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Term Fifty: Austere Academy

House Point Totals
Ravenclaw 1323
Gryffindor 772
Slytherin 744
Hufflepuff 490

Plot summary by Zoe & sweetpinkpixie

The wizarding world still shaking in the wake of the events that took place at the end of last term, eyes were all pointedly turned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as countless parents flooded the Owl Post with concerned complaints and angry demands regarding the overall safety of the school they are sending their children to. The Board of Governors, with support from the the Minister for Magic, Morgan. P. Nickles, then intervened by hiring a new Headmaster and using him to see who among staff should or should not remain teaching at Hogwarts. All this was soon revealed at the Start-of-Term Feast where ex-Auror, Julian Scrimgeour, made an appearance along with trusted colleague Calvin Fletcher who was set to fill the vacant Divination position. Scrimgeour promptly handed a letter requesting her immediate removal from school premises to Headmistress Regina Hawthorne, signed by the Board of Governors. Hawthorne was clearly taken aback by this development, but graciously left the Great Hall without protest - at least at the time. Scrimgeour, now in his official capacity as Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, then addressed the Great Hall in proclamation:

"This term is going to be one of improvement. It has become evident that there has been a severe lack of safety protocol as well as regard for school rules. This year we will be returning to the basics and adopting a new school initiative. Change is on the way for Hogwarts. Because of this, total compliance is asked for while these necessary changes progressively take place. There will be no need to question or go against the changes that this initiative will bring for they are for your own benefit and safety."

Change was on the way for Hogwarts indeed.

Announced bright and early on the first day of classes by a loud blaring noise and the Headmaster's gruff voice before the sun had even risen, students and faculty alike were ordered to gather at the Quidditch Pitch. Immediately implementing daily SPECIAL OBLIGATORY RUNNING EXERCISES, known as S.O.R.E.s, it was revealed that every morning all those residing in the castle would be running laps around the pitch before breakfast to build character. Those who skip will lose points, have their forehead burst into boils, and be thrown into detention.

Throughout the day and week, new rules and regulations were blared over the school loudspeakers on the hour every hour: All arriving and departing owl posts are to be checked for contraband and questionable subject matter; With the exception of the morning S.O.R.E., uniforms must be worn at all times outside of the common rooms. Ties are to properly done, shirts tucked in, trousers ironed, and shoes clean; Zero tolerance is in effect for an attitude of defiance; All students are to report to the Great Hall for super at 5 PM and remain inside the castle unless accompanied by a professor; All students are to report to their common room at 9 PM for curfew, and no talking after lights out at 10 PM; No public displays of affection are allowed – not even hand-holding. Those who are caught breaking any of the school rules will lose points and will be put in detention - all of which are labour-intensive punishments and no magic is allowed and supervised by the Headmaster or the professors he personally hired. Prefects were given the power to take and only take points while being gifted black journals that were directly in contact with the Headmaster in effort to maintain the regime's firm hand.

Scrimgeour was quick to strike, firing Muggle Studies professor and Ravenclaw Head of House Kaysha Stewart after her dismal performance during her lessons at the beginning of term, with her replacement, Rafferty Ainsworth, arriving alongside the letter of dismissal. More rules were added to the list blared on the hour every hour as well: Upon arrival to class, all students are to remain standing, without speaking, until the lesson begins as a sign of respect; If you see suspicious activity or anyone breaking the school rules, you are required to report it immediately; Weekend trips to Hogsmeade have been cancelled until further notice; Removal of food and drink from the Great Hall and Kitchen is prohibited. Food and beverages are allowed only in these designated areas. Water is the only exception; When lock-down is called, you are to stop whatever it is you are doing and go directly to your common room; No contraband items are permitted. See the bulletin board on the ground floor for a complete list of forbidden items. Astronomy professor and Slytherin Head of House Kalen Kennedy was fired on the spot after being reported for having hot chocolate in his lesson on the ground and soon after Care of Magical Creatures professor Tristan Wayland got himself fired when Kennedy's replacement Gustave Le Roux provoked him to attack in the Great Hall.

Disturbed by the developments at Hogwarts, remaining professors hired by Regina Hawthorne who were not in support of the methods of the Headmaster and his new staff therefore gathered in secret in the bistro in the Charms corridor. Knowing their every move was being watched and that their position was on the line if they defied Scrimgeour outwardly, seeing as Scrimgeour had the Board wrapped around his finger, a letter written in code was sent out, disguised as an order for Scrivenshaft's in Hogsmeade with the errors spelling out "Regina, help us please....”

Eventually, there was a response with golden coins for each of the professors with a Protean Charm cast upon them.

Somehow Charms professor and Gryffindor Head of House Gaston Marchand was able to convince Scrimgeour about allowing a Hogsmeade weekend. The Hogsmeade weekend finally arrived in March. Regina and those that had been fired by Scrimgeour were also in attendance, though were disguised as teenagers thanks to a few plucked hairs from unknown muggle children. Their plan was simple: they would drink Polyjuice Potion, mingle in with the crowd, and sneak into the castle with the rest of the students with the goal of encouraging students to document everything that was happening so that their accounts could be collected and sent off to the right people to end Scrimgeour's reign. The Polyjuiced 'students' put their plan into action, first acclimating into daily school life and starting to gain the trust of students so they could be roped into their cause – all without revealing their identities.

Fed up with the dress code and other rules, a secret student meeting was held in the Room of Requirement by students, infiltrated by the Polyjuice'd ex-staff members, where a plan was concocted: they needed to document what was happening by any means necessary and deliver the evidence to the proper authorities. When April changed to May, all of the evidence left the school by means of the Whomping Willow passage and in the hands of Regina Hawthorne in her teenage disguise by aid of Ancient Runes professor Katrina Sabra. The other Polyjuiced professors remained to keep an eye on things and make sure no one suspected that anything was going on and to ensure the students stay safe...though this did not go according to plan. Seeing the unrest and uprisings initiated by some of these Polyjuiced professors, Scrimgeour and those whom he had hired responded to all the troublemakers as they saw fit ... which got out of hand. New Care of Magical Creatures professor Aleksandur Petrov tortured the creatures dwelling in the barns on the grounds as well as several students outside of his hut and Ainsworth assaulted students in the Great Hall with Stinging Hexes, just to name a few. Scrimgeour seemed willing to turn a blind eye to these, leaving his hired staff with nothing more than a firm warning

Until the End-of-Term feast, that is. Strutting into the Great Hall Regina Hawthorne made her triumphant return to Howarts with her own letter of dismissal for Scrimgeour and his lackies. The professors hidden among the students (Kennedy, Wayland, and Stewart) also had their identities revealed as the Polyjuice Potion wore off and they, along with Hawthorne, ascended the staff dais to reclaim their positions.


Term 49 | Term 50 | Term 51