"Minerva told me something similar. I am currently trying to find a family to take Harry in." Dumbledore said.
"Don't try that. He will only accept a place to stay that he chose, not anybody else. He won't let himself be forced to live anywhere where he doesn't feel safe again. He will run away if you try that. And face it, he has inherited enough money to do it and he can vanish in the muggle world without any problem, getting tutors for magic. The boy is at a crossroad. You are very lucky that Minerva got to him before anything really bad happened. Her actions could be what hold him in Britain or at least the wizarding world. Give him options what is possible and let him choose what he wants. He is currently reading up on European magical schools. He will choose the one that offers him the best education. I know that he isn't sure if he should go to one of the muggle schools that offered him scholarships or attend a magical school yet. He is collecting information to weigh the advantages of both against each other.
"So even if he chooses Hogwarts, I would advise you to get the staff cleaned up. You know that you have problems with some teachers, especially Severus Snape. I know he and James Potter were bitter enemies. With his normal behaviour to all students that are not Slytherins, he has already harmed the prospective applicants for the auror and healer jobs. Get him under control. I have nothing against him being strict, but outright bullying and degrading of students by a teacher is something that shouldn't be allowed to happen at a school. And perhaps you should replace Binns as well. I heard from many patients that come in and talk about their lessons at Hogwarts that he is only good for taking naps in class. They recommended getting him to cure insomnia patients." Reggam advised.
Dumbledore pondered what Healer Reggam had said. It was important that Harry came to Hogwarts. He (Dumbledore) was the only one that knew the whole prophecy that Sybill Trelawney had made. And from his spies he knew that Voldemort wasn't dead. He had survived, even if he was more or less powerless at the moment. He needed to be there to guide the boy and that would only work if he got Harry's trust. Which would now obviously be more difficult than he ever thought. He wasn't used to letting people make their own decisions. Most people just followed his advice. But if Junius Reggam was this sure about Harry's reaction, he would need to do it that way.
.....
Harry had just finished the information about Durmstrang and didn't think that it would be the right school for him. While it was one of the leading schools of magic in Europe they were too racist in his eyes, not letting muggleborns into the school and favouring the purebloods. Then there was the fact that Durmstrang taught the Dark Arts. He had a rational opinion in that field from what little he had managed to find out so far. You needed to know about them to defend yourself against whatever an opponent could be able to throw at you, but if you really wanted to, you could reach your goals without resorting to gruesome spells. It was the same for weapons in the muggle world. Magic was nothing but a weapon that could be used for good or for evil. And of course the grey parts that many liked to not mention, but he knew about perfectly thanks to having to live in the grey areas to survive so far.
After the magical outburst, as he now knew it had been, when he was nine, he had been able to ignore the commands of the Dursleys thanks to them being afraid. Before that he had started already to find ways to get what he wanted and needed. Nothing that could be called illegal, but using information he gathered from observation to have his classmates or older children in Little Whinging keep silent about things he didn't want the Dursleys to know had worked well for him. They for example didn't need to know that he regularly spent time in the library reading up on topics far above his class level.
He would have to start collecting information on important people in the magical world too if he wanted to get to the top here. Not that he would forget about the advantages some things the normal world offered. Seeing people writing with quills was so backwards. No, considering all those factors Durmstrang was a definite no. Next was Beauxbatons. Their course plan was very similar to the one Hogwarts offered. A main difference was that at Beauxbatons the OWLs were taken at the end of sixth year instead of fifth year. That had both advantages and disadvantages. Students had one more year to prepare for their OWLs, but it also lessened the time you could concentrate on your NEWTs. The main question was which ones would be more important for your career plans and how the material was taught. If the French OWLs included some of the material that was needed for the NEWTs it might work out better than the English model.
Beauxbatons was somewhere in Southern France and the school was an old palace that had been remodelled to become a school. A lot like Hogwarts which was in a castle. Beauxbatons also had mandatory classes in traditions and etiquette. Not necessarily a disadvantage. Being able to fit in with high society was always good. Beauxbatons also allowed all kinds of students. They didn't discriminate against those with creature heritage or muggleborns. But the school was following a really strict code of behaviour. It seemed very restricting to him.
There were also schools in other countries, but their options for classes weren't as wide spread as the ones the three leading schools offered. For Harry it wouldn't matter if he went to Hogwarts or Beauxbatons if he chose a magical school. He spoke both English and French. After his deputy headmistress had taught him German for a year, he had wanted to add another language. Being able to communicate in two countries that were part of the G7 was useful for a boy like him who wanted to get to the top. So he had asked her if she knew a way for him to also learn French. He reasoned that as a teacher she would probably know someone.
He had been right and she introduced him to an old fellow student from her university time who was teaching at a school in a neighbouring district. It only took Harry twenty minutes with the bus to get there. Mr Smith was a teacher at the secondary school of the district and offered additional courses for students that were interested in learning French. Harry was by far the youngest at nine and a half years of age, but he was one of the fastest learners there. So by now he had had a bit more than one year of French lessons and could communicate fairly well. If he chose Beauxbatons the rest would come to him quickly. Having to speak a language all the time would take care of that. The only problem was that he would like to have more time for his decision. He needed to accept any offer for his schooling by the end of July. Only twelve days remaining. And he still didn't know if any American Schools were better suited for his goals.
.....
Do you want to read the next chapter then join my p@treon for free.
Paid members can get more than 60 chapters.
Link: [email protected]/GalaxyWonder