Staff Meeting
Shortly before the students' first day back, the term's first staff meeting was due to take place – not at Rosmerta's for a change, but in the headmaster's office. A selected number of teachers had assembled around the headmaster's massive desk (a relict of Professor Dippet's time). Mandragora Sprout had brought a few pieces of parchment on which she had meticulously listed (and sometimes illustrated) all the changes she wished to make with respect to greenhouse three to turn it into a student working place after all. The headmaster had told his Herbology professor that there were more pressing matters at hand, but Mandy was not so easily put off.
Her colleague, Minerva McGonagall, was currently involved in a conversation with Emeric Flitwick, as well as Professors Sinistra, Vector, and Bablefish, addressing the significance of their respective subjects. (Mandy suspected that ever since Professor Dumbledore's announcement of the imminent changes each of them had been fearing for their department's survival.) This was a remarkable fact of its own, considering that the deputy headmistress did not usually mix with the younger staff members (not counting Emeric, whose age would have given Dumbledore a run for his Galleons), surpassed only by the fact that Minerva seemed entirely at ease all of a sudden, not for a minute thinking of the problems the recent developments within the Ministry of Magic had caused and were still causing within her family. Mandy pondered whether the older witch knew, perhaps, what the headmaster had to announce, particularly as this staff meeting's location had been chosen, apparently, after a quite intimate chat between the two of them.
"I have spoken to a few members of the Ministry of Magic," Professor Dumbledore explained to them, having entered his office later than everyone else and wearing a slightly weary expression on his face, which suggested that he had only just returned from London. "And was assured the new Educational Act is going to pass within the next two months. Until then, however, much is to be done within Hogwarts wall to adapt to this new system."
Minerva gave a small cough. "Perhaps you should tell the staff exactly what the Act entails, Albus."
"Ah. Yes, of course, Minerva," smiled the headmaster. "I was just coming to that."
"I think most of us would be particularly interested if there are going to be any further cuts," remarked Stochastica Vector sharply. "Especially cuts concerning whole departments."
"You have not forgotten our dear Professor Cantus, I notice," said Dumbledore smilingly. "And you will be happy to hear that none of the imminent changes will affect the curriculum at all. They are of an administrative nature and concern the school's relation to the Ministry of Magic, as well as some bureaucratic details you need not worry about. Those are Minerva's responsibility."
"Our relation to the Ministry?" intervened Professor Bablefish.
"Up to now," explained the headmaster, "the school has been answerable to the Minister for Magic and the Department for Magical Education in every respect of school life. This was to ensure that its teachers would not run wild and take advantage of their position. That is, the Ministry was mainly trying to prevent biased grading and so forth. It used to happen when the admission of Muggleborns was still a recent idea. This was long before my time, of course, and I daresay most of us will have been lying in their nappies when for the first time…"
A second, slightly more pronounced cough brought the headmaster back on topic. "The situation is such," he quickly continued, "that most of our rules derive from the previous century and that the school's basic constitution is always, always subject to political changes. A situation that will come to an end as soon as the aforementioned Restitutional Act of British Wizarding Education has been fully approved by the Wizengamot and two other independent authorities."
"So how come you are informing us of imminent changes before the Ministry has even commented on the matter?" Mandy remarked. The headmaster remained silent for a short while. Obviously, he had not been looking forward to speaking of this particular point and yet known that he would have to sooner or later.
"As I say," he said slowly, exchanging a quick glance with Professor McGonagall, "it is only a question of formalities. The authorities are not particularly opposed to the idea as such."
"Does either of these authorities happen to be under the direct influence of a certain A. P. W. B. Dumbledore?" enquired Emeric Flitwick, selecting a biscuit from the tray on the table.
"Both, actually," replied the headmaster, flashing a mischievous, though vaguely guilty smile at the shortest member of staff. "I must say I was quite eager to have my will in this matter. But let us discuss the situation at hand…"
"Albus," came Professor Sinistra's voice from the other end of the table, "which of the old rules do you intend to change?"
"Ah," said Dumledore pleasantly, "this is my favourite part. You see, I can be entirely open for suggestions there. One reason why I intended this staff meeting to be slightly more… exclusive than our usual ones is that each of us now has the option of shaping the school to a much greater extent than in previous years. If there is anything you found particularly vexing, it can now be changed much quicker and be replaced by something entirely new if you are thus inclined. Personally, as I already mentioned to the some of you before, I will insist on the abandonment – no, the prohibition – of the old punishments, especially those which are still partly in use."
Some of the teachers laughed politely, others nodded in agreement. It was common knowledge that the headmaster had wanted to get rid of the thrashing vault ever since he had joined the Hogwarts staff as a Transfiguration teacher. Minerva's face displayed an almost imperceptible smile, confirming Mandy's suspicion that she had discussed this with the headmaster before.
"How, if I might ask," Professor Bablefish now enquired, "are we supposed to keep the students under control without at least the potential use of punishments?"
"Isn't that obvious?" snapped the deputy headmistress. Mandy turned her head in surprise. It seemed her friend had only waited for this question to occur. "We have been applying mild forms of detention for quite a long time now. They will be entirely sufficient…"
"Unless in particularly difficult cases, as you should know," challenged her colleague. "What about troublemakers like Mundungus Fletcher and Daedalus Diggle?"
"…or James Potter and Sirius Black? I am well aware of the more complicated cases," said the deputy headmistress tartly. "Given that all of them, without exception, seem to be in Gryffindor. Still, I believe Albus's idea of deducting house-points will do the job to our full satisfaction."
"House points?"
"We have devised a rather complex system of giving and taking points for particular academic achievements and rule-breaking," the headmaster explained. "Minerva will give you the finer details in a minute. The idea is that students will compete for a prize and thus have an eye on each other instead of forming alliances against the staff."
"Isn't that rather competitive?" Mandy threw in.
"Yes," replied the headmaster, "but I believe that some competition can be quite healthy in today's world, not to forget that I deem this system rather fairer towards the students than beating them with a stick."
"Or tying them to the dungeon walls," added Stochastica Vector. "By the way, if we are to enforce this kind of change, someone should inform Argus Filch. He rarely ever learns of this kind of event in time."
"I will," Mandy volunteered. "I so enjoy talking to him."
"I find him about as enjoyable as your next firecrab," observed her colleague coldly. "But that is your personal business, not mine." Mandy flashed her a grin.
"Am I to understand that we are replacing a system of threat by one that focuses on rewarding achievements?" Professor Sinistra suddenly intervened.
"Yes," replied the headmaster. "And I must apologise for not giving you the finer details beforehand. Minerva and I put the finishing touches to this particular change only last night. Alexander has been a bit of a nuisance, I must say. What is funny, Mandragora?"
"Oh, I have been wondering how much of this you two discussed beforehand," Mandy said quickly. "It's not that I find Alexander funny, actually. On the contrary, he can be rather irritating…"
"…as opposed to Argus Filch," Stochastica Vector prompted. Mandy decided to ignore her.
"Well, I am glad about this change," Professor Sinistra contributed, looking each staff member in the eyes. "The stories the thrashing vault always entailed make the hair on my neck curl. Besides, we can put the room to a better use. I keep thinking we ought to have a potions laboratory at Hogwarts. A professional one, I mean. Alexander would be delighted."
"I am sure," the headmaster said politely. "However, for that we shall have to wait for an official sign from the authorities, otherwise their decision might be questioned by certain people…"
"As though you hadn't made sure such protest will meet deaf ears within the Ministry," Emeric muttered, helping himself to another cookie.
"You know me too well," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling pleasantly. "But I suggest we should not take our chances. For now, let me hear your suggestions concerning most pressing changes, please. I shall need some time to organise things if there are more complicated matters, such as Mandragora's planned refurbishment of the greenhouses."
"I would like to move my office a little closer to Gryffindor tower," the deputy headmistress said a little too quickly. Mandy got the impression that people were trying to avoid her planned discussion "As it is, I have not much of a chance to be at the place of crime in time, should any inconveniences occur."
"Speaking of inconveniences," Emeric cut in, "I strongly suggest we pin a shortened, easy-to-understand copy of the school rules permanently to the Gryffindor notice board. Anyone agree with me?"
Nearly everyone raised their hand, trying not to look overly amused.
"Will do," said Minerva sourly, although even she had not been able to deny the necessity of this. "And I was wondering – will there be an option of enlarging the restricted section of the library? There are some fantastic books concerning animal transfiguration, which I have been intending to buy for a while now…"
"You will have to speak to Madame Pince about that," the headmaster replied. "But I shall let her know individually that Ministry observation is cut down in that respect. I am not sure whether she attended the feast or not."
"Headmaster," said Emeric suddenly, sounding a little quieter than usual, although his voice was still as penetrating as usual, "I would like to request a change of position."
All other voices went quiet at once.
"You don't wish to leave?" Dumbledore looked surprised and Minerva McGonagall took off her glasses, subjecting them to a violent cleaning. This was voicing what everyone had implicitly been expecting ever since the small man had agreed to take on the Defence job's reputation.
"No," replied the small wizard matter-of-factly. "But I would like to leave the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to someone who produces somewhat less of a laughing effect every time they enter the room."
"Your students respect you," said the deputy headmistress harshly, putting her glasses back where they belonged.
"There are other reasons," Flitwick replied curtly. "I was thinking, however, that I would happily fill the Charms vacancy next year, if that is an option at all."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, the situation is known to me, of course. The problem being that I would have to find someone willing to teach the subject and there are less and less people prepared to take this upon them."
"Could Alexander not do it?" enquired Stochastica Vector.
"He is a Potions expert through and through," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "But I might ask a friend of mine… an old friend of mine, in fact. Very old."
Minerva's eyes widened slightly. "You are not planning to invite Master Flamel, are you?"
"Why not?" said Dumbledore pleasantly. "He is a skilled wizard and the students could do with a little humour in their Defence lessons."
"He is tasteless," his deputy replied, frowning. "Please, Albus, you cannot seriously consider this."
"I find him no more tasteless than your uncle, if you'll excuse my bluntness," Stochastica Vector remarked. "And we had him teach Potions for two entire years."
"A disaster," Minerva mumbled, nodding in agreement.
The words "kilt incident" hung in the air like the stale smell of coffee after a night's continuous work.
"We shall talk about staff matters when the term is over," Dumbledore decided. "I am afraid we cannot make such drastic changes in the middle of the school year. Incidentally," he added, looking at each of them in turn, "that is also the reason why Alexander is staying – for now. Minerva and I discussed the matter for some time and decided that the students do prosper in his lessons, which should be our main concern when deciding what to do about the Potions position. At the end of the year, I am afraid he will have to go."