Chapter 1

"Still planning on entering the Triwizard illegally, shortstuff?" asked Sextus, lazily.

"Of course," said Lilith, shaking her effulgent locks. "Why not? I thought you realised I'd made up my mind ages ago, you baboon."

"Oh, no reason, I guess; just thinking how young you are. I'd be a bit daunted and I'm nearly two years older than you."

"Meh," said Lilith, "I'm only a year younger than Harry was when he was joint winner, you know, and he was suffering under the disadvantages of being depressed, oppressed, repressed and a whole raft of other –esseds down to and including being close to being possessed by Fishface."

"Well that's true enough," said Sextus. "I suppose if I was slung into it, I'd give it a good try. How are you going to square that conscience of yours about other eager sixers?"

"Child's play," said Lilith, airily, "if an incompetent like Barty Crouch could confuddle the goblet into thinking there was another school, someone who is worthy of being called a witch isn't going to have much trouble."

Sextus accepted this without a murmur; he knew that Lilith's self assessment was fair enough.

"And you'll do the same if I do decide to go for it, so I'm in with a shout?" he asked. "I'm not going to be in age this time I don't think to try legallyish and I'll be left by next, I'm not even sure if you're going to be in age for it next time too. Arithmancy and summer hols doesn't go if there isn't mischief to be had from it."

"Rather," said Lilith, "Be great if we did it jointly and announced our wedding plans then to get all the publicity hidden under the Triwizard crap, though you are out it for next time for sure, which sort of pokes that one in the eye, old bean."

Sextus laughed.

"Makes sense," he said. "I suppose though by then all the post-NEWT students from academies will be jumping in too to that gives me a shot."

Lilith shook her head.

"No, Dad thought of that, partly because he wanted me well squashed, as I'm likely enough to be a perpetual student, he has had a ruling pushed through that nobody whose age is more than 19 at the onset of the competition can take place, with that being disqualification grounds by the organisers so the cup can't be confuddled that way. And that should fix most things. Viktor and Lion both did it in the year after their NEWTs but that would allow for exceptional circumstances like that, oh, and they have a get-out clause which says except where schooling has been interrupted for unforeseen circs, and agreement to be on the part of the other headmasters that such a candidate might put their name in. Like if someone like Dione had to step out for a couple of years 'cos of being raped and having a baby. The Heads of the school have to return a majority agreement, not a unanimous one, so it can't be loused up by someone being difficult."

Sextus nodded.

"Sounds fair; and as a case by case matter, can be agreed on every individual," he said. "By the way, is it tea time yet?"

"No, but let's go and scrounge something from Eduard's elves anyway," said Lilith.

Lilith and Sextus and a selection of other Marauders had elected to attend a symposium hosted by Eduard Von Frettchen at his ducal manor in Prussia, after he had been asked by Frau Kluba, Herbology teacher at Durmstrang, if there was a grant available to study pattern magic in planting, to enhance growth and potioneering efficacy.

Eduard had been much struck by the idea – introduced by the Musical Marauders, now about to move into the fourth in Durmstrang – and had invited every eminent herbologist he could think of, all the herbology teachers he had knowledge of, a selection of potioneers he thought would be interested – including Severus and any relatives he wanted to bring - and invited Rory Staines of the Muggle Marauders, late of Prince Peak, to lead the discussion, with input from his friend Randolph Wright whose speciality was pattern magic.

It may be said that of the two American herbologists, one had retired in high dudgeon and had been forced to leave his elves behind.

The Marauders had taken an instant dislike to this one, and had been secretly pleased that at least his four elves would be freed from the self-punishing compulsion. As they were in Europe, and seeing how harsh Mr Vertenbottom was, it had been Zoltan of the Musical Marauders who had managed to secrete one of Vertenbottom's socks in a pile of hedge clippings the man was bound to call one of his elves to take away after a practical session. They had already ascertained that the elf, who had squealed with delight on discovery of the same, was a half brother of Mr Vertembottom, and firmly explained to the said elf, Bubba, that he was now a free member of the Vertembottom family and could free all the other elves in the family.

Bubba had lost no time in doing so, and indeed, Mr Vertembottom was going to be at a severe herbological disadvantage when he returned to his plantation and discovered that Bubba had freed all the other slaves there, and brought them surreptitiously to Eduard's lands to be taught how to be free and find gainful employment.

Bubba himself was to work at Durmstrang with Frau Kluba and the Musical Marauders. His sister and two nieces were to accompany him. How Eduard was to deal with some fifty or so half elf, half human ex slaves was, said Sigismund cheerfully, what they paid him a ducal wage for.

The other American, who had been inclined to be rather standoffish, had thawed considerably when he had discovered this plotting – the Marauders gloated openly after Mr Vertembottom had departed, unaware that he was also going to be floating shortly from an excess of jinxing to his well padded bottom – and Mr Draxman had admitted to being quite impressed by the attitudes of Europeans, which he had not expected. It turned out that he gave his allegiance to an American organisation called The White Council, which opposed slavery, and indeed the summoning of sentient beings to bind them to tasks.

Lilith had promptly become arithmantic about how to disrupt the circles of protection of anyone idiot enough to indulge in demonology and wisely the Marauders did not mention the boggart curse to control bullies. In his own way, Mr Draxman was as rigid as any supremacist. There appeared to be a conflict of power between this White Council and the American Department of Magic. The Department had done nothing over the disgraceful matter of owning part muggle slaves – in the case of some of Vertembottom's slaves holding as little as one sixteenth elf – let alone failing to come into line with their more civilised muggle counterparts in outlawing slavery entirely. Consequently, this was a power struggle the younger Marauders were secretly in favour of becoming involved in when they left school, helping out Chrys and Nils of the Broomstick Boys. The Broomstick Boys received an owl bearing intelligence that they found VERY interesting.

Mr Draxman had not impressed the Marauders present a lot more than his countryman; however, happy he was to champion the rights of downtrodden elves, he became almost apoplectic over the arrogance of Lucius' liveried head gardener who was also visiting.

He was hardly less outraged by goblins who walked tall and were self confident. The Marauders thought him silly, but gave him A for his intentions if somewhere between P and T for ability. Being Marauders these classifications stood not for Poor, Dreadful and Troll but Prunish, Dunderhead and Tripe. They were, after all, inclined to the Severine nomenclature, and besides, it was unkind to mock Trolls, as Lilith said, when Trurk was quite bright and a long way ahead of the Tripe writers of the Ministry, and shouldn't the lowest classification of fail be changed to M for Minister?

oOoOo

Another surprise guest at the gardening symposium, in the person of Great Snake Mihail Vasylovitch Solvejov, appeared to be considered the personal property of the Ubiquitous Marauders of Prince Peak, and especially of Zhenga Rebet.

"We need to blood Mischa properly," she informed the others, "I expect you picked up the rather brevet blooding my parents and I did with him, but he needs our protection."

"I owe a life-debt to Zhenga Ihorova," said the Great Snake.

"It doesn't count," said Lilith. "Marauders protect and serve like Aurors and, er, Kozaky in the Ukraine. Anyway, if you are blooded we are all ready to bleed for each other so then it REALLY doesn't count."

Mihail Vasylovitch smiled gently.

"I am happy to acknowledge the debt; as she did not have to put herself out for me," he said. "Besides, my dear young lady, it is a matter of politics. If I acknowledge the debt, as my organisation is aware, I shall have more leeway in relaxing the rules concerning the inclusion of women and part goblins. I'm a political animal."

"Oh, like Lucius," said Lilith. "Oh that's all right then and makes perfect sense. What happened?"

"I was in a potions supply shop, and I overheard a couple of people plotting, and it was how about then, the Great Snake was going to be taking the second part of a two-part potion which would kill him and obliteeriate him horribly," said Zhenga, "So I grabbed a bezoar and apparated right to him just as he was gagging, but his tongue was too swollen to shove the bezoar in, and in the heat of the moment I forgot I could do it using extrinsic translocation by precision into his gut."

"It's only a NEWT level concept, after all, and you in the fourth," said Sextus, snidely.

"Bite your tongue," said Zhenga. "Anyway, I hacked his palm and mine, and Mummy and Daddy hopped in right behind me and helped out, and we chanted, and his tongue went down enough to get the bezoar down, and by that time all his council of White Snakes were babbling about women in the council chamber, and it being a non-apparating zone and all that. And then Mischa gave them a blasting about how it was as well that English-trained children could overcome normal ritual or he'd be dead, and I told him what I heard, and as one of the other White Snakes was trying to sneak away, Mischa called duel on him. He's very competent," she added.

"Oh well, we've more or less got a Quorum, and with the number we have Arithmancy doesn't matter," said Lilith, then made a face. "Did I actually just say something as heretical as Arithmancy doesn't matter?"

"You did, Halfpint, and the universe blushed in shame," said Sextus.

"Bite your tongue!" said Lilith. "I like that, Zhenga; where did you pick that one up from?"

"David Eddings," said Zhenga.

"Oh of course; from Sparhawk," said Lilith.

"Yes, little mother," said Sextus. Lilith poked him and any ceremony was delayed while a free-for all was briefly and gloriously enjoyed, and several people had to go searching for ears, eyebrows and – in Lilith's case – her hair, not to mention removing various pustules and tentacles. Being some of the more talented Marauders, as the Musical Marauders had responded too to the blood pulse, the pustules burst not with maggots but with random brightly coloured musical notes which played a discordant jangle as they erupted.

"Noisy jinxes," said Mihail, mildly.

"More fun that way," said Zoltan Nagy.

The blooding ceremony was duly held, with Eduard Von Frettchen and his wife joining them too, and Mihail Vasylovitch was taken away by grown-ups.

"I say, young Zhenga," said Lilith, who was the same age as Zhenga, "Did you know what often follows on from a life-debt?"

Zhenga flushed.

"I did look it up," she said, "Because I get sort of grown up feelings that I'm not ready to handle yet, and I talked to Mischa about it, and he said that he can't help seeing what I'm going to look like when I'm grown up which is embarrassing for him too. But he said we'd have to put up with it to use it to drag the Order of the Dragon kicking and screaming at least into the eighteenth century, even if he can't get it to the twenty-first."

"Oh, all right," said Lilith, "If he's seeing you like you're going to look, that's okay, if he wasn't it's a bit icky, though he didn't feel icky. But you know, right is right."

"Why are there so many Great Snake jokes there?" murmured Sextus, and then had to extricate himself from being temporarily a baboon.

"I was planning on being the first part-goblin member of the order, you know," said Zhenga. "It'll take until I'm grown up for them to get used to the idea. I did think about trying to infiltrate the Goblet of Fire, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough."

"You're not bad, Zhenga, and I reckon you'd give Lilith a run for her money if you managed," said Sextus.

Zhenga considered.

"No, I don't think I would," she said. "Like you aren't going to try; you know when it's not right. Besides, Mischa might need our lot to help with his insurgent White Snakes, because we're better at ritual than they are."

This passed without comment. Nobody disputed that anyone from Prince Peak were the experts on ritual.

"We were going to give it a go," said Sigismund. "Using chanting and a physical sending into the goblet. Just to see if we could. But then The Kaiserin put the kybosh on us even trying by asking us to help set the third task, so in honour we can't even try."

"Though either one of the Eulenspiegels could whip us, even blindfold and standing on one leg," said Zoltan. "We've got some decent contenders and I reckon Vighard could have done it if we'd stolen him from his misery a year earlier. But it'll either be Xanthe or Zyrillis."

"They did a good job at the duel," said Zhenga. "You hadn't stolen Vighard then."

"No," said Sigismund. "Still, he's safe now, and blooded. And by the way, is anyone else going to finish those cream buns Eduard provided?"

oOoOo

The Symposium progressed very well, once adult herbologists had got over having hissy fits about some of the lectures being given by children.

As Zoltan said,

"WE think it's a bit childish to make a fuss and walk out, but we wouldn't want anyone stupid enough to make a fuss in our class anyway, and we rediscovered combat gardening, so if you don't like it, go and compost yourself."

He lost about a quarter of his audience and had the rest laughing at his subsequent comment over having thinned out the sickly growth in the seed tray of life.

It may be said that the pattern magic that the Musical Marauders touched on was of the kind that repelled slugs, deer and other creatures inimical to gardens, or the kind which encouraged healthy growth. They avoided the true combat gardening of which they were capable; it was a Marauder secret. They had borrowed Prince Peak's Joran Ulvaeus by the expedient of inviting him to the Von Freyer house, in order to combine muggle methods of topiary training with magical metalwork, to make a wire frame for a topiary horse powered by the Raidho rune to paw and trample and attack at need. Their topiary horse was as yet a bit of a topiary Thestral, for the want of much leafy flesh on his metal bones but a bit of chanting would see the growth completed not long after they returned to school.

Joran had been delighted to have his skills called upon, and Sigismund and Zoltan had solemnly paid him for his services, as he was not a Marauder. As the Musical Marauders had been able to suggest using pattern magic in the big group of statues Joran dreamed of casting for a Scandinavian Wizarding School, he was more than happy!

Prince Peak was not very Herbology-oriented, save for potioneering purposes, so only Valerie Burdock, Randal Wright and Rory Staines were there, in addition to Dimsie Burke Nuffield, from the Potioneer's point of view, and taking notes for Severus who was a competent Herbologist from a Potioneering point of view, but who fled from dedicated gardeners. Durmstrang equally fielded only Frau Kluba and the brothers Sigismund and Zoltan, representing their ilk. The Dame School in Munich which was the only small school in Germany that offered Herbology, declined to send a representative to 'some fool fringe meeting' and the Head felt very foolish about it later when the Symposium at the castle of Herzog Von Frettchen received a short paragraph in most of the newspapers with a list of the schools represented.

Beauxbatons sent Mlle Fleur LeBois, the Herbology teacher, who endeared herself to the two Musical Marauders by confessing that she played music to her plants. They dragged her off to talk to Frau Kluba and became technical about musical magic. The two Herbology teachers may have been left no wiser, but they were drastically better-informed.

Naturally Pomona Sprout of Hogwarts attended, and her star NEWT pupils and Jingjie Chang, who did not intend to take Herbology further than OWL but who never turned down any extra knowledge that was offered. Especially as he would be eligible for the Triwizard, and last time there had been Snargaluff. Lilith had already attained an 'O' grade in Herbology NEWT, and Pomona was by no means surprised to find her there, adding to her fund of knowledge. What made Lilith such an endearing child, thought Pomona, was the fact that although she knew so much, she freely acknowledged that there was always more to learn. Lilith had no trouble taking lectures from small boys much her own age, and asked sensible questions. Pomona did not know that as well as wanting to know, Lilith was also well primed by her father to get questions rolling if nobody else did, to encourage those speaking. Blank faces could be very discouraging.

Jade's school fielded Anett Breuer Bane, which also meant her husband, Mortimer, Ervig gan Sabac, who was a sole student taking Herbology to ZH, with intent to use it to read the minerals in a landscape for when he trained as an engineer, and Biirta Hess, who loved finding things out. Lucius Malfoy blew in too, and it was not solely with the intent of seeing Biirta. Biirta's friends Magda and Gauda were staying with Von Frettchen in any case as Von Frettchen had decreed that Magda Schmitt must be related to Von Frettchen's wife, Ann. Lucius had left most of the note-taking to his head gardener, but attended for the last day with the intent of carrying Biirta off for ruthless training in Ancient Runes. Writing and reading love letters in Babylonic cuneiform did concentrate the mind wonderfully. He offered a visit to Gauda too, but Gauda blushed and thanked him, and said she was very happy playing with the duke's children and the illegitimate offspring of his nephew, and was considering accepting a post as their nurse and governess when she left school, whereas Mr Malfoy had a sufficiency of wives to do the same job.

Lucius laughed and wished her luck. Eduard Von Frettchen had now got triplets as his revolting nephew had accepted being sent back to childhood rather than face Nurmengard for attempting to kill all his family, and every effort had been made to make this third child as like to the others as possible, with ritual, renaming Ignaz as Ludovic as a part of the ritual of change. The triplets had a delicate little sister too, and the duke had taken into his household the four children his precocious nephew had sired on muggle and goblin villagers. He needed an educated nurse maid and governess, and he would see that Gauda had every opportunity to meet suitable people as well.

oOoOo

The symposium broke up in time for those who were going to attend the English weddings of the year to remove to Malfoy Manor.

This would be the weddings of the rest of the Belle Marauders, all of whom had older Marauders patiently waiting for them, including Chad Fenwick to Isabel Nightshade; Fabian Ramage to Maud Hubble-Langstaffe; Leo Black-Weasley to Drusillina Hallow; and Darryl Zabini to Mimi Snape.

Two more blooded, who were more supporters than Marauders, who would be marrying were Victor Crabbe and Elsie Blackwood. They would be teaching in a new school in Munich, Germany with most of the other newlyweds, and as Rory Staines was to be teaching Herbology, the small dame school was going to be seeing blood taints and goblins passing one of their few subjects with higher grades than they managed. As the other two subjects the dame school taught were Charms and Arithmancy, which were to be taught by Sebastian Cantripp and Victor Crabbe respectively, it seemed likely that the dame school would score only on not taking goblins. Which attitude might have been vindictive, but the rejection that its senior teacher had sent to Rory had been quite rude and hurtful. As the new school was to provide a full raft of subjects, made up largely by alumni of Prince Peak's very thorough academic regimen, the Munich goblins and blood taints would be quite ready to compete in the next Triwizard.

Another wedding to be hosted at Malfoy Manor was Chad's much older sister, Fenella, who had gradually come to know and fall in love with William Pepper, the muggle science teacher at Rowan House School where she taught Arithmancy and junior Mathematics. Her father had disowned her, since patently muggles were no more than animals. He could no more be moved on this subject to recognise that intellect had nothing to do with magical power than he could be moved to meet and acknowledge Chad, who had been raised by his aunt and uncle. Fenella had wept, but decided that it was her life, and that though Will couldn't lift an eggcup to save his life, he was an intellectual equal, which counted for more, because he had, at least, engaged to understand the theory of magic and could quote Emeric Switch as well as Cornelius Fenwick if not better.

Lucius considered Cornelius Fenwick to be a fool, to cut off his nose to spite his face, having lost one son by refusing to acknowledge the baby who lived when Cornelius' beloved wife had died, and to now eschew his daughter. Since Lucius privately thought that any wizard worthy of the name could have saved Lucille Fenwick, and that Cornelius' obsession with Arithmancy left him about as apt at other disciplines as most muggles, the encounter became heated as Lucius lost his temper and moved from pleading with the man not to make the same mistake he had almost done with Draco, to telling Fenwick how many kinds of a stultified fool he was to lose such nice children as Chad and Fenella. When Fenwick had sneered in a superior manner, and said it was on par with what one would expect of a goblin-poker, Lucius had an urge to wipe the sneer right off Fenwick's face, and proceeded to satisfy that urge with a left hook, being more satisfying than magic. Lucius declared he would give Fenella away, and Cornelius was not going to the weddings of the year.

Whether Fenwick regretted that or not, Lucius did not know, but Fenella had shut herself away for a few hours, and had then gone to see David and Ellie Fraser for a long talk.

Chad received the news that Lucius had failed in bringing about a reconciliation with a tightly controlled face, and started work on a new play in which a comic character was known as Corny Fiddlewick. Some people were just beyond help.

Sextus had decided his mother was beyond help too, as she had tried to prevent him from attending the symposium, declaring that taking an interest in plants was just nonsense and it was a lie to cover up spending time with his father and the woman he had married.

Sextus had to ask for intervention from David Fraser, who had asked Lucretia Scarpin how she dared accuse her son of lying, and putting stress on him in an exam year, when he had no need to lie about spending time with his father and stepmother as it was his right to do so. Lucretia made accusations about Ashley Pencastle being only a muggle, and found herself dealing with a blazing scar as David pointed out that both his parents had been muggles, and that she should be ashamed of herself in sounding like the most ignorant German peasant who hadn't caught up with the realities of life.

David applied on Sextus' behalf for a court order for the boy to live with his father and stepmother, as dealing with OWLs was a matter that called for a calm and uncontentious home life; especially as David was privately quite certain that Sextus would be supporting his talented but volatile little girlfriend through the Triwizard. It was going to be an interesting year ahead. And Sextus was a little unsure whether he was grateful to David for taking the decision to appeal to live with Ashley and Albertine out of his hands or irritated at the Headmaster for being high-handed. Gratitude won the day; he knew it was no point trying to hide from a blood-brother how much his mother's foolishness upset him. He had taken out his frustrations sniping at fellow Marauders at the Symposium and arguing Arithmancy with Lilith.

Ashley and Albertine had been surprised to find themselves visited by a man from the ministry, but had expressed themselves more than willing to have Sextus if it was what he preferred. Albertine, or Tina as she liked to be called, was visibly pregnant and Ashley became pugnacious on her behalf when the ministry man asked if having her own children would make any difference to how she looked on Sextus. He pointed out that Sextus had asked if might have siblings as, added Ashley, the boy's mother had never managed to be quite ditsy enough to provide him with any unplanned siblings from other chance encounters without ascertaining the blood status of the object of her febrile passions.

As the ministry man had already spoken to Lucretia Scarpin, and had been impressed only by her level of ditsyness, the restrained anger of a muggle, unexpectedly caught up in the Wizarding World, and prepared to be a part of it in order to have something to do with his son's life, seemed quite reasonable. Sextus returned briefly to his new abode before heading for Malfoy Manor for the weddings, and promptly, and illegally, used his wand to determine that his anticipated sibling was a girl, perfectly healthy, and with a full complement of magical markers. Ashley and Tina were delighted to know she was healthy, and proud to have such a talented son. They were quite unaware just how talented their son was as Sextus did not bother to mention that he had used muffliatus as a basis to invent an area of effect spell to conceal the use of underage magic, or indeed any magic.

Ashley did quite understand, though, that Sextus did not want to change his name; Scarpin was an old and respected name, and Sextus was, so far as he knew, the last of his line.

When he married Lilith, this would doubtless change, but Sextus did not plan to get too far ahead of himself thinking about that. It did unruly things to the set of his robes.