A/N First, if you haven't caught it yet, I fixed Twenty-Six, which had been mis-uploaded. Also, there's a big time gap between this chapter and the next, so I'll be posting the next two chapters ahead of their actual date for a better flow into the Yule season. Next chapter will come out around the ninth. Thanks for reading! Hope you have a good holiday season this year. DQ

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Good Headmaster

On Saturday morning, Rus was the first one down to the library; having breakfast in the Owl Room so that he could get Sissy caught up on the trip.

"You probably wouldn't have liked the parade at all, since it was incredibly noisy and full of people," Rus admitted. "But Thanksgiving in the states is mostly about sitting around the table with family and friends and eating high calorie foods until you can't eat anymore. Oscar probably would have passed out entirely if he had gone," he explained, earning a chuckle from Sissy. "But the best part was Mum showing up and getting to sit between her and grandmother at dinner, and then she took us shopping the day afterwards and that was insane... Frenzy Friday in New York City is like Boxing Day in London, so I wouldn't recommend it."

"As long as everyone came out in one piece," Sissy said. "Did you get behind on your homework?"

"No, we knew from the beginning of the year we were going, so we turned in all of our essays and our homework packet before we left," Rus said. "Today I'm helping Quintin by organizing all of the notes on Dusthorn into something a bit more cohesive, taking out the redundant bits and notating who found what and where."

"It sounds complicated," Sissy admitted, clearing her space with a wave and pulling out her Charms book.

"It's alright, I'm good at organizing things. So is Quintin, really, but he agreed that it'd be more efficient if he lent me this task so he could spend his time looking for the last bit of information he needed on Dusthorn," Rus said. "He's having troubling finding information about what happened to her after she left Hogwarts."

"I see," Sissy said thoughtfully. "Is that something that he can find out?"

"Probably not without the painting's help. He's going to take one last stab of finding out more information this weekend before he resorts to that. Apparently, Dusthorn was Headmaster for over a hundred years. Then Boyce of Dundemore took over, whose only claim to fame seems to be releasing some of the land that Hogwarts owned. Apparently, there was a time when Hogwarts' holdings was much, much bigger," Rus explained, cleaning up to get some work done.

"Ah, here they are," Jennifer said as she and Quintin walked into the Research Library. They found a couple of very large scrolls sitting on top of the shelves. "Don't worry about handling these too gently; these are duplicates, just like the Dusthorn rulebook you were studying. I decided that it'd be safer and easier just to make an identical copy," Jennifer explained to Quintin as they pulled back the chairs and laid the maps out.

"Wow, look at how far the boundaries stretch!" Quintin said in amazement.

"Back in those days, most of the revenue came from renting out land surrounding the castle, plus a stipend from the Wizard's Council," Jennifer explained. "Now it's a combination of things, but mostly Ministry stipends, donations, and a weighted tuition."

"Weighted?" Quintin asked curiously.

"Yes, it's partially based on income. Certain families are on scholarship and don't have tuition, they simply have to pay for their books; even then, they can apply for assistance through the Ministry if needed. Others pay the full amount, and some pay somewhere in between. It's a much more complicated system now than it was then, especially when you figure that room and board are also included in tuition. I attempted to take care of it for a few months when Hermione was pregnant with Rich, and I am quite glad that I'll never have to do that again, since we've got a separate position for that now. It is definitely not my cup of tea," Jennifer said, and her thoughts of stacks of haphazard papers everywhere made Quintin grin. "As you can see, the boundary includes everything from this mountain range to where Hogsmeade is now, as well as all of the rural farms on the other side of the tracks, plus a great deal of the area near the back of the castle... the Dark Forest has taken that over now, but there used to be some farms there as well. I expect they let that area become naturalized again in an attempt to curb how often the mountain trolls came down to raid, since those farms are very close to their foothills," Jennifer conjectured. "If you open up that map, you'll see our current boundaries."

Quintin rolled out another map.

"So which parcel of land did Lord Boyce sell off when he took over Hogwarts?" Quintin wanted to know.

"Most of it is around the area where Hogsmeade sits now. He thought the school had much better things to do than land management and sold off what he could, leaving a perimeter around the castle for safety and privacy reasons," Jennifer explained.

"This here is a surprise," Quintin said, looking at the map. "This coloring says that all of the Dark Forest is still owned by Hogwarts, except for certain sections near the town border. But why is that section striped like that?" he wondered. He glanced at the map key to see the word, 'contested lands.'

"It's true that all of the Dark Forest and the back mountain range is still technically owned by Hogwarts, but it serves as a fail-safe... this dotted line shows you the lands we actively manage," Jennifer explained, pointing out the line just beyond the cabin in the small forest glen. "Oh, and this section, of course," she added, pointing at Keki's Grove, which had its own set of dotted lines running from the path towards Hogsmeade to the center of the Grove. "Everything else is maintained by the centaurs or the Ministry in some fashion. Technically, the Dark Forest itself has never left school hands, and it's a good thing, too... there's been a number of incidents that have happened over the years involving the school and the Dark Forest that would have been a nightmare had it not technically been on our 'private land.' The Ciardoth fight comes straight to mind, for example," Jennifer pointed out. "The area where Keki's Grove is located used to be maintained by Hogsmeade," she added, "but after the Tomb collapsed, the town decided that it was our mess to clean up and has been the school's responsibility ever since."

Quintin glanced between the two maps, comparing them.

"So when the Tomb was first built, it was close to the center of the property, right in the heart of the Dark Forest," Quintin realized.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Jennifer said thoughtfully. "In fact, this map might have been helpful trying to figure out when we began looking, but then again, the area is so large, it might have also bogged things down."

"And when did this area get sold? This area around the Muggle Farm?" Quintin asked.

"Oh, that happened because of British Rail, I think... the Ministry got wind of them building in this direction and they sold that area off to be farmed by Muggles. Then, they somehow made an argument to put that branch line there to support the farming community," Jennifer explained. "After a few years, the Ministry established their own transit authority. They took over the line and moved the Muggle station just around the other bend. I think you'll find information about it in the Industrial Revolution section of Hogwarts, A History."

"I don't think it matters, I was just curious," Quintin admitted.

"Before the railroad, the school had always rented that land to farming since it's so arable," Jennifer said. "Even though it changed ownership for legal reasons, but as far as I know, that valley has been getting farmed since long before the castle was built."

The two of them studied it in silence for a while.

"The only thing that Hogwarts, A History noted about the headmaster after Dusthorn was the fact that he sold off some of this land... a lot of which eventually was given to Hogsmeade," Quintin said thoughtfully. "He seemed to be quite practical, and he was probably a good choice for a replacement considering he was putting more focus onto the school, cutting back where he could to streamline the Headmaster's job in general, I suppose. I can see why Dusthorn picked him, but that doesn't really give me a clue as to why she left."

"Really? I think it does," Jennifer said with a smile, still glancing over the maps. "Caprica Dusthorn was a Headmaster of this school for a very long time and saw this school through its toughest years. She stayed for decades, not just to make sure that everything was stable, but because she realized that choosing the next headmaster was the most important decision of her life. She didn't want to resign and hope that the Wizard Council would come up with someone capable of taking over. On the contrary, she stayed because she wanted to hand-pick the next headmaster herself. She stayed because she wanted to find someone that she thought would make a better headmaster than she was, and who could take the school to the next level," Jennifer said. "We may not be able to find out much about this wizard other than through his Headmaster Painting, but the fact that he was practical and focused on the school's success says a lot."

"How did you get all of that out of the fact that he sold land to focus on the school?" Quintin asked with open surprise.

"Because I understand how a Headmaster of Hogwarts thinks," Jennifer explained with a smile. "True, Hogwarts had its fair share of headmasters who merely thought it was just a job or a place to get to the next rung of the political ladder, and some who took it because the Ministry couldn't find anyone else willing to take it. But a good Headmaster of Hogwarts loves this school and would do everything in their power to insure its success; and no good headmaster would ever willingly leave unless they were completely certain that the person who follows them loves this school and can take the school into the future in a way they cannot. That's why Armando Dippet chose Dumbledore, and Dumbledore chose your father. And one day, someone will come along that your father will realize is the perfect person to take his place. He will stay until that happens because he loves this school, and he wouldn't hand that chair over to just anybody." Quintin was stunned at the thought of his father ever leaving.

"I hope that doesn't happen while I'm in school!" he thought, horrified. Jennifer laughed.

"No, I'm certain he has every intention of seeing both you and Serendipity through school," Jennifer reassured him. "Besides, even if he did find someone he thought could take over, it is far from an instantaneous process. Sometimes it takes years of prep time, trust me."

"Well, that makes me feel a bit better, although I still don't like the thought of Father ever leaving this job, and I doubt you'd let him leave this job alone," Quintin said.

"That much is true," Jennifer agreed.

"So if what a good headmaster looks for is an even better headmaster to replace them, how come Hogwarts has so many questionable ones?" Quintin asked.

"Obviously, because not every headmaster leaves under ideal circumstances," Jennifer replied. "Sometimes they die in office, or they resign unexpectedly, or in rare cases, get kicked out of office. During those times, the Wizard Council or Ministry appoints one, and they're not always the best fit. That's also why you might notice that we usually get a string of good ones or a string of bad ones; it doesn't often go back and forth. Once you get a good headmaster that picks his own successor, it tends to last for a while. And considering that your father has me and a bunch of backups that love this school and can step in if there's an emergency, I can guarantee you that chain won't be broken with us."

"That's good to know too," Quintin decided. "I think I'm done with these maps for the moment."

"Let's set them back on top then," Jennifer suggested, rolling up one while he worked on the other. "So what have you got left now concerning Dusthorn?"

"I think I've now done all of the book research I can," Quintin admitted. "I'm at the point where I need to talk to Caprica now."

"Well, we knew it was going to be needed eventually, but we need to make a couple of precautions, as per your father," Jennifer replied. "We need to put the Dusthorn painting next to the portrait of us in Craw Library, so that they can monitor in case she gets out of hand. I will also need a copy of all of your Dictation Quill notes after you're done interviewing her."

"Yes, Mum," Quintin said, and Jennifer nodded.

"Then I expect you should spend the rest of the day on your homework, and I'll arrange for the Dusthorn painting to be in your common room tomorrow," Jennifer replied, helping him steady the maps on top of the shelf.

Just after breakfast, Quintin arrived in the common room and saw that the painting of Caprica Dusthorn was already on the far wall between his parents' portrait and the research corner.

"Good morning, everyone!" Caprica said cheerfully as Quintin, Jeremy, and several other students approached.

"So this is her, then?" Jeremy asked. "She doesn't look like half anything. She looks mostly human," he commented.

"Thank you very much!" Caprica said cheerfully. "Many Half-Pookas have some level of shape changing ability just like Pookas do. Of course, most of the time, I appeared human."

"Yes, we learned about that," Quintin said. "Half-Pookas were considered bad luck, and you had no choice but to hide it."

"True. I did eventually confess to having Half-Elf blood since I lived so long, but everyone simply assumed it was a high form of Fae, just like Rowena, whose father was a true Fae," Caprica explained.

"Do you know what happened to her? We never did find out," Jeremy interrupted. "All we know is that she used to check in on the school from time to time, but then stopped after a few centuries."

"I know as much as you do on that," Caprica admitted. "I have no idea if something happened to her or if she just decided that it was time to move on with her life."

"What about you, Caprica? Your living self, I mean," Quintin asked. "Do you know what happened to her after she retired from Hogwarts?"

"She changed into a centaur, found a mate, and spent the rest of her life in the Dark Forest!" Caprica declared cheerfully. All of the students stared at her.

"Are you serious?" Pete asked flatly.

"Yep! That's what she did!" Caprica confirmed, finding their expressions amusing. "Fell for a strapping young warrior, had a fair number of foals and fillies, and lived out her life as a centaur, passing down the Spear to her youngest and wisest grandchild... although I only know that part of the story thanks to Icarus Ravenclaw, so you may need to confirm that part with him. Still, I'm not surprised I did that. I always had a good eye when it came to good horse flesh... now don't look at me like that! Pookas don't think of it as bestiality, you know. When you can shape change into anything, you tend to be attracted to all sorts of different species... it isn't always humans. If it was, there'd be a lot more Half-Pookas among humankind than there are today," she explained, not managing to budge their slightly disgusted expressions. "Deer, dragons, cats, sheep... Half-Pookas can be born to any creature you can think of, and since Pookas are few and far between in this land, they're a lot more likely to find relief... that is to say, comfort... outside of their race."

"And it explains how the centaurs ended up being the guardian of that Spear," Quintin decided. "Although I wonder how Keki ended up the Sentinel of Wild Magic for a while?"

"You'd have to ask a centaur in the Dark Forest Constellation about that," Caprica replied. "Or perhaps you could try Icarus, maybe he's heard something."

"Even that wouldn't be all that easy. I'm generally not allowed to talk to Professor Ravenclaw," Quintin told her.

"Yes, I heard about that," Caprica said, growing serious for a moment. "Maybe it's better if we don't push your father on that issue just yet. I think if we give him a bit more time, he's going to realize that even if he doesn't want the two of you to become friends, he can't keep you from not speaking forever."

"After this interview, we just need to write up this part of the draft and then we're ready to start on Icarus and Rowena Ravenclaw," Quintin said.

"I thought your mother wanted you to interview Janus Craw about him anyway, to get an outsider's opinion," Jeremy pointed out. "Especially since we learned in History that Professor Ravenclaw was quite out of his mind when he was alive, right? So his perspective during that time period would have been flawed anyway."

"Yes, that's true, but it's obvious that he understands the situation quite clearly now," Quintin replied.

"Tell you what," Jeremy said. "You may be restricted from making an appointment with him, but I'm not. So let's get all of the other work done first, and if we decide there's a gap in information, we'll get together with a list of questions and I'll do the interview myself." Quintin and the rest of the students agreed that did sound like the best solution, and got to work putting together their research on Caprica.

By the time of Quintin's meeting with Ambrose, Caprica's section was all written out as best as they could. As Ambrose went over the newest section, Quintin explained what their plans were.

"You've done a good job on this so far, but my advice is to wait before you get started on Professor Ravenclaw," Ambrose told him, making some editing notes on Quintin's copy as he spoke. "Reviews for midterms are starting, and tests for the midterms will begin in a couple of weeks. You don't want to dive head first into this only to have to set it aside in favor of your marks, because then you'll have to figure out where you left off after you get back from the holidays. It would be more efficient if you waited on the next section until you return, especially since finishing this will be a good place to pause at."

"Yes, you're right," Quintin acknowledged with a sigh.

"In the meantime, why don't you go ahead and fix these and get this first half as clean as you can? You're doing great so far," Ambrose said encouragingly.

"Thanks, Ambrose. Perhaps you could suggest some books to check out during Christmas?"

"Go enjoy your holiday!" Ambrose insisted with exasperation.

"Yes, Ambrose," Quintin said glumly, getting his notes on the way out the door. Ambrose chuckled softly to himself, thinking of how much Quintin reminded him of himself when he was going to school.