A Little Knowledge

The next week all of the students at Hogwarts who intended to stay at school for the holidays were required to put their names on a list posted in the Entrance Hall, which would later be collected by Professor Flitwick as he was in charge of such things. Professor Dumbledore, unlike most years, was staying at the school for Christmas and the New Year, which meant that Martin was staying as well.

Martin could not help but feel depressed, especially after Corinna had told him about the mind-reading professor-turned-vampire. He had hoped to escape all that for a few weeks. He had been day-dreaming since the beginning of December about playing games with his mum or with the house elves and spending Christmas at home. He was positively crushed.

The one saving grace was that Alastor was staying at the school too, continuing his one-man vampire hunt. But even Martin’s Uncle Alastor could not replace his mum.

And Sophia and Corinna were going home for the holidays, meaning that only Sissy and Olivia would be remaining behind with their friend.

Sophia had plans to see a professional Quidditch match with her parents as her mother was becoming ‘overly nostalgic’ about her own days of playing Quidditch at school. She had played for the Ravenclaw team as Keeper from 1927 to 1929, but had not managed to pass either her skills nor her love of the game on to her daughter. Corinna was going with her parents to visit some of her father’s family for part of the holidays and spending the rest at home.

Sissy had volunteered to remain at school when she learned that Martin was forced to stay, and Olivia was remaining there too. Sissy also had grand plans for the library, which she knew she would have mostly to herself. Her parents, who had cajoled her into coming home the year before, were only naturally distraught, but she was quite adamant about staying.

“Someone has to look after Olivia and Martin,” she told herself.

Olivia’s parents were going to visit old school friends who currently lived in Switzerland. She was half grateful to be staying at Hogwarts, but home would certainly have been better, although she was pleased to be able to stay for the purpose of cheering up Martin since she couldn’t have a traditional family Christmas anymore than he could.

But they were to have a surprise on the last day of classes that only one of them, Corinna, of course, had anticipated.

That morning at breakfast Corinna’s fork fell from her hand with a clatter that was easily drowned out by the murmur of conversations that filled the Great Hall, but her friends noticed nonetheless. She turned quickly toward the high table where Armando Dippet had risen to his feet. He was gazing down at them, all of his students, with a paternal, yet soft and somewhat sad smile. She thought she could see the brightness of tears in his eyes. He blinked them away surreptitiously as Dumbledore, who was seated by his side, reached up and patted his elbow.

Professor Dippet turned to his deputy for a brief moment and smiled fondly at his younger colleague. She did not know what passed between them nor was that foremost in her thoughts.

“Your attention, please,” said Dippet in a loud, strong voice as he addressed the student body. He waited patiently as the talking stopped and his young pupils looked up at him expectantly.

“He’s leaving,” whispered Corinna.

“I would like all of you to know before The Daily Prophet arrives that I am retiring as of six o’clock this evening. The time has come for me to step down and pass the governance of this fine institution into younger and more capable hands,” he said, nodding toward Dumbledore, who did not seem pleased, only saddened and a little defeated. “I have been headmaster for forty-five years, which, I am afraid, has been far too long. But I am a selfish old man and couldn’t bear to leave you before now. I want to thank all of you for such a memorable tenure here at Hogwarts,” he said with a wistful smile before taking his seat again.

“You were right. I can’t believe it,” said Olivia, shaking her head ruefully.

“I’m sorry,” said Corinna as the chatter around them began again with renewed fervor.

Martin was as white as sheet. He couldn’t believe it. His father had just been made headmaster. Wasn’t life complicated enough already?

“I think I’m going to sick,” he said quietly before running from the hall.

Classes that day were subdued. Even the professors, many of whom had received no advanced warning, were affected by the headmaster’s announcement. Flitwick was morose. Krohn was unusually temperamental. Sprout was close to tears. Knowles was unusually terse.

But Ravenclaw house was hardest hit by the news. Dippet was one of their own, the best they had to offer, and he was going to leave them. Many of the older students were profoundly morose, walking from class to class in a stupor, the holidays forgotten in their melancholy. The girls felt much the same as the rest of their housemates did, knowing what an asset, what a rare and special individual, Professor Dippet truly was to them.

“I can’t believe it,” Olivia muttered to herself all day long.

“Neither can I,” said Corinna.

“At least you knew beforehand!”

“I tried to warn all of you ...” she shrugged.

“It still isn’t fair,” said Olivia a bit too loudly, losing five points from Ravenclaw as Krohn had heard her outburst.

That evening it came as no surprise when Olivia announced that she wanted to see Professor Dippet off. The others, even Martin, who was still green around the gills, decided that it was an excellent plan.

“I mean, it’s the least we can do,” babbled Olivia as they winded their way through the castle in the direction of Dippet’s office. “He’s been great this year, hasn’t he? I wish he weren’t going, but we can’t do anything about that ...”

“Do you mind?” snarled Sissy as they walked. She wasn’t handling it very well either as she had a great deal of respect for Dippet, a brilliant scholar and capable leader, and significantly less for his soon-to-be successor.

“Sorry ...” murmured Olivia, sounding anything but.

“Maybe he can come back after this vampire business is over,” suggested Corinna hopefully, wishing to Merlin that she knew something, anything that would make the situation seem less bleak. She knew nothing of the kind.

“Unlikely. He’s not taking a leave; he’s retiring,” said Sissy.

“It’s so terrible,” said Martin, shaking his head.

“We’ll be getting a new teacher for Transfigurations,” stated Sophia with a small sigh. “I imagine the remainder of the term will be disrupted,” she added. Her sympathies were with Corinna.

“But they won’t be able to replace my father that easily. Transfigurations’ experts aren’t easy to come by,” said Martin.

“He’s right,” said Sissy in agreement. “For all we know he could have double duty until the spring or even the beginning of next term,” she added.

“I don’t envy him,” said Olivia, shaking her head at thought of someone even attempting to teach classes and be headmaster of the school. Both required tremendous time, effort, and energy.

The five Ravenclaws were in for a surprise when they reached the hallway just below the headmaster’s office. It was packed with students. More than half of Ravenclaw house had turned out with the same idea as them, as had an only slightly smaller number of Hufflepuffs, a smattering of Gryffindors and the odd Slytherin. Nearly two thirds of the school had decided to show up for the occasion. They had all come to pay their respects to their departing headmaster. Olivia found the sight very touching.

“I can hardly believe it,” she whispered as they found places to stand.

“Believe it,” said Sissy with a bit of a smile.

They did not have long to converse as moments later the gargoyle that guarded the office of the headmaster moved aside to allow Armando Dippet to pass for the last time. He was carrying a pair of satchels, one in each hand, that, despite their petite size, contained everything that he would be taking with him. When he saw the crowd of students in the corridor, he smiled.

“I was hoping to slip away quietly,” he told all of them, setting his bags down on the floor. This was the reason why he had chosen to leave the day before the train came to take most of the students home for the holidays.

“We couldn’t let that happen, professor,” said Broderick Bode with an uncharacteristically warm smile. “You might think we didn’t care or something,” he added, extending his hand to the headmaster.

Dippet shook the young wizard’s hand and said, “I would never, Bode; I’ve known some of you far too long for that.” He glanced at some of the other seventh years accompanying Bode.

“Sorry to see you go,” said William Potter, who was Head Boy, as he also shook hands with Professor Dippet.

“Rubbish! You’ll have a Gryffindor headmaster now,” chuckled Dippet with a smile.

“Aye, but we’ll be losing our head of house in the bargain,” said George Wood.

“And who says we want a Gryffindor for our new headmaster?” asked Ernestina Blythe, wrinkling her nose at the prospect.

“Now, now,” admonished Dippet almost jokingly.

“I’m with them,” said a student in a cowl. He looked out the window where the evening light had just faded and the sun had dropped below the hills. Throwing back the hood, Andrea Zabini added, “I wish you could stay, sir, but since you can’t, I want to thank you.”

“Nonsense, my boy, you’ve nothing to thank me for,” said Armando, shaking his pale, cold hand with no less fervor than the others.

“If you say so,” said Zabini with a slight smile.

As he stepped aside Dippet’s eyes fell on Martin and the girls. He beamed at them and motioned for them to step closer through the crowd.

“I would very much liked to have seen what becomes of the five of you,” he said, looking at them each in turn. He found that he had developed at soft spot for Dumbledore’s son and his friends, despite the trouble they had caused or been a party to during the term. They would make any Ravenclaw proud.

“I’m sorry my father’s taking your job,” said Martin, shaking hands with the professor.

“Don’t be silly. That’s what he’s here for,” laughed Dippet.

“Just the same, sir,” Martin nodded.

“We’ll miss you, professor,” said Olivia, speaking for all of them.

Despite the fact that they had known him less than two full terms, they, Olivia and Corinna especially, found it difficult to imagine Hogwarts without him. He seemed as much a part of it as the Aerie or the Quidditch Pitch,

“Thank you,” he said, leaning down to hug Olivia, who appeared to be on the verge of tears.

Then he picked up his satchels again and surveyed his students one more time.

At the far end of the hall Professor Dumbledore called to him: “Armando, the carriage has arrived.” He appeared rather surprised to see the throng of students that surrounded the headmaster.

“Of course,” Dippet said in return.

As the headmaster made his way down the corridor, the students moved with him almost as a vanguard, albeit a very disorganized one. They all followed him to the Entrance Hall and the great doors of the castle where Dippet turned and faced them, and Professor Dumbledore, again.

“I mean to have you reinstated as soon as this foolishness blows over,” vowed Dumbledore.

“I’m sorry, Albus, but I don’t think I will be coming back here ... unless it’s to watch a Quidditch match,” said Dippet with a warm smile. Looking at the Gryffindors standing just behind their head of house, he said, “Mister Potter, I’m leaving it up to you to see that Professor Dumbledore moves into the office and quarters of the headmaster and doesn’t go on moping. By hook or by crook, see to that.”

“Yes, sir,” said William with a firm nod.

“Thank you, Armando,” said Dumbledore.

“You are quite welcome, headmaster,” he replied with a smile before he turned and departed from the castle.

They returned to the Aerie with the crowd of Ravenclaws who were going that way too as it was approaching curfew and many of them needed to pack their belongings for the trip home the following morning. Olivia looked at her house mates and saw that they also bore a dejected look. It was difficult, she reasoned, losing one of their own, more so than it would have been if Dippet had been from another house.

“Dumbledore will do a good job,” said Sophia in low voice as they walked. The tone of her voice said that she was trying to convince herself too.

“Of course,” agreed Olivia without enthusiasm, hesitating a sidelong glance at Martin.

“You don’t have to say that,” he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes.

“He’s right. You don’t have to say it,” agreed Sissy.

“Things will probably change,” said Corinna. “Dumbledore is supposed to be very progressive and pro-Muggle, isn’t he?” she asked, wondering if Martin would answer.

“Yes,” he replied succinctly.

“And Dippet wasn’t? There’s a record number of muggle-born and half-and-half students here right now, not to mention a vampire attending special classes at night,” said Sissy a bit defensively.

“But the curriculums for the classes haven’t changed significantly in almost fifty years,” Sophia pointed out.

“I thought you liked Professor Dippet,” said Olivia accusingly.

“I did, and I still do. I was only trying to look on the bright side ...” muttered Sophia.

“Stop it,” said Sissy evenly, effectively ending the conversation.

The next morning found the five of them gathered near the bottom of the castle stairs as everyone who was going home was assembling there to take carriages to the train station and the waiting Hogwarts Express. Snow blanketed the grounds around them, turning everything a pristine white.

“You will be sure to send us an owl if anything happens?” asked Sophia, pulling her scarf around her face to keep the cold off.

“Of course we will,” said Sissy with an unpleasant look.

“And if you know anything ...” Martin said anxiously to Corinna.

“I will do my best,” she nodded, “but if I’m so far away, I don’t know if I’ll get any premonitions about what’s happening or going to happen here.”

Corinna did not want to mention that sending owls while in the Muggle world, where she would spend at least some of the holidays, was difficult, especially since her family didn’t own an owl at present.

“I’ll see to it that Zubin makes his rounds,” said Sissy, who knew the most about Corinna’s situation, despite the fact that she was from a very old pureblooded family herself.

“Thanks,” said Corinna with a sheepish smile.

“He’ll be making deliveries anyhow,” Sissy shrugged, tucking her hands into her sleeves for warmth.

“I’m going to miss all of you,” said Sophia in a muffled voice, “but after this term ... I really want to see my mum and dad again.”

Martin felt a twinge of jealousy and longing. He wanted to see his mother more than anything in the world.

“Me too,” said Corinna quietly.

As the carriages arrived, Sophia glanced over her shoulder before telling Martin, Sissy, and Olivia, “Do be careful while we’re away.”

“Of course,” said Sissy with a slight sneer.

Then they all said their farewells before Sophia and Corinna went to the waiting carriages, which were quickly filling with students, leaving only a handful on the stairs. These soon returned to the warm indoors and went to have breakfast in the now very quiet Great Hall.

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