Chapter 532 - Final Appointing Ⅱ (2/2)
Bathsheda makes a wry face at Minerva and says, ”We all make fun of Slughorn for his parties and favors, but strangely enough Slytherin works rather well like clockwork. There aren't too many rules in place that I know of and most likely there are several unspoken rules, but I'd like to borrow a few.”
”Which are?' Minerva curiously asked.
”After a rather long-winded discussion with Horace, I was able to discover a few practices that might aide me,” Bathsheda explained. ”Number one, first and second years are on the lowest floors near to the common room entrance. And the older the students the further they are moved up in the dormitories. After their third year, all Slytherins are moved further up the dormitories to make room for the new year's. The third years do not move again until their sixth year with the sixth and seventh years being the furthest away from the common rooms.”
Minerva's eyes blink in astonishment as she actually mutters, 'That is actually a rather brilliant practice. The older years which we usually worry about getting into the most mischievous of things must make their way down the entire Gryffindor tower, and have the fifth-year prefects between them and the exit.”
”Exactly,” Bathsheda said in satisfaction. ”Next, the Prefects actually do their jobs. And do not give me excuses, Minerva, Gryffindor Prefects tend to become rather distracted at times or worse abandon the younger years as finals approach. Slytherin Prefects know to fulfill their duties, no matter what time of year it is. Thankfully, I managed to select a similar pair from Gryffindor with said characteristics.”
”I will admit that is indeed the case at times,” Minerva stiffly acknowledged.
”And lastly, for the time being, house unity,” Bathsheda said. ”From what Horace explained to me is that it is not that all of the Slytherin student get along as we have always initially believed, but rather it is an unspoken rule among them that no matter what happens inside the Slytherin quarters to never air the dirty laundry in public, and to always try act a united front no matter what their personal differences might be.”
”Well, I can see how that might be useful,” Minerva mused out loud. ”However, in this instance the question is how to inspire or create such house unity, Bathshda?”
”I haven't quite figured it out yet,” Bathsheba admitted. ”But I thought in the meantime to start by holding a monthly house meeting for the students to air their differences or ideas.”
”That is certainly a promising start,” Minerva replied with a proud nod, before rising to her feet. ”I must be going the Hogwarts letters are not yet done, and they will shortly be going out.”
”Of course,” Bathsheda muttered under breath, before taking a sip of her now cold tea. She really should not have chattered as much causing her tea to be cold now. With a sigh, she gulped down the cold tea, and numbly stuffed the broken bits of biscuits into her mouth. Her only consolation is that dinner is not that far off.
On the bright side, her conversation with Minerva proved illuminating proving that she was indeed on the correct path. Of course, that was only if she was able to bring her plans into fruition. Turning her attention back to the parchments filled with names, she quickly began to partner up first year children and the transfers with at least two already experienced years of their same year in a dorm. It was something that she had not mentioned to Minerva but was copying from Horace. It was a fairly good idea, which she was going to borrow and use!