CHAPTER : 37

Dumbledore burrowed his aching head into his hands. "Why?" he asked plaintively. "Why are they leaving?" he asked the room. It was filled with the teachers and staff of Hogwarts, almost everyone except for Umbridge, who thankfully was away at the Ministry. Someone snorted. Dumbledore didn't particularly care whom at this point. Truth be told he would prefer not to know.

"Do you really need to ask, Albus?" said Professor McGonagall. "What did you think would happen? You were the one who stood up in the Great Hall and announced that You-Know-Who is back. I'm just surprised that it took so long for them to decide to leave."

"B-But...B-But," sputtered Dumbledore. "That is no reason to leave Hogwarts. Surely the children know that they are safe here."

McGonagall snorted in disbelief. "Those children saw Cedric Diggory lying dead on the Quidditch Pitch last year. I'm afraid no one believes your assurances of Hogwarts' safety any more, Albus."

"Perhaps if I spoke to them? Do you think I could persuade them to stay?" asked Dumbledore, rather plaintively.

"I doubt it," answered Flitwick. "Your reputation with them has taken a bit of a beating over the last few years. I mean - it's just been one thing after the other hasn't it. We've had a Basilisk petrifying students. Dementors invading the Quidditch Pitch and the Hogwarts Express. Sirius Black waltzing in and out like he owned the place. Diggory's murder. The problem is, none of them have ever seen you do anything to keep them safe. The muggleborns particularly don't trust you, not after the way they were targeted during the whole Chamber of Secrets fiasco. They feel that keeping the school open during that time put them unnecessarily at risk. It didn't help that they only saw action taken after Miss Weasley disappeared. They feel that just shows the staff's blatant disregard for the well being of anyone who is not a pureblood." He raised a hand to ward off Dumbledore's furious denials. "Their words Albus, not mine."

"From the rumours I've heard it's not just the students at Hogwarts either. Muggleborn from all over Britain are leaving," said Professor Sprout, rather sadly.

"I still can't believe that. Why-Why are they...I mean, even at the height of the last war against Voldemort, people stayed. They stayed and they fought," said Dumbledore.

"Last time was different, Albus," said Fliwick. "The last time, the Ministry was doing something. They had aurors fighting against Voldemort. People had hope that he would be defeated. Now - Now they know he's back and they know that no one, not one person is doing anything about it. Why would they stick around? What would be the point of waiting?"

"I think that persuading the muggleborn to stay is a lost cause. That particular ship sailed a long time ago. What we need to do now, is figure out a way to keep Hogwarts open. With things the way they are, I'm not sure we'll have the funds to stay open next year," said McGonagall.

"Surely you must be mistaken Minerva, the Muggleborn only make up about twenty percent of the students. We can weather a twenty percent reduction in student fees. We may have to tighten our belts here and there but surely...Can't we?" asked Dumbledore.

"You haven't thought things through, Albus. Yes, so far it's mostly the muggleborn that have withdrawn from Hogwarts but the half-bloods - they make up another forty percent of the students. Most of them will leave soon as well. We will not be able to stay open next year, not with a sixty percent reduction in student fees," said McGonagall.

"Surely the half-bloods will stay," said Dumbledore, "they have never been as discriminated against and..."

"And none of that makes one iota of a difference, Albus," interrupted McGonagall. "You're forgetting one thing - What is a half-blood anyway? It is someone with either a muggleborn or a muggle for a parent. Pomona already told you that the muggleborn are leaving Britain, and anyone who has a muggle for a spouse knows that the Pureblood bigots classify them as blood traitors. That means that most, if not all, of the parents of our half-blood students will soon be leaving Britain as well. Do you really think that they will leave their children behind?"

"Well...then...we will just have to raise the fees then," said Albus Dumbledore.

McGonagall frowned, her face looking haggard and lined with worry. "We will have to more than double the tuition fees for the remaining students. Unfortunately, that means that some of the parents will be unable to pay...which means more students dropping out...which means raising the fees again...The only way we will be able to stay open is if the Ministry agrees to subsidise us. Unfortunately, with the way things are between you and Fudge..."

Dumbledore wanted to weep. He truly did. He still could not believe the sheer enormity of the disaster that was looming over their heads. Damn Fudge. If only would get his head out of the sand. Couldn't he see that this would lead to the absolute ruin of Magical Britain. Couldn't he see that he had to do something? Anything?

....

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