Random Snippetry:
"The November session of the International Coalition of Wizards has been called to order." An elderly called out, "As our current head, Albus Dumbledore, is unable to act as mediator for the current subject, his duties will be fulfilled by Madame SHakeval."
Dumbledore took a moment to gaze around the chamber, amazed at how different things were when not sitting in his standard position. Then again, the new perspective was hardly the only change. News about his protests had gotten out, and the idea of the renown Albus Dumbledore stepping down from his lofty heights to get down and dirty in the courtroom was precisely the sort of sensation that many newspapers craved. Furthermore, as Dumbledore was the first Headmaster to formally submit complaints about mandated changes, several others Headmasters and Mistresses were in the stand, accompanied by teachers, support staff, parents, and almost anyone even vaguely connected to education, watching everything carefully. Whatever happened with Dumbledore and Hogwarts, would set the precedent for all further hearings. It would not be amiss to say that at that moment, Dumbledore had the fate of all magical education in his hands.
At the table next to him, sat three men representing the ICW Board of International Standardization of Education, none of which he had met beforehand. While Dumbledore was quite amiable to talking with the audience, they sat in stoic silence, waiting for the proceedings to commence.
Madame Shekeval banged he gavel, calling the courtroom to order, "The first item on today's agenda is the firing of Severus Snape, is that correct?" she inquired, paging through the rather thick file before her.
"Yes Madame." Dumbledore replied, his opposition nodding in agreement.
"Mr. Dumbledore, you may state your position."
"Madam Shekeval, Severus Snape has served as a teacher at Hogwarts for four years now, and has performed in an exemplary manner. He earned an Outstanding on both theoretical and practical knowledge of potions, completed his mastery with glowing praise for his skill, and is one of the top potion brewers recognized in Britain.
His methods or teaching are indeed stricter than the previous Potion professor, but they are reasonable, and serve to hone the skills of his students to a finer edge. Furthermore, there have been no formal complaints to or by the Board of Governors."
"I see..." Madame Shekeval muttered to herself, "You response, Mr. Charon?"
Mr. Charon stood, and shuffled his papers briefly before replying, " First, to address his qualifications; while it is true that he earned Outstanding on his Potions N.E.W.T.s, those are a reflection of the high end of student knowledge, as opposed to that of a master. Glowing praise from his instructor during his acquisition of a mastery indicates nothing, as Masters are notoriously subjective, and differences in opinion between them can vary wildly. As for being one of the top brewers in Britain, those are also inaccurate, as Britain has recently experienced what could amount to a Civil War, greatly reducing the potential pool. When compared against an international survey, we estimated he is somewhere between the 25th and 40th percentile. Regardless of all this, the fact remains that possessing a Mastery in a subject does not automatically imbue one with the proper mindset towards teaching. I will let his record speak for itself. During his employment, the number of students enrolled in N.E.W.T. Potions dropped by approximately 60 percent. Those who manage to complete the course have experienced reduced acceptance ratings in applications for Mastership apprenticeship. Observation of his class has revealed that the majority of his lessons are composed of writing the instructions on the board, and leaving students to their own devices. What little instruction there is is primarily geared toward criticism, which can occasionally border on verbal abuse. Needless to say, this is not the attitude that a teacher should possess.
As for his spotless record, it is important to note that Severus Snape is the godfather to Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, who is not only a governor, but has many connections within Britains governing body. It would not strain plausibility that Lucius may be exerting his influence in order to keep his dear friend in his position, by covering up or silencing any protests before they can be recognized by the Board of governors."
Madame Shekeval nodded, "Mr. Dumbledore, do you have any response to these allegations?"
Dumbledore didn't reply, unused to having someone directly oppose him in the political arena. He had not expected counterpoints to tear down Severus' qualifications and attack his reputation, and had nothing prepared for such an event. While he could have devised with a few minutes, Madame Shekeval was not known for her patience. Recognizing that fighting this would only weaken his position on other subjects, Dumbledore surrendered.
"I must admit, I did not examine Severus' qualifications as closely as I should have. I believe that that is the subject of one of the other contested changes. In leiu of my ignorance, I would like to withdraw my objections to that point, as it is clear that it was a valid point. However, I would request that you remain open to the idea of reevaluating Severus Snape's eligability as a teacher at a later date. I believe that with time, effort, and a guiding hand, he could become the teacher I hoped he would be when I first hired him."
Madame Shekeval nodded in agreement, and Dumbledore sighed internally in relief, while he had lost the first battle, he had salvaged it as much as he could, and managed to maintain his integrity for future battles. All he had to do was keep it up for the rest of the day, to buy himself to time to recover his position and prepare for the remaining points.
"Next item on the list, the presence of Peeve the Poltergiest within Hogwarts." Madame Shekeval intoned.
Dumbledore sighed, it was going to be a long day.
"The November session of the International Coalition of Wizards has been called to order." An elderly called out, "As our current head, Albus Dumbledore, is unable to act as mediator for the current subject, his duties will be fulfilled by Madame SHakeval."
Dumbledore took a moment to gaze around the chamber, amazed at how different things were when not sitting in his standard position. Then again, the new perspective was hardly the only change. News about his protests had gotten out, and the idea of the renown Albus Dumbledore stepping down from his lofty heights to get down and dirty in the courtroom was precisely the sort of sensation that many newspapers craved. Furthermore, as Dumbledore was the first Headmaster to formally submit complaints about mandated changes, several others Headmasters and Mistresses were in the stand, accompanied by teachers, support staff, parents, and almost anyone even vaguely connected to education, watching everything carefully. Whatever happened with Dumbledore and Hogwarts, would set the precedent for all further hearings. It would not be amiss to say that at that moment, Dumbledore had the fate of all magical education in his hands.
At the table next to him, sat three men representing the ICW Board of International Standardization of Education, none of which he had met beforehand. While Dumbledore was quite amiable to talking with the audience, they sat in stoic silence, waiting for the proceedings to commence.
Madame Shekeval banged he gavel, calling the courtroom to order, "The first item on today's agenda is the firing of Severus Snape, is that correct?" she inquired, paging through the rather thick file before her.
"Yes Madame." Dumbledore replied, his opposition nodding in agreement.
"Mr. Dumbledore, you may state your position."
"Madam Shekeval, Severus Snape has served as a teacher at Hogwarts for four years now, and has performed in an exemplary manner. He earned an Outstanding on both theoretical and practical knowledge of potions, completed his mastery with glowing praise for his skill, and is one of the top potion brewers recognized in Britain.
His methods or teaching are indeed stricter than the previous Potion professor, but they are reasonable, and serve to hone the skills of his students to a finer edge. Furthermore, there have been no formal complaints to or by the Board of Governors."
"I see..." Madame Shekeval muttered to herself, "You response, Mr. Charon?"
Mr. Charon stood, and shuffled his papers briefly before replying, " First, to address his qualifications; while it is true that he earned Outstanding on his Potions N.E.W.T.s, those are a reflection of the high end of student knowledge, as opposed to that of a master. Glowing praise from his instructor during his acquisition of a mastery indicates nothing, as Masters are notoriously subjective, and differences in opinion between them can vary wildly. As for being one of the top brewers in Britain, those are also inaccurate, as Britain has recently experienced what could amount to a Civil War, greatly reducing the potential pool. When compared against an international survey, we estimated he is somewhere between the 25th and 40th percentile. Regardless of all this, the fact remains that possessing a Mastery in a subject does not automatically imbue one with the proper mindset towards teaching. I will let his record speak for itself. During his employment, the number of students enrolled in N.E.W.T. Potions dropped by approximately 60 percent. Those who manage to complete the course have experienced reduced acceptance ratings in applications for Mastership apprenticeship. Observation of his class has revealed that the majority of his lessons are composed of writing the instructions on the board, and leaving students to their own devices. What little instruction there is is primarily geared toward criticism, which can occasionally border on verbal abuse. Needless to say, this is not the attitude that a teacher should possess.
As for his spotless record, it is important to note that Severus Snape is the godfather to Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, who is not only a governor, but has many connections within Britains governing body. It would not strain plausibility that Lucius may be exerting his influence in order to keep his dear friend in his position, by covering up or silencing any protests before they can be recognized by the Board of governors."
Madame Shekeval nodded, "Mr. Dumbledore, do you have any response to these allegations?"
Dumbledore didn't reply, unused to having someone directly oppose him in the political arena. He had not expected counterpoints to tear down Severus' qualifications and attack his reputation, and had nothing prepared for such an event. While he could have devised with a few minutes, Madame Shekeval was not known for her patience. Recognizing that fighting this would only weaken his position on other subjects, Dumbledore surrendered.
"I must admit, I did not examine Severus' qualifications as closely as I should have. I believe that that is the subject of one of the other contested changes. In leiu of my ignorance, I would like to withdraw my objections to that point, as it is clear that it was a valid point. However, I would request that you remain open to the idea of reevaluating Severus Snape's eligability as a teacher at a later date. I believe that with time, effort, and a guiding hand, he could become the teacher I hoped he would be when I first hired him."
Madame Shekeval nodded in agreement, and Dumbledore sighed internally in relief, while he had lost the first battle, he had salvaged it as much as he could, and managed to maintain his integrity for future battles. All he had to do was keep it up for the rest of the day, to buy himself to time to recover his position and prepare for the remaining points.
"Next item on the list, the presence of Peeve the Poltergiest within Hogwarts." Madame Shekeval intoned.
Dumbledore sighed, it was going to be a long day.
