Noticing
A/N: Rude French rant ahead – translation at the bottom.
Hogwarts, 1929
For Septimus, third year had largely been an echo of first and second, just with the addition of his elective classes. He'd decided to take Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Septimus had begun to entertain the notion of becoming an Auror at least for a time after he graduated. His father enjoyed good health, so it was unlikely he would be required to step up as Head of the Family anytime soon. That meant he would be afforded the opportunity to have a career.
The feud that had started between Gryffindor and Slytherin in his second year had carried through to third. He had a feeling it wouldn't die down anytime soon. Tensions were always high between those two Houses to begin with. The situation that had occurred in second year had just given everyone an excuse to act on those tensions. He'd spent much of third year defending Firsties and Second Years again. And by year's end, he'd begun to notice something. Something that slipped his mind entirely during the summer. His fourth year, though, started with something of a bang, all thanks to Abraxas Malfoy.
The Malfoys were immigrants, interlopers. At least by the standards of the pureblood community. Oh, the Malfoys were purebloods, and thus at least tentatively welcomed by the purebloods at large, but they had emigrated to Britain roughly a century ago from France, which made them inherently inferior to the natives, according to the native purebloods. Worse, they had brought many of their French magical traditions and etiquette with them. Traditions and etiquette that frequently clashed horribly with British traditions.
The Malfoys had compounded the problem by attempting to compensate for their lesser position and apparent faults with arrogance, disdain, and basically throwing their money around like it was going out of style. It had resulted in them being labeled 'Novum Pecuniam' – new money. It was a rather dreadful insult that was normally leveled at the more gauche of the 'lesser' Pureblood Houses when they managed to attain some measure of prominence and as a result, lost their heads a bit. Occasionally the slur was applied to a particular Head of House, if they had a tendency towards profligate expenditure, especially if the money was spent on ill-advised purchases. Septimus wasn't quite sure what 'ill-advised purchases' were though.
The Malfoys had begun looking for ways to improve their reputation and standing. It was not unexpected that they would set their cap on marrying into an influential Family. They didn't get much more influential than House Black. Unfortunately, House Black just happened to have a bumper crop of girls that would need marrying off in the not-too-distant future. Four of those girls were currently at Hogwarts with Abraxas, who was now a third year.
Lucretia, Cassiopeia, and Callidora had reputations as formidable duelers, and none of them were shy about using Dark Arts. Only a true fool would attempt to strong-arm any of them. Cedrella, on the other hand, had been so quiet last year as to be almost unnoticeable. Septimus wouldn't even have realized she was in school if it hadn't been for the Sorting, and hearing her name be called. Because she'd been so quiet, she hadn't gotten the sort of reputation her sister and cousins had acquired yet. And Abraxas, the idiot, apparently decided that made her the easy mark of the lot.
Because of the bullying the previous year and at the end of the year before that, Septimus had taken to prowling the train. The prefects couldn't be everywhere at once, and the Slytherin prefects couldn't be trusted to actually intervene and stop a fight or bullying if they came across it. Besides, Septimus had friends enough from three Houses that they couldn't all fit in one compartment. Wandering around allowed him to visit with everyone.
That was how he ended up stumbling across Abraxas, Crabbe and Goyle. The three of them were parked in one of the compartments right by the door. Cedrella was sitting by the window, at least attempting to ignore them, since it was clear she couldn't attempt escape without getting in grabbing range. At least the three boys hadn't forgotten themselves enough to get grabby. Yet.
"Malfoy, you do realize that it is inappropriate for the three of you to be in here alone with Miss Black?" Septimus asked.
Fortunately, Cedrella and Abraxas were young enough that this situation wouldn't risk ruining her reputation, but it was cutting things fairly fine. In general, unwed girls were *not* supposed to be alone with boys. The older they got, the more inappropriate it became. Past about the age of fourteen, it would affect a girl's reputation to be caught alone with a boy or boys. Past sixteen, and she'd end up labeled 'loose' … or worse. The only exception was if the girl and the boy in question were betrothed to each other. At that point, with marriage a foregone conclusion, the pair being alone wasn't taboo.
"Mind your own business, Weasley." Abraxas snapped.
Septimus snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so." When Crabbe and Goyle moved as if to hex him, Septimus pulled his wand out of its wrist sheath and pointed it dead at Crabbe's face, as he was closest. "Don't even think about it." He barked, his voice going hard and commanding.
So of course Crabbe and Goyle both pulled their wands while Abraxas smirked at him. Fortunately, at that point Charlus Potter walked by. When he spotted the standoff, he immediately moved to bracket Septimus, wand pointing at the three Slytherin boys.
"Problem here?" Charlus asked.
"Yeah, but I got this part of it. Do me a favor, and find one of the Black girls, would you? These three … gentlemen … seem to have forgotten their manners, and the risk to Miss Black's reputation that their presence presents." Septimus said
"Not a problem." Charlus told him. He pocketed his wand once more and hurried off.
A few moments later, Callidora came storming up, an amused Charlus following in her wake. Septimus wisely got the heck out of her way, and joined Charlus in his amused observation as Callidora went on the warpath. She got nose-to-nose with an abruptly nervous-looking Abraxas, her wand drawn. Said wand was not pointing at his face, however. It was pointing a good deal further south, which probably accounted for much of Abraxas' concern
"I shall say this so even your ignorant, uncouth self can comprehend it." Callidora snapped. "Vous êtes un infâme, un ver gluant. Votre mère a eu des relations avec une chèvre et un cochon afin de vous produire. Vous êtes ignorant, arrogant, orgueilleux et une créature tout à fait désagréable. Si vous prétendez à entacher l'air que je respire ou ma sœur avec votre présence encore une fois, je ferai en sorte que vous passerez le reste de vos jours chauve, tacheté et couvert de rougeurs."
Septimus blinked. He recognized the language as French, and even understood a few words in there other than the ones that sounded like their English counterparts. Something about a goat and pig. Whatever it was, it *sounded* vicious and hateful. If Abraxas' expression was anything to go by, he did indeed speak French and understood every word Callidora had just said – and it was every bit as bad as it sounded.
"Come, Cedrella. There is no need to endure this … creature's … presence." Callidora said, holding a hand out to her sister.
With Septimus and Charlus right there, not even Abraxas was stupid enough to try to force Cedrella to stay. Septimus was mentally cringing at Callidora's final comment. 'Creature' was generally an epithet leveled at Muggleborns and Muggles by Blacks and their ilk. Which meant that Callidora had essentially put Malfoy at that level. Ouch.
Callidora turned to him at that point, and Septimus had to work to keep from flinching.
"I thank you for coming to my sister's defense, milord." She said, giving him a little curtsy.
Septimus gave her a smile. "Not a problem." He eyeballed the three boys. "I don't like bullies." And not even a *Black* deserved to get bullied.
It was only when they were safely in another compartment that Cedrella spoke up.
"Why on Earth did he do that?" She asked Callidora.
Callidora did not mistake who she was talking about. "He is a Gryffindor." She said with no small amount of disdain. "They are genetically predisposed to heroics." She sighed. "I shall be informing Father about that boy. He will take *Lord* Malfoy to task for his heir's presumption."
Unfortunately, Septimus reflected later, Callidora's rant hadn't had any effect on Abraxas. He continued to follow Cedrella about and harass her. Normally, Septimus wouldn't have noticed it, since they were both Slytherins, but the situation was causing a surprising amount of tension in Slytherin House. Enough to be noticeable even to the Ravenclaws, who were famously unaware of anything other than the contents of their beloved books.
On some level, it was amusing as hell, because Abraxas' persistence had earned him a few Infirmary stays thanks to several rather impressive hexes. On the other hand, it annoyed Septimus to no end … because the *adults* weren't doing a damned thing about the situation.
It brought to mind what he had begun to notice towards the end of last year. Which was that Slytherin House and their actions were largely ignored by the staff, both for good and ill. Septimus had noticed that in most classes he had with them, Gryffindors who answered a question or performed well were invariably awarded a generous number of points. Slytherins who did the same were not. Weirdly, in Potions, only certain Slytherins and a small handful of other students (not all of them purebloods, either) got points by the bucket-load, while everyone else was ignored. Bullying by Slytherins or aimed at them was at best passed off as slightly over-aggressive pranking – if it was acknowledged at all.
The more Septimus saw of it, the more it offended his sense of justice. The rules were the rules – they ought to be equally applied to *everybody*. If one person got a point for performing a spell first, *everybody* who performed a spell first in class ought to get a point, regardless of House. And breaking the rules was breaking the rules, and punished the same for everyone (he'd heard rumors about differences in detentions according to House). Unfortunately it was becoming clear that the school staff didn't see it that way.
Cedrella was somewhat disconcerted to realize that she had, apparently, acquired her own Gryffindor Knight in Shining Armor, as Callidora had put it with no small amount of amused asperity. Septimus Weasley seemed to crop up at the oddest times, and he had an absolute knack for showing up just when Abraxas Malfoy was at his importunate worst.
Not that she could not defend herself, of course, but she was of the opinion that granting Abraxas even the most minute amount of her attention would be perceived by him as a win. Thus she had embarked on a campaign to completely ignore him, no matter what he did. It helped that Callidora, Lucretia, and Cassiopeia were taking it in turns to hex Abraxas for every infraction. If he kept this up, he'd end up crippled for life before he made it to fifth year. Cedrella couldn't be bothered to feel sorry for him if it got that far, and refused to think about him at all if she could avoid it.
Septimus on the other hand, was far more worthy of contemplation if only in an attempt to figure him out. He was, as Callidora had pointed out, a Gryffindor so on one level it made his actions explicable. On the other hand, she was a Slytherin and a Black. The enmity between their Hogwarts Houses and their Families was the stuff of legends. Septimus, by her estimation, really ought to be gloating about an enemy laid low, not coming to her defense at every opportunity.
Up until this year, Cedrella hadn't really given much thought to her future spouse. She'd known it would happen, of course, but Abraxas' pursuit of her had brought it into sharper focus. She knew that the Prewitts were currently in negotiations for a betrothal contract between Lucretia and Ignatius, who was the future Head of that House – a match that befit the eldest granddaughter of the Head of House Black. And Father had begun to debate options for Callidora, though no one had yet approached him. It would be some time before he began to attempt to arrange something for herself.
That fact afforded her the opportunity to consider her options herself. Thankfully, as a daughter of a younger son, she would have the luxury of possibly choosing her own match, rather than having her future husband chosen for her like Lucretia. Ironically enough, Septimus Weasley would make a not altogether poor choice.
He would be, after all, Head of the Weasley family someday. While the Weasleys were poor, being wife to the Head of even a poor pureblood family was a step up from being the wife of a lesser son of another family. Septimus would bear watching. If he continued to be tolerable, she just might put his name forward to Father in a few years.
(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)
Translation from French (as per Google Translate): You are a loathsome, slimy worm. Your mother had relations with a goat and a pig in order to produce you. You are ignorant, arrogant, prideful and an altogether unpleasant creature. If you presume to taint the air I or my sister breathe with your presence again, I will ensure that you spend the rest of your days bald, spotty and covered in rashes.
