Chapter 1
Myrtle's loo was full of people.
One of them was the ghost of Seth Carter, soon to be reborn – it was to be hoped – as Seth Dumbledore; and his little sisters made Albus' daughters by blood too.
The cauldron in which the rebirth was to take place had been prepared; and camp beds set up for Albus and Seth afterwards. There was writing on the cauldron, burnt in with wand-writing, Seth's name and an appropriate chant in Hebrew. Severus was taking no chances; and Lilith's suggestion on this front had been one he had taken seriously. Seth was a name that meant 'substitute'; so he planned to use Finnish naming magic in Hebrew – if, as Krait said, that wasn't too Irish – to make up for Seth's body having been cremated, and they were using as a substitute a bone from an ancestor in the West Indies. The finding of an ancestor had required some ticklish genealogy research – courtesy of David Fraser, Google, and the Utah Mormon web site – and some ticklish locator spells courtesy of David Fraser and Sirius Black.
Candace Carter was to give blood of the family; and little Phyllis wanted to help her brother too, so she was to be blooded in since Seth and Candace would become members of the blood group more or less automatically for taking part in the ceremony. Albus Dumbledore was to be brought in as a full member at last; and his adopted infant son Perceval. It seemed a good opportunity to bring in other members who had been invited; Albert MacMillan and Dobby.
Draco also turned up with three extra people; and Jade recognised one as Clovis Gierek, the boy who had moved into being a friend on the edge of her group in Durmstrang, who had helped with the labour pains of a house elf by wearing voluntarily a cursed item Jade had made. The elf beside him – who had now a tall form – looked like the same elf, allowing for being clean and well fed; and she had an infant with her so that suggested that it was the same elf and the baby still lived. There were however unanswered questions.
The child had red hair, not the blondish hair of German elves; and looked to be half breed; which he had not been when he had been born.
"I figured," said Draco, "That if Lydia could chant Perceval Filius Harry into being truly Albus' son I could do so with Clovis Gierek junior here."
"I freed Tildi like you suggested" said Clovis to Jade "And brought her to England; and I found out just how badly elves in Durmstrang are treated – nothing but straw to sleep on, a communal room, and raped until pregnant when old enough to have a child. And sometimes used by boys in the school too. I was disgusted; and now she has self respect I can see that elves are not by nature as we see them. And Herr Lucius Malfoy has spoken to me on the futility of racism; so I stand as Vissy's father. She" he blushed "She asked if she might name him after me as I had been kind to her; because masters name babies normally. And – well, I couldn't but take an interest in him when I had taken the birth pangs; so….well, Tildi and I are together now, and Draco thought the blood group would protect her and Vissy when I go back to teach."
"Well!" said Jade "I remember muttering to myself that you were deep; that's remarkable Clovis, and I for one will be GLAD to have you for a brother. Vissy better go to Prince Peak or Hogwarts."
"Give the kid a chance to get a few teeth before you assign him a school, Jadie!" laughed Draco.
Lucius had come along; as had Albus' brother Aberforth, by way of back-up to the blood group and, as Lucius said, to make cocoa. Albus and Aberforth had reached a reconciliation over Albus adopting Perceval, though it had led to arguments at first.
The date was the anniversary of Seth's death by suicide. They had but to wait for the time.
"Ready people" said Hermione.
"We have two minutes in hand; must use the loo!" said Krait, diving into a stall.
"Krait! What ARE you like? Couldn't you have gone before you came?" scolded Hermione.
"She's pregnant again" said Jade laconically. "You can't really reckon for when sprogs stick an elbow into your bladder."
"WAY too much information" said Gorbrin.
Sephara and Lynx, also pregnant – more so indeed than Krait – nodded wisely at Jade's words and Hermione sighed. There were sounds of flushing and Krait emerged to wash her hands with a beatific smile.
"Ahhhh, Pisto!" said Jade.
"Flushed with success" added Seagh.
Various people tapped them on the back of the head with two fingers.
And then they were all serious as Hermione began a count down to the initial phase and nodded at Severus.
"Blood up and exchange with new ones" said Severus "and be ready to bleed for Seth on my mark."
Silver knives were plied, or diffindo spells; Albus used spell to cut both Perceval and Phyllis for least pain; Candace insisted on cutting herself. Dobby was wide eyed with excitement and Albert hardly less so! And then they were all joining – and the look on the faces of the new ones showed their wonder as they felt how close the rest now were! Clovis was holding Tildi by the hand with Vissy in the other arm, grinning madly; and she was crying with emotion.
"Severus, mark" said Hermione.
"Fibres of the rope used to hang him" intoned Severus who had stolen it from an evidence locker "Bones of the ancestor, a substitute for the boy named substitute; boomslang skin prepared in salts to aid the transformation; blood of the parents taken unwillingly to give him substance; blood of the new father freely given with love; blood of his sisters, freely given with love to enhance their brother" Krait and Dione lifted the two little girls to drip carefully and solemnly into the cauldron after Albus had emptied a vial of the blood of Mr and Mrs Carter and let his own drip in; "blood of a unicorn freely donated" he went on, emptying the achingly bright silver blood.
The blood red liquid in the cauldron turned silver and Severus relaxed slightly. He went on,
"Blood of his dearest friends and kin of his father freely given" and each filed passed to drip a single drop of blood into the cauldron. "In you hop, Seth" he added; and the ghostly form obediently sank into the liquid "Synchronise heartbeats….." and he started to chant in his harsh chanting voice the mantra on the cauldron, once only as the room filled with the single drum-like beat, his wand leveled and lying against the Peverell resurrection stone that was Krait's heritage to aid the formation of a body since the boy himself had been cremated; then 'Flesh of his new kin, freely given of love beyond love as the sacrifice" he nodded to Albus as he made a single counter-clockwise stir and began chanting again, Krait, Draco, Jade, Lydia, Seagh and Lilith adding counterpoints.
Albus gritted his teeth and reached into the cauldron, biting his mouth at the agony of the boiling liquid as it boiled the flesh from his bones, and the bones crumbled beneath the searing heat of the little hand grasping his; then he was drawing out the little figure of Seth, pulling him into his arms.
Then he was being born towards the camp bed half fainting, Lucius and Aberforth half carrying him as he carried Seth.
Jade and Lydia started chanting again and bright lines flew between Albus and the three Carter children. The girls chanted in Finnish and named each of the three surnamed Dumbledore; and as the bright lines faded with the dying breath of the chant, three pairs of eyes glowed as bright blue as Albus' own.
Aberfoth's own bright blue eyes were wide.
"So THAT's how they did it to Helmut Hesse!" he said half to himself.
"Perceval Filius Harry Dumbledore" corrected Lydia "There is no longer a Helmut Hesse."
Severus had not finished.
Research had revealed that the family had initially come from Benin before their ancestors were slaves in Jamaica; and Severus had gone to the British Museum to steal the hand of an ebony statue from Benin because it had symmetry.
His chant lifted the hand in the air and attached it firmly to Albus' unconscious wrist.
Then he sank to his knees.
Abraxus and Myrtle were crying unashamedly, recalling how Severus had done the same for them.
"You're getting old, Sev" said Hawke, to cover his own emotion over what it had meant for his twin "You took the last one in your stride."
"THAT didn't have the added complication of no bones and hostile parents" said Severus waspishly "I had to break a hatred bond to release him. You don't do that without a small amount of effort you know."
"At least they haven't been executed, it being England" said Jade "Having them dead would have made it hard to begin with, without them hating from THAT side of the veil."
"Pollyanna" said Severus "Lucius; cocoa."
"It's on its way" said Lucius "Here, you deserve the first one."
Severus drank it greedily in one gulp, swearing about how it burnt his mouth after.
The German blood groupers were subdued and impressed; most of the youngsters were just impressed since they did not know enough to realise how impressive the feat had really been; how impossible such a thing ought to be.
Candace and Phyllis were crying and hugging their brother, who was more than half asleep. And Perceval Filius Harry was rather overcome by the occasion and had an accident and had to be changed, dried and pacified.
oOoOo
When Albus came to, he flexed the ebony hand.
"Thank you Severus" he said softly "For Seth; and for this. If you had been unable to replace it, it would still have been a fair trade."
"That's why it was a successful sacrifice" said Severus "Because you were prepared for it not to work. Why Peter Pettigrew's sacrifice was only partially successful; Voldemort had to promise that he would replace the hand before the poor little rat could screw up the courage to sacrifice it. And I swear it was done more in fear than in willing supplication."
"Poor Peter" said Albus softly. "He has come much out of his shell with a daughter to take an interest in."
"And James appreciates that he has been ready to defend the school" said Severus "He will forgive."
"But he can never be a Marauder again nor be part of the group" said Sirius, joining them. "You look terrible Albus; have a cup of cocoa."
"Thank you on both counts" said Albus. "I am NOT getting any younger. I thought I would teach this year, while Seth settles in; then retire to enjoy my children and hand over the reins of Hogwarts to another."
"Had you anyone in mind?" asked Severus "Or will it devolve on Minerva?"
"Minerva is too much a Gryffindor to stop being head of house" said Albus "It's hard, I can tell you! I never fully lost the sense of being rather er, Gryffish at times, as dear Krait used to put it, in that disapproving way of hers! I thought to hand it to David Fraser."
David looked up at his name; he was playing with small children on the floor.
"Sorry Albus? Did you want me?"
Albus gave a weak chuckle.
"Just informing people that when I retire NEXT year, I want you to be headmaster of Hogwarts."
David stared, open mouthed.
"Did I hear that right?" he said "Albus, that's not a joking matter!"
"I wasn't joking" said Albus mildly "I want the school run by someone with drive; someone to lead it and teach its children how to set the world on fire. Who better than a former Triwizard champion? And that you are also going to be the first muggleborn headmaster is by the by."
"Well I hope you'll be as much on hand for advice as the portraits" said David, flustered "Because if the only one I have to give me any kind of concrete advice is Phineas Nigellus, you can think again!"
Albus laughed.
"You don't think much to the others?"
"Armando Dippet…. Hmm, well if I want an idiot I could find some weevil in Hufflepuff" said David "Everard is a Ravenclaw's Ravenclaw; Dilys Derwent would be all right if she didn't FLIRT all the time! I say, that'll take two teachers from Severus!"
"Well you will be losing Assim to a school for poverty stricken wizards and witches in India when Bella's old enough to marry him and leave school with a decent quiver of qualifications, so Ellie can teach comparative magic for you; I'm sure Severus will have enough who have graduated by then to pick a new Comparative Magic teacher from. Hadrian Malfoy can teach care of beasts in Prince Peak" said Albus. "And Ellie could go in once or twice a week perhaps for the comparative magic people in the meantime."
"Oh, that's all right then" said David. "I don't mean to let Severus down, sir, though I must say I'm honoured and taken aback to have you repose such trust in me!"
"And I'd rather see you take over while I'm still alive so those who make gloomy predictions about you being muggleborn have to eat their words and I can say 'told you so'" said Albus.
"That I can believe" said Severus "I don't grudge it David; you can do it. And YOU get to be the one then having to break it to Lilith that she shouldn't be trying to enter the next triwizard when she'll be four years under age."
"I knew there'd be a catch!" said David.
"I also want to establish a precedent" said Albus "I don't think it's healthy to die in harness as it were."
"It isn't healthy to die at all, whatever strange predilections you have regarding leather accoutrements" said Sirius
Several people poked him.
Albus smiled.
"What I meant was, I don't think it is healthy for a school to have its head gently lose grip as he ages; and moreover I don't think it's a good idea for any one head to be at the helm for too long. I've been head for fifty one years; fifty years really is plenty for any one head. I'm glad I was here through the Riddle years, and the settling down of the ministry; their fear of me HAS helped. And with the tenth anniversary of Riddle's death I shall bow out."
"Your career almost marched with his in a bizarre sort of way" said Severus softly "It was when you were first head he came to hide horcruces; when he had first set up the Deatheaters as an organisation. You deserve retirement Albus; deserve to enjoy being a father to your own children, not just to other people's."
"You are my son as much as these in so many ways, Severus" said Albus.
Severus gripped his mentor's hand, his voice to choked to speak.
"You are my TRUE father, Albus" he managed.
oOoOo
And when everyone was recovered there was a big feast for all the group in the Great Hall and the divisions made by age not house; with adults and near adults on one table and those children not actually infants through those of about fifteen on the other. The few Durmstrang youngsters, whose visit had been arranged under the guise of a cultural exchange, and the mixed Prince Peak and Hogwarts youngsters were each surprised to find more similarities than differences between them; and part of the cultural exchange seemed to be a giggling exchange of descriptions of secret passages. Zlatko and Zlatka, Xanthe and Xanthippe were busy discussing Marauding with the Belle Marauders – Assim and Darryl having been dragged onto the junior table for that purpose – with a view to doing it all properly. They were learning a sufficiency of complex jinxes, from what little Jade overheard, for her to be certain that next year at Durmstrang, life would NOT be tedious.
And the younger ones were listening avidly.
"When are we going to establish Marauding in Beauxbatons?" demanded Lilith loudly.
"If it becomes necessary" said Jade "And not until. Now then! Better to establish Marauding in the free school; and when it's been going long enough I expect Mortimer will go back as an old boy and lecture on how to be a flaming nuisance and solve the world's problems and kill dark wizards in your spare time."
Mortimer grinned lazily.
"Oh I'm too busy chatting up Anett" he said. "She and I are going to be teaching school together with Jade and Wulf some day so I might as well chase down the best girl in the world before she finds another live one."
Anett flushed but looked pleased.
"Well, I'm afraid I rather hoped you'd be feeling that way" she said "Because when Von Frettchen proposed to me I told him I already had a boyfriend and that my boyfriend was actually in the same age range as me, not old enough to be my grandfather."
"It'd have been a precocious pair of ancestors to make him your grandfather" said Jade, judiciously "He's forty something. Which would have been fine if you loved him but otherwise is a bit gross."
"Am I your boyfriend?" asked Mortimer.
"Well I should hope so as I've claimed you" giggled Anett "And Von Frettchen all put out because I prefer a part goblin nobody to a duke, ass that he is."
"He doesn't realise that you are discerning, intelligent, and with er, deucedly good taste" said Mortimer, trying to sound like Hawke.
"He doesn't understand, really, how love works, poor fool" said Jade. "One day he'll fall in love and it'll probably be the making of him."
"How many times does that make Lucius made then?" said Lynx.
"Well he's still short a dozen wives or so" quipped Jade.
"I'll bite" said Lynx.
"It'll be awful" warned Fabian.
"But funny" added Senagra "Go on Jade; short a dozen wives?"
"Yes; he needs sixteen" said Jade "Four richer, four poorer, four better and four worse."
Groans preceded bread rolls being thrown at her and the juniors declared virtuously that it was the grown ups having a food fight, not them!
Lucius was among those throwing bread rolls; and had discovered now just which of his children were in the bloodgroup; and that it was four besides Draco; Gorbrin, Erica, Gennar and Nathan. And judging by conversations, Nathan and Gennar were marauders too.
Next year the next set of twins would be starting; Zelinn and Zakala who had been babes of not yet seven when he had adopted them! And Gorbrin in the sixth!
Well, Lucius looked forward to the annual Weevil Fest, as it had become known, when younger siblings of his children's friends and others who had come to their notice would meet each other at a big party before starting school to make friends before even going to school.
After any weddings that Malfoy Manor was hosting.
oOoOo
Narcissa loved organising weddings; and though technically the only one getting married who had any connection to the Malfoys was Lionel Dell – and he not having a proper wedding as he was taking on three girls at once – Malfoy Manor was at the disposal of friends.
Three of the staff at Prince Peak were marrying; Severus' oldest adoptive son Erich Snape Von Strang was marrying his Tala, whose blood ritual had started the whole move towards an injected cure for werewolves; Percy Weasley was marrying Severus' ward, Harmony Bloom; and Lee Nuffield, a technical muggle, was marrying Dimsie Burke who was also by way of being Severus' ward with her father in Azkaban and her mother in St Mungo's in mental denial that unicorn blood could not cure since it was her own retreat from reality.
Naturally Molly was involved in her son's wedding; and she and Narcissa had put their heads together.
The young couples had let them get on with it.
Lionel was to have a ceremony of his own devising to announce his wives; one of whom was Harmony's older sister Melody; one was Mary Anne Green, which made her a Malfoy in-law through her father's second marriage to Morgan, the older sister of Hawke and Abraxus; and the third of whom was Arjelan Gan Nork, who had left school this year and for whom the others had patiently waited.
Lionel was a fully fledged Auror and doing well, according to Draco, and had the flamboyance to carry it off.
His cousin Gregory – known as Grigs – was also marrying Arjelan's other best friend, Cholaka.
There would be some society invitations but this was a largely family affair for a family beyond the comprehension of most of society; because Severus was a brother in ways that were too profound for most to understand, even without being blood-bound to each other.
They had defied Voldemort together.
It tied the families closer than any feelings Lucius had for most of his own relatives; though his sister Honoria was all right; and her granddaughter Drusilla Macmillan got on well enough with Lucius' own offspring and etceteras in the – in what would now be the second.
Lucius stayed out of the wedding organisations; what he enjoyed was dropping barbed comments to such guests as would rise for them.
And he loved the children's parties.
oOoOo
Lionel was amply supported by HIS blood group; and the first of them to marry were proving fruitful. Tamsin Clintock Barnet had baby Thomas on her hip – except when he was being passed around to her bloodkin – and was pregnant again; and Cynner Strong Prince was pregnant and due in November. Tamsin greeted Dudley Dursley cheerily; she was glad that his father was now safely locked up in a mental institution after completely seeming to lose his reason when Dudley's oldest son proved to have magical powers; Vernon Dursley had come roaring up to Grunnings demanding aid from Tamsin's father because Petunia had made a stand and left him when he refused to apologise to small Harry Dursley for calling him an abomination. Tamsin feared for her own magical son and was glad her father had decided to fire Dursley for his intemperate language and behaviour.
He had apparently assaulted a vicar whilst attempting to get the poor man to start a religious crusade against wizards; and Petunia refused to even see him. She was living in a flat hastily created out of wizarding space in Dudley's rooms above the extensive garage.
Dudley's second son, Draco, would be going up to Hogwarts with Thomas and Cynner's baby; they would probably see a lot of each other in the meantime. They would be a year below Hagrid and Alice's daughter Beth; but Hagrid avoided social situations and sent love and an invitation to come up to stay in his cottage any time.
The children would enjoy that when they were older; and the rest would find it more comfortable to stay in Hogsmeade.
Percy had taken Harmony to meet his parents at the end of term; having apprised them of Harmony's and Melody's background, taken away from parents fighting so much that Melody had been badly scarred and only Severus' skill with chanting had cured that.
Molly was effusively kind to Harmony; she felt the poor child must need a mother figure as dear Garjala did. Harmony had always found Krait quite equal to the task of being a mother figure but Percy had warned her that Molly had a need to mother people and so she put up with it. Harmony was a self contained little body; not shy, as many assumed from her usually quiet mien, just quiet. Which meant she asserted herself when Molly asked if it had been hard with so stern a guardian as Severus.
"Severus is a BRICK, Molly!" she said "And far more a father to me than my own; I wish my parents hadn't refused to sign Mel and me away because if they had, Sev and Krait could have been my parents for real! I couldn't ask for better parents you know. I know he does stern and forbidding very well in term time – except if a kid needs a father-figure and is in need of a wuddle and cocoa – but that's only his public face, you know! When he's relaxed he's just such fun, and such a brilliant dad-type of person!"
Molly stared.
"He's always stern and stiff with me" she said.
"Then I guess something has happened that I don't know about that makes him not feel relaxed with you" said Harmony "That he feels you're not as – as convivial as some people for some reason. But weren't you in the Order of the Phoenix with him? I don't know what can have caused it."
"Possibly" said Arthur "It is our fault, Molly, because it was hard to trust Severus when he was spying on Voldemort; because we were afraid he would betray Albus. As it seemed that he had when Albus faked his own death and Severus was head of Hogwarts seemingly under Voldemort."
Harmony stared.
"But Albus is a legilimens without parallel; not trusting Sev is like not trusting HIM! So as well as the terror of spying on Riddle he had mistrust from those he expected to give him the love and support he needed? Yes, that COULD be a cause for him being rather withdrawn!"
Molly flushed.
"He did NOT go out of his way to make it easy to trust him; he was secretive" she said "When Krait came along it was easier to believe he DID mean what he said; Harmony, my dear, they ARE happy together, aren't they? Even though he has MISTRESSES?"
"They are as happy with each other as it is humanly possible for two people to be" said Harmony softly "And with enough love between them that they can afford to share some of it out to the two women who need their love and reassurance. Anyone who has seen the looks they share would know that."
Molly had worried about dear little Krait marrying her grim guardian at first; she had felt easier about Severus seeing the adoration in his eyes when he looked at his tiny wife, but she WAS troubled by the idea of him treating Krait so badly as to have other women! Still, if Harmony had lived with them as effectively a daughter, she should know.
Actually, one reason Severus was formal with Molly was to stop her from trying to organise him; knowing that if once she decided he was family of hers, she would try to look after him.
Being gently henpecked by his wives was one thing; being mothered by Molly was something else entirely.
oOoOo
And the day dawned for the weddings and it rained out of heavy and thunderous skies.
Lucius absently conjured up more marquees.
Molly wailed that it would be a disaster.
Ron giggled that it was probably a judgement of the gods on Lionel trying to do a Lucius and wouldn't it be a hoot if he got hit by a thunderbolt?
Hermione and Molly both smacked him round the back of the head, one each side.
Gorbrin, Erica, Meliandra, Ming, Jazka, Jardak, Albert, Nathan and Gennar chanted up water repelling charms and wandered around smugly outside with the raindrops stopping and bouncing some three feet above their heads. Being smug at wet people was a harmless amusement and irritated enough people to make going to the trouble well worth it.
And when Madam Flyte-Johnston gatecrashed again, they danced up a personal thunderstorm to follow her about; which as it followed her indoors as well did NOT add to her popularity.
"d'you reckon it's going to finish when the rest of the rain does?" asked Gennar who detested the woman as much as Gorbrin did.
Gorbrin shrugged.
"Haven't got a clue" he said "I suppose if it sticks around too long we might have to undo it; unfair to kill the old so-and-so by means of pneumonia and I doubt there are many curse breakers outside our lot who could break it. It'll be fine by this afternoon; if it's still raining on the old biddy, we'll give her long enough to realise and THEN break it – obviously so she knows it only went away because we made it go away."
Gorbrin could be quite implacably vindictive when people had been rude to his mother.
oOoOo
When the skies cleared rather sullenly, and Madam Flyte-Johnson was still being miserably rained on, Gorbrin led out the conspirators, danced around her chanting, and bade her personal cloud depart to join the rest.
"Got the point yet?" he said conversationally to her as she stared. "You are NOT welcome at Malfoy Manor; go away. As normal social usage is apparently pointless since you are incapable of understanding society and its subtle hints, being as you are so very much removed from anything remotely resembling civilised society, I will tell you in words I hope you will understand; every time I see you trespassing I will drop a curse on you, that will make being given your own raincloud seem like a pleasant interlude. You are a vulgar old baggage; and, as a rather wet vulgar old baggage I suggest you go home to get into dry clothes before you catch a cold. Go!"
Madam Flyte Johnston went; she was cold, wet and miserable and the awful goblin that gave himself such airs was besides backed up by well dressed human youths who actually seemed to look to him as a leader!
Ming Chang grinned.
"And don't think he can't touch you when he's at school if you dare be rude to his mum again; because Gorbrin has a long arm" he added.
She fled.
"Uh…. Let's hope she doesn't call that bluff" said Gorbrin "For ritual we'd need some of her hair at least!"
"And Erica can draw a picture of her and change it so her nose grows like she did to Crabbe" said Ming calmly. "Crumbs, Gorbrin mate, we don't need her to know HOW it's done or even which of us; because we all operate as one against such people!"
"Thanks Ming; you DO have good ideas" said Gorbrin.
"Yes; and ISN'T it a shame Darryl's going to Prince Peak to keep out of the limelight; with him on board as well as the rest of us we could have almost rivalled the Marauders!"
"In your dreams, Ming Chang; we're in the sixth now and responsible prefects!" said Gorbrin.
"You always have to spoil things!" grinned Ming.
"And I'm head of house" said Albert "I'm not quite sure why but I do have to take note of that responsibility!"
"You are? Congratulations!" said Gorbrin. "Probably because you're capable and your upper sixth in Hufflepuff are a bit….stodgy. Stoyan Krumm is about the best but he's not what you call Mr Exciting."
"Nor am I" said Albert.
"When I consider how hard you've worked to make a good showing, and bearing in mind you're blood group too I'd say you're pretty exciting" said Gorbrin; grinned and winked "For a Huffer
Albert poked him.
oOoOo
Darryl might have wished to be with his friends but he was staying well away from England; and Mimi was staying with him until term started.
The trial of his brother for casting the killing curse was raising a lot of publicity, because it had come out that it had been an attempt to silence Darryl in case he spoke of remembering his mother killing his father.
The deaths of all of Madam Zabini's husbands were being investigated and there was a lot of speculation in the 'Daily Prophet' even though 'The Wizarding Times' was only reporting facts as they emerged. It would be a long and messy business.
And Mimi would be glad of the support of her group of Marauders to help her not to lose her rag as the Prophet's snide and prurient innuendo was discussed over breakfast.
And the bloodgroup as a whole was refusing to discuss the matter with anyone at the weddings!
Lucius was grumbling rather that this silly business had ousted his own brilliant coup to force a law that nobody might have a position in the ministry of education until they had spent at least a year teaching, that had followed the law suit against the racist Strephon Vaisey who had so insulted Gorbrin when he and Ross had refused to let him onto the train purely on the man's own say so. And quite right too; he could have been anybody! Swearing and using racist language had cost the man his job as well as Lucius having enjoyed himself no end victimising him through the civil courts; and he had used the man's unacceptable behaviour as part of his evidence that ministers of education ought to know one end of a child from another; even as it was required that anyone working in the department of control of magical beasts had to have at least an 'E' grade OWL in the subject. Lucius was currently pushing further that anyone in the office of goblin liaison should have a reference from at least one goblin of good standing in their own community – the reference to be taken up to check that the applicant had not merely bribed a random goblin to give him a reference – and that those in the muggle office should equally have references from muggles. This had depressed Arthur Weasley until Lucius pointed out that with the Casimir Malfoys and sundry other of Ron's friends, Arthur knew a heap of muggles, which had put Arthur right behind Lucius. And poor Darryl's vicissitudes were driving serious issues like important legislation to the back pages of all periodicals except the 'Times'. Utterly ridiculous!
Still, the fact that the changes were happening was the important thing.