Chapter 3 - CorrectionsTraffic had been a little heavier than anticipated, so Harry and Hermione arrived at King's Cross with only fifteen minutes to spare. They quickly exchanged hugs and said good-bye to Hermione's parents and went through the portal to Platform 9 ¾. To their surprise, there was a family waiting for them who approached them before they could get on the train.
"Hermione?" Ron Weasley called out.
The two stopped and waited. The Weasleys, led by Ron, joined them. Behind him stood a somewhat intimidating looking woman with red hair looking at her son, a jovial looking man with thinning red hair looking at the two of them, and red-haired girl that looked about a year younger than them standing next to her mother looking very intently at both of them, but mostly at Harry.
"Yes, Ron?" Hermione answered him; she was a few steps short of where Ron stood, with Harry standing next to her on her left. She wondered what he wanted. Ron looked nervous, now that she really looked at him.
"I, uh … I took what you said to heart and tried it …" he trailed off and glanced back at his mother.
She could not fathom what he was talking about. "Excuse me?"
Ron licked his lips. "I, err, I talked to my parents about what happened at school, and well, they helped me to understand what I had done." He paused and looked at Hermione with a hopeful look, but when she said nothing, he looked back to his mother who nodded to him and then to her.
Hermione was finally figuring out that his mother was making him say something to her, and it was amusing to watch him struggle.
"Right. I'm trying to say that I'm sorry for being a prat to you. I really didn't understand how the things I said could sound to someone else, and I'm sorry. Could we be friends again?" Ron still looked nervous and there appeared to be a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Harry was impressed that Ron had said that, as he would not have thought him capable based on his past actions. Perhaps there was hope for him yet. Then again, it also looked like he would not be doing this if not for his mother. Harry decided to wait and see how Ron acted in the future.
It was all so obvious now, Hermione thought. Ron had been asked how last term went, and she suspected one of his brothers had mentioned Ron had gotten into a flaming row with her and had overheard her tell Ron to talk to his parents about what he had done wrong, and said brother had brought this up in front of his parents. She suspected the twins of doing that, as it would fit their personality and they were friends with Harry because of Quidditch. Ron had probably been raked over the coals and then forced to apologize, hence the scowling woman behind him. She sighed, as she would have rather he figured it out on his own and then come to her. That would have been more meaningful, but she supposed that she would have to take what she could get. However, that did not mean she could not extract a little interest from the debt he had accumulated.
"Do you plan to call me names in the future?" she asked innocently.
Ron energetically shook his head and reminded her so much of the house-elves she had seen in the school kitchen that she almost giggled.
"Very well then, I accept your apology and we can be friends," she said.
Ron looked relieved, but he still was somewhat tense as he turned to Harry. "Harry?"
"I accept as long as you don't hurt Hermione again," Harry said very evenly.
Hermione noticed that the little girl at been looking at Harry carefully the whole time, but had frowned briefly when he had mentioned her name. She wondered why and tried to remember to ask Ron later.
"Thanks, mate," Ron said with great relief and turned back to his father, who gave him a nod and a smile, and then his mother lost her scowl and became a lot more pleasant looking.
"How about introducing us, Ron?" his mother asked.
"Oh, right. This is my father, my mother, and my little sister Ginny. Everyone, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, they're first-year Gryffindors with me," Ron introduced them all.
"Hello, Harry, Hermione," Mrs Weasley said hurriedly. "It's very nice to meet you."
"Thank you, it's very nice to meet you too," Hermione returned, and Harry echoed her.
The train whistle blew, preventing more talk. When it quieted down, Hermione said, "If you'll excuse us, we need to get on the train so we don't get left behind."
"Of course, dears, run along; Ron will join you in a moment," Mrs Weasley instructed them.
Harry and Hermione hurried to the train and boarded. They found a compartment with Neville in it and joined him. Ron joined them a moment later, just before the train pulled away.
As Ron finished getting settled, Hermione looked through the door window and saw two people she had been watching for. She nudged Harry. "That was Justin and Hannah walking by."
He grinned at her and said, "Thanks," as he rose.
"Where are you going, Harry?" Ron asked.
"I need to talk to a couple of people. I'll be back in a few minutes." He quickly slid out the door before more questions could be asked.
"Ron, why did your sister seem to be so interested in us?" Hermione asked.
He shrugged. "I think she's just bored at home and wants to know about Hogwarts, but who knows. She'll come to school next year."
Hermione nodded and filed that away. "So Neville, how was your holiday?" she asked. She hoped this would be a good chance to get to know the boy better. She had enjoyed talking to him on the train a few weeks ago.
As they progressed through dinner, Hermione began to wonder when she should give her Head of House the things she had for her. Would after dinner be appropriate? Or would first thing in the morning be better? Her dilemma was partially solved as dinner ended.
Professor McGonagall walked over to them, or rather Harry, but Hermione was standing next to him.
"Mr Potter. Will you come with me please? You're not in trouble, but the Headmaster would like to ask you a few questions."
"May I ask what about?" Harry held steady on the outside, but he was really wondering what this was about, considering everything that had happened over the holidays.
"I believe it has something to do with your family, but I'm not entirely sure," McGonagall replied.
Harry nervously looked at Hermione, who took that as her cue to help.
"Professor? I think it would be best if I came too."
Her teacher turned to her. "I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but the questions are in regards to Mr Potter's family, not yours."
"I'm sorry to contradict you, Professor, but I really should be a part of that discussion based upon recent happenings. I also have your book and some forms for you, which the Headmaster will want to see as well." Hermione hoped she would not have to fully explain things here, as there were several people still around them, all listening in.
McGonagall glanced back and forth between the two students, wondering what was going on between them. It was obvious there was more than initially met the eye. "Very well, if both of you will follow me please."
When they were in the corridor and it was only Professor McGonagall in front of them, Hermione reached over and grabbed Harry's hand, giving it a squeeze and him a smile.
Harry was heartened by the gesture and stood a little taller, smiling back. He squeezed her hand back before letting go. Hermione would stand by him and they would get through this together.
"What did Justin and Hannah say?" Hermione asked in a whisper as they walked.
"They had the same experience that you did," Harry whispered back.
Hermione nodded and frowned slightly. This was yet another anomaly surrounding Harry.
When they walked into the Headmaster's office, they saw the old man raise one bushy white eyebrow and look at his Deputy.
"When I mentioned why I thought you wanted to talk to Mr Potter, Miss Granger said that she had some information and should be present too," McGonagall explained as she took a seat.
Hermione and Harry shared a large chair, neither looking uncomfortable in doing so.
The Headmaster looked at both of them for a moment and a quick surface scan using Legilimency showed a little curiosity as well as more self-confidence from Harry than he had expected. That he was unable to easily get a deeper reading perplexed him slightly. He cleared his throat. "Very well then. At the beginning of each term, there are a number of things I check to make sure all is ready. One of them is a monitor I have on the protections on your home, Harry." He watched the boy react with confusion, while the girl looked like something had been confirmed.
"This morning," Dumbledore continued, "I discovered that the protections on your home, Harry, are all but non-existent. In fact, it would be a good idea to send you there for a week or two to recharge them, except that you just came from there. That leads me to ask if anything unusual happened over the holidays that I need to know about. It is very important that those protections remain, so I ask if there is anything you need to tell me?"
Harry was confused, but the Headmaster had raised a few questions in his mind. "I'm sorry, sir, but what protections and why would I need them?"
Dumbledore really did not want to have to explain this, but in the long run, it would probably be better to do it now. "The day I placed you at your aunt's home, I put some protective wards in place that are charged by your magic. They protect you from harm, and that was very important as some of Voldemort's followers were still at large and attacking people. So you see, you need a safe place that you can stay when you are not at Hogwarts where I can help protect you."
"I see." Harry looked at Hermione.
Hermione nodded and then reached into the pockets in her robes. "I can help explain, Headmaster," she said. First she handed a slim book to her Head of House. "Professor, here's your book back. Thank you for loaning it to me. My mother made a copy so she can reference it in the future."
"That shouldn't be possible," McGonagall exclaimed, very surprised. "There are anti-copying charms on the book to prevent Duplication charms from working." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And you should not be using magic outside of school anyway."
"Oh, that's easily explained," Hermione said with a knowing look. "My mother took the book to her office and put it on the photocopier. It took her about fifteen minutes to make several copies."
Some of that explanation had gone right past McGonagall. "Photo…copier?" she asked.
"Yes. It's a machine that you can put paper or books on. The machine takes a picture of it and then prints it on paper so you have an exact copy," Hermione explained. "She gave me a copy of it, in addition to a couple more she kept for herself."
McGonagall turned the book over in her hand, looking at it as if she did not trust it anymore.
Dumbledore was thinking furiously. He could not quite figure out where the Granger girl was going with this, but he had a bad feeling about it. "What book is that, Minerva?"
"It's our teacher's handbook," she answered, still scowling at it, as if it had betrayed her.
"Miss Granger, as fascinating as that explanation was, what does that have to do with the protective wards at Harry's house failing?" Dumbledore watched her carefully.
"I also have these for you, Professor." Hermione handed a sheaf of parchment and paper to her Head of House before she looked at the Headmaster. "Nothing directly, Headmaster, but by seeing what rules the teachers have to follow, it allowed my mother to fill out those forms for Harry and me."
Dumbledore looked to Minerva, who was reading the top page. When she looked up, she handed the form to him before looking at the next one. She quickly noticed that the next form was attached to some other pages, but they were not parchment.
"Miss Granger, why is this … paper … attached to the form?"
"Oh, well, you only gave me three forms, but we needed more. So my mother used the official form that was on parchment as the first page and then printed the rest of the complaints out on paper. See at the top left corner? They're stapled together," Hermione pointed out quite calmly.
Sure enough, McGonagall lifted the top page and the rest were attached at the corner. Skimming, she saw numerous incidents cited, each by date and offence, followed by a description, just like the one she had handed to Dumbledore.
"Miss Granger," Dumbledore looked at the girl, "why would you waste or our time with complaints about Professor's Snape comments in class? I don't think four examples of 'improper behaviour by a teacher' are worth this effort. If I have to deal with this officially, I have to have an investigation, a response, then the result is sent to the board of governors to be repeated."
"Each of them by themselves is probably not worth it, Headmaster. If only one of them had happened, we would not have bothered. But we documented this to show that the problem is epidemic. It does not happen just to me, or to only Harry, but to both of us. If needed, I could get other students to fill out complaints too to show how widespread the problem with Professor Snape is."
"Mr Potter too?" He looked to his deputy. "Minerva?"
"If I'm counting correctly," McGonagall shuffled through the paperwork, "there are fourteen counts of 'improper behaviour by a teacher', five counts of 'endangering a student', and twenty-four counts of 'incorrect punishment'." She looked at her student with incredulousness. "Is this all really true, Mr Potter?"
"Yes, Professor. There were a few more, but we had trouble remembering when they happened so we didn't list them."
"Why didn't you come to me at the time?" McGonagall asked, feeling shocked all these infractions had happened without her knowledge.
Harry looked down until Hermione nudged him. Then he sat up straighter and looked at his Head of House. "We didn't know everything he was doing was wrong, and well, while I didn't like it, it was a lot like my uncle treated me so I was kind of used to it. Also, the one time we did, you said you couldn't do anything about it because I was unable to file an official complaint."
McGonagall briefly closed her eyes and sighed.
"May I see that please?" Dumbledore asked.
Minerva opened her eyes and handed it over before she started looking at the third set of complaints. Her eyes went wide as she read the form. There were three incidents cited, and all were against... "Albus! These are against you." She thrust it to him.
Dumbledore grabbed it, wondering how bad this was going to be. He was also wondering why this was happening now. He read the form. "Failure to provide proper school materials?"
"Yes, sir," Harry answered. "You gave all Muggle-born students materials explaining Hogwarts and an introductory book about the Wizarding World to help them understand what they were getting into. The person you sent to me did not bring those materials which put me at a disadvantage."
"But you're not Muggle-born, Harry," Dumbledore objected.
"Headmaster, as your teacher's manual clearly states, all students raised with Muggles are to receive the introductory materials. As Mrs Granger pointed out, it was written with someone like me in mind, too," Harry told him.
Dumbledore looked at the bottom of the form and smiled. Quickly checking the other form, he saw that it was signed by her as well. "This is very interesting, Harry, but it can't be an official complaint form because your guardian didn't sign it." He was safe from having to do anything about all of this. There was only the Granger girl's form to contend with.
"But she is my legal guardian. The judge said so over the holidays," Harry objected.
A ball of fear formed in the pit of Albus's stomach. "Why would you say that, Harry? Your aunt is your legal guardian."
"No, sir, she's not nor has she ever been, legally. The Dursleys have never been my legal guardians because they never submitted the proper legal forms. That was one of the things the Grangers showed me before they offered me the choice of making them my guardians. They're really nice so I choose them and they made it legal. I have a paper signed by a judge and everything." Harry beamed and Hermione joined him.
"So you didn't go home to the Dursleys for the Yule holidays?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, sir. Hermione invited me to her house. It was the best holiday I've ever had. I even got presents and got to eat Christmas dinner, both for the first time." Harry was still smiling.
"Mr Potter." His Head of House hoped she had heard incorrectly. "You've never had presents or Christmas dinner before?"
"No, Professor. I've had to cook it every year since I was eight, but I've never eaten it. No presents either," he told her honestly.
McGonagall felt her heart break a little, and she was sure it would be worse if she knew the rest of the story; furthermore, she was sure there was even more he was not telling. "Albus," she said sternly. "What did I tell you all those years ago? They were the worst sort of Muggles and you left him there anyway."
"It was for the best." Albus looked at Harry and quickly continued to try to gather information before Minerva could keep going. "Harry, it is extremely important that you return to the Dursleys. It is your home and the only place that can keep you completely safe."
"But it's not my home any longer," Harry objected, "so why would I want to go there?"
"Headmaster," Hermione spoke up, "you're incorrect in your statement because whatever protections you placed there did not keep Harry safe."
Dumbledore did not want to have to deal with the smart young witch, but he did not have a choice at the moment. "They have indeed kept Harry safe. Neither Death Eaters nor Voldemort have been able to reach him there."
"But they did not keep him safe from the Dursleys," Hermione persisted.
"They are his family, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said as if that should explain everything.
Hermione's eyes narrowed. "And how should family act?" Before an answer could be given, she asked, "Headmaster, what is the worst a family could do to a member without throwing them out of the house?"
"Miss Granger…"
"Please, Headmaster, it is very important that you answer that question," Hermione persisted.
Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. I suppose the worst would be not taking care of the person, letting the person hurt himself, and letting others hurt the person."
"If you'll also add hurt the person themselves, then the Dursleys did all of that to Harry and worse. They are not fit to be parents or to be around Harry," Hermione declared.
Dumbledore sighed and wondered. Was it all as bad as she really said? He could tell that she did believe everything she had said. He looked back down at the form in his hand, since it appeared he would have to defend against it. "Two counts of 'endangering a student'?" he asked very surprised. "When I have endangered a student at the school?"
While the question was directed at Harry, Hermione answered. "The most obvious is the endangerment to the entire school population. You said that a most painful death awaited those who ventured onto the third floor. Since no classes go there, that has nothing to do with our education and you're doing something non-school related that puts students at danger by having it here."
"As long as everyone stays away, there is not an issue, Miss Granger," Dumbledore stated as if it should have been obvious.
Harry chuckled and everyone looked to him. "Headmaster, the best way to get us students to do something is to tell us not to. I'm aware of more than eight students who can tell you about the Cerberus behind the locked door."
McGonagall paled. "Are you serious, Mr Potter?"
"Yes, Professor. It's a common conversation in the common rooms, or at least in the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses. I don't care too much as I know I'm only a first year and can't get past it, but some of the older students are researching it … and not just Gryffindors either," he hastily added.
McGonagall glared at Albus. "I told you that was a bad idea. You need to send it back to Flamel."
Harry puzzled over that. He had heard that name recently, then it came to him. "You mean Nicholas Flamel? The man you worked with on the uses of dragon's blood, Professor?"
"This is a topic that you need not concern yourself, Harry." Dumbledore sounded the slightest bit irritated for the first time.
Harry was ready to drop it, but he could tell that Hermione was not, as she looked very thoughtful.
Dumbledore looked back down at the form. "What was the other problem?" He kept skimming the details. "A troll?" He was confused over this one.
"Yes, Headmaster," Hermione answered. "On Halloween night, you allowed a troll to enter the castle that almost killed me. I have asked the older students, and no one is aware of trolls happening by and entering the castle before. It is also not listed in Hogwarts: A History, making its occurrence to be very uncommon."
"Yes, well," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Not everything that happens is listed in that book, Miss Granger. Nevertheless, I can't control the fact that a troll walks out of the Forbidden Forest and walks into the castle."
"Then what good is magic?" Harry asked. "Aren't you supposed to keep us safe here? I've been told that Hogwarts is the safest place in England, but it doesn't seem that way to me."
"It is quite safe, Harry. That was a very rare occurrence," Dumbledore did his best to figuratively wave the problem away.
"Miss Granger," McGonagall spoke up, as if just figuring something out. "Were you responsible for the demise of the troll?"
"No, Professor. I was trapped in there when I didn't know the troll was in the castle. Harry knew I was there and saved me from it."
The teacher's head jerked to the other student. "You managed to kill a troll by yourself, Mr Potter?"
"Kill it?" Harry was shocked. "No, I just knocked it out. We didn't stay around to wait for it to come after us again."
"I see," McGonagall said, not having the heart to tell him that he really had killed it. She looked over and saw that Dumbledore was slowly shaking his head. "Well, this has been an interesting conversation and it is near curfew. Please hurry back to the Tower. We shall have to go through all of this carefully. I suspect you will not hear from us about it until next week."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said as she stood. Harry nodded and followed her out of the office.
After the two students had left the office, Minerva turned to her superior. "Well, Albus, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr and Mrs Granger. While I would not have looked at much of this the same way they have, I find their claims hard to refute given the evidence they have listed. What do you have to say for yourself?"
So many plans were in the midst of being dashed, Albus thought. Was it possible to recover any of them? At least one was still on track. Harry was not with a Wizarding family, so arrogance from his fame should still not be an issue. The Grangers ruined several other plans, the most important being that he needed Harry to look up to him as a trustworthy authority figure, much like a pseudo-grandfather, so Harry would take guidance from him. He mentally cursed the Dursleys for what they had done to Harry. Family just did not severely mistreat other members of the family. He had not expected that. Being firm was expected, mistreatment was not. It looked like he would not get Harry to return to the Dursleys, but maybe…
"Well, Albus?" Minerva asked again, interrupting his thoughts.
"I must go speak with the Grangers. Perhaps I can convince them to drop all or at least most of this for the greater good." Yes, he would appeal to their conscience. He stood, energized to meet the new challenge. "Minerva, if you would, please find Severus and have him join you here in an hour. I must talk with him about these allegations and convince him to approach teaching with a gentler hand."
"Albus, five of the most serious charges against him would require you to dismiss him if the proper policies were to be followed. Even if he survives that, the sheer number of other charges against him might force him to be dismissed anyway. You might be better off cutting your losses and start searching for another Potions professor," she advised him.
He frowned for a moment and then looked at her, trying to make her understand. "I've always maintained that Voldemort did not fully die the night he went after the Potters. One day he will return and then we will need Severus to be our spy again. He must be here so he can maintain his charade of spying against me while he spies on Voldemort for us."
"Then you leave yourself no choice but to turn him into a model teacher," she said doubtfully, then not quite under her breath, "an impossible task if I've ever heard one."
"There are always alternatives," he countered. "You are in charge of the school until I return in an hour. Please give Severus my message." He turned to his fireplace and used the Floo to travel to his ancestral home. From there, he Apparated to the front porch a house on the outskirts of London.
Albus looked around and saw a nice neighbourhood. The houses were older but very nicely maintained. They were also all two stories tall and appeared stately. He knocked on the door and waited. The front light turned on and a man answered the door.
"Would this be the home of the Granger family?"
"Yes. Based on your appearance, you must be Albus Dumbledore."
He smiled at being known. Fame did have its uses. "Yes, I am. May I come inside to speak with you and your wife?"
"Very well." The man opened the door all the way and then closed it after Dumbledore was in. He led him to a living room where a woman was waiting. "My name is Dan Granger and this is my wife Emma."
Dumbledore gave a brief bow. "Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts at your service. I realize it is later than I would normally call upon the family of students, but a most urgent matter has come to my attention."
"Then have a seat, Mr Dumbledore," Dan waved him to a leather wing-backed chair before taking the nearby couch with his wife.
"Thank you. Your daughter handed me a stack of forms this evening after dinner and I wish to discuss them with you."
"Oh?" Emma asked, surprised. "What was unclear? We took great pains to document everything fully."
"Yes, well," Dumbledore smiled his best, trying to win them over. "The complaints that you have raised against Professor Snape seem most extreme."
"Actually, I thought we were giving him the benefit of the doubt in various incidents. We could have filed more," Emma coolly informed him.
They were not backing down. "I came to ask what it would take for you to withdraw them. I need to have Professor Snape at the school."
"Hermione said that he was the head of one of your student houses, but what else does the professor do besides that and teach Potions?" Emma asked him, looking very interested.
They were too well informed, Albus thought. It would be harder to get things past them. "I'm not at liberty to say, but I can say that it is very important to everyone that he remains at his post."
"These other good reasons have nothing to do with the school, do they?" Dan asked.
"I really am not at liberty to discuss them," Dumbledore repeated, hoping they would take his word for it.
"I'll take that as a 'no'," Dan said with a smile. "Headmaster, if I may so blunt, I believe you've fallen into a classic trap that ensnares many leaders. You've forgotten what your goals and priorities are. When I am treating a patient, all of my other obligations must be set aside. We both volunteer for charity work, we belong to professional organizations, we attend social gatherings, and we are parents as well as many other things. All of those do not matter when I am working with a patient. When you are on duty as a Headmaster, none of your personal pursuits should matter. If being Chief Wizard or Supreme Mugwump get in the way of being Headmaster, then you should either give those up or else stop being Headmaster so you can do those other things."
"Mr Granger, my activities are none of your concern," Dumbledore argued. Before he could continue, Mrs Granger spoke up.
"On the contrary, Headmaster, my husband's point is extremely apropos. As a Headmaster, you have two solemn duties as all headmasters do, especially since our children live at the school." She held up a hand and counted them off. "First, you must keep our children safe and that includes making the environment as safe as possible. Accidents will happen. Children will scrape their little hands and knees from time to time. But there is no place for leaving doors open so trolls can wander in, bringing in dangerous items with deadly guards, nor for teachers who do not teach them properly and safely."
"Mrs Granger…"
"Second," she overrode Dumbledore with her raised voice and a glare. "Headmasters are to provide the best possible environment for learning. That means the best teachers you can find along with the best educational material. Teachers who do not have the proper training and social skills, not to mention those who appear to have personal vendettas, should not be around children. That includes ghosts who only talk about one thing making the book a better teacher than the professor. It matters not whether the school is normal or magical, those two principles should apply." Emma was not sure how she had stayed calm through all of that, perhaps it was the slightly detached feeling she had at the moment, courtesy of the glass of wine just before their unexpected visitor had arrived.
"Mrs Granger, I assure you that I do care for every child there and I desire for Hogwarts to be the best magical school in all of Europe," Dumbledore stated.
"Then how do you explain trolls wandering around in the corridors, deadly animals inside guarding things that probably should be in a bank or security vault, teachers who abuse students, and who knows what else we've yet to discover?" Dan asked, wanting very much to get an honest answer, yet knowing he would not.
"Those are merely accidents or misunderstandings," Dumbledore explained, doing his best not to sweat. "As for Professor Snape, I really do need to have him at the school. Potion Masters are very few and we are lucky to have him. The upper years of learning especially need a man of his skill. What do I need to do for you to drop the complaints so he can stay?"
Emma chuckled lightly before she said, "If you'll sack him, I'll be happy to drop the complaints. That man should not be around children in general and Harry in particular. From what I've heard, I would think Neville's grandmother should be having this same conversation with you."
Dumbledore did his best not to pale at the thought of having a conversation like this with Augusta Longbottom, but she had reminded him of an idea. "What if I convinced Professor Snape to become a model teacher?"
Dan and Emma both gaped, before Dan laughed. "It sounds to me as if you're asking a leopard to change his spots. I can't see how that would be possible, even with magic. I've met too many people like this Snape and none of them have ever been able to truly change."
"It will be a difficult thing," Dumbledore admitted. "What if I also found someone else to teach the lower years, where his mastery was not as necessary? That would allow Professor Snape to have less involvement with your children."
The parents looked at each other for a moment. "IF, and I am speaking hypothetically," Emma paused and let Dumbledore acknowledge her before she went on. "If you did that, what would happen a few years from now when Harry and Hermione reach the upper year classes?"
The Headmaster swallowed and thought carefully to word his response just right. "I would like to hope that after a few years of good behaviour on Professor Snape's part, you would be willing to let your children study with him. If not, then other arrangements could be made. Perhaps the other professor could teach your children's year."
"That would simplify things," Dan admitted before he looked at his wife. "Of course, I was looking forward to going to Ireland to check out the school there."
"And I was looking forward to visiting the one in France. Southern France is always so nice in the spring," Emma said, looking at her husband.
Dumbledore did pale at hearing that. He needed to keep Harry at Hogwarts in order to train him later so Harry could successfully fulfil his destiny. He also feared what could happen if Harry left the country. Would he ever come back? Would England die at Voldemort's hands one day? Would "the Power" corrupt Harry and lead him to the Dark Arts? Since his other tactics seems to be failing, he decided to appeal to their family values. "If you would give me a little time, I'm sure I can get Professor Snape to change and I can work something out for the rest of the problems. Would you consent to delay the proceedings so that I may fix things?"
The Granger looked at one another for a long moment. Dan tilted his head slightly, almost in a shrug. "I would strongly prefer Professor Snape be sacked, but perhaps…"
Emma nodded. "On a few conditions, Headmaster."
Dumbledore almost breathed a sigh of relief while he kept the smile plastered on his face. "If they are within my power, madam."
"Assuming Professor Snape turns into a model teacher so he stops harassing students and that you find someone else to teach Harry and Hermione's year, I will agree to a thirty day delay to give you time to make corrections - if you will have another member of the staff, for example Professor McGonagall, review every punishment Professor Snape hands out for the rest of the year. She is to monitor for correctness and even-handedness. Surely punishments have to be recorded?"
Dumbledore nodded. "There is a book that magically records all punishments and rewards. I would agree to that condition."
"Very good," Emma said. "Secondly, if either of my children are hurt enough to be in the hospital wing or are involved in an accident, you are to notify us at the earliest opportunity."
"Of course, I can owl you if that happens," Dumbledore agreed. "However, you must understand that you will be unable to come to the school. The protections on the school do not allow non-magical people, such as yourselves, to visit."
"We do know of that limitation," Dan said, "but we desire to know of accidents as there may be alternatives to us visiting, such as having them brought to us."
"Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse, is second to none," Dumbledore said proudly. "She has received all the training necessary to be a fully-fledged healer; she has merely not taken the final exam."
"I understand, and you may be right that the best course of treatment would be for them to stay there. Nevertheless, we wish to be notified so we may discuss options," Dan stated firmly.
"That will not be a problem." Dumbledore hoped that was all.
"Professor Snape will have no interaction with our children. If he will not be sacked, then it will be as if he is not there to our children."
Dumbledore cleared his throat to give him a moment. "While I do understand what you are trying to accomplish, I do not believe that would be practical. There may be times that Professor Snape is the only teacher present in an area, or he may be assigned to watch over a group of children that your children happen to be in, such as a substitute for a teacher who is ill. There will be other instances, but those are the first I can think of."
"Headmaster," Emma said adamantly, "I don't care what the circumstances are, that man will not be around my children. I'm already walking a very fine line to keep Harry's trust, which demands that Snape be sacked. If you wish to keep Professor Snape at your school at the same time that my children are there, that man will keep away from them … in and out of the classroom. If you can not do that, they will attend another school."
"I see." Dumbledore wanted to pull his glasses off rub his eyes very badly, but he resisted. Harry must remain at the school and the Grangers were barely budging from their position. It was yet another temptation in his long life to use an Unforgiveable to force someone to do things his way, but he would not stoop to that. "Very well, I shall do my best to keep them apart. If the situation arises, I shall find another teacher to take his place and assign him to other duties."
"And lastly," Emma said, "should Professor Snape break any rule, no matter how small, for the rest of this year while he is on probation, he will be dismissed. Being transferred to another position, even if it is as a janitor, would not be acceptable."
That was the most difficult one. Severus would be sorely tempted to seek revenge on either of the children for this, Dumbledore thought. "I will agree to that condition as long as any punishment that Professor McGonagall disagrees with is merely cancelled and not counted as a violation of this condition. The size of awarding points can be subjective and not all teachers use the same method. Each teacher is merely required to use the same method for all students for balance."
"We will agree as long as we also agree on a time frame," Dan said. "We started off discussing a thirty day delay, but some of our items have discussed the rest of the school year. How about we make all conditions apply for the rest of the school year with a review every thirty days, say on the first of every month?"
The two parents looked adamant about wanting this, and Dumbledore could tell he would not talk them out of it. "Very well, I agree. May I discuss one other matter with you?"
"It is getting late, but since you are here…" Emma trailed off and looked interested to see what he would ask.
"I am curious as to how you became Harry's legal guardians." Dumbledore wondered if he could return Harry to the Dursleys home again. "It is very important for Harry to be protected when he is not at school, and the best place for him is with his aunt."
"He is never returning to that place with those people," Dan all but shouted.
Dumbledore was taken aback by the vehemence of the man, who had suddenly started to seethe in anger.
"Please forgive my husband, Headmaster, but you have touched a sore spot with him. He grew up in a milder version of the environment Harry has been living in, and has vowed that his children would never suffer like that," Emma explained as she put a hand on her husband's thigh to calm him. "To answer your question, once we found out about the deplorable conditions under which Harry was raised and what his relatives subjected him to, we checked his records and found that he was actually in legal limbo, having never been assigned any legal guardians according to the Queen's government. Therefore, we applied and were accepted, the final condition being Harry's acceptance, which he happily gave. A Judge of the Realm signed the order just before Christmas."
"I see…" Dumbledore started to wonder if he could retrieve all of those records.
"And I'm sure that copies of that legal decision are now in many different systems and filing cabinets," Emma said, as if reading his mind.
The impish smile on her face was maddening. "I'm sure," he politely agreed, understanding that Harry would now be living here and there was nothing he could do about it.
"If there is nothing else that can't wait, I would suggest we call it an evening. All of us have jobs to do in the morning, or at least we do," Emma intimated.
"No, there is nothing else of importance at the moment. I do thank you for your time and understanding. I will owl you later with a status of how things are progressing," Dumbledore assured them.
"And you will take care of and correct the three problems on the complaint form that you are responsible for?" Emma innocently asked as she and Dan rose to escort their visitor to the door.
Dumbledore stayed silent as he rose and thought. "It was an oversight that Harry did not receive the proper materials, since we all think of him as coming from a Wizarding family."
Emma raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"However, he will have them tomorrow. I do not believe trolls will be an issue any longer. The small clan that lived in the nearby forest has moved on."
When he stopped, Emma frowned and looked at her husband. "And the monster on the third floor?" Dan asked.
Dumbledore gave a hard smile. "I'm afraid that will have to stay. It is in everyone's best interest that the setup there remains."
"I see, then we shall just have to wait on the official complaint process to address it," Dan said, not giving an inch.
"Actually, as a matter of security, I shall have to drop that complaint," Dumbledore said a little forcefully.
"It was properly filed. Do you intend to break your own rules?" Dan asked, his voice rising slightly in disbelief. "If you do that, how can we trust you on the other agreement?"
"I will abide by our agreement, but the matter you question goes beyond all of us and things must stay as they are. I am truly sorry, but I must insist," Dumbledore told them.
For a tense moment, no one said anything. "I'm sorry, too," Dan said, none of his resolve gone. "I believe we are done for the night."
"I believe we are," Dumbledore said as he turned and headed for the door. He was sad that they had ended on a slightly sour note, but they just did not understand that the Philosopher's Stone had to stay where he could personally guard it for his plan to work.
"Good night, Headmaster," Dan told him, not as cordial as he had been at the beginning.
"Have a pleasant evening, and again, thank you for your time." He walked out and onto the front porch. That could have gone a lot better, but it was not a total disaster. It also reminded him why he did not argue with Filius Flitwick very often. The Grangers were just as logical and intelligent as his Charms Professor. Thinking of his house now, he Apparated away.
The Grangers watched from the window and saw the old man leave with a quiet crack. "That could have gone a lot better," Dan commented.
"True, but we accomplished most of what we wanted and allowed Hermione and Harry to stay where they so desperately want to attend school." She looked at him with a grimace. "Plan B for the monster?"
He nodded. "And for the troll too, I think." Dan drew his wife into a hug. "You were magnificent this evening."
"You did quite well yourself." She lightly kissed him. "I guess the debate team was good for both of us," she said with a grin.
"Indubitably," he agreed.
Albus Dumbledore arrived in his office in a green flash of fire to find his Transfiguration and Potions professors waiting on him - the former with a tea cup and the latter with a glass of brandy. Without saying a word, Albus walked over to his cabinets and poured himself a shot of Firewhisky, downing it in a single gulp. He stood there for a moment waiting. A burp came a few seconds later, emitting a small tongue of flames. He patted his mouth to make sure his beard was not on fire. Feeling the warmth spread in his stomach, he walked to his desk and took his seat. He noticed that Minerva had an incredulous look while Severus was smirking.
"Severus," he said very sternly, "I would wipe that smirk off of your face, as you are the reason for most of my present difficulty, and the reason I will be breaking my budget this year."
Minerva was taken aback. She had rarely seen Albus this upset. None of his normal calm was present.
"Headmaster," the Potion Master drawled.
"Severus!" The rebuke was sharp. "You would do well to listen. I have just spent one of the most frustrating hours of my long life trying to defend you and allow you to keep your job, and I was having to argue from a position that was all but indefensible." He looked over his desk and found the sheaf of complaints. The one for him was to the side, so he picked up the rest of them. "This is what you have been accused of, and given the minutely detailed way the accusations have been documented, I strongly suspect they are all true. Have you read these?" He shook the papers in his hand.
"Minerva has shown them to me, but they are all rubbish," Snape defended himself.
"Oh?" Dumbledore asked, surprised. "Let's review one, shall we?" He read, "Sixth of September 1991, Friday, first year potions class, witnesses entire class, violation of section 3, paragraph 2, 'improper behaviour by a teacher'. Professor Snape derogatorily called Harry Potter a celebrity before he even called roll in the first class with the student. After calling roll, he immediately asked Harry Potter: 'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?' When Harry didn't know, Professor Snape chided him that fame wasn't everything before asking, 'Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?' When Harry said that he didn't know, Professor Snape said, 'Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?' He then asked Harry, 'What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfs-bane?' Professor Snape ignored Hermione Granger who had her hand in the air for all three questions. Professor Snape was clearly not instructing the class, but was making fun of Harry Potter, who had no reason to have memorized One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi or to have knowledge of a potion what would not have been taught until fourth year."
Dumbledore threw the complaints down on the desk. "While I was not there to witness this class, Severus, I am well aware of your hatred for James Potter and that you have basically transferred that to his son. Therefore, I'm quite willing to believe this as written. If I had to investigate this, what would you tell me about this incident?"
"Completely rubbish. I did ask Potter a few questions and he knew none of the answers, for which I explained the answers to the class as instruction after he finished making a fool of himself. I did nothing to him," Severus said firmly.
In the silence that followed, Minerva said, "While it has been a little more than fifty years, I am quite sure I would not have been able to answer any of those questions in my first Potions class either." She then fixed the man with a glare. "And I am appalled at your responses when Mr Potter said he did not know the answers."
"You believe the brat's description?" Severus was incredulous.
"I believe your name calling proves the point," McGonagall replied, her frown showing her disappointment in him. "You dislike Mr Potter for who he is; therefore, he can do no right and everything he does is wrong. Tell me, Severus, if I were to go ask the rest of my first years about that class, which version of the story would I get? Yours or his?"
When Severus said nothing, Albus continued. "That is but one of forty-seven complaints against you." Severus jerked in surprise at the number, showing Albus that the man had probably only read the first page. "Five of these accusations are about you causing or allowing dangerous situations in your classroom and are severe enough that if any one of them is true, I should dismiss you. The sheer number of complaints argue I should dismiss you anyway, should a majority of them found to be true." Albus sighed. "We both know why you are here and why I need to keep you here, but you have gone overboard."
Albus finally gave in to his earlier desire as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "While your actions are your own, I am partially to blame for not paying closer attention and reining you in sooner."
"Sooner? You were able to get that woman to drop the complaints, were you not?" Severus asked as if there could only be one possible answer.
"As I said earlier, it was a most frustrating hour. She would agree to completely drop the complaints for one of two reasons, although I can now think of a third that would satisfy her." He shook his head slightly before donning his glasses again. "First, she said she would drop them all if you were immediately dismissed."
"But…" The protest died on Snape's lips as he saw the Headmaster was completely serious.
"While not mentioned, I believe she would also drop them if you resigned. The point being, she wants you out of the school and I can understand her point of view, even if I don't want that to happen," he said tiredly.
"I take it that you agreed to the third option?" Severus asked guardedly.
"I did; however, you might prefer the second option after I explain this one."
"What? To resign? Why would I do that?" Severus could not believe what he was hearing. He had a role and a job to fulfil here. Dumbledore had always supported him.
"Mr and Mrs Granger agreed that you could stay here if a few conditions were fulfilled. One," Dumbledore fixed him with an intense stare, "you will become the perfect teacher, following each and every rule in the teacher's manual to perfection." Snape's eyes flew to the top of his head in surprise. "You will teach and treat everyone fairly and without bias, whether in the classroom or out of it. You will also make sure there is never an unsafe situation in your Potions lab. Should there be a valid complaint against you after this, you would be dismissed immediately."
Snape gaped and his mouth moved for a few seconds with no sound coming out. When he found his voice again, he quietly said, "Headmaster, surely you aren't serious."
"Very." Albus looked it too.
A low chuckle caught both men's attention and they turned and saw Minerva with a rare smile. "I have told you before, Severus, that if you continued to be biased, it would come back to haunt you."
Severus sneered, but before he could say anything, Albus beat him to it.
"Minerva, you're not getting off scot-free in this," Albus replied with a small grin of his own, the first since he had returned.
"Excuse me?" she asked, unable to imagine what she would have to do for Severus to straighten up.
"Mrs Granger's second condition was that you would monitor the Rewards and Punishments book for the rest of the year, approving, changing, or cancelling all point changes and detentions that Severus awards which are out of bounds."
She never batted an eye. "So I get to clean up after him instead of just complaining to you about what he does?"
"You do," Albus agreed. "I delegate that task to you. However, I would suggest that you do it every day, say just before dinner, so that any detentions that are unjust are cancelled before they are served."
"I assume incorrect rewards and punishments are not enough to trigger his dismissal?" Minerva asked. Severus looked very interested in this question.
"Correct. Mrs Granger made allowances for this, knowing that such things are subjective and easily corrected," Albus explained.
"And the third condition?" Severus asked, not sure if he wanted to hear. The first two had been bad enough.
"I must go find another Potions teacher to teach the lower years," Albus explained as he watched Severus's expression become horrified.
"I, I have to share my domain and my teaching responsibilities?" His lab and classroom were sacrosanct. They were set up perfectly. He was master of his domain. No one told him what to do with regards to Potions. "Never!" He shouted as he jumped to his feet. "I will not stand for it. I am the Potions Master."
Albus sat there as calmly as ever. "Then you plan to turn in your resignation?"
Severus stood there as a deer caught in the light, frozen in thought. A long moment later, he slumped back into his seat in defeat.
"I take it that you plan to become a model teacher and work with whomever I hire to work part-time to teach the lower two years?" Albus casually asked. He would not worry Severus with the thought that he would never teach Harry again, at least not now.
Severus weakly nodded, all fire extinguished from him.
"Very well, then, I would suggest you take a small dose of Pepperup and spend a few hours reacquainting yourself with the teacher's manual, since the Grangers have a copy of it," Albus told him.
"Albus, may I offer a suggestion?" Minerva spoke up.
"Please." Albus wondered what she had in mind to add to this.
"I believe it would be a good idea for all of the staff to reacquaint ourselves with the teacher's manual and the student's manual, too. Furthermore, I plan to hold a meeting with my house after dinner tomorrow evening discussing the most important of those rules." She turned to look at Severus. "I believe it would be a good idea for all four of us - the Heads of House - to do that, as well as for Severus to point out to some of his students that we will be enforcing all of the rules now. As teachers, we have been too slack in preventing altercations, leaving only the messy job of cleanup."
Severus gave her severe look. "Exactly what are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting that you tell Mr Malfoy, in no uncertain words, that his shenanigans will no longer be tolerated. If I hear of him insulting anyone, especially those he may think are beneath him for some imagined reason like who their parents are, I will punish him most harshly; and you should as well," she suggested, strongly. "There would be far fewer problems if he were not so divisive and insulting, as well as obviously baiting others. If he enjoys doing that, he can do so at home."
Severus bristled.
"Minerva makes a good point. While it is not our place to teach the students morals, there are certain social standards we should uphold. Polite and civil behaviour is part of that." Albus fixed Severus with a stare, forcing him to accept the idea and to eventually nod his agreement. He looked very thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps this will help prevent some of those who might go astray to stay on the path of the Light," he said softly, talking to himself. Then with a nod, he looked at his deputy. "I believe that is an excellent idea, Minerva. Severus, please do the same thing with your house. Minerva, please discuss this with Filius and Pomona. I shall make an announcement at lunch directing all students to their house after dinner for a short meeting." He felt pleased with the actions they had come up with.
"Is there anything else this evening, Headmaster?" Severus asked, still in mild shock over all the changes in the last hour - changes that were turning his world upside down.
"Yes, there is one last condition on your ability to remain." Dumbledore was very curious as to what Severus's reaction to this one would be. "While it is partly my responsibility to make sure you are not put in this position, should you find yourself in the presence of either of the Grangers' children, you are to ignore them. I suppose the exception would be unless you need to do something prevent injury from coming to them."
Severus looked at him and merely blinked for a moment. "You make it sound as if I am to pretend they are not here."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "From your point of view, yes. From Emma Granger's point of view, it will be as if you are not at Hogwarts. I know you are not happy about this, but I also know that you understand that Harry must be here so I can properly guide him into his … future."
Minerva gave him a strange look, but Dumbledore ignored it and focused on his Potions teacher. Eventually, the younger man said, "Very well. I understand you believe we all have our parts to play. I only hope you are correct. Is there anything else, Headmaster?"
"No, I believe that is all for now. I look forward to the 'new you' tomorrow, Severus. Happy reading." Dumbledore's smile and twinkling eyes returned to a mild level.
In disgust, Severus rose and abruptly turned, causing his cloak to billow out behind him as he left.
As the door closed behind the man, Minerva looked at her superior. "Do you think he'll really turn over a new leaf and manage to survive until the end of the year?"
Albus stood and walked back over to his cabinets and poured himself another shot of Firewhisky. He slowly swirled it as he thought. "He's capable of doing so, but I believe the real test will come when Severus finds himself near Mr Potter and Miss Granger." He gulped the shot down and waited for a second. He burped and patted his beard. "Speaking of which. I must find a new Professor to teach part-time. Also, please inform the Grangers' charges tomorrow that they are excused from Potions for the next week. I should have someone in place by then. When they ask, tell them it is by their mother's wishes."
Minerva stood, but before she could leave, she had to ask one question. "Albus, was the conversation with the Grangers really that difficult?"
He looked at the bottle of Firewhisky, but decided he had had enough for the evening since he would need an early start tomorrow. "Have you had many discussions with Filius over something he believes in passionately?"
She nodded. "Twice that I can remember."
"Then you know of his ability to reduce complex issues to simple statements that when he states them, you have to agree with him or look like an idiot?" He wondered what her discussions had been about.
Minerva shuddered. "The first time, our discussion was on something we relatively agreed on and our differences were minor. The second, we were diametrically opposed at the beginning. Ten minutes later, I was nodding and agreeing with him, unsure how I got to that point, but his views were so obvious and logical I was swayed before I realized it."
Albus chuckled. "Talking with the Grangers was eerily similar. How do I disagree with someone who tells me that my job is to make sure the school is safe and the students have the best education possible?"
"And then proceeds to point out how you're not doing that by having Severus on staff?" she asked with the barest of smiles.
He nodded. "It was maddening and worse than dealing with the Wizengamot. By the way, please give Mr Potter his 'Introduction to the Wizarding World' materials."
"I'll do so tomorrow. Good night, Albus."
"Good night, Minerva." He watched her leave and then headed to his quarters. Who was he going to hire that would satisfy the Grangers and who would also get along with Severus? This was as bad as having to find a new Defence teacher every year.
Earlier that evening after Harry had returned from his meeting in the Headmaster's office, he found a lumpy package on his bed. He opened it up and found a note. "This was your father's. Please use it wisely." There was no name. Removing the rest of the paper, he found a bundle of thin silvery cloth.
"Whoa!" Harry heard from behind him. Turning, he saw Ron with a very surprised look. "Do you know what that is, mate?"
"No," Harry answered. "What?"
"Put it on around your shoulders. It's the only way to be sure." Ron came closer to inspect it.
Harry shrugged and did as his friend asked. At his friend's gasp, Harry looked down and saw that his body had disappeared. "What happened?"
"It's an Invisibility Cloak. I've heard my brother Bill talk about them. They're supposed to be rare. Where did it come from?" Ron was waving his arm near Harry's shoulder, trying to find it when he could not see it.
"It was on my bed with a note but no name," Harry explained.
Ron laughed. "Do you know how much fun you can have with this?"
Harry put the cloak into his trunk and they talked about what could be done with it for the next half hour.
Harry and Hermione went to breakfast the next morning, accompanied by Ron. There was still a little unease between the three, mostly between Ron and Hermione, but they were doing their best to ignore it and be friends anyway.
When they had dished their food and Ron was engaged in talking to Seamus, Harry whispered, "Guess what I found on my bed last night?"
Hermione shrugged.
"There was a package with a note saying that it was my father's. When I opened it, I found a silvery cloak." Hermione still looked lost. "An Invisibility Cloak," he finally whispered. The effect of the last statement was amazing.
Hermione sat up even straighter and it appeared she was about to shout "What?", so Harry quickly put his hand over her mouth.
"What?" Ron asked seeing the commotion.
"Nothing," Harry half-lied. "I was just teasing Hermione."
"Oh?" Ron looked eager, as did Seamus.
"Err, sorry, but that wouldn't be fair to her if I told you," Harry quickly made up. He got a couple of glowers, but the matter was dropped. It took several minutes before they other boys were occupied again. Harry bet Hermione was about to lose it in having to wait, something he found amusing.
"Explain," she growled in a low voice when they had a moment to themselves again.
"There's not much else to say," he whispered. "I found it there with the note that it was my father's and to use it wisely. Ron's the only other person who knows about it. It could be dead useful." He left 'fun' off of the list purposefully.
"It could also get you into a lot of trouble," she quietly said.
"It could also allow someone to make a late night run to the library for a book she has to have before the next day, too," he teased her, knowing that would set certain thoughts in motion. He watched her close her eyes, trying to gauge how much she was restraining herself.
"That is so unfair of you to bring up," she quietly hissed.
Harry just speared another sausage and ate it, wondering how else she might want to use the cloak.
As they finished their meal, their Head of House walked over to them and placed a small plainly wrapped package in front Harry. "Mr Potter, here are the materials we owe you. I will apologize to you for this being missed. While most of us on the staff know where you were raised, we still tend to think of you in terms of your parents. If you feel there is anything else you are missing, or have questions about, please do not hesitate to come see me."
It was not hard to guess what was in the package, based on her apology and on the complaint that was turned in last night. "Thank you, Professor."
She nodded and walked off.
"What's in the package, mate?" Ron asked, jabbing his fork in the direction of the package.
"Materials about the school that they give to all of the Muggle-borns. They forgot to give them to me earlier." Not that he needed it now, since he had read Hermione's over the holidays, but he did appreciate them making up for the oversight so he could have his own copy. Ron gave him a strange look, but said nothing.
They soon went to class for the morning.
At lunchtime, everyone was surprised when the Headmaster stood and knocked his fork on his goblet. Announcements were usually made at dinner.
"May I have your attention please?" Dumbledore waited a moment for all the voices to quiet down. "While I would normally announce this at dinner, I wanted to give everyone a little more notice, as I know that people sometimes miss our evening meal. There will be a mandatory meeting for everyone, no exceptions, in your common room this evening immediately after dinner. So please be in your common room by seven o'clock to listen to your Head of House and ask questions. Prefects, please be sure everyone who is not here knows of this announcement. Thank you." He sat back down and watched the chatter start up about what the meeting could be about.
"Albus?" Minerva got his attention. "Have you had any ideas on whom to hire for the new Potions position?"
He gave her his winning smile. "Actually, I believe I've had a stroke of genius and I have an interview this afternoon. Have you told Mr Potter and Miss Granger not to attend Potions yet?"
"No, I thought I'd wait until this evening," she informed him.
"Yes, this may work out well then. Hopefully, I'll have someone hired by the end of the day and you can avoid that issue."
"Who are you interviewing?" She was very curious.
He chuckled. "I'm sorry, Minerva, but I shall have to keep that to myself for the moment. I wouldn't want to jinx myself."
Minerva just raised an eyebrow and shook her head slowly, which created a few more chuckles from her superior.
The rumour mill was in full force. Stories abounded, ranging from getting a new Headmaster to Hogwarts being physically relocated. As everyone headed back to their common room after dinner, the meeting was all anyone could talk about. Even Hermione joined in, guessing that new school rules were about to be put in place. Harry was not sure what to guess, but agreed with Hermione that it was probably something to do with all the complaints they had turned in last night, an event they had told no one about. When Ron had asked about what McGonagall had wanted last night, Harry had said she had questions about his family and the holidays. All true, but with much left out.
Professor McGonagall swept into the room and looked at the Prefects. "Is everyone accounted for?"
"Yes, Professor," the seventh year boy Prefect answered.
"Good," and she raised her voice. "May I have your attention please, everyone! It has come to the staff's attention that we have become lax in upholding the school policies. To that end, I would strongly encourage each of you to read the student handbook every one of you received when you started school. If you have lost yours or have left it at home, please borrow a friend's or find a copy in the library to borrow. The staff will be more strictly enforcing the school rules." There were several moans about this.
"I expect each and every one of you," McGonagall continued firmly, trying to look at each student to impress upon them the seriousness of this, especially the Weasley twins, "to do the right thing and uphold the good name of Gryffindor. I will be especially vigilant in watching for students who insult others, start fights, or bait others to start fights. I shall be most disappointed if any Gryffindor is caught doing so and they will be harshly disciplined. There is no reason for you not to be well behaved gentlemen and ladies as social custom demands. Are there any questions at all?"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled.
"Professor?" One of the fourth year boys raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr Wilkes."
"I'm thinking this is a good change, but what about when we're cornered by some of the older Slytherins and there is no professor around?"
"You will do your best to avoid any fighting and come find me. I will investigate and correct any problems. If you give a false report, be prepared for the punishment to be applied to you. If the attack is magical, shield and put up a good magical defence. I believe it would be safe to say that someone will be along fairly quickly to straighten things out."
The boy nodded. "Fair enough. Thank you, Professor."
"Any other questions?" She looked around and no hands were raised. "Very well. Please review the rules. The excuse of 'I didn't know' will not be accepted. Have a good evening."
Minerva waited around for a moment in case anyone had a question for her they were afraid to ask in front of the whole house, but no one approached her, so she left after a few minutes. In a way, she was very grateful for Emma Granger and her stance.
Ron was feeling pretty good after their Head of House's announcement. He looked at his best friend. "Harry, you suppose this will mean that Malfoy won't be such a git anymore? Or do you think he'll try anyway?"
Harry shrugged before he grinned. "We can hope he'll leave us alone."
"I'll be back in a minute," Hermione told them. "I need to go get my book bag so we can start homework."
"Good idea, I'll get mine too," Harry said. "Ron, are you going to join us?"
"Why?" he asked a little incredulously. "Nothing is due tomorrow."
Hermione rolled her eyes and walked towards the stairs to the girl's dorm.
"What to play some chess, Harry?"
"Maybe after I finished my homework," Harry informed him and started towards his dorm room.
"Why, Harry? There's plenty of time before any of that's due. Just one game?" Ron practically begged him as he followed his friend up the first few stairs.
"Sorry, Ron."
"Bloody hell, you're sounding just like her now," Ron complained, unaware that was a bad thing to say, and not because of his word choice.
Harry whirled around. "Don't talk that way about Hermione," he said a little angrily, his protective streak coming out.
"Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean it that way, you know, badly," Ron back-pedalled, keenly aware that this friendship was still new.
"Then how did you mean it?" Harry asked, trying to calm himself, giving his friend the benefit of the doubt until he found out otherwise.
"I just meant that you've changed. You weren't like this, so studious, before…"
Harry wanted to say how stupidly his friend was acting, but a previous conversation came to mind and he decided to use it. "Ron, why are you here, at school?"
"Because my parents want me here," he said, as if it should have been obvious.
Harry shook his head. "That's the main reason you're here?"
"Yeah," Ron answered. "Aren't you here because you were sent too?"
"I was sent, but that's not why I'm here." At his friend's puzzled look, Harry went on. "Ron, this is a school, so I'm here to learn. That means I do my best to get all of my homework done; to do well on everything I can to be the best wizard I can."
"You sound just like Hermione. You've been hanging out too much with her, mate."
That was too much for Harry. He put a hand on Ron's chest and shoved him back against the wall of the stairs they were on.
"Hey!" Ron shouted, very surprised.
"You will leave her alone, Ron. She knows what she's doing, apparently, unlike you. We both want to do well here. If I have extra time, I'll play chess with you, but that's only after I do all of my schoolwork," Harry said pointedly. "If you're going to say bad things about her again, you can stop pretending to be our friend, because friends don't put each other down."
Ron gulped. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it that way. I was just trying to say that you've changed."
"And I like how I've changed," Harry told him, letting go of Ron. "I've got a family now, one that cares for me, and I want to do my best for them."
"I thought you already had a family, you know, your aunt," Ron half said half asked.
Harry snorted. "My relatives don't care about me. Over the holidays, Hermione's parents became my legal guardians."
"Well that explains a lot." Harry's eyes narrowed, and Ron became nervous and quickly added. "I didn't say it was bad, but it does explain why you've changed."
After a long moment, Harry nodded, satisfied with the explanation. "Please don't tell anyone though." Ron nodded and Harry resumed going up to his dorm room. Ron looked after his friend and shook his head before he turned and went back into the common room.
Meanwhile, Severus Snape swept into the Slytherin, fixing the two seventh year Prefects with a questioning look. With neutral masks, they both gave him a nod.
Letting his expression grow a touch colder, he addressed his house. "You will listen very carefully to what I have to tell you - all of you. There has been a significant change recently. I would strongly advise each and every one of you to spend time this evening reading your school handbook." He got a number of puzzled looks and heard a few whispers. "You should become very acquainted with the rules you should follow and use this as a challenge to show why you are a Slytherin." He paused to look around.
"Use what, Sir?" sixth year Marcus Flint asked.
Snape looked at the burly young man. "Since you didn't seem to understand, I'll say very plainly that the reason you need to know the rules is because they are to be strictly enforced as of tomorrow morning, and I mean every rule in the book. This also includes all the rules I must follow as your Professor and Head of House."
"But…" someone started to say.
"What was not clear?!" he all but shouted, leaving silence after his outburst, before he continued in his previous cold manner. "There are rules but we are the cunning and ambitious. We will find a way to get ahead even while working within the letter of these rules."
"One last warning..." Snape looked around, but ended with his gaze focused on Draco Malfoy. "Many of the other teachers will be very vigilant to watch for anyone from this house insulting others, or trying to bait someone from another house into starting a fight. I am even being forced to do so as well." He did not miss the angry look on Draco's face. "So I strongly suggest you do not do such a thing in my presence any longer. You will not be happy if you force me to take points from my house. Are there any questions?"
He again looked around the room. There were various upset expressions and the shaking of heads, no doubt muttering about what the world was coming to. When no one had asked anything by his mental count of five, he abruptly turned and left for his quarters.
In his room, he poured himself a shot of Firewhisky and quickly downed it. He belched the small flames on his way to bed. He would take a short nap before he took his turn patrolling the corridors. As he lay down, a part of him wondered why he even bothered with this life anymore. Another part of his mind answered with the faded image of a young red-haired woman and the vow made over her grave. One day he would have his revenge for her death. If he was still alive afterwards, he would shove this forsaken job up or down Albus's body, depending on which orifice was presented first.