Chapter 6

"Look here Darryl, I never knew you had the same feelings as me, but you ought to be a bit more discreet" said Homere Tisserand, quietly, in the staff room next morning.

"I beg your pardon old boy?" said Darryl.

"That gorgeous piece of tail, Pharamond Duval… I SAW him coming out of your room. If I'd known he was available I'd have dropped a line there myself" said Tisserand.

Darryl stared at him.

"Am I to infer that you are so sex mad that you jump to the erroneous conclusions that others might also be so lost to shame as to have an affaire with a pupil?" he asked "Even if I were inclined towards boys – which as I have a perfectly gorgeous fiancée would be an awful insult to her ineffable charms – I should consider it most improper to engage in any kind of casual liaison with anyone I was teaching. You are disgusting Homere."

Homere gazed at him open mouthed.

"Well what was he doing in your rooms?" he asked.

"Keen to know more about how to chant up the diffusion grid to block the killing curse; what else?" said Darryl. "Is this a French thing to have filthy and prurient minds or is it only you?" he spoke loudly "I have no secrets because I have done nothing shameful. The boy needs more Arithmancy if he is to attempt serious chanting; and I agreed to teach him the same so he'll be visiting my room when he and I both have spare moments. I may end up with a small class since plenty who find Arithmancy hard give up without realising how important it is; and of course as I have only a few lessons scheduled I consider it unfair on Nine to put in extra time for the gratification of MY students. I have asked Pharamond to find out if there are others who wish extra lessons and if I am to be accused of improper practices for trying to fulfil the tough task I have had imposed on me of catching them up in chanting I dread to think how Signorina Uccello is going to feel next year, being a sensitive girl, if accused of taking on dolly boys if SHE offers extra coaching. You French think of nothing but sex!"

"That's true enough" said Elvira Van Diemen in her rather colourless voice. Darryl could not help reflecting that if she ever had any close communication with sex she would probably die of shock.

"It's a little indiscreet all the same to have a pupil alone in your room, however pure your motives" said Nine "I don't want to coach dunderheads who missed their chance to work for me the first time round; you're quite right Darryl and I wish you joy of them. What is your Arithmancy like?"

"Well they don't give above 'O' grade in the NEWT but Severus found out that with the bonus questions I scored a hundred and nine per cent" said Darryl. "We do rather leave NEWT level behind in family discussions in the Snape household; one of the favourite topics is the number of theoretical universes that exist to which one might Vanish rubbish and whether one always opens the same one or whether each evanesco opens a little pocket universe just for that small part of rubbish. It gets quite heated; very exciting."

Tisserand, who was a handsome young man, stared in disgust.

"You English!" he said "You may have an appreciation of European history but to get excited over Arithmancy? Ah bah! You are indeed as frigid as all the English and doubtless your fiancée frozen also. No, the fair Pharamond would not be attracted to so cold a fish; I was indeed wrong."

"You appear to have some esoteric discussions" said Nine, paling; well aware that such arguments were well beyond her, and recalling the conversations Jade Snape Luytens and Hermione Granger had been having at the Symposium that had left her far behind.

"It's Jade's and Lilith's bag really" said Darryl "But we all chip in. Severus has proven the existence of eleven other Arithmantically provable universes and we all helped with a little bit of his proof by taking on different lemmas."

"Darryl" said Charmaine Epeler "You lost everyone, including Nine, a while back; and now you're being boring."

"Sorry Charmaine" said Darryl "Too much enthusiasm for esoteric subjects. Homere, if you embarrass that poor child by saying anything to him, I'll bloody well crown you."

"Oh I shan't; don't worry about that" said Tisserand. "But I shall be ready to display sympathy in his History lessons over having to do extra Arithmancy with the English cold fish."

"You're an idiot" said Darryl.

xxx

Viridian was early to the Monday lunch time chanting class.

"I had a reply from my parents; they've found a book that was both horribly attractive and has frightening concepts in it; they think Vivi picked it up on a market stall" he said "I asked them to come up to school and see you."

"Good man" said Darryl "Any idea how long she's had it?"

"Several years; and actually thinking about it, it's over the last two or three years she's been worse" said Viridian.

"Well that's not as bad as poor little Walter Crabbe who was under the influence of HIS book for more than six years" said Darryl. "They'll bring it along?"

"Yes; I asked them to. And they WILL let me transfer to Prince Peak after Yule, and will ask about Vivi too because she could probably do with a new start; AND Professor Snape is a world class curse breaker to keep an eye on her; no disrespect to you sir."

"Oh I agree wholeheartedly; and he's seen it before not just heard about it as I have" said Darryl "She'll be embarrassed to be around others I should think that know what she's been like."

"The thing is I wanted to join the… the Marauder thing" said Viridian.

"They have Marauders at Prince Peak too; there's a big group of Marauders in your year and the year above- they sort of occupy both age-groups" said Darryl. "It's a big year; already fourteen in the class but you're used to more. Are you doing extra Arithmancy with me?"

"I think I'd better" said Viridian. "Thank you sir!"

"You're welcome" said Darryl.

They studied odes this week; and Darryl beckoned Pharamond to stay behind a moment.

"If M. Tisserand makes any comment or suggestion you find unacceptable you should either make a formal complaint to the head or tell me and I'll have words with him" he said.

Pharamond blushed.

"He fancies me" he said. "But I like history."

"Well remember you have your rights if you feel he is harassing you" said Darryl. "And if he makes a real nuisance of himself I might just chant him into Mlle Tisserand."

Pharamond laughed.

"Is that possible sir?"

"Oh yes; it's a family habit to do it to rapists but for my little brother to be I'll stretch a point. After all, he likes other lads."

"I rather fancy only in the dominant role" said Pharamond, flushing again. "But it will cheer me up to think of it and picture him in frilly gowns with too many frou-frous."

"Well I'm glad to help; run along now" said Darryl.

xxx

It came to Darryl in the middle of the afternoon as he corrected work he had set the second years that Homere Tisserand's quiet suggestion of discretion had been meant to be a friendly suggestion that two of like predilections should get together; he had been about to come on to Darryl.

Darryl, who accepted being gently but firmly poked into coming on to Mimi by that managing but gentle young lady, was faintly outraged, more at the concept of a semi blackmailing seduction than by the mistaking of his preferences.

He laughed at himself as soon as he realised that the outrage was over the concept that he should be the one doing the running since he had done nothing of the sort over Mimi having fallen headlong into her arms rather than pursuing her; and blessed his little love silently for her ability to stroke his ego enough to let him feel in control of the situation when doubtless she had their entire life totally under control of her tiny thumb.

He finished marking the work of the Second and turned to that of the voluntary Saturday class. At least there was less of that to mark than there had been at first; as he had predicted, many had dropped off for not having known what hard work it was; he was down to twenty-nine, and that divided into two classes with the twelve of the accelerator class pulling well ahead now of the others. Two of the upper sixth, the Terminale, were in it purely to learn voice control; though Babette Weber had started to get more out of it. And he had been able to assure Britt-Marie Naslund of the fourth that if she could control her giggling she would get far more out of chanting than her sister Solveig who wanted it purely to aid her chosen career as an actress. Britt had brightened and gave him a grateful smile. She would never be the sharpest stick in the bundle; but a good solid ability with chanting would get her success where she might fail for the lack of ability to come up with a spell. Darryl could not really blame Solveig for exploiting him; she too was rather dim beyond her ability to act and was tipped to get no more than an 'E' and two 'A's at ELF. Sometimes Darryl rather forgot that even this was above the average qualification in any country.

He had to admit that the numbers had also dropped for the two he had excluded; one boy in the fourth year for continuously spiteful remarks and another in the fifth who was such an inveterate gossip that he was busy trying to pass on his current gems when Darryl was trying to speak and whom he banned after a couple of warnings as a time waster. He would have less ability to ban members of the class when he was teaching a free school and some of them might be stroppier; but they would be in school because they wanted to learn and he might point that out to them, that the Ancient Runes which he would then be teaching might not seem important at low levels but would give them the basics for so many exciting things.

Darryl would be busy every lunch time; for he had designated Tuesday and Thursday as extra Arithmancy, on the basis of a drop-in class, that he would give some taught lessons of subjects that mystified the majority and also be available to help out those who wanted problems they were having explaining. He could then set problems to solve to most and work individually with those who needed it. And Friday evenings would be devoted to those who needed to start with basics and work all through like Pharamond. Several pupils were writing home to ask for Arithmancy text books!

On Thursday, M. and Mme D'Aubert arrived and an elf asked Darryl to go to the Head's office.

He found that they had been trying to explain in a rather muddled fashion and Olympe demanded to know what was going on.

"It's all perfectly simple" said Darryl, managing not to conclude a 'Where Eagles Dare' quote with the word 'major'. "Miss Vivienne D'Aubert came to school with a cruel streak that I have disciplined before I realised that it seemed unnatural; and spoke therefore to her brother. It seemed pointless to approach you until or unless it was ascertained that the child be under a curse to act in an intolerable fashion; you have yourself had her reported to you by most of the staff I think, and the elves have withdrawn good will from her. A normal child would have started to learn; but the poor child is NOT normal. And because she had, through circumstances, been somewhat spoilt already, her aberrant behaviour noticed less. M and Mme D'Aubert have brought the cursed item that has done the damage in the hopes that I might be knowledgeable enough to cure her. If I am not I shall recommend that they take her immediately and without delay to Severus Snape who is the world's greatest curse breaker. With the full co-operation of her entire family however it may well be that I am able to at least begin a process that Severus can continue. It beats two years in hospital as happened to the little brother of one of my best friends, because English hospitals are reactionary and old fashioned and take no account of chanting, unlike the hospitals of France who are forward thinking and advanced and an inspiration to the English healer who has set up a teaching hospital in Germany associated with the free school there."

"This is the book, M. Zabini" said Mme D'Aubert.

Darryl flicked through it.

"Merlin's ingrowing toenails!" he gasped "Yes; assuredly this is the book; and I young enough too that there is some allure to me, though I am both old enough and strong willed enough to overcome it."

"It's horribly fascinating, isn't it?" said M. D'Aubert. "I can't think how we missed it."

"Probably has repelling spells on the casual glance of grown ups" said Darryl. "I need to read this from cover to cover; and I would be much obliged if you will interrupt me every page or two and ask me how I am. If I get angry or obstreperous, contact Severus immediately; I don't think it's going to happen because I am extremely self aware. But just in case."

He read, and returned fair answer to each interruption save once asking them to check in again in two minutes as he absorbed one complex paragraph. When he had finished he nodded.

"Very well; here's the big test of whether it has touched me" he said; and threw the thing onto Madam Maxime's fire. It screamed thinly. "Apparently not" he said, in satisfaction as he watched inexorably for it to burn. "May I have Viridian and Vivienne up here, Madam Maxime?"

"Certainly Darryl; I have often wondered how you chanters work. And to save this poor child from evil, I will do anything" said Olympe.

Vivienne arrived rather sulkily, wondering what she was in trouble for now; and was surprised to see her parents.

"Am I to be sent home?" she said hopefully "Then I may just read and learn that way!"

"Sit down Vivienne" said Darryl; it was too serious a business to grin but he could not help thinking of Major Von Harpen saying 'sit DOWN Colonel!'.

Vivienne sat; and Darryl lifted her chin to gaze into her eyes. She cried out in real terror; she feared Darryl. Her mother started forward to be restrained by both husband and son.

Darryl started singing; and what he sang was a lullaby of the nursery. Vivienne's eyes drooped. Darryl wanted her in a half stupor, not fighting him nor too frightened. It would be as a nightmare what he was about to do; but one that was only partially experienced. He needed her sufficiently aware to know what he was doing but did not need her fully conscious.

"If you will permit it, I can get better results with my more advanced students holding a basic chant and rhythm for me" he said quietly to her parents. "I have used legilimensy and I can undo the cursed bonds of compulsion on her but I can do it better with backup."

"Whatever you need" said M. D'Aubert.

Darryl turned to Viridian.

"Fetch those advanced chanters you feel comfortable about having near your sister" he said,

This turned out to be just five of them; the three musketeers, Viridian himself, and Philomène.

Darryl nodded.

"I want you to choose in consultation three harmless nursery rhymes that you all know and keep repeating them one after another in a loose circle about me, concentrating on the concept of happy childhood, friendship and fellowship. If you have any playing together sort of rhymes in France, they would be most appropriate; I only know English ones like 'boys and girls come out to play' and 'Brooms fly together'.

"We'll do that" said Pharamond "Reckon my nanny knew every rhyme in France."

After a quick consultation the little group nodded; and Darryl let them get started as he began a more complex chant in Latin, it being a language of power, to counter specifically all the dark spells laid in the book. And he peeled them off, layer by layer, almost laughing at some of the crudities; then sobered as he realised that to most people these were not crude but subtle, that he had had the advantage of being trained by the most subtle wizard the modern world at least had probably ever known; who was able to speak of the subtle compulsions of Voldemort as somewhat brute force compared to what he now knew. The true subtleties of magic could only ever, thought Darryl in a moment of revelation, be known to a true potioneer or a true chanter; and any witch or wizard who was both had a degree of subtlety at their fingertips that was probably outside the ken of almost anyone else; and that one might even perform the most subtle magic of all in having a potion that suffused the veins and was only activated by chanting. He must talk to Severus about that one. Meantime he stripped the layers away and brought the child closer to consciousness with each layer he pulled. His helpers sounded rather puffed and a little ragged and desperate; but determined. They were doing well. He motioned with his hand that they might drop the volume and tail off as he approached the final climax of the chant; and absently enchanted the lilies on the Head's desk to play a counterpoint to the chant that had become song; and finished on a piercingly clear high note at the limit of his range held for a long fifteen seconds.

He looked down at the little girl.

"Well Vivienne, I hope you feel a bit better now" he said "I am sorry I have been harsh with you; until your behaviour was confirmed as due to a curse, the staff had little choice but to react to the behaviour. A bit scared are you?"

Vivienne nodded.

"Yes Professor" she said "Was it REALLY the whispers from the book that made me act in a way that made people hate me?"

"It was" said Darryl "And fortunately for you I remembered that it had happened to another little boy whose brother I know rather well. You shouldn't get any more urges to hurt people; if you do you must tell your parents or, when you are at a different school, your new headmaster. You're to go somewhere where the head is an expert in curses to watch out for any; but in my professional opinion you should have the rest of this term home with your parents. They will, I'm sure, read through your text books for a couple of hours each day with you so you don't fall behind; nicer than going back to a class of children who may not understand and might pick on you, hmm?"

"Yes sir" said Vivienne "I – they put things in my bed but I think I see why now. But it's not nice and I've been miserable!"

"Of course you have" said Darryl "Nobody likes behaving badly, not deep down where it counts, even when you pretend to yourself that you don't care about THEM and you enjoy getting back. Now I only had the excuse that I was badly brought up; and I had to get over that the long way by growing up. You have a reason, not merely an excuse for YOUR behaviour and you should find it easier to be nicer to people. And I wish you the best of luck. Will you shake my hand and put the past behind you?"

Vivienne shyly shook his hand.

"Th-thank you" she said.

"It won't always be easy; because there isn't the easy path of asking the book for advice; and how lucky you are it got left out of your kit" said Darryl.

"Where is it?" asked Vivienne.

"I burned it" said Darryl.

Her face worked slightly; then she heaved a sigh of relief and burst into tears.

"I don't have to see it again!" she cried.

Darryl motioned for her mother to go to her and nodded to his chanters.

"Nicely done" he said "How long was that?"

"We were on the job nearly two hours" said Pharamond dryly. They were all sipping pumpkin juice Madam Maxime had summoned.

"And oh please professor I have peed in my pants" whispered Philomène embarrassed. "And I don't dare move!"

Darryl smiled at her and flicked a surreptitious wand to clean and dry her.

"Then you are the bravest of all" he whispered back.

She smiled tremulously at him.

Oh dear, thought Darryl, she's about to have a crush on me. Well when she's blooded, either it will be right and Mimi will decide; or she'll find someone who suits her better.

"I must say you've performed more than is called on you to do at OWL" said Darryl "And I am impressed and rather guilty that I dumped so hard a first true task on you. It was complex; not so much difficult as many layered and reiterated. And I'm keeping you younger ones out of bed and if I've stolen you from prep I shall write excuse notes for you to the requisite teachers and apologise grovellingly to them in the staffroom too."

"That's appreciated sir" said Jean-Luc "Abelard and I have Potions tomorrow and M. Cuiliere is not tolerant of excuses."

"I'll go see him right away" said Darryl. "Anyone else?"

"It's only history for us" said Viridian "And if I look winsome at M. Tisserand he'll let us both off; 'cos he can hardly let me off and not Philly too."

"I don't want to know" said Darryl "I'll see him too. Pharamond?"

"I've a free period first thing; I only have a Herbology essay to write on dung" he said.

"Well so long as you don't find yourself up to the neck in it" quipped Darryl. Pharamond grinned cheerfully!

xxx

"Amédé, as a potioneer you of all people appreciate subtle, right?" said Darryl.

"Naturally. Why, what subtlety do you need?" asked the potions professor.

"It's more past tense; that repellent D'Aubert child in the Sixieme was cursed by a cursed book; I had asked her brother to contact their parents because I thought I recognised the symptoms. They turned up with the book and I had to chant a cure only I needed a little low-grade help and I er, borrowed those chanters Viridian picked; including two of your Premier potions students" said Darryl "So I've come to grovel because I took two hours of their homework time and they may not be properly prepared for you tomorrow for which it is my fault not theirs and I duly and appropriately apologise and heap ashes on my head for you."

"Chanting takes a time then?"

"It can do; as with potioneering. Even as an antidote deals layer by layer with a blended poison, the reason Golapott tells us that it must be greater than the sum of the parts as each part is neutralised separately, so chanting deals layer by layer with a curse and needs to be more complex and subtle than the original curse. Having a counterpoint was effectively the equivalent of having a slowing agent and general panacea inside a blended antidote; helpful to decrease and control the adverse effects I was fighting."

"Fascinating; I had no idea there were so many parallels" said Cuiliere. "Who else do you have to grovel to?"

Darryl pulled a face.

"Homere Tisserand" he said without enthusiasm.

"Ah; embarrassing" said Amédé Cuiliere. "Still, Viridian is a favourite of his; tell him you had to help out his favourite and he may not sulk. I forgive freely because those two and Lien-le Tranh and Natalie Villars have been telling me how chanting can improve potioneering ingredients and overcome difficulties of herbs pulled at inauspicious times. I shall give them an extension on their homework and if that takes their Saturday class from you are we quits?"

"Fair enough under the circumstances" said Darryl who knew fine well that the two boys would probably make time at some other time, and would forgo the morning run instead and write early in the morning. They were, after all, fitter for the runs and capable of working longer hours.

He approached Tisserand as Cuiliere suggested by saying abruptly,

"I'm afraid in helping out young Viridian with some family problems I've disrupted the homework of two of your students for tomorrow; I've got to apologise that they are not properly prepared."

"Family problems? I'm surprised Viridian did not come to ME; I would have done everything in my power to help him!"

"Yes; but if it had been in your power to chant out a curse, Olympe would have just paid you extra and would not have had to employ me, would she?" said Darryl shortly "His sister has been under a curse – the reason for her poor behaviour – and their parents were able to visit with the source of the curse. I felt it would be easier with additional secondary chanters and did not realise how long the chant would take. They're grand kids the two who are from the Troisieme; Viridian and Philomène chanted their hearts out. You won't blame them for my needing them so long will you? Because it's not their fault at all."

"I don't; but I do blame you for tiring out children" said Tisserand "If either of them is exhausted in class for your excesses I'll know the reason why."

"You DO know the reason why old boy" said Darryl "Unless you need shorter words to explain it in. Well what YOU think I don't really care about; Viridian is just overjoyed to have a real little sister back and not a cursed monster. And really, you know, that's what's important not where you decide to be a bit of a girl and throw a girly sulk at me. I'm sorry I disrupted your class homework; but not enough to regret having done it."

Tisserand scowled; Darryl's tongue was too clever for him to get the better of him.

Darryl was genuinely regretful that the incident over Pharamond had interrupted what might have been a friendship; Homere was academic and clever and fairly fun-loving too. He was also just a bit of a sulky girl. A shame; but there you were. At least he did not have to cope with the fellow having premenstrual tension too.

xxx

Pharamond and his two friends, plus Philomène and Viridian stayed back after the weekend's chanting.

"These are the ones who wanted to be full marauders and do the blood magic" said Pharamond. "Marc and Stephan might be prepared to work together in the ECC against supremacists but they got horrified about the idea of actually being blood brothers. Stupid if you ask me, because if I've understood it correctly they'd then understand each other the better and learn more tolerance of each other."

"Oh you've understood perfectly" said Darryl "A shame; perhaps they'll grow up enough to change their minds. Still, it was only a mutual love of Harry Potter that had my guardian and his oldest school enemy prepared to share blood; now you'd think they'd been born brothers. But it's no good having any but utterly committed and willing volunteers; and if you lot would like to come along to my room we'll have coffee and cakes – I LIKE the Austrian custom and I can't get used to chocolate in bread – and I'll tell you all the story of the origin of the marauders and we shall do some gentle Arithmancy in working out the best time for the ceremony taking your birth dates and the numerological values of your and my names into account. With so large a group as we now have, picking an arithmantically auspicious time is not actually terribly necessary but it's a good discipline to have and won't hurt your application of Arithmancy albeit at the lowest level."

"Most of us need it only at the lowest level" said Pharamond.

"I can't say I consider Nine terribly efficient" said Darryl "Ah yes, rules of Marauders; openness and equality within; proper discipline without. In this room I am Darryl as in the accelerator class, and I might be forthright about some teachers but outside this room you never heard it. Understood?"

"Yes Darryl" said Pharamond seriously. "We have to be adult in here as marauders and go back to our role as schoolchildren out of it, yes?"

"That sums it up fairly well" said Darryl "And by the way, poor Philomène is going to be all on her own after Yule when Viridian transfers to Prince Peak so I hope you older boys will bear that in mind. I may consider bringing in another layer so you're not on your lonesome as the youngest, Philomène."

"I don't actually mind that much sir – er, Darryl" said Philomène. "I'm a bit of a loner anyway; it's only over this that Viridian and I are feeling our way around a tentative friendship anyhow."

"Well of course once you blood you will never be alone again – because you'll be able to feel the others" said Darryl "And I'll see if I can't arrange for all of you to meet some of the assorted young hooligans who constitute the marauders in various schools. A year at Prince Peak will see you meeting huge numbers of adult marauders who blow in from time to time just because; crumbs, and next year if any of you three older ones go for the Triwizard you'll know immediately by feel which of those from the other schools ARE blooded because their blood will sing. Because those who are the brightest and the best tend to be marauders and that means they tend to be the ones going for things like the Triwizard. It's not done to use the blood bond to help you through it of course; that goes without saying."

"Help you through it? In what way could it?" asked Abelard.

"Any of the blood-bonded can be the focus of power fed by others; any or all. To have the collected focused will of better than two hundred witches and wizards behind you, even though many are juveniles, is I am told heady stuff because you feel like a god and are almost as powerful. It's only been done once or twice and not always by the full group; it is not considered something that it is wise to get used to. Power can seduce and corrupt. The greatest power of an individual is seen of course in the ability to set aside such a joining without regret and go back to normal. One can too draw strength at need; this is a less focussed use of it, just to combat fatigue or wounds. This is what is forbidden for the Triwizard unless your life depends on it and it is then really not done to actually go on and win, but to find a way to drop out. Not that it's ever come to that with anyone. It's really for use in real situations, when you're fighting dark wizards. Jade used it when dealing with the fifty odd inferii that the lich Abaris had created, or rather she had her two relative neophyte protégés be foci to do it. She called on us briefly to help destroy the lich entirely though actually she had it pretty well in hand; but there's being confident in your own abilities and then there's false pride. Nobody actually thinks the less of anyone for calling for a little backup – even asking for people to be a little bit available in case you need them – because sometimes things are tougher than you might expect. Right; tell me your birth dates and we'll get cracking."

They were all busy at calculations when Homere Tisserand knocked at the door, claiming to be borrowing a book; and the look of disgust he threw at pages of arithmantic calculation left Darryl grinning as well as slightly angered that the man had felt he needed to check up on them.

"I hope you have done my essay, Viridian, Philomène" said Tisserand softly.

"Yes sir; we slunk off to the library together this morning" said Viridian.

"And M. Zabini also let us read some of his books to add to it" said Philomène just because it would annoy the history master. Darryl HAD offered the pair the use of his own library which was extensive and had required a sophisticated shrinking charm to pack and bring. And even so did not cover a fraction of the books he owned.

Tisserand gave a brittle smile.

"Good of him" he said.

"Yes sir, wasn't it?" said Philomène brightly.

Darryl waited for the door to shut behind Tisserand – it was not quite a bang – and looked severely at Philomène.

"You are a bad girl" he said.

She smiled brightly at him; and it transformed her face.

"Yes Darryl" she said.

"Crumbs kid, you're quite a looker when you smile!" said Jean-Luc.

"The mighty gentleman with a compliment ready at his fingertips" said Darryl sarcastically "Jean-Luc that is such a damned with faint praise way of putting it I am tempted – yes I SHALL introduce you to the Severus Snape rebuke" and he cuffed the boy on the back of the head with two fingers.

Jean-Luc gave a shamefaced grin.

"Well she does rather hide in a scowl most of the time" he said.

"So would you if you were labelled the 'token part goblin' and made to feel here a bit on sufferance" said Darryl "She isn't; Madam Maxime is keen to open up to those of less than full human blood, though she cannot offend the parents. It is that people pussy-foot around her instead of just treating her as any other little girl. Which now she's to be a marauder she is NOT just any other little girl because she, like all of you, is about to take a step into a larger world and to become extraordinary people. But that has nothing to do with race. When she's your sister you'll understand more."

"Good" said Jean-Luc "I do TRY even so but girls are rather strange beings."

"Thus the greatest truth of all" said Darryl dryly "That girls are more alien than boys of any race; and I presume vice-versa. No don't answer that, Philomène; you have in your hands the fragile egos of five males who prefer not to be told that a girl can fathom easily such simple-minded beings."

Philomène grinned at him!