Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its wonderful cast of characters and settings are the property of J. K. Rowlings, Scholastic Books and Warner Bros. Films, I just get the fun of taking them and putting them in different settings. It's all only for fun and the praise of my readers because I get nothing but the reviews my readers grace me with. (Puppy dog eyes) the money goes to other people. Also a quarter of the credit for this story goes to darkshadowedrose she helped me feed the cute little plot bunny until it became a monster that wouldn't let go until it was down on paper.
A/N: I reposted chapter 13 cause thanks to ladysavay's review and when I first started this chapter I realized what the last on needed to feel finished. So if you read it before 7-30-10 you might want to go back and read the last couple paragraphs. Thanks for reviewing, they're so inspiring. And sorry about the way fanfic loaded the price list I had a nice neat and small table that for what ever reason didn't upload right I tried three times to fix it but it still isn't right and it probably was extraneous but it helps me to process details like that sometimes. Less writer's block for me means more for you to read, and if it bothers you feel free to skip. One last note there is a borrowed character name in this chapter it is not mine.
Harry Prongs Tatum Chapter 14
Professor Flitwick couldn't help but notice the incensed glare his colleague was giving Mr. Tatum. He'd set Miles to observe but had been unable to find out the results of those observations. For various reasons either he'd been pulled away by Albus or Miles had been busy with Head boy duties, or Minerva had needed him. He'd been neglecting his house; he felt badly but there was just so much he could do in a day maybe he was getting to old for this. He wondered if he would have another visit from an enraged Severus.
As dinner came to an end, Albus got to his feet and said, "Harry Potter would you please remain behind there is an issue we need to discuss."
Any of Harry's teachers could have told Albus that calling the boy by his birth name was asking for insubordination, but the Headmaster steadily thought of Harry as a Potter unless forcibly reminded of the boys preferred name.
Harry heard the Headmaster and knew what the man asked skirted the legalities that bound him, and he knew Headmaster or not he wasn't bound to obey. Harry debated the merits of obeying versus making a point about what he'd answer to and promptly decided to make the point. Rising and heading out of the Great Hall with the remainder of his peer group.
Albus was infuriated, how dare that brat ignore him. Severus was right; the boy had unmitigated gall. "Filius as his Head of House you will retrieve Mr. Potter this minute."
Minerva gave Filius a sympathetic look. Being put in between the stubborn boy and an irate Headmaster wasn't a place she'd care to be.
Filius debated the merits of taking a page from Harry's book and pretending he didn't know who Albus spoke of but decided the resulting explosion wouldn't be worth it. "I'm sorry Albus, but Mr. Tatum is notoriously deaf when it comes to people calling him by his birth name. It's as if he doesn't associate the name Potter with himself at all. Of course I'll get him."
Filius found Harry in the Ravenclaw common room. Looking as if he were waiting for Filius. "Mr. Tatum the Headmaster wishes to speak with you."
"Does he? That's fine. Can we call Aunt Elda?"
"What?"
"Well because of the restraining order against him with regards to me I can't be alone in the Headmaster's presence with fewer than three people two of whom have to be chosen by me. I chose you as my Head of House and Aunt Elda. When she is here, I'll happily come to talk, after all since he probably wants to see me for a discipline issue it's only proper if one of my guardians is here." Harry had to work to maintain his composure.
"Who exactly is Aunt Elda?"
"Griselda Marchbanks, I'm sure you've met her." Harry eyes sparkled mischievously as he saw his Professor's jaw drop.
"Of course. I'll just go inform the Headmaster." The slightly shocked professor turned and left the common room.
Miles came over and asked "What was that about and why didn't you stay when the Headmaster said to?"
"He called me Potter and technically he's got a restraining order against him so he shouldn't have even given that order for me to stay that way. I'm just waiting for all the elements of my plan to come together."
Miles thought about Harry's earlier comment and said, "The Hat considered you for Slytherin didn't it?
Harry looked at the Head Boy, smiled and said "It considered me for all the houses."
Griselda Marchbanks had just finished her supper and settled down for an evening of reading when Minerva McGonagall's Head appeared in her fireplace. "Minerva what a surprise what brings you to call this evening?"
"It's Harry Tatum he's requested your presence for a meeting with the headmaster."
"Ah of course. Tell the headmaster I'll be in his office in an hour and to have the floo open."
"All right." As Minerva's head disappeared Griselda shook her head. Harry had warned her a week ago that tonight might come and he'd sent a note asking for her to do a couple of things if it happened too. She opened her bag of floo powder.
Almost an hour later Albus waited with Snape in his office, Filius was bringing Harry Potter up in five minutes. His floo flared, but the person who stepped out was Lord Reginald Withers and he carried a sheaf of papers in one hand. As Albus tried to get over his shock, his floo flared again this time it was Griselda Marchbanks but she wasn't alone with her was Professor Tofty and the other five members of the Committee on Wizarding Education. Nell Fenwick-Doright was on the Board of Governors of Hogwarts, in addition to being on the committee and as soon as she cleared the floo she started complaining. "Griselda this is most irregular; you said I needed to be here. I'm here, but I don't understand why."
Albus felt bewildered when his floo flared again, this time discharging Lord and Lady Clearwater, Howard Rowe and a goblin into his now very crowded office. "What are you all doing here? I was expecting Madame Marchbanks but I was going to discuss the matter of disciplining a child so there's no reason for the rest of you to be here."
"I beg to differ Headmaster, most of them are my guardian council and I want them here as witnesses of my lodging formal complaints against Severus Snape Potions Master, and Cuthbert Binns History of Magic Professor. As my guardians they have every right to be here." came from the doorway.
Harry stood in the doorway behind Filius and flanked by Miles Ogden.
Where most first years would have hung back and tried not to enter, Harry entered with a confident stride and gave warm greetings to his council, shocking Dumbledore by greeting the goblin in Gobbledegook. He was polite but reserved while Griselda introduced him to the people he did not know. As introductions finished. Dubledore tried to take control. "I called Mr Potter to this office-"
"The boy's legal name is Harrison Tatum, Dumbledore" Lord Withers deep bass voice rumbled commandingly.
"Yes ..Of course... I called Mr. Tatum to my office-"
"Cut the pontificating Headmaster. You called me to punish me for daring to stand up for myself against the ...man that you have in the position of potions master. Earlier today while in potions class the potion master sabotaged the potion I was working on. I was furious. Rightly so I think, I could feel my magic getting out of control. So rather than create what would have gone down in the history of Hogwarts as a disaster, I walked out of the potions classroom. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a student that pays a princely sum to attend this ...institution." Harry's nostrils flared, "I feel as such that I am entitled to fair and reasonable treatment by it's staff and students, as are all students attending here. However I wish to clearly state this has not been the case in two of my classes. Potions and History of Magic. From the moment I walked into the Potions classroom I was a target for Snape's irrational ire."
"You brat!" Snape snarled.
"Let the boy finish Severus, then you may state your side." Flitwick stated.
"He has taken 192 points in the eight weeks I've been here, he has also assigned detentions twice. Once for merely asking a question during his lecture, the other for failing to warn a classmate that was making a mistake, now keep in mind he has taken points on a previous occasion for doing so."
Harry paused for a second and took a steadying breath. "He has smashed one vial of my work, and sabotaged a potion. I do not believe he has graded either my essays or my potions fairly. I do not understand why this has happened I can only assume based on his fixation with my birth name that it had something to do with my father whom I'm told I resemble greatly. I find it pathetic that a supposedly grown man still carries such a grudge against a man that has been dead nearly a decade, that he has to take it out on a child who has no recollection of the dead man involved."
Harry consciously controlled his voice,"For proof that what I say is true, I offer copies of my essays and the sheet we get back on our potions that were graded. Since from second week on I could see what sort of person Snape is, and what I could expect from him; I made arrangements with a potions mistress who owns a shop where I get my medicinal potions to provide an independent analysis of my work. I asked Lord Withers of my guardian council to retrieve it from her. I have not seen it. It might be true that I am the dunderhead Snape is so fond of labeling me and his other students, among other epithets, but I doubt it."
"I also offer this page of facts gleaned from the Hogwarts points and discipline logs one copy of which resides in this office and cannot be altered, I offer still more facts gleaned from OWL and NEWT records in the Hogwarts library to show this isn't just affecting me but it affects all his students and last I offer the testimony of Miles Ogden, who at Professor Flitwick's request has observed the last four potions classes while under a disillusionment charm."
After requesting Dumbledore make enough copies that the committee and members of the school each had one. The Committee members, Flitwick, Dumbledore and Snape all read through Harry's supplied facts.
Flitwick grew more and more dismayed. His students had been bullied and treated so unfairly by a fellow staff member, and he had stood by and done nothing. He had not been happy this evening when Miles had insisted on coming along to the Headmaster's office, but now he wondered if there was worse to come. Snape had graded several essays as poor, while the alternate potions mistress had graded them exceeds expectations, and the one she had graded as outstanding he had graded as merely acceptable.
Dumbledore read through Harry's proofs and was astonished. Had he truly been so blind to the way the potions master favored his house and was the OWL and NEWT information truly correct? He pulled out his points log to compare. When he finished his dismay knew no bounds, he moved on to the rest of the papers. He read Severus comments on Harry's essays and found them overly harsh without telling the boy how to improve. Inwardly he wondered how to spin this so that he could maintain control. He needed Snape, damnit! He needed him as a spy and as a counterpoint so he could maintain a grandfatherly image, while Snape supplied the harsh discipline the boy needed to become the tool the wizarding world needed. How was he going to do this?
The committee members were shocked why had they not noticed the decline in the percentage of passing potions OWLs, admittedly the number of passing NEWTs was only slightly lower but given how many professions required potions it would still be devastating to the magical world. That prior to Professor Snape's arrival seventy five percent of students got an acceptable or better on their Potions OWL but starting three years after his arrival that rate dropped to fifty percent. The number of students taking NEWT Potions was down thirty five percent. Seventy five percent of NEWT level students passed with an Exceeds Expectations and only two percent didn't pass. They had attributed the lower numbers of Potion NEWT's to a smaller population resulting from the wars with first Grindlewald then He-who-must-not-be-named,
"Are these numbers accurate?" Professor Tofty and Nell Fenwick-Doright asked.
Griselda answered. "Sadly yes. When Harry first notified me last week I checked."
Snape read through and winced. This was going to be very bad for him. He hadn't realized the true numbers on the OWL and NEWT exams. The points of the house cup he didn't feel too badly about though, his snakes had to put up with so much prejudice for belonging to a dark house and the cup really mattered to them and if he could help them by offsetting the prejudice of the other teachers well what did it matter? When he got to the essays he stiffened how dare the brat imply he was less than fair in his grading. Well he didn't have to put up with this. "I can't believe this! Because Saint Potter declared me an unfair teacher, you are going to read and believe this claptrap! The boy should be expelled for ignoring a teacher and being disrespectful, not just of the teachers of this school but also of its traditions. Do you know what the boy uses to write with? A pen! And he thinks he's too good to wear robes! He parades around the school arrogantly as if expecting the other students to follow his example and he's an disrespectful snot that won't even answer when called by name!"
Harry's quiet voice sounded in the office "And what name would that be, sir?" Harry found himself almost quivering in anticipation, for what the greasy git would say, his evidence alone would have buried him, but if he said something stupid...
"POTTER of course!"
Everyone in the office was quiet for a moment. Griselda and Professor Flitwick looked at each other for a moment. Them Filius started to speak, "A month ago Professor Snape came to my office incensed that Mr. Tatum hadn't appeared for a detention assigned to Mr. Potter. At that time I reminded Professor Snape that Mr. Tatum was within his rights to want to be called by his proper legal name and after verifying that he was aware the Professor meant him, I punished Mr. Tatum by making him serve the detention with my colleague and two additional detentions with me. And I warned Severus that if I found out he was bullying the boy there would be consequences. However Professor Snape's reactions bothered me so I asked Miles Ogden who is the head boy and in my house who has the desire to become an auror if he would like to learn the disillusionment charm. After he mastered it I asked him to observe the first year Potions class for a month. He is here to report on his findings. Mr. Ogden."
"Sirs, Madames, the first class I observed which would had been shortly after Professor Flitwick's warning. In that class I heard Professor Snape make several derogatory comments and attempt to bait Harry, sorry Mr. Tatum, several times. Harry was quiet and respectful and he took the Professors verbal abuse he also didn't argue with the Professors removal of fifteen points, I'm ashamed to say I didn't think any thing of it because I've seen Professor Snape do it many times to many people.
The next week was much the same, except he insulted Mr. Tatum's deceased biological father a few times as well. The third week he blamed Harry for not stopping some fellow students that were next to him from making a mistake that resulted in a melted cauldron. From the way he said it it sounded like Harry had previously stopped something similar from happening. He phrased it "What to busy to be an interfering busybody?" Harry said "After what happened last time, I thought you didn't want me correcting my school mates." Professor Snape assigned him a detention and took twenty five points. At this point I tried to see Professor Flitwick because it was clear Professor Snape was targeting Harry. Due to circumstance, I wasn't able to speak with him.
"Today I went to the first year potions class., Harry again ignored Professor Snape's provocation. He worked on his potion with absolute concentration It was going well until Professor Snape dropped something in Harry's cauldron. Harry's a true Ravenclaw, he quickly surmised what had happened; his potion now useless, he vanished it. Professor Snape mocked him, telling him he would get a zero for the day. Harry was furious, who wouldn't be? But suddenly all the jars and bottles in the dungeon were vibrating. When I say all, I mean ALL. I was afraid that they would vibrate off the shelves and create the worst potions disaster in the history of Hogwarts. Harry seemed to realize it too, when one of the girl's vials fell onto the floor and shattered. Harry stopped everything, packed his belongings and left. As he left Professor Snape took fifty points, and tried to assign two weeks detention."
Miles' normally claim face, had dissolved in to a disgusted look, as he continued;"I used to sort of respect Professor Snape because of his abilities as a Potions Master. I despise him now. What kind of person takes power they are given over children and uses and abuses it the way he has, it's deplorable and if he's more important to Hogwarts than just and fair treatment of students then I don't want to be associated with Hogwarts. So I would ask for a just and fair decision on this matter."
Nell Fenwick-Doright looked at Dumbledore, "I certain hope Albus, that you don't intend to try and sweep this under the carpet as you have done about other complaints in the past. In this case the evidence is not insubstantial, as it has been before. This is not the first or even the tenth complaint, we've had against the Potion Master. It is however the first we received with such concrete and specific documentation. To attempt to brush it aside again, might well pave the way for your own removal."
"I'm curious Madame Fenwick-Doright. Have you also had complaints against the History of Magic Professor Cuthbert Binns?"
"Merely general ones nothing specific Mr. Tatum. Why?"
"I am prepared to make a specific complaint."
"Go ahead."
"It is my understanding from my research of the history OWLs and NEWTs; that we are taught history of magic so: we can understand the origins of magic as practiced today, the reasons we have the laws we do, and what those laws are, as well as to give us a general sense of what has happened in the past. Would that be a fair assessment?"
"Mostly, it is also supposed to give a grounding in Wizarding culture to those who grew up outside the culture."
"My next question is in your personal experience is it common or uncommon it your experience that a disagreement happens between one person or more than one?"
"That's a foolish question, for conflict to happen it takes more than one of course."
"My next question may seem personal, and so I ask in advance that you don't take offense. Did you have children?"
"Yes three boys."
"And did they ever fight?"
"Many times."
"And during those fights, was it always one clearly starting it for no reason?"
"Seldom, almost never. In fact most times, there was plenty of blame for the fights to go around."
"I asked these questions because Binns would try to have his students believe that the wizarding world has only ever been a victim. He makes no attempt to help his students draw the lines between cause and effect. He denies that the wizarding world is responsible for itself and that is the message he gives the few students that manage to stay awake in his class and feeds into the subconscious minds of the rest. I fail to see how his lectures relate meaningfully to what we are to know for our OWLs and NEWTs."
"I researched the History OWLs and NEWTs because history is something I love, I live and breathe the insight history can provide to our daily lives. My findings were exceptionally troubling. While he was alive, Binns was responsible for a five percent drop in the passing rate of OWL students taking the history test . They went from sixty four percent to fifty nine and he only had five NEWT students. Since his death, the rate of passing has dropped to only eight percent getting an A or better, most of those students are Ravenclaws. Only eight percent of the population graduating Hogwarts pass the History of Magic exam, and there have been no NEWT students. Binns as a ghost has been a teacher here for forty years."
"In class I have asked questions. Questions about the source of the information he teaches, about how the information relates between subjects, about the causes of conflicts. Binns has taken to giving me detention if I even raise my hand to ask a question. In the past eight weeks I have had a dozen detentions from Binns alone. He only lectures on the wars, mostly goblin and giant, but he won't mention what the conflicts were about. As far as I am concerned if Professor Binns is not replaced, the odds of the wizarding world surviving are infinitesimally small."
"In the," Harry paused and counted. "thirteen weeks I've been in the Magical world, and I have seen bigotry enough to make me ashamed to call myself a wizard. I have observed a lack of responsibility and a frightening lack of morals. I have read enough history and other books to believe that the magical world's culture is stagnating, akin to that of Rome shortly before the fall of the empire. I'm a mere child, and I feel this way. I ask what are you as adults going to do to address these problems? Will you continue to allow teachers like Snape, who spouts hatred, and Binns who spouts ignorance, to teach your young, or will you do the responsible thing and institute change?"
"I admit to disrespecting teacher, but I was taught I should only give respect where it is earned. I also admit that this evening when the Headmaster told me to stay in the Great Hall, I did not. I did this for two reasons: One I knew that what the Headmaster asked was counter to the stated wishes of my guardians and two he failed to even do me the courtesy of calling me by name."
"For my own well being and for the safety of my peers, I will not under any circumstances enter Professor Snape's class as a student again. And I see no point to entering Binn's unless I want to nap, but even there I have no desire to poison my subconscious with his...propaganda. If this is judged to be unacceptable then I will withdraw from Hogwarts and seek to fulfill my Grandfather's dictates through another means."
Reginald Withers was impressed. Harry was... He wasn't sure what adjective was best. Harry was the perfect mix of I won't take shit from anyone. I'm just a naïve and slightly guilty child. My reasons for doing what I've done are supremely logical. Charlus would be extremely proud of his grandson at the moment. Reg could tell that Harry had the same politically savvy instincts his grandfather had had. Dumbledore was goggling. The man who Reg had watched maneuvering other people around like chess pieces for years was being out maneuvered by an eleven year old. It was delightful. Dumbledore was losing his touch or maybe he was going senile.
Reg had been impressed months ago when he had first read the questions Harry used to identify who he wanted as his council. It was something he wished his parents had thought of. His parents...Percival Withers had died in an accident while handling Abraxans. His mother in her grief had ordered the entire stock of Abraxans disposed of. Leaving only the Aethonan and Granian lines left. The Withers family had been famous for their flying horses since his Great great great great grandfather Stoddard Withers had created a version of quidditch played on flying horseback. His mother though had lacked knowledge and wisdom, and had nearly bankrupted the family. She had died in his third year at Hogwarts. His guardian had been an uncle and a piss poor example of wizarding kind. Reg had run wild for a year and a half before during summer hols he made the mistake(blessing in disguise) of attempting to pickpocket Dorea Potter. Next thing he knew he was all but adopted by the Potters, as Dorea straightened him out and gave him someone to care about that cared about him. It was Charlus' influence exerted for the son of an old family ally that got him into the NEWT classes he'd needed to become a healer. His grades had been abysmal prior to coming into the Potters care and his OWLS had been better but still not quite high enough for the required courses. Charlus had wielded his influence and Reg got into the NEWT classes on a probationary basis. Five years later he'd found himself graduating from his healing courses at the top of his group at St. Mungo's.
Charlus had taught him how to handle money and the basics of monitoring politics so he could vote his family seat in the Wizengamot competently. He'd tried to do the same for James, but James by that point had fallen under the influence of Albus to many names Dumbldore and wouldn't listen to an old family friend. To see the grandson of his mentor play a political move on Dumbledore inside his own school... it was simply... delightful.