A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. I know this is a short chapter and I apologize, but I've had family in the hospital and I wanted to get something out. I appreciate all the interest and I can't wait to get past the preliminaries. Thanks again and please continue to review.
"Good morning, class, without further ado, I believe we will begin our evaluations."
The entire class shifted nervously.
"Ms. Granger, we will begin with you. A few quick instructions: you will stand behind your seat and answer my questions as well as any your classmates wish to ask. I may stop you at any point and you will get the results immediately after class. For those not presenting, do not believe you can focus your attention elsewhere, I may direct questions to the claws and I expect you to participate in the questioning. Now, Ms. Granger, I would like you to give a brief overview of your packet."
"My packet covers the first encounter between Professor Potter and Voldemort."
"Incorrect, Ms. Granger, this was my second encounter, but continue."
Hermione faltered for a moment before regaining her composure.
"In this encounter, Professor Potter was aided by myself and Ron."
"Again, Ms. Granger, you are incorrect. At the point of my meeting with Voldemort, I was aided by no one. You may continue."
"Professor Potter was able to secure the Philosopher's stone and hold off Professor Quirrell until the Headmaster arrived."
"Ms. Granger, what was the key to securing the stone?"
"Professor Dumbledore had used a mirror to show you where the stone was, but not someone with evil intent."
"I'll give you a chance to further explain your response, Ms. Granger."
"The Headmaster used some sort of charm which responded only to pure intentions and would allow you or anyone who did not want to use the stone to retrieve it."
"You are partially correct. Would someone else like to attempt to explain this? I will let you all know that this was no ordinary mirror. It was the Mirror of Erised which Ms. Granger neglected to mention. Yes, Mr. Longbottom?"
"The Mirror of Erised is made to show only what one desires most, above all else. I would predict that Quirrell saw himself using the stone or presenting it to You-Know-Who while you only saw yourself receiving the stone and so your desire was selfless, allowing you to get the stone."
"Very good, Mr. Longbottom, but I have one complaint. In my class, Lord Voldemort shall be called by his name. Do not be concerned that this will reflect poorly on you, Mr. Longbottom, it is my fault for neglecting to mention it sooner. Back to Ms. Granger, how important was magical ability in this encounter, including the tasks prior to my meeting with Voldemort?"
"It was extremely important, Professor. Without it, we could not have escaped the Devil's Snare or used the brooms; without it, you could not have defeated Quirrell."
"Wrong, someone else? Yes, Mr. Weasley?"
Ron answered nervously, "Magical ability was highly unimportant, Professor. To defeat the chess game, one needed to have strategy. To defeat the Devil's Snare, knowledge of herbology was necessary. To walk through the fire, one had to have the logic to defeat the word puzzle. To find the key, you simply had to observe which had already been used. The troll was merely a test of strength and the only reason you were able to hold off Quirrell was your mother's protection."
"Very impressive, Mr. Weasley, I have excessively pleased with your analysis. Ms. Granger, you may sit down."
Hermione sat quietly, obviously shaken by her evaluation.
"Now, Mr. Thomas, it is your turn. Why is Voldemort able to gain a large following regardless of his use of violence on his followers?"
"The most important element of Voldemort's ability to gain support is his audience. Voldemort appeals to an elite group of wizards who have been accustomed to believing themselves superior to the rest of the magical community. They have always protected their bloodlines and believed that certain privileges should be accorded to them. Voldemort promises them a future that fulfills these wishes. It will protect them as well as elevate them beyond what economic power, family name, and ancients can achieve. The violence directed toward his followers is on a small enough scale that it does not concern them. They can easily rationalize it by claiming that the victim was not a true supporter or made a grave error or committed some other offense. In the end, they also believe that Voldemort's actions will be easily justified once he is victorious and they reap numerous benefits."
"A very satisfactory answer, Mr. Thomas, I am pleased. One more question though, what type of propaganda does Voldemort use?"
"Voldemort uses little propaganda. His ideology has been well publicized in the past and he has to do little to find an audience that willing believes it and endorses it. To these people, he promises rewards for their support. He does what he can to control the news such as using his followers to get pieces published which defame known supporters of the light. He also funds what he calls "scientific research" to prove that magic becomes diluted when purebloods mix with lesser blooded wizards."
"Well done, Mr. Thomas, you may sit. Mr. Boot, stand please, what are the faults of the shield charm?"
"The shield charm can be broken by any strong spell and is especially dangerous because it drains a wizard quickly."
"What are the limits of accio?"
"Distance and barriers. It is also difficult to control the speed at which the object is summoned."
"Why is a disarming spell ineffective in some duels?"
"Not all wizards require a wand to perform magic."
"How does one prepare against the use of silent wandless magic?"
"A well trained wizard can learn to sense the performance of magic as well as the feel of certain spells."
"What are simple spells useful while dueling?"
"Used creatively, simple spells throw many wizards off guard as well as give them a false sense of security. More importantly, they can be used in quicker succession and are less taxing on a wizard."
"Good job, Mr. Boot, you may sit."
The examinations continued for several hours, the topics included all of Harry's encounters with Voldemort, the tri-wizard tasks, medical magic, potions and many others. There was even a presentation on the effect of Voldemort on muggles and their awareness of the changes taking place outside of their world. Finally each student had finished and Professor Potter stood.
"Congratulations, you have completed your first examination. A few general remarks: as a class you have performed as expected. Your work was mediocre at best, but I won't fault you for your previous education. I have decided that for the moment, I will allow all of you to stay. I would like to see you perform practically before making any decisions. Tomorrow, you will have a second evaluation on your dueling skills as well as a lesson following the duels. You should make no preparations for the evaluation. I need to see how well you would perform at this moment. You are dismissed for the day."
One eager hand rose.
"Yes, Ms. Granger?"
"Professor Potter, do we still get our results?"
"Ms. Granger, the only result you get is that you may remain in my class."
"But, Professor Potter, what about our grades?"
"I believe that I told you on the first day of class that your grade was entirely at my discretion. Now unless you would like to begin your second evaluation with me as your partner, I suggest that you leave."
The class rose quickly, gathered their things and left. Harry stayed in his chair and began to read the notes that he had taken on each student, adding marks in the margins of his paper and muttering under his breath.
"Two classes and you have already begun talking to yourself. You exceed even my expectations of your inability."
"Good afternoon, Professor Snape, what have I done to earn the pleasure of this visit?"
"I want to know when I am getting my students back."
"At the moment, you are not getting anyone back though I would venture a prediction that after tomorrow I will be returning Ms. Granger to you."
"Why would you return, Ms. Granger? I would have thought that she had a free pass in your class regardless of her performance."
"You were mistaken. Ms. Granger displays very little ability to apply the knowledge that she has attained. She also requires too many instructions indicating that she has little ability to act on her own which will not serve her or anyone else well in the war."
"You are right about
her abilities. I must say I am surprised that you were astute enough
to pick up on this."
"I will consider that a compliment. I
should explain that I have seen how she performs in action. Our first
year, when Ron and I were trapped in the Devil's Snare, she was
able to recite the information about the plant, but it took Ron to
remind her that she could create a heat source to destroy it. I have
had some suspicions about her abilities for some time now.
Harry closed his notes and slid them into a drawer in his desk which he locked with a battery of spells.
"What do you teach tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, they duel and we work on apparation."
"You can't apparate in the castle."
"You forget, Professor Snape, I am the Lord Guardian. I can do what I like."
And with that, Harry walked out.
