Dudley Dursley, the very same chap who lived in Privet Drive, was laying out his grand plan to Professor Dumbledore and a stone-faced Snape. He was proposing a new body at Hogwarts: the "Disciplinary Committee."
This committee, Dudley explained, would be responsible for school discipline, like a beefed-up prefect system. Dumbledore, with a thoughtful twinkle in his eye, initially mistook it for the prefects' duties, but Dudley quickly set him straight.
"No, Professor," Dudley said. "This committee would be above the prefects, able to oversee their work and watch over all four houses, not just one."
He even suggested they could discipline professors who acted improperly, a power not even Deputy Headmistress McGonagall possessed. This would ensure that only the best witches and wizards taught at Hogwarts, kicking out those who didn't measure up. Dudley's proposal essentially laid out an all-encompassing oversight group, which he wanted to lead, answering only to the headmaster.
Dumbledore, who'd stopped referring to him as a mere lad, saw the ambition and intelligence in Dudley. He noticed how he resembled someone he knew, someone who also liked to hide his true intentions. Yet, Dudley was quite open about his goals.
"Of course I have ambition," Dudley admitted, "but all I want is to live a quiet life here, with Harry and Hermione, and stay safe."
Dudley then challenged Dumbledore, reminding him of a conversation they had before term began. "You told me Hogwarts was safe. But I've been here for months now, and I can tell you it's not safe at all. In fact, it's dangerous."
Dumbledore was taken aback. "Dangerous? Why would you say that?"
"Besides the awful teaching and poor morale, there's a dangerous man who disappeared a decade ago," Dudley said, referring to Voldemort without using his name. "Everyone thinks Harry killed him, but if I were him, I'd come back to kill Harry first." Dudley, who'd studied criminal justice in the Muggle world, believed the wizarding world was fooling itself by assuming Voldemort was truly gone.
Dumbledore looked at him seriously, his eyes narrowing. "So, what are you going to do?"
Holding up three fingers, Dudley laid out his plan. "I'm only going to do three things. Fairness, fairness, and bloody fairness. Just like I did at St. George's Primary. And I'll unite everyone I can."
Snape just stood there, unblinking, taking in every word.
Dumbledore, however, wasn't ready to give his answer right away. "That's a lot of power you're asking for, Dudley," he said, taking a lemon drop. "I'll have to think on it. It's a huge undertaking, and a headmaster can't just hand out that kind of authority."
Dudley left the office, thinking to himself that Dumbledore's excuse was a load of rubbish. He had his own opinions on just how much power the headmaster really had.
After Dudley was gone, Dumbledore turned to Snape. "What do you think of him, Severus? Dudley Dursley?"
Do you think Dumbledore will agree to Dudley's plan?