If he was in the library, he was working on his newest assignments or just discussing books he'd read over the summer with Madam Pince. He fully planned to take a great deal of Owl exams. Not all of which were available to the students of Hogwarts though most of them certainly should be. With the Librarians help, he was working his way through subject matter there was no class for but which would help him live his life after he finished his schooling. He knew some of the Owls he planned to take he would have to take over the summer at the Ministry but that shouldn't be a problem so long as he did it before his birthday.
Minerva was still trying to figure out a way to get her favorite Lions to read the book she'd made copies of. She knew they needed to read the books so they could understand how the solution to their disfigurement was in their own hands. It had only been a couple of days but to her it felt like it'd been months already. They were stubborn lions and they wanted to see Harry suffer for what he'd done to them. And they wouldn't hear a word she was telling them until she agreed to punish him. Hermione wanted him expelled. Immediately. Ron wanted the aurors called so he could be arrested because he had dared to raise his hand against a pureblood. Ginerva wanted him forced to announce their betrothal at a school assembly so everyone would know she wasn't tarnished goods and was still a respectable girl. None of them would understand what they wanted wouldn't happen and didn't matter because it wouldn't happen.
She knew they also fantasized about standing up in the Great Hall with her and Albus confronting Harry over the marks and demanding he remove them while apologizing to the trio and admitting how inferior to them he actually was. To always follow their direction and do everything they told him to do when they told him to do it. That it'd never happen was something they just couldn't seem to understand. Mainly because socially Harry Potter wasn't their inferior in any manner but they wanted him to be. Nor would either she or Albus force him into a position where he had to claim it to be true. Not even in a private setting. Certainly not in such a public place as the Great Hall.
Albus might try and make Harry apologize to them but that was mainly because Albus treated apologies like candy. Only words that held little if any meaning and cost you nothing to utter. But even if he did, it was unlikely to happen. Harry was Lily's child. He didn't apologize when he felt he was in the right. And the fact they were wearing the runes clearly showed he was right. Magic wouldn't have placed them if he hadn't been. Therefore there would be no apology. Not from Harry to them anyway.
Second, only they could remove the marks. That was something she fully understood now. Only by admitting they'd done wrong and changing their behavior would those marks begin to fade and eventually disappear. No one could take them away for them. And honestly in this society, once people understood how they came to be marked, no one would even try to. People would see the marks as the hard earned fruits of their own labor.
But the children didn't care. Right now they were angry and hurt and they blamed Harry for it. Rightly, of course. Since he did call for the Judgement against them. But there was no way he'd ever get punished for it. Since if they hadn't been guilty, the marks wouldn't be there.
But she was also coming to realize the three weren't the children she'd thought they were. Their inability to own up to their own bad behavior was as enlightening to her as it was disappointing. She was still fond of them. She just now realized they weren't exactly who she thought they were. As was obvious by the fact they were still trying to convince her Harry had lied to her and they'd done nothing wrong. That he'd just been angry and took his anger out on them for no good reason.
They'd come to her office today to try and convince her to punish Mr. Potter. To make him remove the marks he'd put on them. Just as they had yesterday. She'd refused.
She in turn tried to get them to understand they were being punished by Magic itself. Not by Mr. Potter. She tried to get them to read the booklet. Just as she had yesterday. They'd refused.
She had noticed Albus returning to the Castle and was actively engaged in trying to keep the trio from seeing him as she knew him well enough to know he'd take their side, never noticing whether or not they were lying to him. He'd then do exactly as they wanted. Oh, he wouldn't set the scene in the Great Hall or anything like that. But he would call Mr. Potter to his office so he could punish him for the offense against them and try to force him to apologize to the children. Because it'd never occur to Albus that they deserved the marks they wore. Or that it'd been Mr. Potter's right to punish them for their transgressions against him. Especially as no one else would even admit they were transgressing against him to punish them.
That had been another eye-opening realization for her. She'd finally had to admit to herself that even if Mr. Potter had come to her about what the trio were doing to him, she wouldn't have done anything about it. If she'd even have listened to him at all. Which chances were good she wouldn't have. Because at that time, she'd thought he was the bad seed in her tower. Now she knew if he was, he wasn't the only one.
So for now she just wanted to keep the trio away from Albus for as long as she possibly could. To delay that meeting for as long as possible. Because even if he could, she knew Mr. Potter well enough to know he'd do nothing to remove those marks.
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