Standard Disclaimer Applies
Chapter 3: Rights of a Professor
Amelia and Alec just left the hut of the grounds keeper and started back towards a looming castle not far in front of them. Hagrid was feeling a bit under the weather and didn't follow, but allowed them to continue due to their need of seeing the Headmaster as soon as possible.
"Odd," commented Alec as they left the hut. "Hagrid didn't seem to know about Dumbledore's departure."
"Maybe," added Amelia. "We didn't exactly ask nor did we hint at anything either."
Following the pair were four of the twelve, not counting Alec, members from the Board of Governors: James Hithero, Augusta Longbottom, Samuel Winstint and Morgan Caterson.
James, Samuel and Morgan all had similar backgrounds to that of Alec, specifically their houses stayed away from the affairs of the Ministry. Unlike the Tompsons however, these families would happily give aid if it was hinted at and as such, they were slated to become Ancient Houses at the turn of the century; a fact not lost on Alec.
Despite these annoyances, it did stop them from forming of a comradery that annoyed the older, pureblood families on the board.
They also found backing in Augusta due to their like minded ideals and when they all gathered to claim five of the twelve seats in the Governors, they became a force of Light for Hogwarts. With Albus Dumbledore in their corner, they often achieved success in furthering the education of those students under his care.
Of the five, Augusta and Alec were notorious for their vocal promotions concerning Hogwarts as an effective institution of learning. James, Samuel and Morgan were not quite as energetic as their two colleagues yet their full support never wavered. The other members were less interested in the quality of learning and more focused on the number of students per year which translated to how fat their wallets would become. Needless to say, those individuals were not on pleasant terms with the five members.
As they moved toward the large entrance doors, Amelia and Alec continued their discussion since arriving on the grounds. Alec had spent most of the time bringing Amelia up to speed on the functions of the Board and its capabilities. They also discussed the pros and cons of even having the Board, from both a political standpoint and the school.
Amelia had been surprised to learn the Board was fairly new compared to some things, only having been in existence since the late 16th century. The duties of the members however, existed long before then and were carried out by various individuals on the staff of Hogwarts instead. It wasn't until some believed a link to the then politically stable and profitable Ministry of Magic would be beneficial, thus the Board was created. Amelia had laughed at being told the Ministry was once reputable and adored by Wizarding Britain for it seemed a pipe dream now. Eventually though, they came to the topic at hand and all those present applied some effort to explain it to her.
"Back in the early 14th century," said James, taking over from Alec, "the Nomen was created roughly around the same time as the updating ledgers of Gringotts, the student attendance book of Hogwarts, and so on. A breakthrough had been made which allowed the recording devices to be invented."
"Funny thing was," continued Morgan, "once those services were established, it didn't take long for the original methods of tracking, detection, logging, etcetera, to be forgotten. I didn't know this until recently, but some of the key spells behind the Improper Use of Magic division in the Ministry are actually unknowns. That is, the magicals have no idea how it all works, yet they use them anyway."
"More BEBs," grumbled Alec which got a snort of laughter from Augusta.
"At any rate," she said though highly amused, "the point we're trying to make Madame Bones is the Nomen is of the same magic. We don't fully understand it, but we do know a few things about it. For example, the book is inexorably tied to the castle in a physical and magical sense. Whenever a staff change is made, the book reflects that change. This includes modifications to the grounds as well."
Alec nodded, "There have been only two accounts in the entire history of the book's existence where a position was recorded before it was agreed upon by the Board or by the Headmaster. The first instance was of a wizard named Albert Lockhill who was chosen to be a History professor in the late 17th century." He turned to Samuel, "He was the predecessor of Cuthbert Binns if I'm not mistaken?"
Samuel nodded, "That is correct. The second time regarded the grounds keeper in the early 18th century, not even 100 years after the first incident. Charles Borgan was selected when the Board was debating potential candidates and Borgan, I might add, wasn't even being considered. While we're not completely surprised by today's events, it is significant given the circumstances."
They stopped just a few feet from the castle doors and Alec turned to face Amelia. "The problem is we don't know why the book would force a position change. History shows if a position was to be automatically filled, it would happen during a time when said position was already vacant. In addition, we know the basics about the magics at work so we can infer the spells are reactive and not proactive, which leaves us with a bit of a dilemma."
He sighed, scratching his head in concern. "Dolores Umbridge was appointed temporary Headmistress for a period of 280 days or until further notice. She wasn't fully approved by the Board, but was still given the rights and privileges of her station because the book accepted it. Now the book has named a new individual as Headmaster, completely ignoring the fact Dolores even exists. If anything, it should have fallen back on the previous appointee because Dumbledore wasn't removed."
Amelia finally realized the implications, "So then, what happened to Albus Dumbledore?" If she got her facts straight from the impromptu history lesson, this book was essentially an extension of Hogwarts. Amelia could remember Dumbledore saying the castle was a wonder of its own; sentient in nature, it would protect itself and the students if the worst of troubles arose.
Why then would Dumbledore need to be replaced?
Was there some unknown catastrophe on their doorstep the wizard couldn't handle? That in of itself was something she didn't want to think about, let alone the possibility he may no longer be alive. His death would explain the supposed vacancy, ignoring Umbridge's involvement or lack thereof. She shivered and could almost see the headline of the Prophet in front of her:
Headmaster of Hogwarts Presumed Dead!
It would light countless fears and give the Death Eaters a greater hold over the masses.
'Panic, sheer bloody panic,' she mused. A thought struck her at that, "Why can't you just look up Dumbledore's name in the Nomen or Umbridge for that matter? Wouldn't the reasons for the changes be listed there?"
Alec smiled sadly, "Normally, yes, but these 'suggestions' by the book cause a bit of a lapse in the magics surrounding it. At least, that's what my predecessors noticed when this happened to them. The fix is to get the book into contact with the individual in question or in this case, Harry Potter. Once we do that, it will likely tell us what we want to know."
She nodded and after a slight pause to collect her thoughts, Amelia spoke to the group, "Given the circumstances it is imperative we find out what happened to Dumbledore. Umbridge is secondary and less of a concern at the moment due to her recent questionable activities." Alec coughed but it sounded remarkably like a snort. Amelia ignored it, "I wager what's recorded in this book is considered law?"
The others nodded in agreement.
"Very well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there so for now, we need to seek out Headmaster Potter and determine what the events surrounding his appointment are. No use getting in a tizzy before we know what the facts are."
Everyone sounded their agreement and resumed their march into the castle.
XX
Harry blinked several times, trying to understand what just happened. Not thirty seconds ago he was trying to sit down and enjoy some semblance of a normal breakfast and now he was sitting at the head table of Hogwarts. Specifically, he was sitting on the golden throne, which also happened to be reserved for the Headmaster. As of late, the position was held by Umbridge who wasn't around otherwise he'd be sitting in her lap.
His stomach heaved at the thought and Harry barely repressed the need to gag. Instead he managed to direct the spasm caused by the hideous mental image into movement and risked glances down either side of the table. Professors were staring at him with shock and a bit of awe, for what though, he wasn't quite sure. The exception to this was Snape, who looked ready to rip into Harry and do so with the utmost glee.
He looked back to the students and found similar stares of wonderment although Harry knew it was probably because he seemed to have the stones to sit where he did. Of course, he didn't make that decision as someone else had done it for him. The snarkier part of his mind said it wasn't exactly an incorrect decision. He was the new Headmaster after all.
'Welcome Headmaster!' laughed a whisper in his ears.
Eyes widened, 'Mai? You did this!?'
Peeves came thundering into the Hall, which for the prankster ghost was usually loud enough to just be over the noise of the students. Being it was dead silent, the poltergeist sounded like a train roaring across the empty countryside.
"Why good morrow Headmaster Potter!" cried Peeves in the most flamboyant tone possible. "So happy to see you this morning! May your term be long and your hair turn grey from troubles too numerous to count!" His raucous laughter sang out but was nearly drowned by the gasps from everyone in the hall. To complete his announcement, the poltergeist zoomed around several times before stopping in front of Harry, giving him an exaggerated bow and then left the hall just as quickly as he came.
'Tell the world why don't you?' thought Harry bitterly. He had wanted it to be Hermione and Ron who knew first but with the cat out of the bag, he'd just have to deal with everyone right away.
Which started with the last person on Earth he'd ever expect and the reaction was equally surprising.
Snape was roaring with laughter.
"You! Headmaster?" and that was all they could discern before he fell into hysterics. Nearly all the Snakes started to sneer at Harry and the Puffs looked a bit put-out, like he was somehow making fun of Dumbledore. The Claws all looked stunned, save for Luna, which was comical in itself and the Lions were for once, completely silent. Harry also happened to notice the food dropping back out of Ron's mouth and Hermione's similar look, sans food.
'Ruddy brilliant,' and his face heated up in embarrassment.
All this time, the professors watched on in interest before settling their gaze on Minerva McGonagall. The Deputy Headmistress sat next to Harry and watched as the various emotions played across his face. At first she had been absolutely livid one of her most trusted Lions would be so callous and disrespectful to the leadership of this school, namely Albus Dumbledore. It didn't take long for her to remember Albus wasn't the current Headmaster but the deplorable Umbridge. She quirked an eyebrow at her musings, realizing she hadn't heard from the toad since earlier the other day which was enough to get the more creative aspects of her mind working.
For a fleeting moment, she agreed with Snape; not for the same reasons but she agreed nonetheless. A second or two later and a memory of what the chair was came into the foreground.
She glanced in Snape's direction, speculating if he had known, he probably wouldn't be laughing right now. While the golden throne appeared to be nothing but a simple heirloom, it was in fact much more. Albus had gone on and on from time to time about how the things inside Hogwarts were just as powerful and trustworthy as any witch or wizard he knew, and even went so far as to include himself.
Setting aside her mentor's beliefs, Minerva also knew of the physical evidence on the chair. Barely visible to the untrained eye were etchings of runes in various tongues and some markings were so old, Albus confessed even he didn't know what they were. Filius once spent two summer vacations trying to dissect all the wards, charms and spells placed on the thing and while he had discovered a number of previously unknown attributes, he was certain the surface had barely been scratched.
By itself, this mental catalog was impressive and full of noteworthy reasons as to why Harry wasn't the idiot Snape made him out to be and yet, the most damaging evidence lay in one very simple protection the chair had on it. A spell only she, Albus, and Filius knew of since the charms master was the one to discover it. Should anyone other than the appointed Headmaster sit on the 'Golden Throne of Hogwarts,' he or she would be given quite the shock, literally, before being thrown out of the chair like a rag doll.
Since Harry was not currently twitching like a deranged madman or being thrown to the center of the Great Hall, there was really only one possible explanation.
She glanced at Filius, confirming he too realized the implications and he nodded back to her, a silent confirmation he stood by her decision. It reminded Minerva of her place and she quickly met the eyes of all the other professors, save Snape, and again she received the same nod of agreement: her reaction would be the reaction of the head table and of all the professors.
Minerva mentally sighed.
Knowing Harry had somehow become the Headmaster made her want to berate him for disrupting breakfast, whilst completely ignoring his new seating arrangements. She was most certainly not a morning person and it was way too early for this sort of thing without having her morning tea. Sadly, Minerva also knew nothing could be said or done at this point to maintain the peace.
Admittedly, the Deputy could try to play it off as a prank and 'punish' him while quietly taking Harry off to the side for questioning on the matter. While it probably would have worked, Peeves already put the option to rest. Explaining that away would require quite a bit of cunning and one or two blatant lies on her part. In the end, 'As do all things that seem to concern you, Harry' she groaned to herself, the truth would be out and about before the start of first period.
She glanced at the students and made a snap decision.
Minerva would be hard-pressed to deny it, but all this was rather disturbing, especially for how easily she accepted it.
'Merlin help us,' she prayed quietly.
In the most laid back and unbothered manner she could muster, her soft voice cut clearly through the silent hall, "Good morning, Headmaster. If I may be so bold, the crumpets are excellent today. I do recommend you try them."
And she went back to her breakfast, followed by all the other professors at the table minus Snape, who was now mimicking the students. Minerva allowed a sliver of a smirk to appear at this triumph and it was likely the Weasley twins would have sung her praises had they been here. 'Pity,' she thought and typical given the two who pranked the most would miss out on the one least likely to prank at all.
Never let it be said Minerva McGonagall couldn't run with the worst of them as proof to her efforts sat uncomfortably in front of her.
To cap off an excellent morning, the completely stunned student body and Professor Snape were what Alec, Amelia and the other board members walked into when they entered the Great Hall. The small party slowed considerably once they realized how quiet the hall was but Amelia only let it dampen her pace momentarily.
A smile came to her face.
Assuming she was reading the situation correctly, the students had just been told about Harry's appointment and the staff seemed rather content to keep it this way. Amelia had heard from Susan just how terrible Umbridge was, but there was nothing she could have done to help them.
'Anything to get rid of Umbridge is probably most welcome in their eyes.'
McGonagall looked up, not at all surprised by the newcomers, "Madame Bones, Governors, as much as I wish to say it is a pleasure to see you I fear there is a reason for your presence so early this morning?"
'10 Galleons she knows something,' Amelia thought. "Indeed, Professor. We are here to discuss school related matters with the new Headmaster and were hoping to speak with him immediately."
She motioned towards Harry and was surprised. The look of confusion and embarrassment she had seen on his face as they walked over had disappeared in the time taken to address the Deputy.
"Certainly Madame Bones, although I have yet to formally adopt the position nor am I fully aware of all my rights, duties and privileges therein. I must say I was a tempted to simply sit down and enjoy breakfast. Although it must have slipped my mind I may cause a stir while doing so."
Amelia was curious at this. His voice held a confidence the eyes didn't show, or at least, he didn't seem to believe in. His body language was off too but others weren't paying that much attention as Flitwick choked on something and started coughing. 'Laugh away, Professor. I won't say anything.'
Alec, who saw part of what Amelia detected but was still unsure as to what was going on, stepped up to perform his duty anyway, "Headmaster, I am Alec Tompson and I apologize for our unannounced visit. Would it be possible to meet with you in your office?"
Harry glanced towards McGonagall who nodded her approval and gave him a slight smile before he returned to the visitors.
"Of course. Please wait in the annex near my office and I'll be with you shortly."
Alec bowed with the others, turned, and left the Great Hall which was still deathly silent. Harry ate a few strips of bacon and grabbed an egg sandwich before standing up to face the students. He had to hold back a few chuckles for he was certain the entire student body hadn't moved an inch for nearly ten minutes. That had to be a record for something. Before addressing them, he turned back to McGonagall and spoke briefly to her. She frowned at this words but eventually nodded in approval.
"Since today has already been quite eventful and classes have yet to start, Professor McGonagall agrees it won't harm your studies if I cancel classes for the day. Seeing it's Friday, we will all get an early start to our weekend but I implore you to spend at least half the day reviewing your notes in preparation for finals next week. To that end, enjoy your weekend."
He pushed his seat back and motioned for McGonagall, along with the other Heads of Houses, to follow him and they all left the Great Hall to go to the Headmaster's office.
XX
As they made their way in silence to their collective destination, the strength Harry had felt when answering the Head of the DMLE waned considerably and a monster of a headache began to assault him. Once they collected their visitors, the gargoyle statue let everyone pass the moment Harry approached and they maneuvered into his office quietly. Even though his head was now throbbing terribly, he still managed to smirk at the purple veins appearing on Snape's face. Somehow, the man had made it all this way without saying a word and Harry had to admit such a feat was impressive.
Once they all gathered inside he started moving on autopilot, going to sit behind the oak desk that had resized itself for someone his stature. As the others took their seats, Harry couldn't help but marvel at how natural this all was. Everything seemed to be in its place already even though he had no idea what everything was or supposed to be. With everyone settled into chairs, he grimaced at a sudden stab of pain.
'Bloody headaches. A side-effect from Hogwarts I wonder?' The moment he opened his mouth to answer Madame Bones in the Great Hall, something had settled over his mind. It wasn't the evil, sickly feeling he got whenever Voldemort was on the move and it wasn't the frighteningly invisible efforts of Mai either. This was like a comfortable blanket had been wrapped around him and just like that, he knew what to say. Comfy or not, he wished it would do something about the throbbing annoyance in his skull.
Harry sighed while shifting in his seat. No sooner had his head hit the headrest, Snape was up and shouting.
"This is preposterous! A mark of dishonor and shame on the name of Hogwarts to humor this, this child in thinking he has the qualifications, let alone the title of Headmaster! I invoke my rights as a Professor for a vote of no confidence and a thorough examination of his abilities." He was so worked up he didn't notice Alec remove an old, leather bound book from his pack. "I also demand these examinations occur before the end of the school year. The sooner this atrocity is settled the better for all of us."
Harry listened quietly as the potions master vented his frustration and was about to retort when Alec stepped forward and placed a book onto the desk in view of everyone. The professors, Snape included, gasped in disbelief.
"As you can see," said Alec motioning to the Nomen, "the decision was not ours to make. The Board, the Trustees, and the Ministry have little choice but to honor what has appeared in this book."
Harry's eyes narrowed in interest at the Nomen while Snape barely contained his anger, "I do not care what an old tome says! My requests shall be acknowledged!"
Morgan turned to him, "Severus, you know what this symbolizes. The Nomen has named the one who controls the wards and who is allowed to command this bastion as they see fit. Since your demands have been made in front of nearly half the Board, they shall be considered however…" His gaze hardened considerably, "This will not go over well, once the Prophet gets word of it. You challenging Headmaster Potter without even experiencing a day of his term will throw the public into an uproar. Regardless of the outcome, your future is now tied in part with the Headmaster's performance."
Harry allowed a smile to appear at Morgan's words. On instinct he picked up the Nomen and searched for his name. At the end of an impressive list of individuals, minus the scrawl for Umbridge, written in calligraphy were the words Harry James Potter ~ Headmaster - 1996 /\ S.T.S.
Harry met the gaze of one of the board members, "What are these markings, Mr…?"
"Winstint. Samuel Winstint, Headmaster, and these are my associates: Alec Tompson whom you've already met, Augusta Longbottom, James Hithero and Morgan Caterson. I would like to hand off the question to Alec as he is the book's keeper."
Harry managed to smile at them while ignoring another painful throb, "My apologies on the school's behalf for not allowing time for proper introductions. My Potions Professor can be quite excitable at times."
The professors scoffed while Augusta was more direct and snorted, "Indeed, Headmaster. The markings Alec?"
"Right," he replied, moving to examine the symbols. "The book records everything dealing with those who are employed at Hogwarts and their positions. This includes such things as any challenges, retirements, death, and so on. Those particular symbols represent conflict and when put together like that, they indicate a challenge was issued and accepted, even if the verbal acceptance was not yet given. The initials indicate the challenger, in this case, Severus Tobias Snape." As he finished, Alec noticed the script 'Re' appear next to Albus Dumbledore's name and he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Retired,' he thought, 'thank Merlin it wasn't death.'
Harry in the meantime was trying to hide a devious smirk. Snape had unwittingly backed himself into a corner with no means of escape. Assuming the public sided with the Headmaster, Snape would be viewed as a traitor whose only remote hope of not being ridiculed is if he failed in the examinations. If he succeeded, then Snape would likely be out of a job. All this, of course, hinged on the current state of the public, which could be good or bad depending on how one looked at it.
Harry put on his best game face and smiled, "I'm sure Professor Snape means well and I will happily comply with the evaluations. Shall we set the date now or wait until things have settled down?"
Amelia chuckled to herself, 'Oh this is fantastic. Put the greasy git in his place.'
"What about Thursday by the Quidditch Pitch?" suggested McGonagall. "I realize the time will need to be debated by various individuals but it should be enough for all parties involved to prepare. Its after final exams for the students too, thus I'd imagine the staff will be in a better position to handle the influx of activity."
They all nodded to each other before looking to Harry who nodded as well. "I agree with the terms," he said, "do you as well, Professor Snape?"
Realizing he would probably be better off not opening his mouth, Snape agreed silently.
"Is there any additional business you are here for, Madame Bones, Governors?" asked Harry while struggling not to wince from his headache.
"Actually, there is one more thing," said Augusta. "In your presence, we would like to examine the Nomen to see why you were chosen and why appointed Headmistress Umbridge or Albus Dumbledore did not reclaim their positions."
Harry nodded and looked to Alec, who now had the book. "Earlier I noticed that Professor Dumbledore was marked as retired, which is odd, as I don't recall any announcements going out. Did you know of this, Headmaster?"
"I was in brief correspondence with my predecessor and he believes his absence, although brief, was considered too long by Hogwarts and thus a new appointment had to be made. I know where he is currently residing but he requested the information be kept private until a moment of his choosing."
McGonagall looked thoughtful, "I do recall feeling Albus was away for an incredibly long time, or at least, longer than I remember him ever being. I didn't realize such a thing would have an effect?"
James scratched his chin, "Normally it doesn't but there must be some extraordinary circumstances at work to cause the appointed Headmistress to be dismissed. Is there anything in the book, Alec?"
He flipped a page back to the list of individuals who led the school in the past and found Umbridge's name. Briefly, a symbol appeared, ð and then the scrawl of her name flashed before burning itself off of the page. Harry's name moved itself up to be right underneath Dumbledore's.
"Well..." he said as the others started to murmur at the sudden smoke.
"What happened?" asked Samuel.
Alec studied the book for a few more seconds before turning to his audience.
"A symbol appeared before the book removed her name. I believe it's referred to as the 'Mark of Dishonor' and usually is reserved for those who left the school in a less than preferred manner. But with the book actually removing her name… I must admit, this is a first. I'm not aware of anyone ever being removed before."
The group was silent for a bit before Harry spoke up, "What would it mean, for one to be removed in this fashion?"
The Board looked at each other and shrugged.
"Best guess, Headmaster?" said Alec. "I'd imagine Hogwarts found her unfit for the position for whatever reason. That would have been enough for the mark to appear but with her name being removed; it means she was never truly recognized as Headmistress. She could do the bare minimum and that was it. You are the rightful successor to Albus."
'Curious,' thought Harry. 'If I was the rightful 'heir' then what forced Umbridge's removal? Maybe when she cursed me?'
A particularly nasty sting of pain hit him in the forehead and Harry was forced to shut his eyes. He blinked several times while rubbing his temples, "Begging your pardon, Madame Bones, Governors, but if this concludes the most prominent of discussions, might we go about our separate ways? I'd imagine you have plenty yet to do today and we've all been left with quite the list of things to mull over."
Alec and Amelia locked eyes for a moment, each conferring with the other silently. Amelia replied, "I couldn't agree more, Headmaster. There is in fact much to do. Might we use your floo to leave?"
Harry smiled instead of wincing at them, "Of course Madame Bones. Good day to you all and hopefully we shall meet again under better circumstances."
The others vocalized similar thoughts and the small congregation left. As soon as the fire returned to normal Harry put his focus back on the professors. "Formalities aside, a massive headache has come out of nowhere and I'm surprised to say it's rather distracting. Professor McGonagall, would you see to it the day functions normally or at least as one might expect given the circumstances?"
"Of course and on behalf of all the professors, I think it is well within the bounds of reason for you address us by our first names when in private. I admit, it will take some getting used to myself but you are our equal now."
Snape grumbled as the other occupants did their best to hide their smirks. Harry tried to smile but cringed instead, "That sounds like a wonderful idea Profes, uh, Minerva. I think I'm going to lie down now, so you're all dismissed. Oh, would someone please let Hermione and Ron know it's nothing personal and I will speak to them as soon as I'm feeling a bit better?"
"I'll take care of it," Minerva replied. "I want to make sure my Lions are keeping their heads over this abrupt change and it might do them well to learn what's going on. Permission to inform them of everything up to this point, with discretion of course?"
"Granted," replied Harry, "to all of you. Tell the students what you feel is best at this point in time. Not that it needs saying, but best decide what that all is before you go about your duties."
Harry was massaging his temples again as the others began to leave.
"No worries, Headmaster," replied Flitwick who had a mischievous grin on his face. "We've done similar things in the past, I'm sure we can handle this."
Sprout and McGonagall chuckled while Snape wisely remained silent. Harry had the decency to look embarrassed before waving them off and they quickly left. As soon as he heard the statue slide into place, he resumed autopilot and found himself walking to a chamber off to the left that happened to be his new personal quarters.
He staggered around, noticing a chair or two and there were a number of rooms in his new living space but he didn't pay anything much attention. Several stumbles and a curse or three later, Harry collapsed into bed and was out before his head even hit the pillow.
XX