Apologies for the delay, real life left us with storm damage and then burglars cut out the soft putty of a replaced window, so I've had other things to think about; as well as trying to make an honest crust with y'actual publishing. I can't guarantee a daily posting schedule but I will try. 23 chapters to this one.
Chapter 1
Severus came in on the back end of an argument between Ron and Hermione. There had been a few lately – admittedly while five year old Penelope and three year old Sirius Harry were not in earshot but it was a possible problem. And they seemed to centre around Hermione accusing Ron of not caring about anything more intellectual than comic books and Ron making counter accusations about Hermione being an intellectual snob. And Severus walked in as Ron was shouting just that, and flinging himself out with the suggestion that Hermione might like to find herself some walking brain.
Hermione waited until he had gone before bursting into tears and flinging herself on Severus.
"Oh Severus!" she wailed "Sometimes I think he might be right and I SHOULD have picked someone academic; if I'd had the sense to get you before Krait got you first!"
Severus disentangled her gently.
"Now Hermione, you know I'm too fond of Ron to even consider going there" he said softly "And what's more you don't even really mean it. We're far too much alike you and I; intellectual snobs – he was right about that for either one of us – and inclined to be prickly. Besides, you picked Ron because you like the idea of being the intellectual in the relationship and being able to feel slightly superior because of it, because you've enough need for reassurance in you that having Ron's adoring and uncomprehending admiration of his brilliant wife appeals to you."
"Ouch" said Hermione "You know how to stick the scalpel right into the heart of the truth."
"It's why a lot of people don't like me" said Severus. "Which is fine by me because I don't actually like a lot of people. And let's analyse briefly here; yes, we're intellectual equals but you and I would never have got together because there is that in me that likes to feel protective. And I've never felt protective towards you; I leave that to Ron who manages it somehow. And before you tell me that Krait needs protection like a sack full of cobras need protection, well, that's only logic and not the way I react. I love you – now; but not in that way, my dear. Ron adores you and he DOES want to protect you, and if that irks you at times at least it shows he cares. Ron is tremendously proud of you; and these silly arguments have arisen because the children are at such a tiring age, always asking questions which you want to answer fully and Ron thinks need only a partial answer because they're not old enough for any more. And you're both right and you're both wrong, and if you ask me a happy medium is probably the answer, and one that needs discussion. Discussion; when two or more people speak about a subject with the intent of coming to an amicable agreement. You might want to give it a try some time."
"You're a sarcastic bastard at times Severus" said Hermione.
"It's taken you this long to notice? Yes I am. But it DOES make the point; and you ARE one of the few people I can loose my tongue on unbridled, which I appreciate. And I suppose I feel that I shouldn't have to be a marriage guidance counsellor to the blood-joined; you KNOW what hurts each other and you've taken to using it. And it's not good for any of the group, least of all you two. I have a suggestion to make if you'll listen" said Severus.
"I'll always listen, Severus."
"I think you and Ron should do the deep joining to re-find your way" said Severus. "Then you'll explore every part of yourselves and understand each other better. And I think, whoever's fault it was, you should go and apologise to him. He has red hair; he'll have cooled down by now and be feeling miserable that he's hurt you as well as resentful that you've hurt him."
Hermione nodded.
"Thank you Severus; you are very wise."
"I know what it is to be miserable; and to always end up saying the wrong thing" said Severus. "It cost me Lily; I don't want to see that happen to two of the special people in my life. Because there's nobody for any of us quite like the original group – You, Ron, Harry, Krait, Sirius, Draco, Neville, David, Jade, Lydia and me."
Hermione nodded.
"I'll go and tell him I'm sorry; it WAS my fault anyway, I was sniping at him. And then I'll tell – no, I'll ASK him if he'd LIKE to do the deep joining."
"Good girl" said Severus.
oOoOo
Ron and Hermione made up – Hermione leaked a little emotion and Severus was much relieved – and Severus stuck his head out of his study window as Ron crossed the courtyard, and whistled to him and beckoned.
Ron ran up and looked rather like a guilty twelve year old.
"Sev?" he said.
"Sit down and I'll make tea" said Severus.
"Lumme, THAT bad?" said Ron apprehensively.
Severus laughed.
"Not really" he said "It's about these arguments you and Hermione have been having."
Ron went red and nodded.
"We – Hermione suggested we do the deep joining to sort ourselves out" he said "She's busy working out the best arithmantic time."
Severus chuckled.
"How very Hermione" he said "Still, none of us would have her any other way; she'll loosen up a bit as she gets older. I did; and I was quite as anal about doing things properly as Hermione was at her age, and I assure you, it's even worse when your class are potioneers than when they're arithmancers; so much more trouble for the little so-and-so's to get into, not even counting Weasley moments!"
Ron grinned.
"I DO love her" he said.
"Of course you do" said Severus. "But I have a little advice if you'll take it?" Ron nodded and Severus went on, "She's a brilliant woman and you admire that, of course; though you've forgotten to mention that lately. But she's also a woman. And forceful women DO like their men to be ah, masterful in certain respects."
"You're blushing Sev mate; are we talking bedroom?" said Ron, blushing himself.
"We are. You should learn not to blush; it clashes with your hair" said Severus. "Saying 'Woman – come here' is kind of a good start and you can see how much more er, masterful she likes; a er, rebuke to the backside if she's been winding you up might er, lead further. And so on."
"Oh!" said Ron.
"Oh for goodness sake, Ronald Bilius Weasley!" said Severus "Haven't you ever NOTICED Arthur saying ' Come here right NOW Molly' to your mother and they go off giggling?"
"Oh is THAT what that's about?" said Ron in sudden revelation "Somehow one never thinks of one's parents having anything to do with sex."
"I assure you the six of you were conceived in the regular fashion; neither of your parents are good enough potioneers to cook up a baby in a cauldron" said Severus.
"Sev, you have the nastiest tongue in the world" laughed Ron ruefully.
"Thank you" said Severus. "Now go away and subdue the wild arithmancer do before she starts firing sharpened logarithms at everyone."
Ron chuckled.
"And if Draco were here he'd draw a cartoon of it" he said. "If you really think she'd like that….."
"Well she DID call you a caveman; maybe she was hinting that she thought you ought to live up to it in some ways" said Severus. "If she DOESN'T like it you can back off. Oh just be a Gryffindor at her do!"
"I will" said Ron.
oOoOo
The backwash of the deep joining suggested a lot more understanding; and Severus knew that Ron would finally find and understand the insecurities that Hermione would never let herself show, that Ron was safe to tell about precisely because he was NOT an intellectual; how she felt the urge to outdo any academics to prove that muggleborn as she was she had no need to feel inferior, that she was more than equal to any other witch. Severus recognised it. He had felt the same about being half blood. A funny thought that he and Hermione might have been together if she had done as good a job on him as Krait had done; if say she had insisted on learning occlumency and legilimency to bully Harry into practising and it had been she who had seen his worst memory of James Potter; Hermione was, after all, a sucker for an underdog. But Hermione was too conventional to have even considered gently bullying a teacher or determinedly treating him like a person. As Krait had already been doing, getting firmly under his skin and making him love her. His dear Krait, who had already been through so much when he took her out of that awful orphanage, had more sang-froid and sense of self worth that Hermione with her successful and supportive parents. Which perhaps made it odd that he felt protective towards Krait; but had never done so towards Hermione. But his Krait had been so physically frail until her lungs had been fixed, and until they both built up stamina in running, which had been the germ behind the idea of the MSHG. He was glad it had worked out the way it had; and gentle, formidable Krait with enough sense of self to be happy to share him with those who needed him.
Severus went to find his wives.
oOoOo
There were the weddings of the year to attend at Malfoy Manor of course, now an established holiday tradition; and one was personal in the form of Irmi Luytens marrying Sebastian Cantripp. Sebastian was barely of age – he had worked to get a remove to the year above his own chronological age – but he had enough sense to handle married life and a teaching post when they got the school in Munich sorted out, which was one of the things several of Severus' protégés, wards and others were undertaking. Seagh, Victor, Elsie, Fabian, Maud – when she left school next year along with Mimi – Darryl, who was teaching this year in Beauxbatons, Irmi, Sebastian and probably Rory Staines when HE left school had sorted out their various roles between them; and Severus strongly suspected that Victor and Elsie might be a couple by then too. Elsie was taking another year in post NEWT study; after all, the whole faculty were not required to get the school sorted out. Seagh must wait yet another year for his Silvina to leave school; but at least the legality of marriage between adoptive siblings of no blood relation had been established so that he might do so.
Well, one must move to England for the weddings; and it was too good to spend some time in their other home in Orme Court, and there were other issues to be addressed that required his attention.
oOoOo
"You know, Alastor" said Severus, having dropped in on the Moodys in Orme Court "It's absolutely daft for you and Abigail and your kids to be in a rather exclusive little blood group that Abigail started to cure your leg with; and though there are more than four of you now you have enough children it's not what I'd expect of old 'Constant Vigilance'.
Alastor sniffed.
"Well I wasn't given any choice in the matter when she sapped me and cut her own leg off to grow to mine and negate the curse with blood magic; and then the fact that she loved me was enough to make the risk worth it. I'd have suggested not having children too, only I appear to be a little henpecked; YOU ought to know about that, Severus" he growled.
Severus laughed.
"Just a little" he agreed "And I guess neither of us nor Lucius would have it any other way. Well, Salazar chose to join the main blood group; Lilith always hoped he might because he IS like a brother to her."
"Yes; and as a supporter not a marauder. Which in some ways takes more balls" said Alastor, trying not to sound proud.
"Indeed" agreed Severus. "Well, will you? Join with the rest of us, you, Abigail, Rose and the babes? I often wondered why you never suggested it yourself."
"I didn't think you'd want me, Severus" said Alastor "I did push you rather hard; as that snippy and loyal little wife of yours reminded me at the time. And then proceeded to hide random knickers and underpants around your office for me to find. I had to question everything and everyone; Albus likes to look for good in everyone. And I knew what very few people did; that he had made an error of judgement before over Gellert Grindelwald."
"You knew about that? Then you've been a true friend keeping it quiet" said Severus. "Albus learned a lot from that error; we all make errors and if we survive to walk away from them we usually learn from them. I learned truly what Voldemort was when he was ready to kill Lily and literally could NOT understand why that made me balk. And I learned to love Albus as a father; and yes, he's flawed, as we all are. But he's nobody's fool about READING people any more; just not always so great at giving them credit for the strength of mind he had to learn. He could have made Harry's task a lot easier by beating me over the head with how like me the boy is, and made me share my unhappy experiences with James to show him what NOT to do – not that he ever did, despite my silly beliefs – and got us talking from the word go. And he could have told Harry more earlier. But he was NEVER wrong about who to trust. Of course, I suppose in retrospect it's easier to say. And I haven't approached you because I've been a little nervous of my reception as you don't like me; which doesn't matter if we work for the same goal. And I'm deucedly fond of Salazar and I know he'd like his parents and siblings to be a part of it all, as he IS the only one who's related to all your kids."
"Don't mistake a one time distrust with dislike, Severus" said Alastor "I don't really know you well enough to like OR dislike you; you're too reserved to easily get to know. Personally I think it's a sensible thing to spread the risk; and I'd be more than willing to be in – especially as it means I can keep better tabs on my two maddest Aurors."
"And some of your new trainees" said Severus dryly "Gorbrin and Meliandra. Not Jordan nor Mardo though; they never were quite right somehow."
"What, and I am?"
"You're one of the staunchest fighters against evil and campaigners for justice that I know" said Severus simply.
"Then I agree; so long as Abigail does" said Alastor "What of the children?"
"We've brought in children before; and it won't be a shock to the youngest three who can already feel each other and you and Abigail. Rose should perhaps be given the choice; but I suspect when she knows Salazar and Lilith are both part of it she'll be in."
"I don't say you're wrong at that" said Alastor, his face softening at the thought of his adopted daughter. Rose was no relation of either him or his wife, but was the half sister of Abigail's son Salazar. "When?"
"Bring everyone over just before tea; we'll do the blooding and then eat to recover from it" said Severus. "You'll be surprised just how many and who comprise it now; and we needed every last one to free the elves from the self punishing compulsion in Europe I can tell you."
"Well, if we come, Abigail agrees; if we don't she didn't" said Alastor.
Severus nodded; brusque was just Alastor's way.
oOoOo
Salazar came with his parents, with Rose by the hand, Horace and Alastor junior dancing along and Imogen holding tight to her mother's hand. At three and a half she was the baby of the family.
Baby or not, Imogen was well primed and only cried a little bit when Abigail used the cutting spell to open her palm for them all to join; Severus had assembled a random selection of people, mostly those who lived in Orme Court and their closest friends, which was, as Alastor murmured, rather a surfeit of Malfoys.
The look of wonder on his face as he assimilated just how many people he was joined to showed that this was enough to dissipate any snippy thoughts.
"Lucius too?" he marvelled "TIGERS?"
"Nothing wrong with tigers" said Krait prosaically "Bella's planning on marrying one and half the marauders in Hogwarts – well a significant minority – are tigers. It's sort of a purry growly counterpoint to those of us who are snakes; they seem to congregate in Gryffindor for some reason, save the odd couple who are Huffers."
"Hmmph" said Alastor.
"Professor Khan says 'Hrrrr' in the same tone of voice as that, dad, and it means the same thing" said Salazar "'Hrrrr' is a very useful word; it can mean almost anything you want it to without actually committing to an opinion while you think."
"Well, it's a very wide group" said Alastor "And I see why you look so damned sleek these days Severus; you don't have to ask if anyone loves you, I can feel how many people do. So many possibilities! And don't you two go trying to put one over on me and presume on a blood bond" he added to Harry and Draco, who both laughed and slapped him on the back.
"Was it going to be time to eat soon?" asked Salazar hopefully.
"Right now" said Severus.
Krait guided Abigail and Severus took Alastor's elbow – the weakness was worse for those newly brought in – while various Snapes and Casimir Malfoys helped the younger children; and Mimette and Albie, the elves who worked for the Snapes, Sirri's parents, had prepared a slap up meal that the younger elements fell on, as Severus put it, like a plague of locusts, only louder.
The appearance of the older Malfoys at Malfoy Manor was a shock; in some respects. Apparently Draco and Gorbrin had got together to use the power of twenty-three factorial – Lilith was looking smug here, having done the research – to bring Lucius, Narcissa, Charlotte and Tanjela to an approximate age of about thirty five; around Charlotte's actual age but with the lesser level of aging a witch of that age would have, not the muggle Charlotte had been until the blood-joining had given her magical powers. Narcissa and Lucius showed the change the most, having had suffering under Voldemort to contend with as well as age; and they looked fantastic.
"Lumme, he really IS too sexy for his car now" said Krait in mock disgust, making reference to the song Lilith had jinxed onto Lucius' Rolls Royce.
The wedding was an important occasion for Richard; Severus often thought that of all his children, Richard most nearly resembled him in character as well as looks; though he had his mother's beautiful violet eyes. Richard had an armour of sarcasm and snideness and a way of pushing people away; and Severus was glad that he would be starting with people whom he would know well, Rose Gaunt, Teddy Lupin, Drogo and Varjak Malfoy, and to a lesser extent their sister Penny; they were all long time friends of Richard's, and indeed he had grown up with Rose while Krait and Severus still fostered her, and Teddy had always been there too before they relocated to Austria. They went into a huddle together and the Malfoys dragged Richard off to renew acquaintance with cousins he knew slightly and to make acquaintance with whoever Lucius was sponsoring at the moment. Two fey girls for starters by the looks of it.
One always worried when the next child came due to go away for the first time; even Lilith who could not wait to get to school two years younger than her fellows.
oOoOo
The day of the wedding dawned with summer hail; so Severus and his wives decided to eschew MSHG activity and went back to bed instead. Sirri declared solemnly it was a fertility ritual to encourage the incipient couples and Dione said that of all the pieces of casuistry she had ever heard that was the worst and Krait said the hell with it and let's just enjoy it.
The weather cleared in time for the weddings in any case; so that was all good.
The knot of racist protestors was less good but Draco and the half troll bouncers routed them in short order. Draco's threats were far more subtle than the intimidating presence of large part trolls; but they got the message across. The boy was VERY good, reflected Severus with pride.
All the brides wore similar robes – it was a style that with only a little alteration suited all of them – in shades of ivory and cream as best suited their complexion. Erica's gown was a shade paler than her perfect Malfoy magnolia skin and the seed pearls matching; Jazka wore a warmer cream to knock back the olive shade of her goblin complexion; Stacey, who had the kind of loveliness half breeds so often had, was in much the same darker colour as Meliandra, which suited a range of complexions; and Irmi was in the palest ivory with golden coloured scroll patterns in the brocade of the jacket that showed up the golden mountain tan she had acquired living in Prince Peak. She was a creature of gold, with golden hair cascading down her back; and amber eyes glowing with love for her Sebastian. Wulf looked so proud as he gave her away! He and Jade both shed a tear or two – Jade being the nearest thing Irmi had to the bride's mother – and sniffed hard. Irmi looked so lovely! Severus, as her stepgrandfather and mentor was proud of her – and of Sebastian too, who was a most excellent pupil and too a blood brother of course.
Lucius had to make a speech as he gave away Erica of course.
"This is the first opportunity I've had to do my own giving away of a bride, since Erica is my oldest daughter; and all I can say, young Ming, is that if she's too hot for you to handle, there's no giving her back!"
Ming roared with laughter and so too did everyone else.
The brides had decided to hold their bridesmaids in common from a selection of sisters, cousins and spare little girls including small Petunia Dursley just because.
And then they were all suitably married and the feast might commence with its attendant jinxes, and Severus might pretend not to notice his son and cronies disappear off after practising various thieving charms on food that were entirely unnecessary and were also far too sophisticated for eleven year olds, especially those without wands.
The spells pulled off by Lilith's group, both of the food filching variety AND the jinxes on the guests they disliked were more sophisticated still of course.
It was the reason that a wise parent ignored his offspring at weddings.
Especially when it appeared that some of the guests were being menaced by some kind of missiles – or hornets – which issued from the tree where Lilith and co had last been seen. Severus found business indoors; it was Lucius' party. He encouraged mayhem and jinxes from the children; let HIM sort it out. With the virtuous conscience of a true Slytherin leaving his best friend to deal with trouble, Severus went to the library.
oOoOo
Severus was not the only one of his staff having a full holiday; Freya Tuthill had convened a meeting of the other bloodgroup and they all solemnly kowtowed to Lionel resplendent in the robes of a fully fledged auror. He cast several tickling charms.
"I want to bring someone in" said Freya flushing.
"You've found a fella?" said Ross "Poor prune, has anyone warned him?"
Freya poked her brother.
"It's Byron Bekard" she said.
"Well that's a nice piece of symmetry" said Lionel "Ravenclaw isn't he? Balance Pearl here nicely."
Pearl, their only Ravenclaw member grinned.
"Their brats will all be Ravers" she said "Freya's like Hermione Granger, four parts Raver under a Gryff exterior."
Freya was blushing.
"Look here, I haven't even mentioned that I like him; talking about brats is a trifle premature you horrid child!"
Pearl grinned.
"I suppose I'm thinking that if you can pick up a live one later in life when you're an aged spinster teacher I have hope of finding one too, and that was revenge for calling me child since I left school if you hadn't noticed full of NEWTs and honour."
"Only just now" said Freya, who looked on Pearl as more of a little sister than her own, untalented sisters. Pearl squeezed Freya's arm affectionately; she knew that Freya would have asked her to stay with her in the holidays before had not Freya feared that a friend not far off the resentful Imogen Tuthill in age might make Imogen even more resentful. One of the binding factors of the group was the incidence of family trouble for so many of them; not their parents in the cases of Ross and Freya, but one of their sisters. Pearl had no siblings; and was inclined to think it a good thing since her parents rarely stopped bickering. Pearl was of the opinion that her legal father was indeed no such thing and that she had been sired by some wandering Malfoy, like Lucius' great uncle Eudo who had been known to stray; or possibly even by one of Lucius' muggle relatives sired by his father Abraxus. Pearl had asked Lucius outright if there was any possibility that he could have sired her, and had had the unusual situation of having Lucius Malfoy apologise after saying, without thinking that nobody had EVER questioned his taste in women before. Pearl had laughed and waved an airy hand as he realised that he had just insulted a young girl's mother to her face and begged her pardon. Pearl did not like her parents much. She just hoped her mother had not played her father false with a muggle lover; she had nothing against muggles as such but…..well, there were things that were a little unacceptable.
"So are you going to break it to him first that he's a live one and ask him to join the group after?" said Lionel. "He'll be the oldest of us….unless you count Rubeus."
"Rubeus? He's younger than any of us" quipped Heather Burns Tuthill. "I suggest we bring him in first as a solid member of the MSHG – didn't I hear he did well fighting Voldemort's forces as well as Odessa? – and ask him to be one of us as backup for the main bloodgroup and he and Freya will then feel each other too."
"I think he likes me" said Freya blushing.
"Danced with you last year at the Yule Ball, didn't he?" said Ross laconically. "Well why don't we send him an owl? Here we are in Lionel's flat in Orme Court; as good a place and time as any, missing only Rubeus and Alice and the two in Germany and knee deep in babies."
He was bouncing his own three month old daughter on his knee and Elinor Margot was squealing with delight; she had just discovered how to giggle, which as the jaundiced father said would now be a source of despair for the next eighteen years or so.
Lionel's own five children were in the tender care of Gresley, the Dell family elf who loved the idea of doting on another generation of young Dells and took the offspring of three wives in his tiny stride and was happy too to take on Tim and Tamsin's small sons and Grigs and Cholaka's little boy who was the same age as Lionel's oldest three.
An owl was swiftly despatched to Byron; who turned up within the hour looking curious.
"Byron old man" said Lionel "You're one of the heroes of the Battle for Hogwarts; one of the staunch members of the MSHG who never got invited into the blood group."
Byron shrugged.
"And I'm not sure if I'd have accepted an invitation back then anyway; I could be a bit of a prig you know, and it was NOT tried and tested magic. Comes of being a Ravenclaw I suppose" he laughed. "What of it?"
"We formed a second blood group; initially to give Ross magic" said Lionel.
Byron whistled.
"So THAT's how he came on so fast! I confess I wondered if Sephara Yaxley had been brought on with blood magic when she came to school; and having read Sev's book I'm kind of confirmed in that if you read between the lines. But she was only a squib; it works with a muggle then?"
"I was a sensitive and I could get a potion going beforehand" said Ross "But yes, I think it does work – if you've enough – with a muggle who has the least heritance of magic to boost."
"Are you making me an offer?" said Byron.
"Yes" said Lionel "You've been proposed and seconded from those of our people who teach with you; and we form the backup group. We've heaved the main bloodgroup's tail out of trouble once, when they overreached themselves a little – at least, they succeeded in their objective but they needed washing, feeding and re-hydrating after the effort and we were there. We've worked with them since. It's handy to know that if there's a massive spell effect that can knock them for six briefly, which would have to be one hell of a spell effect these days, we're on hand to hold the fort. Are you up for supporting them?"
Byron's eyes strayed to Freya.
"I have to say I had no idea there even was a second group" he said "I – yes, I'm up for it I think. It's true, isn't it, that nobody gets together, if they're blooded, with someone who isn't?"
"WHAT a sentence from a Ravenclaw!" scolded Freya. "But essentially yes; or else one wants to invite in someone er attractive" she blushed.
Byron nodded.
"I thought I had that correctly" he said. "Well I'm in; we've got a new supremacist movement hinted at rising in France I believe; and that means veteran warriors of the Voldemort years might be needed again I guess, even though Odessa is mostly subdued or being irritated by Seagh Snape in Eastern Europe."
"Well we have an arithmantically correct window in about half an hour" said Freya "It's a shame Rubeus didn't manage to get here, but…."
"Hold that" said Ross, looking out of the window "Here's Rubeus and Alice and brats."
"Excellent" said Freya "Vasilica and Mischa can't leave their orphans in Germany but they're with us in spirit. How like Alice it is to be as awkward as any Malfoy and arrange to have babes with a full range of hair colour from silver-gilt for Beth to dark as Rubeus for Dair and red for Luis!"
"Hagrid?" said Byron.
"Rubeus is a dear friend and brother" said Lionel "Besides, our initial reasons for inviting him in was to have a grown up we all liked who wasn't TOO grown up. Rubeus! Alice!" he greeted the newcomers warmly as he opened the door to them.
Gresley firmly relieved Alice of the twins and Beth; and Freya called people to be ready to count down to blood.
"It's….. remarkably draining, isn't it?" said Byron.
"It's to do with the fact that the magic is personal and comes from within" said Lionel. "Ask Severus if you want the Arithmancy on it; I don't care that much. Or at least, only to understand it far enough for my own satisfaction."
"I might; it is by nature an enchantment and that IS supposed to be my sphere" said Byron.
"Ritual and enchantment sort of overlap rather" said Freya critically "I've got some bumf on ritual magic I sort of liberated from the Department of Mysteries because they hadn't a clue how to use it and I do; you might want to look it over. It's way over the heads of anyone daft enough to work long enough in the Ministry to rise any higher than gopher and lickspittle to an under secretary; as I discovered when I aspired – ha haha – to be an Unspeakable. Well they're Unspeakably silly most of them. You get more research and higher magic out of any group of fourteen-year-old marauders. Actually Lion, you might suggest that Lucius trawls through the Department of Mysteries and turns it over to Lilith and friends for a week or two; they'll solve most of the mysteries I reckon."
Lionel laughed.
"Oh I don't doubt it! Well Lucius has been voted Prime Minister again so I guess with backup from Severin Prince, Sirius Black, Harry Potter and so on he will be able to poke around; what he needs to do is to ask Severus to send Lilith there on work experience after she's finished doing every NEWT there is and while she waits for her seventeenth birthday. They won't know what's hit them! You have to admit that although nobody doubted Frank Longbottom's integrity and Lucius can be a little well, dodgy in the detail, he DOES get things done that need doing and his dodginess is generally to good ends; and he knows an asset when he sees one. And Lilith is about the most effervescent asset anyone might meet!"
Byron laughed along with the others; he too had been a party to Lilith's early years, as well as teaching while she was in the nursery of Prince Peak!
And when he left, at the same time as Freya, they walked along together and seemed deep in conversation; and Lionel was pleased for his friend. Only someone as academic as herself would do for Freya!