DISCLAIMER: That part of this world and those characters you've seen before belong to their Creator: JKR. The rest is mine - although I cannot quit my day job as I make no $$$ from this…
A/N: The plot thickens, although some of this is setting up the issues dealt with in depth in Book II.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25th, 1989 – QUIBBLER PUBLISHING COMPANY, DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON, U.K.
The Quibbler fell into its own unique niche in the publishing world of magical Britain. There were daily newspapers like the Daily Prophet that purported to report of the news and events of the day. The truth was that those papers in general and the Prophet in particular were less like the London Times and more like the Guardian, focused on sensationalism, but with even less concern for the truth. Added to that was the fact that the Daily Prophet, which enjoyed by far the largest circulation in wizarding Britain, was also in the pocket of the Ministry of Magic and one might argue it was as reliable as Pravda in the Soviet Union in presenting the unvarnished truth.
The Quibbler was more like a magazine, and in that regards it was unique. True, it printed its fair share of outlandish stuff, but the true and loyal readers knew when the Quibbler was being serious and when it was being fanciful or farcical. It combined "news" with travel guides and the closest thing in wizarding publishing to a nature section. As it really had no specific focus, it was a unique periodical. The others were dedicated to narrow topics such as Quidditch Weekly (obiously all things Quidditch), Teen Witch Weekly (obviously anything a teen aged witch might find of interest – read fashions, fads and wizard heartthrobs), and the various professional journals such as Transfiguration Today.
Every so often, the Quibbler would print real news and its owner and Editor in Chief was proud of those stories when he printed them. While Xenophilius Lovegood was more than willing to print what his loyal subscribers wanted to read, it was his magazine and he enjoyed when he had the scoop on the Dailies and took pride in the integrity of his more news or investigative pieces. It did not hurt that whenever he went head-to-head with the Daily Prophet on a story or scooped them, his circulation more than quadrupled for those issues. Not bad for what he considered as a hobby.
He had missed out on the Harry Potter story last year – at least the one that everyone now remembered. The Boy-Who-Was-Abused broke when he was on safari. But he had returned to cover the trials of Sirius Black and the Minister for Magic's housecleaning of the Ministry. While he had praised the Minister for her actions, his editorials questioned why it had taken so long and he had excoriated the government for its handling of the Lucius Malfoy case. He was furious – as were many of his readers – that the Inner Circle Death Eater had gotten off with a sentence that made him eligible for release in late 1991 all for fingering inactive Death Eaters within the Ministry. After all, they were marked, weren't they?
Last Monday, the Daily Prophet had written a scandalous series of articles about the wedding of Sirius Black. Personally, Xeno was pleased that Sirius and his bride were well out of the country when that paper published and would be for some time. Sirius might well have become a murderer had he read the less than subtle insults thrown at him and more infuriating, at his new wife.
The Prophet claimed that none other than Lord Black himself had disowned his Heir Apparent for marrying a Muggle Born witch and that the other Ancient and Noble Houses supported the move. Funny thing, Xeno thought as he watched his presses running at full speed, the only reporter who was actually at the wedding was Xeno Lovegood, who also happened to be the Head of one of the twelve Ancient and Noble Houses and he most certainly would not have endorsed such an action had it occurred. He also knew the truth. Lord Black was not only at the wedding, but had blessed the union in no uncertain terms while toasting the couple at the reception and made clear his intent to disown every suspected Pureblood Elitist in his Clan urging the other Ancient and Noble Houses to do the same, assuming they had any such bigots in their ranks.
If one believed the Prophet, the Twelve Ancient and Noble Houses were all longstanding Pureblood families and none of them showed up for the wedding. The truth was something altogether different. Not one of them could claim to be pureblood back more than eight generations, and the only one that could claim that were the Blacks. Only half could even claim to be Purebloods by the narrowest of definitions: the Blacks, Diggorys, Longbottoms, Lovegoods, Prewetts and Weasleys. The rest were Half Bloods.
More critically, ten of the twelve houses were at the wedding. Only the Diggorys and Mercers were not there and that was because their children were away at school and the Head of Clans usually spent the autumn overseas. They had sent gifts. It was the largest gathering of the Ancient and Noble Houses in over a century and the first wedding of an Heir Apparent in over a decade and the Quibbler was there.
The Quibbler had a full front page dedicated to the wedding and focusing on the unique gathering. It made a point that two of the Houses would likely cease to exist in a generation. Ignatius Prewett and his wife were old and had no children and the rest of the wizards in his Clan died in War. The Bones Clan was down to two witches, Amelia who was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and her niece Susan. Xeno smiled thinking that if the wedding had been much earlier, he would have had to include his own Clan, as he was the only wizard left. Obviously, with a son and daughter due in the spring, that was about to change.
The decimation of the Clans in the last War led to another lengthy article that was highly critical of magical society in general and about its handling of the war orphans in particular. This piece, published with the permission on their families and the orphans themselves, told the story of Luna's five best friends, all of whom were orphaned in the war. Four were from Ancient and Noble Houses, in three cases more than one. The fifth was from a venerable line dating back to the founders if not beyond. All were orphaned during the war. Only two had any magical family left. The other three children were sent to live in the Muggle world. The Quibbler did not identify any of the children by name. Aside from that, it was an expose in the secrecy of the Ministry and the callous disregard society seemed to have for orphaned magical children. As orphans without any surviving magical family who could care for them, the Ministry kept their names and lineages secret.
According to an interview with a "Ministry Official," this policy was to prevent a child from being adopted solely for their possible inheritances. The sad result was they had no magical heritage and would not be adopted by magical families concerned about such things, which included a substantial number as Muggle Borns were not allowed to adopt children of superior lineage. There was no orphanage for magical children. The policy was that they were placed in Muggle homes. Worse, once placed they were considered Muggle Borns by the Ministry and therefore by society at large. The article wondered how many lines died out this way.
This expose found and even larger scandal, one which would definitely set the wizarding world on its ear, and one which Xeno reported in detail, but buried towards the end of the issue. It was not just magical orphans who were adopted out into the Muggle World. According to additional sources, for close to two centuries there had been and still was a major problem of teen pregnancy in the schools – particularly at the flagship school Hogwarts. In a typical year, Hogwarts produced at least as many babies as it did N.E.W.T. recipients, usually more. The vast majority wound up adopted into Muggle homes. If a school girl became pregnant, she faced expulsion or she could have the child and lose it to adoption. They were sent to a special ward that would allow them to carry to term in a matter of days. Once the child was born, the mother and father were obliviated and would have no memory of the child or the pregnancy.
The lowest rate of teen pregnancy was among those raised in the Muggle world. Oddly, the Purebloods were the worst. The culture was about heirs and while not forbidden, precautions were never discussed or taught, at least until an heir was born. Over 70% of the young Pureblood girls had at least one child before finishing school. Some had far more than one. All the children, like the orphans, wound up in Muggle homes and returned to the magical world as "Muggle Born." An "official" estimated that at least a third of the Muggle Borns actually were of magical descent.
The initial source for this story was Minerva McGonagall, although she was never mentioned in the article. As Deputy Headmistress, the pregnancy problems had been delegated to her to handle, although she was forbidden to "educate" her young charges to avoid the problem in the first place. She told Xeno that Hogwarts was the worst most likely because it was the only boarding school and teenagers could get together quite easily at night given the relative lack of supervision. But the records that supported her story were available at the Ministry Hall of Records and, as the workers there were generally a disgruntled lot and the records were not "secret," it was easy for Xeno to write the story as if all he had done was peruse the records.
Minerva had given him some deep background that Xeno knew he could not publish – yet, if ever. He knew he and Jasmine had not had any children at Hogwarts. They had been best friends and exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend practically from their first day at school, but had not become lovers until their wedding night. Obviously, they were more the exception than the rule. The two Ancient and Noble Houses that were supposedly on the verge of dying out might not be however. Both a Bones Heir Apparent and a Prewett Heir Apparent had fathered sons while at Hogwarts who might still be alive or at least have a living descendant. Of course, until this could be confirmed – if it could be – it was not worth publication. Neither was a list of now supposed society denizens and Pureblood princesses who had been baby factories while in school. Then again, Xeno doubted any of Bellatrix LeStranges five children or their five fathers would want to know the truth.
Xeno knew that story would raise a small firestorm once it hit the stands, which was a perfect way to hide another story in plain sight. This issue also told the story of the four children who saved his wife's life. In this case, he definitely withheld facts. Luna had used accidental magic to protect her fallen mother. Her friends just happened to be stopping by and went to their aide dragging Luna and her Mum from the barn. They used emergency portkeys that Jasmine had in the house to get to St. Mungo's. (Jasmine did indeed have such portkeys.) Clarice was only identified as Harry's younger sister, not by name. Healer Jameson was a foreign trained witch (true) who was cursed as a child so that she never physically grew up. Of course there was no mention whatsoever of the Watanabe School and only those children and families affiliated with the Weekend Warriors would be able to figure out the truth. Xeno finished this last article by telling that his wife was pregnant with twins and that she was doing well, although she was still in the hospital.
____________________________________________________
The one story he wanted to write but knew he could not was about the education his daughter was receiving. He knew it was an interesting story, but also knew that right now the Ministry and the Pureblood Elites would raise hell to learn British magical children were all but pouring out of the country to receive an education that their government refused to provide. The story began with a couple of Muggles (the Grangers) who were caring for three young magical children. One was their adopted daughter and the other two were magical orphans who the Muggles had placed with them. These two Muggles had learned a little of the state of magical education in Britain and decided to send the children somewhere that would provide the best education they could find. That somewhere was Japan of all places.
Those three children, then aged six through eight, left Britain for a summer in Japan and returned with their I.C.W. O.W.L.'s. Of course, Xeno would then have to explain how time magic is not such a big deal over there. When the children returned, they started showing their young friends what they had learned. There were about thirty children who came to learn from the three who had been to Japan during the next year, many of whom were already attending either Hogwarts or St. George's School of Magic in London. The next summer, ten more children left for Japan. Four came back with O.W.L.s, including Luna, and the older six with their N.E.W.T.s. The original three returned with N.E.W.T.s, a Mastery each and their non-magical Secondary Education Diplomas. All would return for more education, more Masteries and even non-magical university degrees.
But the story, as Xeno saw, it did not end there. There were other children, parents and even select educators who saw both the need for and the opportunities for an education far beyond what was available anywhere in magical Britain. When the children returned from Japan, "The Club" reconvened and more than doubled in size, raising some questions about how to pay for all those children. There was a Foundation that had stepped in (Xeno would decide later whether to include the fact that it was the Potter Foundation), but it was barely enough.
In stepped the government. Not the Magical one, but the Muggle one who seemed to care more about the education of magical children in Britain than the Ministry of Magic did. They also wanted the opportunity available to all magical children, not just those at Hogwarts and St. George's. There was a meeting with the head of the Foundation (one Harry Potter), some key members of the Club, adults who had seen the school in Japan and select educators from all six magical schools in Britain. The Muggle Government would pay to send magical children to Japan for their comprehensive education, at 25,000 Galleons per student per summer. Seventy-seven children preparing for Japan or helping the others prepare became over 250 – at first.
A few days after the Wedding which was the bulk of his next issue, Xeno was invited to attend another meeting of the Board, as it was now called. Interest had grown. To Xeno's surprise, the non-magical government representatives did not bat an eye when told of the proposed new numbers. In a few weeks, the Club would grow to over seven hundred members, larger than any magical school in Britain. Around 450 would be heading off to Japan next summer. The projected numbers would increase each of the next three years reaching a peak in the summer of 1993 of around 1300 students. The British non-magical government was even going to pay for the construction of new dormitory facilities at the school in Japan to handle the increased student population as well as help pay the salaries for additional professors and such. By the summer of 1994, the estimate was that at least one third of all the students in Britain would be receiving their educations in Japan, along with more than a few of their younger siblings age seven an up.
Xeno knew that education was the path to knowledge and knowledge was the one thing the "powers that be" did not want the people to have. The system that ran magical Britain could only work if the majority of the witches and wizards believed what they were told by their supposed leaders and lacked either the will or ability to learn the truth for themselves. As Editor of the Quibbler, Xeno had been seeking the truth and publishing it as often as he could without tweaking those in power so much that they would feel obliged to do something about either the problem Xeno was writing about or Xeno himself. If, however, there was a new class of young, idealistic and highly educated magicals running about, the "powers that be" might find their monopoly on information, knowledge, belief and ultimately power untenable. Xeno knew the seeds of revolution when he saw them. Unlike a fair few of his countrymen, he had studied non-magical history and knew that oppressive regimes could not long survive and educated and energized populace. Especially a populace that was better armed than their oppressors, which was just the populace that would matriculate from that school in Japan.
The only question in Xeno's mind was when would this lion emerge from its den? He knew now was not the time. But he suspected that it might not be necessary to wait until 1994. Perhaps as early as 1992 or even 1991, the tide of this new history would reach a critical momentum that the Ministry could not stop and hope to survive. What Xeno did know was that the Quibbler had a front row seat to chat could be the most significant series of events in Magical Britain in centuries. He knew the Ministry would do its usual job of slander and threats, but the Quibbler would be there armed with the truth. Magical Britain as he had known it was already dead, it just didn't know it yet.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27th, 1989, HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY, SCOTLAND, U.K.
There was a saying that curiosity killed the cat, Albus Dumbledore thought, or at least in this case one Orville Slander. If there was ever a more apt name for a loathsome man, the name of the very recently deceased Editor of the Daily Prophet was one. Under his lengthy tenure, if that corpulent man had ever allowed the unvarnished truth to be published, Albus was unaware of it. The pathological liar had usually gotten away with his delusional view of the world, or at least the view dictated to him by either the Ministry of Magic or the highest bidder. Albus was not beneath paying that odious man to publish something that he believed forwarded the Greater Good, but it did not follow that Albus had any respect for the recently departed and he could not help but chuckle at the circumstances of the fat man's demise.
Apparently, he had received one Howler too many in the less than two days since the Quibbler hit the street. It seems his readers were less than pleased that his paper and the Quibbler disagreed on all points about what should have been the wedding of the decade. The howler than precipitated the dead man's massive heart attack was his largest advertising account announcing both that it was no longer going to pay his outrageous fees, but was considering demanding a substantial refund. This was moments after the dead man had spoken to the reporter who had written about the wedding, only to learn that the woman was on holiday in France that day and had made the story up while doing tequila shots. She had never even met any of the people she allegedly quoted, but less talked to them. Ordinarily, Slander would not have cared, but the mistakes and falsehoods had been spelled out in detail in the Quibbler, a paper he came to learn that people actually read from time to time, and his paymasters were now openly questioning whether his paper had ever published an accurate story.
Needless to say, one Albus Dumbledore was also curious. In his case he was curious to know what all this hubbub was about. He had read the now infamous article in the Prophet and at the time suspected it was rubbish. He also was all but certain it would be the "truth" as far as most of Magical Britain was concerned. That the odd Quibbler would expose the Prophet for the fraud that it was and indirectly rid the magical publishing world of its greatest leach demanded another read. Albus headed out to Hogsmeade Village to see if he could buy a copy of the eccentric magazine.
A couple of hours later he was back at his desk with the now infamous issue of the Quibbler in his hands. The first article, which took the entire first five pages, mainly because of all the photographs, was the one in question. Clearly, the Prophet's version of events and Quibbler's were so unrelated in any details, aside from the name of the Groom, that one had to be wholly fake. (Albus remembered the only photo in the Prophet was an old one of Sirius Black taken just after he was processed at Azkaban.)
The article was followed by at least three pages of letters from guests at the wedding pointing out every falsehood published in the Prophet and inviting readers to write for further confirmation. How the Prophet could mistake the name of the Bride when the couple had sent their wedding announcement was beyond reasoning. Her name was Sophia Anne Tompkins, not Anna Saphire. The vitriol of those letters almost paled with the wrath in the Editor's letter that followed that was a blatant assault on the integrity and motives of the Prophet and any who worked there, suggesting even the custodial staff was not above suspicion.
The next article was a detailed expose of the fate of magical orphans. This disturbed the Headmaster, for it once again brought up the story of one Harry Potter. Dumbledore was still "recovering" from the damage the Boy-Who-Was-Abused scandal had done to his reputation. He had, after all, been the one that "placed" the lad with Muggle relatives who had all but killed the boy. He knew there was more to this than he could recall and had been trying to remember or find out what for over a year to no avail. Still, there was something else about that boy, something important that might explain why Albus had done what he had done. He did not buy his "they were his relatives" excuse any more than anyone else had. But, as annoying as a gaping hole in his memory was, he shrugged it off. At almost one hundred and fifty years of age one could not be expected to remember trivial details and it was not as if that Potter kid was the only orphan he had "placed" back during the war or at other times. It struck him as unreasonable to be expected to check up on the scores or more whom he had found homes for over the years given his other more important duties. That excuse had not earned him any sympathy either, but he did feel that was the truth.
Towards the end of the paper – at least the end of the non-fanciful portion of it (far be it for Lovegood not to publish about recent Snorkack sightings and such) – there was an article that almost caused the venerable Headmaster to suffer a similar fate as that of the late Editor of the Daily Prophet. He immediately called his Deputy Headmistress into his office.
"You sent for me, Albus?" Minerva McGonagall asked several minutes later.
"Have you read this?" Albus asked holding up The Quibbler and doing his best to keep his anger in check.
Minerva nodded. She was pretty sure she knew what Albus was on about, but was not going to give the man the satisfaction. Whatever respect she had once had for the Old Man had died over the last year or so. She stayed on for the students, and now for the future of education. She was here to identify students for "transfer" to Japan and to both advise and run interference for those students who were already in "The Club." She doubted Albus suspected anything, although he was more than a little curious when she had pushed for making Nymphadora Tonks a Prefect over the recommendation of Pamona Sprout. Ms. Tonks was a distant third in Hufflepuff House on paper at the time, although her marks since the summer seemed to justify the choice.
"I thought the description of the wedding was quite well done," she said. "Mr. Black did see fit to invite his old Head of House, you know. His bride is quite the young woman. It was a wonderful wedding…"
"I meant this article," Albus said abruptly. The Headmaster turned to a page much further back revealing a headline she had indeed read:
BABY FACTORIES: WHAT OUR YOUNG WITCHES
REALLY ARE DOING IN THE BRITISH MAGICAL SCHOOLS!
"Indeed I have," Minerva said nonplused.
"Is this true?"
"I cannot state categorically that the numbers are one hundred percent accurate without check my records, but they are representative of the problem."
"Why am I only learning of this now?"
"By law, female problems in school are to be handled by the school healer and senior witch on staff…"
"I am aware of that, but I thought that was – er – well, their – er – more regular biological issues. Not this!"
"The Unwed Parentage Act of 1798 defines 'female problems' to include pregnancy…"
"I seem to recall that the School Regulations require expulsion…"
"Only if the young witch desires to keep the child. Most choose to continue their education – or at least lose the child. And as you should know, terminating a pregnancy is illegal in our world."
"Still, surely even I would have noticed a young, pregnant witch…"
"If they choose to remain in school," Minerva replied, "they are taken to a special ward in the Hospital Wing. Most are diagnosed within two months of conception. Five days after conception, they give birth and are obliterated of all memories associated with the child and pregnancy before being returned to classes."
"A time ward?" Albus asked in shock. "We'd need Ministry approval!"
"Hogwarts received approval for the Time Ward in 1817, about a year after the magic was patented by the Ministry. All schools are required to have one."
"And just how did Lovegood come by this information?" Albus asked. "Just let it slip over a glass of punch?"
"He came by it in the Ministry Hall of Records when researching his Orphan story."
"Are you saying this is Public Record?"
Minerva nodded. "The name, blood status and age of the mother upon giving birth; name, blood status and age of the father, if she revealed it; date and time of the diagnosis and birth; and the sex, length and weight of the child are all filed with the Ministry for Magic and are public record. The name of the child and identification of its adoptive parents are sealed."
"Why are the parents' names public record?" Albus asked almost rhetorically.
"The Purity Act of 1467 requires recordation of any information regarding a potential bride that might call into question her – erm – virtue. The Act was amended in 1823 to require this information be available to potential grooms and their families. Although according to Mr. Lovegood, the Archivists have not had anyone check those records in over eighty years."
"Well, I'm sure it's not that big a problem. Lovegood must be off a deep end again, much ado about nothing," Albus began seeming to accept the law as it was, and all the associated consequences. "Surely not here. I assume the other schools, however…"
"Then you assume wrong, Albus."
"Excuse me?"
"On average two hundred and twenty 'Muggle Borns' are born in any given year. Between seventy and seventy-five of those are actually born to witches who are still in school and placed for adoption in the Muggle World. Hogwarts contributes the majority of those babies, on average between fifty and sixty. Basically for every fully qualified witch or wizard who finish this school each year, there is a baby that is born here as well."
"But that's … twice as many babies as witches who finish? What are you telling me? All the witches who attend here wind up having a child?"
"It's not quite that extreme," Minerva replied, "but it is not good either. Oddly, the problem is mainly with the Purebloods…"
"Explain! I would have thought the problem would be with the Muggle Borns given their societies mores."
"And what do you mean by that?" Minerva asked.
"Have you ever been to a Muggle beach, Minerva? They parade around…"
"I most certainly have, Albus. I can assure you their cultural choice of bathing costumes is not reflective of their societal mores, as you put it. To be honest, we have almost no problem with our 'Muggle raised' girls. They are taught about reproductive matters – and how to avoid them – both in their schools and frequently in their homes. Statistically, one in twenty-five or less will have a child while at this school, which may actually be higher than a similar Muggle girl their own age. Our problem, as you put it, comes from the girls raised in our world. Our society frowns on any such discussions with women before they come of age – which is usually well after it may be too late. We do not as a society frown upon teenagers giving into their baser impulses. The Muggles do.
"Now, the rate of pregnancy here does vary. Halfbloods are about half as likely to become pregnant as Pureblood witches and even then, the rate varies between the four houses."
"How so?"
"Ravenclaws tend to have the lowest rate as a house. About one eight pureblood witches will give birth while they are here. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs are about one in four – meaning one in four Purebloods get pregnant while they are here, and half that number of Halfboods."
"And Slytherin?"
"At least eight out of ten Pureblood witches will have at least one child while at school here. More than half of them will have more than one, statistically; some could give Molly Weasley a run for her money in that regard."
"Why the difference? Why the problem with the Purebloods?"
"Slytherin extols the virtues and beliefs of the Pureblood aristocracy. Pureblood witches raised under that belief system are expected to marry and produce Pureblood heirs. They are also expected to keep their husbands from – well from creating any problems in regards to succession."
Albus blinked.
"They are encouraged to learn how to please their husbands. They are encouraged to experiment and as the general belief in our society is that a Pureblood witch's magic prevents conception prior to her leaving school…"
"I never heard that before…"
"Pureblood boys are not taught anything about reproduction except for being told about the carnal act itself. Our laws prohibit us from teaching about reproduction or from teaching our girls that the belief that one's magic prevents pregnancy is false. If anything, it may actual increase the likelihood of pregnancy."
Minerva had been raised in a liberal magical home and had an Aunt who was a Healer. She knew the true magical bird and bees before she first set off for Hogwarts. A witch's monthly reproductive cycle was like clockwork, without exception tied to the lunar cycle. While witches could begin their cycle on any given day during a lunar month, if, for example, they first ovulated on the 14th day of the lunar cycle, they would always ovulate on the 14th day. And, at their peak fertile phase, they were more likely to conceive than a Muggle, at least until they were taught magic that prevented it, which was usually after they had given birth to an heir. So a society that encouraged at least some of its young women to "experiment," as traditional Pureblood society did, encouraged underage pregnancy. Rather than deal with the issue directly, the Ministry long ago chose to sweep it all under the rug through time compression maternity wards and obliviation of the children involved. She explained all of this to Albus, who looked like he would need an anti-nausea potion when she finished.
The distinction between the Houses came down largely to which societal mores were dominant. Slytherin, dominated by Pureblood Tradition, effectively created an environment where most witches would become sexually active at a young age. Without any precautions, this meant a large number of Slytherin girls wound up in the special ward. The other three houses had one or at the most two Pureblood witches in any given year in their House. Their roommates generally were Muggle raised or had at least one Muggle raised parent and thus were brought up under a different tradition, one which discouraged sexual activity at a young age or, at the very least, encouraged preventative measure. Thus, the peer pressure worked in the opposite direction to an extent. Ravenclaws were the least at risk in part because they seemed more interested in books than people.
"And Hogwarts is the worst of the schools in this regard?" Albus asked.
"We're the only boarding school," Minerva replied. All the others are day schools. The children live with their families, thus the opportunities for such activities is significantly less than it is here. There is far less adult supervision here at night than at home. For every adult on staff here who patrols after curfew, there are forty students or so. And none of them patrol the dormatories."
"But we have precautions set up in the dorms! The boys cannot enter the girls' rooms."
"Yet nothing prevents the girls from entering the boys' rooms. The beds have curtains. A silencing charm is a Third Year spell. Likewise, no one is monitoring what might be happening in the Common Rooms late at night. Through it the fact that there are far more classrooms, unused corridors, broom closets throughout this castle than can be monitored and it is impossible with our resources and the prohibitions on information to prevent their nocturnal activities."
Albus nodded. He had never before really considered the implications on Educational Decree Number Eight. He recalled that it came about some two hundred years ago. He also recalled that it expressly prohibited teaching about human reproduction or any magics designed to interfere with such reproduction. What little Minerva told him was shocking enough, but to know that there could be no fundamental change without getting the Wizengamot to repeal that decree and the various acts that had led to this situation was infuriating.
True, there were things he might consider. He could segregate the girls from the boys – totally separate dorms, maybe even separate classes and dining facilities, but the Board of Governors would remove him for anything that even looked like a major departure from venerated tradition such as elimination of the Four Houses as both Dorms for all members and the primary source of friends.
"This would have been easier if Lovegood had named names," Albus though out loud rhetorically.
"That would not have worked," Minerva said. "The families would either claim he was spreading malicious gossip, had falsified official records or, if they believed him, would demand satisfaction from the putative fathers' families. You know where that would lead."
Albus nodded. A major outbreak of Blood Feuds would make the last War seem tame in comparison. But, while he knew ending this problem would take time, he was determined that his school would no longer be a breeding den. Every other scheme or thought he had had before was now of second importance to repairing the damage to his school's reputation. Besides, he knew he would be spending the next several weeks responding to letters from concerned parents about their daughters' virtue.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31st, 1989, POTTER HOUSE, LONDON, U.K.
Young Harry Potter stood at the end of the long dining table in the Banquette Hall of his ancestral home and the home where he lived with his extended family. Hermione sat to his right and Clarice to his left. Seated along the sides of the table were several people he knew and several he did not. All ten of the young people who had joined them in Japan the past summer were present along with their parents or, in the case of Neville and Susan Bones, their relative and Guardian. Also present were the six professors from the six different magical schools in Britain. The Grangers and Remus were there as was Lord Black, who had just spent the weekend at Camp W watching what these kids had learned and what they were teaching the young people who had joined them. Office W was present as well as Roger Grant and David Greengrass and his wife were present (and Mike Evans and now Remus.) There were six other pairs of adults, all parents of children who were attending magical school in Britain and who's children were also now part of the "Weedend Warriors" which was also known as "The Club." The only couple Harry knew were Arthur and Molly Weasley. All had spent at least a day at Camp W watching what was going on.
"Good evening," Harry said in an amplified voice. "I am Harry Potter. I am nine years old and have been asked to talk because I'm one of three here who have two years under our belts – the others are my sister Clarice and Hermione seated beside me – and because my family's Foundation is one of the major sponsors of what you saw this weekend. And Mr. Lovegood? Really enjoyed your last issue, but I think this meeting is not for publication. So, what are we doing?"
"I understand perfectly," Mr. Lovegood replied, "and thank you."
Harry explained that they had learned magic overseas and when they returned last summer, they had begun showing their friends what they had learned. Anyone who was part of "The Club" was being shown wandless arts to include wandless spell casting and control, mind magics and potions. Any student with a wand was learning wand magic as well, including magics taught overseas and not in Britain.
"These magics are denied us by our own government," Harry said. "Much of what we show here and help others learn is not even allowed to be taught in school here. Why?"
"Because," Lord Black said, "our government prefers sheep to lions. Many of you have been told these magics are either dark or too hard to learn. Well, as to the latter, you saw for yourselves. Even a child can learn and master these magics. So why then? Control. By limiting the amount and quality of magics we can learn and by controlling information regarding magics they consider dangerous, they can better control us and keep themselves where they are."
Harry nodded. "For example, wandless magic. Most all witches and wizards educated here become slaves to their wands. Remove their wand and you remove their magic. If they want to subdue you, all they have to do is disarm you and your helpless. A different story if your wand is merely another tool, one that is useful but not essential. Our government does not like nor wish for change, or so I understand. Because they for all intents and purposes control our magic in many ways – by keeping us ignorant and through monitoring magics we can supposedly do – they can control dissent. But, were they to try and suppress a skiled wandless magic user, they are as helpless against that as the wand dependent is helpless without their wand…"
This could have been dangerous line of discussion. Susan Bones was present with her Aunt and Guardian, Amelia Bones who was Head of Magical Law Enforcement and thus head of the forces that exerted control over dissent. Arthur Weasley was also a long serving, although lower level Ministry official and had close ties to Albus Dumbledore, whom Harry had been told was even more into control than the Ministry and generally better at it. Neville's Gran was there as well and held a seat on the Wizengamot as Regent of House Longbottom. Any one of them could spill the beans. But they had all been vetted. To say they were dissatisfied with the government was a gross understatement. For years they had tried to change it from the inside and each in their own way was or had reached the breaking point. For Augusta, it was the change in her son this past summer than changed her attitude. For Arthur and Molly Weasley, it was a combination of the Boy-Who-Was-Abused scandal, which led to them falling out with Dumbledore and disgust with the government that kept him in power and the more recent revelations in the Quibbler. For Amelia, it was all of those and many more things.
Harry then went on, talking about the Watanabe School and the opportunities it provided for young people. Time Compression was discussed and explained in detail. The fact that parents were encouraged to volunteer as monitors or even professors, assuming they had the credentials, was also discussed.
"Our Club began over a year ago," Harry said. "We started it just to help our friends learn magic – especially those who like us were considered too young here. But we quickly realized that what we should be doing is helping our friends so they could one day go to Japan with us and learn it all and so much more. Last year, thirty of our friends were in our Club and ten joined us this summer in Japan. They were from both Hogwarts and St. George's. When we got back this summer, that number more than doubled. We then met with others to invite families from the other schools and we now have 264 members from all six schools, most all range from their Fourth Year down to the age of six.
"We are here tonight, in part to discuss another major expansion, from 264 to over 700 and how that will work both in terms of our Club and Clubs here, because each school here will have its own Club at that school, and with regard to sending each of those children to Japan in the next year or two. It will take all of us working together to see that at least some of the children of this country are not hobbled by a substandard education. The near term goal is up to one third of all magical children begin and continued their educations in Japan – that's around 1500 or so by the summer of '93. The long term and harder goal is to change things here so that any child can receive that education here in Britain one day. So, with that in mind…"
The discussions lasted well into the night.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1st, 1989, DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON, U.K.
The more Harry thought about it, the more certain things made no sense whatsoever. Recently, Sensei had revealed more about his life in the magical world, particularly when he was in school. That Harry had barely set foot in the Leaky Cauldron for the first time and was immediately recognized by all the patrons. That Harry had memories from around the age of eight of occasionally meeting a stranger dressed "oddly" who would shake his hand. Everyone knew that Harry on sight and as far as Sensei knew there were no pictures of that Harry prior to Hogwarts.
Harry never experienced any of that. He knew that at one time, before the Blood Wards went up between Clarice and himself, people knew about him. Even today, he was known as "The-Boy-Who-Was-Abused." But unless the person had actually been introduced to him, he was just another nine year old out shopping with his family. Even those who did know him did not fawn over him or treat him like some celebrity.
Something was odd. From Sensei, and later from Minerva, Sirius, Remus and most recently Lord Black, Harry knew no one should have been able to recognize him in the other timeline, assuming they had been identical for almost eight years. The only witness to what happened to any of his parents or Voldemort for that matter who was alive was himself and he was only fifteen months old. Sirius arrived on the scene first, some time after it all happened. It was this Dumbledore person who had concluded that Harry survived the Killing Curse and apparently that was front page news the next day. Even assuming that a photo existed of Harry at that age that made the paper, there was no way that anyone should have been able to recognize him ten years later – not without less help, that is.
Fortunately, that was not Harry Potter's fate in this timeline. He was as noticeable and anonymous as any other kid in the Alley. That was fine by him. His photo had been in the paper a few weeks ago for he was one of Sirius's groomsmen, but no one seemed to take any special note of him.
A twenty something year old young man soon interrupted them as they walked through the Alley with Rose and Lord Black. She was on her lunch break from the Granger Dental Practice office in Diagon Alley and Harry, Hermione and Clarice had come from home for lunch and some shopping and meet up with "Grandfather."
"Excuse me," the young man said in a friendly tone, "I am Alvin Jenkins. I am a freelance reporter for the Emerald Herald."
"The chief rival of the Daily Prophet," Lord Black explained.
"Indeed," the young man replied. "Anyway, I'm doing a follow-up piece on the articles in last week's Quibbler and I'm here asking for the opinions of the witches and wizards on the street, as it were. It won't take but a minute and I do not require your names." The man seemed honest enough.
"Which articles?" Lord Black asked.
"The ones about the deplorable treatment of our young people. You did read the ones about orphans and the schools?"
All five actually nodded.
There was a lengthy discussion during which it was revealed that Mrs. Granger was both a Muggle and an adoptive parent of magical children. She truthfully told the reporter that she and her husband could not have children of their own and that they had both known about the magical world for years. A friend of the family, who was a witch had arranged the placement of the children. This was not technically true, but no point in revealing too much. The children said they had known about magic for a few years now and had many friends in the magical world, although they still lived mostly in the Muggle. And what was there opinion?
"I can't speak for others," Hermione said. "I don't mind how things turned out at all." Harry and Clarice agreed. "However, I don't think it is fair to witches and wizards who would make wonderful parents but can't for some reason. They should be allowed to adopt magical children." The others also agreed.
As to the article about the schools, Rose had quite an opinion about that. "I can assure you, Sir, when the time comes to send them to magical school I might consider sending my girls elsewhere! That situation is unconscionable! The article suggests that the other schools in Britain are not too bad. Seems they are probably no worse than most Muggle schools in that regard. But that Hogwarts place? Why would anyone want to send their daughters there?"
"What's really wrong," Hermione said, "is that the laws allow that to happen. At least I think that's what the article said. What kind of laws are those anyway?"
"Too right," Harry continued. "A government that is unable to help and protect those in its society that are the most vulnerable and helpless needs to change its laws. And babies and underage young women are vulnerable and helpless. A government that is unwilling to do so should be removed. A society that tolerates such a situation deserves whatever hell befalls them."
"Well said," Lord Black commented after the reporter left them. "And as you will learn when you study with me, we unfortunately have the government and society that is least desireable.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5th, 1989 – QUIBBLER PUBLISHING COMPANY, DIAGON ALLEY, LONDON, U.K.
Xenophilius Lovegood put down the previous day's copy of the Emerald Herald. He had a point to read any paper that commented upon anything he had written. He had a smile on his face. Of all the "wizard in the street" reactions that the reporter had placed in the article, only one of the people he had interviewed had been quoted. It was that of a young Harry Potter of London.
"The fuse has been lit," Xeno smiled to himself.