A/N - Chapter two - enjoy.
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Sophie Mathews hadn't really expected to be offered the headmistress position at Hogwarts, but she wasn't going to look that particular gift hippogriff in the mouth. Alfonso, Sophie's husband had left to picked up the special portkeys that would be needed to move their personal belongings. The pair's children had grown, married and started their own families. The children, now adults, had remained in America when Sophie and Alfonso moved to Brazil when the Castelbruxo offer was made. Sophie found it difficult to think about how much farther away she would be from the rest of her family was the move was finalized.
There was an agreement between the Northern and Southern American Ministries allowing for easy floo travel. That made it simple to visit the children, but moving to England negated that option. International floo travel across the Atlantic was not possible, in fact the only way to do it would be hoping between the various ministries on the North Atlantic. When Sophie asked how easy that would be, the Regents explained the amount of paperwork was more than what it took to get a portkey. And that process was ridiculous enough.
As she flipped through her family album, she watched as the photos played on their loop. Her grandchildren were growing, but not yet grown, and she would miss the chance to watch them discover themselves. But, she still had years of life in her and Castelbruxo's headmaster was younger than she. It was rare for a school as prominent as Hogwarts to openly interview for a head position and Sophie knew the competition had been fierce.
With a sigh, the witch closed the album and placed it in the box just next to the now empty bookcase. After discussing the job with her husband, the pair decided to rent their home in Brazil until, well, they hadn't decided for how long. It really was going to depend on how well she got along at Hogwarts. Her thoughts turned toward the well know magical school and the small mound of papers related to her new role. The basics of the job were obvious but it was what the Regents were planning with regard to the coursework that had her overly excited.
Their plan seemed to mirror what some muggle schools had been doing for a couple of decades. The expansion of traditional course tracks, to allow multiple tracks based on the student's ability and not their age, was something she'd longed to do at both Ilvermorny and Castelbruxo. The reason it hadn't been implemented was due to the work to set up both multiple teaching plans for each of the tracks and determining which students would be in each track.
Hogwarts seemed to believe the extra effort was worth it and the responsibility for creating the multiple teaching plans, one for each of their standard and advanced classes, as well as determine which of the tracks each student would attend. Once Sophie arrived, one of her first responsibilities will be to work with the teachers to determine the timetable for the multiple sets of classes.
In addition to the multiple course tracks, the school was also looking into expanding the number of professors. She remembered the days of teaching an entire school and the work that went into that endeavor. A missive from Lucius Malfoy had just arrived and provided her the listing of the prospective new professors and asking her input. The list was quite impressive and would only solidify Hogwarts as the most desirable school for magical children. She wouldn't be surprised if in a few years there weren't an influx of people moving to Britain just so their children could attend the school. After finishing her review and making some notes, she settled into her chair and began to read 'Hogwarts: A History' it would be good to get a little more insight into her new home.
The book seemed to be relatively benign in discussing the school but, in some ways that made sense, why detail the issues. She found much interest in the founders of the school. The four were noted as close friends but all had markedly different beliefs in how the school should be ran and that led to the destruction of their friendship. But if these differences were so ingrained how were the four able to agree on the school in the first place. As an American, Sophie found a few topics were never discussed in proper company, but were allowable in private. Politics was one of them and it seemed the differences experienced by the Founders were really political in nature. She was interested in how those four became friends or if they were actually friends at all. Once she was at Hogwarts she would look for additional material on the four and see if there is something else to the story.
The interest in the founders led her to think about the connection to her own alma mater and first teaching position. Ilvermorny had been established by one the last female descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin wasn't a secret, everyone knew the relationship between the wizard and Isolt Sayre, but it wasn't a very interesting topic and rarely was part of conversations. When an idea popped into Sophie's head, she dashed off a note to Ilvermorny's headmaster and asked if she could access the school's library. Maybe she could start her legacy at Hogwarts with the addition of some new information.
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Crookshanks had found living at the home of the light haired wizard's family to be adequate. In reality the half-kneazle had found the gardens extremely enjoyable and learned the more gnomes he rid from the garden the better the elves fed him. He had been tracking a small group of the nasty beasts for the last few days and had finally identified their burrow. With any luck they would be gone before dinner.
As Crooks slunk into the hedgerow and made his way toward the gnome hole, Hermione watched the cat with a wide smile as she let the sun warm her skin. She knew Crooks would love living here as much as she was. She began to muse over the last couple of weeks and found while her days had been chalked full of unexpected but exciting classwork, her evenings were learning more about the history of the magical world. It had taken her until yesterday before she could traverse the halls of the manor without getting lost or having to call Kitmu to get her back to some known area.
One of the places she tended to avoid now was the back gallery where some of the older family portraits were housed. She had wondered into the gallery one afternoon and was accosted by a number of the portraits before Lucius and Draco came sprinting around the corner. Draco pulled her out toward the hallway while Lucius remained and did something. All that Hermione knew was there were now a dozen or so silent portraits who had been locked into their frames. Apparently none of those portraits were pleased with their current predicament.
From that day Hermione made an effort to avoid any area with portraits, but the day before Draco had brought her into the solarium and pointed to a portrait that hadn't been there previously. "This is my Grandmother Malfoy, Dad's mum. She passed away when I was really young. She has been asking to meet you since we went back to Hogwarts in January and Dad finally agreed. I don't really know what she wants to say so if she starts yelling we are leaving immediately." Hermione acknowledged the comment but her focus was on the regal woman standing in the frame who had a slight smile on her face. "Grandmother, this is my best friend Hermione Granger." Draco licked his lips ready to leave at a moment's notice.
"Draco, I'm pleased to see you. Now if you will allow me to address Miss Granger." Draco opened his mouth but Hermione gripped his arm and shook her head. This made the Malfoy matriarch's grin grew into a wide smile. "I like her. Both of you sit." The portrait waved toward two chairs Hermione swore hadn't been there a moment before. Shrugging at Draco, Hermione sat in the chair before looking to Draco with a touch of impatience. Once seated, both children turned to the witch in the painting who had also sat and waited for her to speak. Marguerite Malfoy watched her grandson before shifting her gaze to the muggleborn witch that had put the house into a frenzy. "It seems Miss Granger your family has cause quite the ruckus with some of the other portraits." Marguerite noticed Draco again preparing to defend the girl. "Draco, I'm not defending those closed minded imbeciles. Your grandfather and I were the ones to move them to that back gallery and ward it. I had no desire to deal with them either. I would like you to tell me about your life before Hogwarts." Looking to Draco and finding him slightly confused but not upset, Hermione started to tell her story.
Draco had forgotten how much he enjoyed speaking with his grandmother and was happy to see she seemed to like Hermione as well. Marguerite DuFraine was the second child of a prestigious French family. When it came time for Nicholas Malfoy to find a suitable wife for his son, his first stop was the French countryside. There were options in Britain but Nicholas felt it would do better for Abraxas and the line if they extended themselves into other family lines. The DuFraine family produced some of the world's finest wine and would infuse not only money and land, but the continental influence the Malfoy family had been lacking for a few generations. Marguerite and Abraxas had been instant friends and for Nicholas that was sufficient. The marriage contract between the pair was finalized on Abraxas's ninth birthday. By the time Abraxas had finished at Hogwarts, Marguerite moved to a Malfoy property on the south coast to start planning their wedding.
Draco was pulled out of his family history lesson when Hermione tapped his arm. "Your grandmother was asking about your studies." Hissing the rest of the statement, Hermione continued. "It's rude to ignore your elders." Marguerite found herself liking the young girl more and more.
"Not to worry Miss Granger, Draco has always done that. As a young child he would go on and on about whatever thought had distracted him. I suspect if we asked he would tell us but, let's not. Draco, Lucius was telling me you've started at the company. You have always known what you wanted, tell me what you think of it." Marguerite looked to her grandson waiting for the boy to respond.
"I do apologize Grandmother, I was thinking about your childhood in France and Hermione, Grandmother is correct that I was distracted by a stray thought." He smiled and bowed his head slightly. Hermione couldn't tell if he was truly embarrassed or just playing them. "The company is very interesting. As when Grandfather ran it, most of those divisions are still clicking right along. I'm sure Father has told you about his new endeavor. It seems to have even more potential than he projected. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I've found myself now." Draco suspected his grandmother must have had a second sense about her because she always seemed to know when he wasn't saying something. Looking to Hermione he tried to avoid the pointed gaze he knew the portrait was giving him.
"What aren't you telling me Dragon?" Hermione had never heard anyone actually called Draco that. Sometimes Narcissa would use the term when she spoke with Jean about their children's differing childhoods but no one actually called Draco the nickname. With a deep sigh the blond wizard responded.
"Grandmother, I haven't been called that for years." The portrait clicked her tongue and continued to look at the boy until his resolve broke. "Fine, as always Grandmother you are correct. Since January I've been thinking about how Father runs the company but has always had his side projects. The company runs itself, we all know it. So I've been trying to figure out what my side project will be. And I think I want to run a quidditch team." By the time he had finished, Draco was flush and looking to his feet. "I know it's not something a Malfoy would do, but it's something I want to do."
Marguerite's head cocked to the side before she started to laugh. Draco had never heard his grandmother laugh so heartily. "My dear, there is nothing to be ashamed of with that dream. In fact, you and your Grandfather share that desire. I wonder…". The portrait's voice wondered off in thought for a moment. "I think it's time for you both to head for lunch. Miss Granger, it was a pleasure to finally meet you and if my son will allow it, I will be able to access some of the other portrait frames in the sitting rooms and we can continue our discussions." With that the regal woman stood from her chair and exited the portrait. Both were a bit surprised at the abrupt exit but distracted when Kitmu popped in and told them it was lunch time.
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As the warmth of late June turned in the heat of mid-July, Lucius hadn't been home much, the Regents had met with Headmistress Mathews and the professors. After many discussions, the group had identified which applicants would be offered positions at Hogwarts for the coming year. If anyone rejected the offer, there was a secondary choice; however, the group hoped their first choices would accept. The Regents had sent offers out and to their relief they had received positive responses from all. The new professors were expected to arrive at Hogwarts before August 15th. Since they now had a headmistress and all the professor positions were filled, Lucius was looking forward to a bit of relaxation and some firewhiskey. He smiled as he brought the rather heavy pour of amber perfection to his lips. He almost dropped the crystal tumbler when a dainty throat cleared. Turning, expecting to see Narcissa, Lucius was surprised to see his mother.
"Mother, how? I thought…". Lucius was surprised as his mother had never entered his study and he had thought she was warded from it.
"Firewhiskey? Lucius really, I thought we had raised you better. The cellars are full of DuFraine's finest vintages and you select that." Marguerite had remained forever loyal to wine and especially proud of what her family had done. The witch continued to watch her son until he set the crystal tumbler on the sidebar and sighed.
"Of course Mother. Usher." The elf appeared and it surprised no one when he placed a glass of red on the sidebar next to the tumbler of amber liquid. When the elf left, so did the glass of firewhiskey. Taking a sip, Lucius knew his mother was right, as the wine seemed to match his mood a bit more. "As always Mother, you are correct. Now, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? By the by, this is the first time I've known you could access this room." Lucius worried as he and Narcissa would use the room when they wanted some private time.
"Do not worry Son, your father and I do not intrude when you and Cissy are here. You aren't the first head of the family who enjoyed the privacy this room provides." Marguerite chuckled as she watched her son's cheeks turn a lovely shade of red. "Your blush is still the color of the finest rosé we ever produced." Lucius just shook his head and smiled. "But to answer your question, I do have a purpose. Thank you for allowing me to speak with Miss Granger, she is lovely and I see a lot of me in her. We've had a wonderful couple of conversations since. She doesn't take anything from Draco and I think he needs that. During our first talk I got Draco to tell me about his time at the company and it seems he is more like you and your father than I realized."
Lucius was intrigued with what his mother had discovered. He had tried to get Draco to open up about what was obviously bothering him but could never quite get it out of him. Marguerite had always been able to get any Malfoy man to tell her whatever she wanted to know. "What is it? I've been trying to get him to tell me for months." Lucius loved hearing his mother laugh as she was now.
"He acknowledged that like you and your father, the company runs itself. You are all just figureheads who find something to entertain yourself with while the company does its thing." Lucius nodded, Draco had always known this. "I believe his life goals have shifted slightly. I remember when he was a boy, he and Mr. Potter would run through the halls pretending to be quidditch players. Once they got their brooms, they would do the same over the grounds."
Again Lucius nodded, Draco had never been able to keep that desire a secret, but now he didn't talk about playing. Lucius remembered the games at Hogwarts where Draco's heart just didn't seem to be in it. "Yes, Mum but something's changed. These last six or so months, he hasn't once mentioned playing and even playing on the house team, he isn't as invested as I had expected." Lucius shrugged and took another sip of the wine enjoying the blackcurrant flavor as it shifted toward the black cherry notes he truly enjoyed.
"My boy, he has just decided playing isn't for him. But, he still loves the game and has decided his goal is to run a team." Marguerite watched her son with a knowing look. Lucius had a shocked expression before laughing himself. "I assume you haven't informed your son of all the businesses his grandfather had a hand in." Shaking his head no, Lucius smiled, all was right in the world.
"Thank you Mum, I think Cissy and I need to discuss some things before I speak with Draco." Smiling to her child, the witch smoothly left the portrait over the fireplace.
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August's heat rolled over the country and the children found themselves easily fatigued when they were outdoors. Their summer was blurring by with scenes of classwork, family time and exploring the Malfoy estate. The second week of August saw Harry rolling his head from his right shoulder to his left. Kitmu hadn't let up and it was exhausting the now twelve year old wizard. The elf had just told him there wasn't anything else to do but practice. Harry silently hoped for sleep before he agreed with the elf.
Even though the weather was warm the sky was perfect for a fly, Harry just didn't have the energy. Standing he made it to the couch in the room and promptly collapsed before falling into a deep, drool-ladened sleep. Kitmu stood to the side and watched the young wizard. He knew Harry was near his breaking point but the boy was picking up the languages almost faster than Kitmu could throw them at him. Today they reached the end of what Kitmu knew. Not that Harry knew that.
Kitmu had told the young wizard they would break until Monday and then start a new language. The elf quietly left the property and went to his uncle who knew even more languages that Kitmu. Gibby was an old elf who had been part of a prominent family for generations. The family had died out, in a way, and Gibby had been left without a family to serve.
The elf community, knowing of Gibby's skill, spoke highly of the elf to their respective families. In the end, Gibby became the most sought after language teacher and had just returned home from an extended assignment on the continent. When Kitmu told him of Harry's ability, the old elf was quite excited. Only a few witches or wizards had the talent pick up the various languages of magical creatures, but Harry Potter was one such wizard. The pair of elves returned to the classroom to find Harry was still asleep on the couch.
Gibby stood next to Kitmu and listened to young wizard as he mumbled in his sleep. Harry slipped between languages, both elves were following the dream and laughing to themselves. "I believe this boy can learn it. We will see on Monday." Gibby then popped off the property and returned to his home. With a sigh, he entered the small room where all the papers and books from his lost family were stored. He began to search for the oldest writings therein.
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Early Monday morning, Hermione finished her breakfast when three owls arrived and settled on the perches by the large windows. Glancing at what they carried Hermione immediately recognized the Hogwarts seal. "Our letters are here." Hermione jumped from her chair and ran to the owl who was holding out his leg. She had returned to her seat and started to read the letter before either boy had made it the owls. "I have the option to take the advanced classes in every class where it is offered!" The witch was giddy with excitement even though everyone at the table knew it was going to happen.
Lucius chuckled before addressing the children. "Shocking. You will already have learned everything that will be taught in Transfiguration and Potions. Each of you will be expected to use this time to perfect the tasks assigned. Additionally, as with Potions, you will have one night a week with Minerva to continue with your Transfiguration. We are hopeful that Headmistress Mathews will allow us to move you into the appropriate classes starting your third year. This will allow you the extra study time you'll need as you start to move toward your OWL year."
Narcissa and Jean discussed what supplies the children would need. After a bit of thought they scheduled a trip to Diagon Alley for Friday afternoon. The timing was based on when Blaise was schedule to arrive. He would spend the final couple weeks of the summer holiday with the Malfoys. After hearing the plan and agreeing to it, the children went off for their Monday morning lessons. Hermione and Draco went to the music room while Harry went to meet Kitmu for his first lesson after the short break. Harry was met by Kitmu and another elf who looked older that Kreacher. "This is Gibby. Hes be teaching you a new language." Gibby gazed at the boy and nodded.
"The ability to speak this language is nearly lost. There is only one still with the knowledge, but has not the mind to understand." For some reason, Harry knew this would be really important and wanted to tell Hermione about it. "The language of the serpent was handed down from parent to child since the time before Hogwarts. It is not a language you learn, it is one you just know. To have this ability shows a magic that is deeper and older than most. It is to be cherished." The old elf stopped speaking and looked to the boy.
"I understand. I'm willing to learn." The old elf looked to the boy while Kitmu openly stared at the young wizard as he finished hissing his response.
Gibby turned to Kitmu before dismissing him. "We will be fine. Come for us at lunch time." The Malfoy elf left the Potter heir with the only remaining Gaunt elf.
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While Harry was shocking Kitmu, Hermione and Draco were meeting with Aster in the music room. As an elfling, Aster had found her talents related to music. Once a week the pair spent their morning dancing. Since the idea had been proposed, Draco spent some of his time at Malfoy Industries learning new dances. Lucius had no issues with using a bit of time to make sure his son was prepared to impress the young witch. Hermione, of course, had spoken with her father and started to practice with him. She didn't want to be rusty when the dance lessons started.
Aster, knowing her wards were practicing on their own, made sure the instruction was just above their current level. All elves learned early on the need to push their witches and wizards to just beyond their believed limits. Those witches and wizards were slightly more driven to succeed than others. Elves also gossiped and the more success the witch or wizard, the higher the elf's status.
Aster smiled at the pair as they spun around the floor, they were both excellent dancers on their own, but when they were paired the moves were in perfect sync. Narcissa and Jean, hidden in the doorway as they watched their children, whispered to each other. "In the muggle world, they have dance competitions, they would win." Narcissa thought having dance competitions should be something the magical world did.
"I think we should have a celebration before they leave. Lucius accuses me of making up reasons to have a party. Maybe it's true, but wouldn't you make up a reason for them to dance?" It was Jean's turn to nod in agreement before her eyes widened a bit.
"I have an idea." The glint of mischief that danced in Jean's eyes was more than enough for the Slytherin inside of Narcissa to follow without question. When the pair had made their way into Narcissa's private sitting room Jean spoke. "Rich's fortieth birthday was last summer just before we met you. He didn't want a party so we went to dinner at his favorite restaurant and had cake afterwards. For our life last year, it was enough. But his birthday is next weekend. Why don't we have a fortieth plus one birthday party for him?" Narcissa seemed a bit confused on the whole thing number thing which Jean immediately recognized. "Muggles celebrate every birthday much like magicals, but on the passage to a new decade, like thirty, forty, fifty, etc, the celebrations are a bit grander."
Narcissa's eyes lit up with amusement. "Yes, I think that seems like an excellent idea. Lucius was a late summer baby too and will be celebrating his forty-second birthday at the end of the month. I think a dual celebration would be the way to handle this." With giggles the pair of woman began to plan the first birthday party that would come mark the end of summer for decades to come.
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When the idea for an end of summer celebration was suggested the next morning both men just rolled their eyes and agreed to whatever their wives wanted would be wonderful. Neither man really was a fan of party planning and had learned years before it was just easier to agree. Rich always made sure these fêtes were in his day planner while Lucius relied on Usher to remind him. As both men were reading The Prophet, neither noticed the pair of wicked smirks that crossed the faces of their wives.
While Lucius and Rich were blissfully unaware there were plots afoot, the children had immediately noticed something was going on. As the week progressed their mothers were becoming more and more excited. When Blaise arrived, he was quickly brought to speed on what the prevailing theories were on the party. The young boy immediately started to include his own thoughts.
With Blaise's arrival, the designated Diagon Alley shopping trip arrived as well and while the main purpose was to pick up what was needed for the coming school year, Narcissa and Jean also had party decorations on the list of items. After the group arrived, they first went to Gringotts. The goblins, who were still overly genial to the Grangers, asked Hermione some questions about her favorite colors, thoughts on metal types and her preference in jewelry. They placed photo after photo in front of the girl and asked her if she liked the items. The witch was a bit flummoxed but answered each question to the best of her ability. The goblins were overall pleased and bowed deeply to the group before heading off to do some sort of paperwork. Hermione looked to Narcissa who gave an elegant shrug before ushering everyone back out to the street. Narcissa just hoped whatever the goblins made would work with Hermione's style in ten or so years.
The group purchased all the school supplies first and Narcissa shrunk everything to fit in the one bag Jean carried. After stopping at the magical party supply store and purchasing what seemed like the entire store, Narcissa directed everyone toward the far end of the Alley and the muggle entrance. Once in the muggle world, Jean hailed a cab and directed the driver to the closest decorations shop.
The drive was a bit more harrowing than Blaise, Draco or Harry expected while Hermione happily chatted with Narcissa and her mum about the party. She had recognized a few of the things Narcissa picked up and wanted in on the planning. Once Jean had directed the driver to the shop, Hermione was positive the party would be for Lucius and her dad. "Dad loves to embarrass me on my birthday. I want some payback. Did you think about baby pictures?"
Hermione was still a bit sore about the present Rich had sent to Hogwarts for her birthday the prior school year. The present itself was fine, she needed a new quill box, but the lid was covered with embarrassing photos of Hermione from her toddler days. The largest was one of her 'teaching' her stuffed animals. The boys had snickered about how adorable Hermione was for weeks. She let it slide because they didn't really know any better, but her dad? Oh, he knew better.
"Of course you may Hermione. In fact, I will love to foster your Slytherin side a bit more. You may have been placed in Gryffindor but I believe you would have made a great snake." Narcissa whispered to the girl.
"When we get back to the house remind me to tell you about that." Needless to say, once Narcissa had heard the complete story of the first train ride and the sorting, she was silently pleased at the girl's loyalty to her new friend but wondered what would have happened if the three of them had been sorted into the same house.
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While Hogwarts students everywhere were spending their time preparing for their return and enjoying the time before the start of the next school year, the staff were finishing up their teaching plans for the year. It had been decided the only course not to have an 'advanced' track would be History of Magic. None of the students knew much more than the various goblin uprisings and none knew anything outside of the boundaries of magical Britain.
Nelson Hörstel was a German wizard who had spent the last three decades studying magical history on an international perspective and wrote a number of books on the topic. History of Magic was now a core course and was required to be taken all seven years. The first four years would focus on a different hemisphere and the magic found there. The fifth and sixth year courses would break the magical world into the pre-Roman Empire and post eras. The final year would be a candid discussion on the magical wars over the centuries. This would not be why the wars were morally wrong, but what caused some faction of the population to believe attacks, murder and destruction were the way to achieve their goal.
When the plan had been presented to the Regents and Headmistress all were extremely impressed with what the course would soon be. Nelson was shocked to be given immediate approval for his plans and the ability to access any documents he might require to assist in his planning. Lucius had hoped the course would be good, but this was even beyond his hope.
Divination was another course that was in dire need of updating. Sybil's ability was always suspect but proving one way or another was difficult. At the bare minimum, the cooky witch understood the basics of the topic. Her student reviews were typically the worst of all the professors, very few of the students had anything positive to say while all the other professors had more good reviews than negative ones. When the list of prospective professors had been floated past the new headmistress, Sophie noticed Divination did not have any additional professors listed. She asked if Hogwarts was in need of a second divination professor strictly based on all the other courses. The wizard Sophie suggested had been a student at Castelbruxo who graduated five years earlier and was found to have the most interesting visions.
Paulo Oliveira was a wizard from a small wizarding community near Cuiba. The village was actually in the Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park. The protected land of the Brazilian national parks were actually under the purview of the Brazilian Ministry of Magic as the lands housed the majority of the magical population in addition to Castelbruxo. Paulo's ability differed from most other seers in that he saw and remembered the visions. This allowed for the visions to be set as a pensive which reduced the prospect of prophesies being twisted to fit the desires of those hearing it. Paulo had become much sought after and there was a fear of him being taken in order to gain his power. After discussions with the Regents, the offer to Paulo was sent with all the other offers. He had been the first of the new professors to arrive at Hogwarts.
As he crossed the wards and viewed Hogwarts, he had his first vision in months. Hearing a distinctive hiss, Paulo turned and saw a boitatá slithering away from Hogwarts and toward a destination unknown.
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In the final week before the students would return, the elves of Hogwarts were hard at work ensuring the dorms were ready for the students, the classrooms were clean and the Great Hall was ready to accept the new batch of children. Sophie Mathews sat in the facility meeting room with all her professors. The increase in professors caused the castle to expand the room in order to comfortably accommodate the group. They were discussing how the first night would go after Lucius Malfoy opened the school year. Sophie learned prior to this year, the Board of Regents had very little insight into the school and they were intent on changing that fact. It was fine with Sophie, she was used to a board overseeing the school as both Ilvermorny and Castelbruxo boards were actively involved in the school.
"After Mr. Malfoy finishes his introductions, I will welcome the new first years. Minerva, are you still interested in handling the sorting ceremony or would you prefer assistance or to pass it onto someone else all together?" Minerva's face detailed her shock at the question, it was part of her role as the Deputy Headmistress to oversee the sorting ceremony.
"I would prefer to keep it as it is part of the responsibilities as Deputy." Minerva wasn't sure what the new Headmistress was playing at but wanted to make sure her responsibilities were clear.
"I think that came across differently than I had intended. One of the differences in our cultures. Let me try this again. Minerva, as Deputy you have the responsibility to ensure all the students make their way from the train to the carriages or boats, you then have to make sure they all arrive at the castle. After that, you have to sort the first years from the rest of the students before leading them into the Hall and then run the entire sorting ceremony. To me, it seems like a lot of the responsibility was dropped in your lap. Responsibilities that should have been shared between the head, deputy head and other professors. I would like to be more involved and if you are willing to allow it, let me know how I can help." On of Sophie's greatest worries with this job, was how her personalty would affect the relationship with her staff. She was upset to find the school year hadn't started yet and she had already run afoul of her deputy.
"Sophie, I apologize, after last year I am still a bit touchy. You are correct, over the years more and more has been put at my feet and I would honestly love some help. Hagrid has been great with getting the first years to the boats, but to have someone else at the station would be wonderful. If you would like to read off the names while I place the hat, that would make the whole process move more swiftly as well." The witches looked at each other and nodded. Their relationship was new but both hoped it would strengthen over the coming terms and for years to come.
"That sounds wonderful and I would love to stand next to you at the door. If one of our returning professors wouldn't mind taking the responsibility related to the station, it would be appreciated. I would also like for one of our new professors to accompany. It would allow the students to begin to see the new faces and for the new faces to get a feel for the students." The staff meeting hadn't been long but Sophie felt it went over well. Severus Snape, her potions professor, had volunteered to be at the station when the train arrived and direct the students to the carriages. As soon as Severus's hand had been acknowledged, her new Transfiguration professor, Aurora Messerly, offered to accompany as well, with a bit of a blush.
"I think that is all, but Minerva and Severus if you wouldn't mind hanging back for a moment. I have a few other questions." Sophie didn't want them to be defensive but she wanted to understand something she had learned and didn't want to embarrass them in front of their colleagues. After the last of the professors left, Sophie softly shut the door and motioned for the pair to sit. "I was speaking with Lucius on the class schedules and he happened to mention that you have both been providing additional tutelage to his son and two others. I'm trying to understand the background. It isn't a common occurrence from my experience and I'm not sure if it is something I should be concerned with or not."
Minerva and Severus both understood her concerns to an extent but it was something that did occur in Britain with some regularity. Minerva turned to Severus since his role with boys had been going on for years. "Sophie, I have been working with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy since they were young boys. The Malfoys and I have been friends for years and I am Draco's godfather. When I started my mastery, I spent time in the Malfoy library cross referencing and found the boys followed me around. Once they were old enough to understand I began to teach them the basics of potions and at this point I expect them to sit their Potions OWLs at the end of this school year and their NEWT while the rest of their class is studying for their OWLs." The headmistress had a very understanding look in her eyes.
"Yes, the children or children close to masters are always at an advantage in those subject. But where does Hermione Granger fit into this. She's a what you call a muggleborn, yes? Her parents are non-maj?" Minerva, who was still a bit touchy with the events of the year prior, looked to her colleague for him to explain.
"Correct. Hermione's parents are muggles; however, they are integrating themselves into the magical world. Due to the former headmaster's actions, they wanted to help other muggle parents understand their child's power and the Wizengamot agreed to this. This summer they have met with the muggleborn families who are starting this year, the families are better prepared for everything they will encounter. They are also working to locate the muggleborns that were denied their chance at Hogwarts. That is turning out to be a bit more difficult; however, Hermione gets her perseverance from her parents. I expect them to finish locating all the missing families in the near future." Minerva placed her hand on Severus's arm, stopping him before he could continue.
"I'm sure Lucius will provide you with everything that was discovered over the last year, if he hasn't already, I wanted to mention the current low levels of muggleborns is something that has worried me for years. I believe it's something not to be discussed now, but I will be available whenever you would like to understand more." Minerva bowed her head allowing Severus to continue.
"Hermione was born in September and will be thirteen two weeks after the start of classes. We found at the end of her first year her magic was not sufficiently used with the coursework. After some personal observations and discussions with Minerva and other friends, I realized the girl needed more magical stimulus in order for her magic to calm. This summer has proved the girl to be one of the more powerful children I've experienced in my tenure here. She finished the second year potions course work and I believe has completed the Transfiguration work as well." Minerva nodded before picking up the story.
"I had something similar as a young witch. It's common in more traditional wizarding families to continue a child's education during the summer and holidays as a way to ground their magic. Miss Granger pointed this out and it's a reasonable to conclude the additional classes help the students. I will say, we aren't the only professors to offer this sort of assistance, as you mentioned children close to masters are at an advantage. The issue with Miss Granger isn't with Miss Granger at all, it's her experience and inability to explain what she was feeling. It's something that as teachers we need to identify and offer assistance."
The discussion took a different turn from Sophie's expectations and brought up a very interesting topic. "I agree. This is something we should address with the staff. I'll make it a point to discuss at our next staff meeting. Thank you both for being honest with me."
Sophie sat in the room for a good hour after her Deputy Head and Potions Professor had left. This wasn't something she had encountered before. She wondered why.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
A/N 2 - I know for some on this site the number of fav/follows and reviews would be seen as low but not me. I was stunned at just how quickly you all started to respond to the start of the story. This is how I wind down and it really is cool when people enjoy what I post.
In all sincerity, thank you.