provide."
"What Professor Caesar means," Dumbledore added gently, "is that if Lord Voldemort wishes to return, and there is nothing he desires more, then he must take that bait."
Paired with everything he had heard earlier about the web of arrangements woven into place, and if even a fraction of it proved true, Moody had no doubt it would unfold exactly as described. He let out a weary sigh. "Merlin... I almost feel sorry for that fellow..."
Rubbing a hand over his face, he added, "You know, I never thought I would see the day when you, of all people, orchestrated something like this, Dumbledore."
"It is for the great... for the future of the wizarding world, Alastor," Dumbledore said quietly. "The plan is solid, it will succeed, and above all else, it will be done without harming innocent lives."
Mavrick barely held back a chuckle, his lips twitching as he leaned forward. "Decide, Mr. Moody. The wizarding world has spent long enough hiding like birds in cages. It is time we learned how to fly."
"How eloquent," Moody muttered dryly. "One would think you are about to liberate an enslaved people rather than turn the world upside down."
"I beg to differ, Alastor," Flitwick said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Why can it not be both?"
"Madmen," Moody said, though a laugh followed, genuine this time and for the first time, before he straightened as if settling his mind at last. "Very well. I will board your pirate ship. Besides, when this ends, it will be you two the ICW comes after."
"Hardly a problem," Mavrick replied with a smirk. "There are more of us involved, though at their insistence I will not mention names. Just know that we have the numbers to say otherwise."
"So what now," Moody asked. "Do I swear an Unbreakable Vow or something equally dramatic?"
"I do not think it is necessary to go that far, right?" McGonagall said unsurely, glancing between Mavrick and Dumbledore.
"On the contrary," Mavrick said, leaning forward as he drew his wand. "I say we all take one... to carry out the plan and never hinder it in any way."
The room sank into a heavy silence, brief yet weighted with meaning. An Unbreakable Vow might sound easy when spoken aloud, but it was nothing to dismiss lightly, no matter how powerful one's magic, and they all knew it. At the same time, what was at stake was no simple matter either, and that truth carried equal weight in their minds.
Dumbledore moved next, setting the Elder Wand upon the table, and then, one by one, the others followed, reaching for their wands as their resolve hardened. Unseen by any beyond that room, a decision that would change the fate of the entire world was made that evening, not even the portraits upon the walls bearing witness, as their entire discussion lay buried beneath dense wards and powerful enchantments, despite the venue being one of the most guarded sanctuaries in the world.
---
Morning sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the Hogwarts corridors, scattering fragmented pools of color across the cold flagstone floor as the castle slowly stirred to life.
Hermione emerged from the library with a stack of books hugged tightly against her chest, already deep in thought, only to nearly collide with Harry and Ron rounding the corner at an unhurried pace.
"Merlin, Hermione," Ron muttered, eyeing the pile of books she carried with open disbelief, "it's only the first day of school."
"Don't, Ronald," Hermione said immediately, rolling her eyes as she fell into step beside them. "Just don't."
Harry could not help but chuckle as the three of them moved forward together. "We're heading to Professor Caesar's sixth-year Muggle Science class," he said, glancing ahead, "and I don't think it's just us."
Hermione, ever attentive, lifted her gaze and scanned the corridor. Sure enough, far more students than usual were funneling in the same direction, their chatter far more enthusiastic and far earlier than one would expect for a morning class.
It did not surprise her in the least, however, since the last two years had unfolded in much the same way. Anyway, she could hardly complain, as she had the very same thought in mind and was already heading that way herself.
By now, the entire school knew what the first Muggle Science class of sixth year meant. It was not merely a lesson, but an experience, one that carried students across the star-strewn depths of space in adventures so vivid they bordered on reality. Even professors had been known to attend when their schedules allowed.
"So what are we going to do about Professor Trelawney's Divination class an hour later?" she asked hesitantly.
"Please," Ron scoffed, "who'd want to sit in that stuffy classroom learning absolutely nothing?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at him, his eyelids half-lowered as though he had heard something amusing. "Are you saying you learn a lot in the other classes?"
Ron's eye twitched at that, and from the side, Hermione could not suppress a quiet laugh at the jab.
They soon reached the classroom door, though calling it a classroom felt generous at best. When Harry pushed it open, they were immediately met with a wall of noise and movement.
There were a lot of students inside. No, that was an understatement. Nearly half the school seemed to be packed into the room.
"Merlin's majestic beard," Ron breathed, staring wide-eyed. "It's even crazier than last year."
"It feels bigger than I remember," Hermione remarked, looking around as she took it all in.
"How else do you expect to fit half the school inside?" Harry replied easily.
Hermione spotted a familiar head in the crowd and nodded in that direction. "There's Jean. Come on, let's sit over there."
Meanwhile, at the front of the room, perched casually on the edge of his desk with one leg dangling, the man of the hour surveyed the sea of students with a mix of resignation and faint disbelief, his gaze sweeping across the packed hall.
And toward the very back, he spotted something even more absurd, almost half of the professors were present as well.
If I remember the teaching schedule correctly, Flitwick should be teaching Charms to the third years right now. The corner of his lips twitched. What the hell is he doing here?
Time passed amid buzzing conversation and barely restrained excitement, and when the bell finally rang to announce the start of class, Mavrick let out a quiet, resigned sigh. He pushed himself upright and walked toward the center of the room, the long hem of his robes fluttering softly behind him.
"Right then," he said, magic ensuring that every word reached its mark.
Despite everything, his voice softened naturally, carrying the calm authority and practiced ease of a seasoned teacher as he stepped fully into view.
"I am sure many of you have heard my name," he began, starting with the usual self-introduction. "I am Mavrick Caesar, a master alchemist, professional educator, businessman, among other things."
A ripple of amusement passed through the room.
"Normally, I would have each of you introduce yourselves," he continued, pausing as his gaze swept across the crowd, a smile tugging at his lips, "but I suspect that might be better saved for a later date, preferably one where half the school is not present."
The room, or rather the hall it had effectively become, erupted into a low chorus of chuckles.
"Muggle Science," Mavrick said, his eyes gleaming faintly, "so let us begin with a short journey."
And with that, the first class of the year began for him once again, unfolding with all the drama and enthusiasm one could possibly expect.
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