A dubious reunion

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco was a Malfoy, and one of the lessons he'd learned was to never tell anyone anything. Not even Hermione although he told her more than he told most people, and although Hermione knew his basic goals and plans she didn't know all the plans he had in store. And McGonnagal was unaware that Hermione was even involved.

"You ready, Hermione?" It was amazing how good she looked in his robes and he glanced appreciatively at her as he took the handful of flue powder. "Hogwarts Reception Room." One squeeze of her ass before he stepped into the flames.

Comments

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione felt a little frustrated on not being told about Draco's plans. She understood that it was something ingrained in him, to not tell anyone anything. But she disliked him keeping his plans secret.

She had spent almost a full year surviving in the woods, because she and Harry were following a plan that was full of secrets and lies. Dumbledore kept secrets. Harry kept secrets. And after dealing with both of them, Hermione was tired of secrets.

So she wasn't happy today. And rolled her eyes at him squeezing her ass. But still she followed him through the Floo, into the Hogwarts Reception Room.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco blinked and looked round, seeing just the Headmistress waiting for them. "Professor McGonnagal, I'm very glad you agreed to speak to me." Of course having one vote on Hogwarts board and two others he could count on was pretty strong leverage. He of course held out his hand politely to her, although he wanted her off balance. And it didn't really matter who overheard this.

"And as I mentioned, I have a decent candidate for Charms Mistress in mind. I'm sure I don't need to introduce my girlfriend Hermione Granger and her Hogwarts credentials. We're both looking at getting teaching certificates in the Muggle world before term starts in September, although that's going to be pushing it a lot."

[mudblood_andproud]

Minerva was waiting for the both of them, with a table set for tea for three. She did accept Draco's hand, but then released it, to gesture to the two empty chairs, inviting her former students to take a seat.

"I have upmost faith in Miss Granger, and I do believe have sent several invitations to her to join me for tea. To talk about her future here." In Minerva speak, she didn't really believe that it took too much influence for Hermione to be here today. Nor that Draco had any control over what his girlfriend did.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco nodded, conceding the point. "But I definitely do want her here while we talk about the teaching and bullying prevalent at Hogwarts, and whether I want to take over the vacant Potions' Master role." He paused a beat. "And whether I consider it worth sponsoring an actually paid position at Hogwarts for a teacher of History of Magic. Because with Binns Hogwarts is getting exactly what it pays for in what should be one of the most interesting and important subjects any student learns."

[mudblood_andproud]

"I am sure we can all talk about it Draco," Hermione slides into a chair. She didn't like how he seemed to be trying to direct her future. Her decisions. Or him bullying Minerva with his money. But it was very Malfoy of him.

[dragons_can_learn]

"Of course." Draco smiled at her, knowing he was stampeding through people although he had discussed more with her than anyone else. He was, however, unaware how much he was irritating his girlfriend - or that she was thinking he was blackmailing rather than offering to bribe McGonnagal.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Please, sit down and share your ideas with us Draco." Hermione wanted to hear his ideas, but didn't want to feel like she was just another chess piece on his mental mindscape.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco sat, and Hermione would find she knew most of his pitch already which was the other part of why he hadn't briefed her directly. He'd said most of it in fragments.

"Hogwarts may be the best wizarding school in Britain, but that's simply a reflection of its lack of competition. From Trelawney to Binns to Snape to Hagrid we had teachers who didn't know the first thing about teaching, even before we got into Dark Arts teachers. We had bullying, and while I was no saint I was no Weasley Twin either. But worse than Dumbledore turning a blind eye was the bullying by the teachers. Whether it was Severus Snape's anti-Griffindor bias and taking the sins of the father out on the son, or whether it was you, Minerva, forcing a student to sleep in the corridors literally when you thought there was a murderer on the loose because thanks to your making the passwords change too fast to remember one of your students had to write the passwords down and the list got stolen, or Trelawney's annual life threatening prophecies that never came true, the bullying in Hogwarts started with the teachers."

He gave a second's pause before continuing "And that's before you get into the way Dippet and Dumbledore managed to eliminate what was left of Slytherin House's ideals, and without those ideals of course it produces dark wizard after dark wizard. And with Binns teaching History of Magic for the past few hundred years no one knew any better."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Things might have been challenging for the students in your generation, Mr. Malfoy, but take a moment to consider that what you had was much better than what I had in my generation. The teachers I was taught by barely registered half-borns like myself." Minerva strummed her fingers for a moment. "And change takes time."

"It is noble that you want to change things. However, it is a little alarming that you think you need to do it all on your own. That your ideas are the best and only solution."

"What is you wish? For the whole teaching staff to change? You think you know best who would fit perfectly in each course? Which teacher has the right connection to speak to the students, and get a long with each and every one? Than give me your list..." Minerva replied calmly. "I would like to see who you think is best to serve Hogwarts for the future."

[dragons_can_learn]

"And that question is part of the problem." Draco frowned. "I got Hagrid fired as Care of Magical Creatures teacher and I'd do it again even if not as pettily. But there's no reason Hagrid couldn't be a great teacher. He's got the knowledge and certainly has the passion. He just hasn't a clue about classroom safety or how to teach. Both of which can be taught."

"And that's the problem." Draco's tone was dry. "Binns needs to go and the Muggle Studies teacher needs to be a Muggle and to teach about the Muggle world as it is now rather than the one when Dumbledore was young. But those are symptoms. The systems are broken. Teachers aren't taught to teach, which can work but didn't for Snape, Hagrid, or most of the Dark Arts teachers."

He reached for his tea. "Good systems do well with average people. Bad systems prevent good people doing a good job. And right now Hogwarts is broken to the point that no one at Hogwarts has a clue why you'd put the most ambitious all into one house and then not get evil wizard after evil wizard. Or even what a Dark Lord actually is. For that matter Slytherin is so broken right now that almost all decent wizards and witches ask the Sorting Hat not to put them there. So you get the toxic swamp which I fed while I was here."

[mudblood_andproud]

"You do realize that none of these proposed changes can be made without a proper Headmaster in place?" Minerva arched an eyebrow. "Hogwarts had not allowed anyone to enter the Headmaster office yet. You are welcome to go try, if you honestly believe that you have the best intentions in mind for the castle."

[dragons_can_learn]

It wasn't easy to catch Draco completely by surprise, but Minerva had managed it. His jaw quite literally dropped and he blinked for a few seconds, stunned by the suggestion and the only thing that prevented him spilling tea over himself were the spells on his robes.

[mudblood_andproud]

Minerva took her time to sip at her tea, then she continued. "There are things that I would very much like to change myself, Mr. Malfoy. I do not think it is proper for first year students to be sorted, even before they have time to adjust to the school."

"Sorting in the first year results to students feeling forced to not make friendships with the other houses. And besides, they are far too young to know their own identity, before having some mystical hat telling them where they belong. A hat, that as you have said, is flawed."

"And there are classes I wish I could introduce to the curriculum, that I feel students could benefit from. And classes that I would love to see changed. Evolved..." Minerva sets down her tea once again. "But I am not the Headmistress. I am only in this role until Hogwarts itself chooses the next person to help bring our school into the future."

"It is possible to force changes... but the school itself has to be welcoming of them."

Hermione nodded. "It needs to feel included. Part of the solution."

[dragons_can_learn]

"And it should be." Draco had pulled himself together a bit as he put down his teacup, recovering fast at least on the surface; if either Hermione or Minerva was watching his hands and not his face they might notice he was tracing runes on the tabletop.

"Especially because of what's going on in the Muggle world right now. My next pitch was to be to Hogwarts itself. Because there's a lot going on in the Muggle world right now, especially around education, knowledge, and building structures to share it. And while some of it is plainly ridiculous, like an encyclopaedia literally anyone can edit including me, the ways they have to share knowledge and to teach are sometimes things we haven't thought of in a thousand years and sometimes things we simply can't do without Muggle help."

He smiled, his words spoken officially to Minerva but meant as much for the looming presence he could feel. "For almost a thousand years Hogwarts has been the best physical place for learning based on what the Heads and Hogwarts itself can come up with. But the Muggle world is getting to the point where Hogwarts itself can learn from it, from both the successes and the mistakes. And there's now an actual challenge to staying the best building for learning in the world."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Hogwarts itself is still recovering from a devastating battle. Where it lost many students and staff, despite trying to protect them. The school itself needs to be healed." Minerva noted softly.

"Perhaps that is why the school is waiting for the right person, or people to become the new headmaster." Hermione spoke quietly. "Perhaps, we should consider that a balance between the houses should help the school heal. A group of headmasters, instead of just one person."

"But none of us truly know what the school itself wants. Only the person who can open the Headmaster chambers will know for certain," Minerva points out.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco nodded. "We should see." He looked at Hermione. "And both of us try together as the first attempt?" He sounded nervous. "That would certainly be my first choice." He was still a little wild about the eyes; he hadn't even thought of jumping straight to Headmaster of Hogwarts.

[mudblood_andproud]

"There is nothing to be nervous about Draco." Hermione moved her hand, so it rested on top of his. "If it works, then we know that Hogwarts wants us to move forward and help it heal. And if it doesn't work, then we start looking for the person or people who Hogwarts wants in that position."

[dragons_can_learn]

"Of course there isn't." Draco's tone was sardonic as he turned his hand over to lace his fingers with ehrs. "I thought I'd prepared for most possibilities. But that wasn't even something I'd considered, and I'm not sure whether I want to test it right now or run screaming."

If he was even talking about running screaming, of course, he wasn't going to.

[mudblood_andproud]

"We could take some time to truly consider if this is what we want." Hermione leaned in closer to him. "But I think our heart is in the right place. We just want Hogwarts to be the best school possible for all future generations."

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco stole a quick kiss. "We could, but I think we both know what the answer will be. I'm also sure that I don't want to be head forever; vision has limits and the more changes you make the sooner you get into feedback loops where you can't see your own mistakes."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Definitely not forever. But I am sure we could figure out a training plan, to ensure that there is always someone who the school will accept, in case of emergencies."

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco smiled as he finished his tea. "Training would be useful for a lot of things - not least to avoid people being thrown in at the deep end. Should we go and see if Hogwarts will accept us?"

[mudblood_andproud]

"One advantage to this working... is we can share a room at Hogwarts." Hermione snuggled close to him, as she too finished her tea.

[dragons_can_learn]

"Always a bonus." Draco kissed her lightly, watching the acting headmistress. This was after all her castle if any human could claim it right now.

[mudblood_andproud]

Minerva nodded slightly. "Start with the stairs. If they lead you to the door, then at least you know you have the right start."

"I never could get the stairs to lead me to the door." And she was fine with that. Minerva would rather go back to just teaching. And being head of her house.