Truth to be told, Hermione always had been a curious child. She had always wondered what certain things are and asked many questions. Now that she had learned how to read, it looked like she had turned to books to satisfy her thirst for knowledge. However, much to their dismay, Hermione's social abilities didn't seem to grow like her intellect. She'd grown awkward and didn't even seem to notice how showcasing her abilities rubbed the other students the wrong way.
"Yes, and we also know how her reaction would be, should we even suggest moving her to a school for the gifted," Jean added, having imagined it.
"She would never accept it. She doesn't want special treatment," Ian answered, knowing how stubborn their daughter could be. "As admirable as that attitude is, it won't help her with this."
"So there's nothing at all we can do?" Jean didn't like hearing that.
Ian shook his head. "Nothing as long as she insists on not changing schools, which she will never do. I fear the best we can do is to soften the blow and do our best she does not retreat from the world."
It did leave them dissatisfied that there wasn't much they could do to help their daughter though this difficult time in her life. Hermione was different from the other children, she herself had noticed that but was clueless about why the other children reacted badly to it. There were things you could tell a six-year old girl a thousand times, and she still wouldn't follow the advice.
Hopefully, things would get better in the future.
...Hogwarts, July 4th 1986...
With all students being away for the summer, a calm peace normally would settle over Hogwarts. However, this summer it was different. The teachers had been surprised when as soon as the students were away, construction crews arrived, turning parts of the school into busy construction sites, which needed care due to all the magic woven into the building.
The noise from the work however did not reach the great hall, its heavy oaken doors closed shut, bright sunlight pouring into it through the big windows. The house tables and benches however were missing from the hall for the time being, instead being replaced by a big circular table, big enough that all of the faculty - and that meant all of the adults working at Hogwarts - could take a seat at it.
"Headmaster, I'm pretty sure this rather unusual meeting is about the construction work going on in the school at the moment?" asked Filius Flitwick, the Charms professor and Head of House Ravenclaw, a man of quite short height due to his ancestry.
"Indeed, my dear Filius. However, while it's connected to my reasons, it's only part of something bigger," Dumbledore told him, looking into the round.
Almost all of the adults working at Hogwarts were present. First of course there were the various professors. Besides himself, Flickwick and McGonagall, there were the Herbology professor Pomona Sprout, the Potions Master Severus Snape, the Astronomy professor Aurora Sinistra, flying instructor Rolanda Hooch, the Arithmancy professor Septima Vector, the Magical Creatures professor Silvanus Kettleburn, the Muggle Studies professor Quirinus Quirrell and the Ancient Runes professor Bathsheda Babbling.
Even Sybill Trelawney, the Divination professor, was present, though she looked displeased with that fact and quite a bit uncomfortable. The only professor missing was Cuthbert Binns, the professor for History of Magic, but that was no problem, since the ghost probably would have been unable to follow anyway, being oblivious of anything outside of what he was teaching.
Besides the teaching staff, also present were the librarian Irma Pince, the school nurse Poppy Pomfrey, the caretaker Argus Filch and the gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. The abcence of a Defense professor wondered no one, since the witch who had held the position was now sitting in Azkaban, having been caught doing unmentionable things with underage students.
"Well, call me intrigued. After all, it looks like almost half the astronomy tower is being gutted," Professor Sinistra remarked, having been disturbed by the changes in what she saw as her domain.
"Yes, Aurora, very much so." Dumbledore then turned to McGonagall. "First let me tell all of your that what I will reveal was long in the making and and I confided all the details to Minerva, since having a second opinion is invaluable. To make it short, much change will come to Hogwarts, starting the next school year."
He turned to address everyone. "You all know that I retired from my position as the Supreme Mugwump. That is another part of the bigger picture. Several years ago I realized that I lost sight of my priorities and the school subsequently suffered. However, the further I thought about it, the more I realized that perhaps Hogwarts is not in the good position it once was."
"Is that the reason for your absences the previous two summers?" Professor Sprout asked, the Headmaster's absences during these summers being a big mystery among the faculty.
"Yes. During the first summer I visited various magical schools throughout Europe. It was revealing that the more progressive schools have started to move ahead of us in numerous aspects. To be honest, the visit to Beauxbatons had been especially humbling. However, I learned years ago that humility is perhaps the greatest virtue of all," the Headmaster explained.
There were several gasps when being confronted with the fact that their school had fallen behind. "Not good. Hogwarts always prided itself with being the best magical school in Europe," Professor Babbling pointed out.
"Yes, that would be quite embarrassing, should it become public," the Headmaster agreed. "By that time I was already setting things into motion, talked to the right people and generally freed the needed funding. Which, I have to admit, had been the truly difficult part. The previous summer I took an outside perspective and visited Muggle boarding schools. To say the least, it gave me interesting insights for even more improvements."
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