Hogwarts Year 3

Chapter 2

All five of the students had the same thought it was great to be back home, and a year older felt nice too. The reason there wasn't any extra trips this year was because Harry needed to do some work on his properties, especially the Potter Dragon Reserve. But the Reserve would be the last one visited so he could be sure and get everything done elsewhere and not be rushed, too much. It took a week to get the other properties up to date, what with modifying wards and adding power so they would function well.

Now it was time to go see "his" dragons! Harry was excited and very much looking forward to being around the dragons again. The first thing to do was to change and update the wards, Harry wanted more security at the Reserve and the addition of several new runes would provide that updated security. But the new runes would have to be on new ward stones, and that was where the problem was located. Harry had to obtain many more ward stones and those were hard to get, at least the good ones, and once obtained it could take a while to inscribe the runes as he could not afford to make mistakes. Mistakes made when inscribing could be dangerous, even deadly, to not only to him but to the dragons and the elves there as well.

Harry had sought the advice of Grimstead about an idea he had, namely drawing out the runes on paper, or parchment, and magically transferring them to the stones and then carving them into the stone itself. It had taken much trial and error, but Harry and Grimstead had found a way to make it work. In fact it was because of this "improved" method that Harry had gotten such a high score on his Warding class and OWLs. The first step was to trace the runes on the old stones so Harry would know what he had to work with, and against. The tracing took two days to finish and it would probably take another two days to compare the old with the what he wanted to add and make the "paper" transfer pattern. But now it was time to go visit the dragons, Harry approached the dragons with care and slowly so as not to upset them.

One of the nesting mothers roared a challenge but Harry just moved away and she quieted down, even though she did seem to keep a close eye on the interloper . As Harry wandered around he realized that there would soon be at least seven more dragons, as that was how many nesting mothers he saw and had been told about. Harry still hadn't found the large Norwegian Ridgeback that was the leader the last time he visited the Reserve. A young Horntail suddenly poked its head out of the trees and startled Harry.

"Are you the one who protects us or are you food?" Harry heard, so he replied, "I am the one who tries to protect the dragons who live here. I mean you no harm, but if you have seen the leader of the dragons I would like talking with him".

"He has been missing for several days. It is thought that he went hunting somewhere else, I wish I could hunt somewhere new. I would like to see new things" was the only reply before the youth pulled his head back.

Harry was joined by one of the elves that stayed on the Reserve, this elf was able to "pop" Harry to places that Harry hadn't seen before and one of those was the cave that held one of the rune stones Harry was updating. This stone had different runes than he had seen previously. It wasn't a problem for the elf to fetch Harry paper and pencil so that the runes could be traced. Harry spent the next two days touring the Reserve escorted by one of the elves, now he had a better idea of what was where and had seen all of the rune stones that provided the perimeter of the Reserve. He also found out that the Reserve was located directly on top of a major leyline, no wonder the dragons liked it here, they were surrounded by very strong magic.

Harry returned to Potter Manor, with all of his tracings, and was glad to find Hermione there as he wanted her help with the runes, both old and new. Hermione had a surprise for him, she discovered while Harry was gone that she could have two animal forms. One was the original Long-eared owl, but the second was a much smaller common Barn owl that could be found almost anywhere. Harry spent the rest of the day updating everyone, especially Sirius and Remus, on what he had found at the Reserve. Sirius told them that he had heard from Augusta Longbottom and that the board meeting was scheduled for the middle of the next week and he was to attend.

~o~o~

Albus Dumbledore was awaken by a high pitched squeal coming from his office. When he went to check he found several of the silvery instruments he had left were in the process of melting, one of them wasn't and it was the one that was set to monitor Harry Potter's magic levels. This monitor usually showed a puff of steam or smoke when Harry did strong magic, like capturing Voldemort's spirit first year. Now it had a steady output of steam under force, much like a teakettle. The only thing that Dumbledore could think of to cause this was a very large use of magic, and that much magic should register at the ministry. Dumbledore expected to receive some sort of message soon reporting this magic; that report never came, even after a week.

Minnie McGonagall had just finished her breakfast and was surprised when a note just appeared beside her plate. On opening the note she found she was being summoned to the board meeting at 9am this morning, in only two hours. Prof. Flitwick also received the same note and was also confused as to why.

Augusta Longbottom called the board meeting to order, it was strange to be meeting in the great hall at Hogwarts; but that was part of the message Neville had relayed to her at the end of term, so the spirit of Hogwarts could appear she guessed. Sure enough almost as soon as the meeting was started that spirit appeared.

"Greetings to the Hogwarts Board of Regents. I am the spirit of Hogwarts and it is only by the efforts of the four heirs of the Founders that I may address this body. As I am sure Madame Longbottom has informed you, I requested this meeting to bring to your attention several issues that need your attention. I see that Mr. Malfoy is missing from this meeting, but that was expected since he is currently in Azkaban Prison for attacking a student – for the second time. But that is only one of the issues I will address today. Now I will remind this board that you serve because the Founders are no longer with us. With the appearance of the heirs this board now serves as an advisory function only."

This statement caused many of the board to be distressed and upset, in fact a couple even started to object loudly and vocally.

"SILENCE, this is not up for debate. You have only to look at your charter to see that the heirs have the right to disband this board, but they haven't. They value your help and thank you for your years of service. Now on to the reasons for this meeting.

I believe it is only fair to warn you at this time that all four heirs are present in the castle and are aware of what happens in this meeting. They can hear each and ever word spoken within these walls, so take note of what you speak or do.

At the end of term feast I made several announcements, one of which was that Severus Snape was not allowed to return to Hogwarts. This causes a slight hardship on the Headmaster in that he then had to find a replacement Potions instructor as the heirs will not allow a marked Death Eater inside the walls of the castle. So it is up to you, the board, to make sure a qualified instructor is found. Also, the school is in need of a Defense instructor as Mr. Lockhart is currently confined to St. Mongos due to the loss of his memory, by his own spell. Someone of his caliber is not acceptable as instructor, the new instructor should be someone who has experience dealing with dark creatures and persons. You will also have to help the Headmaster find a replacement instructor for Divination as the previous one was not qualified.

Over the past few hundred years the wards of Hogwarts have been manipulated to the whims of the Headmaster, these manipulations have been removed and the wards are even now being updated and strengthen by the heirs. The control of the wards has been reduced as far as the Headmaster is concerned so that he no longer has full control, just minimal control.

I wish to recognize two of the Professors here today, they are Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. These two have done more for the students than any other as far as preparing students for what is outside these walls. I also need to mention Prof. Sprout as she too has been very involved in preparing students for life after school. All three of these professors are also head of house for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff; they have cared for their houses with great diligence and I thank them. You will notice I did not mention Slytherin, that is because they no longer have a head of house with the removal of Mr. Snape. As you can summarize a new appropriate head of house for Slytherin is now required this too needs to be addressed by the Headmaster and yourselves.

At one time this school was considered one of the best in Europe, if not the best, but sadly that is no longer true. Hogwarts is rated very low by the International Council of Wizards and Witches and in some places it is considered a joke of a school." The castle walls shook slightly as Hogwarts said with force and great feeling "THIS CAN NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE."

As the board knows whether or not the headmaster retains his title is under advisement, so I will now ask a few poignant questions. Prof. Dumbledore have you as yet looked for or found replacements for the previously mentioned positions?"

"I have been unable to find anyone to take over Potions or Divination. I do have someone in mind for the Defense Against Dark Arts position, I have contacted Remus Lupin to see if he would be available and willing to fill that post. But as of this time I have received no reply either way." Dumbledore answered.

"Have you found a replacement for the Head of House position for Slytherin?"

"Not at this time, as I had hoped that Severus might be allowed to return to that position." Dumbledore again answered, dejectedly.

"That will not happen as long as I am the chairperson of this board", Augusta answered strongly before Hogwarts could add anything. What surprised Dumbledore was that so many of the board agreed with her.

"I see that the board and I agree on this matter. If Mr. Snape was to renounce his ties to the Death Eaters and his mark removed, then he might be allowed to return as an instructor – provided he is re-educated in how to be an instructor. But I don't foresee either of those things happening. Oh, never mind; I have just been informed that that person has just been arrested by the DMLE. Now Headmaster, what do you intend to do about MY reputation as a school of learning?"

Dumbledore was at a loss for words, he had no idea as what to do about Severus or the school. McGonagall asked for permission to speak and it was granted.

"During the ICW inspection I became acquainted with a couple of the inspectors, namely Rick Green from the USA and Madame DuPrie from France. Maybe, if asked, they would be willing to suggest some people to help us regain our standing and improve our staff. They might even be able to suggest someone for the open positions. Of course the people suggested would have to be interviewed first." McGonagall stated. Flitwick was seen to nod in agreement and so was Augusta Longbottom, especially since she knew Rick.

Upstairs in the Gryffindor quarters five "students", three of which were the heirs, sat watching and listening to the proceedings below. The five of them found the complete meeting very interesting. Harry then revealed that he knew in advance that Snape was to be arrested today and it had been timed to occur during the meeting on purpose, just to shock the Headmaster and that was why Sirius wasn't at the meeting.

"There is one more item I have to bring before this board, that is Mr. Filch. Over the years I have watched this man become more and more unstable. His constant wish for the return of the use of physical pain and distress has bothered me greatly. I have been unable to correct this, due to lack of power and the Headmasters. I would ask that you, the board, rectify this situation as soon as possible. Early retirement with a proper retirement package would be my suggestion but I will leave it up to the board. But just let it be known if I, or the heirs, have to deal with it then it might get unpleasant or messy. I have presented the items I feel need to be addressed and will monitor your discussions and decisions on these few items." Hogwarts concluded, and then faded away.

Planned or not, it was at this time that the two inspectors mentioned walked into the great hall. This caused several of the board members to question the security provided by Dumbledore. "I'm sorry we were detained, there was some sort of disturbance in Hogsmead that delayed us. It seems that there was a raid conduced by your DMLE and several persons were taken a way. I'm afraid that your Mr. Snape was one of those taken into custody" Rick said.

"Mr. Green it is so fortuitous that you two should arrive at this time. Hogwarts herself just finished informing this board of her concerns and hopefully the two of you can help us with a few items. It seems that we are in need of a few new instructors, namely a Potions instructor and a Divination instructor. We would also like to ask your help in regaining our status in the ICW as an institute of learning. Would either, or both, of you be willing to aid us in these endeavors?" Augusta asked politely.

Rick and Ms. DuPrie talked quietly between themselves for a few minutes and then Rick said, "We would be glad to help you improve your standing with the ICW. As to help with the positions you mentioned, Ms. DuPrie has stated that she would be glad to take over the Potions position for the upcoming year only. This would give you some extra time to seek out a qualified instructor for that position for the next year. You understand that it will take a little time to regain you status This is a long term project. It will not happen overnight. Sadly, it took years to obtain the current status and will take time to regain the appropriate status for a school with the history of Hogwarts. Of course the majority of the curriculum would have to be revamped."

This statement caused several of the board members to chuckle, including Augusta. "Well, we thank you Ms. DuPrie for you kind and generous offer to help out. And if the Headmaster has no objections then we would be glad to accept your help. Would you also be willing to oversee the house of Slytherin, since the quarters for the potion instructor is located by their dorm?" Augusta asked.

"I am not acquainted with your house system, but for this year only I would take on that responsibility to help your school out", Ms. DuPrie answered, thus dealing with two of their problems.

"One of the things I noticed was that you only deal with students age 11 through 17. I have been informed that the age of majority in Great Briton is 17 and I can understand that, but what of the younger children? I would think that getting them in would greatly improve your standing in the Council's view, it would also relieve some of the pressure on the law enforcement having to deal with accidental magic in view of non-magical persons. I believe it was Prof. McGonagall who told me that all magical children born are recorded in a book at your ministry, and a copy of that book is the source of the letters this school sends out. Since I was raised in the USA I am more familiar with the way things like that are handled there, but it could be done here as well. In addition to the reasons I've already mentioned, it would provide a basis for the student to learn from instead of the many different teachings done by homeschooling the youth. But again that can't be handled this year as there isn't enough time and Hogwarts isn't setup or equipped to handle the younger students. If the board would like I can have some of the books and curriculum sent over from the States for the school to look over." Rick stated.

"I think that is a splendid idea and would like to see those books and curriculum myself" one of the board members said. "I think we should vote on this and I would be surprised if it didn't pass and be accepted" he continued.

The matter was voted on and only two members rejected the idea, so Rick was asked see about getting the items mentioned. In addition Ms. DuPrie said she would have some of the same sent from France so as to provide a wider view of materials.

"Well, it seems that we have dealt with most of the items, except Divination and Mr. Filch. Now as it is getting close to the time for lunch I suggest we adjourn for lunch and meet again say at 1pm. We can discuss what to do about these last two items at that time, and it will give us all a chance to think on the matters." Augusta suggested and it was agreed to by all the members.

~o~o~

"Well, what do you think about the choices the board made? Having Remus here would be unreal as he is very experienced in dealing with dark creatures and such. That Ms. DuPrie wouldn't be as partial to the Slytherins as Snape was and we already know she knows potions." Harry said as the spell that allowed them to monitor the meeting faded away.

"Well the idea of lunch sounds great to me" Neville replied and the rest laughed and agreed.

As lunch was delivered downstairs by the elves, lunch appeared in the chamber also. Over lunch the five discussed what had gone on that morning in the board meeting. They all agreed that so far everything was going well and they liked the discussions that had been made. None of them could come up with a solution to the last two problems. Not having any interest in Divination none of the heirs or Neville or Hermione had a suggestion but since many students did like the subject they all agreed that a above competent instructor was needed. It was Hermione who came up with an idea about Filch. If this problem was in the non-magical realm then he would be sent to a psychiatrist to see if he could be helped. After Hermione explained what a psychiatrist was, the only problem was how to suggest something similar to the board. Susan had an idea, she sent a message to McGonagall to suggest that Madame Pomfrey examine Filch to see if he could be helped.

~o~o~

When the board reconvened Susan's suggestion appeared in front of both McGonagall and Augusta. Both were surprised by this appearance but read the notes anyway. "I don't know where this note originated but it does offer a possible solution to Mr. Filch. Someone has made the suggestion to have Mr. Filch examined to determine if he can be treated and retained. I am inclined to agree to having the matron do a full examination of Mr. Filch, with special attention to his mental status, or to have him examined at St. Mongos. Does anyone have any other suggestions?" Augusta asked. Nobody offered any other suggestions so it was put to a vote and passed, except by the same two members.

It was Dumbledore who suggested a solution to the divination problem, he suggested that maybe one of the centaurs might be agreeable to teaching that subject. Since they were very adapt at that, reading the stars and such. Hagrid was summoned and asked to speak with the herd to see what they thought of the suggestion.

The meeting was interrupted by a shacking of the building and two members of the board falling out of their seats screaming in pain as a strange glow surrounded them. "It would appear that the new wards have found two marked Death Eaters. As I told you before these are not allowed on castle grounds. The heirs apologize but the new wards were just now brought into service as they didn't expect to find more of these types here. I will adjust the wards so these two live to be taken in custody by the three DMLE members at the front gate." was heard by all in the room as the two men quit screaming. It was just a very few minutes before Amelia and two others walked into the room.

"We received notice that there were Death Eaters here and that they would be waiting for us. I assume the two people who are glowing are my new guests? Now if whoever would release these two we can verify that they are indeed marked" Amelia said as the men walked up to the two glowing men.

The glow did not diminish but both men had their sleeves removed and it was plain that the mark was there on their arms. The wands of the two Death Eaters floated out to Amelia, who caught them and placed them in her robes. Now the glow faded away as ropes were applied by the two auror personnel and the men were taken into custody. "Easiest capture I ever made, wish they were all that easy" was heard from one of the aurors as they left with their prisoners.

"Madame Bones, may I ask how you got here so quickly?" Dumbledore asked.

"I was notified yesterday that new wards were being placed at and around Hogwarts and asked to provide some extra security in case they did not work correctly and the old wards had to be raised. When this note appeared and stated that two Death Eaters had been caught inside Hogwarts and asked that they be removed, I came myself to see if it was true. Surprisingly the note is signed Hogwarts and it is in Old English script." Amelia replied as she showed the note to Dumbledore and the board.

Hagrid came in and told the Headmaster that one of the centaurs had volunteered to teach if they could make sure that the classroom was on the ground floor. Hagrid went on to add that maybe it was the message from the Founder's heirs to the chief centaur that helped. About that time a phoenix flashed into the room and landed in front of Augusta with a note. Everyone thought it was Fawkes until Dumbledore called out to him and a second phoenix flashed on to his shoulder. Now even Dumbledore could see the difference between the two birds. Augusta took the note offered and read it aloud, "We the heirs find your solutions acceptable and congratulate the board for their effort in these matters. Know that the Phoenix you see is one of the heirs, the heir of Gryffindor to be exact."

The phoenix, Harry, flew up and landed on the back of Augusta's chair and looked out over the room. [Fawkes, when this is over come to the Gryffindor quarters as I have the potion to free you ready] was heard only by Fawkes. "Well, as the heirs are satisfied then I move we adjourn and return to our own business." Augusta said, and everyone agreed so the meeting was closed. Dumbledore wondered how he had retained his position, he had expected to be removed when he saw Prof. McGonagall there at the meeting.

A/N: Well, there you have the meeting between Hogwarts and the board, it seemed to go well except for two members that is. Next up the train ride back to school and the start of Third Year.

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