Chapter Text
Original author: N.H. Kleinbaum
The Dead Poets Society
Original title: Dead Poets Society
In the great hall of Hogwarts School, a private school hidden in the Scottish Highlands, sat more than three hundred boys.
Dressed in their school blazers and surrounded by proud parents and guardians, the boys waited for the ceremony to begin.
A bagpipe sounded, and a short, elderly man in a cassock entered, lit a candle, and began the procession, composed of students carrying flags, teachers, and alumni, which proceeded down the hallway toward the chapel.
The four boys carrying the flags marched to the stage, followed slowly by the older men, the last of whom held the lit candle with pride.
Severus Snape, the new headmaster, a thin man in his early thirties, stood on the podium, watching the people present with a stern gaze.
-Ladies and gentlemen... - he said dramatically, pointing toward the man carrying the candle - the light of wisdom.
The audience applauded politely as the short, very short man slowly advanced with the candle. The bagpiper moved to the corner of the podium and the four flag bearers lowered their flags, which read: Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence, and joined the rest of the audience.
The man holding the candle walked to the front row of the audience, where the youngest students were seated, each with an unlit candle in their hands. Slowly, he bent down and lit the first boy's candle with his own.
-The light of wisdom will be passed from the older to the younger, - he declared, as each boy lit his neighbor's candle.
- Ladies and gentlemen, dear students... This year marks the
centennial of Hogwarts School. One hundred years ago, forty-one boys sat in this room and were asked the same question that is now asked at the beginning of each semester.
Snape's gaze swept across the room filled with young, intense, and frightened boys.
-Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?
The noise of the students getting up broke the tense silence. Sixteen-year-old Ronald Weasley, one of the few boys not wearing a school blazer, hesitated as the boys around him stood up. His mother smiled encouragingly at him, and a few seats away, his older brothers, the twins, flashed him mischievous smiles. The boy had a tense, unhappy expression, his eyes dark with anger, and he watched the others in silence as they shouted in unison: Tradition! Honor! Discipline! Excellence!
Snape nodded his head in approval, and the boys sat back down. When the sound of chairs scraping across the floor stopped, the chapel was filled with silence.
-In the first year, five students graduated from here. Last year, fifty-one students received their diplomas, and of those, 75% went on to important positions at the Ministry
The proud parents congratulated Snape's efforts, filling the room with thunderous applause. Two of the boys who had carried the banners, Dean Thomas and his friend Seamus Finnigan, both sixteen, applauded as well. Both wore the academy blazer and, sitting among their parents, were the embodiment of what the school wanted. Dean had short, curly hair, an outgoing smile, and an athletic build. Seamus had a funny face and the air of a boy who could accidentally blow something up.
-A success of this magnitude,- continued the Headmaster, - is the result of fervent dedication to the principles taught. It is for this reason that parents continue to send their children to Hogwarts, and it is for this reason that we are the best secondary school in Europe!- Snape paused for the applause that followed.
—New students, the secret to your success lies in the four pillars. And this applies as much to first-year students as it does to those who have transferred from other schools.
Ron cringed at the mention of transfer students; it sounded as if they were talking about him directly.
-The four pillars are the four words that constitute the
motto of this school and will become the principles of your lives.
Candidate for the Ministry's high office: Draco Malfoy, - Snape called.
One of the boys who had carried one of the banners jumped to his feet.
-Headmaster! - said Draco, whose father, sitting beside him,
was pride personified.
-Draco, what is Tradition? - Tradition, Headmaster, is love for the school, the country, and the family. The tradition of Hogwarts School is to be the best!
-Very good, Draco. Ministry candidate: Justin Finch-Fletchley, what is Honor?
Draco sat back down, sitting up straight, while his father flashed a superior smile.
-Honor is dignity and the fulfillment of duty! -the boy replied.
-Very good. Ministry candidate: Dean Thomas.
Dean, who had also carried one of the banners, stood up.
-Yes, Headmaster.
-What is Discipline?
-Discipline is respect for parents, teachers, and the Headmaster. Discipline comes from within.
-Thank you, Thomas. Candidate for honorary Ministry: Harry Potter.
Dean sat down, smiling. His parents, seated on either side of him, gave him encouraging pats on the back.
Harry Potter stood up. The left side of his blazer, above the pocket, was covered with merit badges. The teenager stood up obediently and fixed a furious gaze on the Headmaster.
-Excellence, Potter.
-Excellence is the result of hard work- Potter replied in a loud, monotone voice. -Excellence is the key to success, in school as in life.
The young man sat back down and stared at the floor. Beside him, his uncle remained seated, as if made of stone and very serious, seeming to want to ignore his nephew. Ron thought Snape didn't seem to like the boy very much because his tone became even colder, but it could have been just his impression.
-Gentlemen, at Hogwarts School, you will work harder than ever before, and your reward will be the success we all expect of you. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce your new English teacher, Mr. Remus Lupin, who is taking the place of our beloved Professor Lockhart, who retired this year. Lupin, one of our former students, one of the best, and in recent years has been teaching at the highly regarded Ilvermorny School in Massachusetts, USA.
Ron, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, noticed that the Headmaster was speaking of the new professor with a feigned disdain.
Remus Lupin, sitting with the other faculty members, leaned forward slightly in acknowledgment of the introduction. Lupin was under forty, tall, with light brown hair and eyes, and an almost extraordinary aura about him. He looked academic and respectable, but Harry's uncle eyed the new English teacher suspiciously.
-To conclude our welcome ceremony, I would like to call to the podium our former headmaster, who is retiring but never leaving the legacy of our school, Mr. Albus Percival Dumbledore.
The audience stood up, applauding in admiration, and the old headmaster, very old if you ask most of the students present, stood up, proudly refusing help, and much more quickly than expected, made his way to the podium.
There, he gave a beautiful but irritatingly long speech. Ron paid no attention, too preoccupied with what was to come, and Harry was neither distracted nor really paying attention, but the end of the speech caught his attention.
-And finally, to the young people with bright futures, remember that for a well-organized mind, death is just the next great adventure, but always remember to make the most of life and take advantage of every opportunity given to you, such as being here at this school. Have a great school year, everyone!
And so, the ceremony ended. The students and parents, one after the other, left the chapel into the cold outside.