Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot, you know the drill.
Also, if there is someone who wants to beta this, I'd be glad, as I'm not a native speaker (although I study English at university ;P)
Reviews keep me happy =)
After standing in front of the door for more than five minutes considering her arguments and trying to remain calm, she finally knocked.
Now she couldn't get out of this anymore. I mean, yes, she could still disapparate, but then it would be all in vain. She had worked so hard for this, well, not for this exactly, but after all it was just a means to an end. And this end was worth it, right? Right, she told herself. Even if she would make a total fool out of herself and this wouldn't work out… But it had to work out! It better did. And if not, at least she had tried. Great, how often did she have to tell this to herself over the course of the last two days? Does wonders to your self-confidence, really. It's like a participant's certificate in an athletics competition – she came in last, but showed great effort. Wonderful, what else could she dream of? But seriously, just how long could it take to open a damn door?
Oh Merlin, how did end up here again? Ah, right, yeah…
"Of course I see your point, Hermione, but…"
"If you understand, then why won't you consider it for just a moment?" she interrupted and added "Please?" as an afterthought.
Minerva sighed. "Because it's tradition, dear. You can't – we can't just go ahead and change everything in such a drastic way. Hogwarts has a long history, the houses have existed for over a thousand years, the founders divided the student body for reasons, but who am I telling this? Hermione, I'm glad that you are so concerned with the wizarding world's future, but I fear this is not up for debating."
It's tradition, yeah. That's what Harry and Ron had told her, when she came up with her idea. Only then, right after the war, it has been just that – an idea, not more. But now, she had a plan. Winning over McGonagall was the first step, but as it seemed this alone was even more difficult than she had thought.
"Yes, I know that." Hermione said through clenched teeth. "But over the last years there has been so much change. So much progress. I really think it would be for the best. Voldemort is gone, but who says there aren't others like him? Where did his followers come from? I mean – not a few of our own classmates supported him and his racist ideas quite openly even before he came back." All too well did she remember Malfoy and his friends calling her "Mudblood" in her first year. The scar his mad aunt left on her forearm didn't help to get over it either.
"The ministry has gone through a lot of reforms by now", she went on, "and Kingsley and the rest of the Order take great effort in fighting corruption and everything there. But wouldn't you think that it would be best not to fight this pureblood ideology in made-up minds, but right at its root? Where it begins? Children are so much more susceptible to sense."
"And to manipulation, if I might add, yes."
"Yes.", Hermione added sadly. "We have seen that, of course. But what we would try now is not to manipulate, but to educate them. I mean, why is potions an obligatory subject, but not muggle studies? Especially after Voldemort's first disappearance? If the pureblood wizards would just learn more about muggles, they would see that they aren't that different! Or at least the muggleborn witches and wizards." Of course, she thought bitterly, she knew exactly why the ministry hadn't bothered teaching the children about anything the old wizarding families didn't approve of. They were too busy sucking up to the Malfoys, Crabbes and Zabinis out there.
"I know that, dear. I told you I understand. But we cannot just abolish the houses; they are the essence of Hogwarts! Do you understand what an uprising this would cause among the wizarding world?" Minerva looked at her with a fierce expression.
"Among the British." she replied. "Neither Durmstrang nor Beauxbatons have different houses. And they certainly wouldn't really care about Hogwarts changing its traditions. Do you know how Ron told Harry, before the sorting ceremony, that every single dark wizard ever was from Slytherin?" McGonagall looked as if she wanted to object, but Hermione went on. "Yeah, I know, that there are quite a few… bad guys", she bit back a few stronger expressions that were coming into her mind thinking of Pettigrew, "in other houses as well, and not all Slytherins are evil, of course. But they don't accept any half-bloods, let alone muggleborns among themselves, and maybe they just live up to the expectations everyone has of them. I mean, if I remember our own conclusions about Malfoy being the Heir of Slytherin and controlling the Basilisk back in our second year, and Harry's obsession with him in year six – we all have these images in our heads about the other houses and we don't bother to correct it, to get to know each other better, because of some old family feuds or this stupid house rivalry. Can we really let this happen? Maybe we missed some really good friendships here. Maybe we could have prevented our classmates, our supposed friends, from turning to Voldemort and killing each other!" Her voice broke at this and tears began to well up in her eyes, as they did every time she thought about the losses, so she lowered her gaze.
This was really important to her, how could McGonagall not see this? Riddle had been a madman. But without support he wouldn't have been a thread to the world. There wouldn't have been so many unnecessary deaths. Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Dobby, maybe even Harry's parents and all their friends back then could have survived, if the world just hadn't been so full of hatred and prejudices.
McGonagall looked at here silently. Her eyes were warm and held something like… sympathy? Pity? Hermione couldn't read her expression and felt desperation slowly rising up inside her. She needed to convince her, her of all people.
"Who says that there won't be another one like Riddle?", she began with new force, "Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but as long as this pureblood ideology exists, if not out in the open, but in the privacy of families, as long as children are raised to believe they are better than others due to their blood", she spit out. "How can we say that we really have defeated Voldemort?"
"We can't.", McGonagall answered softly, "It's simple as that. As long as his beliefs still exist, he will not vanish from this earth." Hermione eyes widened. So the headmistress really shared her conviction? She felt the semblance of hope in her chest. "But, Hermione, how do you want to achieve your goal? I think…" she hesitated. "I think we could make muggle studies mandatory for all students. Don't get me wrong, this will be hard enough to enforce. But abolishing the houses? I cannot help you with this, dear." Hermione opened her mouth to launch into another speech, but McGonagall gestured her to listen. "There will be too much protest, and I'm not just talking about pureblood families. I noticed that neither Mr. Potter nor Mr. Weasley is with you to support your proposals. There is a tradition of not only house cups, but Quidditch tournaments as well, as you surely remember. The sorting hat has a function. The ghosts will not approve of this reform. And even if the ministry would, the classes are small enough as they are. What would the families prevent their children from just sending them to another school? Without students this school would merely be an empty castle and I would be out of this job as fast as the Daily Prophet gets wind of this story."
Hermione bit her lip. So this was it? She had worked so hard on her plan, but without McGonagall's support she could never make it come true. She looked down on her hands, which were momentarily placed on the headmistress' wooden desk, twirling a quill around and around. Well, at least she had tried, she thought. Obligatory muggle studies, that was… a small achievement, but an achievement nonetheless, at least. It was just a thought that came up in this discussion, but she would take what she could get.
But did she have to go home and admit to her friends that they were right, that she couldn't change Hogwarts' system? Well, at least they would talk to her normally again. Harry and Ron had always been so proud to be Gryffindor. They had told her it was a bad idea, especially Ron was furious with her. His whole family was in Gryffindor, after all. How often had he told her? They wanted their future kids to follow in their footsteps, like it was tradition. Hell, everything was. The parchment and feather quills were tradition because paper and pens would be too easy. The triwizard tournament was tradition because that wasn't dangerous at all. Enslaving house elves was tradition, after all they didn't know better and didn't want their freedom, right. Marriage in your early twenties or even before that is so common, it's basically tradition because… but no, better not let your thoughts wander there, Hermione scolded herself. Focus on the task at hand!
"Hermione, I'm sure you have thought this through forever, after all you would never come to me without some elaborated plan in this head of yours." The corner of Hermione's mouth twitched. "Of course. Nothing else could be expected from you", the woman in front of her smiled warmly. "But again: I can't help you with this, right now."
Hermione's head shot upwards. What did that imply? Who else could…? But McGonagall interrupted her thoughts. "Look, if you really want to do this, you have to convince the old wizarding families. And although I hope that your friends will see reason sooner rather than later, I'm sure they've got plenty going on in the ministry as it is, and in the end they will most certainly support you, no matter what. The difficulties display those who don't have unlimited trust in you. I don't know how or when you wanted to approach this problem in particular, but if we're doing this, I need you to persuade some other people, people with influence, of this project. And as you're so keen on the idea of community, and that no one should be judged by his house or his family or his upbringing, this should be most convenient for you."
Oh Merlin, that sounded bad. Usually McGonagall wasn't one to dance around a subject, but was straight to the point. What was she getting herself into?
Her concern seemed to show on her face, as her former teacher gave her a reassuring smile. "We're doing this together, but on my terms. Maybe this means that you have to rearrange your plan a little bit, but if you can do this, I think we're on our best way. If you can make him participate in this, how difficult can the rest of them be?" If Hermione wouldn't know better, she was sure McGonagall had winked at her. It was frightening.
"And with 'him' you mean…?"
Yeah, well, McGonagall was right. If she could pull this, the rest of the wizarding world should be a piece of cake. Nibbling on her bottom lip she straightened her blouse for the tenth time. Then she brushed a non-existent strand of hair out of her face and waited impatiently. Right when she was about to knock again, the door opened, and to her surprise not a house elf, but the man of the house himself stood in front of her.
She flinched, but regained her composure fast and opened her mouth to say something. Just what exactly? Hello, nice to see you? Don't get this wrong, but I want you to turn on your families beliefs and betray everything they stand for? She had prepared a speech, hadn't she? Yes, just how did it start again?
Thankfully – thankfully, really? Hermione thought to herself – the blonde in front of her beat her to a reaction.
"Granger?" He asked surprised. Raising an eyebrow he looked down on her – literally as well as figuratively, she supposed. Annoyed, he continued "If I knew it was you I wouldn't have bothered to get up from the couch. We don't give to charity here, you know. Go bother someone else." And with that he turned around to leave her standing there, but Hermione grabbed his arm.
Seeing the look of distaste – but not disgust and that was a good sign, right? Riiight, keep thinking that– on his face, she let him go in an instant, but quickly got out "Malfoy? I – I really have to talk to you, please? I need your help."
A/N: So yeah, who would've guessed, right? ^^ It's my first published fic, but I hope you enjoyed it =) Updates are coming, dunno when, because work and university are pretty time-consuming, but I'll keep my work on this up. Feel free to criticise!