Chapter 2

It has to be said that Severus used the Easter Holidays to expedite the brewing of a ticklish little potion, and Lucius duly delivered it to Roger, just as he was alerting police, social workers, his lawyer and anyone else he thought might be interested that his children had vanished.

It took very little effort to make a cup of coffee, the muggle way, using a borrowed invisibility cloak, and once a cup of coffee was by Roger's hand, he was likely to drink it without thinking where it had come from. Lucius admitted to himself that this was probably something he would do too, and made a mental note to be more paranoid. His enemies were probably more effective than any that the feckless idiot called Roger had accrued. Those who were still alive, anyway.

Once Roger had drunk the coffee, he became very loquacious. Lucius was to describe it later to Michelle by misquoting Asterix, that he had loquaced as nobody had ever loquaced before.

Lucius watched long enough to satisfy his schardenfreude, have enough of a report to have Michelle amused by it, and make sure that the authorities Roger was talking to decided that he was a nut job, ruled that he was never to see the children of his ex wife again, and that he was not fit to be around children, period. Lucius left when the men in white coats arrived.

Severus really was very good.

The Durak formerly known as Dolokhov went on trial in France. Mandragora had restored him, and none of the youngsters from the Triwizard were required to give evidence as enough adults had seen and heard what he had done. This was disappointing to some, and a relief to others.

The main point of satisfaction was that mandragora had not cured the curse on his feet or ears; the chanting had been too competent to be countered by a potion generally reckoned able to handle minor curses.

"Golapott," said Lilith. "Mandragora isn't more many headed and mutable than we are. It needed to be brewed with an added chant at least as effective as ours."

"If you say so, half-pint," said Sextus, who wished he had been a part of it.

"I do say so," said Lilith. "It's because of the extrinsic alteration by concentrated willpower. The willpower of an opposed potion has to equal or exceed the willpower of the chanted curse, which is why chanting is the works, but that anything daddy brews is probably superior to most people's potion-poking."

"Not a skill snob at all then," grinned Sextus.

"I know how good Daddy is," said Lilith, shrugging. "He has a will of iron. Everyone sees Lucius being the posey git he is, and scaring people who he doesn't like into needing new underwear, and they forget that Daddy is actually the one who threw off the yoke of Voldemort without having to be dragged kicking and screaming into the realisation that following the turbidly moronic little herpezombie was dead stupid."

"You called him what?"

"Herpezombie. I thought it was quite a good word to coin; he was semi undead and semi snake. Actually," she added critically, "Herpetology is the study of all reptiles and amphibia. So I suppose he should be a squamozombie."

"Squamous, scaly," nodded Sextus. "I see where you were coming from, though, half-pint, herpes is a muggle disease and it isn't very nice."

"There was that somewhere inside my head," admitted Lilith. "However, for accuracy, Squamozombie will have to be the descriptor of choice."

"Well, whatever you call him, he's dead and can't sue," said Sextus.

Agata Bacsó had written a letter of resignation to the governors, effective from the end of the year, and recommended Attila Nagy as her choice of replacement.

The governors turned up en masse to ask why.

Agata waved her hand airily.

"That silly little girl and her lies about Saxtred gave me ideas; so I'm going to marry him. I don't think the parents would be terribly happy about it, so I'm going to take over the state orphanage in Hungary instead, and run it with him."

"Blood and thunder!" exclaimed Von Teufel.

"To hell with the parents," said Viktor Krumm. "You are doing a good job here, Agata, they will have to adapt to it."

"If the orphanage in Hungary wasn't so dire, I might let myself be talked round, Viktor, but it is, and I've had urges to interfere for a while," said Agata. "Whether Zyrillis wins the Triwizard or not, I am very proud of him, and I will be pleased to leave on a high note. Attila is very capable."

"He is," said Von Frettchen, "And I fear you are right about the parents. They would not like it much."

"One could argue that Goblins are also pure bred as they don't have a drop of muggle blood," said Viktor, with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

"Hush," said Agata. "It's bad enough getting them to accept children with only 4 generations of proven wizarding blood, don't go getting that question raised."

"Sorry, Frau Kaiserin," said Viktor.

"Oh well," said Von Frettchen, "You were holding apart from Marauding while you were headmistress; I think you and your husband should join. It will protect you."

"What's this?" demanded Von Teufel.

"You don't want to know," said Von Frettchen.

Von Teufel grunted.

"Probably not," he agreed.

Agata was taken aback.

"I … I had not considered it," she said.

"Consider it now," said Von Frettchen.

Agata bowed her head.

She had avoided joining the blood pact more out of fear than to stand aloof, though it was the excuse she had made. But … it would draw her closer to her son. And it would mean any siblings he had would be protected by being born into it.

Von Frettchen remained when the others had gone.

"No time like the present," he suggested.

"I … very well," said Agata, "but give me time to explain to Saxdred."

"We just did," Sigismund and his friends walked into the study, with a bemused looking Saxdred. "Really, mother, the Ferret pulsed us, what else were we to do?"

"Mein leibling, if it will help us to help the children, and protect our children as Sigismund says, what choice do we have?" said Saxdred.

Other blooded started drifting in, those of Durmstrang who were staying for exams, and the blooded on the staff, and with a sharp TAC Severus and Jade joined them.

"I thought it might be as well to have someone with key blood from other people," murmured Severus.

"And I've been wanting to bring you in for a long while," said Jade.

It may be said that shortly, Agata and Saxdred were looking about their new blood siblings with amazed wonder, as they realised how many and how disparate were their many kin. And Agata finally understood how so many of the marauders apparated without any regard for anti-apparating zones.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" said Eve. "And you suddenly realise that Severus isn't scary after all."

Agata flushed.

"It's not so much that, but that he's so … intense," she said, looking apologetically at Severus.

"Meh, as Krait would say, somebody has to be," said Severus.

"And … yes and I understand the serious truth behind that seemingly flippant comment," said Agata. "I will not fear to tackle any problem now. I … I wish I had done it years ago."

"So did I," said Eve, dryly.

"Agata, you, and Eve, and Eduard and several others are the more special for having been enemies who have become family," said Severus, simply.

"And now I even understand Hallow a bit better," said Agata.

"And that is a victory for her as well as for the rest of us," said Severus.

How quiet! How peaceful! Thought Engelbert Hellibore, unaware that he echoed the thoughts of Bugs Bunny before becoming embroiled in a feud between the cartoon versions of Hatfields and McCoys. He really could not understand why some of the schools should keep their exam students over the Easter break. He had heard it variously said that it was to encourage them to revise, or, from Severus, to prevent them from revising too much. His students rarely needed to be prevented from doing any extra work. Hellibore wondered whether they needed holiday revision supervision, and mentally shrugged.

Those who wanted to work, like the Mordaunt children, would do so whether they were encouraged to do so or not, and he was losing the younger two to Prince Peak in any case. Good of them to stay until their brother had finished his part in the Triwizard. And that would be the pattern for the future; those who wanted to work would go to Prince Peak, and those who wanted to rub shoulders with others of their own class and prejudice would come to him. And he had chosen to take that path, so he could not gripe about losing the brightest pests in the school. Well, Gypsophila Grant was a hardworking and clever child; though she might manage to work on her parents to transfer as well.

Oh well, if not, he would have a female elf as a chaperone and give her extra coaching himself, if she wanted, and get Miles Grant to do so too, as a favour to his little cousin.

Severus was doing his usual holiday assignments of climbing mountains, visiting gasthofs, and having fun between rigidly defined periods of revision. It had been working well so far, as had holding quizzes so the children could find out what they did not know. His children and young adults were sensible and aware of their bodily needs, a far cry from some of those he had known in Hogwarts. Of course, Dumbledore had nothing with which to compare the lackadaisical methods of Armando Dippett, and in many ways he was too rarefied an academic to consider the needs of growing minds and bodies. It had always been done that way, there had always been exam hysteria, this was normal. Severus laughed ruefully. Most people comparing him and Dumbledore would declare that he was the more academic of the two. And in a way, he was. But then, Severus knew that he loved learning for its own sake, and now that he understood the thrill of teaching, he wanted to impart that, and to pass on knowledge to minds fit and eager to receive it. Dumbledore was, and had always been, just that little bit too power-hungry, and out for academic prizes more than for the learning. It had taught him a lot along the way, but it had not taught him how to nurture. In many ways, Dumbledore was still a teenage wizard, able to enter into the feelings of those who wanted mischief, but unaware how to channel it as safely as possible. Severus laughed, and sighed. Dumbledore was a father figure for him, and more so than his own father had ever been, but sometimes it seemed that he had grown up, and Dumbledore had not. Which was not to say that Severus did not enjoy the mischief of the lower school, or of his own children, but he had to admit to a smug satisfaction that his own trainees thought through whether or not their mischief would hurt anyone or not. David would have Hogwarts well in hand, however, and would doubtless prevent untoward cramming.

David did have Hogwarts well in hand. At least he did not have Wilfrid Trimmer in an exam year this year, and when the boy was in the upper sixth next year, David had every intention of isolating him, without books, in the hospital wing if he tried on any interrogations about revision, on the grounds that he was plainly suffering from nervous exhaustion to behave so unreasonably. And David had no fears for his high fliers, which were Sextus and Lilith. Sextus was 'only' taking nine OWLs, having done five the previous year, and so had time to study towards four NEWTs which he would be taking in the following year. And Lilith was having what she described as 'a breeze of a year', taking just eight OWLs and one NEWT, the which was in music, which Lilith could have taught quite adequately for several years. The following year would see her having completed all the OWLs that currently existed, and all but four of the NEWTs available, and how to occupy her mind when only studying four NEWTs in her theoretical upper sixth year, when she would not even be an adult for another year, was a worry to worry about when that problem arose. Original research would probably do nicely. Or she could go to Durmstrang for two years. After all, David, who had no suspicions that Agata was planning to leave, had every expectation that Agata could control the volatile little girl, who was also likely to give respect to someone her adored sister Jade gave respect to.

Sextus would doubtless do a couple of years post graduate in Prince Peak, and that was actually be another possibility for Lilith, who would then be mature enough to handle having her father as headmaster. David chuckled. He had just had a vision of Lilith's face if anyone suggested sending her for a year or two to Beauxbatons.

Jade was, like David, a disciple of her father, and she and Wulf made sure that their pupils studied in designated study times, and not outside of them. As most of her students were new to the idea of education, they did not question this; for those who had transferred from small schools, the idea of boarding and studying at all in the holidays in a structured way was new too. Most had revised desultorily, but had been expected to participate in family life too, and hence had not got time to work too hard. None of them had parents who had ridiculous expectations of them.

Jade was very pleased with her students. From nothing, most of the top year had risen to take what she considered to be an acceptable level of qualifications, only Ktell taking fewer than three ZHs. Ktell was taking an extra three ZPs to go with the ZAP and ZP in dark arts he had gained two years before, having decided to take a full two years to learn as much as he could about chanting, arithmancy and potions. Ktell had a job waiting for him when he left school, as assistant to the cursebreaker Jaromir Frolik. Ktell was shrewd rather than clever, and he knew his limitations, though he was hard working enough to want to pursue his one ZP to the higher qualification, and convert some of his ZAP subjects to ZP.

Jade was even pleased with the one student who had left as soon as he had earned the right to carry a wand, Lazek gan Szork, who was hoping to be taken into a full partnership with the scrap dealer he worked for. Lazek had talked very fast to be permitted a licence at the dealership to sell muggle items converted for use with magic, and had then written to Jade and Wulf to find out how to do this safely! Jade had been misusing muggle items since she was about eight, and was able to do this easily. And Lazek was proud that his younger siblings would be true scholars.

Those who were taking ZP this year would have more qualifications than those currently in the upper sixth, except Martina Balzar, whose magic was decidedly poor, but she was at least human and could carry a wand as of right, and she had every chance of passing the ZAP well enough. And Jade had decided to put her in for the Quidditch OWL as well, as that she had every chance of passing well. As indeed did Lehrt gan Sittig, who would need three ZPs as he would be unlikely to pass the potions component of a ZAP. Lehrt was, however, sitting seven ZPs in addition to the quidditch OWL, and preferred a wide knowledge base to high marks. Jade thought he would probably pass all but the potions where his classwork scored between P and T, and usually at the lower end. Zaly Czerny preferred to get higher marks on fewer subjects and was taking six ZPs; he could take more, if he so desired, when he transferred with his friend Grelleg to Prince Peak next year. Grelleg had a quidditch scholarship, and he and Zaly were both Marauders, so Severus had made no demur about taking them both for the sixth form. Grelleg would also take the OWL in quidditch, and had ambitions to play for a while and then become either a coach or an official. Martina hoped to marry before she was dropped from a team, a lovely girl but not what one might call academic.

The whole year were not what Jade really considered to be academic, but when one considered how well they had done to catch up five years in two years of education, they were doing very well indeed.

Desolina Uccello had borrowed Pharamond and friends to strengthen the anti-hysteria line, and to renew the temporally decayed age line, to prevent illicit trips out of the castle, with a twist to permit exit of anyone under nineteen if accompanied by an adult.

Olympe Maxime, after years of the best laissez faire that any Frenchwoman could manage, was also cracking down, and the ELF and ELM students found themselves regimented into studying at arranged times, and their books locked away between those times. She had few worries about her terminale class, who were led by Pharamond, and were mostly level headed, but those of the seconde who were taking ELM were a mixed bag. Philomène was a star pupil, which was just as well, for the first ever part goblin in the school, so long as she was not sabotaged by Guillemete Araignée, who was spiteful, or Adriana Galbeni, whose sole reason for transferring from a dame school in her native Romania had been to enter the Triwizard. Adriana was a year older than the others taking ELMs but it could not be helped: she was, after all, not as good as she had believed, and was having trouble keeping up with the classwork in any subjects bar herbology, potions, and defence against the dark arts, which subjects she fortunately excelled at. Adriana had not stood a chance of being chosen by the goblet of fire, but had obstinately put her name in anyway. It had been, reflected Olympe, a mistake to take her, but one hesitated to turn down someone willing, as it seemed, for more of an education. Darryl Zabini had waxed English and wordy on the subject of dippy girls wanting to inflict their dippiness on others because the Triwizard was their destiny. Adriana had settled down perforce, because she had little choice in the matter, but she was never going to be a luminary of the school.

Well, there were those who would, and Philomène was one of them, and if she did marry Pharamond, she would be a good symbol of the school in social life. Olympe was well aware that for most French, the practicalities of who was likely to be leaders of society were those born to, or married to, those of pure bred good families, not those who were academic high flyers.

It was the way life worked.