Chapter 15
Albus Dumbledore couldn’t count the number of things that had gone wrong… and he knew exactly what he should have done to head it off.
He should have halted the distribution of first-year letters to the Equestrians as soon as the first ones came in, had follow-up letters sent to them to explain it away as a mailing error, and gone through the process to remove them from the attendance lists.
That would have stopped the entire disaster.
It had started when the Equestrians came. He and his staff had already committed themselves to accept them all by the time they realized how many there would be- how much trouble it would cause.
In the commotion of getting them in, he’d completely missed a number of important signs- and been unable to devote his attention to others. His plan was already going off the rails.
For one, Harry had apparently already received his first magic lesson… from an Equestrian. Something Hagrid hadn’t understood. And of course, when Hagrid had reported it, it was a side note- so, not something that got his attention.
It should have. It was very important, as he wouldn’t be able to guide the boy to his destiny nearly as easily, without more preparation… that he had been too late for. Nevermind the number of very strange variables the Equestrians were introducing to mess up his well-laid plans.
For two, the Weasleys had never met him. The twins were supposed to send him a signal after they found him on the train- but they never did. As a matter of fact, they’d sent him the opposite one, to express difficulty in locating him. Probably because of how many cars they’d had to add to the Hogwarts Express at the last minute. He was honestly surprised that all of the Equestrians- and British students as well- were able to board the train within the time allotted.
And then… He wasn’t sure exactly what came next, as the massive workload he’d had since the letters started coming in had combined with the Equestrians’ strangeness- he’d tried visiting the Leaky Cauldron to meet them, but, by the time he got there, they’d already moved on - to make the entire world impossible to predict.
There was one thing that went right, though: The Philosopher’s Stone had been rescued from Gringotts on schedule, and Voldemort had failed to acquire it in his infiltration of the same.
At least Princess Twilight had known her Equestrians, and had been more than willing to set up an extended teaching program with them, so their education shouldn’t interfere too badly with Harry’s.
He blinked, and shuffled quickly through the thousands of pages littering his desk. He found the page he was looking for after a couple of seconds, scanned it again. It was his copy of the final agreement they’d made with Princess Twilight.
He groaned, slumping down in his chair.
It was in the wording. He and his instructors had set the extended teaching program up for all of the first years, not just the Equestrians. Meaning, Twilight could source her instructors from the British students, if she saw fit… and she could also put British students into her extended classes.
Which meant, in the end, that he had no control over Harry’s education whatsoever.
“Why?” he muttered. “Why did this have to happen now, of all times?”
And of course, when he’d tried his passive mindscan on the Equestrians to try and get an idea for how they would react at dinner… he’d been blocked. By every single one of them. Mere seconds before he’d been blocked out of the British first-years as well… including Harry, who he had only just spotted.
Meaning, he had no idea what the Equestrians taught him… nor what he had experienced on the train. He couldn’t provide his more subtle touch of guidance, and would be forced into more overt, less reliable methods.
And, he knew, if he asked for a copy of Harry’s class schedule, Minerva would refuse, and hound on him for manipulating people again. He’ll have to get a copy of all the schedules… which may or may not be very easy, as it likely varies widely on a per-student basis.
So he’d have to get the class schedules, that told when what class would take place where, and who would be in it. He’d have to sift through those to find the ones that Harry was in…
It’d take several hours. At best.
He wished he could scream in rage the way Voldemort would have.
Professor McGonagall’s morning wasn’t much better, though for a very different reason. She hadn’t had plans spoiled on her, but she had had Lyra Heartstrings and Princess Twilight- her first time meeting the latter of the two- approach her after the welcome feast the previous night. They’d asked for one-night-only, overnight access to a space large enough for about fifty people to meet simultaneously, without interruption.
She’d granted it, on the stipulation that she herself would be present for the meeting, and would accompany them back to bed when the time came- the latter requirement mostly just to keep Filch off their tails.
Their meeting had taken place in the Great Hall.
They had needed to know when and where the classes for their student instructors would be- and when which rooms in the castle would be otherwise occupied.
They had Equestrian students from all four houses, and no British students.
Their meeting had taken almost thirty-six hours- which had been crammed into a single night thanks only to an Equestrian named ‘Starlight Glimmer’ who had a very powerful time dilation spell. When she’d asked why they were coming to Hogwarts if they could already do that, Twilight had shrugged, and informed her that British wizards, as far as they knew, were completely incapable of that spell. They apparently wanted to learn the common wizarding magic because it undoubtedly had some things they could use for their magic… and of course, once they learned it, they could combine it with Equestrian principles to advance British magic as well.
They had spent those hours going over the lists of the first years, and details about their personalities and aptitudes. They had very carefully assigned their instructors and students, then planned out the class times and locations, including their one-time crash courses for their instructors, and finally assembled everyone’s schedules. About an hour in, Bonbon had appeared, given Lyra something she hadn’t seen, and helped out as if she’d been there from the start. Lyra had then rolled her eyes and vanished for a few minutes.
She had taken the job of distributing the class schedules at breakfast, as per usual- and, though she’d conscribed the help of the other Heads of House, three thousand class schedules was nothing to sneeze at.
Then she’d had to have her own breakfast… and head upstairs to prepare for her third-year morning transfiguration class.
She was exhausted, but she couldn’t let it show.
Hermione Granger also had a very busy morning. Last night, once everyone reached the common room, Lyra had appeared to confirm her interest in their extended teaching program… and explain it more. She’d asked why it hadn’t been explained before.
“Well, on the train, we didn’t know who would end up in which house, and there was only so much planning we could do at that point. For example, if you’d turned out to be a Ravenclaw, I wouldn’t be here- and neither would Moondancer, who is doing this for the Ravenclaw student instructors. Because there are enough experienced instructors amongst the Ravenclaws that their skill and experience would outweigh your interest etcetera.
“Then, of course, even given that you landed in Gryffindor, there were four different subjects we might’ve offered you, depending on who else landed in Gryffindor.
“With the Sorting that happened, we’ve got an opening in Charms if you want it.”
“Uh, yes?” she’d asked, like it was a foregone conclusion.
Lyra had smiled. “I like the enthusiasm. But before you make your decision final, there’s something you need to know.
“On the train, I mentioned a quick ‘crash course’ to prepare you for the role. What I did not mention is that it’ll be about half an hour long on the outside, but we’ve TARDIS-ed the rooms we’ll be using for them, so it’ll be longer on the inside. You can expect it to take around four hours… then have a very finicky hour-long exam at the end. And repeat, until you pass, with no way out. Yes, there’s a bathroom, and we will have plenty of snacks, but still.” She’d taken a breath. “Considering you’d be for Charms, your crash-course would take place immediately after breakfast tomorrow morning. Are you sure that’s something you want to commit to?”
“TARDIS-ed?” she’d asked.
“Time and Relative Dimension in Space. In short, we’ve separated the rooms from the rest of the timeline. Apply the TARDIS spellwork just a little differently and you’ve got a time machine.”
“Oh.”
“So… Are you sure that’s something you want to commit to?”
She’d looked up at her. “Of course.”
“You do realize that there is absolutely no backing out after this, right?”
She’d blinked. “I do now.”
“And that you will have a co-instructor with you when teaching Charms, but they will not be in the same cramming session?”
“Same.”
“And you’re absolutely sure?”
“Yep!”
“Alright then.”
She’d asked, as Lyra turned away, if Harry would be in the same crash course slot.
“Ah, no, I’m afraid. He won’t be in Charms- and we need the earlier slots for the student teachers with earlier classes.”
After that disappointment, she’d had a rough night, since one of her new dorm-mates wouldn’t stop rearranging her nightstand. In the morning, she’d gone down to breakfast with hardly a single hour of sleep on the clock, had a quick meal, and gotten her schedule.
While there, she’d asked Harry, and confirmed- he’d also finalized his agreement, and would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.
His cramming session would, however, be Tuesday evening… and, lucky him, not followed by anything; his DADA class with Professor Quirrell would be Wednesday morning. She had to go study Charms with Professor Flitwick fifteen minutes after her cramming session, then move on to teaching Charms with Bonbon three quarters of an hour after finishing that!
She stopped outside the door to the room her schedule specified for her cramming session.
There was a large sign attached to the door.
WARNING! Access to this room is restricted to assigned personnel ONLY. All others will be forcibly removed.
There was a piece of parchment stuck to the bottom of the metal sign. Note: Student instructors are ‘assigned personnel’ within and ONLY within 30 minutes of their assigned Instruction Course time.
There was a digital clock attached beneath that one… and, even though Hogwarts: A History had informed her that electricity went haywire here, the seconds on it were updating regularly and, as near as she could tell, accurately.
She took a deep breath, comparing it against her schedule.
She was nearly fifteen minutes early.
She took a deep breath, then slowly, carefully, raised her hand to knock.
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I feel sorry for all of them...but is anyone else picking up Gladmane/Flim-Flam brothers vibes from Albus' scene? Just me? Oh well. It was a great chapter, anyway. I'm happy for you about the computer!
Nice
10257205
Not familiar with Gladmane...
But the other? That's actually right about the vibes you were supposed to get, so...
Hah, caught out by a quirk of efficiency in the wording, silly Dumbledore. Now he's stuck with a planner's mentality in an improv situation, that tends to really annoy the planner.
Hermione's schedule sounds super horrible, at least at first. Once she gets used to it, it might actually work out for the better to have it all neatly together like that, but for the first couple of weeks, that will suck.
Oh and I forgot to post this a couple of chapters ago, but i really am looking forward to watching how you develop things between Diamond and Draco.
Darnit. Still no Celestia-Dumbledore chillax session.
Oh Dumbledore, you failed to surpass one of the greatest challenges of elders, remembering that when things change, things change. He's still worried about a prophecy when there are much more powerful beings just there for him to ask for help.
He has no idea how much things are going to change, but well, such is life.
10257216
Oh. Okay then, nevermind. As for Gladmane, in Viva Las Pegasus, remember? The pony that looked like Elvis and the Flim-Flam bros upstaged?
10257236
(Never watched that episode)
10257231
What prophecy?, it shattered.
10257255
Oohh. Nevermind then
10257258
I think you have mixed up your HP crossovers. Nothing in Gate ever mentioned the prophecy shattering that I can think of, it was Magic School Days I believe where they all turned to rainbow colored dust due to Discord.
10257231
Yeah, that's the trap planner personalities can fall into sometimes. Plans can be adjusted in the short term to adapt to changing scenarios, but that only goes so far. If things go completely off the rails, they're left floundering.
10257276
Do you think it could survive?
10257276
10257284
Yes. The Prophecy has so far gone completely unmentioned in this story.
And something to note: The glass ball they refer to as "the prophecy", in my headcanon, is merely "the record of the prophecy". The Prophecy, in and of itself, only ever existed while Trelawney was first giving it to Dumbledore. As such, whether the prophecy is still valid or not, the glass ball with the ghost-recording of Trelawney in it still remains... and wizards, like, say, Dumbledore, have no way of telling if it's still valid or not.
... They probably think that the glass ball truly is "the prophecy".
10257223
Agreed. It seems like a pairing that'll work out well.
10257284
That's probably a fair consideration. The point though, I guess, would be that Dumbledore doesn't know that. And once it was given in his presence, he grew to become fixated on it. All his plans revolve around getting it to come true. And planner types like him, once they set themselves, can sometimes find it very difficult to do the kind of complete shift that this kind of situation would call for.
10257287
Exactly. For all that British wizards are very good at animating objects, and linking them to things, I doubt highly that the record of the prophecy would necessarily react to circumstances suddenly invalidatiing it.
Is doctor who gonna appear now or is it just a reference
No reason you can't, that's what soundproofing spells are for. I recommend it, verra cathartic and less expensive than setting things on fire.
Honestly, it seems Hogwarts would have done better to gift several-score copies of their textbooks free of charge and arrange instruction from some qualified alumni. The ponies would have gotten what they wanted, and the staff wouldn't have been essentially shunted out of their own professions.
10257672
No, unfortunately, it's just a reference. I could never write The Doctor convincingly anyways.
10257679
Yes, there's no logical reason that he can't.
The reason he says he can't is the same thing Draco Malfoy wants an out from: The image of Albus Dumbledore doesn't. So, to help him maintain that image, neither does the man that is Albus Dumbledore.
... You can bet that restraint will fail at some point, just because the Equestrians will never stop taxing him like that until he stops trying to control them and starts rolling with the punches.
10257749
"... You can bet that restraint will fail at some point, just because the Equestrians will never stop taxing him like that until he stops trying to control them and starts rolling with the punches."
I like that, I like that alot.
Minerva, if I were you, I would ask them to teach me in the next question.
10257672
Well, at least Time Turner should be at the school. Enough for substitute.
10257902
She probably didn't want to look like she was begging...
She very well could have asked Twilight or the like about that possibility in a carefully-worded letter a day or two later, though.
Time Turner, meet the ministry Time turners :-)
Canonically, this *IS* how prophecies work. And Dumbledore, at least, knows that the records are just records and not the prophecy.
At the same time, in canon, we find out that not all prophecies come true. And in this case, it was Voldemort's actions that made half of it "valid"; Dumbledore actually asked Harry if he was willing to just walk away from fighting Voldemort. When Harry said no, Dumbledore mentioned that this is what made the prophecy "valid". The involved parties take action to make it happen.
Not all prophecies are "truth". The books basically make them out as "self fulfilling or ignored".
===
I see you are taking the "Chessmaster/manipulator Dumbledore". Have you read this detailed look at the Dumbledore from the books, a flawed man with inconsistencies and dreams?
https://www.reddit.com/r/HPRankdown/comments/4gffw4/albus_dumbledore/
Oh no ... I just realized.
TARDIS, and Time Turner ... and the fanon view that Time Turner is the N'th (for N>14) reincarnation of The Doctor ...
I am guessing that the hour-long final exam tests legilimency, or whatever the ponies call it. I'm guessing that the need to keep some of their arrangements or knowledge secret would be a good reason that the test must be passed once started...
I have a hard time buying that a muggleborn citizen of the UK would be so confused by a Doctor Who reference. While the hiatus began in December 1989, that's only two years before the HP story begins. (Hermione would be in the age group of "hiding from the Daleks behind the living room couch", and would almost certainly know kids who watched the show even if she didn't watch herself.) And I've seen in a comment that you've moved this story up in the Earth timeline, so we're in a post-New Who era. Approximately 10% of UK residents watch Doctor Who live, with more watching after the fact. Even someone who doesn't watch the show should know people who do, and should know roughly what a TARDIS is.
10257287
That's not headcanon, that's actually canon. The proper name for the glass balls is "prophecy record". It's never specified how the records are created, but it is made clear that the Hall of Prophecies contains just records, nothing else.
10266179
She knows Lyra isn't from Britain, and wonders what Lyra is using the acronym for...
Either that, or the Dr. Who series doesn't exist. Personally, I prefer the first answer.
The Doctor is probably not present in Hogwarts he's read all the books already and has no patience for school.