Chapter 10
There was a decent fall of snow over the next week and the Belle Marauders collected up their first year protégés to make snowmen.
"We need eight good ones" said Bella.
"All right, we buy" said Nathan "Why eight?"
"Because if we're to enchant them to dance an eightsome reel it's how many you need" said Bella.
"Well how was I supposed to know we were going to….oh never mind Bella, arguing with you is like reciting poetry with a mouth full of nails balancing on treacle" said Nathan.
Bella beamed at him.
Madam McGonagall declared herself 'sair affrontit' to hear assorted juniors chanting
"Trebuna, mercoides, trecorum satis dee" to considerable effect.
"Remarkable" said little Flitwick.
The snowmen were not apparently aware that it was not a proper spell any more than the suits of armour had been; and duly lumbered into a rather adipose and decidedly stately eightsome reel.
Dumbledore watched from his office window chuckling delightedly while Phineas Nigellus complained that it made a mockery – a mockery, sir – of having properly constructed spells when juniors had the cheek to cast NEWT level spells with MADE UP WORDS of all things!
Charis Rawlins was delighted! She wrote and told her grandfather all about it, sending him photos as proof.
As Charlie Rawlins had been up at Hogwarts a few years below Sirius Black's parents, he was delighted to hear that the current generation of Blacks – namely Bella – were so much nicer!
Meanwhile the tireless snowmen danced on their lumbering and mindless dance until they started thawing and melted away still trying to do the grand chain.
"Well look at Calvin and his snowmen" said Bella, somewhat obscurely from the point of view of anyone who had not read Calvin and Hobbes.
As her set had all read the cartoon books they nodded sagely; and loaned copies to the first.
"What can we do next?" asked Isabel Nightshade "We haven't actually done anything BAD for ages."
"We could break bounds and confund sheep to spell out rude words in the fields for people flying over to see?" suggested Bella.
"Sheep are too stupid" said Maud "They're stupid enough to forget they've been confunded and just wander off."
"Next time it snows we can confund rabbits to hop and spell out rude words with their feet" suggested Isabel.
"If we can only figure out any words rude enough to count" said Mimi regretfully "I know we're a bit more sophisticated than the parrot in 'funnybones' but even so….."
"We could make then write 'Go Lionel go!'" suggested Bella.
"Crumbs, that's almost virtuous!" grumbled Isabel.
"Jelly in the gumboots of all the sixth then?" said Bella.
That was voted an excellent compromise!
"WHAT am I supposed to do with Bella Black and co?" Fran Longbottom demanded of Lionel.
"Well as burning at the stake is a bit passé for a prefect punishment I guess it'll be poetry impots" said Lionel "What have they done NOW?"
"Filled all the sixth's wellies with jelly transfigured just enough to be akin to slug slime" said Fran.
"They didn't do mine" said Lionel mildly.
"No; apparently it's an unwritten law that one doesn't rag the Triwizard champion" said Fran.
"Thank goodness for small mercies! I shall have a Bella free year!" said Lionel. "I'm not supposed to be here to be head boy when not head boy. Are you just asking for suggestions on a poem or are you actually feeling despairing old thing?"
"Oh well, I suppose they haven't been TOO bad this year….. dancing snowmen are fairly innocuous compared to what they can get up to. You reckon a poem?"
"They'll expect a tedious impot; they take their punishments with good grace after all" said Lionel "Or make them see how many words they can make from 'Wellington boots' no less then three letters and at least an hour to work on it."
Fran brightened.
"Brilliant! And that's why I'll never live up to you!"
"Don't forget my head boyship commenced with the arrival of Bella and co; I've had two years to evolve Bella-squashing strategies. You're still a neophyte. You'll get there!" said Lionel with slightly mendacious encouragement.
Fran did lack a trifle in terms of imagination; though she was respected well enough.
She was however surprised and not a little impressed when all the Belle Marauders managed well over fifty words each, indeed, when she counted the lowest was sixty two from Isabel.
Even if she was uncertain whether to count such words as 'loo' and 'bling' as proper words.
It took Mimi to come up with gems like 'ogle' and 'towelling' and 'glint' of course.
It had kept them quiet for a long time though and Bella asked if there were other words they could dissect for fun and an informal contest.
Fran set them 'Transfigurationist' as the best word she could think of on the spur of the moment as she was doing her Transfigurations homework.
It was a new game that kept them quiet for hours!
Fran blessed Lionel for his fertile imagination and told him all about it.
"Oh well, it beats hangman I suppose" said Lionel laughing. "Milk it all you can while they're still interested!"
"I shall!" agreed Fran fervently!
It was the run up to the Yule Ball again.
Gorbrin and friends were to go this year; and had their new gowns ready.
Gorbrin had no worries about who he was going with; he and Meliandra were going together. They had fallen into such easy comradeship the idea of NOT doing things together was moderately unthinkable.
Gorbrin had however learned lessons from his stepfather; Lucius had told him never to let a woman feel taken for granted, and he had duly asked Meliandra.
"Oh, I thought we were a couple as given" said Meliandra.
"Well yes, but I have impeccable manners" teased Gorbrin.
"You do too; you have some of the nicest manners I've ever seen in a boy" said Meliandra seriously. "You're a real gentleman, Gorbrin; and I guess that's down to your mum and your real dad with only a bit of Lucius tacked on 'cos things like the way you act come as naturally to you as breathing. And that's learned from the cradle not in a hurry when you go up in class."
"Well I guess so" said Gorbrin "Mum always like nice manners and dad reckoned that the way you behaved defined you even more than the way you talk. And Mother Narcissa says what makes a lady or a gentleman isn't their wealth but their manner."
"And I've heard Lucius say that what defines a gentleman is knowing when to stop being one" grinned Meliandra.
Gorbrin laughed.
"That's my stepdad!" he said
Some others of the class were sorted out already; there was never any question but that Vasilica would go with big Mischa; and Jardak and Jazka knew each other well enough to be happy together. Erica and Clementine took the bull by the horns and asked George and Mardo Monk of Hufflepuff, it not mattering much who went with whom since, as Erica said cheerfully they were all friends. It was a boy heavy year; and the adoptive brothers were glad to get picked! Ming Chang asked Pearl Brocklehurst as her group were a bit girl heavy and as he liked her; and Hadrian decided that it would make Stacey's life easier if she was able to tell her mother that she was going to the ball with a Malfoy and not an adopted one at that. Hadrian might only be a son of Lucius' half brother Vladimir, but a Malfoy was still a Malfoy to the ex mistress of the Goblin Entrepreneur, as the one time crime lord liked to be known.
Jordan Christie and Silvester Crouch-Jones decided to emulate to some extent Leo and Chad of the previous year and go in drag; except that they both dressed in drag and importuned Wilfrid Crabbe and Darryl Zabini.
Zabini was taking Hyacinth Greengrasse, a pure blood witch whose family had no money; and who figured that Zabini, who was wealthy, would do very well for her as he cared about blood status.
Darryl Zabini, being the way he was, started talking prenuptial agreements.
Hyacinth answered quite seriously.
"Sad gits" said Gorbrin, overhearing.
The oldest would be out of the castle; for the Triwizard team was to have a Yule ball at Durmstrang and they were much pitied.
Fran may not have managed the most spectacularly original decorations in the world – she went for a warm theme of red and gold and used cloth drapes, baubles, and enchanted singing gold birds that hatched out of the baubles to trill Christmas carols. This was one of the spectacularly successful toys from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes from the fertile brain of Garjala Gan Golgo, who, speculation was rife, was about to marry either or both of the Weasely twins as a means of them holding on to her genius forever.
Moving into the lucrative Christmas decoration market was a coup for Fred and George; like the more mainstream aspects of their firework endeavours it got a wider customer base than the tricks and jokes they had started off with.
It has to be said that the red and gold theme was not universally popular; red heads like Heather Burns complained that she had no choice but to clash, and those with pink or purple gowns looked awful in front of the red drapes.
Still, on the whole the colour scheme was forgotten in a welter of uncertain footwork, and the usual mix of romantic fervour and lovers' tiffs.
The younger ones thought anything with that good a buffet was a success whatever the colour scheme.
And Jordan and Silvester had great fun winding up Crabbe and Zabini who both rose beautifully.
Freya Tuthill, also without a permanent partner, joined the rump of the Mad Marauders – Mei and Mortimer being in Germany – and went with Mad Lockhart while Chad and Leo paired up more conventionally this year with Polly and Lydia.
Nell Pettigrew went with her Theo of course; and this year Peter Pettigrew ventured out to watch the festivities and see his little girl enjoying herself.
Theo had finally decided on his animagus form and had decided to go with the name and be a weasel; another rodent to go with his little friend's rat form and capable of keeping up at a run, even if running weasel was rather funny to watch with its odd loping gait.
Nell was delighted.
The music this year was a mix of recordings on the new gramophones; which would have been perfectly adequate had not some perfidious person introduced a second gramophone playing muggle punk rock in competition.
The secondary gramophone was quickly run to light and disabled; and the culprit had made his or herself scarce.
There were those who suspected the Belle Marauders especially when prefects were dispatched to check on them and found that they were virtuously in bed in pyjamas with pink scrubbed night time faces just glowing with far more innocence than any innocent child had a right to, as Kate Rosier reported.
As Bella said later, it was a most awful scrum getting their PJ's on over their clothes in such a hurry!
In Durmstrang it was a much less jolly affair.
The decorations were heavy and traditional and about as inviting, Mei reckoned, as an offer of an enema as the second course.
There were a few floating candles, some very aryan fairies whom Lionel confided to Mortimer and Mei he half expected to give Nazi salutes as their part of being decorative – which at least raised a brief chuckle – and much greenery decked at arithmantically precise intervals with gold baubles whether the placing suited them or not. The Hogwarts crowd were glad they had only brought a quorum of celebrants!
The champions had the afternoon to pick partners to lead into the Ball; Lionel noted that Jade had picked one of the Durmstrang staff members, the Spaniard who had so liked his own performance.
Lionel grinned at Sylvia Hubble who had her hair up – at least it had started up and was already escaping – and said,
"Hows about you dance with me and I'll see if I can turn your hair white with tales of your cousin Maud?"
Sylvia gave a gurgle of laughter.
"Oh I'll dance with you but I'm immured to the exploits of my cousins; cousin Rose is in the second this year and I assure you, she's enough to drive anyone to going white overnight it they were going to!"
Lionel laughed.
"Then let's swap stories of the tribulations of a prefect's life with junior Hubble moments!" he said.
"That's a deal!" agreed Sylvia.
Mei meantime was asked to dance by the Hellibore champion, Miles Grant; the French champion chose a German girl not, Lionel thought, on the team.
Mei twinkled at Miles and agreed.
"I say I am really chuffed not to be last" said Miles "I reckon any one of you could beat all the best of the rest of us."
Mei considered that thoughtfully.
"There's about four of us that's true of in Hogwarts and three of the Prince Peak team because Senagra can't come" she said.
"Well, I'm glad you don't hide in false modesty" said Miles. "I suppose you've actually got a boyfriend?"
"Yes I have. But if that was an offer, I'm flattered; we reckoned you and your brother were the nicest of the Hellibore crowd. Reckon we'll see you both on the social circuit?"
"Well, that's a definite maybe" said Miles "We're not much up the social ladder you know!"
"Oh well, we must exchange addresses; and I'll get you to the fun parties" said Mei "What I count as fun parties" she added grinning "Are the ones where Lucius goes – Lucius Malfoy – with the express intention of upsetting someone pompous just for existing and flaunting his wives. The girls just love upsetting the stuffy!"
"Is it true they get on? I really find that hard to credit!"
"Oh gosh yes; they're plainly devoted to each other as well as to Lucius. We knock around with the family; my friend Lydia is Lucius' niece – Jade's sister – and Mortimer is Hawke Malfoy's ward. We convene for half the hols in a tent in the ground of Malfoy Manor to plot wickedness!" she twinkled.
"Sounds like you have a good time."
"Rather! Right, I'll get you and – Cenric, wasn't it – invited up for a few days when we're all there, it'll be a hoot!"
Mortimer was approached by Anett Breuer.
"You will perhaps my partner be?" she asked a little brusquely.
Mortimer made her a beautiful leg.
Hawke had rolled in with a really fine ball gown – 'so as not to give those snobby German gits anything to talk about' as he said – in rich russet that matched his hair precisely, trimmed with embroidery in blue and gold couched threads. He looked rather good.
Anett curtseyed.
It was not a bad curtsey.
Mortimer kissed the air above her hand with a flourish, just to prove that he knew how to do it properly.
Anett grinned.
"Courtly, aren't you?"
"Good coach" said Mortimer laconically. "Hawke – my guardian – likes to make sure to take the wind out of the sails of the pompous. All these Malfoys are the same."
"You're the ward of a Malfoy? Dear me, and all the comments about your low status fall awry then!"
Mortimer shrugged.
"I'm the ward of a Malfoy because of my father's death and me being academically inclined and fairly well talented" he said. "Hawke wouldn't let me sink into obscurity earning my own living. I owe him everything" he added softly.
"He sounds a wonderful man" said Anett.
Mortimer grinned.
"Don't get any ideas; he's a wonderful man who's taken. Lynx is only waiting to leave school to wed him. She hasn't come, I see; probably sloped off to be with him instead. Jade is more than capable of holding her own."
"She is rather formidable" said Anett. "What you said about seeing for myself - I'm going to try it"
"Go looking for goblins to talk to? Be careful" said Mortimer "My knowledge of poverty – though things are changing slowly in England – is that there are some places where you'd be murdered for your clothes, nothing personal but because what you might wear as everyday represents a week's meals to a large hungry family. Dress down a bit – plain robes – keep your wand loose and go where there are broad streets and plenty of occupants. Even if you're a temptation there, there's more risk that a miscreant might get ratted up by his fellows."
"You are saying that goblins are thieves?"
"No Anett; I am saying that amongst the very poor, human or goblin, there are those who are thieves; either from inclination or, more often, from desperation. We still have neighbourhoods even with the changes in England where you tread warily. I can cite you half a dozen desperate rogues I know of, two human, two half goblin, a goblin and a half troll. In England it is becoming that those who are desperately poor are those too feckless to work; but it is not entirely so. This is why the free school was started; to teach wizarding qualifications to the poorest who are bright enough, to give them better chances of better jobs. And the new qualification, the DOE, the Diploma of Ordinary Endeavour tests half a dozen subjects at the level of end of fourth year exams, just to show that some formal education has been achieved. It makes a tremendous difference. I have six OWLs; and I'm taking five NEWTs. And even a couple of OWLs makes the difference between a man supporting his family in comfort and in struggling to feed them. Hope helps destroy crime as much as policing; hope and socially responsible programs in the community. And where there is despair is also hatred; so beware. Go in daylight. Don't go far from a main wizarding or muggle highway. Make sure someone knows where you are; and be back at a specific set time. If anyone demands money with menace, give it to them. If anyone threatens you, tell them that your father knows where you are and will be collecting you soon, even if it's a lie. Walk proudly but not arrogant; try not to swagger. Look in control but not in command."
"It's very hard" said Anett.
"For you posh types? Yes. Hawke and his twin Abraxus had been knocking about in my part of London since they were thirteen or fourteen, getting the feel. One boy is much like another. And our poor neighbourhoods are mixed race. I suspect yours are not. You will stand out. But do not try to disguise yourself as anything like a street vendor; you wouldn't hack it. You don't have the manner and you couldn't sing out the wares properly. Dear me, Madam Schrempf appears to be retiring to bed; must be something Professor Snape said!"
"She fears him" said Anett.
"Well she might" said Mortimer "She loosed the killing curse on Harry Potter; and Harry Potter was Severus Snape's ward, being one of Harry's dad's best friends."
It was a reasonable simplification.
"Yes, she does have reason to fear him" said Anett "He fights Odessa too…. Are you part of those who fight Odessa?"
"Of course" said Mortimer "They are loathsome worms of creatures who, crawling in the dust of inadequacy, would drag down and destroy anything that is fine lest it show them up for the invertebrate lackwits that they are."
"That was a nice phrase!"
"I think I caught the habit equally from Hawke and Lydia; and they caught it from Lydia's dad – Professor Snape" said Mortimer. "I say what awful music!"
Anett pulled a face.
"It is rather, isn't it? And not very politic to have music by so blatant an Odessa supporter! And besides, one can only do two-steps and the like to such military music. Hello, what's happening?"
There were brays and whinnys of horror from the musicians and suddenly a Viennese waltz struck up.
"That's more like" said Mortimer with satisfaction "I can do this one!" and he whirled her onto the floor.
The musicians, raging, were trying to get up and failing; and the instuments played on with romantic fervour.
Anett was laughing at the antics of the musicians.
"Oh they must have been held down with permanent sticking charms!" she said "Who's doing it?"
"If I had to put money on it, I'd say Jade" said Mortimer "Possible Severus himself; conceivably Lionel but I think it's too smooth a charm for Lionel. Jade is by far and away the best witch of her age; terrifying girl!" he grinned.
"Not your girlfriend then? Her sister is perhaps?"
Mortimer shook his head, a little ruefully.
"I rather think, though Lydia's not sure herself yet, that she's going to end up with her childhood friend Leo" he said. "I don't have a girlfriend; though I am friendly with a number of girls. We are a group of seven, Leo, Mad, Chad, Lydia, Mei and Polly. Polly is the first free elf to come to Hogwarts."
"Donner und Blitzen! That is extraordinary!"
"Perhaps; I think most people are used to it. There are a number of half elves who were born in dubious circumstances and rescued by people like Lucius Malfoy sticking their inquisitive noses in. And there is Mimi, who is Professor Snape's adoptive daughter and therefore Jade and Lydia's sister. And to them she is their sister and her race they do not even notice. They do not notice the race of their friends either. I find it rather wonderful; there is status according to your blood and the mix you are even where I come from. Not as much; but status there is. Many goblins despise those with some human blood. And part breeds sort according to what blood predominates. It is foolishness; and the attitudes at Hogwarts highlight how much foolishness it is."
"You are good to talk to me so frankly."
"If you purpose to stick your neck out and your nose in, you need to be spoken to frankly. You are too beautiful and intelligent a girl to throw away your life for the lack of some common caution. And I must say I wish you also the best of luck."
"Thank you; I may need it."
"Prepare well and you will make your own luck. This is a Polka; I haven't a clue what to do with a polka so I shall surrender you to the scowling boy who wishes to claim your hand."
Mortimer bowed punctiliously and kissed her hand again and bestowed it very properly into that of her waiting swain.
She was quite a girl!
Just for fun he waited for a dance he knew and bowed to Madam Bacsó to ask if she would dance.
The way she fell over half sentences backing out was highly amusing!
Not that all was sunny back at Hogwarts.
Leo and Lydia danced together; and Lydia was pensive.
"Where are you Lydia?" demanded Leo.
Lydia sighed.
"Dancing with my own special brother whom I love deeply as such" she said "Leo. I'm sorry, and I've tried most awfully hard; but the idea of being married to you is about like being married to Jade. Sort of a bit silly. And you don't really fancy me either; you fancy the idea of fancying me because it makes a symmetry being Mad Marauders together."
Leo scowled.
"We could make it work" he said.
"We probably could; but why settle for good enough if there's the chance of something more?" said Lydia "Leo Black- Weasley are you telling me it's as simple as you being too lazy to get to know another girl better than me?"
Leo flushed.
"Not entirely" he said. "All right then who is it?" he demanded belligerently to cover his embarrassment "Mortimer? 'tisn't Chad I'm sure!"
Lydia flushed.
"I rather fancy it's the only one who's ever made me feel nice in a grown up sort of way" she said in a small voice.
"Viktor Krumm?" said Leo catching on.
Lydia nodded.
"I – I was thinking about him to try to get romantic about dancing and that's neither right nor fair, to you or him" she said. "And I can FEEL him….. I'm sorry Leo."
"Huh, well, at least we know he's a tried and tested warrior" said Leo sniffing.
"And you aren't feeling so out of reason cross about it because you're not really jealous any more are you?" said Lydia.
Leo considered.
"I think I'd be jealous of Mortimer even though he's a Mad Marauder because he's – well, new around the place" he said "Or if it was a total outsider. I guess you DID save Viktor's life."
"We all did" said Lydia. "But I did get very involved with the chant; it's almost as intimate as the blooding to save someone like Willow and Padfoot and Grace and Draco. He…. I guess I love him" she said.
Leo gave her a rough embrace.
"Dammit, now I shall have to do my own work finding a girlfriend!" he complained.
Lydia touched his face.
"Will you have to look so far? You're a bold bad hero to half the Belle Marauders I wager!"
"But they're only little girls!"
"Time is likely to cure THAT soon enough" said Lydia dryly. "Besides, you'll have far more chance to train one up to be a nice wife than you ever did with me; I've been FAR too set in my ways and stubborn too."
"Well there is that" said Leo. "I am disappointed. Awfully. It seemed such a good idea to get sorted before we did any romance crap. But you're right" he added sadly "The romance just isn't happening, is it? You might just as well be Lynx!"
Lydia laughed.
"Well far better to talk it out now than carry on trying to please each other and not getting anywhere. I think your jealousy is from protectiveness; you want to make sure I pick someone you approve of."
"Yeah" said Leo. "Yeah, and I guess I do approve of Viktor; it just means you'll go away" he sighed.
"We'll all likely split up physically when we leave school, best of friends" said Lydia "But we'll always be joined by blood and love; and we'll all hit the ground running if one of the others is in trouble. Viktor is going to settle in England when he retires anyway; he's planning on applying for the job of coaching the Chudleigh Cannons when their coach retires. He's playing until Sekunder Singh is old enough to take over from him on the Bulgarian team. So I shan't be out of the country long. And there are such things as visits you know!"
Leo nodded.
"It seems so….. so much more of a split than Mei being with Mad" he sighed.
"Nonsense!" said Lydia "Viktor belongs to the Mad Marauders too! Now then, stop looking like a wet weekend or I'll put the tarantallegra curse on you!"
"Hah, and from anyone else that would be a cliché!" said Leo. "Well, I just hope he feels the same way; if he don't I'll knock his ruddy block off is all!"
"That's my best blood brother" approved Lydia.
She knew how Viktor felt.
He was less accustomed than the 'old hands' in the bloodgroup to blocking his feelings.
And he thought about her a lot.
He was giving her room to grow up and make up her own mind; because he was so special and kind.
And Lydia had made up her own mind.
Viktor Krumm was hers and she was going to have him.