A Headmaster other than Albus

[oryx_leucoryx]

So here is an idea for an AU scenario. Anyone is free to develop it into a fic, but we can just discuss the what-if:

Sometime between November 2nd 1981 and July 1991 Albus Dumbledore died suddenly. Maybe in some magical mishap, maybe a sudden heart attack, whatever. The important bit is he didn't expect this to happen and had no time to do any ad-hoc cover-ups nor did he have a chance to influence the choice of his replacement or to incorporate his death into some plot. The permanent replacement is chosen by the Board of Governors. If this happens early enough Lucius isn't yet on the board, if later he is on, but probably still trying to earn a reputation as an outstanding member of society who would have never joined forces with Voldemort willingly so I don't think he'd support anyone blatantly against the inclusion of Muggleborns. Anyway, the replacement turns out to be someone not as outwardly impressive as Dumbles - not so showy, with perhaps average or slightly above average magical performance, but a capable administrator with good organizational and interpersonal skills, but most importantly someone who cares about the students' well-being and education. It can be someone from Slughorn's network or even someone who thought well of Albus as long as s/he didn't have a chance to look too closely at how Hogwarts was run, but definitely not an Order member or any other close associate of Dumbles. Maybe an older, more experienced and less idealistic version of Percy.

The members of the Hogwarts staff are as we know them in PS (Care of Magical Creatures is taught by Kettleburn, Hagrid is still a groundskeeper), except for DADA. Depending on timing, Quirrell might be the Muggle Studies teacher. I think the DADA curse should still be active, so the teachers are still being replaced annually (we don't want the new school Head to have it too easy).

So I think this new person shows up and tries to run Hogwarts like a normal school. Some teachers object because that's not the way it was always done, some are relieved to have a professional in charge for a change. The handling of disciplinary matters changes. The inter-House politics change.

And then in the summer of 1991 Quirrell comes back from a sabbatical with a personally transplant. And one Harry Potter oddly doesn't reply to his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. (I doubt the new Head had a reason to look into Harry's situation of hir own initiative earlier, but maybe someone can make a convincing argument for that?) So what now?

Comments

[oryx_leucoryx]

Since Tom got away then no, the whole thing was pointless. I don't believe Albus cared about Quirrell and wanted to free him, he never does anything similar. The closest is that claim that the Order could hide the Malfoys from Voldemort if Draco only agreed - and IMO the claim was empty, especially regarding Narcissa, since as far as we know Voldemort was living in her house.

Albus succeeded in getting Quirrellmort into his trap and in arriving there, but he didn't manage to capture Vapormort.

The best explanation I have ever seen for the trap scheme is that the mirror was supposed to trap Voldie's soul. It has no support in canon, but it is a folk belief about the power of mirrors (for example among Jews there is a custom to cover all mirrors in a house where a dead body is lying, apparently to prevent the departed soul from getting trapped there). I doubt Rowling thought about it because when she wrote the story she already knew Tom had to escape so she didn't even bother to make Albus appear to have a plan that made sense, because it was not going to work. But that's really not how to write character-driven stories. A story should be written such that at least each of the major characters would appear to be acting with motivations that are consistent with how the world looks from that character's POV. So while Rowling knew Albus' plan was going to fail, he did not, so he should behave like he was trying to make his plan work. And if it was too early for Harry to hear about it then it should have come up in a later book.

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

I doubt Rowling thought about it because when she wrote the story she already knew Tom had to escape so she didn't even bother to make Albus appear to have a plan that made sense, because it was not going to work. But that's really not how to write character-driven stories. A story should be written such that at least each of the major characters would appear to be acting with motivations that are consistent with how the world looks from that character's POV.

That, right there, is Rowling's greatest flaw. (Which is quite saying something.)

I call it her 'tunnel vision'. Which is, like most of her other mistakes, most visible in DH, where the pressure was on and she failed on most counts. Harry (and Ron and Hermione) go from A to B to C ... and they almost never explore their options. Consider what else they could be doing. Because Rowling didn't want them to. Or because she just didn't think of it herself; she had her plot worked out - A, B, C - and, by design or incompetence, never thought about what her characters might think about it.

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

A story should be written such that at least each of the major characters would appear to be acting with motivations that are consistent with how the world looks from that character's POV

Yesss, this exactly. It's a major problem she has, not just in one book or one situation, but all the damn time.

I was thinking CoS probably erred the least in this regard- but even in this book, there's the wtf-ery of Harry and Ron insisting on Lockhart accompanying them to save Ginny. O.o So the kids FINALLY go to a teacher for help, but they pick the one they KNOW is an incompetent fraud?! It's one thing if Hermione were there with her crush on the man to cloud her judgment, but they've sneered at him from the start and that's their choice?!

Then again, I think it had to be him so that he'd try to overpower them and thus take Ron out of the equation- because he had to stay behind to mind Lockhart, y/n? Or at least, his wand was completely destroyed (as opposed to being 99% ruined, which, how could a student go throughout the whole year with their most important tool being broken and nothing's done?!) so he couldn't go on with Harry, leaving him to be the hero forging valiantly forth on his own. *eyeroll*