The Meeting
by Ydream08
Chapter 3
Oh, for Merlin's sake! Why was she always looking back at him!
Hermione had started a marvelous day. Her presentation was ready (It was detailed and prepared for any counter-argument). Her clothes were picked from the previous night and fit perfectly. Lastly, her make-up was eye-stopping.
It was a fine day to obliterate the Board of Governors and any archaic idea they had.
Hermione hadn't even cared that she had an unpleasant run in with Mr. Lucius Malfoy right before the meeting. With his son's newly revealed lycanthropy, Hermione had had the upper hand to start with.
Considering all that, her hammering heart had been only a contributor to the rush of adrenaline that came with giving an important presentation.
Or she had thought like that, until Hermione found herself constantly looking back at a man sitting far across the room.
His gaze was direct and intense. Like every other listener from the Board, Hermione guessed, but she didn't know that for sure. For all she knew, the rest of the Board could be be asleep!
Because for some unfathomable reason, Hermione couldn't help but return to that very same man whenever she addressed to the Board.
He was a well-dressed man, clear-shaven, and his hair too was combed back neatly. His eyes were striking in its intensity. Square jawed, he couldn't be considered handsome exactly but his brute features caught the eye. Hermione's eyes specifically. She has been looking at him all the time.
There were over twenty people in the room, Godric help her!
Turning back to the blackboard, where she had charmed the chalk to replicate her notes, Hermione continued to explain the curriculum she had envisioned. She would give an overview the main changes, then proceed to detail them by year. So, yes, the best plan she had at the moment was to concentrate on the material and direct everyone's attention at the blackboard.
"As you can see, the addition of elective classes in third year visibly decreases the annual lesson time for Charms. So, by the end of the second grade, the goal must be adapting students to the discipline of Charms so that with their increased load of various lessons, they wouldn't have problem studying the practical requirements of my lesson.
"That being said, essay submissions and learning the theory should not be discouraged. I present you the material and topics the students are assigned to research and learn for the total seven years. You will recognize that the assignment amount decreases. It means one assignment, longer time for their submission and better quality expected. That, and the monthly Charms article discussions are the main developments I brought for the theoretical part." Hermione flicked her wand and a copy of an article was distributed among the Board. "This, for example, is the article I gave fifth-year students to read last week. I asked them to write down a short informal paragraph. As this is a new month, we spent the first class talking about this article. I find that such interactive classes urge students to think better about what they read so that they could have an opinion to share in class."
Hermione surveyed her audience and yet again her gaze was locked with that man. He looked to have skimmed the article already. She knew him from somewhere. Where she couldn't determine now, but it was ridiculous that she felt grounded and comforted when looking at him.
Hermione cleared her throat
"Now about the practical lessons for all seven years—"
"Professor Granger?" came a voice, asking permission to speak. It was witch, her eyes gazing her suspiciously.
"Yes?"
"Before you go on… I would like to ask how this lesson of yours -" The witch waved the article in her hand, meaning Hermione's class with the fifth years. "-actually played out. You must agree with me when I say not all children have the responsibility of reading articles, not to mention such advanced articles. Although you aim for an interactive class, I doubt the children are contributing any. What is the point of the change, if you are the one to talk all the time in the class again?"
Hermione sighed. This was an argument she had expected. "You are right that students are not adapted to learn prior to coming to a class, in this case reading this article. But believe me, the count of those who are not prepared, falls to minimal as this type of class is continued. While I had more than ten students who had not read the assigned article at the beginning of the year, now last lesson there were only two students. And even they had a basic understanding of the topic, thanks to their friends. But I must say I disagree with you about the difficulty of this article. This certainly is not advanced for fifth-year students. If we expect these children to finish seven years of education equipped to apply for a job, by fifth-year they should be capable of reading these articles and draw reasonable conclusions. Is that not what O.W.L.s aim to assess?"
There was silence in the room. Hermione held her breath. Would anyone interrupt?
They did not. So Hermione continued. "We expect students to be well-versed wizards and witches. Children manifest their magic around age six to seven. From then to age eleven, they are not officially educated. Later only Hogwarts exists for them to become capable wizards. At the end of the seven years, they apply to work immediately, no further education. This is where the knot is tied: Those seven years, students are not allowed to practice magic outside of school and in the school only lessons are available for them to practice magic. In their free time while they are unsupervised, it is not encouraged for them to go over their spellwork. So, when Hogwarts ends, the student population lacks the essential of magic: actually using it.
"For Charms, students can't tell a Charm that needs an initiation magic from another Charm that requires a continuous source. If they look up a new spell, they cast it without adequate knowledge of what the spell entails either because they don't research the incantations or don't understand the explanations that come with it. Furthermore, even if they think they are able to cast certain spells, these young wizards and witches do not know the limit of their concentration and durability, so as a result of that their magic behaves not how they intend it. There are magical core depletion cases in St. Mungos, and a review showed that the last decade the age of the patients were most commonly between 17 to 25."
Hermione flicked her wand and her notes that detailed out exactly why the education system had to change appeared.
There were bullet points of what she had said so far.
Other points included:
3) Graduates who study advanced magic is 5 percent of each graduation class
4) Unspeakable and Auror programmes which require the most magical knowledge, have been noted to provide extra lessons that was known to cover what Hogwarts curriculum said to teach
5) N.E.W.T. exam results are becoming unsatisfactory + More graduates are jobless because they could not complete the exam to certain scores
6) International equivalent of their education falls short
7) A collection of news that declares wizard inadequacy after it was confirmed wands were found to be working
It was understatement to say a discussion erupted.
It was no surprise that it took the second tea & coffee break for Corban to be in the same circle as Professor Hermione Granger.
First break was spent when the young witch was basically assaulted with further questions. Thankfully the second break, people were more interested in discussing the current questions within their social groups.
There wouldn't be any decision drawn today. However, Corban admired Professor Granger for dusting the Board of its ignorance.
Of course, these news had come to Corban's attention as the Head of the Education Department. They were currently working on each concern, as expected. However, so far, he had personally thought such a radical change was unnecessary.
That was where he disagreed with the young witch. So he intended to ask her opinion on it.
"Professor Granger?"
The young witch turned with a tea in hand. She looked startled seeing him, but she cleared her throat and collected herself.
"Yes, that's me. And you are?"
Corban offered his hand. The witch switched the tea to her other hand and blushed as flustered as she was.
Her hand was so delicate within his.
"Corban Yaxley, Head of the Education Department in the Ministry."
It was interesting to see emotions flutter across her warm gaze: recognition, shock, and dejection.
"You are the Head of the Department?" the witch squawked.
Miffed at her reaction, Corban couldn't help his scowl. "I believe it is poor manners to address your superior in that way."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say…" The witch stopped. The previous shame pinking her cheeks drained as a scowl of her own contorted her face. "Do you say that because I'm a Muggleborn?"
It was Corban to be shocked this time. His deeds in the Wars were known, yes, and although Corban had not been sentenced to Azkaban, it did not change the fact that he had been a Death Eater.
Reformed or not, nobody ever confronted him like this. This girl got guts.
"You will see that I care little of blood status any more, Professor Granger." Corban squeezed her hand that was still in his grasp. He was gentle, the gesture was not threatening. He had simply meant that he wouldn't shy away from contact.
He was thinking exactly that the duration of the meeting, anyway. Only if the witch would let him...
"What I mean to say, as your senior and as the Head of my department, I expect to be respected."
"Respect must be earned, Mr. Yaxley." She didn't force his hand away, but firmly held their handshake. "And I will give you that chance. Please excuse my comment from earlier. I was slightly surprised, that's all."
Corban gave a tight smile. This was better. Nodding, he let go of her hand.
"I wanted to ask you something about this plan of yours…" Corban started but Professor Granger seemed to catch up to him only then.
"Wait, if you are the Head of the Education Department… Why aren't you doing something about those things I mentioned? Nothing has changed the past five years! Only the castle, if you count the renovations." The witch rolled her eyes.
"Do not stress, Professor Granger, nearly all you have covered in this presentation has been discussed in my Department. However, we are yet to take big steps, so to speak. That was my question for you actually… Is it really productive to take such radical steps to get results? Don't you think there could be other alternatives?"
His question left Professor Granger failing at words for a few short moments before her shock and awe morphed into heated determination.
It was a short coffee break, but the two managed to fill two more breaks with their discussion. They talked what change meant, what it should bring to the table, the requirements of its sustainability and how long should be given to each new method. They made profiles of kinds of students, which groups were more likely to take in the change and adapt, while which groups would utterly fail to get results. They discussed the amount of students who would benefit from a new system. They talked about the amount of effort that the professors had to put to make such foundational changes.
"We didn't get to discuss as I would have liked to," Corban finally brought their discussion to an end. After this break, the Board would determine a date to meet again with a decision was yet to be drawn. People wanted to sit on this development and think thoroughly.
"I agree. It felt more like we kept briefly shutting down our arguments without being productive. There are good points we both make that could be merged, I think."
The young witch seemed amusedly surprised by this.
"I agree. Perhaps you would be agreeable to meet for dinner before the date of the next meeting."
Her blush meant that Professor Granger was not slow to take his intention. Corban wanted dinner to get to know her better, too. Why should he miss the chance when the lady seemed so enthusiastic to be in his presence and talk with him?
"I really don't know my schedule… and the semester is ongoing, so I'm not sure…" The young witch lifted her eyes to look at him again. Her breath caught. "Oh, forget it… I'll owl to you, is that okay?"
Corban smirked at that. It was better than okay.
He took her hand in his and covered it with his other hand. A kiss on her knuckles would have been better, but they were in public.
"I'll wait to hear from you."
"I asked her to dinner."
His old friend snorted into his firewhiskey.
"I know. I overheard." Lucius sipped his drink. "She has a sharp tongue, let me say that now. Though you might prefer it, I did not quite like that trait when she was baiting me about Draco."
"You deserved it." Corban sighed. It was a cruel fate, but still. "We all had a punishment. And your son paid because of you."
Lucius sneered. "Don't lecture me, Yaxley. It is not me who is considering laying with a Muggleborn. You were the last to even think about something like that. This, must be your punishment. Aside from the repercussions you paid to the Ministry leaving you utterly penniless, that is."
Corban closed his hand to a fist. The only reason his drink had not smashed into pieces in his grasp was that the bastard Malfoy had the most ridiculously expensive set of glasses that would worth one month rent of a small cottage.
"Oh," Lucius seemed uncaring of his anger. "And you don't have an heir. We are forty-eight years old, dear friend. Of course, it is not too late, but if you intend to mess around… and not with your whores at that..."
Corban didn't know what to do. If it were five years ago, before the Second Wizarding War, he would have never looked at a Muggleborn woman twice.
The war had changed him.
"We thought it was just the Muggle family," the Auror meekly explained.
Corban Yaxley did not take his eyes off the moving picture that took record of the crime scene. There, to the right corner, laid a woman he knew. He was never ashamed of knowing the woman. He had been paying her well for her services as a Half-blood. She had learned quickly how to please him.
Corban flipped the page. There was a normal photo of the girl, from her Ministry issued I.D. most probably. She had been a pretty one. Blonde and blue eyes. Celine, Corban knew her as, although it seems that was not her real name.
"It writes here that she is a Half-Blood. I don't understand why she was targeted."
"Her father, sir. He was a Muggleborn. We followed him to where we believe now was his parents' house. He refused to hand in his wand."
Corban knew the rest of the story. He came across too many similar to that.
As the Head of the Law Enforcement, the peace of their society depended on him. Between the work of his comrades and Auror missions, his job mostly consisted of protecting the few civilians who did not oppose them and shutting down the resistance groups, while making sure everybody upholded the new laws that were set by dear Dolores Umbridge.
Their current priority, however, was catching the Undesirables. Hence why it had slipped Corban's mind that they were even after those good-for-nothing Muggleborns.
"Shame," Yaxley muttered. He understood only recently that this was really meaningless. Celine's early death was another proof for him.
So many deaths. If this went on, the British Wizarding Society would fall to quarter of its number… Weren't they already outnumbered by the Muggles?
Corban kept his mouth shut, knowing it was not wise to follow that train of thought. It was not every day that he had become the Head of Law Enforcement. And, he did not desperately wish to be killed.
"Any other insults left, old friend?" Corban shot at Malfoy. "I only mentioned two of your mistakes, but you count three of mine."
"Life is unfair, Corban."
He snorted. The man was obviously drunk.
"I don't want to mess around any more, Lucius. I need a family. I want children. Do you know what will happen of my manor after I die? It will be left to my useless cousins on my mother's side. They don't bare my name, yet they get to have my ancestral house."
"Aren't they the ones who turned you down when you asked for a loan?" Lucius asked. He gulped down the remainder of his drink. "Bastards. It's good that you have me."
"I am not a fool, Malfoy. Don't act like I haven't been returning the favour. How else were you planning to get in the good graces of the Ministry? I inform you all the worthwhile projects that you could donate your endless money to. So, Shacklebolt is left with no choice but to like you."
"Tolerate me."
"Tolerate you," Corban corrected, grinning.
Both men grinned.
"It is close, now. We will be at better places. Respected." Malfoy poured the two of them another glass. "I am supporting my Werewolf son, acting in the Ministry to advocate for his and his fellow infected wizards' rights. Because I am a decent human being, who has put the past away."
Corban nodded. "And you did, my friend. Although you make this sound like a master plan to cover your evil heart."
Lucius snorted. "Of course it is a master plan. Anything to make the world a better place for my son."
There was a silence while both drank their glasses.
Raising his glass towards him, Lucius showed his evil grin of the day. "And you, Corban Yaxley… You are intending the have the most well-known and influential witch in your bed, and if your girlish fussing is to go by, you intend for her to stay there. In your bed. The one in the Yaxley Manor."
Corban did not immediately answer. What could he say? He desired the witch. He had failed to count the times he pictured her beneath him ever since seeing her this morning.
And he was a decent man. Corban Yaxley would not touch a woman without taking responsibility. He had supported Celine for years, and this was not the same thing. This was not a mere business transaction. This was far more serious. Contraceptive charms were known to fail at times, as well.
Corban Yaxley didn't do what today's youth called 'girlfriend-boyfriend'. He had failed miserably at arranged marriage contracts, too. That left not many options but Corban knew one thing: He wanted to do more to the young witch than just discuss with her.
He had already dismissed her blood-status (it was easy to forget, he realized), which only meant that Corban was seriously considering proposing her properly.
"I will ask her to marry me. Have my children."
Lucius sighed at this announcement.
"That is fast even for you, Corban. You said dinner only half an hour ago."
"We are forty-eight, as you said, mate, I do not think I have much time to lose."
*Excuse any mistakes. It is late, and I didn't have the chance to look over.
**It was very fun to write about the education system. I didn't know I could get so invested in this.