10
Unjust Decision
By Alethea27
The owls were definitely from Hogwarts. They landed neatly in a row and held out their legs for the children to remove the letters they carried. As soon as Sev, Lily, and Dorian took their letters, the owls flew off again. They opened the letters eagerly and Lily squealed in delight as she saw her grades. She'd gotten an 'E' in Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Astronomy; she'd also gotten much to her delight, 'A's' in Flying, Herbology, and History of Magic, but her face fell suddenly when she spotted the big fat 'P' in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Dorian was delighted with his grades until he saw the 'P' Hardbroom had given him in Defense.
Severus smiled as he saw the 'O' in Potions, the 'E's' in Herbology, Astronomy, and Flying, but he'd only managed to achieve an 'A' in Transfiguration and Charms. History of Magic was also an 'A,' but Defense was a 'P.'
"Merlin's beard!" Dorian growled, shaking the report. "This 'P' is gonna lower my overall grade point average!"
"You got a 'P' in Defense, too?" Lily asked.
"I did, too," Severus said. "I know you and I both did well on our written and practical exams so I don't understand this."
"Let me see your report please, Severus," Marius said. Severus handed his report to his grandfather and he looked it over with Vesper looking over his shoulder.
Just then another owl could be seen flying in. "Terrific!" Dorian joked. "It's probably a letter from Hardbroom telling us she made a mistake and we all really got a 'T.' When the owl came closer, Dorian recognized it as belonging to one of his dorm mates. "Wait, that's Valerian. He belongs to my dorm mate, Tav."
"Tav?" Lily asked. "That's a funny name."
"Well, his real name's Octavius Ambrosius, but he goes by Tav. His parents apparently have a liking for Roman names. He has an older brother whose a fourth year named Justus and a younger sister, Gaia, who will be starting in September," Dorian explained as he took the note from Valerian and gave him a treat. He opened the note, read it, and then yelled, "This is bogus!"
"What's wrong?" Severus asked quickly.
"Tav wants to know what I got in Defense. He says he got a 'P.'
"Another of your housemates received a 'P' also?" Marius asked and then knitted his eyebrows at Dorian's nod.
"This is bogus because we both got 'E's' from Professor Torgus last year and it wasn't because he was a pushover either! He was strict and had high standards like Hardbroom, but he wasn't nasty like she is."
Marius turned to Vesper. "My dear, I know its short notice, but perhaps you could send an invitation to Horace for dinner tonight?"
"I'll send Arlo with the invitation." She chuckled. "I don't think we have to worry about Horace being offended by a late dinner invitation."
Marius turned back to Severus, Lily, and Dorian. "What are your plans for today?"
"I thought we would practice defense with Black Leif and Conor," Severus replied.
"Excellent idea. You'll find them in the gymnasium, I believe."
"I want to owl Alice before we go to the gym and find out what hers and Frank's defense grades were," Lily decided.
"I'm going to change into loose clothes," Severus decided. "You and Dorian might want to do the same."
The Magnussons were waiting for the three children when they walked into the gym, which was covered in green mats. "I'm going to be showing you some basic defense skills today," Black Leif said.
"But first we'll start with some warm-up stretches," Conor added. "Never start a workout exercise without first doing a basic stretching routine." He dropped to the floor and motioned for the three kids to do the same. They spent ten minutes doing stretching exercises
"The defensive skills I'm showing you are Muggle martial arts skills, but a witch or wizard will always be expecting you to pull out your wand. They never expect this …" Leif grabbed Conor from behind, but even though Black Leif was the taller and more muscular of the two, Conor twisted and bent, easily tossing Black Leif over him and to the mat. Black Leif got up quickly and explained, "This looks hard especially if you're petite as Miss Evans is, but it's actually nothing to do with size and everything to do with balance. Now watch closely while we do it again." They demonstrated the move again and then had the kids practice it as he and Conor watched, and corrected them or added a suggestion. Soon even Lily could down Sev and Dorian without a lot of effort.
"The next thing we're going to show you is another way to disarm somebody who's grabbed you and has already disarmed you. You can even do it if they're holding their wand to your throat or your head. In fact, this is the best way to disarm them if that's the case," Conor explained. Again with Black Leif assuming the role of assailant and holding his wand to Conor's throat, he jammed his elbow into Black Leif's midsection as hard as he could, causing him to gasp and drop his wand, which Conor then snatched up and held on him. He helped Black Leif back to his feet and returned his wand. "I won't have you kids practice this as you might accidently hurt each other. Another good way to disarm someone when they grab you is to stamp hard on their foot or bring the palm of your hand up into their face as hard as you can. If they've got you pinned on the ground, go for their eyes or their ears which are another sensitive spot."
"Another thing is never, ever stick your wand in your back pocket or the pocket of your robe because it can become entangled when you need it quickly and it can fall out of your back pocket or be stolen without you even noticing until you need it." Black Leif said. "I advise purchasing a wand holster from Ollivander's. He has many different kinds to suit individual tastes." He showed them his which he wore strapped to his thigh. It looked like the holsters the American Muggle cowboys wore to carry their guns. "This is my preference as I'm always able to reach my wand with either hand. Conor," he nodded at his brother, "prefers a forearm holster."
By the time, they were done with the defense lessons and had showered and changed, it was time for lunch. Mitzi had prepared tuna sandwiches with crisps, fresh fruit, and some of Vesper's spice drops and coconut macaroons. After lunch, they all went back to Severus' room to work on their homework although Dorian suggested they not work on Hardbroom's assignments together so she couldn't accuse them of copying. They worked on their homework until it was time to change for dinner. Severus wore a dress robe of forest green while Dorian's was a deep sapphire blue. Lily wore the emerald green dress and shoes she had gotten for Christmas.
"Wow, Lily, you look fantastic!" Dorian said.
"You look … beautiful, Lily," Severus said and then flushed.
"And I think you both look very handsome," Lily replied, taking each of their arms, but she couldn't quite suppress the happy tingle she'd felt when Sev said she looked beautiful.
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Professor Slughorn had arrived early while the children were still upstairs. Marius and Vesper were waiting to greet him as he came through the floo. "Horace, I do apologize for the late invitation …"
Horace waved her off. "It's no problem, Vesper. Frankly it's a relief to get away from the owls I've been receiving all day." He gave his robe to Arlo to hang up.
"You've been getting owls? For what if I may ask?" Marius said as he led Horace into his study and Vesper followed. She closed the door and cast a Silencing Charm on it in case the children came down early.
"From parents who are quite unhappy about the scores their children got in Defense. While I don't doubt for a minute that a handful of my House deserved exactly the scores they got, the majority did not. It seems as if nobody got above an Acceptable and most got below that. Abraxas Malfoy was most displeased with Lucius' score and made it known to me by sending me a Howler first thing this morning."
"Did Abraxas say what score Lucius received?" Vesper asked.
"Oh yes! The thing followed me around my quarters shrieking at me! Lucius received an Acceptable when he'd always received an Outstanding last year."
"Severus and his friends, Lily Evans and Dorian Andrews, all received 'P's' as did one of Dorian's dorm mates, Octavius. Dorian said they had both gotten Exceeds Expectations from the previous defense professor."
"Professor Torgus, yes; he was a former Auror and an excellent teacher. Poor man had to resign when he permanently injured his wand hand in a freak accident."
"It sounds as if Professor Hardbroom may have deliberately marked down the Slytherin students," Vesper said. "But we don't know what she gave students in the other houses either so she may be just a low marker."
"Well, when I went to the Great Hall for lunch Professor Hardbroom was having lunch in her quarters and there were no students present either, but I did not hear Pomona, Filius or Minerva complaining they had received a lot of owls regarding their House members' defense scores. I'm sure they would have said something if that was the case, but I'll check with them tomorrow and send you an owl."
"Do you still have the complaints the parents owled you, Horace?" Marius asked.
"Yes, I was going to give them to Albus, but I can make you copies. I don't think he'll do anything about Hardbroom anyway. She's a former Gryffindor and therefore can do no wrong in his eyes. And there is the matter of finding a competent defense teacher to replace her if she is fired. Candidates aren't exactly lining up for the job." Horace shook his head. "It's disheartening to realize that many people hold us in distrust for the activities of a former Slytherin who graduated 26 years ago."
"We cannot have her deciding who she will teach defense to and who she won't. She has no right to decide purebloods are the only ones with the right to learn defense while half-bloods and Muggleborns can just be left helpless to be killed!" Vesper said, outraged. She was becoming angrier by the second at Hardbroom. "I'd like to show her what she can do with her attitude!"
"Calm down, my dear," Marius replied, giving her a hug. "We'll get this sorted, but in the meantime, we need to keep it between the three of us. We can't let the children know what we're planning."
Vesper nodded and made an effort to get her emotions under control. There was a knock on the door and Severus called, "Gran? Grandpa?"
"Coming, darling," Vesper called back. She took the Silencing Charm off the door and opened it. "Oh my! Don't you all look nice! Boys, you look very handsome and Lily, you look so lovely in your dress. It matches your eyes and sets off your hair."
"Thanks you, Vesper," Lily replied with a small curtsey.
"Good evening, Professor Slughorn. Welcome to Mirrorvale," Severus said.
"Good evening, Mr. Snape, Miss Evans, and Mr. Andrews." Professor Slughorn replied gravely.
Mitzi came in to announce that dinner was ready in the dining room. Marius offered his arm to Vesper and Professor Slughorn offered his to Lily. Severus and Dorian walked behind them with Dorian teasing Severus about being embarrassed when he complimented Lily.
The dining room had wallpaper with blue and cream stripes and the soft thick carpet matched the blue in the wallpaper. The two tall windows were hung with matching drapes. The Victorian walnut table normally sat twelve, but Vesper had Transfigured it so it now sat six. It had a sparkling white tablecloth over it trimmed with real lace. There was a beautiful matching buffet with a runner that matched the tablecloth. A crystal chandelier hung above the table and the many candles in it gave the room a warm glow. A fireplace with a walnut mantle sat between two of the windows and provided warmth. There were more pictures of Prince ancestors hanging on the walls. Marius seated Vesper and Severus did the same for Lily. Marius and Vesper sat at opposite ends of the table while Severus and Lily sat on one side and Dorian and Professor Slughorn sat opposite them.
Dinner was roast beef with thick brown gravy, Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, and Brussels sprouts with chestnuts. The children drank pumpkin juice while the adults shared a bottle of wine from the Prince wine cellar. A warm Yorkshire Curd Tart was dessert. Severus always liked his tart with a dollop of Devonshire cream on it.
"A fine meal, Vesper," Professor Slughorn complimented her, wiping his lips. "The elves at Hogwarts should take lessons from you."
"Thank you, Horace," Vesper said.
"Can I offer you a brandy before you Floo back, Horace?" Marius asked.
"No thank you, Marius, as I have a few students that stayed over the holidays so I must get back to them in a sober state."
"Thank you for coming, Horace. We'll be speaking with you."
"Thank you for the invitation. I'll be in touch." He turned to the children. "I'll see you all in two days."
Just after Horace left, the Starkey family owl, Honey, flew in and landed in front of Lily, offering her the note she carried. She took it off of her and offered her a treat which she took before flying off again. She opened it and read it. "Alice says she got an 'A,' but Frank got an Exceeds." Lily sighed. "I'll bet she would have gotten an 'E,' too, if she hadn't tried to defend me when Potter tripped me."
Neither Severus nor Dorian said anything since they felt what she said was true.
Lily and Dorian went home the next morning. They both thanked the Princes for allowing them to visit and then Dorian used the Floo home since his house was connected to the system. Lily gave Sev a hug and then Vesper Apparated her back to Spinners End. As soon as she got home, Lily wrote a formal thank you note to Severus' grandparents as she had been taught by Hyacinth and sent it off with Guinevere.
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The next morning Horace stopped by Minerva's office. She ordered some tea and cakes from her personal house elf, Appa. She poured the tea and placed one of the cakes on a plate and handed them to him and then served herself. "What can I do for you, Horace?"
"Yesterday, I received many owls from the parents of the students in my house. They were quite upset to find their children had received a 'P' in defense or had gone from an 'E' to an 'A' or an 'E' down to a 'Poor. I received a Howler from Abraxas about Lucius' score! Did you, Pomona, or Filius receive any owls regarding scores?"
Minerva frowned. "Why no, we didn't."
Horace sighed. "I had hoped maybe she was one of those professors who grades low because she fears the students will become overconfident and start slacking off, but this confirms for me that she has a definite prejudice towards Slytherin House. She appears not to like Mr. Snape or anybody who is a friend of his. She took five points away from him because she thought his stare was insolent."
Minerva shook her head then said, "Unfortunately, I have more bad news. When we thought Professor Hardbroom was spending the entire holiday in her quarters and avoiding us, she was actually a guest of the Potters. She was more than happy to slap me with that news this morning!"
"I had dinner with Mr. Snape's grandparents last night and they're very upset about Professor Hardbroom. I believe Vesper would really like to come here and kick her arse. Marius is being a bit more Slytherin and is collecting evidence that can be used against her."
"Well, we'll have to move very carefully now that she's found an ally in the Potters. We don't want it to look as if we're plotting against her," Minerva stated. "Even if we are."
Later that day, Horace knocked on the door of Albus' office. "Enter, Horace," Albus called. He opened the door and came in. "Albus, I've decided to set up study and tutoring groups in my house and I will need the scores for this year and last year for my second through seventh years and the grades so far this year for my first years in order to do so."
"It's a little late to be worrying about the scores of the seventh years, isn't it, Horace?" Dumbledore queried.
"Not at all, Albus, as I can help them get higher scores on their NEWT's." Horace replied cheerfully. "Filius and I were discussing it this morning and he thought it was a capital idea."
"Yes, it probably wouldn't hurt if all the houses followed suit," Dumbledore said nodding. He waved his wand, the requested records appeared on his desk and he gave them to Horace. "Let me know if I can be of any further help, Horace."
"Of course, of course," Horace said taking the papers. "Thank you for doing this. I appreciate your help, Albus."
Once he had returned to his office he waved his wand over the papers making copies for Marius and set them next to the copies of the complaint letters he'd made. He shrank them and put them inside a moleskin bag. When Severus returned to school; he would send it off with his owl. He locked the originals in his desk drawer.
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After one final hug, Lily waved at Paul and Hyacinth and ran through the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾. She looked around for Sev, Dorian, Alice, or Frank as she pushed her trolley along the platform.
"Lily!"
Lily turned to find Alice pushing her trolley quickly in order to catch up to her. When Alice pulled abreast of her, Lily gave her a hug. "How was your Christmas?"
"Great! I got a lot of new clothes and some candy; my mum gave me a really neat book on Herbology. I'll show it to you once we get to school. How about you?"
"Well, my friends, Cathy and Beth, gave me a poster of the Beatles and a scrapbook with clippings about them and their career. I brought the poster with me so I could put it up in our room."
"Beetles?" Alice asked in a puzzled tone. "They gave you a poster and scrapbook about an insect?"
Lily couldn't believe as popular as the Beatles were all over the world, the wizarding world had apparently never heard of them. She laughed. "No. They're a Muggle musical group. They're known all over the world. They play drums and guitars, write songs and sing them."
"Really? How do you listen to them?"
"I started out listening to them on the radio, but since I liked them so well, I started buying their records and I listen to them on the portable stereo mum and dad brought Petunia and me. Maybe, you can visit me this summer and I can play their records for you and you can meet Cathy and Beth too."
Alice nodded. "Sounds like fun."
A conductor helped them get their trunks on the train and took them to a compartment where he slid them under their seats.
"What else did you get?"
"I got a charm bracelet, a couple of Beatle records I didn't have, some wizarding sweets. A journal and a quill and ink set too. Oh! I got a really pretty dress from my mum; it's silk over taffeta, emerald green, and comes down to my ankles and I got shoes to match it. I wore it for dinner at Mirrorvale the night before I left." Lily blushed. "Sev said he thought I looked beautiful."
"Cool!" Alice exclaimed. "So what was Mirrorvale like and what did you do there?"
"It's beautiful. Sev's grandmother really has wonderful taste in decorating. The rooms are big, but yet they feel warm and cozy. We did some sledding, and the Black Cloaks showed us some new defensive moves. I had a really good time."
"Why did you want to know what my Defense score was?" Alice asked curiously.
"Because Sev, Dorian, and I got 'P's as did another friend of Dorian's. He said they got 'E's last year. I'll bet you would have gotten an 'E' if you hadn't stuck up for me."
"Pshaw!" Alice snorted. "The old harridan hates me. She thinks I'm a klutz anyway!"
There was a knock on the door of the compartment and then Sev and Dorian came in. They slid their trunks up on the overhead rack and then Sev sat down next to Lily and Dorian next to Alice. Severus let Grey out of his carrier and he immediately jumped into Lily's lap. He purred loudly as Lily stroked his soft fur. He set Callista's cage down next to Guinevere's.
"What did your grandparents say about your scores, Sev? Were they mad because you got an 'A' in Transfiguration and Charms?"
"No, but they did say that they'd like me to bring them up to at least an 'E' and I promised them I'd study hard and try."
"I'll help you with Charms, Sev," Lily volunteered.
"And I'll tutor you in Transfiguration," Dorian offered.
"Thanks, both of you. I'll gladly accept your offers as I do want to bring up my scores and make my grandparents proud."
They were soon joined by Frank, Remus, and Peter. Fortunately, the compartments were magically enhanced to expand so everybody could travel comfortably. Just before they were due to pull out of the station, Potter and Black barged in. James immediately began bragging about the racing broom he'd gotten for Christmas. "It's top of the line and the most expensive one, of course!"
Severus wondered what kind of parents would allow their eleven-year-old a racing broom.
"My Quidditch coach says I'll be the star player on our House team in no time." He sneered at Severus and Dorian. "With me on the team, Gryffindor will stomp your snaky arses in no time!"
"That is, of course," Dorian snickered. " if your broom can get off the ground with your fat head riding it!"
"Did I tell you Siri, Snivilly, and Silly Lily both got a 'P' in defense? They should have gotten a 'D' or a 'T.' That's because Muggleborns are too stupid to learn and snakes are all so dark, the only thing they can learn is curses."
"I'll bet old Snivellus knows more curses than most seventh years!" Sirius replied.
"And what curses he doesn't know, his sidekick there probably does," James added. Sirius and he started laughing as if it was the funniest thing ever. They were laughing so hard at their joke that they didn't see Severus pull his wand, point it at their seat, and say, "Decresco!"
Their seat suddenly disappeared out from under them and James and Sirius hit the hard floor, bums first. "Oww!" James whined. He and Sirius looked up to find five wands pointed at them.
"Get. Out. Now!" Lily said fiercely.
They got up off the floor, both rubbing their bums as they did so. "Come on, Remus, Peter, let's find somewhere else," Sirius said.
"I'm going to stay here. I've got studying to do and you're too noisy," Remus answered. "Peter and I will see you two later."
"Come on, Peter, let's go," James insisted.
"I'm staying with Remus," Peter replied timidly. He knew if he went with James and Sirius when they were angry, they'd use him to practice their hexes on.
"Fine!" James slammed out of the compartment with Sirius following him.
"Did you two really get a 'P' in Defense?" Frank asked.
Severus nodded and said, "I'd like to know how Potter found out. Our scores are supposed to be private." He was really upset and decided he was going to owl his grandparents as soon as he got to school.
Frank shook his head. "I don't know, but I'd let Professor Slughorn know. If Hardbroom's talking about student scores to anybody but the student's parents or guardian, she's going to be in deep dragon's dung."
"Exactly where she deserve to be!" Alice snorted.
They spent the rest of the trip eating Chocolate Frogs and trading the cards; it seemed as if there were a lot of Dumbledore cards; nobody really wanted them and they couldn't be traded. They also played Exploding Snap; Peter was particularly good at the game. They changed into their robes and the minute the train came to a complete stop, they jumped off. Severus, Dorian, and Frank commandeered a carriage and they piled into it. Everybody laughed during the ride to the school as they could hear Dorian's stomach growling loudly.
As they got out of the carriage and entered the Entrance Hall, Severus immediately headed towards the dungeon rather than the Great Hall.
"Hey, Severus!" Dorian called. "The food's this way!"
"There's something I have to do first and then I'll be up," Severus called back.
"Yeah, like bring up his Defense grade from a Poor!" James yelled loudly.
"Stuff it, Potter!" Frank yelled back.
Severus walked quickly to the entrance to Slytherin, gave the password and entered. He went straight to his dorm room and was surprised to see his trunk, Greymalkin, and Callista were already there. Grey was curled up in his usual spot on Severus' bed. He sat down at his desk and pulled out a sheet of the stationary Vesper had given him at the beginning of the year and wrote about what James had said.
Professor Slughorn was heading up to dinner after checking the dorms to make sure everything was ready for the returning students. He noticed the door to one of the first year dorms was cracked open when it hadn't been when he passed by a few minutes before.
"Mr. Snape, why aren't you at dinner?"
"Sorry, Professor, I needed to owl my grandparents. I'm going to dinner as soon as I send this off with Callista."
"Why don't you come with me and use the owl entrance in my office? I have some papers for Marius that I'll send with your note."
They walked into his office and Horace got the moleskin pouch out of the locked drawer where he'd been keeping it. He put Severus' note inside and before sending it off, he charmed it so only Marius or Vesper could open the pouch. He opened the owl entrance and Callista flew out of it.
"Professor, how could James Potter know what scores Lily and I got in Defense? He wasn't just guessing, he stated it as a fact."
Horace knew exactly how James Potter had found out, but he couldn't tell Severus. "I don't know, Mr. Snape, but I will certainly endeavor to find out."
When they entered the Great Hall, Severus headed for the Slytherin table. He sat down next to Dorian, who was chatting with his dorm mate, Tav. Dorian turned and asked. "Where'd you go?"
"I owled my grandparents about what Potter said on the train. My grandfather's on the Board of Governors and if somebody's leaking information about student scores, he'd want to know."
"Good thinking, Severus," Dorian complimented him.
Dumbledore stood at the end of the meal and welcomed them back and wished them a good night's rest. Severus caught sight of Lily as they were leaving the Hall and waved at her. She smiled at him and waved back. When they got back to the common room, Professor Slughorn had a meeting and explained about the study groups he was forming. "I want Slytherin House to always have the highest scores. I want all you seventh years to get the highest scores possible on your NEWTs. If you're having trouble with a subject I will have a list of tutors available to help you. Are there any questions?" When nobody said anything, Horace continued, "I will be setting up the study groups and tutors within the next couple of days, but for now you are dismissed. Lights out by ten o'clock for the younger children."
Once everyone was settled and things were quiet, Horace went back to his office and wrote a note to Minerva, detailing what Severus had told him and his suspicion that Professor Hardbroom was in violation of the confidentiality clause all the professors were required to sign when they were hired. He charmed the note so only Minerva would be able to open and read it and then sent it to her by interschool mail.
A/N: Hope you liked how speedy we were in getting a new chapter up. Now things will really start heating up with Hardbroom!
Please review!