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Chapter 7: Bathing her
It was after the Twins left that Poppy came back into the teacher's ward. Severus Snape had been dozing after Poppy's last bit of wand work but was alert enough to be aware that the house elf Tinky was preparing and set up the items so that they could give Miss Granger a bed bath.
After a glance at the Headmaster Madam Pomfrey pulled the privacy curtain across between the two beds even though the potion master was pretending to doze off. It was interesting for the former spy to listen to both the infirmary workers while they were working. There was the sound of washcloths being rung out in the bowls of water. Severus Snape listened to both the carers talking to the slumbering witch the whole time they gave her a bed bath. Apparently after bathing Miss Granger the two carers also used some complicated technique to wash the young witch's wild curly hair. Poppy dried it off using a drying charm and Severus heard the elf Tinky promise that she would brush out the witch's hair when they had finished bathing her.
After the washing and drying apparently the carers then moisturized Hermione's skin. Poppy knew the Headmaster was faking his dozing and let him know so. "Severus when I let you out of here next week. I am going to need you to do some brewing for me. All those months on the run this child will need some specialized potions. I have already given her some of your nutritional potions but she will need more. Severus did you hear me?"
"Yes Poppy," the potions master acknowledged listening to the sound of Tinky taking the water bowls into the bathroom to empty them.
"Severus I have some ideas in relation to the reforms here at the castle and the curriculum. I would like us to get back in the habit of having a higher education option, an apprentice class system much like when I trained. We have lost so many professionals and we have lost so much knowledge. In addition to the apprentices I want a higher education level along with the research based community at the school. We have lost so many to overseas or to war.
The number of patients it caters for has overwhelmed St Mungo's for years and they are not getting enough students applying to train the next generation of Health professionals. Not enough research and development has been done in the last 100 years. I think if we offer some vocational taster courses we may be able to help students go into the professional sector they suit rather making do an all or nothing shot system through the OWLs and NEWTs. Not everyone is an academic and not everyone is a vocational student but we need to cater for all.
I want to have the building adapted so that there is equal access for all students we have had to turn away students in the past who have had physical handicaps yet they had the academic ability to shine here.
We also need to ensure that there is a lower level schooling option. After war there is generally an upswing in the birth rate but with so many gone we as a society can't afford to have witches out of the workplace. We need to break the segregation down and enable equal gender rites and practices.
I also want to introduce better health screening for all students and better provision for those who are orphaned. Staff wise Severus I want to have the quarters refitted so that they can take families. I also want to enable married couples to be openly in a relationship while they are members of staff. I want a rotation system for the Heads of House for the weekends so people can get away from this hot house of madness. It would improve emotional and mental health of your staff and therefore have a knock on effect for the students. What do you think?" Poppy Pomfrey asked after rushing all those points out at the Headmaster. Professor Snape felt like he had bombarded with hex after hex with the amount of information the Matron had covered.
"Poppy can I ask you to write up your proposals for me. I will need a summary sheet for each item and then the detailed report including the appropriate literature to support the rationale. You have obviously been thinking about this for years and now is your chance to throw your ideas into the pot," chuckled the dark haired man. So the Headmaster had bagged another supporting staff member for the new Hogwarts regime. Winning her over was a great achievement and Poppy would sway some of the others like Pomona, as the two of them were as thick as thieves thought the cunning Slytherin Professor.
"Are you sure you won't let me out of here today?" the man asked plaintively.
"That is not going to work Severus, I need you here to rest and your visitors to talk and stimulate Miss Granger. If you capture her interest I am sure she will start to wake to throw her own two bob into the pot", tittered the mediwitch.
The Headmaster snorted and then stated in an emphatic tone, "I am most certainly am sure that the Miss Know-It-All would want to let me know her opinion".
Poppy pulled back the privacy screen to give Severus a cheeky grin. Both Hogwarts's staff members were acknowledging that they were finally able to laugh after so much pain when an alarm charm went off.
"Sorry Severus I have to go see who needs me. I am sure that someone will be in shortly to see you or Hermione so you won't be lonely. There is plenty of reading material and Tinky is always good for a chat". With that Poppy left the Headmaster alone with Miss Granger in the private secured ward.