Summary: For as long as she could remember Darcy had her whole life planned out. She was going to be an incredible Healer. She was going to save lives. It was all she ever wanted to do. But when she realises how uneducated the wizarding community are on basic health issues that Muggles are taught at school - and then how bad they are at other things like maths and english too - she ends up in a position she would never have expected.
There's an escaped murderer from Azkaban, dementors everywhere, and she's the new teacher at Hogwarts brand new class: Practical Magic.
So this is the introduction chapter for my new story. Pretty much an excuse to play around with this OC, and to address something thats always bugged me about Hogwarts education.
I'm not sure how far I want to take it, or if I'm going to post any more chapters than this. Let me know what you thin, your support and feedback are greatly appreciated. Comments make my day!
Also, I'm not sure if I'm going to have a paring in this, or who it would be with, so if anyone has any suggestions for my story it would be great.
Thanks for taking the time to read my fic!
Darcy sat in front of the ornate desk with her hands clasped in her lap, back straight and dark green eyes wandering curiously around the room as she waited for the professor to arrive. She tried her best not to fidget nervously, but once again she found herself straightening her dress and running her hand up to her hair to check that none were straying from her tight ponytail. She put her hands firmly back in her lap to stop her leg from bouncing.
The various headmasters on the walls had apparently decided shortly after her arrival that she was uninteresting, and were now back asleep again. Darcy recognised a few of them from books she's skimmed through when she had been a student, but the majority of them were unfamiliar to her. She was feeling rather anxious about this meeting, her first instinct had been to make herself up flash cards to keep her straight in the proposal she was here to make. Obviously that idea had been quickly abandoned.
It wasn't exactly professional to show up at Professor Dumbledore's office with notes.
I am a capable, qualified young woman, she told herself. I am far too old to still be afraid of the headmaster. He will listen to what I have to say.
It didn't help.
The sound of robes shuffling came from further in the room than she could see, and Darcy snapped her head forward to look for Dumbledore's arrival.
He came striding in, long robes glittering gracefully around him. She had always thought the headmaster made an impressive sight. You could practically feel the magic radiating from him, but it never felt intimidating to Darcy. It was a warm feeling, peaceful and comforting. It instantly calmed her nerves and made her feel at home as he settled slowly into the seat in front of her.
"Miss Rowan, how lovely it is to see you again. Would you care for a cup of tea?" Just as he said this, a silver tray appeared between them on the desk laden with an ornate teapot, two dainty cups and saucers, milk and sugar dishes. Darcy had always appreciated a pretty tea set when she saw one.
"Yes, thank you Professor. Milk, one sugar please." She was trying not to fidget again. She always had been terrible at polite small talk when there were important matters she wanted to discuss, but she didn't want to come across as rude. Especially not when she had such an important matter to discuss.
Besides, what would her mother say if she forgot her manners?
Sipping slowly from the little cup that had been handed to her, she contemplated the best way to approach the subject. No matter how many different times it had played out in her head while she had been getting ready that morning, she just couldn't settle on how she wanted to say this.
The professor broke her quiet contemplation. "Biscuit?" He gestured toward a silver plate on the desk she hadn't noticed before, filled with all sorts of different types of tea time favourites.
"No thank you professor." She didn't want to distract herself too much from the matter at hand.
Dumbledore sat back, bringing his hands together in a steeple in front of him
"Now, I believe there was something rather important you wished to discuss with me, going by the urgent tone of your letter?"
Putting down her teacup, Darcy leaned forward in her chair as she cleared her throat.
"Yes Professor.
Well, you know I've been working at St Mungos doing my healing apprenticeship. Recently I've been placed with Healer Fairbanks in the general illness department, and... Well... I'm not sure how to say this really..."
She scratched her arm, avoiding Dumbledores gaze.
"Frankly, I'm appalled at how poorly educated the wizarding community seems to be on very simple matters, things Muggle children start learning even in Primary School! Well, for example, we had a witch in the other day who had no idea how she was pregnant. And we checked of course, there was no magical interference, she just genuinely didn't know. We've also had more than one very young witch who had no idea what was happening when they first started menstruating. And don't even get me started on what the wizards are clueless about! Not all of them were so young either.
My point is, witches and wizards continue to be incredibly uninformed on simple health matters, and no offence intended professor, but I blame the education system.
Like I mentioned, Muggle children's education on health and social issues begin at a young age in school, but the wizarding community relies on the parents to teach their children these things. The majority of them seem to give a vague description at best, and none of it seems to be enough for them to actually have any idea how their bodies work the way they do, or why."
Darcy drew in a deep breath. So far this seemed to be going alright. Dumbledore didn't seem annoyed at the dig she made a his school, actually his pleasant expression hadn't changed since the start of the conversation. She took this as a good sign.
"What I'm proposing is this; I come to the school to give talks to some of the classes about the things I've found people to be most misinformed about. The Muggles call what they do Health Classes, and I think it would benefit the pupils greatly.
I mean, it would probably be a bit of a hassle, arranging days, contacting parents - because there's always at least one who wants to opt their child out of this sort of lesson - and I'd have to arrange days off from the hospital. And even if you don't want me to do it, I still think it should be done. I could draw you up a list of reasons these talks are needed if you like?"
She let out a breath and winced a little. She hadn't meant to go off on one quite like that.
Squinting up at Dumbledore, she tried to gauge his reaction to her little impromptu speech. He was still smiling pleasantly at her as he had been from the beginning.
That had to be a good sign, right?
He hadn't thrown her out yet. Or maybe he was just waiting for her to finish before he told her it was ridiculous and asked her to leave his office immediately?
Finally Dumbledore spoke, putting her out of her misery.
"I think that is an excellent idea."
Wait, what?
"You are quite right Miss Rowan. I must say that it wasn't an issue I had ever really taken into consideration before. The Muggles do seem to do rather a lot of things better when it comes to eduction, if truth be told."
He was agreeing with her? Just like that?
"I've also noticed that some pupils seem to be rather behind on their reading and writing, as well as their mathematics. Particularly those who didn't attend a Muggle primary school before coming to Hogwarts. There are many topics not covered by the normal classes we teach, that now that I think on it, aught to be."
This meeting was going far better than Darcy had dared hoped.
"So, I have a proposition."
Dumbledore straightened in his chair, suddenly more serious than he had been since he entered the room.
"We create an entirely new class. Mandatory for 3rd years and up I think, and it shall teach all the things you talked about and more. English, mathematics, health, perhaps even science, social issues, history that isn't our own but is still entirely relevant. Household magic too - I have noticed how entirely unprepared young wizards are when faced with a simple torn jumper, or a faulty sink.
Many in the wizarding community look down on Muggles because they lack magic, but they miss entirely how much further than us they have managed to advance without it."
She was grinning now, and nodding away to everything Professor Dumbledore was saying. She knew he would get it, they didn't call him the greatest wizard in the world for nothing.
"So," he continued "How do you propose we start? You will of course be unable to continue your apprenticeship at St Mungo's, and it will be a rush to get everything in order before the start of term."
"Wait... Hang on... Me? No, that's not what I meant!" Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
"Of course you. Obviously you care greatly about the education of our young witches and wizards. And you are definitely qualified. You have the passion, the intelligence, the experience. Why ever not?"
"I have a job! I'm training to be a healer. I've only got one year left in my apprenticeship and that's me. I- "
"Now Miss Rowan, isn't this what you just suggested to me? It is a tad more that you offered, I suppose. But think of how better off the children will be once you start teaching. Think of the lives you can help shape, the eager young minds you can educate.
You can always pick up where you left off at St Mungo's later if it's still what you want. But where else am I going to find someone as passionate about this subject than you? You're the one who insisted on this meeting, who came to me demanding that the education system for witches and wizards be fixed. You are the perfect woman for the task.
If you want change to happen, you have to be the one to make it happen." His blue eyes were now twinkling at her over his half moon spectacles. Darcy opened her mouth, then closed it. She opened it again. She seemed to be doing her best fish-out-of-water impersonation for the professor.
And that's how Darcy found herself where she was now. Frantically rushing about her small flat making sure she had packed everything for her new teaching position at Hogwarts.
Things did not go according to plan at all.