Thank you for all your enthusiasm and joy at finally having received an update to this! As mentioned previously, my aim will be to finish this year and then go back over it from the very top, correcting and tidying as I go. I'm glad the idea of a sequel seemed to go down better than a single gigantoid fic trying to cover the seven years; that seems far more manageable.
Either way, thank you again. Miraculously, I have a second update within a mere few days rather than the months/years that some are used to! Enjoy! And please review; they make my day!
Chapter 34: Pledges and Promises
It's a tight fit around the classroom turned meeting room, although I have to admit that Hogwarts house elves have once more done us proud. The plain desks and chairs from the room have been replaced with a stunningly carved mahogany long table, plush red seating running all down the length of the table. Hogwarts has an astonishing knack for pulling all sorts of finery out of its cracks and crevices when we have need of them. Each seat had a neat bundle of papers on them, papers which have now been strewn across the desk in a haphazard manner by those present.
Standing at the head of the table, I find myself unreasonably nervous as I look down at the faces present. I meet each individuals gaze briefly as I take a deep breath, and take strange comfort in the slight nod Severus gives me and the beaming smile on Filius' face. Albus sits beside Severus, beaning at me benevolently, whilst Pomona is at Filius' side. The eleven members of the Board of Governors line the table, astounding me by having turned up to a man for this hastily arranged meeting, seated beside Amelia Bones and a few additionally invited specialists and experts. Lucius glares at me over the table even as Bill Weasley offers a cheeky grin; he is the youngest member of our little assembly by at least a decade and he knows it.
"Thank you all for attending this fine afternoon," I begin, clearing my throat of the unexpected frog that has decided to reside there. "I am sure you all had other pressing engagements and I am grateful for your time. As I am sure you are all aware, the four Hogwarts House Heads have come up with what we believe to be a new, revised Hogwarts curriculum that will offer a range of new opportunities and educational resources for the young minds we are all so concerned with shaping."
"The Heads of House?" Augusta Longbottom's imperial tones cut into my pre-prepared speech, although this doesn't much surprise me. I was firmly anticipating interruptions from at least one member of the Board, although I had anticipated it being Lucius' slow drawl rather than Augusta's clipped consonants. "Does the Headmaster not have a voice in this?"
"Of course, the Headmaster has been consulted at length regarding the planned changes," I continue smoothly, not looking at Albus as I speak. I am certain that he will have that same benign twinkle in his eyes and it will infuriate me for no reason at all. "The curriculum that you find in front of you is, in fact, the product of the work of numerous experts and specialists and has been through numerous hands, including several of your own." I dip a slight nod at Lucius and Bill as I speak. "Would you like some more time to look at the proposed curriculum before we discuss it in more depth?"
The flicking of papers gives me a moment to silently summon a glass of water from the centre of the table. I take a sip gratefully, uncertain as to why I am so on edge about this meeting. I have spent my entire adult life presenting in front of far more unruly gaggles of witches and wizards than this; at least if anybody here is going to heckle, they will coat it in the sweetest of pretended courtesy.
"I have to admit, I am impressed." It doesn't surprise me that once more Augusta's voice cuts across the rustling of paper. "Forgive me for being crass however, but the topic may as well be raised sooner rather than later, how are you planning to pay for this new curriculum? By my reckoning you will require at least fifteen new members of staff and that's providing some teachers are able to double up, particularly on the muggle subjects perhaps. That's quite a sum of money that will be required."
"Severus," I gesture to my younger colleague, who stands gracefully, cloak billowing impressively even as he walks the short distance to the head of the table. He glares out across those gathered and it doesn't escape my notice that few can hold his piercing gaze. "I believe you looked specifically into this?"
"Indeed," he drawls as I sit down for the moment. "You are completely correct of course, Augusta. The finances required for this are significant and if necessary we can implement a tiered system of introduction, with the changes being made initially up to OWL level if possible, and NEWT level changes being implemented at a slightly later point." His glower rakes across the room. "I would however prefer that it does not come to that."
"So, you must have a plan?" Augusta interjects sharply, seemingly unfazed by the sour look Severus sends her.
"We do," Severus confirms with a nod. "Firstly, Hogwarts has significant financial resources to call upon and we believe we should be able to fund the first three years of the new curriculum using the funds that are currently stockpiled. Obviously, we would need unanimous agreement from the Board in order to proceed with that plan."
He glances around, hesitating a moment as if to give Augusta a chance to cut in again, but she seems content to hear him out for now.
"With that in mind, we would then have three years in which to replenish Hogwarts finances and ensure that the curriculum is sustainable in the long run. There are a variety of methods in which we can achieve this, however all four Heads of Houses are willing to take a wage reduction and new contracts will be offered at an initially reduced wage in light of the perks that come with being a Hogwarts Professor."
"Which are?" Claude Macmillan's gruff voice cuts across the table. "I can't imagine there are all that many benefits that go with the job."
"Room, board and all catering are provided as Hogwarts staff live on site," Severus continues as though he had not been interrupted. "All room furnishings can be provided by Hogwarts, as are cleaning services. Whilst it is not required to remain in Hogwarts during holidays, this option is also available. Effectively, we are offering virtually all necessities at a high quality. The only thing we do not provide is alcoholic beverages and clothing. Even books can be arranged on loan for Professors from a variety of retailers."
"When you phrase it like that, I wouldn't mind becoming a Professor myself," Maisy Reynolds chuckles, and I don't miss the flash in Filius' eyes as he looks at his old student thoughtfully. Interesting. We may have more potential takers for the posts than we had initially thought. "Although, perhaps my husband would be less enamoured with the idea."
Which is perhaps one of the reason so many of the Hogwarts staff are unmarried. This isn't a job where a home and family easily fit into the equation. It is also perhaps one of the reasons that so many of us see our students as much like our own children. To my memory, at least however, Maisy was a more than competent potions student when she was at Hogwarts and dabbled in potion creation and alchemy before she married. It is worth considering in more depth. After all, there must be many other old students of Hogwarts that we could potentially call on for their expertise, even if it is only in teaching the younger students.
"As Madam Longbottom has already pointed out," Severus drawls, nodding at the older woman slowly, "several other subjects can be merged, particularly in the early stages of the changeover. One Professor can teach muggle science, history, mathematics and the written word if we hire cleverly, likewise a single Professor can cover multiple languages; if we fail to find someone who can teach all of the languages then we start with two and build on there in later years. I will teach all of the Potions related classes, Minerva the Transfiguration related classes, Filius charms, magical theory and duelling. Many subjects fit into broad categories and where possible we will group these in order to minimize the inevitable expense of this overhaul."
"There are however some subjects, particularly at the NEWT level, where you will have to bring in highly specialised Professors," Lucius Malfoy drawls without moving at all, which is quite an impressive feat in and of itself. "Mind Healing, Warding, Curse Breaking, Spellcraft perhaps and much of your Magical Species set-up. How are you proposing to manage those?"
I stand attract attention back to myself before taking over from Severus.
"Here joining us today, we are lucky enough to have attracted Mr Weasley who specialises in curse breaking and warding, Professor Leonard Sprottle who is a foremost expert in mind healing and Madam Quiniou with her rich and intricate knowledge of various magical species. We are most fortunate to be able to say that all three have offered their skills and expertise to Hogwarts for this new curriculum."
"And what do you get out of it?" Lucius' tone is almost bored, but I can see the interest glinting clearly in his grey eyes. He didn't need to say that he believed their skills worth far more than Hogwarts food and board could compensate for.
"I don't know about Professor Sprottle and Madam Quiniou here, Lucius," Bill Weasley spoke calmly, ignoring the flash of irritation in the other man's eyes at being addressed so informally by a Weasley. "But I for one am excited by the prospect of having young minds graduate Hogwarts with some semblance of practical applications of magic to draw upon. As it stands currently, Gringotts Wizarding Bank spends a significant amount of time and expense on training new employees to the standard they require. If potential applicants had a grounding in the practical aspects of curse breaking, warding and inter-species relations, it would cut our expenditure enormously. It would also reduce unnecessary wastage, as any new employee would already have shown an aptitude in the required areas."
Bill looks around the table as if to ensure he has the rooms full and undivided attention before shooting a sharp glance at Severus, who nods silently. Looking at my younger colleague, I suddenly realise that he has a distinctly smug cast to his pale features which compliments the spark in Bill Weasley's eyes rather unnervingly. That expression on the face of a Weasley makes me want to go and hide in a closet somewhere. I curtail that urge vigorously.
"For that reason," Bill continues, and there is no missing the mirth in his tone now and I dread to think what might be coming. "Gringotts is willing to financially sponsor certain applicable NEWT level courses for a period of five years, at which point the validity of the new tuition will be reflected upon and new terms agreed."
The silence at the table is almost deafening in its intensity as virtually every jaw drops a few inches, my own included. I catch Severus' eye to find him smirking in an infuriatingly self-satisfied manner. If he were an animagi, he would be a cat curled around a stolen bowl of cream with one eye cracked open. No wonder, at that. Goblins parting with galleons freely? Wonders will never cease. I find my tongue and look directly at the young Weasley levelly, impressing the seriousness of what I have to say with my glare. If this is some Weasley prank then I don't care if the boy has graduated, I will have his hide for breakfast. His smile doesn't falter.
"That is an exceptionally generous offer, Mr Weasley," I begin. "Would it be presumptuous to request what level of sponsorship Gringotts bank is thinking of?"
"I have been given leave and authority to negotiate that with the Board of Governors as a formal representative of Gringotts Wizarding Bank," Bill remarks quietly, his face splitting into a wicked grin at the horrified faces of several members of the Board. I believe they were not expecting the thin young man with scraggly hair and an outfit that wouldn't look out of place at a Weird Sisters concert to have been given such a daunting level of fiscal responsibility by the goblins. In fairness, I am struggling to come to terms with it. "I believe the starting point of the negotiation however would be the equivalent of four salaries plus other necessary expenditure for the duration of the five years. Further negotiations would then follow."
I blink at the young man dumbly. It is not often that I find myself completely speechless, but there is no other word for how I feel now. Four salaries, plus expenses. That would cover curse-breaking, warding and a significant chunk of all magical species classes across all year groups. That is an unbelievable amount of money and I simply don't know what to say. Thankfully I don't have to find words as Severus once more sweeps gracefully down the table to stand beside the object of everyone's amazed stares.
"In Gringotts sponsorship of our new curriculum, they demonstrate a laudable commitment to the growth and development of the next generation of wizards," Severus drawls, looking down at Bill with an expression that I might have mistaken for fondness had I not known my younger colleague's exact thoughts on the Weasley clan. I notice Lucius' eyes narrow at the display and can't help but wonder where Severus is going with this charade, for I have no doubt that is exactly what this is. "More importantly still however, they display their complete faith in Hogwarts to deliver what we are promising with this curriculum as they provide both concrete and less material support."
Severus' gaze moves slowly down the long table, lingering first on Professor Sprottle, then Augusta Longbottom and finally settling on Lucius Malfoy. The two men's eyes meet for a long moment and I would swear that something passes between them as Lucius' expression twists into one of refined distaste before he nods, smiling sourly.
"Of course, the Malfoy family cannot and will not be upstaged by a pack of goblins," he says scornfully, his eyes not leaving Severus' own. "It will be my greatest pleasure to match whatever those half-breeds bring to the table."
"And we wonder why classes in inter-species relations are required?" Augusta remarks rather tartly, pointedly not looking at Lucius as she speaks.
"I cannot speak for St. Mungo's financially," Professor Sprottle intones, his voice almost booming in the enclosed space. "Expertise however, is something I do feel able to offer. Professor Snape has already been assured that myself and a small number of my colleagues will be more than happy to conduct specialist classes to students who show promise for nominal charges. Much like Gringotts, we hope this will have a positive influence on the number of applicants for specialist healer roles."
"If we cannot demonstrate that the new curriculum is financially viable in the next five years," Severus remarks dryly with a slight smirk crooking the corner of his mouth, "then I would rather suspect that we have failed significantly and our plans need a major re-think. I do not believe that will be necessary however."
"I for one am confident that this curriculum will revitalise the entire British wizarding educational system," I catch first Amelia's, then Augusta's eyes before moving my gaze to Claude and finally Lucius; all of them have dependants currently in Hogwarts and they are the ones I need to convince. "In doing so will enable us to offer a far higher and more exacting standard with real, practical applications for our students. We will provide a well-rounded instruction and schooling that should, within a five year time period, be able to rival all of the competing Europeans in their own specialities, whilst offering a quality and breadth that is only offered by Hogwarts."
"As you can see," Albus speaks for the first time in the meeting and my stomach clenches nervously. I do truly believe we can sell this curriculum with or without Albus' support, but the job will become significantly more difficult if he decides to place himself squarely against our proposal however. "A lot of time, thought and effort has gone into creating this curriculum. I am interested in hearing your thoughts."
I let my breath out slowly so as not to show the relief I feel. There is still time for Albus to become intractable, but he seems to first be interested in testing the lay of the lands. He had been understandably shocked with Severus, Filius, Pomona and I had approached him with the proposed curriculum. He was perhaps even a little hurt that we hadn't asked for his input in the planning stages, but went along with the full Board meeting with surprising aplomb. It shows what an uncomfortable year it has been for me that I spent a fair amount of time trying to find the man's ulterior motive, because giving it up as a lost cause.
I have however learned the hard way this year, just because I can't find a motive, doesn't mean that there isn't one. And whilst I may have faith that Albus truly believes he is doing the right thing, I have learned to second-guess him. He is so used to controlling the chess board that it doesn't occur to him that any of his pieces may have valid thoughts, opinions and advice. Because of that, Albus has never learned to openly share the information he gains, instead hoarding it jealously to himself and never seeming to understand why that makes those of us in the firing line so frustrated and angry.
"I too am highly impressed with the proposal in front of me," Amelia Bones echoes Augusta's earlier statement as she responds in a no-nonsense tone. "I do have a couple of questions, however. Firstly, what is the plan for the current students at OWL and NEWT level and secondly, what accreditation are you advocating? I would assume that the current, Ministry approved, examinations would be scrapped?"
"Having spoken to various specialists across a wide range of subject matters, I believe I have the answer to both questions." Here Filius stands, looks down the line of knees and climbs onto the chair with surprising dignity. "You are correct, the examinations in their current form will have to be abolished. Within the documents for each subject, you will find a full evaluation plan which has been written in conjunction with experts. Each subject matter is assessed differently and through a combination of group work throughout the year, assessed essays, formal written and oral examinations as well as practical assessments. It is not possible to give an accurate generalisation of all the courses; however, you will note on the back of the proposal page, there is a list of percentages."
Cue the flipping of paperwork as nearly everybody present finds the list Filius is referring to. There are some murmurs of surprise, but nobody interrupts and so, after allowing them a few moments to peruse the document closely, Filius continues.
"As a rough generalisation, we have estimated that for first years approximately seventy per cent of the assessment should be split between various written assessments, whilst thirty per cent should be practical. By fourth year that has evened out to a fifty-fifty whilst the final year assessments have flipped to the opposite ratio, with seventy per cent being practical assessment and only thirty per cent being assessed in a written format." Filius flips his wand and each sheaf of parchment at the table flips to Magical Theory. "There are of course exceptions to the rule, and Magical Theory is one of them. This would be almost entirely assessed through formal written assessments, whilst Duelling," once more the pages flick as one, "is almost entirely practical assessments. I am sure the reasoning behind that will be obvious to all here."
"Why the ratio reversal?" The question comes from a quiet member of the Board, Oswyn Hattclyff. He is a small, precise and mousey man who thinks carefully before he speaks and considers all possibilities before coming to a conclusion. It can make for infuriatingly slow Board meetings on occasions, but he is undoubtedly thorough and pedantic in his need to fully understand the full circumstances behind all rationale. "From first year to final year, there is a complete reversal of assessment format."
"The answer is quite simply based upon what our students need to learn and the importance of them leaving skills with practical skills on which to base their future choices," Filius begins with a smile. "First years enter Hogwarts with limited or perhaps even no understanding of the theory behind the spells we require them to master. It is therefore essential that they are given a comprehensive grounding, which is also why the subjects are far more generalised. As students' progress however, they need to be able to demonstrate their capability for practical magic whilst still absorbing new information and theories."
Filius turns back to Amelia once more.
"To address your first question second, however, all current students will be fully catered for," Filius' tone is reassuring. "Those in the middle of OWLs or NEWTs will be given the option of continuing on the old curriculum or moving across to the new curriculum. All of the subjects are still available and teaching will therefore be accessible. Any students who choose to remain on the previous curriculum will take the Ministry approved examinations at a time and location chosen by the Ministry. All students currently taking OWLs however will be required to move to the new standardised curriculum as they move into NEWT level."
"Would you keep the same terminology?"
"You mean OWL and NEWT?" Filius queries briefly before continuing. "No. I believe it would be overly confusing for there to be two versions of the same examination with the same name. A clean break would be preferable. We were thinking of continuing in a similar line however. Perhaps TOAD and IMP, standing for Test Of Academic Diligence and Intensely Magical Practical Papers respectively."
I won't bring up just how long it took to come up with acronyms that made a vague amount of sense and yet were still actual creatures. Considering the combined intelligence of Filius with any one of us alone, you would have thought it would have been a relatively simple process. It was not. In the slightest. I never want to have to be faced with creating my own acronyms ever again. At least not ones that have to make sense. The muggles have some interesting ones as it turns out. During one of the many blank gaps where we were trying and failing to think, Severus regaled us with a few that he could remember from his own youth. POETS day was perhaps one of my favourites.
"Shouldn't that be IMPP, then?" Ethel Thornheart looks like a small, alert bird with her head cocked slightly to one side.
"If we are to be pedantic, yes," Filius agrees easily. "However, in the interests of creating easily remembered shorthand, IMP has far more of a ring to it, wouldn't you agree?"
"And what would the Ministry's responsibility be for these new qualifications?" Amelia once more cuts straight to the heart of the issue. "As of the current moment, the Ministry formulates, assesses and approves both OWL and NEWT level curriculums and examinations. Would you be expected the same level of collaboration from the Ministry of Magic?"
"No," Filius responds calmly. Lucius' eyes once more sharpen noticeably and Amelia's gaze becomes far brighter. "We would still expect the Ministry to approve the TOAD and IMP qualifications, ensuring that it is a recognised qualification of an equal or higher level than OWL and NEWT qualifications. However, whilst the Ministry will have the opportunity to put forward propositions and recommendations for both curriculum and examination, the onus is on Hogwarts to liaise with experts in specific fields to formulate a versatile and steadfast curriculum. Through this we hope to offer a curriculum that will once more ensure is known as a prodigious centre of excellence throughout the world."
"So, to condense that into a simple sentence," Augusta remarks tartly, "Hogwarts is to be responsible for the setting of the curriculum, the hiring of staff as well as the writing and assessing of the examinations. All you really want the Ministry to do is to put a nice, pretty wax seal on things so that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons can't laugh us out of the building. Does that sound about correct?"
"Ah, well…" Filius glances at me and Severus uncertainly as he hesitates.
"I thought so," Augusta sits back in her chair and looks up and down the table, a strange glint in her eyes. She nods before seeming to come to a conclusion. "Well, it sounds like an excellent idea all round to me." For the second time this afternoon, my jaw nearly hits the floor. "My only stipulation would be that any dispute between Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Ministry of Magic regarding Hogwarts curriculum, examinations or assessments are resolved through a formal gathering of the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors will have the final say in any such dispute which should stop any attempts by the Ministry to meddle with what is no concern of theirs and will be more than adequate to ensure that Hogwarts is committed to maintaining the highest standards. Would everyone agree?"
"That sounds perfectly reasonable to me, Madam Longbottom," Filius nods thoughtfully. "It answers the question of who assesses the assessors and ensures that this role is taken by a collection of individuals who are committed to Hogwarts students rather than politics. With the Boards approval, I will add that to the proposal sheets."
With a collection of 'ayes' and nods, Filius makes the changes to his own sheet and, with a flick of his wand, the changes are copied onto the papers scattered across the table.
"I do have one comment on the curriculum structure," Albus' words cause my heart to sink a little. I catch Severus' slight wince, just as Filius closes his eyes in what looks to be pain. "I can't help but notice that there is a far greater emphasis on offensive and Dark Magic than is currently considered wise by the Ministry. Has an agreement been reached with the Ministry or is this merely speculation at this point in time?"
"Actually, Albus," I respond, my glance at Severus quite clearly saying he needs to keep his mouth shut; the last thing we need is a self-confessed Death Eater speaking up in favour of the Dark Arts. "I think you will find that the emphasis is on balance rather than on any single type of magic. When we researched this, it came to our attention that prior to approximately 1970, the Dark Arts as they are now known were actually taught at Hogwarts. It is only in the aftermath of You-Know-Who that the Ministry began to regulate what could and could not be taught to students, however this has simply led to the darkest of Dark Arts being taught in family homes and behind closed doors. By opening the curriculum to a huge swathe of magical experiences that have not previously been taught, including healing, magical species languages and relations, warding and offensive magic, we are enabling an open and balanced look at all magic forms."
I don't say out loud that if we weren't willing to incorporate offensive and ritualistic magic into the curriculum, we would not have got it past Lucius Malfoy at all. Regardless of the fact that this Board should be eleven members of equal standing plus the Headmaster, Lucius holds far too powerful a sway over many to be ignored. A compromise was the best we could manage and with the curriculum firmly under our own control, rather than dictated by politics and power games, we will be able to manage exactly what is taught and ensure that this knowledge is used safely.
"It is also worth noting that before we teach any degree of offensive or high level magic, we have first ensured that our students have a thorough grounding in defensive practice and lore. We are also ensuring that they fully understand magical theory and have an understanding of our own history and how these forms of magic have been abused in the past," I continue, searching Albus' expression for some form of clue as to what he is thinking. "Any type of magic can be used to do great harm. Some can be used to do great good. Few spells exist solely to harm, although when they are, they tend to be remembered. If we are able to teach our students knowledge hand in hand with wisdom and tolerance, then I think we will have won the greatest battle of all."
I sit back down, slightly out of breath after my passionate speech and let the rest of the meeting go on around me. It comes as no surprise in the end that we have a unanimous agreement on Hogwarts new curriculum, with a few additional stipulations and even ideas for subjects including the inclusion of cultural magic and their history, such as the druidic and shamanistic heritage. It surprised me somewhat to learn that even in the modern day, some cultures have strong magical customs that have little to no link with anything Hogwarts currently teaches.
There are sighs of relief all around as the Board stands to leave the room, although Lucius lingers a moment longer with Severus. Albus simply looks at me with a strange expression on his face, one that could almost be pride, and nods gravely.
"Well done, Minerva," he says solemnly. "Very well done indeed."
Catching Severus before he leaves the room, I distract myself from the oddness of that brief dialogie by asking the younger man what Lucius wanted. I steel myself to hear an impossible list of demands, but Severus only smiles sardonically and when he speaks, his tone is very dry indeed.
"Apparently, I am to inform Narcissa that I have pledged the Malfoy fortune to the continuation of Hogwarts…" One eyebrow raises archly and he shakes his head slightly, glancing at the door Lucius has just left. "Lucius is having nothing to do with that particular conversation whatsoever."
I can't help the most unladylike snort that escapes me and I clap my colleague on the back as I respond.
"Rather you than me, Severus. Rather you than me."