Revision to Hogwarts curriculum

[alt_antonin]

A revised booklist has now been sent to students and parents and I've seen confirmation that at least some owls have arrived. No doubt, many individuals are quite confused; please allow me a moment to address some of the concerns I'm certain many may have.

Those for whom my name is unfamiliar: I am Antonin Dolohov, Our Lord's true and loyal servant and former ambassador-at-large from the Protectorate to wizarding governments of the world.

Over the years, Our Lord has often inspired me with His vision for the future of our nation, particularly regarding the study of the noble and ancient magics known to many by the name of "the Dark Arts". For many years before Our Lord came to power, misguided notions and incomplete information about the Noble Arts have caused people to fear and shun their use. True strength, however, lies in confronting outdated superstition and in understanding, embracing, and working to improve one's own abilities and affinities, which cannot be done when an entire subject of study still lingers under the shameful taint of decades -- centuries -- of mistrust. Our Lord has long wished for the study of the Noble Arts to regain its proper lustre, and I am pleased to serve as the instrument of His will, in this as in all else.

To that end, I write to announce a revision to the Hogwarts curriculum. My classroom door will be open to -- and my class required for -- all students who pass through Hogwarts' gates, beginning with this school year with some few exceptions. There will, no doubt, be a brief (and regrettable) period of disruption as we transition to the new requirements; however, I will do my utmost to minimise the disturbance and enable Our Lord's vision for a safe, strong, well-educated generation of youth marching forth into our collective future.

Parents, I eagerly await the chance to meet each of your children and assist them, on both their academic journey and the path of personal discovery each student of the Arts will find himself upon. Please allow me to reassure the trepidation that inevitably arises from unexpected change: the welfare of your children is my primary concern, and I have years of experience in mentoring students of the Arts to develop self-control over mind and body both. When properly supervised, study of the Noble Arts is rewarding, illuminating, and perfectly safe. If you have any questions at all about the curriculum I have designed and Our Lord and the Hogwarts Board of Governors have approved, I am reachable by owl and by journal. A student is best served by teacher and parent working together; I look forward to allowing that partnership to flourish.

Anyone seeking to expand their familiarity with the Noble Arts and what their effective study entails may wish to obtain a copy of Khātūn's Omnium mortalum (once, alas, the bookstore is able to locate sufficient quantities, which may be some time) or Salieri Brambell's A Tool In Hand, both of which are excellent introductions to the subject and its many facets.

To some practicalities:

• For those sixth and seventh year students who have had no previous instruction in the Noble Arts: we have decided the disruption to your studies and to the school as a whole would be too severe to require the class now without allowing for a grounding in basic principles. However, the list of texts has been sent to you as optional reading, and you are encouraged to join in the extracurricular enrichment and the evening and weekend gatherings I will be hosting, should you wish to make up for lost time. Please do make free of my open hours, whether registered for my classes or not. I am here to educate and serve.

• Sixth and seventh year students: I must apologize in advance for the difficulty I anticipate the bookstore will have in filling all orders immediately. They have not yet been able to acquire sufficient copies of Wierus's Musaeum mallificarum cardinalium, or an acceptable translation of ibn Waḥšīya's Commentaries Upon 'Intra profundis'. (To accomodate the delay, we will begin our term with the Clements-Chichester and Calidus.) If your head of family will allow you to bring personal or familial copies of any of the required texts, please do so, and save the bookstore copies for those who are not as fortunate. If you have spare, non-heirloom copies whose potential loss would not be a tragedy, please consider lending them to your classmates.

• For those entering their third year, your timetables have been revised to reflect that my class is now a core requirement, not an elective, for third year and above. Those of you who feel, or whose guardians feel, this overburdens your schedule will be permitted to choose one elective from which to withdraw. As with the NEWT texts, the bookstore has been unable to acquire Khātūn's Omnium mortalium. (To accomodate the delay, we will begin with Brandt et al.'s Introduction to....) As above, if you have your own copies of any of the texts, please bring them with you, and please consider lending any spare copies to your classmates.

• Fourth and fifth year students: though my own Hogwarts years are (well) behind me, I am wholly sympathetic to the shock of such last-minute upheaval to your plans for the year, particularly for those of you preparing for OWLs. Please do not worry: my curriculum is designed to be accessible to all, including those who have had no previous formal study. I will be entirely reasonable in my requirements of you. My love for my chosen field runs deeply, and I shall do my best to instill that love in you as well. I hope to reassure you at our first meeting that my class will be nowhere near as dreadful as you may be fearing.

• To all who are new to the subject: in recognition of the sad truth the Noble Arts do not answer readily to the hands of all wizards, my class will -- though now required for all -- be divided into options for theoretical study and practical application. Each student will elect the course of study best suited to his interests, affinities, and future plans. No one will be penalized for an unfortunate difficulty with the wandwork who is willing to apply himself to the theoretical understanding.

I leave you with one small piece of good news: the booklist for the fourth and fifth year students is entirely in stock.

Comments

Private message to Antonin Dolohov

[alt_sinistra]

Good afternoon - I admit that I’m struggling with the etiquette here, so I hope you don’t mind my leaping directly into professional-colleague mode. First, welcome to the Hogwarts staff. I had the opportunity to hear quite a lot about you from the Malfoys and Lestranges this past weekend (all clearly delighted at your return, and your new teaching role.)

I do want to ask - having heard half a dozen names used for you the past few days - what do you prefer as a general rule? Generally, the staff are on a first name basis, with a little variation. I’m Aurora mostly, except for Raz, who calls me Rory unless we’re being formal. (You may already know, but Raz and I are recently engaged to be married, rather to the startlement of many of his friends and relations, and our mutual pleasure.)

But I should move on to the actual reasons I’m writing. First, I've been at Hogwarts long enough (this is my eighth year) to both remember all the things no one tells you when you begin teaching, and to know many of the answers. Where the supplies cabinets hide themselves, the best times to make some requests of the house elves, tricks to managing a class of students, and any number of others.

And while I’m far less familiar with your subject than I probably should be, I’ve a good sense of the length of assignment or complexity that may work best a given year of students. (Though you’re spared the generally atrocious spelling and writing skills of the first years, there is an art to creating meaningful assignments that can still be marked in a reasonable amount of time.)

Likewise, I was until recently head of the planning committee for the Young Protectors’ League, so I’ve had the chance to work with many of our students (and particularly our fourth and fifth years) in a variety of settings outside of my own beloved subject. If my experience with any of the above can be of use as you settle in, please do ask.

Second, a delicate matter. While I know you must have excellent reasons for the booklist you chose, I’ve already had a question or two from students whose family finances are carefully planned, wondering how they’ll manage the new lists on such short notice. (And it’s worse for our halfblood students in fostering: the stipends they get are wholly inadequate cover only the barest basics.)

Coming from a large family where money was sometimes delicately balanced, I’m also very aware of the awkwardness children can feel in approaching a professor - especially an unknown one - directly on this topic, so I thought I might inquire. I’m sure you must have some plan (especially given your other apparent supply issues), and I’m glad to help spread the word of your preferred solution with worried students if you’d like.

I hate to take your time further, so I’ll end here. Raz and I intend to be back at Hogwarts either Wednesday or Thursday, but we both have a few final tasks in New London and I’m hoping for a bit more research time in the Astronomy Guild library. Again, welcome, and I look forward to meeting you in person.

Aurora Sinistra