Riddle and the Ancient Contract

Chapter 48 : Buying presents

WWN: Lord Slytherin thank you for appearing on our radio program today. Lord Parkinson made some serious allegations the other day. One thing he mentioned was the upheaval that you and Lady Slytherin have caused.

SLYTHERIN: Thank you for allowing a rebuttal, Mr. Nobs. I heard parts of the broadcast. I'm not certain 'upheaval' is the correct word to use. It is a word designed to cause worry and fear in the populace. What I and my lovely wife want is to get the populace to think, to wake from slumber and quit letting our society stagnate. There is always room for improvement and growth; sometimes you have to shake things up to move forward. His derogatory use of the term halfblood as if that makes us inferior is one of the things we are trying to get rooted out.

WWN: Purebloods have always considered halfbloods and muggleborn inferior.

SLYTHERIN: Another word I dislike...'always'. Very few things have 'always' been a certain way. History is rewritten or forgotten. True for the past several generations purebloods have thought that way, but I doubt they 'always' have. That bigotry was what the last two wars were about. Weren't we, as a society, trying to stamp out the bigotry that forces the majority of our magical citizens into second class citizens with little rights? One can be proud their heritage without considering all others inferior. I shall state clearly that my wife and I are inferior to no one, Mr. Nobs. Having muggle blood in my veins does not make me stupid or weak. In fact, the muggle blood in me comes from Voldemort's side of my genetics not my mother's or grandmother's.

WWN: What?!

SLYTHERIN: *laugh* That's right. All those pureblooded followers of the dark lord Voldemort were bowing down to the son of a muggle man. The point is, though, that as evil as my grandfather was there was no denying his power, his charisma or his intelligence. So, if purebloods have to denigrate and pass laws to keep halfbloods and muggleborn downtrodden in order to appear superior and remain in control then they are not truly superior. A truly superior person would hold the higher position on their merits not their ancestors' coattails.

WWN: That opinion is not going to make you popular, Lord Slytherin.

SLYTHERIN: *laughs* No I suppose not. It is the truth though. If they were truly the cream of the crop as they espouse then they wouldn't fear job reviews in the ministry nor would they have to bypass the interview process and be hired on just because their father or uncle was also employed.

WWN: Well...lets leave that explosive topic and move on. What is your response to Lord Parkinson's demand that oversight return to Hogwarts?

SLYTHERIN: The same oversight that was in place when possessed teachers, trolls, cerberus and basilisks were roaming the halls under Dumbledore's tenure? The same oversight that saw a fourteen year old witch entered into the Tri Wizard tournament that was designed for seventeen year olds and above? The same oversight that hadn't purchased new brooms in forty years and that let scions of noble families fly those destabilized and dangerous brooms? That overpaid themselves and shorted the education of young magicals? I have to wonder if he was on the Board of Governors and was one of the ones lining his pockets with galleons meant to benefit the students. The fact is, though, that as Founders' Heirs, Hogwarts is our home. The Charter clearly states that the Board of Governors existed to oversee the school until the Founders' Heirs returned. They are now defunct not because Hari and I say so, but because the Charter set up by the Founders themselves says so.

WWN: Many parents and their children are upset at all the changes you two have made. Changing the OWLS and NEWTS to International standards has caused a great deal of stress and anger. Why make that change?

SLYTHERIN: Yes, change can be upsetting, but Hogwarts currently stands 26th in International ranking of forty schools and we are slipping further every generation. We are mocked by the magical world. Other countries call us an ignorant, backwater country. They see us as pathetic buffoons. I doubt more than a handful of British magicals could get a job in other countries and those would be the exceptional students who self-study and refuse to settle for the watered down curriculum that was in place. Where is our pride? Are you all truly content to be considered uneducated dunderheads by the rest of the world? Do you truly think it is okay for your children to be so stupid they barely manage to comprehend how to dress themselves so long as they can count their lineage back twenty generations?