Chapitre 20: Hogwarts... Is It?
[Months Ago]
On the night of a cold winter, an old man basked under the moonlight, reminiscing the days of his youth.
In his hand was a picture, an old picture barely left with any colour. The years had been rough and one could barely make anything out of the picture other than the three silhouettes of two boys and one girl.
The old man sighed, not tired but pained. The memories were old yet they were true and tragic.
As he reminisced the memories of his past, he heard a knock. The balcony was lit by the glow of the moon, so it didn't take him long to see that the one knocking was an elderly woman with a man standing next to her.
"You may enter." He said as he quietly hid the picture inside his robe.
"You will catch a cold if you stay here, Professor Dumbledore." The woman said, making the old man smile.
"The inside is too suffocating, Minerva." Dumbledore sighed. "And the moon looks beautiful from here, doesn't it?"
Minerva didn't have much of a point to be able to persuade him. But that didn't matter as much as the topic she had.
Taking a calming breath, the woman spoke. "As you requested, I had looked into the possible new additions to our school."
Now this drew the attention of the old man. "Oh, you have, haven't you?" He smiled, aware that his fellow professor never disappoints him.
Minerva nodded. "The ones for this year are bright, some of them are the future lords and ladies of the Sacred Twenty Eight and many noble households."
"Oh." Dumbledore's interest peaked at the mention of the Sacred Twenty Eight.
While it was true that wizards born from magicless parents and half-bloods were equally powerful in the present times, it was also undeniable that on average a pureblood was often superior in terms of magic in comparison to the rest.
This was often because of the guidance they had since their birth. The little headstart created a massive margin in the later years and also being in touch with magic since birth, the purebloods were groomed to be magic users as compared to the others.
"The Weasley's will be sending their twins in a few months." Minerva said. "I have the letters prepared."
"Any more children that are noteworthy?"
Minerva nodded at Dumbledore's question. "Cedric Diggory is a youngster and while not entirely a pureblood, his magic doesn't lose to any of the heirs and heiresses."
Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction. "We have some good students coming this year."
"But nothing compared to what we will have in two years." The man had a deep voice, a sombre tone with an inexpressive face. It was his first time speaking within the discussion and his statement was not something any of the other two could deny.
"We can never be sure, Snape." Dumbledore said. "Sometimes the ones that remain unnoticed turn out to be the real gems."
"But is it really the same this time?" The middle-aged man questioned, his long hair falling to his face at the slightest tilt of his head.
Dumbledore and Minerva both went silent, it was true that the students they will receive in two years might be the ones to decide the future of Europe's wizardry for a century at least.
"It is true." Minerva said. "The number of heirs and heiresses that will be joining the Academy in two years far surpasses the amount we have now."
Dumbledore didn't speak.
"And it will also be the year that 'He' will be attending our school."
Minerva froze at Snape's words. She had completely forgotten that it was about time the boy joined their school. It had been over nine years since the incident and as soon as they could have him under their wings, the better it was for them and the boy.
"Time sure flies." Dumbledore showed a tired smile. "It was only a few years ago that his parents were part of the school and look at the time now, the son is about to join us."
Dumbledore looked at Snape, instantly making the man freeze.
"Isn't that right, Snape?"
Snape didn't agree nor deny immediately, the comment made him remember things that he wanted to forget.
"But that is all for the future." Dumbledore smiled. "For now, we need to focus on the present."
Minerva agreed.
"Weasley, Burke, Rosier and Ollivander will be the purebloods for this year."
Dumbledore's statement immediately caught the attention of the old professor.
"Isn't the Ollivander heir a bit on the younger side?" She asked. "Is it not smart to have him join next year?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "From the stories, he is already a better learner than most aspiring wizards and currently he might be the best at understanding magical theories in his generation. Teaching and moulding such young talents as soon as possible is our responsibility and if we waste time, it will be bad for both us and him."
This was something that even Snape agreed on.
"For a flower to bloom, it has to be watered since birth." He said. "He is barely a few months younger than the new students and given the position he holds within the Sacred Twenty Eight, no one can complain if he is given admittance a year early."
It was true. The wizarding world was not fair, even if the noble families received privileges, there was very little that the mudbloods could do.
If someone went against the pureblood families, those families had both power and fame enough to bury the ones that go against them.
And thus rarely anyone complained against them.
"It might cause a little bit of commotion, but it will quieten down in a month at most."
Dumbledore nodded at Snape's words.
"Indeed." He smiled. "Minerva, prepare the letter for the Ollivander heir. We will have him with us in a few months."
…
…
Or that was how it was supposed to go.
"I didn't expect you to come here this early, headmaster."
Dumbledore sipped onto the tea presented to him. Both Garrick and him have known each other since young, having been schoolmates they were on better terms than most.
"Early is quite the word, isn't it." Dumbledore said.
Garrick didn't show any reaction, instead he continued to work on the papers in front of him.
"It's already the end of September." Dumbledore said. "The semester started on first."
"I believe I wrote a letter to you explaining that it was impossible for Ian to attend the school before his tenth birthday." Garrick didn't flinch.
"And I explained that it was impossible to allow such a thing. The semester strictly starts on the first of September and the sorting is done on the very same day."
Dumbledore was not happy with Garrick's denial of sending his nephew before his birthday.
"And I explained that as the only heir of the house of Ollivander, his birthday was more important than the sorting ceremony. His birthday marked a major event in his life as the heir and that was more important than anything else."
Dumbledore sighed. He knew that in a way, Garrick was right but rules were rules.
"I will have no choice but to postpone Ian's admittance to the next year."
This statement made Garrick frown.
"I cannot allow that."
"Oh, but the rules were made a long time ago. I cannot change them." Dumbledore said.
"This was not a question, Albus." Garrick spoke in a deep voice. "Ian will start his schooling this year, if not in Hogwarts than in some other school."
"What?"
This caused Dumbledore's eyes to widen.
"Durmstrang, Castelobruxo, Uagadou, Ilvermorny, Mahoutokoro." Garrick said. "Are just a few of many. Schools are not a problem, students are."
Dumbledore froze. Never had he expected Garrick to consider those institutions, for European students, Hogwarts was the only choice but he knew that given Garrick's personality… he wouldn't mind sending his nephew to one of those schools.
"You know that Hogwarts is the best option. No other school can provide as good of an education to your nephew as us."
Garrick chuckled. "We both know that it is not true, Albus."
He said and frowned. "Do you not remember that 'he' went to Drumstrang after getting expelled from Hogwarts and he was one of the most influential wizards of all times… maybe dark but he was undeniably a famous wizard."
Once again, Dumbledore froze. Garrick reminded him of someone that he wanted to forget.
"Uagadou teaches wandless magic and given our family is known for wandmaking, sending Ian there would help us learn about their tricks and would further allow us to help persuade their students to adopt wands. And even learn from them the disadvantages of wands and how we can fix them."
Garrick didn't stop and continued.
"Ilvermorny is run by our very friend… You know, right?" Garrick smiled. "If I ask, she wouldn't deny admittance to my nephew."
Dumbledore frowned.
"Same with the rest of the schools. They would welcome Ian with open arms, so let me ask you Albus… Why should I send him to Hogwarts?"
This was troublesome for Dumbledore. Losing a few students to those institutions didn't matter much to him but losing an heir of one of the most noble and most ancient houses of Europe and especially of the Ollivander family meant a lot.
"Do not make me change my trade routes, Albus. It would affect me but in the long run it will still work out for me if I move my main base to some other place."
This hit Albus like lightning.
"Is that a threat?" He frowned but Garrick chuckled.
"Of course, not." He said. "I am just saying that Ian is not losing anything here."
"So tell me, Albus." Garrick smiled. "Will you accept my nephew in your school or do I have to look at other options?"
Dumbledore was annoyed. He was at a tough spot, as allowing Ian to attend after the sorting ceremony would result in a lot of gossip. But letting go of him would result in much more.
"I have heard stories of your nephew and how smart he is at grasping magical topics." Albus said. "While not the strongest of his generation, he is one of the brightest."
"So?" Garrick smiled.
"I need time." Dumbledore said. "I need to discuss this with the rest of the professors and within a week, I will let you know of our decision."
"Very well." Garrick said. "A week is nothing compared to the future of my nephew."
Garrick smiled, he knew that in the end, he didn't lose anything.
No matter which school his nephew attended.
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[[A/N: Will fix it later.]]
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