Chapter 10 Defence against the Dark Arts
The others were elated that Umbridge was finally gone and Dumbledore seemed to have some measure of control back from the Ministry.
"Though our defence classes will suffer" said Neville.
Hermione made a rude noise.
"They were suffering from that ridiculous book she set us" she said scornfully. "I read it all through….no defensive jinxes should be allowed….quite ridiculous. We'd do better ourselves at training the rest of the class – Harry knows more than most teachers, at least he can produce a corporeal Patronus."
"Well why don't we send out invites to join the Muggle Studies Hobbies Group?" said Krait. "If the ministry DO send in someone as awful, at least them we've got something in place….they're afraid if we learn too many spells, Dumbledore will set us on them as his army, as though he needed one" she added scornfully "So let's be prepared to give them what they expect if the buggers don't heed this as a warning. We'll do it without Severus overtly attached at first so he can't get into trouble – Harry can lead"
"Will they come?" asked Harry.
Krait shrugged.
"Their loss if they don't" she said indifferently. "Any that come are going to mean it…I'll legilimens their intent anyway…and we can get ready an army to do what the ministry won't. and if that has to involve deposing the ministry in a military coup for being old women, so be it."
"Hear hear!" said David who was enjoying his defence against the dark arts classes led by Krait.
"We'll put out word then." Said Hermione satisfied.
"We'll not have many Slytherin I fear" said Draco.
"There's Emmeline already" said Krait "And Abrax and Kinat are stealing that Romulus boy."
-/-
Those who turned up were half sceptical; and Harry nearly lost his temper over stupid questions. In the end however several signed up; and Krait turned away most ruthlessly several giggling girls, including Cho Chang's friend Marietta Edgecombe. Cho looked outraged.
"I don't think we need people who aren't serious" said Krait blandly. "You obviously are because of what might have happened to Cedric last term…..I assume you are still an item?"
Cho blushed and nodded; and Harry looked away. Ginny Weasley tried not to smirk.
ssssMarietta's Mother works at ministry…in favour of Umbridge ssss Krait hissed to her group. Hermione, about to protest, shut her mouth again. "I loathe people who just come along for a giggle and to ogle their favourite boy" said Krait blandly. "It'll put Harry off no end and I'll end up turning them into hens….and I might forget to turn them back when someone comes looking for dinner."
She received several nervous looks for that; nobody was quite sure how much she might be joking! Krait grinned to herself. It was an uncertainty that amused her, like Severus' suggestion that he poisoned fourth years!
It was Fred and George who came up with the idea of using the Room of Requirements, that opened for anyone who really needed it with appropriate equipment; and everyone voted it a good idea. It would also save the invasion of Myrtle's loo until they were sure of these new people.
-/-
Naturally some early meetings took place in Myrtle's loo amongst the core people; Abrax and Kinat had joined that core, with Ellie and now Romulus, who explained hesitantly that he was the other son in the family and had been preparing to bully to avoid being bullied. Krait warmed to him, seeing Severus in him.
Equally naturally, there were attempts at infiltration.
Romulus and Abrax strolled in one morning after having missed the early run – not all those prepared to learn defensive spells cared for the whole package, though the youngsters rarely missed it – and David growled.
"What is it Fido?" asked Krait sharply. She was the oldest there as Severus and Sirius were discussing Draco's new spell and checking it for flaws. David promptly transformed; with Sirius' help he had learned how to become a dog over the holidays. He went to the two boys and sniffed them. One started to back away; the other held his ground.
"Erskine – I presume" said Krait coldly to the bolder of the pair " – and Porteous? No, he'd not do his own dirty work – Derwent."
Erskine, disguised as Abrax shrugged.
"We thought it would be a laugh" he said
"Tie them to the water pipes for now and leave them there until they say where Abrax, Kinat and Rom are" said David, transforming back "At least they've not touched Ellie…" he smiled at the diminutive half goblin girl.
At that moment the missing three strolled in.
"Some fool sent us on a futile mission down to Hagrid's…hey!" said Abrax, seeing his double.
"And you returned quicker than they reckoned too, as well as already being found out" grinned Krait. "Beat it you two….tell Porteous to do his own spying and to be less inefficient about it….but E for your potion making, Polyjuice potion needs some considerable application."
"Thanks" said Hawke Erskine's rather sardonic voice. He looked down his nose. "I suppose next thing we know we'll be in detention with Snape?" he spoke in apparent airy unconcern.
Krait shrugged.
"depends if you left any clues stealing his boomslang skin…it is his, by the way, not the school's so he takes it personally….we won't sneak you up. We WILL watch you; and I will expect you to cough up half a galleon each for the boomslang or I'll see you pay in other ways. Oh yeah, and if any of the older ones – Porteous' sister and the gang she's in in the third year, or Mordred Lestrange-Symond and his gang in the sixth beat on you for failing to report any news, let us know. We'll be glad to pass on our displeasure to them up front and personal. Good day."
Erskine paused a moment as Derwent fled; then he marched out.
Krait shook her head.
"Something in that one, maybe…what do you think, Rom?"
"Erskine? He's hard….nothing touches him, he makes like he despises everyone" said Romulus. "He didn't try to beat me up when I left the gang, though; just shrugged and said it was my choice."
"Yes they did try and so did Rom's brother and we won" said Kinat succinctly. "They got out their wands and we bit them, growling, like they say mad-dog Fraser does."
David grinned.
"It's the way to win fights….go in like a mad thing and don't even contemplate failure" he said.
Krait nodded; and smiled at Severus as he walked in with the big Alsatian.
"Good, it's a valid lesson" she said. "And we have a job unfinished; now SHE's gone, and before they send anyone worse, let's do our boy scout thing this weekend to get Erich's half-sibs safe. Erich, I was thinking about blooding you. Will you join?"
Erich nodded.
"Good" said Krait. "Sirri and Beloc are coming in too."
"What about Grace?" asked Erich.
Severus glanced at the little girl.
"Grace doesn't have enemies the way you have, Erich….it's a big risk for a very little girl if she's got no particular need to be protected."
Grace tried not to look disappointed.
Notably, Abrax and his cronies were exchanging thoughtful looks; and Severus gave them a quelling one!
-/-/-/-
The blooding took place the evening before the trip; Sirri and Beloc positively bubbling to be given the same courtesies as humans and treated as people; Erich over the moon to be now related properly to his new father! Meanwhile, the fifth form had plenty of homework, and it seemed a good idea for them to sit down quietly after a blooding to finish as much as they could. Krait wrote a dream diary for Ron to copy while Hermione checked his and Harry's Astronomy; and Ron chuckled to himself about the incongruity of being chased by pink erumpants that changed into marshmallows and engulfed him.
-/-/-
They met in the shrieking shack the following day; Harry had made the Marauders' map available to show the group secret passages. Severus was plainly a little uncomfortable, but the atmosphere was lightened as they changed into lederhosen when Abrax cheekily sang,
"Oh you're never going to Heaven on Severus' knee, 'cos Severus knee…"
"….Is reserved for me" said Krait.
"I was going to say, 'is too knob-er-ly'" said Abrax.
"Foul brat" said Draco amicably. "We're all pallid creatures from our English climate….I guess Severus has brewed us up some false tan for our unnaturally exposed legs….smile!" he whipped out a camera to photograph the group, and grinned at Severus and Sirius. "For when I need to blackmail you both over my NEWT results" he quipped.
"What ARE you like, Draco?" scolded Hermione.
"MUCH better than he used to be….wish I'd thought of that" said Fred, mournfully.
"CAN we leave my knees out of this?" said Severus, irritably.
"Only if you want to walk stiff legged, sir" laughed Harry. "Nobody would make an issue if we weren't all friends, you know….and we all have pretty knobbly knees, it just shows more on long legs."
"Not as bad as Hermione, she has DIMPLES on hers!" laughed Ron. "I'd rather have knobbly knees than dimples…"
"DO you mind?" asked Hermione wrathfully. "I'm sure Severus and I are quite happy that our knees at least work, which the rest of you boys won't when we loose the jelly-legs jinx…and you've got a rove on yours, Ron that won't heal 'cos you keep picking it!"
"Are we ready to get going then?" said Krait. "Now we've relieved the pre-raid tension with sufficient silliness…"
With Beloc and Sirri helping with the transport – and with the instinctive understanding of what they were doing running in the blood-group's veins to help support and carry the younger 'scouts' that were not blood-joined but refused to be left out anyway – the apparating was simple, though they took it in two stages.
"Isn't it illegal for us to be helping?" asked Hermione.
"Elf transport. It damps out the emanations….the ministry can't pick it up to get you kids into trouble anyway" said Sirius. "As for the legal aspects, we've considered overthrowing the ministry….how much more illegal can we get than that, Hermione? Not to mention helping a convicted prisoner."
-/-
The alpine scenery was beautiful; and foolish though the party may have felt in lederhosen in the Shrieking Shack, nobody gave them a second glance as they tramped around the villages near Schloss Von Strang. The avoided Strangsdorf, the village of the Von Strang estate.
"It is normal for people to spend time as wandervogel" said Erich, "Taking advantage of the fine weather and getting away from it all for the weekend. I will the local people question, for some of them will recognise me" his Germanic idiom had become more pronounced; and Krait gave his shoulders a quick squeeze. This was the first time he had seen his homeland in more than a year, since he had been packed off to Durmstrang; and he had little likelihood of seeing it again in the foreseeable future. Erich smiled firmly at her; and went to chat to people while they sat outside a gasthof eating bread, sausage and cheese and drinking milk – for the younger ones – and beer for the adults and older teenagers. Krait stuck to milk herself; she had no desire to risk her baby's health! She reflected that she was starting to show now, if anyone looked closely; and was glad that at school she could wear her House robes over the sweater and skirt of her basic uniform. Robes hid a multitude of things.
It did not take Erich long to get a lead; apparently he was more popular than his father had been in the vicinity, and he told them that his stepmother had found shelter in an Alpine farmhouse.
Before long, the group were drinking good cold water from the farm's well to slake their thirst after a long walk; and Erich was talking fast to convince the farmer that he meant his stepmother and siblings nothing but well. Adalheid came out during this and pointed to Krait.
"That's the girl that got us away" she said. The muggle scratched his head.
"Strange lot you was associating with then, Fraulein" he said.
Krait shrugged.
"Strange things happen…nobody wants the Nazis back, you do what you can to stop it."
"That's the truth" agreed the farmer. "Best of luck, then, lady, God with you."
-/-
The children were apprehensive, but obviously overjoyed to see Erich again; and in hardly any time at all were installed with their mother under the care of David's gran; and if she were heard to mutter that the mother needed more looking after than the babes, who were as old as Lydia and Jade at least after all, then it was as well that gran was there to do the looking after!
-/-
Naturally there were repercussions to the failed spying trip by Erskine and Derwent; they sported bruises that their peer group noted after the next quidditch lesson.
"Third or sixth?" asked Abrax succinctly of Erskine. The boy gave him a quizzical look.
"Third…leave them, it's not worth it. They'll murder you."
"Yeah?" Abrax grinned. "I know Kung Fu…."
"I dunno who he is" said Derwent "and if nobody's heard of him he's not going to impress anyone. Piss off and play with muggles and goblins; it's what you lot like."
Erskine gave Derwent an impatient look and Abrax an appraising one.
"You don't have to get involved" he said ungraciously.
"Yeah, well, maybe we want to" said Abrax.
-/-
There were five third year boys and Miss Porteous and her girl friend in the gang; Abrax, Kinat, Romulus, David and Erich thought themselves quite capable of handling them.
They made the decision to taunt the bigger boys into getting their wands out and then stick to the strictly physical, claiming if they got caught by staff that they had to defend themselves and weren't about to break rules about wands in the corridors. As it happened they were getting the upper hand before the fight was interrupted by Severus, who negated the jelly-leg jinx on Kinat, who was undeterred from biting one of the bullies' legs, and put the older gang in detention for picking on small children.
"And I've just had a delivery of horned toads" he said smiling nastily.
The younger group felt very pleased with themselves indeed, even though Severus did set them each an essay on the expected behaviour in civilised society of not fighting like the monkey house at the zoo.
I confess it; the idea of Severus in lederhosen was too hilarious to pass up. I have been told about the custom of seeking the countryside by walking as a common hobby and lederhosen seem practical garments so if I have this entirely wrong I apologise to any German readers if my source is inaccurate/out of date.