Harry was heading up to McGonagall’s office, he had promised Dumbledore’s portrait that he would offer to help with the massive workload she was carrying. He hated to do it though because he knew the headmistress would never admit to being overworked.
School had just finished for the day and Harry decided that it would be the best time to go and see if he could get his professor to let him help. He was rehearsing his argument in his head when he almost ran directly into Neville, who was coming from the direction of his office.
“Hello, Harry. What’re you up to?” Neville asked genially as he started the same direction Harry was going in.
“I was going to see Professor McGonagall, I want to offer my help with the insane amount of work she’s been doing,” Harry answered with a half-smile.
“Vying for the deputy head position?” Neville asked, trying to look unconcerned.
“Not necessarily, although I wouldn’t turn it down,” Harry replied, noting Neville’s concerned expression. “Why? Do you want it?”
“I mean I wouldn’t turn it down,” Neville responded, not looking at Harry.
“Oh, well, I hate to compete with you Nev, I mean, you’ve got more time here, and you’ve already proved yourself as head of Gryffindor. I just wanted to make sure McGonagall doesn’t work herself to death.”
“No, of course, me too. And I doubt she’d choose me over you, Harry, I mean she wouldn’t want to make me the head of Gryffindor and Deputy headmaster, she did that and it was practically torture. Besides, you’ve proven yourself a lot in the time you’ve been here, starting the Defense club and working with individual students who want to be Aurors. She knows you do good work,” Neville replied as the two of them took the stairs to the seventh floor.
“Well, we can both offer to help, she seems like she can use all the help she can get,” Harry replied, clapping Neville on the shoulder. He didn’t want to bring a friendship to ruin for a job.
“Of course she can, have you seen her these days? She looks like a strong wind could blow her over,” Neville said quietly, you never know when she’ll be around to hear you so when they say anything about the headmistress they always use hushed tones. “Don’t get me wrong, I know she could hex me into next week, but she looks awful.”
“No, I know what you mean,” Harry replied. The headmistress was stronger than the two of them combined, but she looked like she was on the verge of collapse half the time.
They turned the corner into the corridor where the griffin that guarded her office door stood. “Babbling, bumbling, band of baboons,” Harry gave the password as they approached and the griffin jumped out of the way as the staircase behind it started to spiral up out of the floor.
The two of them rode the staircase up to the door and when it stopped with a thud Harry reached out and knocked.
The door swung open to allow them inside, but no one was behind it. They came in and saw the headmistress, hard at work behind the large oak desk. She finished a sentence she was writing and looked up. “Ah, Professors Potter and Longbottom, How can I help you?” She seemed to be in a good mood.
“Oh no, professor, this is about how we can help you,” Harry said, conjuring up a chair on the other side of her desk and taking a seat.
Neville followed suit, “We wanted to take some of the workloads from you, now that you’re not only headmistress but transfiguration teacher and your own deputy head. It seemed only right that we make an offer to be of any assistance we can.”
She looked across the desk at them, a small smile forming on her lips. “So you’re worried about me, How precious. I’ve been doing this much work since before you were born.”
“It’s not that we think you can’t do it all, we know you can.” Harry began, “We just don’t think you need to prove it any more than you already have.”
“Well, it’s very kind of you, both of you. And I wouldn’t mind doing a little less. That way I might not look like a strong wind could blow me over,” She gave them a sharp look over the top of her spectacles, which was softened slightly by the fact that she was desperately trying to hide a smile.
“How did you hear that?” Neville asked, alarmed that his concern had been overheard from nearly seven hundred feet away.
“There are ears all over this castle Longbottom, and they all report to me,” Their old professor gestured to the walls, which were covered in the portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses, all feigning sleep.
Nevile just sighed and put a hand over his eyes.
The headmistress seemed to delight in his embarrassment, “I do appreciate your concern, both of you,” She nodded to Harry, “but I have started the process of selecting a new deputy head of Hogwarts, and I believe I can pull through until I have finalised the selection and made an offer.”
“Right, well, we offered, and my offer still stands, if you need anything done you can send it to me,” Harry said, standing up and vanishing his chair again.
“Same goes for me. Anything at all, we’re here to help.” Neville said, not looking at the headmistress as he vanished his chair and started towards the door.
The headmistress smiled again and said, “I thank you both for your consideration, really I do.”
“Not at all,” Harry said, sweeping into an over-dramatic bow before straightening up and heading out the door.
Professor McGonagall watched them both go and when the door closed she went back to the list in front of her. Harry and Neville had both just won some points for consideration to be the next deputy head of Hogwarts.
DHofH:
Septimia Vector||Arewen Brewster|
Harry Potter ||
Neville Longbottom||
Perrella Bones||
She sighed and took off her spectacles, this was going to be a more difficult decision than she had previously thought.
Nearly a week later, Minerva still had not made a decision, it was eating her alive. Each candidate had an even mix of characteristics that would make them an excellent candidate, and other factors which would make them difficult to fully trust with the position. Minerva decided that a test was in order.
All of the candidates on her list had, at some point or another, offered their assistance with the running of the school, so to get a few of the papers off her desk, and test her candidates at the same time, Minerva sent each of them a form or report that needed to be done and a short note requesting their assistance.
Harry got back to his office after his third class of the day, for his free period, and found a note on his desk from the headmistress.
Harry,
I wonder if you would mind taking care of this report for me? I need it to be done by Friday at the very latest, and I’m afraid I am terribly busy. I’d appreciate your assistance.
Many thanks,
Minerva.
Harry of course set straight to the form she’d sent down with the note. It looked to be an inspection of the potions supply. That wouldn’t be too big of a problem, Harry decided. He’d get it done today at the end of the school day.
Neville entered his office and found a stack of papers with a note on his desk from the headmistress.
Neville,
Would you mind doing the monthly Detention Tally for the last month? I haven’t been able to get around to it yet and I need it to be done by Friday at the very latest. All of the professor’s reports are included, except Professor Faust’s, if you could get his detention tally and then write up the report I would appreciate it very much.
Many thanks,
Minerva.
Neville did find it a bit odd that Minerva was actually giving him something to do, but he took it as a good sign. He decided to start working on the report right then during his free period and then finish up after the school day was over.
Harry finished up with his last class of the day and headed down to the potions classroom. He knocked and was glad to find Professor Brewster was still there.
The door swung open but professor Brewster was still across the room, “Hello Professor Potter, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?” The professor asked genially.
“Hello professor Brewster, I’ve been assigned to do the monthly potions supply report,” Harry answered, waving the report in the air by way of greeting.
“Oh, wonderful, have you been made the Deputy Head?” He asked with great interest.
“No, no, I just asked the headmistress if there was anything I could help with and she sent me this,” Harry replied with a smile. “So if I could just get you to unlock the room and I’ll compare the lists and see if I can’t get this done quickly.”
“There’s quite a lot in storage, I’m afraid.” Professor Brewster said with an apologetic look, “You might be here longer than you expect.”
He unlocked the door as Harry said, “Well, I’ll be alright, it has to get done, and it’s better that I do it than force her to take on one more thing.”
“Very right, very right,” The elder professor nodded his agreement and opened the door. The shelves that greeted Harry were packed tightly with bottles, vials, and beakers of various sizes full of a rainbow of colours.
This was going to take a bit.
Neville had started tallying the report at his free break, but he needed Professor Faust’s detention list before he could finish the report. He went to find the charms professor and knocked on the door to his office. The door opened when the professor said, “Come on in.”
“Hello Professor Faust, I need your detention tally please,” Neville said, with a genial smile.
“Oh, did I forget to turn that in?” Professor Faust looked up with a little surprise on his face. “I’m terribly sorry about that.”
“It’s no problem, I just thought I’d come and get it in person, I’m doing the detention tally for Minerva this month,” Neville responded waving off the other professor’s concern.
Professor Faust was digging through his desk drawers. “Oh, that’s nice of you. I can’t believe she’s letting anyone help her with anything.”
“I was a bit surprised myself, but I told her that if she needed anything done that I was available to help, so I asked for this.”
“Well, that is nice of you. Here you are, just found it under a stack of essays. I’ll tell you I can’t seem to keep track of all of this paperwork. I don’t know how she does it,” Professor Faust said, shaking his head as he handed over the short report.
“I couldn’t tell you, Robin, she’s got secrets none of us could ever divine,” Neville answered with a shrug.
“You could say that again.”
Harry finished the inventory two hours after he started, which is longer than he had originally anticipated, but better than he had feared. He wrote up the report and a separate short note to the Headmistress and took them up to her office.
Professor,
Not a problem at all, hope this is all right. Glad to take something off your to-do list.
Harry.
He left them on her desk, knowing that she wouldn’t be in when he knocked, it was dinner and nearly everyone in the castle would be in the great hall. However, Harry was headed home to Ginny and baby James, he couldn’t wait, he hated to be late home. He wanted to be around for James as much as possible.
Neville meant to finish his report for Minerva, but he wound up having to deal with some drama in the Gryffindor common room. Then it was time for dinner and it still wasn’t done. So he went down to the great hall and ate quickly then went back up to his office and finished the report before the great hall emptied out. He added a short note back to the headmistress.
Professor, Minerva,
Glad to help! I hope this is all done right, it was no trouble really. Anything else that needs done, don’t hesitate to send it my way.
Neville.
He sent it to the headmistress’s office through the floo network, then floo’d home to Hannah. He was really tired at the end of today, he’d had a lot to deal with from the Gryffindors and the report was just one more thing. Nevertheless, he was glad it was one less thing for Minerva.
Minerva was rather impressed with the results of her little test. All of the additional paperwork that she had asked for was returned within the day. To tell the truth, she was a bit shocked. So this test, rather than bring out a most promising candidate, recommended them all to the position. Back to square one.
“Oh, why do they all have to be so good at their damn jobs,” Minerva said out loud.
“Well, would you prefer they were all incompetent?” Dumbledore’s portrait asked with a ring of laughter in his voice.
“No, I suppose not, I’ve dealt with enough incompetence in my life,” Minerva responded, shooting him a look over her shoulder.
“Oh, I see how it is. Ouch.” The portrait responded, still laughing. “You’re not exactly wrong, I know, but still.”
Minerva rolled her eyes and turned her chair to face him. “Really though, down to business, who do you think would be best to fill the position? I’ve already taken Perrella off the list, she’s made plans to go back to the ministry in a few years.”
“Oh no, that’s too bad.” The portrait answered. “You give such a glowing report of her.”
“And that leaves only, Septimia, Harry, and Neville.” The headmistress said she was clearly conflicted about whom to choose.
“My dear, I cannot say with whom you would work best. I of course prefer Harry over the lot, but that is personal bias.” The portrait responded with a shrug, his eyes twinkling almost as they did in life.
“I don’t know about Harry, he’s so young, and he has a young family and I would have hated to be in my position with a family to contend with as well,” Minerva replied, leaning back in her chair.
“Yes, I do see your point there,” The portrait conceded. “And we run into a similar problem of youth with Mr. Longbottom.”
“Youth and the fact that he’s already Head of Gryffindor House. You’ll well remember what I was like when I was doing both of those jobs.”
“Yes, indeed I do. I also remember when you were doing those jobs and mine as well,” The portrait shuddered in his frame. “I mean this in the kindest way possible, my dear, you were terrifying.”
“Precisely. I don’t think it would be a good fit. I thought about making Harry the head of Gryffindor House and the Neville would be the Deputy, but that doesn’t feel right either.” The headmistress sighed, leaning her head on one hand. “I simply hate to take them off the list, they’re both such excellent choices otherwise.”
“I think you know what you have to do though.” The portrait nodded solemnly.
“Yes, thank you for listening,” Minerva said. The portrait nodded in return.
Minerva turned back to the list sitting on her desk and crossed off the two names.
DHofH:
Septimia Vector||||||Arewen Brewster|Harry Potter |||||Neville Longbottom|||||Perrella Bones|||||
She’d make the offer to Septimia tomorrow. For now, it was more paperwork until she collapsed of exhaustion.
Hogwarts, for the first time in living memory, had both a Headmistress and a Deputy Headmistress. Septimia Vector had accepted her new position without hesitation. She’d been on staff at Hogwarts for years now without becoming part of the administration, but she’d finally made the leap.
Harry felt a momentary pang of disappointment, but he soon got over it. He realised that he had a lot going for him in other areas of life, things he wouldn’t want to jeopardise. His love for Ginny and baby James was too great for him to want to spend any more time away from them than he already did.
Neville too felt a moment of disappointment, wondering what else he could have done to make himself the best choice for the job. Then he realised the amount of work it would be to deal with the Gryffindors and be the Deputy head, and his disappointment faded quickly.
Minerva was just glad to rid her desk of some of the paperwork.