Harry Potter And The Betrayal

"Hermione Granger." She got to her feet determined to challenge him. "And you can't take Hogwarts away from the control of the people of magical Britain, because of the charter one of your ancestors signed, along with the other Founder's heirs that ceded control to the people of Wizarding Britain in perpetuity."

"Ah yes, that charter." Dantes smile if anything grew even wider. "You are very knowledgeable. Why are you not in Ravenclaw house?"

"Because the Sorting Hat felt I was a better fit for Gryffindor." Hermione told him and then demanded. "Don't change the subject! You have no right to take control of the school according to the charter. It says so in Hogwarts a History ."

"Ah yes that biased and inaccurate book." Dantes nodded. "Actually, it is the Charter mentioned in that book that gives me the right to take control of the school back."

Hermione looked as if she wanted to slap him for daring to call one of her favourite books biased and inaccurate, but before she could say anything further, McGonagall asked, "How does the Charter give you control?"

"I'm sure you are very familiar with legal loopholes." At McGonagall's nod Dantes continued, "Well the Founder's Heirs were fairly intelligent and put a well disguised one in the Charter, hoping it would never be needed. Basically the Charter states that Hogwarts will remain under the control of the people of magical Britain, or its chosen representatives, only so long as the government has no part in teaching the children at Hogwarts without the Headmaster or Headmistress' approval and even then there needed to be a very good reason as to why. No laws forcing said employee upon the school. The charter didn't cover former government employees only active ones, such as Delores Umbridge. She remained Undersecretary to the Minister while she was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts and while she was pretending to be Headmistress."

"If you don't mind, I think we need to discuss this matter in private, Lord Dantes." McGonagall got to her feet. "Also if you don't mind, I would like Dumbledore to accompany us because I would like his input as well."

"It doesn't bother me." Dantes shrugged and waited for Headmistress McGonagall and the former Headmaster to lead the way.

...

Once they were all seated in what used to be Dumbledore's office, with Fawkes perched on Dumbledore's rather bony knees, McGonagall asked. "What is your real reason for taking control of the school?"

"Because I can," Dantes told her. "I have done some checking over the school records for the past one hundred years and did you know that the schools of magical Europe have fallen way behind their counterparts in other countries, like China, Japan, Australia, and America, just to name a few. Hogwarts has the lowest scores of all three of the major magical schools and that has got to change. My ancestor founded this school along with others to provide the best magical education available to young witches and wizards, but that standard has been lost. I intend to get it back."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Dumbledore wanted to know.

"The school will be shut down until I can redesign the curriculum and get teachers who are the very best in their professions to teach them. Some of the old courses will be brought back so that the children can understand all sides of magic; light, dark, and grey. This school will not reopen until I have teachers and courses I feel will not shame this school. Also there will be non-magical classes taught here as well, because the non-magical world, no matter how much witches and wizards may want to believe otherwise is slowly encroaching on us and we must be able to deal with them as equals and not as backwards idiots." The expression on Dantes' face was grim.

"You are just going to close the school with no warning, what about the teachers who have devoted their lives to teaching here?" McGonagall asked when she finally recovered from the shock of this young man telling her he considered her work substandard.

"All teachers will have the option to try for new teaching positions, once I have the curriculum decided. If they meet the standards I want they will be given first preference over any others since they have a history with this school." Dantes assured her, but then he said. "If they are not capable, I will not be hiring them back."

"You do realise you will be driving good teachers away." Dumbledore pointed out. "There is no need to do a wholesale change. It is far better to do it gradually."

"When was the last time any course was improved on or changed for a better one without the change being imposed on you from the outside?" Dantes inquired, knowing the answer already. "British magical society is stagnant. There have been no major changes in over one hundred years at least and even then they were only minor changes. If we are to survive as a people changes need to be made and made quickly."

"And when will this occur?" McGonagall wanted to know.

"Today," Dantes told her flatly. "Once the students get on the train the school will close until I think we are ready to reopen. You will need to let the students know, because I doubt I will have all the changes, I want to make, done before September."

"Surely you can see how disruptive this will be to the children's lives, especially those who are second through sixth year." Dumbledore protested. "Why not do a gradual shut down, but don't take in any new first years and then as each year finishes, it will not be replaced, until the second years complete their seventh year? That way their lives are not disrupted and it will give you seven years to complete your plans."

"No." Dantes disagreed. "I have thought this over and it would be far better in the long run for them to be with other children their own age, rather than realising that with each year they are getting fewer and fewer in number. Not to mention the stigma they will feel at knowing they were the last. You have your orders headmistress. Let the students know today before they leave. I have already made arrangements for the parents to be notified by owl post tomorrow."

"What about the house elves, the paintings, and the ghosts?" McGonagall wanted to know.

"The house elves will be staying on. Hagrid will also be asked to stay on and help with the modifications as well as the current maintenance along with Mr Filch. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to upgrade this castle to get it ready for future students and I hope they will help with that. As for the paintings and the ghosts, I have no doubt they are being told right now." Dantes gestured with his thumb toward one of the empty portraits of one of the former Headmasters.

"You do realise that some may choose not to come to this new school of yours?" Dumbledore pointed out.

"That's possible," Dantes shrugged. "But if purebloods and halfbloods won't attend the new Hogwarts, muggle-borns certainly will. And who knows we might even get students from other countries as well."

"Is there anyway we can convince you not to go through with this plan?" Dumbledore was willing to beg if that was what it would take.

"No." Dantes told him. "I am the master of Hogwarts and after today, it will only listen to me."

....

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