Chapter Twenty-Five
Severus in Charge
Severus woke to the movement of the blinds being opened and a bit of a shuffle. Cautiously opening one eye and looking around, he noticed Jennifer, standing on a stool near the fireplace, moving things around on the mantle.
"What time is it? What are you doing?" Severus asked grumpily.
"Early. I wanted some extra time to take care of a little project I had in mind," Jennifer said. She leaned back a bit so Severus could see the first row of neatly aligned photos just above the mantle. "Do you like it? I plan to put them all up."
"Didn't I give you an album for Christmas as well?" he grouched, turning over and pulling the blanket up.
"I don't want to hide them all in an album that a person only looks at every now and then when someone remembers it's there," Jennifer said. "Up here I can see them all of the time!"
"You're only putting them there because you saw the Weasleys do it."
"I am not! I just thought it was a clever idea, that's all. Besides, these are much too good to hide," Jennifer insisted, sitting on the edge of the bed and picking one out, putting it up to his face. "Have you seen this one yet?"
Reluctantly, Severus opened his eyes and stared at it.
"You took a photo of our family room wall?" he asked.
"No, I didn't," Jennifer grinned.
"Well it's the only wall we have that color."
"It's a picture of Andrew! I had him pose invisible. Isn't it cute?" Jennifer said showing him again.
Severus rolled his eyes and reluctantly sat up.
"That," Severus said, "was a waste of film."
"Oh, nonsense, no picture of our children is a waste of film. I am so glad you gave me that camera." Jennifer said then frowned at his face. "You're not, are you? You think I've gone overboard!" she said accusingly.
"Jennifer, I knew you wanted to have memoirs of the children, but yes, this is going overboard. What of this one… the back of a door? Another one of Andrew?"
"No, that's the one I took that time I tried to get a picture of you in the lab and you slammed the door in my face," Jennifer said, frowning at the picture.
"Jennifer, please just do me this one favor and put them in the album where they belong?" Severus said with exasperation, kissing her briefly before getting out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Jennifer asked.
"Minerva wanted me to meet her for breakfast to go over some things. I doubt I'll have any more conferences free, so I'll see you at dinner," he said, quickly getting dressed.
"Dinner?" Jennifer repeated with a frown. "Just how many more hours a week do you suppose you'll have to be putting in now?"
"Enough to make us both regret it, I'm sure," Severus said as he slipped out the door. Jennifer frowned, slowly taking down the photos thoughtfully. It was going to be a very long ten months.
Thick, black coffee was the first order of business. It had been waiting for them on a tray the moment they arrived in the Headmaster's Study, welcoming them. They quickly got their cups, each staring at the chair behind the desk for a long time before both of them tactfully chose two of the chairs in front of the desk instead.
"Now, following the Headmaster's instructions, I made out a couple of lists of our added responsibilities," Minerva said. "We'll share equal responsibilities; of course, since I already serve as Deputy Headmaster, my list is a tad shorter than yours, but I dare think we'll put in equal time," she assured him, handing him a scroll. She shook hers out, a mere twelve inches in length, while his continued to roll down three times as long.
"Hold conferences with faculty, hold conferences with students, solve disputes between faculty, solve disputes between faculty and students. Minerva…"
"Quite all right, keep going," she said, sighing and sipping her coffee deeply.
"Conferences with guests of school, conferences with board members, solve board member regulation disputes, bring guest disputes up to board members. Correspond with parents, answer parental complaints of accidental injury, neglect and teacher behavior… teacher behavior?"
"They come up from time to time about everyone, I'm sure," Minerva agreed.
"Approve new books. Assign security checks. Check and make sure those who are doing security checks are actually doing them," Severus said, feeling his temperature rise a bit. "Answer complaints in maintenance from faculty, students, paintings, and ghosts, assign maintenance duties, check and make sure those assigned maintenance duties are doing them, or having a student in detention doing them. Take complaints from parents about child labor practices, send copies of school policy when necessary… I am NOT doing all of this! This is everything! I'm not even a third of the way down, and you have what, five lines? I don't know what you're trying to pull, McGonagall, but there is no way with my schedule as a major arts professor that I could possibly…"
"I'll read my list, Severus," Minerva interrupted calmly, taking one more drink of coffee before setting it down.
"Do all paperwork including: student and teacher schedules and rescheduling, all student marks, evaluations, report cards, notices to parents and alumni, filing and recording parental permission slips, accident reports, and logging current school curriculum and book listings. Do all financing including: tuition, faculty wages, classroom expenses, maintenance expenses, library expenses, recreation expenses, food, heating, hospital wing, slipping a bit into the "special" fund for mitigating staff Ministry fines and so forth; then plead for and gather alumni donations, alumni student paper subscriptions, and student fundraisers… report delinquent accounts, advise for possible scholarships and payment plans when the situations arise. And last but not least, answer to the board for any monetary or paperwork discrepancies.
"Now, Severus, would you like to trade? Because if you would really like to, I would be most happy to oblige," Minerva offered.
"I will keep my list," Severus muttered, scowling at it.
"Good," Minerva said with a thin smile. "Most of the records I need for this are next to my office, so I'll just work from there. That'll mean that you are free to use this one when you need to. You'll find an appointment book laying out there on the desk… it's linked to my own, so I can help you sort all of that out so it nothing cuts into your class time. I believe your first appointment is during your first conference today. Argus would like to have a word with you," she added as she finished off her coffee. Severus walked over to glance at the book, scowling even deeper when he saw it. Nearly every line had something on it, and flipping ahead was hardly more encouraging. "Well, I had better get to my first class. And so should you," Minerva advised, heading out the door. She privately felt a little sorry for Severus' morning classes. There could be little doubt that they were going to have to be on their toes to survive this new change in the Defense professor's routine.
By the time lunch came around, Severus was more than ready for something other than student relations, even though Argus Filch would hardly have been his first choice. The old caretaker had been apparently working on one of the chimneys for he was covered from head to toe in soot, although thankfully none of it seemed to be landing on the floor. Otherwise, he seemed in an unusually good mood, unfolding a tattered list with a toothy sideways grin.
"Now that there's summun' in here that appreciates a level of discipline, I'd like ta take the time to make a few suggestions to policy changes aroun' here," he said.
"Very well," Severus sighed, slightly wary. "Go on."
"First and foremost, no Quidditch equipment in the halls. It can be dangerous and cause accidents. Just like that Beasley boy. Remember when he took out that chandelier swinging his Bludger Bat around and nearly cost Mrs. Norris one of her lives?"
"Argus, that was twenty-five years ago," Severus pointed out, resisting the urge to prop up his head.
"Yep, and I still haven't given up hope that somethin' will be done about it."
"How do you expect the students to get their equipment from their dormitories to the Quidditch grounds every day?"
"Owl them in. Make 'em keep it all there. I don' care, not my problem, but considerin' the damages they can cause it's warranted, don't you think?"
"Anything else?" Severus asked.
"Yes. We need to get stricter about jumpin' the staircases. I dun't know 'ow many times I've caught them doin' it, it strips the ends of the railing and scuffs up the landings, and frankly, sir, I dun't want to be the one to clean up the mess if anyone falls."
"Argus, we already have a policy against trying to jump the staircases when they're moving," Severus said.
"Against students, we do. I've seen the faculty do it too, and how do you stop the students from doin' it when they keep seein' faculty members that are doin' it?" Argus pointed out.
"Faculty? Anyone in particular?" Severus asked.
Argus rose his head proudly, and made a valiant attempt not to sneer.
"Professor Craw, sir!" Argus replied. Severus put his head in his hand in resignation.
"Very well, I'll deal with it. Next?"
There was a curious scribbling noise, and Severus glanced down at the appointment book to see it adding the entry: Thursday at 2:00 pm: Discuss faculty complaint of staircase jumping with Professor Craw. Severus rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I found a matter of choice of disciplines in the faculty handbook that… where is it…" Argus muttered, taking out a dusty scroll and using a finger to go down the list. "Here it is. Section four, part of discipline policy line eight: Students may not be turned into toads as a disciplinary action. I don't suppose there's any chance of gettin' that revoked?"
"I am probably going to regret asking this, but Argus, to put it bluntly… what reason could you possibly have for wanting that revoked?" Severus asked bluntly.
"Perhaps I just don't think there's enough toads in the world, sir," Argus sneered. Severus stared at him for a long time, attempting to get enough courage to say 'next,' when there was a knock at the door and Minerva peeked in.
"I'm terribly sorry, Severus, but Minister Weasley needs to speak with someone, if you have the time?" Minerva asked.
"Yes. Argus, you did have a point or two, but perhaps we can get back about this some other time?" Severus said. Severus heard the annoying scribbling of the appointment book again as it added: Continued appointment with Argus Filch, Friday at 9:00 am.
"Of course, Professor," Argus said solemnly, and then took out what appeared to be a small book and put it on his desk. "I'll just leave you my list of items I'd like to see added to the restriction list this term for you to look over."
"Argus, this is the entire Christmas Catalog of Westwitch and Fargin!"
"Wull, I figured it'd save me time from writin' them all out," Argus said, nodding to him and to Minerva on the way out. Severus gazed over at Minerva who merely smiled sympathetically, slipping out the door momentarily to show Arthur in.
"Good afternoon, Severus," Arthur said. "Minerva stuck you in the big chair, did she?"
"We're sharing responsibilities until Dumbledore returns," Severus said. "Have a seat."
"Thank you, Severus," Arthur said, sitting down with a sigh. "I thought you would like to know that when the goblin trial begins this spring, Rose's mother will probably be taking her out of school for a few days. She's our primary witness, after all."
"And what has Gringotts said about all of this?"
"They are not happy of course, but Severus, I don't think they want a war any more than we do. They have officially admitted that these three had been previously sighted for what they refer to as 'radical ideas,' which seems to be how they label any goblin family opposed to the current goblin form of government. Most of those families seemed to be directly tied to the former leaders of the original revolts. It's rather complicated, really," Arthur admitted. "The prosecution has made sure to emphasize the seriousness of the kidnapping charges and the fact they occurred last year before any of this erupted, although they are also rechecking some of the evidence surrounding the stolen cup, to see if there are any connections there."
"I do not think they will find one," Severus said. "The cup disappeared during the day, and the office for goblins at that point were nowhere near the regular offices. Three goblins in any other area of the Ministry would have been highly visible. In fact, I'm not completely convinced that the cup being stolen had anything to do with goblins at all."
"You have some idea then who might have it?" Arthur asked.
"Merely suspicions," Severus said, getting up. "We would have to find it before I knew for certain."
Not long after, Severus found himself back in the classroom with a mere handful of sherbets in his stomach and fourth years at his disposal, studying Barghests and flesh-eating Annis Cats. The second half of the double class was left to study so that he could finally get some regular class work done, dismissing them with a mere hand wave as he attempted to get a few last minute test changes in before dinner. But suddenly he was aware that a student was still in front of his desk, waiting quietly to be acknowledged.
"Yes, Mr. Platt?"
"Yes, Professor, I was wondering when or if we were going to cover goblins in this class," Xavier asked. Severus looked up from this work.
"Goblins technically do not employ the Dark Arts, specifically, Mr. Platt, nor do they fit into the dark creature category."
"Perhaps not in the book writer's opinion, sir, but I think there are some who would argue differently," Xavier said, nodding his head politely. "I merely ask because since this class is to teach us how to defend ourselves, and we are facing possible war with them, should we not then learn how to fight them?" Severus studied Xavier for a moment.
"Possible isn't definitive, Mr. Platt," Severus said quietly. "However, I may know a book that may help you. I'm not sure of its exact title and it's in the Restricted Section," he said, scribbling out a note. "Give this to Mr. Boulderdash, he can help you find what you're looking for."
"What? But Professor, Mr. Boulderdash is…"
"The school Librarian," Severus finished. "Once you find it, feel free to come to me with any questions you may have. Dismissed, Mr. Platt."
Xavier nodded slowly, staring at the note a moment before grabbing his books and heading out of the room. Standing by the door, Jennifer smiled warmly at him as he passed, waiting until the boy was far down the corridor before walking over to the desk.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Severus," Jennifer said softly. "I'm not sure that was all that wise, considering…"
"Xavier Platt is a Slytherin, I will deal with him in my own way," Severus said.
"Yes, Severus, but you can't blame me for worrying about the boy. He's under a lot of pressure right now," Jennifer said.
"He's hardly the only one. Let's go eat, shall we? I haven't had a thing all day, and I have to head back to the study after we're done."
"What for?"
"Apparently I have another appointment."
"And when am I going to see you?" Jennifer teased. "Or should I fill out a missing wizard report now?"
"You will see me tomorrow at two, actually," Severus said. "For a professional discussion."
"Oh no, not another one of those!" Jennifer complained. "What is this one about?"
"Oh, I'm not about to get into that now, not on an empty stomach," Severus said, heading into the Great Hall. Most of the rest of the staff were already there, including Minerva, who smiled at him.
"Good evening, Severus. I trust your day hasn't been too rough so far," Minerva asked while they waited for others to get to their places.
"I have come to the realization that the 'fun' has merely just begun," Severus said dourly. They paused a moment as the last staff member took their place, glancing at the center chair and then at each other, finally taking their normal places to either side of it. "Just serve already," Severus said impatiently, the plates quickly filling up in front of them.
"One day down, three hundred to go," Minerva said with a thin smile, earning a quick glare from Severus before he concentrated on his dinner.
