Chapter 10 Ministry, Guilds, and Headmasters, oh what fun!
/Yami to Hikari/
/Hikari to Yami/
/Yami to Yami/
'thoughts'
"speaking"
Paseltongue
"Ugh. I hate tests. I thought muggle ones were bad, OWL's and NEWT's are worse!" Harry exclaimed in disgust as the foursome left the Atrium and headed towards on of the fireplaces.
Bakura shuddered in sympathy. He had the same dislike of tests that any normal teenager had, and seeing what Harri had to go through with his tests just reinforced his opinion that tests were evil and put upon this earth to torment teenagers.
Over their heads, Poppy and Severus shared grimaces. They agreed with Harry about tests and how evil they were.
"I mean, practical tests aren't so bad, but written tests, ugh! They're evil! You hear me? Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! They're an abomination of nature and were put upon this world to torment teens! They're a creation of grown-ups who delight in torturing children! That's what tests are! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil! Evil, I say!" Harry ranted.
Bakura was grinning madly from behind him, so proud to have met someone like Harry to take as his apprentice.
Over their heads, Poppy and Severus shared amused looks. Mr. Potter was in all actuality, expressing how all teens felt about tests.
"So, what's the address?" Harry asked.
Poppy and Severus shared a glance before Poppy spoke, "Apprentice Registration Office, Healers' Guild."
"Apprentice Registration Office, Healers' Guild," Harry dutifully chanted as he and Bakura stepped into the flames followed shortly by Poppy and finally Severus.
"Poppy! What a surprise this is! Don't tell me that after all this time, you're taking an apprentice!" Mary Sue, the receptionist in charge of Apprentice Registration, greeted Poppy warmly.
Everyone in the Healer Guild knew of Poppy Pomphrey and how dedicated she was to Hogwarts and its students.
Why, she even turned down a high paying job at St. Mungo's ICU to continue at Hogwarts with those students!
No one could really comprehend it, but since she was obviously happy there, well until recently, that is, no one questioned it.
Mary Sue frowned internally as Poppy told her that, yes, she was taking an apprentice, and no-one was about to stop or change her mind!
Mary Sue giggled a little bit and handed over the forms. "Just fill these out, and take them over to Polly Sue at Registration and you'll be set!" she chirped brightly, waving to a side room where there were tables and chairs so that one could fill out the forms in peace.
Once they were gone, she frowned and set her chin on her hand as she thought over what she'd heard about Hogwarts and Poppy.
She'd heard that Dumbledore was deliberately subjecting a student to an unsafe home and that any attempts to remove said student, were met with a swift rebuttal and a quick Memory Charm and Apathy Charm to keep people from investigating.
She frowned at the thought of any child being subjected to abuse of any sort. It simply was inconceivable in her mind that any parent or guardian could willfully harm a child under their care!
Child abuse in the Wizarding world was extremely rare. Oh, they all knew that it happened, but when it did, people found out and promptly removed the child(ren).
From what she'd heard, this was a case that had either been ignored (unlikely) or that someone had overdosed the Memory Charms to make sure that it wasn't investigated (more likely, and extremely worrying).
She looked up briefly as the group left Polly Sue's office before writing a memo to the girls she ate with to alert them to new news.
She grinned and checked the clock (-why are you here? It's time for lunch!-), before heading down towards the cafeteria.
She just couldn't wait to share this information! Poppy Pomphrey takes an apprentice!
Peggy Sue looked up when she heard the floo activate. She licked her lips in appreciation of the male species with the exit of the first two. When the third figure emerged, she nearly swallowed her tongue in surprise and shock, as well as a bit of fear.
Everyone knew who Potions Master Severus Snape was. And everybody feared him and did their best to stay. Out. Of. His. Way. For their own health and sanity.
When new people came in, they were warned about the man and how it was best for their continued sanity to stay low and quiet.
The man was brilliant, everyone knew that. He was also the youngest person ever to get his Mastery in Potions at the age of twenty. They were told at the beginning that there is a fine line between genius and insanity, and most geniuses had an odd quirk to them. They were also told that geniuses were very rarely social people and tended towards solitude to do their work in.
Snape, they were told, was a prodigy child, and practically raised in the potions lab at home!
So to see him here, in the Apprentice Registration Office…was making Peggy Sue very nervous.
Oh, there were people who would kill to be his apprentice, but he just sneered and dismissed the thought of him taking an apprentice.
She quickly gathered the needed forms before handing them to him before he could ask for them, so as to spare herself his acidic tongue.
His lips twitched upwards slightly, and one eyebrow raised itself partially before he put his hand on the young brunette's shoulder and leading him to a nearby lounge to fill out the paperwork.
Peggy Sue slumped back in her chair, praising Merlin that she was spared any comments from him.
"Peggy? Did I just see Master Snape walk in with a boy in Apprentice Healer robes?" Jordan asked her in a low whisper.
Peggy nodded. "He's finally taking an apprentice!" she hissed back at him.
He stared at her in shock.
She nodded and leaned back in her chair, knowing that by the time she got off (in half an hour) everyone in the guild would know that Master Snape had taken an apprentice.
"Potions Master Severus Snape, of the viper tongue and rapier wit, whom can not tolerate dunderheads and incompetents, is taking an apprentice?" he asked in disbelief.
She nodded.
He just shook his head in disbelief. "Never thought I'd see the day that the Prince heir took an apprentice." He muttered as he went back to his station.
She nodded in agreement.
Albus Dumbledore frowned as he was notified that both Poppy Pomphrey and Severus Snape had taken an apprentice, named Hadrian Black.
That in and of itself wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that Dumbledore didn't know who the blasted boy was!
Not to mention that his weapon had disappeared from its prison, and he couldn't get into contact with Severus!
And on top of that, his familiar was acting extremely smug and was refusing to take a letter to Severus!
Something had to be done…maybe reminding Severus of his loyalties? He was not going to tolerate this insolence from his spy! He saved Severus from Azkaban, and was that dratted boy thankful? No indeed!
Something had to be done.