Disciplinary Hearing

[Headmaster Elwyn Emerindyl]

Elwyn Emerindyl arrived astride his dragon when he had been summoned to the Ministry of Magic. He had come alone but for the presence of Lady Ameraid who felt regardless of what the Ministry of Magic felt, she was to be included in any and all discussions pertaining to her students, and Elwyn was resigned to agree with her whatever the costs.

They moved along the airstrip where most of the flying arrivals appeared. This was the busiest airstrip in the magical world; save perhaps Koalingo Academy on the night of arrival. He was wearing his usual robes of green and gold and in his hands today, supporting his steps was a long gold staff with an orb-crafted emerald at the top of it.

The week had been very pressing for him, and while he did not like to display his weaknesses when they occurred he knew it would endear him to others when they would understand just how stressing recent events had been. Today he was not coming to the Ministry for a good thing; he was not hear to deliver a new law or preside over a case that would rely on his most wise decision.

No. Today he was here for a disciplinary hearing.

“Well I cannot say I am all that surprised, the Mark’s are grieving Amberly, they could not have been expected not to want to blame somebody for what has happened and I do not mind admitting that we could have placed measures upon the school to ensure that it did not occur,” Elwyn said, though he knew this was not true. No one could know who this murderer was, and how they got into the castle, even after all the security in place; was astounding to consider.

“We cannot be expected to see and know everything that occurs in Koalingo Manor, I don’t think the Manor itself even knows, but we are to be held accountable for our students Amberly,” he was saying to her as they moved along.

As they arrived at the entrance to the Ministry the doors were opened wide and the guards at the door bowed them both in. Lord Emerindyl responded curiously and walked through into the hall beyond. In this area there were many tributes made to Australia by the wizarding nations of the world; the centre of which was a fountain identical to one the same, which stood in the British Ministry of Magic.

“Ghastly thing,” Elwyn muttered as he passed it to the section where people had to sign in.

[Lady Amberly Ameraid]

Amberly Ameraid was disgusted that this was even occurring though she listened to Elwyn saying over and over that they should have expected it would happen, all the same she could not accept it and was prepared to tell the School Governors and the Ministry exactly what she thought of this disciplinary meeting. She knew that Elwyn was prepared to walk into the hearing and take whatever disciplinary action they were planning on throwing at him; she however; would not be so accommodating.

Maybe that was why he had let her join him.

She moved serenely along the airstrip at his side looking down at any of the plebes that dared lay eyes on her. She didn’t appreciate these types; the one’s that left school with no motivation for the future; no plans, and so the Ministry would give them remedial jobs that paid minimum wage, keeping food on the table and making their own job that much easier. They were no better then house elves; and Amberly Ameraid did not approve of house elves.

‘If you want a job done right, you do it yourself.’

She looked off the edge of the floating island to the surrounding countryside. It was a far better view then that she was currently getting from Koalingo Manor. The scenery here was much greener and seemed to be bursting with life. Though there were a few muggle town’s nearby which was probably why, though all the same it seemed a lot more welcoming then the current browning countryside surrounding Mt Kosciusko.

She brought her eyes back to where she was walking as they reached the entrance. She had said nothing to Elwyn the entire time they were moving along the airstrip feeling that she could not be bothered competing with the noise carried by the wind. She swept in through the doorway, her plum gown touching both side of the doorway as she moved through. This was after all a formal visit and she was after all; a Lady.

She paid no heed to the decorations of the entrance foyer. She passed by them all considering what Elwyn had been saying during their walk from the Dragon. She had just completed sign in and staring down the pathetic boy who pretended not to know who she was before she told him stiffly exactly how uneducated people seemed to be the only kind that could work at the Ministry.

“If that is the stance you are going to take when we are in there, Elwyn, I am afraid your opinion and mine will differ somewhat,” she said to him rather waspishly as she came to stop outside of the hearing room while they waited to be summouned.

[Headmaster Elwyn Emerindyl]

Elwyn’s cloak swept along the marbled floor as he moved forward away from sign in towards a spiraled stair that stood at the edge of the room winding around a poll that had people shooting up it, and then down every now and then, “This is new,” he said when he looked at it, “Inspiration?” he hinted to Amberley knowing full and well that there was one such stair only one other place in the world that he knew of, and that was within the common of the Ameraid house. He didn’t know whether Amberley would take this as an insult or not, all the same, it was interesting.

“The hearing is to be held in courtroom seven,” he said to a clerk that came running up to him. The clerk faltered and nodded, evidently it had been that news that the clerk had been coming to tell him. Elwyn still found it surprising that people felt they needed to verbalise instructions to him. While he admitted his psychic abilities would never match that of Amberley Ameraid; he was quite adept in his own right.

“My Lady?” he gestured to the stair before starting down it after Lady Ameraid. As he walked down he watched as several more people zoomed up and down the poll in the centre of the stair. As he moved it became more and more apparent that the people moving down and up this poll were aware of just who they were passing. To the point that someone actually fell of the poll and stumbled down a couple of stairs before getting up, dusting themselves off looking embarrassed; bowing to Elwyn and Amberley before getting back on the poll and zooming away again.

“How long has it been since you have been to the Ministry?” Elwyn said to Amberley, honestly unsure as to when it would have been. The hearing after Amberley’s previous indiscretion had been held formally at the Manor, and so Amberley had been spared the insult of which Elwyn now had flung at him.

“I find it changes rapidly from one century to the next, this stair cant be all that old, it wasn’t here during my last visit,” Elwyn felt this meant something as he had often visited the Ministry of Magic, though his visits had become less and less frequent in the last seven years.

When they arrived at the floor where the courtroom was; Lord Emerindyl stepped off the stair case and moved quietly towards the door which opened. Either side of the doors were Ministry police officials. Elwyn thought this a little extreme, and decided the Ministry must think they and Elwyn were currently on opposite sides of an argument. He knew bringing Amberley might confirm this. He stepped into the centre of the circular courtroom and bowed to greet the officials of the Commonwealth Wizengamot.

[Minister Forellius Crudge]

“Welcome,” the stiff voice of the minister for magic sounded throughout the cavernous meeting hall. This room got a lot of use over the years though on very few occasions was the disciplinary hearing held for one such as Lord Emerindyl. Forellius was not all that pleased about the situation, though the board of school governors placed a fair amount of pressure on him to call this hearing. The death of a student was no light matter after all and Forellius had told Elwyn seven years ago that re-appointing Lady Ameraid to her position within the school was a bad idea. If he chose to ignore his advise on that, then perhaps he would listen now.

“Take your seats please, we will begin in a moment,” he tried as best he could to be courteous. It was not easy given that the plaintiff was a family grieving over the death of one of their only two sons. Forellius had gone over the reports of the aurors who attended the crime scene again and again and so much of it did not make sense that he was about ready to ask somebody else for advice. Unfortunately the only advise he got from anyone was to blame Elwyn and Amberly. They were the only two that could be held accountable at this time; Elwyn as the Headmaster of the Academy, and Amberly as the dead boys house head teacher. They were charged with the boy’s safety and they had failed.

“For the records I would have you both state your names in full,” There was so much that would happen today that was unnecessary though even Forellius could not get around it so there was no point pretending he could. His command of this statement was clear and he could already hear the tapping of the typewriter at the edge of the hall recording everything he said. He knew that this hearing was nonly to find someone to blame. They were no closer to catching the real villains of this story then they were a month ago. Someone had managed to get into Koalingo Academy and commit murder, and the ministry had no idea who... that in itself was unsettling enough to cause havoc country wide.

“We are today to discuss the disciplinary action requested to be taken against the Headmaster of Koalingo Academy, and the Head of the Ameraid House in regards to the tragic death of a student of said school and house group,” he started up hearing some of the generally stiff bottomed politicians in his hall shifting in their seats. Elwyn had many friends in this hall today, perhaps not enough though.

“In the case mentioned, each of you,” he gestured to Elwyn and Amberly, “Will be given a chance to give an account of what happened on the night in question and why you were incapable of preventing this mysterious event, keep in mind that you are both responsible for the wellbeing of all students that attend your school and that you are responsible for them at all times, do you accept blame for the happenings of the night in question?”

[Headmaster Elwyn Emerindyl]

“It is the opinion of my colleague and I, that this was a tragic occurrence surrounded by mysterious circumstances that escape the thoughts of reasonable possibility,” Elwyn responded politely looking up at the members of the hearing. He knew there was very little he could say about his opinion and how it was similar to that of Lady Ameraid. Amberley was somewhat headstrong at times and it being suggested that she was even slightly at fault for the tragedy was unacceptable in her eyes, Elwyn knew this. He looked about those in the hearing and smiled in a solemn grimace he knew would let them all know that he respected the levity of the situation.

“I’d not insult one of you by suggesting you aren’t aware of everything that was included in the reports completed by Arutha ConDoin at your behest,” he said spreading his hands with the most regal shrug he was capable of naturally, “It was his opinion in that report that there was no explanation of exactly how forces had penetrated the castle with this act in mind, it simply bares no trace of evidence that the Guild of Avada were even involved,”

“The very best security surrounds the castle and has kept it safe for a thousand years, it would be folly nto jump to any conclusions, at this point of we refrain from narrowing our search area and keeping in mind that any number of things could have occurred, then we don’t rule out who is really at fault here, and mark my words when I say, the real culprit here is he who planned the murder,” he looked down at that point and then back up again, “I’m not even entirely convinced the death was a murder,”