Chapter 4

The upper sixth shared studies and slept four to a room in greater privacy than lower years and might be permitted to choose their partners providing – said Madam Bacsó archly – they were all of the same sex.

This prompted naughty Jade to turn to Cacilia and say,

"Cacilia, if you are a raging lesbian, tell me now and I'll pick a harmless little girl like Nachtigall."

Cacilia gurgled with laughter.

"Not I; I have no leanings for such passions, dear Sappho. We shall have also Rodica and Traudl?"

"Eminently suitable" said Jade "And our collective fags will have to stack three deep to get them all into the study."

"Well some of us are less greedy than others" drawled Traudl, who was finding that Jade did not confuse teasing with ill manners. "Rodica and I just want a small corner for our fags; not being so over-endowed as you two."

"Oh we shall brew for them the draught of Living Death and stack them neatly in a cupboard until wanted" said Jade cheerfully "Laid between pairs of twins as bookends for symmetry."

"You're an ass" said Cacilia amicably "I shall tell them what you said."

"Do" said Jade, cordially "And tell them that if they irritate I shall also poison them."

"That I shan't" said Cacilia "Poor babes, they might believe you!"

As those of highest social rank Jade and Cacilia had first choice of their shared room; and Jade suggested a corner room in a turret, a little inconvenient for the fags but with fourteen between them they need turn out less often and the view and the remoteness from others was pleasant.

Nachtigall thought her a fool; convenience to his fags was not uppermost in his mind but the thought of being far enough from the kitchens for food brought to have cooled right down he did not think reasonable, and chose for HIS companions a room near the hub of the castle, where stairs ran down to the kitchen and the common rooms were close so that fags were quicker to summon. His intimates chosen were De Witt, and the two German boys of his gang, Ritter Kesselring and Clovis Gierek, half Polish but a cut, in Nachtigall's mind above the last, Norwegian boy of his set, who must hope to settle with a group that was none of his kind.

As Bertel and Lazlo grabbed dreamy Volodya and asked Madam Bacsó if they might have a three to permit the other two boys some company they were to be happy; and Thom Bilkvam must share with Swiss Seppi Buser who, as Bertel said, had no VICE in him save of knowing that he was right and expecting others to implement the plans of his rightness.

It may be said that the three had got Lazlo to ask to appeal to a fellow Hungarian in the head; there were no flies on Bertel.

The fags approved of the turret rooms, with windows round most of the study.

"It'll be harder to keep out draughts but the VIEW!" said Jade.

"It is like a ship at sea!" said Sofie.

"Have you ever been on a ship at sea?" demanded Herwald.

"No but I can imagine" retorted Sofie.

"And probably a sight more comfortable as an imaginary ship than a real one is" said Jade firmly. "We're going to draw up a rota and for study duties hold the lot of you in common; four of you at a time will be on duty and we shall show you how to make perfect snacks on our fire and you will learn fast 'cos you'll be tasting them to check you never poisoned us. And we'll let the ones on duty do their prep in with us so you are on hand for us as we need you and to avoid you having to run so far. Deal?"

"You are as fair as Fraulein Von Freyer, Fraulein Von Strang" said Zlatko, the male of the Bulgarian twins.

"Thank you; this is your training to lead one day also; and if you are not given the example of loyalty from a leader, you will not know when you have fags that you should give what you expect" said Jade.

"When do we start the club?" asked Xanthippe.

"Tomorrow morning at five thirty. We will walk the district not run to get our bearings and see how even the ground is for running, and we shall not go far. In general boys will retire to the private bathrooms of the males in the upper sixth, girls to ours. We shall work up a sweat running in future and in heavy duelling. We need a place wher we can be private. Is there anywhere?"

"There is an unused dungeon next to the potions room" said Rodica "It is used as a lumber room but we could clear it."

"Better, we could clear it but leave lumber that we must walk around as a screen if any open the door" said Xanthe. "If I may presume to suggest."

"Good plan" said Jade. "The rule is, all opinions are valid; there is no rank, social or age, in the club so long as proper social usage is employed outside it. We all respect each other and we are all loyal to each other. You Eulenspiegels and uh, Adolph, you have another friend I think?"

"Yes, Alexand fags for Herr Buser but he will be able to come in the mornings" said Xanthe. "If he is invited?"

"Oh far be it for us to break a successful group of mischief-doers" said Jade.

The first night's feast was amusing enough. When the staff walked in, the upper sixth and substantial numbers of the lower school rose appropriately.

Klaas De Witt stayed firmly sat – briefly – then leaped to his feet with a yelp.

Jade restored the porcupine to being a chair seat once again.

Some of the others had copied their elders; and the first who were not yet chosen as fags or who belonged to Lower Sixth members rose hurriedly to copy those who seemed more in the know.

Madam Bacsó made announcement that this lost custom was to be reinstated to prevent her children being the laughing stock of Europe.

Showing respect to staff might not have swayed them; avoiding being a laughing stock did.

It should not be supposed that Nachtigall had viewed Traudl's defection to this awful English girl with any degree of equanimity; and indeed he had every intention of forcing her abject and apologetic return by leaning on her little sister, which would also be hurtful to Nefrita Von Strang.

Although that WOULD bring him to the terrible English girl's notice.

He might, however, readily harm Zyrillis Genauschüren of the second, Traudl's fag, and hint at what worse he might do to little Elfleda.

Getting Zyrillis to commit an act which might get him into trouble was another matter.

Zyrillis was as shrewd a child as any might meet; and had, moreover, been already a year at Durmstrang and had seen Nachtigall in action to try to discommode others he disliked by attacking their fags. He was half expecting it and voiced his concerns in the first ever meeting of the English Custom Club; and the club had its first real assignment of watching out for each other.

The Bulgarian twins had brought along another member too; a girl in their class called Gisela Schutzmann, who had been Anett Breuer's fag.

Cacilia had suggested it, without saying why.

Gisela was ready to accept that Anett had spoken to Cacilia and asked her to look out for Gisela; as indeed Anett had done.

"It is like Fraulein Breuer to be considerate" said Gisela, pleased "And if she knows of this club and approves then I approve also".

Herwald's brother was also in that form; but Herwald vetoed any idea of asking him.

"If anyone hurt my brother I'd want to retaliate but he's an inveterate gambler and if anyone offered to let him off his debts – or even offered to pay him a decent sum – if he ratted us up, he'd squeak so loud you'd see the naked tail twitching" he said graphically. "He is my brother and so I am bound to have some fondness for him; but alas I have no respect for him."

That was sad but Jade nodded. One could not risk anyone that unreliable.

They also took on another third year who had been fag to an upper sixth of the previous year and Cacilia accepted Scholastica Uccello as her fag officially because Scholastica talked very fast since her big sister was already being well bullied by Nachtigall in the year above and made his unofficial fag and – Scholastica was afraid – likely to be made to go to bed with him. Desolina was a beautiful child, with a skin almost as creamy as Jade herself, big pansy-brown eyes, exotic to a German boy, and an oval face that looked like the painting of a Madonna framed by a cascade of deep auburn hair. The Bulgarian twins collected her without a by your leave after breakfast, and informed Traudl that this was her new fag.

Zlatko and Zlatka were a managing pair.

And as official fag to someone else Nachtigall had no right to interfere with her; and the study voted that she and Zyrillis should have the right to come and go as they chose and do all their prep in safety with the older ones as Traudl's fags were at risk.

And Jade put a gentle compulsion on the gentle girl not to talk about the ECC other than how interesting and strange the customs were and how an umbrella had so much significance. She needed gentle handling; as had Melody Bloom when first she was a ward of the Snapes. She would blossom; Jade and the Azimov twins would make sure of that. And Jade also placed her in the care of Gisela in the belief it would be as Anett wished.

Gisela was delighted. Desolina was a bit weak willed for her liking as a friend, but to be given the trust of caring for her was something else. Especially as Jade explained that she should find things to praise in the quiet girl outside of her extraordinary good looks to boost her confidence and that she had every faith in Gisela in being able to bring her on.

And then they had lessons to start!

The first lesson Jade had was in transfigurations; the professor was called Attila Nagy and seeing how he strutted into the room as though he were the most important man in the world it looked as though he was well named. There were seven others in the exam group; only Cacilia and Volodya of Jade's group, and a substantial number of Nachtigall's gang in addition to the boy himself; only Mereta Ulvang was a neutral. Cacilia had described her as 'a natural social arithmancer; can add up the best advantage to herself faster than a goblin with an abacus works out what you owe him'.

She did admit that Mereta was the best transfigurationist in the class however.

Professor Nagy wanted to know what the new girl knew and Jade answered questions on Gamp's law and its exceptions, and on Assimilative Correlation and made asides on Gamp concerning the nature of matter and energy that had Nagy filled with delight.

He thought a lot of himself; but like Horace Slughorn he was delighted to come across true virtuosity. It is to be said that the lesson degenerated slightly into glazed eyed boredom on the part of all but Professor Nagy, Jade, Mereta and Cacilia, whose theory outstripped her practice, as they debated issues not entirely relevant to the requirements of the examinations board.

Nachtigall raised a hand.

"Yes my boy?" Nagy was eager. He thought Nachtigall a dull student; but perhaps he had studied in the holidays and had a serious contribution to make. Albeit that the boy seemed to have fallen foul of someone with a good line in jinxes by the word on his forehead.

"All this stuff mugged up from books is very well, sir, but can she DO anything?" he drawled.

"Goodness, Nachtigall, how you have the cheek to ask that after all the things she turned you into in the duel I don't know!" said Cacilia.

"My dear Fraulein, human transfiguration is very risky!" said Nagy.

"Sir, I have been taught how to leave the mind intact and to be aware of cross species organ accommodation" said Jade "I am an animagus also so the concept is not strange to me."

"Indeed! I pray you, show me!" demanded Nagy.

Jade shrugged into wolf, wagged her tail a couple of times and growled at Nachtigall.

She shrugged back.

"Excellent, excellent! How long have you had this form?"

"Oh, about two years now" said Jade. "It is a pleasing shape; wolves have excellent senses. One can scent sharp on the air the fear of inferiors" she added looking at Nachtigall.

"Well well! Let me see your ability at conjuration next" said Nagy.

Jade chose to use serpensortia and pointed her snake at Nachtigall and cronies.

There was a stampede of terror to get away.

"Such a fuss" murmured Jade, reluctantly banishing her temporary little snake. It would disappear on its own anyway if she did not take steps; and Jade had no desire to reveal that she was a Parselmouth.

Even if she had to do so in an emergency, and used the covering story that it ran in the Malfoy family, her character would NOT reveal it lightly.

The transfiguration she did before leaving the class was a quiet one and Nachtigall noticed no more than a faint tingle at the base of his spine.

He was unaware for a considerable time – since his friends dared not tell him – that he left the class sporting a curly tail.

Nachtigall may have been wary of hurting one of Jade's fags but his own fag was another matter, when the boy offended. And Jade, coming past the second year common room, heard Nachtigall's hectoring voice and a shrill if rather muffled scream.

Naturally she barged in.

The small boy stood on a table with his robes bundled up and tied to confine his arms and cover his head while Nachtigall used his wand to burn the child's bare legs. The other second years stood terrified, Zyrillis, Wencelada and the younger Bulgarian girl Diliana obviously wondering if they should do anything. Nachtigall's other cohorts were there, watching the juniors for insubordination between laughing at the little boy who writhed in pain, his feet held firmly by Klaas De Witt. Two of the second years stood with the bullies, one giggling, the other impassive.

"Tell them you're a liar, Von Rabe" said Nachtigall "Tell them that you lied about me having a tail!"

"Ah I see that you've hidden it under a robe, Nachtigall" said Jade glancing round at each of his fellows to bind them for a single spell. Nachtigall whipped round and his cronies went for wands. He smiled an unpleasant smile.

"Well! On your own, Von Strang….. grab her!" he said.

Wencelada, Diliana and Zyrillis jumped on the nearest, which was Stepanka Frolika; and let her go hastily when she, like all the rest was hoisted into the air by one ankle.

"Didn't you know old boy, that me on my own constitutes outnumbering you and your bully boys?" said Jade, levelly. "You children release that boy…. I understand the custom is that one may duel for possession of a fag. I cry duel for the child."

Nachtigall turned green.

"I'm not duelling you, English cheat!" he said.

"I keep telling you, scum, that you are also welcome to cast without word or wand if it is so cheating" said Jade. "But you can't because you're too inept, inutile and possibly also incontinent. Well then, if you will not duel I shall apply your own rules and beat you up to take him. And I don't believe I'll even sully magic by using it on you" she added, advancing.

Nachtigall was half as tall again as her and twice her weight or more.

He goggled; but grinned suddenly nastily.

He stopped grinning fairly quickly after Jade started; and the girl scientifically beat him up. Wencelada and Zyrillis watched, impressed; Nefrita Von Strang had told the ECC that they would learn physical means of self defence and they had been sceptical.

They were sceptical no longer.

Nachtigall was yammering loud enough that it might have brought a member of staff to see what was going on; had not Jade dropped a muffliatus on the room.

She left him groaning on the floor with fractured ribs – very painful but not dangerous – plenty of deep bruises, and a well-chastised backside that she had practised Thai-kicks on. She went to the boy.

"Lift your robes, young Von Rabe" she said.

Fearfully, and in embarrassment, the boy did so.

Jade made a pass with her wand to heal the immediate damage, paused, and began chanting. There were cursed elements to these wounds. She wandered in a circle around the groaning Nachtigall and back around the second year, grinned and chopped her wand down in a sudden motion.

The wounds and scars vanished; and Nachtigall gave a sudden scream.

"Beauty of it is" said Jade to Nachtigall conversationally "You can complain all you like and the revellaspell will show the cursed scars on your legs to have come from YOUR wand. What, can't take what you hand out? Shouldn't be so ready to hurt if you can't take pain yourself. Better now, young Von Rabe?"

"Yes thank you Fraulein" said Von Rabe.

"All Axel did was tell us that Herr Nachtigall had been cursed with a pig's tail" said Zyrillis "And he was in temper about it. Axel warns us if we ought to be staying out of Herr Nachtigall's way."

"He used to get away with it because his father's a baron" said Wencelada "More than anyone else might, anyhow; but Herr Nachtigall is more intemperate this year."

"Partly that's the law suit and partly it's because I'm going out of my way to bully him" said Jade "I like bullying bullies; it's a hobby of mine."

"My father urged me to be the fag of a child of Nachtigall; he was friends with a Friedolf Nachtigall who he said was an honourable man" said the child Axel.

"He is" said Jade "I know him; his eldest daughter did a year at the school I was previously at. This one's father is Ritter Nachtigall who is a fraud, a liar and a mean piece of goods like his son. A man who finds a way round an unbreakable vow made on his father's deathbed not to cause his brother's death and goes out of his way instead to have that brother accused of being a werewolf to disinherit him is not a real man. Heinrich Nachtigall, or as I prefer to call him Herr Quabbelig, is not a man and never will be. His followers are weaklings who like to gang up on those smaller and weaker than them. The strong one left him. Well I just ganged up on them because all six of them are smaller and weaker than me."

"Please, Fraulein Baronin, what are you going to do with them?" asked Wencelada.

"They make our common room untidy" added Zyrillis.

"I'll GET you for that, Genauschüren!" said De Witt.

Jade went over to him.

"No, De Witt, you won't; because if you even try, the revenge I exact will be in proportion to whatever you do to the boy. And it will be in exponential proportion. I'm sure one of your group is enough of an arithmancer to explain what that means if it does not penetrate you high-born and low-slung brain." She looked round the suspended bullies. "I shall remove them; I can quite see that they are an embarrassment to you all here; pray open me a window; the weather is not so inclement as to cause them lasting harm for a bath to cool their seething spirits."

Jade used the mobilocorpus spell to waft the seven unhappy bullies outside – she added Nachtigall to their number to 'cool his poor burns' – and cast liberacorpus once they were over the lake.

Second years clustered at the windows to watch them splash down and struggle out.

"Oh how they will punish us now for not helping them!" wailed one child. "De Witt will hurt me so badly!"

"For not tackling a witch HE cannot take? Ah but it is not about logic of course, but about wanting to hurt" said Jade "WHAT a can of worms! How many of you would like to escape being fags of these bullies?"

"Me for one" said the child who had spoken up. "Vladimir LIKES helping De Witt hurt; he likes hurting me to make De Witt laugh."

"Shades of Leopold and Loeb" muttered Jade. "Anyone else?"

"Herr Kesselring is not unkind to me" said a little girl "And it is arranged that I should have his half brother as my fag when he comes to school."

"Then Herr Kesselring is more a gentleman than his fellows; will he be angered with you if you take that as a message to him and tell him that?" said Jade.

"No; he will not punish a messenger" said the child. "I will go to him now; he will want help with his wet clothing."

Jade nodded. She would see Kesselring later.

She looked at the one who had stood impassive and regarded him thoughtfully.

"I see your thoughts writ plain on your face" she said "You weigh up whether it is better to stay with your man or abandon him for another more powerful. I say that on those terms I will not have you; go to your man. And as for YOU" she rounded on the boy who had been enjoying Axel's pain "I have my eye on you. If I was you I should be wondering what was to happen to me at the hands of my fellows when De Witt leaves; because you'll still have five more years of schooling to survive."

The boy went pale.

"And what is your name laddie?" she asked the erstwhile fag to De Witt. "I need to tell it to Rodica Nistor whose fag you now are; for she is gentle and kind and less likely to be a risk to your safety than I am."

"I am Friedrich Eichhörnchen; but oh please, Fraulein! Will you also protect me?"

"I shall; our whole dormitory looks out for all our fags" said Jade.

"And don't even think of trying to tell us how to do things because you're the new boy in the study" said Diliana.

Jade pulled a private face. A child who 'knew best'; in other words a sort of a male Erica from the 'Dimsie' stories. Ah well, a few arranged things to let him get wrong and look foolish would cure him of that and make him a nicer child and more popular with his fellows

"Whose fag am I to be?" asked Axel.

"Mine" said Jade "I suspect you're a small imp of mischief; and I want to keep an eye on you. Besides, it is an act of friendship for Katarina Nachtigall to take on the son of her father's friend and I shall write to her of this."

Axel grinned.

He was entirely unabashed to be called a small imp of mischief. And it was good to be the fag of someone who understood family loyalty.

Ritter Kesselring wore the sort of well defined sneer that Lucius Malfoy did; it was a means of keeping a distance from others and not necessarily to be taken seriously. Jade regarded him as he marched over to her.

"You sent patronising message" he said.

"Not actually, intended as patronising old boy" said Jade. "I admire principles and loyalty; loyalty to your fag and to your young brother are the true signs of breeding. It makes me wonder why you are in the same group as a creature like De Witt and acknowledging leadership of such an one as Nachtigall."

Kesselring shrugged.

"Nachtigall is an old family; De Witt also. One is loyal to the families. De Witt is an aberration but his family will endure."

"All very fine; unless his sick brain – and such desires as are his and the child Masciwicz' are sickness and imbalance – causes the wizards of his father's lands to overthrow him. As is not impossible. The Dutch do not take so easily to being bullied and browbeaten as the German people; they are more akin to the English in this fashion. As to loyalty to the old family of Nachtigall, why then are you a traitor to that line by supporting the upstart whose father used the foulest of means to gain ascendancy?"

"Heinrich has informed me that the claimant is false."

"So your leader lies to you? I know Katarina Nachtigall; as you do also since she came to this school before she transferred, and I know the whole true story, not the convenient shortcut. I have spoken to Friedolf Nachtigall; and I know that he has evidence to show that it was his brother Ritter who organised that he, his pregnant wife and their other daughter were to be bitten by a werewolf; Katarina left untouched to consolidate the claim as she was to be forced to marry her cousin Heinrich. I know that somehow they escaped and came to Prince Peak school to ask for the cure. Professor Snape has developed a cure for Lycanthropy; and if you do not believe me you can read of his findings in 'Transactions of the Learned Society of Potioneers' or check the English statute books that now state that a werewolf who does not seek a cure should consider themselves to be under surveillance unless they can prove good reason for not doing so. For Friedolf Nachtigall it is necessary only that he prove he is not a werewolf; as a revellaspell easily shows and a revellaspell also shows his precise bloodright. It is the time that things take to come to hearing only that hold up the law suit; I can show you an illusion of Katarina as I know her so you can tell me if you think she is a fraud; but to me the story rang true. Especially since meeting Heinrich Nachtigall who is, I suspect as like his father as one apple on a tree is to another. I stand by family Nachtigall; the TRUE heirs of the family Nachtigall. And as such I oppose the false claimant whose position was won by the cruellest way I have ever heard of circumventing an Unbreakable vow."

"What do you mean?"

"The father of the Nachtigall brothers had them swear an Unbreakable Vow on his deathbed not to seek to take each other's lives. Instead Ritter Nachtigall has STOLEN Friedolf Nachtigall's life by condemning him, his wife and their two younger daughters to be in the slavery of spirit that is lycanthropy; for the baby was born as a werewolf."

"I accept that you believe this; and I make no doubt that if there was an imposture the girl you know as Katarina would resemble her in every particular."

"Including the habit of sticking a pen behind her ear and consequently having ink stains on her neck?"

Kesselring was a little shaken by that.

"Habits too can be copied" he said uncertainly.

"But why would any bother unless they EXPECTED someone to talk to previous schoolfellows?" said Jade. "Herr Kesselring, I challenge you to talk to Nachtigall about his uncle Friedolf when he is off guard and less likely to conceal matters; I believe that you will find it instructive. Indeed in your shoes, I should cast the babbling curse on him and introduce the subject; for a true friend would forgive such an imposition in the light of proving his innocence. I would certainly do so if one of my friends wished to test me."

Kesselring looked thoughtful.

"I stand by my loyalties; but an honest man does not object to being tested in his veracity" he said; nodded his head curtly and withdrew.

Pompous stuffed robe, thought Jade; but it seemed an honest and honourable one misled by rather foolish ideas of loyalty.

She took herself to her room; there was something she urgently wanted.

Jade apparated almost right into her husband's arms which were spread to receive her as she sent thought of her intentions.

Their kiss was passionate and long; they had been separated for days and had no knowledge of how often they might see each other.

"My darling I had a thought" said Jade. "About how long I can stay."

"Alas! Never long enough" said Wulf. "Come to see Ralph; he has been fretful."

"Poor little pest" crooned Jade sweeping her poor little pest up into her arms "Bad mummy leaving him to be neglected by a doting big sister and daddy!"

Ralph cooed and gurgled his approval.

"He's adorable" sighed Jade "But I had this thought; Kinat accidentally apparated through time and it's kind of how a time turner works. If I set a clock up inside the bed curtains where I can see it I can apparate to a few minutes after I leave, even if I spend an hour or more here."

"You must not do that often" warned Wulf. "Being in two places at once too often is dangerous."

"I know; and yet Dumbledore considered it acceptable for Hermione Granger to do so to take her eleven Electives for her whole third year; a growing girl at so vulnerable time of life, twice a week. And I have the bloodgroup to draw on to strengthen me for it. I thought, once a week for two hours would be no harm; and I will come to sleep with you, just so we may sleep beside each other as often as I can."

"Oh my love!" he held her closely, the baby crowing happily between them. "But if someone calls on you…."

"My sister found this book in the Hogwarts library last year that she thinks Voldemort also read; it speaks of what seems to have been an early description of horcruces and also of egophonic magic; whereby one is alerted every time the name one sets up is used. It will also alert me if Nachtigall plots against me and so will have a double use. I have told Cacilia the truth; but she is sworn to think of me and name me as Nefrita so as to make no slip. With that once in place, if I am required I might then emerge from the toilet or something."

Wulf nodded.

"That sounds ideal….. should we then call you 'She-who-should-not-be-named'?"

"I hope not…. Makes me sound like that awful Umbridge woman! Now, why aren't you kissing me?"

Wulf knew better than to disobey his wife over matters like that!