Discussion of Terms Ⅲ

All the gazes of the board members return to Chairman Malfoy with the exception of Phillip Relec. Lucius is a bit miffed at being so rudely ignored, but secretly writes down the slight in his mind to painfully return. 

"As previously discussed, Physical Education will be an added requirement to the school curriculum for this upcoming year. My wife's distant cousins, Thurman and Harmon Black, have graciously agreed to cover the courses. They will be introducing an assortment of activities including a foot-ball club that is also called footie."

The board members recall the previous explanation provided by Francesca De Leon, whose eyes sparkle with excitement. She dearly hoped that if the Football Club became popular club activities might be permitted such as attending a football match during the holidays! She would gladly volunteer to chaperone the kiddies, if it meant that the glorious sport finally received its proper recognition at Hogwarts! And well, it couldn't hurt to gently prod a few students to the direction of her team.

Moving to the pertaining matters on the agenda, Lucius Malfoy says, "Now there are two items to discuss this evening. The first is regarding Rubeus Hagrid, the groundskeeper of Hogwarts."

The board members look confused at the topic. The groundskeeper had been cleared of his former crime and was now legally allowed to possess a wand. Last they knew, the groundskeeper of Hogwarts had been apprenticed to Professor Kettleburn in the Care of Magical Creatures.

"With the successful completion of his apprenticeship and the reunification with his mother, the new Gurg of the Giants," Lucius Malfoy frowned at the mere thought of giants. "Rubeus Hagrid has elected to transfer overseas to Beauxbaton's as their new Professor of Care of Magical Creatures. We will need to find a new groundskeeper before the start of the school year."

"Ah, yes," Earl Porter rubbed his double chin. "I did hear that is one of the reasons why an emergency meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards is being held. There is ample discussion of what reparations the giants must pay for their involvement in the war, but also the possibility of creating a giant reserve for giants to inhabit freely and safely."

"Yes, well, the groundskeeper position is not exactly a sought-out position," Frederick Livingstone furrowed his busy brows and shook his wild hair. "I fear that we may have trouble filling the position on such short notice." He pointedly ignored the glance from Earl Porter and simply pretended he was blind.

"It would seem a prudent incentive to increase the wages for the position or even possibly split the position into two positions, if necessary," Secundus Wilkes prudently suggested knowing full well that the position of the groundskeeper would be difficult to fill since the groundskeeper is required to live at Hogwarts as part of the term of their duties.

The board members nodded their heads in agreement. The groundskeeper position was a difficult position to fill, especially on such short notice. They might not just have a choice.

"Yes, it may very well come to that," Lucius Malfoy unhappily acknowledged, before changing the subject matter. "On to the second matter at hand. After the attacks on Hogsmeade and with the influx of students at Hogwarts, the matron of the infirmary Madam Poppy Pomfrey has requested the aid of an attendant."

"An attendant? Whatever for?!" Frederick Livingstone unhappily harrumphed. 

"I believe with so many students attending Hogwarts, the matron can no longer manage the influx of students," Secundus Wilkes wisely remarked on the subject. "It is only common sense that a single healer would be overwhelmed by the absurd high number of patients needing to be treated at any one time. The matron's request is far from outrageous."

Frederick Livingstone arched his bushy brows but did not retort to the opinion made by Secundus Wilkes.

"I for one am in favor of an additional attendant," Walburga Black took the opportunity to speak. "I was present at Hogwarts after the attack to collect a ward of the family. The infirmary was under siege from the staggering number of patients. If not for the aid of the Greengrass descendants, there may have been far worse seriously injured or even more possible fatalities."

"That is most certainly correct," Lucius Malfoy nodded his head causing his curtain of pale blonde hair to sway. "Ames Seymour a successful mediwizard has recently settled down in Hogsmeade and opened a mediwizardy clinic. He currently has seven apprentices serving under him who are all related directly to him as nieces and cousins. All seven apprentices, including Ames Seymour, provided aid at Hogwarts during and after the consequential attack. Countless lives were saved at their hands."

Most of the board members glance at each other and seem to agree with the remark. Ames Seymour was an excellent mediwizard by all accounts. As for his seven apprentices, they are all family and descendants of a Veela. It shows prudence on their part that the seven female Veela descendants elected to apprentice to a family member rather than an outsider. Not all apprentice masters are well mannered and a Veela descendant is often the target of unwanted sexual innuendos.

"I am not opposed to the idea of the clinic contracting to aid the infirmary as needed," Leif Amundsen proposed. "We would not have to offer room or board merely wages since their room and board would be down in Hogsmeade."

"I concur," Maxwell Zheng pursed his lips into a thin smile. "I have had the fortune to meet Ames Seymour and he is a good man. It would be to our benefit to acquire his services."

The majority of the board members agreed with the statement with a few exceptions. 

"That is why I am pleased to say that after careful negotiations, Ames Seymour has agreed to have all seven apprentices to service at Hogwarts on a rotating daily schedule," Lucius Malfoy smugly declared. "One of the seven apprentices will be present each day to serve as an attendant in the infirmary. This will ensure that our resident matron Madam Poppy Pomfrey is not overwhelmed and run ragged by the number of patients in the infirmary."

"Hear, hear," Early Porter excitedly said and rubbed his hands slyly. "Might we be permitted to visit the infirmary as a Board to overview the new apprentices," he slyly winked earning laughter from several wizards.

Several of the witches on the board look rather affronted such as Francesca De Leon. She narrows her bewitching eyes in a devious manner. She would have words with Earl Porter after the meeting. That or she would play a harmless joke on him that would not be embarrassing nor mentally scarring in any form or manner.

Seeing that the board is read, Chairman Malfoy says "We shall commence the casting of the votes. All those in favor of adding a rotating attendant to the infirmary of Hogwarts? Please raise your hands." 

"Aye," the majority of the board answered with only two board members abstaining themselves from the vote including Phillip Relec, who remains rather unusually quiet with his gaze fixated on the ground.

"There you have it, the motion has passed," Chairman Malfoy smartly declared, before dismissing Master Linnaeus, how happily escapes the tedious Hogwarts Board meeting. He had far better things to do than listen to bureaucracy!

The subject turns to more mundane things on the agenda such as whether to add funds to update the castle furnishings to host the emergency session of the International Confederation of Wizardry. It was an argument with no end as some wanted to update the castle furnishings, others argued that it would be wasted on the students. Others went completely off topic wanting to tour the new infirmary and the Chamber of Secrets. Overall, it was a long night with no resolution in the end.