Dean Thomas

[alt_arthur]

I spent a very frustrating morning closeted with the administrators at Epping Forest, finalising the parchmentwork to officially change young Dean Thomas’ legal status to halfblood. It took some knocking together of heads, but I think we have worked out most of the kinks. I have been quite anxious to get this all resolved as quickly as possible, as I had arranged with the Headmistress of Hogwarts to have the boy join the rising second years on the camping trip which is being held next week. The transition, of course, may be quite difficult for him, but the camping trip might help him begin to make some friends under less formal circumstances, at least, before school begins. There has been some uncertainty as to whether he should be put with the other children his own age, even though he has missed his first year, or classed with the new first years. In the end, after I discussed the boy’s history with his work supervisors, it was tentatively decided to group him with his own age cohorts.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I interviewed the boy myself for a half hour. Of course, there are substantial deficits in his education—-he will need to be tutored in transfiguration, flying, astronomy, and history of magic. But he is quite bright and is willing to work very hard, according to the healers who have been supervising him in the infirmary where he has worked for the past four years. Unlike many mudbloods of his age, he is able to read and figure perfectly well, which is part of the reason he was selected to work in the infirmary in the first place. (Apparently, his mother was a schoolteacher and tutored him herself, until his magic manifested when he was eight, and he was officially classed as a mudblood and taken away from his family.) Since he has been assisting healers, he has a working knowledge that is quite as strong as that of any other first year of Herbology and Potions and even Charms (although limited to healing charms, mostly, naturally).

He will be leaving Epping Forest this weekend with one of the employees of the Department of Purity Control, who will take him to London and assist him in buying his wand. From there, I believe he will join the rest of the children leaving for the camping trip on Monday. I'll ask my boys Ron and Percy to watch out for him. I believe that he will continue on to Hogwarts with Professor Sinistra after the camping trip is over, where the professors will have the opportunity to assess him further and give him a bit of a crash course before the other students arrive. I imagine the final decision as to whether he will be grouped with the first or second years can be made then.

Comments

[alt_ron]

Yeah, I told my dad the same.

I was thinking we should have room in our tent since we didn't ask for a full tent, anyway, so I asked Dad if he could owl Professor Sinistra to see if Thomas could be in with us. I mean, can you imagine if he got stuck in with Malfoy? or with Smith?

I was thinking if he's got his wand already, we could catch him up on charms. And then I remembered that with you helping, he might just learn to blow holes in the roof!

Kidding, mate!

I wonder if he'll have much trouble learning what to do with a broom? I guess if he does, Neville can make him feel better about that!

So. Are you bringing your Snap! cards? (They're a lot better than any we've got at home is all. Y'know, louder and wilder. Ours have got kind of tired, I think.) What else are you planning to bring? I got some things from the twins that should be fun to try out!

[alt_padma]

You're welcome to him. I'm glad he's a boy and none of us girls have to have him in with us.

Still, I suppose it's better to find out and put him back where he belongs. But suppose he's learned all sorts of bad habits with the other mudbloods?

[alt_ron]

So you're coming, then?

Thought maybe you wouldn't.

[alt_seamus]

Then he'll unlearn them. Because he's a half-blood. Not a mudblood. Its a really big difference.

[alt_seamus]

Of course I'm bringing my snap cards! And yeah its fine if he's in with us. Definately. Do you think the grownups will be cross if we start him learning how to ride a broom? All the first years passed in the end. Even Neville. So he'll have to do that with the first years even if he's in with us.

[alt_sally_anne]

Too bad they can't foster him with the Woods for the rest of the summer, Oliver would get him caught right up.

[alt_neville]

Too right!

[alt_sally_anne]

I expect he'll have to have flying lessons with the first years even if he's in with us the rest of the time. It'll make for an odd schedule but it's an odd situation. Imagine living for years thinking you were a mudblood and then finding out you'd been a halfblood all along.

[alt_ron]

Yeah, but if he's quick at it, he won't have to do it for long. That's what I'm thinking. If we can teach him enough while we're on the trip, he could test out on the first day. Maybe they'd let him do it before the firsties come, even. Dad says he's going from Cornwall straight to school, so he'll have a chance to do some extra lessons and stuff before anyone else gets there.

[alt_sally_anne]

I don't think he'll have enough time on the camping trip to practice as much as he'll need to test out.

I mean if you looked around at flying lessons the first day, you could pick out who'd been on a broom a lot (you, Finnigan, Draco, Harry) and who'd been on one a little (Patil, Brown, Pansy) and who'd never used one before (me, Neville, Bundy). The ones who'd flown a lot all tested out by October. The people who'd flown some mostly tested out before winter hols. The ones who'd never flown before were taking lessons until spring.

I mean maybe he'll have some sort of natural gift but have you ever seen that happen with something like flying on a broom?

[alt_ron]

Well, yeah. I guess you're right about that.

[alt_neville]

Your right. Even if he's behind our year a lot, there's a good chance he'll be better than me at flying anyway. And EVERYONE's better than me at Transfiguratiohn. Hope that'll make him feel better!

(If you've got stuff from the twins, I hope it doesn't set fire to the tent around our ears!)

[alt_ron]

Oh, I didn't mean we'd use it in our tent. You'll see!