Charlus's holiday was cut short as he was called back to the school for the emergency job of appointing a new head. The professors were all called into a meeting with the governors, with the agenda being suggesting people to take up the job. When Charlus walked into the staffroom there was predictably some grumbling. Mostly it was about timing, like "could have bloody waited until the visitors left. This makes the school look bad." And "couldn't we have at least gotten a courtesy warning? I had to cancel plans to be here." Charlus naturally ignored them and took the chair that had become his in his time since Christmas.
As soon as the last of the governors arrived, the meeting started. Professor McGonagall was the name put forward by most of the professors, but before they could even get to the point where anyone got to voice opposition to that idea Minerva herself shot down the idea. "I'm not yet ready for that responsibility. If you would have asked me at the start of the year, I would have taken the job without a second thought. Yet this last year has me re-evaluating a lot of my decisions, chief among them how ready I was to follow Albus's word with everything that was going on. I would like to keep my current post, and I would very much like to remain in consideration for the job in the future. However, for now I must decline."
Charlus was quite surprised by Minerva's decision. Nothing she had said to him made him suspect that this would have been her decision. In truth he was relieved that he didn't have to speak out against her having the job, he liked Minerva even if he didn't feel she was right for the job. Other names were not as widely supported. Someone suggested Griselda Marchbanks, but she was older even than Dumbledore, and while her mind was as sharp as it ever was, the daily grind of administering a place like Hogwarts would be too taxing physically. Another suggested Slughorn, as a former professor and Head of House.
Minerva actually put Charlus's name forward, but he declined that right away. He was a good Potioneer and he was a fair hand at teaching, after having had a few apprentices to practise on over the years, but he was not an administrator. However, when he turned down the post he decided it was the best opportunity to give his own pitch. "... so that's why I must decline. But I think we are considering this wrong. We keep looking for someone with experience teaching, yet the position of the head of the school is not a teaching one, it's an administrator. We don't need someone who knows how to encourage students to do their homework or who knows the best way to keep a class's attention, we already have those. What we need is someone who can look after the school's financial needs, stretch every Galleon as far as it will go so that we can get as much as we can for the students. Someone who can see if the skills being taught are actually ones people need in their lives and in their workplaces. With all of that in mind, I suggest we offer the position to…"
-ϟϟϟ-
The trip back to Hogwarts on the Express was a little weird for the trio, as they had two Aurors in the compartment with them. One insisted on sitting next to the door while the other next to the window. They were going to stay with at least Harry and Hermione until they got to the castle. Technically Ron wasn't under their protection and was free to go do whatever he wanted, but given how close he was to Harry and Hermione it was strongly recommended that he stayed with them.
Whenever one of their friends came to say hi, the Aurors insisted on doing a full security check and had Harry and Hermione confirm who they were to let them in. While everyone understood that the Aurors were just doing their jobs, their friends of course hadn't wanted to stay. Harry honestly wondered why they hadn't just Floo'ed to the school, it would have been easier. In the end, Ron had drawn Harry into a game of chess while Hermione had pulled out a book on the arithmancy of spellcraft and got lost in reading. Once they got to the station, the trio rode up to the castle in a carriage like everyone else, but the guards came with them. Up at the castle, they were taken to one side and the guards switched. It looked like Belmont was back on rotation for a bit, though they didn't recognise the other Auror with him.
Finally, the trio made their way back into the Great Hall. It wasn't a feast, as there weren't any feasts for returning after Christmas or Easter. It was a late dinner though; it was a long train ride, and that meant hundreds of hungry teenagers all arriving at the castle. The trio all quickly took their seats and helped themselves to chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, and carrots while catching up with everyone who had stayed in the castle.
"So who's the new headmaster?" Ron asked Neville, nodding to the blond-haired man who looked to be in his mid-forties now sitting where Dumbledore used to sit, looking around at everyone.
"Don't know, this is the first time we have seen him as well. We know he got here yesterday but he hasn't been outside of the headmaster's office until now. Hannah thinks that he has just been too busy doing a load of parchment work, which makes sense to me."
"There is probably a lot of stuff a new headmaster needs to know quickly to run a school. Especially when starting in the middle of the school year while the school's hosting an international event," agreed Hermione.
"Speaking of international events, look at who just walked in," said Harry as he spotted Victor Krum and Alicia entering arm in arm and heading for the Gryffindor table.
"Wait, Krum has two arms!" Ron whisper-shouted at the people around him.
Neville nodded. "Yeah he got a prosthetic over the holiday. Alicia said it's not as good as a real one and he won't be able to play professional Quidditch with it, but for day-to-day life he should be fine with some practice." Everyone tried to catch a glimpse of the arm as Neville spoke, but it was under a sleeve and a glove so nobody could see anything.
"I wonder why it took so long for him to get one?" Harry mused out loud.
"It takes time to make them," said Ron. "They have to be made specifically for each individual so that it fits them perfectly, then it needs enchanting, and Krum needs to have rune tattoos done on his arm so that he can control the arm. It's not a quick process. Or cheap for that matter, he may have had to wait until he got the gold from Crouch to start."
Dinner continued and people chatted about what everyone had gotten up to over the holidays. There was some interest from people who thought Harry may have witnessed Dumbledore's trial, but once Harry confirmed that he hadn't been there nobody pressed him for any details. As the last of the food disappeared, there was the sound of a spoon against a glass, and everyone turned to the head table where the new headmaster was standing ready to address the hall.
"When I was writing this speech I wondered how I should address you? Children, witches and wizards, ladies and gentlemen? It was having questions about something as simple as this that showed me I also have a lot to learn, and where better to learn than Hogwarts? So, I will address you as equals as long as you show me and this school the respect it deserves. My fellow learners and seekers of knowledge, I am Castor Greengrass, and it is my hope that together we can all make this a school we are proud to say we came from."
"It's going to take me some time to get up to date on all of Hogwarts' policies and see what and where any changes need to be made. However, I can tell you now that going forward the goal is going to be respect and responsibility. You will show your professors the respect they deserve, but so too will your professors give you respect unless and until you demonstrate you are unworthy of it. You will also respect your fellow students. Purebloods, half-bloods, first-generation magicals, in here you are all the same: students of magic.
"Tomorrow will be my first full day as headmaster of this most prestigious school and I sincerely wish that from now everything will go smoothly, yet I have been around long enough to know that things really go as smoothly as we hope. This is why the first change I will be making is an open door policy. Between the end of classes and the start of dinner, there will be no password required to knock on the headmaster's door. If something happens that you truly believe is best brought to my attention, please feel free to come and talk with me. No one can fix a problem they are unaware of.
"To our guests. I know that you haven't seen Hogwarts at her best recently. The actions of a few men have left a bitter taste in our mouths. It is my hope that we can move past this disaster of a first impression and we can show you the true spirit of Hogwarts. Now, it's late, and after our excellent dinner I am starting to feel the effects of a long day. Effects I'm sure plenty of you are feeling after a long day travelling as well, so off to bed with you all."
Everyone started to make their ways to their common rooms. "So what do you think of the new headmaster?" Ron asked.
"Honestly, it didn't sound bad at all. Of course, the test will be in how he acts going forward. It's easy to say the right words, actually following through is a different story. I just hope he can live up to even half of what he said," Hermione replied.
"Oh he will Granger, you can be sure about that." They turned, and just a few feet behind them, waiting for her opportunity to leave the Great Hall just like the three of them, was Daphne Greengrass with a smile on her face.
"Uh…" Hermione stammered, worried she had accidentally caused offence, but Daphne waved her off. "Don't panic Granger. All you said was you didn't know the man, that's hardly offensive. I, however, do know him. One of the earliest lessons he taught me was that in business you should always be seen to stick to your word. Because if you don't, then your customers will go elsewhere. He will do his best to follow those words with actions."
Hermione nodded in understanding. Harry, however, asked, "How do you feel having your father as headmaster? You'll get to see him more often at least."
Daphne shrugged. "And every House point loss, detention, and piece of late homework is going to be reported to him directly. So it's good and bad."
"I don't think so. At least grandfather has never mentioned any of that stuff to me since he started teaching potions. Maybe they are telling him and he just isn't mentioning it, but I don't think so," Harry pointed out.
"Well, I'll just have to wait and see. Have a pleasant evening." She bid them farewell as they had now passed the doors of the Great Hall, and the Slytherin girl turned towards the dungeons while the tired Gryffindors faced the looming threat of multiple flights of stairs. Though Harry and Hermione had to admit they had less of a climb than the other Gryffindors, as the three teens and the two Aurors following Harry hit the stairs.
-ϟϟϟ-
The day after Harry and the others returned to Hogwarts, Harry was handed a letter by a Hogwarts house elf. He thanked the little elf, who seemed happy to get his thanks, and opened the letter.
Heir Potter,
I was hoping that at some point today you could come and speak with me. This is a personal matter and nothing you need to be concerned about.
Hopefully,
Castor Greengrass
Harry re-read the note again and thought about it. From his lessons with his grandfather over the summer, he knew it was significant that Headmaster Greengrass hadn't signed the letter with that title, and that he had addressed the letter by invoking his status as the next warlock of House Potter. Unless Greengrass was making a massive breach in etiquette, this truly was a meeting where he would be talking with the man, not the headmaster. If Dumbledore had ever said that, Harry wouldn't have believed it. Dumbledore seemed to define himself by his headmaster role, while Harry seriously doubted that Greengrass had even started to think of himself as the headmaster yet. He wasn't an expert, but he was sure it took some time to shift your self image like that.
Harry told Ron and Hermione where he was going and decided that it was best not to waste time. He had to walk up three flights of stairs before he was on the same level as the gargoyle that protected the entrance to the headmaster's office. As he approached the gargoyle, instead of asking for the password it said, "are you sure you should be bothering the headmaster with whatever it is that you want to discuss? Have you tried your Head of House first?" It was obviously a message to get students thinking If they should try another teacher before bothering the headmaster.
Harry held up his note. "The headmaster asked to see me."
"Very well, go on up then." With that he stepped aside and cleared the way to the stairs, and a few moments later Harry was knocking on the big double doors that barred the way to the actual office. A few seconds after that, he was granted entrance to the office.
The inside of the office hadn't changed much since Harry had seen it last. Fawkes's perch was gone, as were a number of books and ornaments that must have been the former headmaster's personal property, but everything else looked much the same.
"Ah Mr. Potter, please have a seat," Headmaster Greengrass offered, gesturing at one of the comfortable sofa seats under the window. "I will be with you in one moment." The headmaster went back to writing something on a piece of parchment. Harry's bodyguards waited by the door were they could see everything, but were far enough off that Harry could have a private conversation
True to his word a few minutes later Headmaster Greengrass sat in another of the chairs near where Harry was sitting. "Mr. Potter, would you like a cup of tea?" The headmaster offered.
"Please, headmaster." Harry nodded.
A tea tray with everything needed appeared on the table and the headmaster started pouring. As he did, he spoke. "Considering the subject I wish to talk about, addressing me as headmaster is probably not a good idea. Mr. Greengrass will be fine for now." He handed Harry a cup of black unsweetened tea and Harry added both sugar and milk from the tray.
"I must admit Mr. Greengrass, I am curious as to why you asked to speak to me," Harry said casually, not wanting to come across as rude.
"Well, the first and biggest part is to say thank you. My daughter Daphne already told me she had thanked you for your donation to the blood curse research foundation. However, considering the good that it's doing for my family, I wanted to thank you and shake your hand myself." He held out his hand and Harry shook it, feeling a little awkward. "I'm not sure if you would understand this, but the worst thing a parent can imagine is watching one of their children die knowing there is nothing that they can do to stop it. That is the current prospect for my daughter Astoria, yet thanks to you, for the first time in years there is hope, and I can tell you hope is power that dwarfs magic. People will do incredible things in the name of hope. So for returning hope to my family, you have my heartfelt gratitude."
Harry just felt embarrassed. He didn't feel like he deserved any of the praise that Mr. Greengrass was helping on him. All he had done was donate some gold to charity that he didn't think he deserved in the first place.
"Now, I'm hoping to ask you about your time at Hogwarts so far. I have asked around and I have heard a lot of rumours and things I believe to be exaggeration. Now I'm asking you this as Mr. Greengrass, father of two students, not as the new headmaster. That means this one time you can tell me everything and no one will be punished for any wrongdoing. For this one conversation, I am offering you and your friends complete immunity. Thus is the only way I can truly understand what this school needs."
Harry considered it for a few seconds. There was plenty that had happened in the school that the new headmaster should be aware of. "Very well sir. Let's start with my letter of acceptance and the introduction I got as a muggle-raised magical to the magical world." Harry sat there for a few hours telling the new headmaster almost everything. He had purposely left out things like the Marauders' Map and sneaking out to Hogsmeade last year. He wouldn't get in trouble for them, but any reasonably competent headmaster would ask to at least see the map and would close off every secret tunnel in and out of the school, and there was every possibility that Harry would want to use them himself. Besides, he didn't want to cut the Weasley twins off from their supplier for the great parties they threw.
-ϟϟϟ-
There were a few subtle changes in Hogwarts over the next few weeks. For example, Hagrid told Harry and his friends that the new headmaster had added a few responsibilities to his gamekeeper job. He was now to take a weekly trip into the forest and collect all the things like snagged unicorn tail hairs he could find. The headmaster was now going to be selling those items to raise gold for the school, gold he immediately used to improve things around the school.
The first recipient of the improvements was Mr. Filch, who got a full set of enchanted cleaning tools that did whenever he told them. Next, new books started to appear in the library. There was even some chatter about new school brooms for next year. The most notable change, however, was the food; apparently Headmaster Greengrass was more open to changing it than Dumbledore had been. That had been made evident the first Saturday after everyone was back, when instead of something from the usual Hogwarts fare there was pizza. None of the old dishes had been removed from the menu and would all still be served, there were just new dishes added: pizza, curry, and chilli to name three.
The changes were small, but each one added to slightly happier students and staff. The consensus among the students was that they would only have small changes this year. Any big changes would probably come about after the school holidays, when they had the time to change everything without risking massive disruptions and looking like fools in front of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.
The Quidditch tournament that Harry still wished he could be involved in was proceeding well, and Gryffindor was holding their own. There were only three more games to play: Gryffindor vs. Durmstrang, Hufflepuff vs. Beauxbatons, and Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw. However, the Quidditch pitch, as they had been informed it would be, was off limits.
With all of the attention that the fight to bring back Quidditch this year had generated in the press, even if it was confined to the sports publications (and unfortunately the influence of Malfoy and his father) the Ellis Moor Quidditch Stadium had agreed to host the last three games as charity events. The stadiums were going to sell tickets and concessions as normal, but after they took out their costs the winning team would get to decide what charity would get the rest of the gold.
When it was announced that all the Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang students could buy tickets for half the normal cost and were permitted to attend the matches with a signed permission form from their parents if they were under seventeen, the whole school went nuts. Everyone was sending owls home asking for permission and some gold for the tickets. Harry and Hermione had immediately asked Charlus so they could go and support Ron.
However, Charlus had immediately put his foot down and said no. The fact that there was a crazy Dark Lord out there trying to kidnap Harry had Charlus way too concerned with the possible danger of letting either Harry or Hermione out of the school's wards. Any protest the two might have made died when one of the Aurors who were shadowing Harry said that, due to how insecure the stadium was, it was the official recommendation of the D.M.L.E. that Harry and any other persons of significance did not attend any of the games held away from the school. The problem was, the D.M.L.E. included Ron in that.
Apparently the Aurors had been watching Harry since they were assigned to guard him, and they had identified four people who they believed Harry would surrender himself to save if they were kidnapped. Hermione, Ron, Charlus, and Sirius were all on the list, and if Harry was honest with himself the Aurors were right. There was no way Harry could stomach leaving any one of them in Voldemort's clutches if there was even a chance he could do something about it. Because of this, one of the D.M.L.E Aurors had pulled Mr. Weasley aside at work and had recommended that he and his wife refused Ron permission to leave the castle to play in the Quidditch game.
Harry lent Ron the use of Hedwig so that he could plead his case with his parents. Unfortunately, the trip between Hogwarts and Ottery St. Catchpole was one of the longest owl flights in Britain. Over that next week, Hedwig had flown the entire length of the country multiple times.
The argument between Ron and his parents was in essence that Ron was saying that his brothers Fred and George were already going and they had given permission for Ginny to go, and as he was looking to pursue a career in Quidditch this was an amazing opportunity to be seen by the Quidditch scouts. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's counter was that Fred and George were of age and hadn't asked permission, there was no threat of Ginny being kidnapped, and that the D.M.L.E. thought it was not just in Harry's but Ron's best interest that he stayed in the school until after the day of the third task.
It got to the point that Mr. Weasley actually came to the school to talk it through with Ron. It was touch and go, but in the end a compromise was reached. The four Weasleys would only be allowed to attend the match they were playing in and couldn't go watch any of the others. Technically the twins were already of age and could give themselves permission to go, but they had agreed for the sake of peace and the Gryffindor team. The Weasleys were also to stick together as a group any time they were off the pitch, with the obvious exception of Ginny who needed to use a different changing room. Alicia, Angelina and Katie had all promised to keep Ginny with them while she was away from her brothers.
The younger two Weasleys didn't like how overprotective everyone was being, and Harry felt a little guilty as the restrictions were to protect him. However, despite how he felt, Harry's instinct said that Mr Weasley was right. If Ron was taken it would be a trap for Harry, and Voldemort wouldn't just let Ron go if Harry surrendered himself. Ron would be lucky if Voldemort killed him. There were plenty of fates worse than death, and Voldemort and his followers were sick enough not only to try them but to enjoy doing it.
-ϟϟϟ-
One month before the final task, Harry and the other champions were called down to the Quidditch pitch by Director Bagman. They were given the details of the maze and also told how the task would work. The idea that the points they had accumulated so far would determine head starts and that the first to the Triwizard Cup at the centre of the maze would win was a simple one. Knowing that the last task was a maze gave Sirius some ideas on spells Harry needed to know, and it gave Hermione a good idea of what spells to look for. With that, Harry's training for the last task kicked into overdrive.
Ron had the idea of flying over the maze and taking a photo to construct a map of the maze so that Harry would know the shortest possible route to the cup. Unfortunately, as Ron flew over he could see that the maze was changing its layout as he watched. There were some sections that didn't seem to move, but whether that was by design or because those spots just weren't moving in that moment was impossible to tell.
It was a pity it hadn't worked, not just because it meant Harry would be going in blind but because Ron was feeling guilty that he wasn't able to help as much with Harry's preparations as he thought he should be. Ron just didn't have the time, as nearly all his free time was either being taken up by revising for the fast approaching end-of-year tests or by the Quidditch team, who were practising over the Black Lake any chance they got. Gryffindor was already guaranteed at least third place, and if they won their game by enough points there was even a fair chance they could actually win the first ever Triwizard Quidditch Cup.
Despite Ron's concerns, Harry was fine with it and only wished he had the opportunity to support Ron playing Quidditch. It was rather disheartening that now that things were going better for Ron, Harry couldn't support him the way the guy who had stood by him since he returned to the wizarding world deserved. Hopefully after the tournament everything would calm down again, and Harry could just spend the summer goofing off with Ron and Hermione.