[Prof. Umbridge] Chapter 32

Strangely enough, the school year ended rather peacefully.

True, the promised shaman from Ilvermorny (Ingebjorg was right; it was indeed an old acquaintance of hers) was only able to stay for a week, but it was an unforgettable week, and Marina Nikolaevna was certain that next year, many, many students would choose Divination!

Those who had been punished looked quite pale, but they served their time dutifully, and Longbottom, surprising even  himself, got so involved in Potions that he began to receive decent grades even in Snape's regular classes.

From time to time, the headmaster tried to pull Potter out of one or another detention (especially the Auror ones), and she had to remind him of the Ministry order stating that the High Inquisitor had the final say in assigning punishments, sanctions, as well as removing privileges given to Hogwarts students, and had the right to alter these punishments, sanctions, and restrictions on privileges set by the teachers. Every time he heard this, Dumbledore would grimace as though he’d swallowed an entire lemon.

Then he tried summoning Potter to his office at night, which Marina Nikolaevna discovered right away, thanks to Letty, who kept a nearly constant watch over Potter. She waited a bit to make sure this visit to the headmaster's office wasn’t a one-time thing—she confirmed it was recurring, and then firmly put a stop to this improper practice, helped by the fact that Potter conveniently fell asleep in Transfiguration class, giving McGonagall no choice but to notice these nightly visits. What Dumbledore and Potter were doing remained a mystery: the boy kept silent like a prisoner, and Letty only saw the headmaster showing him something in the Pensieve. Following both of them was, of course, impossible—they would have noticed her.

Either way, the problem of getting proper rest at night was solved decisively—with a good sleeping potion. There was no danger of Potter being overworked; the Aurors reassured her that their younger trainees go through much harsher routines, so he might as well start getting used to order and discipline.

The furious fifth-years surprised even themselves by almost all scoring “Exceeds Expectations” in Defense on their O.W.L.s, with many even achieving “Outstanding” (they didn't know yet—the exam results were to be sent out later, but the teachers, of course, already knew). Potions didn’t go quite as well, but Snape declared he had expected nothing more, and that the fewer students he had in the advanced classes, the better for them.

The seventh-years nearly wore themselves out with their N.E.W.T.s, but they managed to maintain the standard. Some, Marina Nikolaevna knew, had already applied to the Auror school (likely inspired by their training sessions), others were heading for internships at the Ministry (she had written recommendations for a few of them)... And the much-tried Chandler had almost stormed the Healers' Academy and was now anxiously awaiting her Potions score. ("She's earned her 'Outstanding,'" Snape had waved it off. "She shouldn't worry!")

"It seems you've broken the curse on the position, Dolores," remarked Grubbly-Plank during the farewell dinner.

"There was no curse here," Ingebjorg said confidently, "just typical school superstition. It's hard for an outsider to manage such a horde of unruly students, so inexperienced teachers would simply run away with their tails tucked."

"Yes, they become model students in your hands in no time," Marina Nikolaevna smiled. "In any case, I’m not planning on leaving Hogwarts. What about you?"

"I think I’ll stay on," the Seer replied grandly. "Several students show signs of the gift; it would be a shame to let it go to waste. Naturally, I’ll be away over the summer—I've got my own work—but I’ll be back, yes."

"That's fantastic!" Sprout exclaimed. "Did you notice? Our apple trees even had a bit of blossom! Nothing will ripen on them this year, most likely, but I'll look after them, and for next summer…"

_______________________

The students departed.

Marina Nikolaevna, having packed her things—she left most of them at the school—was also preparing to leave, when she remembered something.

“Here to wish me a pleasant summer?” Snape greeted her.

“No, to ask—did you manage to find out where the…”

He shook his head.

“The visions are too vague, and I was afraid to go deeper. If the Dark Lord noticed my presence, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“I see… but at least a hint?”

“No hints at all. Just a feeling—these are very valuable, very significant objects. He chose them with love and with the awareness of how rare and unique they are…” Snape said, closing his eyes, then added matter-of-factly, “So it could be anything.”

“Maybe he’s collecting coat buttons or Fabergé eggs,” muttered Marina Nikolaevna. “Well, in that case, until next school year. I won’t wish you a restful break; I see you can only dream of that. Oh, by the way, before I forget…”

“What now?”

“About rest: when you were a student yourself, how did you feel about living in the dormitory?”

“Not great,” he replied honestly after a pause. “But it’s the tradition. By sixth year, I had the room to myself.”

“Guess your charming personality drove everyone away?” Marina Nikolaevna raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Also, my bad habit of reading at night and occasionally testing out newly invented spells on them. But the upper years weren't so crowded, so there was plenty of space.”

“There’s still plenty of space now.”

“What are you getting at, Dolores?”

“I’m thinking of expanding the dormitories,” she explained. “I know it’s tradition, but… not everyone can live with roommates, and it adds unnecessary stress. I remember I didn’t like the shared room at all. You can’t be alone, and the bed curtains only give the illusion of privacy.”

“Yes, really. At home, I had my own room—a tiny one, no bigger than a cigar box, but mine,” Snape unexpectedly said. “There, I could close myself off if… if things got too much. But what are you planning?”

“I’d like to offer students a choice. Some might genuinely enjoy living with a group, like friends, for instance. Or, say, the twins would probably prefer to stay together or with Jordan, so they wouldn’t be disturbed while discussing their schemes,” she smirked. “Or the Creevey brothers, who’d like to live together as they do at home, but they’re in different years. As for the Patil sisters, I hear they’re quite satisfied with the arrangement as it is.”

“Yes, we don’t need mixed dormitories,” Snape shook his head.

“So, I’d like to arrange an option for students to move if they want. Maybe someone will initially choose a large group for the fun of it but later realize they need a quieter space—a small room, even if it’s as tiny as a cigar box, as you put it. Or maybe friends will split up and need separate rooms…”

“Do you realize the migration chaos that would ensue?”

“I see no harm in it. Moving things around takes five minutes, and the beds are all the same.”

“And if everyone wants their own private quarters?”

“I’ve already asked the house-elves: modifying the existing rooms is simple. A large room can easily be split into two medium or four small ones. The windows are trickier, but they’re enchanted in the dungeons, right? We could do the same in the towers. And there’s no need to cram them into a matchbox, really. Since there are enchanted trunks, suitcases, and tents with expanded spaces, we’re definitely justified in using them here!”

"Well, good luck," Snape sighed and fell silent for a moment, then added, "It seems to me that many of my Slytherins will like this idea. Most of them prefer to keep to themselves. But they can always visit a friend."

"Exactly! In short, I'll propose this idea to the minister, just need to come up with a more complicated psychological justification. Something about the moral climate in the group... By the way, some students become the targets of bullying by their peers, it's inevitable, and living in the common dorm is really hard for them! Severus?" she called. "What's with you?"

"No, nothing," he shook his head. "Just trying to figure out who's being bullied right now... Everything's calm with mine, except for the occasional clashes with Gryffindor. But that's, as you understand, ineradicable."

"For example, Luna Lovegood," explained Marina Nikolaevna. "I saw her before she left putting up a list of missing things on the bulletin board. Mostly small things that she could have forgotten or lost somewhere: feathers, pins, books... But a cloak and shoes can't just disappear into thin air! She did say, though, that everything always returns to its place, but..."

"But the house-elves always find those things," Snape finished. "I see."

"Well, I won’t mention how Lovegood is called 'crazy' to her face," she added. "I'm not sure whether she really doesn't care or is just pretending. If it's the second case, she might snap because everyone has a limit."

"She's truly a bit out of touch with reality, so I’d bet on the first option," Snape said grimly. "Though that doesn't excuse the rudeness of those around her."

"Exactly. And what about Myrtle? She was bullied for her silly glasses and acne, and if she hadn’t died then, she might have even taken her own life. Or maybe not," Marina Nikolaevna added thoughtfully. "She talks a lot about suicide, but those who talk about it are usually the ones who never actually do it... And how many are silent? Whether out of fear or pride and stubbornness? Can you imagine how many neurotics leave Hogwarts?"

"I know, I’m one of them," Snape unexpectedly admitted. "Well, what are you looking at me like that for? You’ve seen the Marauder's Map!"

"Ah, I see..." Marina Nikolaevna realized. "Rivaling houses, and you..."

"And I was seen as the typical victim by that group," he replied. "Well... that's what they thought. They were, of course, more in number, but I was more inventive."

"And our house, which, if memory serves, was always presented as one big family, didn’t step in?"

"If I had asked for help, they would have," Snape answered seriously. "At least, Malfoy—if you remember, he was the prefect—gave pretty clear hints that it would be nice to show the Marauders their place, even though there were offspring of noble families among them, but... I didn’t ask."

"Obviously, out of pride?"

"More like vanity."

"Snape, you mean they just took a dislike to you for no reason?" Marina Nikolaevna asked after a pause.

"Strangely enough, yes," he snorted. "It started on the train before the first year... Seems like it was just because I said I wanted to be in Slytherin. Of course, later we added plenty of reasons for our mutual 'affection!'"

"Are you saying professors didn’t notice this?"

"Of course not. They're lovely little pranksters," Snape smiled, "the golden youth, the pride of the school... Enough about this, Dolores. I don’t like to reminisce."

"Hogwarts needs a psychologist," she sighed, "for both the students and the teachers. But I have a feeling they don’t teach psychology at St. Mungo’s, and getting someone from the outside is out of the question."

"Yeah, all we need now is a Muggle specialist for total happiness..."

"Why immediately a Muggle?" Marina Nikolaevna suddenly realized. "Why not a Squib? Filch works here!"

"Well, go ahead and try," Snape said skeptically. "Such a common combination: Squib-psychologist! Especially one who knows about their origins and isn’t bitter about the whole world because they don’t have magic, like Filch..."

"I bet I can find one," Marina Nikolaevna squinted, thinking that someone like that might have been drawn to psychology to rid themselves of their own mental quirks.

"I’m not going to argue with you. You’ll probably bring a Muggle, tweak their memories a bit, and claim they’re a Squib. How would you check? Families try not to publicize the birth of such children, some put them up for adoption, and those who go into the Muggle world as adults usually change their surname."

"Could a Muggle enter Hogwarts?"

"Probably, if someone brings them in, but I’m not sure," Snape answered thoughtfully. "So! Looks like I just gave you an idea?"

"Well, I thought of it right away," Marina Nikolaevna shrugged. "In any case, something needs to be done in that direction. Maybe not this year, but still... Now, goodbye. I’ve talked too much..."

"That’s for sure," Snape said without a hint of a smile. "Goodbye."