Chapter 10
The Marauders surveyed 66b with a proprietary air. It was theirs. In a year and a term they would be teaching here. They had argued out what they were going to teach and had contacted Neville to see if he was prepared to come in as well. When he found out Sephara was interested Neville agreed instantly and was engaged – rather cheekily – by the Marauders as DADA Professor.
Neville was relieved; it was a position he preferred to that of teaching Potions.
Rom had put his name down for Potions and no-one disputed that. Abraxus was to take Transfigurations and Hawke Charms, despite it being Hawke who was considering strongly being an animagus. Myrtle was to teach Herbology and Sephara care of magical beasts, with Kinat on Arithmancy. Willow said she would do part time on enchanting if they could not get anyone else, but preferred to work in Ollivanders as it was what she was drawn to, perhaps kitting out the kids here with their wands.
As no-one else was likely to care about the wands of poor kids, the others greeted that with enthusiasm.
Francis Davenport agreed a little warily to teach enchantment and items; he was attracted to the idea of a good solid job but was afraid of failure. The pleasure the others showed at his acceptance prompted him to suggest Elisa Mourne as a teacher of ancient runes at which she was fairly good. Dione lacked confidence to teach at all as yet and Severus asked the Marauders not to push her.
It was all theirs.
They had already shaken Hogwarts from their feet, mentally, for the time being and forgotten firmly that they were prefects with a duty of care to Dympna Burke, out in the Alley without a keeper and a gang of ragamuffin kids viewing her smug and bandbox appearance with the sort of unholy glee that generally presaged a beating up. Dympna would never want to talk to marauders anyway; so they firmly turned their backs.
And if Kinat winked at the urchins he was prepared to swear it was no such thing and just something in his eye.
They were also being paid to oversee the demolition of the two semi-derelict houses next door and next to that, one of which having been the premises of the brothers Grubbe, now in Azkaban and their assets forfeit for various crimes; and they decided to look over this work first.
The goblin contractor looked relieved.
"Ah, Mr Malfoy, Mr Malfoy, honoured sirs, one of my men thinks he just heard a cry. The buildings were supposed to be clear, but…"
"Quite right to stop work and check" said Abraxus "Show us where…."
The cry was more of a whimper where demolition work had already started.
"I'll go through under that rubble" said Kinat "I'm the skinniest…you guys get your wands out and stand by to hold it up if it tries to make me skinnier. Boy am I glad you're over seventeen"
Kinat wriggled in, his own wand – illegally as he would not turn seventeen for several weeks – ahead of him as a light. Magic in a place stiff with mages would not cause a problem anyway; but public wand use might get reported. And holding up masonry would need every focus there was available.
Soon he was able to peer through a small hole too small to get through, too small even for the tiny scrap of humanity trapped behind it.
"Hello" said Kinat "I'm Kinat. Who are you?"
"I – I fink my name beginned wiv a 'V' when I had one" the child said.
It was about seven, filthy, and of indeterminate gender.
"Do you have a mummy or daddy?"
The child shook its head.
"Mine mummy died ages ago….V'ronica, vass what she called me. I never had a daddy."
"Well, I'm going to get you out of there" said Kinat, running through in his own mind whether to try to transfigure her and hope she would come towards him, to transfigure himself and go in to collect her, transfiguring her – it'd need to be a snake for sure in those options – or to memorise her surroundings and get everyone to help open a temporary gate.
That seemed the safest option.
Actually leaving her was not a good option.
"Marauders, can one of you do a mindmeld on me, we need to open a gate for Veronica here" he said. "I think that's easiest."
"Gotcha" said Hawke. In other words they would synchronise blood and open a gate their end while he opened it this.
They could open gates in their sleep now, after so much practice.
And Kinat saw the sky appear behind the huddled child and Hawke reach in and draw her out.
He wriggled backwards as fast as he dared; and was glad to be out herself.
"Cor, that was a nice piece of work" complimented the Goblin foreman.
"We do work rather well together" said Abraxus.
Hawke kicked his ankle
"Smug bastard" he said.
66b took a back seat while the marauders fed and cleaned Veronica and cast Scarpin's Revellaspell to reveal blood-ties to her to find out if she had any family.
"Nearest I can figure is JJ" said Abraxus, referring to Jasper Crouch-Jones.
"Dad'll know" said Romulus "We'll take her home, at least for now; then she can go to Hogwarts in the orphanage, she'll be knocking around with our lot there anyway, she might as well meet them."
"I don't want to be in a norphandage" said Veronica "Vey make you be a hooker. Ma died of vat."
"Not the Hogwarts orphanage" said Hawke "And if that's what you know of orphanages, some orphanages are about to get investigated. Anyway, my cousin'll take care of you first.
Severus was much more skilled at revealing lineage by spell and whistled loudly.
He then spoke Winky's name loudly as a summons.
Winky had pledged to belong to marauders; Severus was a marauder. She arrived, actually rather pleased to be wanted in the holidays.
"Winky, did you procure a woman for young master Barty about eight years ago?" demanded Severus.
"Winky may have done" said Winky cautiously.
"Winky is not in trouble; I just want to know" said Severus, forcing himself to be patient. The difference between this pathetic creature and his dear little mistress Sirri was as great as – well, between Mundungus Fletcher and Dumbledore.
"Winky did. She was a witch called Ambrosine. She was a whore, it was not a nice girl being seduced" said Winky "But she was a pure blood, Winky made sure of that for Master Barty."
"Like anyone cares about that" said Kinat softly.
"Presumably Crouch cared" said Romulus dryly.
"Well" said Severus "You are Veronica Crouch; and in your name I shall see about getting your inheritance."
"I shan't go in an orphandage" said Veronica.
"Poor little brat I can't blame her" said Krait.
"My mum'd take her" said Kinat "If there's enough to pay for her keep."
Severus eyed him thoughtfully.
"All right, Kinat; I'll talk to her and your dad" he said "There's going to be plenty to pay for her keep. Probate is still raging over the Crouch estate. I have a clear heiress here of unsullied line. The Crouch-Villeneuves are going to be grinding their teeth."
"That won't upset Lynx" said Hawke "They're her cousins and she can't abide them. That's why she got her mum to contest their claim."
"Excellent" laughed Severus "I like the Black-Weasleys; they'll drop the claim for this mite then in a shot and support her. They'd probably take her in too."
Kinat thought about that.
"I guess she'd be better reared by a wizarding family than goblins" he said. "Lynx is all right and so's Leo; they'll do her well as siblings. And the kid's as game as can be, not overawed at all; she'll be a Marauder one day too."
They returned to the alley to find that the urchins they had seen stalking Dympna were now parading her clothes on a pole as a trophy. Of Dympna there was no sign.
"You didn't kill her did you?" asked Hawke "I WOULD have to take issue with that."
"Nah, Mister, we jus' stripped her an' rolled her in the mud a little" said the leading urchin.
"Oh, nothing my kid cousin wouldn't do to her at school then" said Hawke cheerfully.
"Cor! You mean posh kids don't like her neither?"
"Some of us manage to be rich without being posh, my friend; being posh is a state of mind, not a state of finances. She's a loathsome little bloodsnob is Dympna Burke."
"She killed Cressida Blunt, we think" said another.
"No she didn't, we kidnapped Cressy a little bit because she should have gone to Hogwarts if her pa hadn't absconded" said Hawke. "She's in a class with two other of my cousins and his kid sister" indicating Kinat with a jerk of the thumb.
"Wot, she gotta be wiv a filfy gobbo?"
Hawke casually hoiked him into the air by the ankle with a twitch of one finger.
"Didn't I say I don't like bloodsnobs?" he said "THAT comment makes you just like Dympna Burke. Goblins are people too and you'd better learn that sonny or when you come to MY school that we're outfitting here you'll find yourself in detention regularly."
"Oo say I wanna go ter your ruddy school?"
"Well if you want to grow up ignorant and without qualifications so you don't get so well paid a job because you're lazy and feckless, I guess that's your business" shrugged Hawke "I wouldn't want any such lazy brat in my classes, nor bloodsnobs either. So either wise up or goodnight and screw you."
He let the child down and turned away.
"YOUR school?" said Kinat "Who died and made you Dumbledore?"
Hawke grinned.
"I guess Neville will be headmaster" he said "It kinda flowed though. As I was the one doing the talking, because you lot always leave the hard work to me."
"Well I like that!" said Romulus "When you decide to interfere can the rest of us get a word in edgeways? Not hardly!"
"Oh these Malfoys" murmured Abraxus.
66b was on four levels. The basement level had been cleared of the rubble released in it, which appeared to be just a deadfall and not the ground floor. No goblin contractor would go into it as it was said to be an unlucky place, not at least until it had been cleared as safe by wizards.
The marauders soon found out that the goblins were smart in their paranoia.
They entered the ground floor first and went into the parlour or reception room to the right that opened into what seemed to be a dining room behind it.
"We can knock these into one and just have an archway into the entrance hall as a Great Hall" said Abraxus.
"Lumme, look at this over the top ormulo clock!" said Hawke, picking it up off the mantlepiece.
The face shifted and changed.
"Time of your life, one hundred and ninety two years, three months, four days seven hours" Hawke read out.
"Let me see?" said Kinat "I like clocks."
"Goblin through and through!" laughed Hawke handing it over; then peered over Kinat's shoulder as his face drained to a greyish tinge of shock.
"Time of your life, seventeen minutes and forty two seconds….it's counting down" said Hawke.
"Severus" said Abraxus "Put that thing – no, Rom, you bring it."
They apparated to the house in Orme Court and babbled out the story in shock. Kinat was starting to look ill now from more than the shock.
"Quickest thing here is to try a bezoar" said Severus, snapping his fingers in the summoning spell.
Two minutes later and Kinat looked distinctly better.
Severus was using Scarpin's Revellaspell on the clock.
"Nothing here" he said "Stay here boys; I'll be back."
It was a long quarter hour before Severus returned looking grim.
"The source of the poison is vegetable, given off by spores in the carpet" he said "A poison specific to goblins, and so far as I can tell every carpet is infected. I have a sample; and I am going to brew you a potion that will kill the spores and render the poison inert, and then you will have to take the carpets out and burn them. Kinat, when they have done that you may return to the house with them and you are to take this clock with you into every room and check it periodically in case there is anything else."
Kinat nodded.
"I like this clock" he said "It saved my life. And now it tells me I'm going to live for a nice long time."
"I suspect it was there just to taunt any goblins who got in" said Severus dryly "Knowing that no goblin can resist picking up a nicely balanced piece of machinery; any more than I can resist testing scales or tapping the side of a cauldron."
With the carpets sprayed – using muggle mechanically pumped garden sprayers – and burned the group felt a lot happier, and shared what had happened with the goblin foreman doing the demolition works.
He spat in the road.
"Told 'em we weren't going in til it was cleared by wizards. That Mr Kinat, he's either brave or daft."
"Happen he's both" said Abraxus cheerfully "He's a Gryffindor, like me; being brave AND daft is what we're renowned for."
The foreman laughed.
"Well if you say it's safe, Mr Malfoy, I can have my men in whenever you need it."
"Give us a little more time; I don't want to put your men at risk, Gartak" said Abraxus, glad he could remember the man's name "We have taken as many precautions as we can over Kinat but one is easier to protect than a work gang. It's just going to take as long as it takes to make it safe."
"Well I appreciate that concern, Mr Malfoy, I really do" said Gartak. "We've got on apace as you can see with the demolition work; we're saving the best stone of course."
"Excellent; I'll ask Madam Prince to see that you have remuneration for your thrift" said Abraxus.
Gartak looked surprised; but pleased.
They got back to looking around. On the other side to the stairs from the parlour and dining room was a library.
"This can be left as a library; and some of the books for student reference" said Romulus.
"Once we've cleared out such gems as 'the preparation of human parts for magical items' said Hawke, picking out that book. "Yuk, I believe it's actually covered in human skin!"
Hastily he put that back!
Romulus had picked up an ornate candlestick.
"Hey, there's a dial at the bottom" he said "They say….harmless…soporific….poison. That's a bit more sophisticated than poison candles from Knockturn alley, you got the poison or sleeping potion reserves in the actual candlesticks and they….hold on…." He was unscrewing parts of the candle "They have hollow needles that poke up into the wick to carry the appropriate stuff."
"Well we could clean out the reserves totally and put perfume of something in instead" said Abraxus.
"Waste not, want not" said Hawke. "Or fill them with wit-sharpening and wideawake potions for last minute revision."
"Whatever" said Kinat "I'll have those, Rom Snape; mechanical things are my business, and I'll see about cleaning them. In the back yard."
Rom grinned. Kinat was keen to show he was of use after having had to be rescued from the consequences of the evil house; and Rom was not about to deny his friend.
Hawke had the next mishap, still in the library. He slumped into a chair with a book about Blood Ritual and yelled in shock when restraints snapped out and held him.
Abraxus was over there in an instant.
The others were hardly any slower.
"There's a small plate on the back" said Kinat "It has a switch like on an alarm clock; it is set at 'on'. If I move it 'off' perhaps it'll work."
"Worth a try" said Hawke who had stopped panicking almost immediately "If not I can apparate out I guess; it's an anti apparating zone, just the chair, I can feel it; but not with the house elf thing."
Kinat flicked the switch and the restraints withdrew. Hawke got up; then experimentally sat down again to a yell from Abraxus.
Nothing happened.
"It has to be set" said Hawke calmly "Let's check the others; we don't want to be caught a second time."
"YOU wouldn't have been caught the first if you hadn't been a lazy scrote, butting out to read" said Abraxus affectionately.
Hawke grinned.
"Mea culpa" he said.
The library needed to have at least half its books removed and examined by experts in dark magic like Severus and Lucius; and then it needed a good cleaning. The dust of ages lay thick on it and there were doxies nesting in the curtains.
"Can see old Mordecai Filch wasn't so cleanly as his cousin Argus" said Abraxus, sneezing, and absently whacking a doxy with a book to squash her before she bit him. "And him not a squib and – presumably – capable of using scourgify occasionally."
"Maybe filth and squalor suited his idea of being a dark wizard" said Romulus whimsically "Sort of grubby physically as well as morally."
"I almost dread going through the back to the kitchen" said Kinat.
The kitchen was indescribably foul. It also had a large pantry off it.
"Know what?" said Hawke "Reckon we could knock that into the great hall too, just leave an area twice the size of the pantry as a kitchen, and get fresh food in daily, we don't NEED vast storerooms the way Hogwarts does. Then there's oodles of room for them to eat in, in the Hall; and we can set up partitions and have classrooms for the first three years at least to be in for wet playtime rather than run wild in the library. Or keep it open and organise indoor games. Keep our options open. Downstairs to the basement next?"
The stairs down to the basement opened into a large L-shaped area equipped as a workroom.
"Ready made for Davenport to teach enchanting and item crafting then" said Kinat approvingly. "What's the room that intrudes to make it an 'L'….oh" he recoiled as he opened the door.
"What?" said Hawke sharply.
"Torture chamber" said Kinat laconically.
"Cells opposite under the kitchen" reported Abraxus "Lovely place. Right, there's water laid on for the workshop and basic sanitary stuff in the cells, we can divert that for a boys loo and a girls loo. The torture chamber can be DADA; and we'll knock all the cells into one for a potions dungeon, that needs plenty of water too."
"When we've cleared stuff out and cleaned it up I vote we hold a riotous party down here to drive out some of the bad background count" said Kinat.
"Good idea" said Abraxus.
They went up to the first floor and discovered the sordid pit in which Mordecai Filch was wont to sleep, in the Master Bedroom over the parlour and dining room.
"Squalid little git" said Hawke "He might at least have had a grandly evil lifestyle like Uncle Lucius."
"Like you said; squalid little git" said Abraxus. "Charms for you in here and Transfiguration in the second main bedroom for me?"
"Sounds all right" said Hawke. "There's two small bedrooms between the bathroom at the back; it's a big bathroom. Maybe it was hinting at Filth – er, Filch."
"Good big girls' and boys' loos with shower stalls for after games or if any need bathing" said Romulus "And keep that big bath – lumme, it's as grand as the prefect's bathrooms at Hogwarts, almost a swimming pool and marble, I declare – and they can take turns, girls then boys, to use it in especial need. Attics?"
The attic was divided into two down the middle; good big rooms utterly suitable for large classrooms since the bits nearest the pitched roof would be unusable save for cupboarding.
"Arithmancy one side and Magical animal care theory the other" said Kinat "And maybe we can add an observatory at some point and move Care of Magical Beasts downstairs if we can get any flying horses or hippogriffs to actually care for, because, you know, a certificate of knowledge of care of transport beasts is going to get our kids a better job than an OWL in care of magical Beasts. Lucius, say, doesn't care if a kid can clean out a firecrab, he wants to know if he can harness his matched Granion Horses to a carriage, knows what to feed them on, can check their hooves for chizpurfles and so-on."
"You have a point there" said Abraxus.
"Nah, it's rude to point; he has a blunt" said Hawke.
Kinat poked him.
"What, by the way, about Herbology?" said Romulus.
"We're having a greenhouse outside" said Abraxus "But I like the idea of also having a stable outside: we could build a purpose-built classroom with a tackroom over it, and then perhaps get some older animals that need retiring off, to demonstrate the four different kinds of winged horse and, if we can get one, a hippogriff. They're NEWT level critters, Hippogriff, but enough really rich wizards own them that having a certificate in their care on top of any other qualification would mean a lot."
"It's the only class really where the rather high-falutin' theory we learn is at odds with applications in the real world" said Kinat "If one can connect Hagrid with 'high-falutin''; but the stuff we have to learn out of Newt Scamander is going to be of relatively little use to poor kids. DADA can come in handy to anyone; especially routing boggarts. Potions too; you have to learn the basics on potions you may never use, like swelling solution, that have as their main purpose the combinations of the first simple techniques before you can learn useful things like brewing Pepperup potion for colds."
"I was planning on aiming my syllabus towards useful potions" said Romulus "As well as pushing those kids capable of more towards exam potions. But throughout the syllabus at Hogwarts, the exam potions are technique potions really, if you think about it. I thought of having, as it were, two streams in each class; those learning potioneering for their own use, and the exam stream. The others we can get through the DOE with luck, and I can always write a personal recommendation to an apothecary that so-and-so has shown a competent level of aptitude in brewing such-and-such and so-and so; and THAT could get people jobs too. Simple, in-house certificates of competency in individual subjects to an employable level if not an exam level saying exactly what they can do. In Herbology, one might not pass at even fourth year level but still be trustworthy left to prepare manure in correct mixtures and pot on seedlings. Enchantment too, someone might be trustworthy to test the enchantments on items even if klutzy about putting charms on."
Abraxus nodded.
"Then we'll do that; we'll maybe have a form letter but effectively each one will be individually written and boxes ticked showing competency in certain things; and we can put comments on the bottom too, like 'has a good stirring technique but needs watching with longer potions as he can dream a little' or 'is great with animals but is a little careless about regular hoof checks' or whatever, good and bad. And warnings before the certificates are written to address any negative comments that might need to be made."
"Excellent" said Hawke "Let's go and buy pastries from the baker now because I'm hungry; and call in Diccy and Winky to help here this afternoon."
"Winky ought to belong to Veronica" said Kinat "As she wants to belong."
"Winky, being free whether she likes it or not, should be given the choice" said Romulus "Now she's mostly dried out I think she might belong to Veronica; nobody should give a kid a drunken bum like she has been. She might even like to do both; that'll really make her feel useful, looking after Mr Barty's daughter AND the Marauders."
Winky liked the idea of being at the back and call of her Mr Barty's daughter as well as doing things for the Marauders; the Marauders were hard workers and rarely needed a house elf.
Diccy asked if he could be official head elf at this new school when it started; and the marauders agreed.
Diccy could also be trusted to go looking for other free elves who could be trained into the ways of the marauders to work under him.
Once the house was clean and Gartak and his men had been given instructions in the alterations and building works required, the marauders had one more job for the holidays; a marauding job.
oOoOo
Cosmo Malfoy was, the New Marauders all agreed, the epitome of a Marauder; and should be their patron. Accordingly they had searched Malfoy Manor for any visual representation and found a miniature on ivory in his mother's grave.
Cosmo in the miniature had only a little voice, but had been enthusiastic at the idea of full blood goblins now at Hogwarts and the idea of a secret society to protect the school and individual freedoms and racial equality though he blinked a little at first over house elf rights. He was pleased that his bones had been found; and even more pleased – if a little surprised – that the current head of the family had had him re-interred in full honour in the family crypt.
"And Avery choked to death on a fish bone? Excellent!" he said when they told the story of how they had found him "My curse worked then!"
"Sure did" grinned Kinat "And Uncle Lucius – he lets us friends of his nephews adopt him – is cool, busy boasting that the Malfoys have always been progressive."
"How like a Malfoy to make a virtue of it!" chuckled Cosmo wryly.
The Marauders had asked Charlotte to paint a full portrait, using the miniature, and the bones they had found, and the remains of the clothes he had been wearing; and planned to hang it in their secret room.
Cosmo was thrilled to be a full portrait and able to find out all about his kindred, and to take part in the deliberations of a group that held goblins and part goblins in honour and fought for their rights. He was eager to hear all about their adventures!
"I loved my time at school" he said softly "Nobody during my schooldays even questioned my race; and bastard Malfoys are not exactly unknown. I want to help others enjoy their schooling too and get the most out of it that may be."
The other dead Marauder was James Potter; and they had sought Harry's permission to have Charlotte paint him too from photographs.
Harry had agreed; on the condition that his mother was included in the portrait as an honorary marauder.
"And ask Charlotte to do two" he said "Then Ginny and I can have one, and they can move from one to the other to see their grandchildren, and to consult me too on your behalf and the behalf of future marauders that need comment or advice but not me personally."
The marauders thought this a most excellent idea!
Accordingly the portraits were ready, hung, and introduced ready for a grand Marauder party at the beginning of term to meet all the younger generations of Marauders.
Prongs was mightily impressed over the number of passages both new and Junior marauders had discovered between them; and much moved to learn that he could no longer call Remus 'Moonie'. Lily promised to explain the significance of 'Akela' to James. James was overjoyed, whatever his new name; and conceded that Severus had always been very clever. Lily looked pleased.
James did not want to meet Peter Pettigrew; but was glad that the new marauders were looking after him.
"I didn't treat him as well as I might have done" he said. "But I cannot totally forgive the betrayal of Lily and Harry; if he had set ME up, that I could have forgiven freely."
The marauders nodded.
They could understand that. Besides, they did not really want to bring Peter Pettigrew inside their Fidelius Charm even if they apparated him in and out.
"Fidelius charm, that's excellent" said James "But apparate? In Hogwarts?"
"Didn't Severus use the resurrection stone to talk to you?" said Abraxus "About the Bloodgroup?"
"He and I didn't talk about that; but I had it from Harry when he was a little bit dead, as he put it. I like that" grinned James. "Why does that work?"
"Because we're also blooded with free house elves as dedicated to Harry's cause as the rest of us" explained Abraxus.
"Who's your secret keeper?"
"Kinat here; because if anyone even thought we had a secret to keep they'd go after an arrogant bastard like us Malfoys" said Hawke. "And the stupider wizards – which so often equates with darker, because they're limited in scope of generosity of spirit – discount goblins."
James himself had trouble swallowing that for a moment.
"A GOBLIN? At Hogwarts, and a marauder?"
"Yeah, why not?" said Kinat "We all worked to kill Voldemort and we killed him for the rights of all beings, not just the ones wizards find prettier like muggles. It's all it's over, Prongs mate: appearances."
James digested this.
The goblin boy bore the scar; had taken the same risks as the others.
Then the portrait nodded.
"You're right" he said. "No different than werewolves. Sorry."
"Accepted" said Kinat.
"We still got plenty to fight" said Hawke "The spiritual descendants of Grindelwald."
"I guess" said James "There will always be marauders while there is evil and inequality to fight."
"Yes" said Abraxus "And that will be always because there are always going to be selfish, small minded people born."
James grinned.
"I kind of find that comforting" he said "In a world so uncertain that there are Malfoys in Gryffindor who actually care too."