A/N: Hi everyone! So, I've done something I said I wouldn't do until after my holiday: start a new multichap!
I got the idea for this last night, when I was thinking about school. In our schools, we have a head of year or house or whatever, and then a pastoral manager as well, who is there solely for the students' emotional well-being. I then realised Hogwarts is lacking this from the books - so thought, are they going to introduce one after the Battle of Hogwarts? Many of the characters we know and love experienced the Battle, and the rest will have experienced some form of loss from it, and it's interesting to think of the short (and long) term implications of the war on the students.
I'm not an expert in PTSD, nor am I going to pretend that I am. Instead, this fic is going to look (hopefully) at the impact of the war upon some of the main characters who returned to Hogwarts, and hopefully fill a gap in part of the education that Hogwarts offers!
As usual, I don't own the characters or world, that is the property of JKR!
Dr. Karen Griffin was, in every sense of the word, an ordinary woman. She had attended her local state school, gained extremely good GCSE and A Level qualifications, and had completed over ten years of medical training in order to become a fully qualified psychiatrist. She paid her taxes, played football for the local women's team, and hosted Macmillan coffee mornings at every available opportunity.
Karen Griffin was also a Squib.
Raised in the wizarding world with a muggle mother and a wizard father, Karen had never once wavered in her belief that she would receive a letter from Hogwarts. Whilst she never showed any signs of magic, her father insisted that this was normal, that he didn't display "an ounce" of magical prowess until his third week at Hogwarts.
And yet the letter had never arrived. Instead, she had received a visit from the Ministry of Magic, informing her that, as a Squib, she had next to no rights in the wizarding world – and would be breaking the law, should she even touch a wand. Instead, the woman had gently suggested, perhaps Karen would feel more comfortable growing up predominantly in the non-magical world.
"Your mother is a muggle – you already have connections," the witch had said, not unkindly. "You're already enrolled in a school; you can continue your education and become successful. It'll be more fun than Hogwarts, anyway."
It was obvious that the woman was lying, but Karen hadn't cared enough to argue. In that moment, her entire life had crumbled – and she had had no clue about how to pick herself up from the ashes.
And yet, somehow, she had. Being an only child had helped; there had been no younger siblings to boast about their Hogwarts letters, nor unnecessary trips to Diagon Alley. Her father had never been close to his family anyway – the Bones were a high-flying wizarding family, and he shunned their focus on magical politics – so she rarely saw her cousins, Edgar, Amelia and Matthew, which again made things easier. They were much older than herself, and all they ever discussed at family gatherings was a mysterious person called You-Know-Who, and had never invited Karen to join them.
So Karen had joined her local secondary school, made and lost friends, dated boys, and focused incredibly hard on her exams in Year 11 and Year 13. She had dreamed of being a Healer in the wizarding world, so decided that medicine was the career path for her. It was probably going to be even better than Healing, she thought; doctors actually have to use their brains, rather than just their wands.
Somewhere along the way, she had decided to specialise in psychiatry, and had dropped her family name, instead choosing to use her mother's maiden name. She took a somewhat neutral interest in wizarding matters as she grew older, listening to her father's tales of the problems with magical history, and she even enjoyed meeting up with her cousins. Their explanation of the Order of the Phoenix made sense – for the threat that You-Know-Who posed was evident, even in the non-magical world – and, for the first time, she felt that she had contributed something.
"Have you considered why he's doing this?" Karen had said, watching as her cousins turned to look at her with shock. "I wonder whether it was childhood trauma, or perhaps something that happened at school? It doesn't matter what, but something set him on this path from an early age."
After that, her cousins had never looked at her with disdain again, and Karen knew that she had as much value as they did, even without magic.
.
The fighting that had intensified in the mid-1970s, when she had just started university, reached new levels in the late 1970s. Muggles and wizards alike were going missing and then turning up dead, their bodies mutilated to a point where they became almost unrecognisable.
Nothing hit harder than when she received a frantic phone call from her father at two o'clock in the morning, telling her that he would be across to pick her up in five minutes. He hadn't Side-Long Apparated her anywhere since her eleventh birthday; something was evidently seriously wrong.
This became abundantly clear when she saw the bodies of her grandparents, cousin Edgar, and all of his family on the floor, dead. The latest victims of You-Know-Who.
Dead because they opposed him, and fought to the bitter end.
.
After her family's death, Karen stopped paying attention to the wizarding world. Her parents were keen to avoid mention of it, too, though Karen had a sneaking suspicion that her father had charmed her flat.
But gradually, things calmed down in the 1980s, and life continued much as it had before. Karen officially became Dr. Griffin, and opened her own practice, specialising in PTSD-affected patients. She was a fully integrated member of her neighbourhood, and never once thought, "what if?"
This was until she received her second visit from the Ministry of Magic.
It was the seventeenth of July 1998 when Karen opened her practice's front door to find a large man dressed in colourful robes standing on her doorstep.
"Doctor Griffin?" he asked, his voice low and deep. "May I come in?"
She acquiesced, and soon, they were sat in the consultation room.
"Doctor Griffin, I am sorry to come to you with no warning," the man began, his gaze focused upon Karen. "I understand that it may be difficult for you to meet with me-"
Karen cut him off, waving a hand. "You mean because I'm a Squib?" She laughed a little, though it was forced. "I left most of the wizarding world behind long ago, Mr…?"
"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minster for Magic," he responded. "Apologies for not introducing myself earlier."
"Not a problem. Now, as I was saying, I left the world behind a long time ago – I bear it no ill will. In fact, I believe you are the first wizard I have encountered since my father died five years ago. So why exactly are you here?"
She waited patiently and listened with her usual intent, as though Mr Shacklebolt was a patient and she was his therapist. And she may well have been. The tale he told was one which began very familiarly to Karen, and continued up until the May of 1998. It was one of Voldemort, and the Battle of Hogwarts – and the role of the students who had defied orders and returned to fight and defend their home.
"So, as I'm sure you can tell, it's been a tumultuous time for the students," Kingsley continued. "And the wizarding world is sorely lacking in specialists who deal with traumatic incidents – particularly with students. I am here to ask: would you take up the role of pastoral manager for the students of Hogwarts for this upcoming year?"
"No," was her immediate response. Then she thought a moment. "Yes."
Then she thought again.
"No."
"Yes."
Until finally, "why me?"
Kingsley smiled a little. "You are one of the finest psychiatrists in all of England, Doctor Griffin. I spoke with the Prime Minister and he was aware of your work with some former military service personnel – he recommended you to me. It does, of course, help that you are aware of the wizarding world and some of the issues within it – but I am not here to pressure you into taking up this role. I merely thought I would offer you it."
Immediately, Karen had a question. "Why are you offering me this role?" she demanded. "I know enough of governmental interference in matters of education, Mr Shacklebolt, and I daresay the consequences are even more severe in the wizarding world."
"Professor McGonagall is the Headmistress of Hogwarts, and I can assure you that she fully supports this decision – in any case, it was her suggestion," he pressed, handing Karen a piece of parchment. "On this, you will find the details of the role, and the contact details for Minerva, should you have any further questions. If we do not hear from you, I will assume that you do not wish to take up the position.
"Good day, Doctor Griffin. Forgive me this, but I must say that you look extraordinarily like your late cousin, Amelia."
And without another word, Kingsley swept himself out of the consultation room, leaving an undecided Karen in his wake.
.
It was almost amusing that, approaching forty years of age, Karen Griffin was finally at Hogwarts. A place which had been out of her grasp since the age of eleven was now her home, for a year at least.
After much deliberation, she had accepted the position Kingsley offered her. After a lengthy conversation with Minvera McGonagall, during which she clarified her rights as a Squib member of staff, Karen decided that the students needed her expertise far more than the British government at this moment in time. PTSD was something that she had had great experience in dealing with, and it would be surprising indeed if students did not feel at least minor effects.
Thankfully, she had the opportunity to move into the castle in the last week of the holidays, before the students arrived. It gave her the chance to pick out the features her father had told her as a little girl – the moving staircases, the moving portraits, even the secret entrance into the kitchen – as well as to come to terms with the fact that she would be fully immersed in the wizarding world for a full year, at least. For a full year, she would be dealing first hand with a world which had been taken from her grasp almost thirty years ago.
Before she knew it, it was the first of September, and she was in the Great Hall, waiting for the Sorting ceremony to commence. Sat directly to Minerva's left, she was in a position of great privilege – and she could tell that the older students were muttering, wondering who she was.
Across the hall, she could pick out some familiar faces: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Dennis Creevey, and her second cousin, Susan Bones. These were just some of the student profiles Minerva had given her; directly involved in all aspects of the war, they had experienced loss or manipulation on an entirely different scale to many of the other students. They were to be Karen's focus, as well as the emotional well-being of every single student at the school.
It had surprised Karen when she learnt that there was no pastoral support at the school, even for first years. Minerva had said that the Heads of House were there to provide support for the students – but that didn't make sense to Karen. After all, the Heads of House taught; they were not available at all times for students. A student's academic well-being seemed more important than their emotional – and that was something that Karen wanted to change.
"Good evening students, and welcome back to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall announced, starting the annual welcome speech. "This year, we have noticeable gaps amongst our ranks, as a direct consequence of the last academic year; yet we also welcome a new cohort of students to Hogwarts.
"Hogwarts is a school which believes in equality and diversity, and does not stand for any attempt to remove a person's rights for any reason whatsoever. It is also a school which is here for all students on both an academic and personal level. It is for this reason that we welcome a new member of staff to our ranks – Doctor Karen Griffin."
Every single pair of eyes moved at this point from Minerva to Karen, who attempted to smile back at the curious faces in the room. The one person who did not look at her was Susan.
"Doctor Griffin is a fully trained psychiatrist, who specialises in post-traumatic stress, and she is here to help students of all houses," Minerva continued. "Her focus is on your emotional welfare, and ensuring that issues – no matter how small – do not impact on your wider life. There are some of you in this hall who I have requested she meet with – you will receive notification of this on your timetable. However, for the rest of you: if you wish to discuss matters with her, stop by her office.
"Now, enjoy the feast!"
Karen was thankful that she hadn't had to make a speech; when Minerva had asked if she wished to introduce herself, she had politely declined. She was also thankful that Minerva had not mentioned her wizarding ancestry, nor openly mentioned the fact that she was a Squib.
However, as she attempted to make eye contact with Susan Bones again, she found it impossible. The girl was studiously ignoring her – as though she knew of the family connection between them. Karen had not seen her cousin's daughter since she was a toddler; after the death of his sibling and his family, Matthew had distanced himself from Karen and her father, preferring to stay within the comfort of the wizarding world. And Karen hadn't complained; the death of her family had highlighted the dangers of the world she had left behind.
As Karen sat upon the dais in front of the students of Hogwarts, she wondered whether she, as a Squib, was going to be able to get inside the mind of a witch or wizard who had experienced one of the greatest atrocities the wizarding world had ever seen.
Please let me know what you think!