Plans (2)

A short summary of the previous survey from the prior five years showed Hogwarts in a slightly better light, though still out of the top five in almost every area.

Hermione then took the chance to read from the pamphlet she, as a Muggle-Born, had been given by Professor McGonagall along with her Hogwarts letter. A wave of Harry's hand had the pamphlet appearing before every adult in the hall.

"Hogwarts is the premier school for magic in Europe," she read, "its pupils only matched by our two largest competitors, Beauxbatons in France and Durmstrang in Romania."

"Of course, you will note that, far from being the premier school in Europe," Harry snarked, " according to the IWC, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are only two of the schools which have consistently outperformed Hogwarts for the last ten years."

Hermione continued reading aloud from the packet, "Every professor at Hogwarts is a Master in their field, and with a long history of teaching."

"In point of fact," Harry said, "the following teachers at Hogwarts do not have Masteries in their fields: Trelawney in Divination, Burbage in Muggle Studies, Sinistra in Astronomy, Kettleburn in Care of Magical Creatures, and four of the last five Defense Professors."

Neville held up his hands to forestall the inevitable, though silenced, outburst. "We are not saying that these Professors are not qualified in their fields. For example, Professor Kettleburn has had years of real-world experience with Magical Creatures, and none would doubt his knowledge of his subject. We are simply pointing out the discrepancies in the claims the Headmaster has been making."

"Further," Harry pointed out, quite enjoying being the 'bad cop,' "the last part is wrong too. If you take a "long history of teaching to mean, say, more than ten years, then you've disqualified Snape in Potions and Trelawney in Divination, both just starting their tenth year; Burbage in Muggle Studies who is in her second, and Vector in Arithmancy who is in her fourth year. Not to mention the Defense professors, who haven't managed to last longer than a year for the past two decades!"

"Again, we are not necessarily speaking against these teachers. Every teacher has to start at some point," Neville said soothingly. " We are simply pointing out that the past Headmaster has lied to every single student for at least as long as this brochure has been printed. This does not just go to Muggle-Borns, but every student in the British Isles who does not immediately agree to come to Hogwarts, and every student in the rest of Europe who is offered an invitation."

"For comparison," Harry said, and another wave of his hand provided copies of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons pamphlets, as well as ones for Gleann Scoil in Ireland and Glyndwrdref in Wales. "For starters, I doubt many of you knew there even were Magical schools in Ireland and Wales, certainly none of the three of us were told that when we were choosing which school to attend."

"You'll note," Hermione added, "That Gleann Scoil and Glyndwrdref both consistently outperform Hogwarts in the IWC rankings. Also, all four schools, instead of offering the vague platitudes found in Hogwarts' pamphlet, actually cite their rankings, and quotes from the IWC independent review counsel. A review counsel which has not been invited to Hogwarts in over twenty-five years!"

"Furthermore, did you know that, while each country sets their own OWL and NEWT tests, they must conform to the IWC standard to be accepted in other countries?" Harry said. "The History OWL and NEWT in Britain have been dumbed down so much to compensate for how little Binns teaches that both tests are a laughing stock in Europe. Further, our Muggle Studies and Divination tests are worthless as well!"

"It is generally accepted that five NEWTs is a solid achievement, and will place any graduate in good stead to get a job in Britain. However, if that student took History, Muggle Studies, and Divination for three of those five NEWTs, they will find it impossible to get a job anywhere else! This is not the Hogwarts that our founders created!" Harry finished triumphantly.

"You have been provided the information on the major changes we intend to make," Neville took over the speaking. "You have also been shown which other schools are an option for your student, and been provided pamphlets for our closest competition. As we have explained, those with older students will find very few changes, while those with the youngest students will find quite a lot changing. Those in the middle will experience various levels of change, once we consult with the teaching staff and testing board."

"Now, again, Hogwarts is our home, so we have the right to make these changes. We hope that you can see how these changes would benefit your children, first and foremost. However, we also recognize that you have every right to transfer your child to a different school. That is why we have provided the pamphlets. Please compare them, do your own investigating, talk it out as a family, and make the best decision for your child. Classes will not be starting until next Monday, to give us time to hire new teachers, so you have a few days yet. You are also welcome to meet with us over the next few days. We will be quite busy, interviewing applicants, testing curriculum, and rearranging the dorms, so the meetings may have to be short, but we promise to give equal time to anyone who wishes to meet with us. All of your families are important to us!"

With that, the elves released the spells on the benches. As the families began to converge on the trio, they turned to Shacklebolt and Bones, who had both been seated in the front with them. "Minister Bones, Mister Shacklebolt, we would like to meet with you first thing tomorrow," Hermione said. "There are several problems with the school and grounds that we would like the Aurors to investigate. We will also be sending for a Goblin warding team to help comb through the wards. We need to eliminate the curse on the Defense position, and also adjust the wards so that they again cover our entire property."