Chapter Ninety-One: A Proposal

Chapter Ninety-One: A Proposal

Wednesday, 31 March 1999

Severus saw Suzie Sefton bolting her dinner, and he sighed. She had not forgotten and she was not going to be late.

"Something wrong, Severus?" Vector asked.

"No. I did agree to meet a student and watch her brew a potion she is having difficulty with, however. It was foolish of me." He watched Suzie pick up her heavy book bag, swing it over her shoulder, and hurry from the Great Hall, slightly bent from the weight of her satchel.

"The student is brewing the potion voluntarily?" Vector asked. When Severus nodded, she said, "Then be grateful you have someone interested in her work."

"Mm. She has brewed it four times without success."

"Industrious and determined," Vector said.

"Yes." Severus stood. "And I complain when they're lazy dunderheads," he said with a sigh.

Vector chuckled.

When Severus reached the Potions classroom, Suzie was already there waiting for him.

"Miss Sefton, you are punctual."

She smiled up at him. "I didn't want you to waste a minute, Professor!"

Severus's eyebrow twitched. He opened the classroom and waved his wand to light the torches and candles. He should replace the torches with lamps, he thought. A few well-placed Charmed lamps would provide better light than ten torches.

Severus leaned back against his desk as Suzie set out her ingredients on the student desk in front of him. She carefully lined them up in the order she was going to prepare them, setting the asphodel root out last, then she took out her knife, her mortar and pestle, her cauldron, and her stirring rod. She looked up at him with a grin.

"I always get this far just fine," she said brightly, laughing slightly at her own joke.

Severus nodded. "Prepare all of the ingredients before you begin."

"But the book says that the asphodel..."

"In this instance, it will not matter. It is only a few minutes before you add it. If you wait to prepare it until just before you add it, you could extend the first part of the brewing slightly too long, which will do more harm than having the grated asphodel exposed to the air for a few extra minutes," Severus said. "If you were working with a partner and could time it well, then grating the root immediately before adding it would be slightly beneficial, or later, when you are more experienced and able to work more efficiently, you could prepare it separately. For now, working on your own, do it this way."

Suzie nodded. She was meticulous in her preparation, and concentrated, seeming unperturbed by Severus's scrutiny. It did take her a while, though, particularly grating the asphodel root, and Severus nodded to himself. That was likely the first point where her potion had begun to go wrong. It took her too long to prepare the asphodel and the potion brewed too long before she added it.

As she sliced the reconstituted desiccated Leaping Toadstool into small matchstick-sized pieces, Suzy said, "My Great-aunt Sadie always says that starting with good ingredients is important when brewing. Well, she doesn't say 'brewing,' of course, but she always says to know your ingredients, make sure they're good quality, and treat them properly, or your potion won't be any good. Of course, except when she's joking, she doesn't call them potions. Aunt Sadie makes all kinds of tonics and tinctures and things like that. She says it's her true vocation. She would love Potions! I wish I could tell her all about it..."

"Pay attention to what you're doing," Severus said. "Look at that piece of toadstool you just sliced."

"Oops!" Suzie looked at it, couldn't decide what to do with the irregularly shaped piece of grey fungus, so she set it aside. "Sorry . . ."

Severus stared at Suzie . . . Great-aunt Sadie . . . simples, tonics, tinctures . . . a vocation.

"Your Great-aunt Sadie . . . is she a short older woman with curly grey hair who drives a Landrover, wears a crushed hat and striped braces, and lives in Cornwall?"

Suzie looked up at him wide-eyed. "Wow!" She blinked. "Really! Just . . . wow! I didn't know you did Divination!"

Severus smirked and snorted a laugh. "Divination. Hardly. No, I believe I have met your great-aunt. What is her full name?"

"Sadie Pengaree. She lives outside of Port Isaac."

Severus shook his head. "It is an interesting coincidence, but I have actually ridden in your great-aunt's Landrover."

"I hope you held on tight!" Suzie said with a giggle.

"It was a temptation. But I did wear my safety belt."

"She won't go anywhere until everyone's buckled up," Suzie said. "How did you meet her?"

"I was in Cornwall last summer. I could not get a taxicab. Your great-aunt was there and offered me a ride. It is interesting that I should meet her...she has also met Hermione Granger's family."

"Oh, they're the same Grangers as Hermione?! I've read all about her!" Suzie squealed. "Mr Granger took care of my tooth when I fell and chipped it when I was visiting Aunt Sadie last summer." She gave Severus an exaggerated grin and pointed at the tooth in question. "It was all loose, too, and my gums were bleeding, so Aunt Sadie drove me over to their house 'cause they're dentists, and he fixed it for me right in their kitchen. Mr Granger said I should have knocked out all my front teeth, but I seemed to be as tough as his daughter is! And that's Hermione Granger!"

"Indeed, it would seem so. An unusual coincidence."

"Not for Aunt Sadie," Suzie said, shaking her head. "She always says there's no such thing as coincidences, and they happen to her all the time. She calls it . . . synchro– . . . synchro–something."

"Synchronicity," Severus said. He thought for a moment. "Is your great-aunt a woman of discretion?"

"You mean, can she keep secrets?" Suzie asked. She nodded. "Yeah, she's got lots of discretion. And she's really, really smart, and she knows everything, and almost nothing surprises her. Mum says that's because she's too full of surprises herself." She giggled.

Severus, hoping that Suzie would outgrow her giggling, said, "I shall speak with the Headmistress, but I believe that you may tell your great-aunt about Hogwarts. You spend a lot of time with her?"

"At least two weeks every summer at her house, and she always comes for Christmas and Easter holidays. She's Mum's favourite aunt. And she's my godmother."

"I believe she is close enough family that you may tell her you are a witch and are attending Hogwarts. You and your parents together, of course. But you may not mention Hermione Granger, not unless she independently learns that the Grangers' daughter is a witch."

"Independently?" Suzie asked, puzzled.

"She may learn it from another source, but Ms Granger is a Muggle-born with a Muggle family. You may not . . . 'out' her, for want of a better term. However, if, for example, your great-aunt accompanies you to Diagon Alley and sees Ms Granger there . . . she has learned it independently. Or if Ms Granger learns that you are Sadie Pengaree's great-niece and therefore tells her herself."

"Oh! Okay!" She thought for a moment. "What about you?"

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Can I tell her you're my Potions teacher? Or is that a secret?"

"It is not a secret." Severus twitched a slight smile. "You may tell your great-aunt of another instance of synchronicity in her life."

"Cool! Synchronicity is wild!" She looked at her ingredients. "I'm ready to begin!"

Severus watched as Suzie brewed the potion, stopping her only once. "Alternate clockwise and anticlockwise stirs here, two clockwise, two counterclockwise, and so on."

"The book just says 'stir.'"

"I am aware of that. I am also aware that you follow the directions word for word, and whenever it says to 'stir,' you stir clockwise. You are putting too much of your own magical energy into the potion."

Suzie's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you about this?"

"I just meant . . . I thought we were supposed to follow the directions to the letter, and I didn't know that I was putting too much magic into a potion, and, well, I didn't even know I could put too much magic into the potion."

"As you proceed further in the study of Potions, you will learn more about that aspect of the art, and if you have some talent, you will be able to control the flow of your magic into the potion and influence the potency of the potion by doing that."

"Huh. That makes sense," Suzie said.

"I am so pleased," Severus said sarcastically.

Suzie giggled. "So, how can I put too much magic into it?"

Severus considered the best way to explain it to her. "What happens when you overcharge a car battery?"

"It blows up?" Suzie asked, unsure.

"Hmmm . . ." Not a good analogy, then. Over-winding a watch? No . . . Her parents owned a restaurant. "Does your mother bake bread?"

"The best!"

"What would happen if she put too much yeast in her bread batter?" Severus asked.

"It's 'dough,' not 'batter,' Professor. It would rise and collapse. Whoosh! And it would taste pretty nasty even if it didn't collapse. And it would get all gooey and icky if it were kneaded too much, especially if it sat around for a long time, too. But then you can rescue it by taking a little and using it for a poolish."

"A what?" Severus asked. "Never mind." He didn't really care about what a poolish was. "It's similar. Your potion can only take so much of your magical energy before it . . . collapses, so to speak."

Suzie added the final ingredient, stirred it in, then let out a squeal of delight as the potion changed colour. "Look, Professor! Look! It's perfect!"

Severus looked down into the cauldron. "It is Forgetfulness Potion." He looked at Suzie's exhilarated expression, and he smiled slightly. "Congratulations, Miss Sefton."

"You're going to banish it, aren't you," Suzie said sadly. He had banished all of the ones brewed in class.

Severus Summoned a flask and a cork from a cabinet behind him. "No, not this one. I will keep this one in stock. Decant it carefully. If you get any on your hands, wash them immediately."

Suzie grinned. "I sure don't want to forget this!"

"Indeed."

When she had decanted the potion, Severus took it from her, sealed the flask and cork with a spell, then inscribed the flask, "Forgetfulness Potion, S. Sefton, 31 March 1999."

"I shall record this as an Outstanding potion, Miss Sefton."

"Thanks!" She beamed.

"It was your effort," Severus grunted. Sometimes Sefton's enthusiasm was hard to take. He was still amazed she hadn't ended up in Hufflepuff.

Suzie began to clean up.

"Clean your own things and pack them up. Leave the rest," Severus said, wanting to get out of the classroom as quickly as possible.

At ten before eight, Severus was walking up to the second-floor for the meeting with the Headmistress. Pomona Sprout was also on her way up.

"Hello, Professor Snape," she said, huffing up beside him. "Is this a meeting about tomorrow's agenda?"

"Yes. About one particular item," Severus said.

"Ah . . . number seven, 'New Proposal,'" Pomona said, "but no detail."

"New proposals often have no detail on the agenda. It leaves room for additional proposals," Severus said.

"Do you know what it is?"

"The Headmistress will be discussing it."

"Obviously."

"The meeting is in less than ten minutes." Severus looked down at Sprout. "And it would be both difficult and indiscreet to speak of it on the stairs."

"My, my! It must be some proposal!" Pomona said enthusiastically. "I can hardly wait to hear it!"

Severus shook his head.

When they got to the Headmistress's Office, Sharon Carter was already there. Minerva had two pots of tea on the table...by the aroma, one was peppermint...and a plate of ginger newts and shortbread biscuits, and both she and Sharon were sipping a cup of tea.

Severus turned to Professor Sprout. "Would you care for a cup of tea?"

"Thanks, Severus. Peppermint, please."

Severus poured each of them a cup of tea and picked up a shortbread. He took a surreptitious glance at the grandfather clock. Three minutes until Flitwick would be late. Severus was just thinking that Flitwick was never late when the fireplace flared green and the little wizard popped through the Floo into the Headmistress's Office. The small talk among the three witches stopped immediately, and Minerva handed around a set of parchments. Severus smirked. It would be interesting to see what the other Heads of House would think of the Headmistress's proposal.

He paged through the three parchments. The first was the simple proposal to delay Sorting Students until the beginning of their second year, house them in their own dormitory, seat them at their own table in the Great Hall, and hire a new staff member who would be in charge of their supervision and care as well as provide them with special classes in writing and literacy. The second parchment had diagrams showing the possible layouts in the Great Hall and an example first-year dormitory. The third parchment contained a detailed argument in favour of the proposal, with points countering possible objections.

Severus looked up and glanced around at the other Heads of House. His cheek twitched with amusement. Each of them wore expressions of varying degrees of astonishment and perplexity...Sharon Carter seemed the least amazed, and Pomona seemed the most taken aback. Filius had quickly scanned the first page, glanced at the second, and was now reading the third page intently.

"No Sorting next year?" Pomona said, sounding anguished. "It won't be the same!"

"Sorting would resume the following year," Minerva said patiently.

"But . . . having all the first-years together, with no Houses . . . they would miss out on so many essential Hogwarts experiences!" Pomona cried.

"Which they would have beginning in their second year," Minerva replied. "And they would have many new and enriching experiences in their place."

"Couldn't you Sort them and still have a separate first-year dormitory?" Sharon Carter asked.

"Of course, but that would defeat one of the primary purposes: to have the students get to know each other as fellow Hogwarts students first, without regard to House...and to have them get to know Hogwarts and themselves more before the Sorting Hat makes a lifetime decision for them. You all know as well as I do that House affiliations continue to play a strong role in many people's lives long after they leave school. They are eleven years old, still children. They should be allowed at least one more year to develop before they are Sorted."

"This flies in the face of everything the Founders intended, though!" Pomona said.

"Not necessarily," Filius said thoughtfully. "They had originally intended one large, unified school, and it was only after conflicts began over who would be admitted...or invited to attend...that the House system was created. We no longer have the same concerns over who should be educated or not. And in point of fact, even with the House system, Hogwarts will invite any witch or wizard born in the British isles and, as a practical matter, will accept any witch or wizard from anywhere in the world, as long as they speak English well enough to begin their education with the rest of the students. The House system is almost vestigial."

"Vestigial? Why do you say that?" Sharon asked.

"The system was moot almost as soon as it was created," Flitwick explained. "Slytherin left Hogwarts because Muggle-borns would still be admitted to the school and educated alongside purebloods, even if they were segregated by House, and although there are obviously some people who believe that Muggle-borns...or even any who aren't 'pureblood'...should not be educated, that is a minority view and one that has never prevailed, not even under threat of violence. I don't think that any of us believes that a student who is a member of a House other than the one we head should be denied a Hogwarts education. And, if I may be so bold, Sorting on the basis of the supposed characteristics valued by each of the Four Founders is not the only possible way of dividing the students into different dormitories, even if the divisions were to last throughout their school career.

"They could be Sorted on the basis of which particular magical talents they possess," Filius continued, "alphabetically, by birth date, by favourite colour, or even completely randomly on the basis of no shared characteristics at all, even those which are themselves random...such as their names or birth dates. I believe that Whiteshell Academy has a first-year dormitory and a second-year dormitory. After that, there are several separate lodges with a mix of years, and these lodges are chosen by the students at the end of their second year. They each submit a first and second choice, and then their ultimate home is assigned...by lottery, I believe...on the basis of those choices. Any students who remain in school beyond the seventh year for the optional eighth year stay in a special dormitory building just for them, regardless of what lodge they were in before that."

"I know," Pomona said, "but this isn't Whiteshell. We aren't in Canada or anywhere else in the world. We have our traditions, dating back centuries, and the Founders and the Houses have played a vital role in our history."

"Is that any reason to maintain a practice that is outmoded and serves no useful purpose?" Sharon asked. "Not to mention that the Houses won't be eliminated, and presumably, the Sorting Hat will still Sort the students at the beginning of the second year, and it won't be simply random...or by favourite colour!"

"How will classes be divided?" Pomona asked. "I do not relish the prospect of trying to teach a group of forty students or more, even if it did cut down on the number of classes I taught."

"We could determine that together...we could simply divide them randomly," Minerva said. "And I think that having them all mix is good, so I think that they should not take all of their classes with the same other twenty students."

"I agree," Filius said. "I admit that I also like the idea of them having these special revision sessions and the extra class in writing and literacy. I think that would be good for them all."

"I, too, find that appealing," Severus said.

"Some older students would bully the first-years," Pomona said.

"They do that now," Severus replied. "I am sure that mechanisms can be put in place to minimise it and to deal with it when it occurs."

"That is one reason for my optional proposal that we assign eight sixth-year students, two from each House, as . . . I do not know what we might call them. Dormitory buddies, for lack of a better term for now. They would live with and take most of their meals with the first-years...perhaps taking lunch and dinner in turns so that they could still have at least one meal a day at their own House tables...and be there to provide support and counsel to the students. They would also provide something of a buffer for the students, and they and the House prefects could help deal with any bullying by older students in their own Houses."

"I so look forward to the fresh new first-years every year," Pomona said sadly. "But I suppose . . . it does seem as though this plan might be in the students' interest."

"That was what I had in mind, the students' best interests, and the best interests of Hogwarts. The future of the school is important to me, and the future of each individual student, too," Minerva said.

"Many people will oppose this proposal simply on the grounds of tradition...and a tradition that has worked well enough for generations, regardless of the merits of providing the first-years with a different experience," Filius pointed out. "They will say that what was good enough for them and their grandparents should be good enough for future generations."

"Under that logic, we should bring back hanging the students upside down by their ankles for breaking curfew and flogging them for disrespecting their elders," Minerva said, frowning for the first time.

"I don't know as I approve of this, Minerva," Pomona said, "but I will think about it tonight. You know that if the Board of Governors approves the plan, I will support you completely, though, regardless of my personal feelings."

"I think it's a good idea," Sharon said. "The needs of the first-years are different, too, especially the first few months of school. Having someone dedicated to taking care of them and orienting them would be very helpful. I won't miss having first-years Sorted into Gryffindor House. Moving the Sorting to the second year makes sense to me."

"I think that it is a fine, logical plan," Filius said. "I have some reservations about how the details will be worked out, and I think that many students who have been looking forward to the Sorting for most of their young lives will be disappointed, but I am in favour of it. At least in theory."

Minerva looked at Severus.

"You have my support, Headmistress," Severus said. "Basing the continued Sorting of first-year students into Houses simply upon tradition is not rational if there is an alternative that would benefit both Hogwarts and the individual students. I believe that as the year proceeds, students will find themselves drawn to a particular House, perhaps not always the one they had first thought they should be in, and the Sorting Hat will sense that and take it into account." He thought that if he had been Sorted in his second year, he might have been put into Ravenclaw, and perhaps he would have made different kinds of friends. Correction: perhaps he would have made real friends. He would even have come to know Gareth sooner, he was sure.

"Thank you all for your candid views," Minerva said. "Pomona, if there is anything that could be added to the proposal to make it more comfortable for you, please let me know. I am sure this was a surprise for you."

Pomona nodded. "I will think about it." She looked down at the diagram of the hypothetical first-year dormitory with its cozy common room, its open areas, and its quiet revisions hall. "Maybe after sleeping on it, I will have some ideas, and perhaps I will get over my shock."

"As you know, I plan to present this to the rest of the staff tomorrow. I don't plan to take a vote on it, but I do hope for their general support, at least from a majority."

"This will require the approval of the Board of Governors, though, won't it?" Pomona asked. "I know you have some latitude, but this . . ."

"Yes, it will. The next meeting of the Board of Governors is two weeks from today. I hope to have the plan polished and ready to submit by then, so if any of you have suggestions on how to make the proposal its most appealing, let me know. Severus, you will be attending that meeting, I presume?"

"Yes, Headmistress," Severus said. "And I will offer my support, naturally, but I will make sure that they understand that I am genuinely in favour of the idea and not merely agreeing because I am your Deputy."

"Thank you," Minerva said. "Well, if there isn't anything else?" She looked around.

"Are plans all set for the students' departure tomorrow?" Pomona asked. "Is there anything more that I can help with?"

"They will all take Thestral-drawn carriages to the station, as usual," Severus said. "Hagrid, Rath, Dumbledore, and I will accompany them, as well as two Aurors. The Mannings will also be going and will take the Hogwarts Express with the students. There will be several Aurors on board the train, as well, and several waiting at King's Cross. We have no reason to believe that the train would be attacked, and I doubt that students, at least younger ones, would be targets of the vigilantes; nonetheless, it seemed better to act out of an excess of caution than later to regret half-measures."

"Good, that is reassuring," Pomona said. "Would you like me to ride down to the station with you all?"

"If you wish," Severus replied. "It would not hurt, certainly."

"I will, then."

Minerva looked around. "Well, then, let us adjourn. I will see you all in the morning."

Severus left with Pomona and Sharon, riding down the spiral staircase. Flitwick had used the Floo again, presumably to avoid having to walk up five long flights of stairs to his quarters.

"You're really in favour of this, Severus?" Pomona asked.

Severus nodded. "When the Headmistress first told me about it, I found it . . . unsettling. However, after having time to consider the idea, it seems beneficial to the students and the school."

"And the Houses? You don't think it will weaken the Houses?" Pomona asked.

"I think it has the potential to improve relationships among those of different Houses and for students to develop an understanding of the Houses that is less tainted by the prejudices of those in their own House. But I see that as a benefit. I don't believe that any House will be weakened. The Sorting will still be performed by the Sorting Hat, after all."

"How many first-years will there be next year?" Sharon asked.

"If all the children respond to their invitations and there are no foreign students admitted, there will be fifty-one. We generally don't have more than one foreign student a decade...at least not in the last fifty years...so I don't think that will be a factor. Of the children who receive letters, three are unlikely to attend, however, as they are from families with a tradition of educating their children at home or in some other manner, according to the Headmistress. That would give us forty-eight eleven-year-olds...if they all take their places."

"That is a large number," Pomona said.

"I looked at the book for the year two-thousand, as well, and the numbers are similar," Severus said. "However, typically there are at least a few Muggle-borns whose families decline to send them to a wizarding school. It is likely that there will be only forty-three or forty-four entering in the autumn."

"Still, that is more than we have had for many years...since before you were in school, in fact, Severus," Pomona said.

"There were only thirty-eight in my class," Sharon said. "I entered in nineteen eighty-two."

"There have typically been between thirty-nine and forty-one students Sorted each year for the past twenty-five years," Severus said, "with the least being Sorted in nineteen ninety-seven, when only thirty-six students chose to attend. As you are aware, several half-blood students declined their places last year."

"But most of them started this school year, instead," Pomona said.

"Indeed."

"Isn't the term 'half-blood' offensive?" Sharon asked.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps, depending on who was saying it, how they said it, who they said it to, and in what context. I am half-blood. I will not use some unwieldy circumlocution in order to appease hypersensitive critics."

"But using the term 'half-blood' implies that the pureblood ideology has merit," Sharon said.

Severus snorted. "Hardly. It only indicates that a wizard has one Muggle or Muggle-born parent. As for 'pureblood,' there's hardly such a thing, really, just varying degrees of removal from a Muggle ancestor."

Sharon shrugged.

"It really only matters if someone thinks there's something wrong with having a Muggle or Muggle-born parent," Pomona said, "and I think that having Muggles in the family can actually be an advantage, especially these days."

"You see, Carter, it is a matter of perspective. The terms 'half-blood' and 'Muggle-born' could actually be seen as denigrating to those who are not so advantaged to have a Muggle or Muggle-born parent," Severus said.

She laughed. "I suppose you're right. I guess it's just a matter of learning to appreciate the different things that different people can bring to the community, including people without Muggles and Muggle-borns in their backgrounds. I suppose that it could become pretty samey and boring if we all came from the same sorts of families." She stopped at the stairs. "Good night. I'll see you both tomorrow...Severus, do you want me to come with the Thestral carriages, too?"

Severus shook his head. "I believe we now have more than sufficient numbers. Thank you, however, for your offer. Perhaps you might be able to accompany the students on the return trip to the castle after the holiday."

"Sure thing! Just let me know the details," Sharon said.

"Good night, Sharon," Pomona said.

As Severus and Pomona walked down the stairs to the ground floor, Pomona was quiet. When they reached the hallway where their ways were to part, she said, "If you are in favour of Minerva's plan, then I shall give her my public support tomorrow. I still have my reservations, but they are, perhaps, more out of sentimentality than reason. I appreciate your giving me your thoughts on the matter."

"Of course," Severus said. "Good night, Professor Sprout."

"Good night."

Pomona headed toward her suite in Hufflepuff, and Severus continued down to the Slytherin dungeons. As he entered his quarters, he smiled to himself. When he woke up in the morning, it would be only a few hours until his special date with Poppy. Good reason to get to bed early that night, so the morning might come swifter.

Author's Note: The next chapter, "Promising Start to a Holiday," which features Severus and Poppy's private time incommunicado, will be up within the next couple weeks, but I'm having a bit of a holiday myself, and will be on vacation for about ten days. If you don't see a chapter up during that time, don't panic!

A new chapter of Draco's Heart is up, however, so you can amuse yourself with that for a bit. Chronologically, this story opens after the Easter holiday, but at this point, there are no spoilers for coming chapters of A Long Vernal Season, although there is some crossover that you will recognize.

Thanks for reading! And I do love reviews, so thank you to those who are reviewing!