Chapter 11

It may be said that a lot of box lids were well filled with autographs when the children returned after the holidays and Victor spent much of his time at the train station shoving autograph-comparing children onto the train before he lost them. Apparently there had been much chagrin from Hogwarts pupils that they had not thought of it first and a concerted flurry from the same to collect their own autographs. Which was unlikely, said Evadne smugly, to be as successful as their own efforts because Professor Snape had managed to avoid being seen almost all the time. She had managed to purchase the autographed photographs of such as Harry Potter to add to her collection and had written out biographies accordingly; and had swelled with pride when Krait had told her that if she could be discreet and really was interested in biography, she should get a few secret lives as well because some things had happened that nobody liked to talk about but should, nonetheless, be recorded somewhere. Krait also hoped that learning the sort of choices people had to make in the real world might appeal to Evadne's innate common sense whilst eroding her tendency to priggishness; hearing about Madam Granger's occasionally unwilling participation in Harry and Ron's escapades had already given Evadne furiously to think.

It must also be said that a lot of pupils returned with a load of commemorative stuff of greater or lesser value.

Most of them had gone for signed photos, action dolls or figures, the 'Would-be dictator's guide to Dark Magic and Poisoning' a hilarious spoof that Victor too had bought a copy of; the odd commemorative mug and coloured guide books. The Lowther Twins had to be hustled onto the train still fencing with paper knives that were replicas of Gryffindor's sword and nobody had been caught out by the dodgy trader selling spurious locks of Tom Riddle's hair taken from the grave since all knew – Krait had made an illusion of him for them – that he was as hairless as a snake. Several of them sported transfer tattoos of the dark mark – some of the Marauders had been undertaking a bit of free enterprise of their own it seemed, since Victor knew that muggle transfer tattoos were mentioned in the Book of all Wickedness – and a few had dedicated wands to send up a facsimile of Morsemorde differing in enough ways – height and size for two – from the original that they were not likely to be in trouble for it. The other end of these dedicated wands cast the lumos spell through a plastic skull and so were novelty torches as well. Silly toys; but then most kids liked silly toys. And playing at killing Voldemort and deatheaters on the train might at that be more peaceful than listening to the previous term's musical craze of the farmyard saxophone mooing, bleating and clucking.

Victor shooed the lot of them on as they arrived in lordly indifference to their toys or acquisitions, relieved Gaius Paddock of 'Playwizard Special Ten Year After Edition' with witches chosen for their resemblances to such as Hermione and Krait and declared it confiscated until the end of the school year.

"And you should be ASHAMED of yourself!" scolded Victor "WHAT would Madams Granger and Malfoy say?"

"A great deal that I'd need a dictionary to unravel I expect" said Gaius cheerfully. "You don't think I should ask them to autograph it, do you?"

Victor Gibbsed him for that one!

oOoOo

Silvina was happy. She had met up with Jade over the holiday who had looked over the work she was doing both on the tune to resist the cruciatus curse and the music to add to the anti-elf-compulsion chant and had praised her newest little sister. Jade had also apologised for not realising that Silvina had as many problems as Fred and Flo, whom she had sorted out as a prefect; and Silvina had been quick to point out that if you don't realise you have problems it is hard for people to fix them for you. It was a tentative reaching towards being sisters; and the blood bond helped. But Jade truly admired Silvina's music writing talent, though she adjured the little girl to write for her own pleasure as well as with purpose, else she would feel as imprisoned by her music as she had previously been for not having it! Silvina thought Jade quite the wisest and most wonderful big sister anyone might have!

She had also come face to face with her real parents at the Celebration; they were there with her brothers and Celestina. And they had either all failed to recognise her or had agreed a policy to ignore her. She had learned enough, however, to think they had genuinely failed to recognise her; with the good clear air in Austria, a happier nature that added to her good health, and plenty of outside exercise on the high alpine pastures as well as just in the grounds of the school she glowed with a vitality that the pale, pasty, miserable Silvina of old did not; and as she hated dealing with the long lank hair that she did not care for properly, Krait had cut it for her into a short bob that gave her a pixie like gamine charm. And Silvina had not actually cared that they failed to know her; it meant that she was truly Silvina Snape now and nobody could try to make her be Silvina Brewer ever again! She had run to find her new parents and had hugged them all fiercely. She had already dropped a fluorescent fart jinx on both Brewer parents and Celestina; the boys she did not bother with, being utterly indifferent to them.

It may be said that the Brewers, having been embarrassed by having Silvina first expelled, then running away, then having an Auror ask questions about her – and not just any Auror but Mr Draco Malfoy – were glad to have been informed that their errant older daughter had been adopted, wished – mendaciously – any adopter joy of her, and promptly set about forgetting that they had ever had more than one daughter. Krait caught sight of the family fluorescing unconsciously and vowed quietly to herself that Silvina would one day have national acclaim at least as a musician even as Jade intended Godfrey to do. She was already planning a record of 'the magic flute of Godfrey Goodchild' once he had performed his first concert; and that was in train too. And one of the pieces he should play would be by Silvina. That would settle the hash of TWO sets of inadequate parents. Krait could be like that.

oOoOo

Julian, AHHa, the Jorkins twins and the Zorn twins converged on Silvina on the train.

"I say, Silvina, as you're blooded anyway and have had a chance to get used to it, we Marauders thought we ought to offer you the chance to Maraud with us" said AHHa, who was generally the spokesman. "Especially as you're doing the sort of research that really is the kind of stuff Marauders are supposed to do."

"IS it?" said Silvina "I thought Marauders were about getting into mischief but kinda making sure nobody was really nasty."

"That too" said AHHa. "The idea of getting into mischief is to hone our ability to work together, to learn to pull off japes that actually need research above our age group's normal ability and to practise covert stuff in case we ever have to go under cover like Jade did at Durmstrang and Sev did with Voldemort. You must be dead proud to have him as a dad."

"I am" said Silvina. "I didn't realise there was so much to marauders; I guess I just thought that the ones who were around at the time of Voldemort couldn't help but stick their noses in."

"Oh that too" said AHHa, grinning "But because they DID stick their noses in it changed the face of Marauding; that we're obliged to do all we can against dark magic and dark wizards, and with Odessa down we've less opportunity."

"Daddy says it's not dead in Russia and by the way I've seen more of Amarantha who used to be a not very nice girl here – do you remember her? She was in the upper sixth when we were weevils, 'cos I didn't remember her, but her husband was trying to get Odessa up and running again and daddy went and death duelled him" said Silvina.

"Crumbs! We missed all that!" said Albert in disgust "BAD marauding people – we ought to have spied on her more betterer!"

"Spill, our Silvina" said Granville.

Silvina told them all she knew – which was most of the story; and they whistled.

"I guess she doesn't like her baby much if he was made by rape" said Sandalla.

"Well she seems to love him and hate him sort of both at once" said Silvina wrinkling her brow "It's like…." She expressed it as she often did now in a whistled phrase that had joyous trills and a segue to a minor key. Julian nodded comprehension straight away.

"She loves him when he doesn't suddenly look a bit like his father you mean?" said Svetlana.

"Yes, I think that's about it" said Silvina "She – she wants to be part of his life; Daddy told her about how he and James Potter quarrelled, more than he put in the story for the school."

"It's in the book of all wickedness in the marauding room because we need to know to try to prevent similar things happening" said Julian. "Sev is awfully good to share it with other marauders. Are you, by the way? Going to Maraud with us?"

Silvina took a deep breath.

"If it's about serious stuff as well – yes I will" she said "I want to do what I can. And – and do Marauders try to stop misery generally too? 'Cos my birth parents aren't dark wizards – though my sister's trying to go about being as good a little deatheater as can be – but they aren't exactly conducive to making nice children."

"Oh Marauders interfere wherever they can to help out" said Sandalla "Because it's our duty and because we can't resist trying to straighten out other people. I guess one of the criteria for being a marauder is being comfortable enough with yourself to want to help others; if you're NOT comfortable with yourself, you don't want to, not genuinely and properly though you might be an interference."

"Sometimes our Sandy is that profound!" grinned AHHa. "She'd better tell you all her story then!"

Sandalla explained to the newest Marauder all about the magical country of Zorn where she had been born the only child of Prince Irun; and how Belsornia was once a part of it and was now a protected land of the wizarding world, muggles and all, because of the magical creatures there and the unplottable lands where international Quidditch was now played. And then she explained how Russian Odessa agents had kidnapped her and had Svetlana, a muggle, kidnapped to be tortured in her place rather than risk a delicate real hostage and how she had blooded with brave Svetlana to make her be her sister and that had led to the rest of the group being brought in with the other blooded as proper marauders, and Svetlana had gained magic by it and had been adopted by Prince Irun.

"Crumbs!" said Silvina "That makes you one special person, Sandalla; there can't be many princesses who are only children who'd be that generous to share."

"She's the most special person in the world" said Svetlana. "And I try to live up to her. And to protect my new and wonderful land from Odessa and from muggles who want to conquer places."

"The people in Zorn are so nice it kind of makes your hair bleed in frustration at times though" said AHHa "It's a great place to holiday but I shouldn't like to live there! Me, I like living in interesting times!"

"Marauders are supposed to" said Granville "I guess it'd be nice for ordinary people. I think there are negotiations going on for the Zornians to take selected patients from the Janus Thickey ward for a time to see if the calm and nice atmosphere doesn't improve them."

"That's a nice idea" said Silvina "Madam Burke's mother is in there because she couldn't cope with life when her husband was arrested. I should have thought a grown up ought to cope for the sake of her children 'cos the boys weren't even at school then; but I s'pose not everyone can manage being proper parents."

"Yes, we're all very lucky" said Julian "The next marauders up, the Muggle Marauders, they have some parent problems between them. And your dad terrorised the ones that couldn't cope with Randolph being a wizard so he got to keep coming to school. He's awfully good at terrorising people."

"I know!" said Silvina, having been once on the receiving end of that!

Life, she thought, was very good; even with the thought that she had pledged to fight dark wizards by being a Marauder!

After all as the daughter of Severus Snape, there was no guarantee she would be safe from Dark Wizards; indeed it was likely she'd be a target. And she would rather fight back than be passive!

oOoOo

The rest of the journey was spent discussing how to celebrate having a new Marauder on the team and what sort of jape to pull in celebration.

They decided to use Silvina's piece of music about alpine meadows as a basis and added a summoning chant to it to summon flowers and decided – incongruously – to duly enchant the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom so that anyone in the room was showered gently with orchids and daisies and pinks, which were the ones they managed to recognise.

It was a sufficiently successful enchantment that it did not readily wear off; and though Erich was himself a rather good curse breaker, since it was not by nature a curse he managed only to reduce the amount of summoned flowers. And as the scent from them was pleasant, and they dissipated before they started to smell of dead weeds, he gave up and let the ceiling rain flowers from time to time while the enchantment slowly ran down.

oOoOo

Before the exams a quidditch fixture had been made with Beauxbatons and Hellibore's; again only the first teams of each. Hellibore's team was still all boys; though he had opened the school to girls in their separate wing this was really only first year girls as yet, and a few who had been withdrawn from Prince Peak; and Miranda Potts, returning to school for a NEWT year and actually good at Quidditch, was expressly forbidden by her parents to play.

"And the kid is going to run off as soon as she has finished school, fly herself crazy to hone her skills and try to get onto a professional team" said Engelbert Hellibore.

"Yes; she was devastated when her parents withdrew her just because she eulogised about Quidditch" said Severus "I was very sorry for the girl. What fools parents can be! I've no patience with such silliness!"

"Nor I, Severus; but I can't jeopardise my reputation for keeping the girls as little ladies by flouting the wishes of the parents in that. Perhaps you could engage in the casuistry of getting a few of your people who have contacts to talk to her; she's along with our team cheerers. They can scarcely object to school spirit."

Severus nodded; he would get Ron to write her an introduction to the Chuddleigh Cannons, whose youth team he still coached in the holidays for fun. Miss Potts had a lot of potential, though she was a little inclined to be right rather aggressively as he recalled. Older team players should squash THAT however!

Hellibores played Beauxbatons first; it was a close run thing and the English school won by snatching the snitch to rack up a score of three hundred and seventy against three hundred.

Prince Peak played with a professionalism that had been honed against two professional teams; and creamed Beauxbatons thoroughly – final score six hundred and ninety against two hundred and ten – and called a halt to the match against Hellibores when Arbrek and the Hellibore seeker, a gangling youth more intrigued by a goblin seeker than shocked, managed to fly full tilt into each other in pursuit of the snitch and knock each other out. There was no question of blatching, flying with intent to collide; both Ron and even the Hellibore games master agreed that neither boy had eyes for anything but the snitch and it was an unfortunate occurrence. As Prince Peak were one hundred and eighty points up on Hellibore's anyway, the victory would have gone to the Peak whoever had caught the snitch; and it was decided to send the groggy boys to lie down quietly for an hour after headache potion was administered rather than play on. To entertain the visitors, Prince Peak put on an exhibition match between their staff and the second team, playing Viktor Krumm as seeker of course, Ron as Keeper, David Fraser and Byron Beckard as beaters, Severus, Krait and Erich as chasers.

There was also a scratch match of cricket going on, run by Lee and Dimsie and some of the Hellibore's boys were definitely interested.

It was a fun weekend; and Arbek ended up firm friends with the Hellibore Seeker, a lad called Beowulf Langstaffe, a cousin of Crow; and Beowulf was amazed to find that his snotty cousin Engelram had acquired a nickname and friends and was a perfectly reasonable person.

Solange was of course much in use as an interpreter and was viewed by the French students with a mixture of disapprobation that she had chosen to come to a school that was not French and awe that she prattled happily of studies that were as complex for her as a first year as some of the fifth and sixth form quidditch team were used to. As Geomancy was taught only in the sixth form alongside apparating lessons in the French school and as Severus demanded a higher standard of Arithmancy than anywhere else, Hogwarts included, this was scarcely surprising, even though Solange was herself poor at Arithmancy. The extra lessons she had been having with Germaine and Conrad had helped; Krait was very good at breaking Arithmancy down into chunks that, as Ron put it, even he could understand. Ron actually sat in on some of Krait's remedial Arithmancy classes; he had no desire to be an arithmancer but he did like the idea of not being quite so ignorant about his wife's favourite subject and as he said, nobody ought to be taught emotive subjects like flying a broom or Arithmancy by their lover.

oOoOo

The weekend finished with a feast and a dance; Severus felt that if there was a desire for good will, that should be promoted on all levels. Besides it gave some spare boys for his monstrous regiment of not yet women. No formal partners were picked as at the Yule Ball; boys and girls danced the first dance by drawing a slip of paper, blue for boys and pink for girls, that had a number on it; and had to find their opposite number.

It broke the ice quite well with much giggling – on the part of the girls – and lugubrious resignation on the part of the boys. The Beauxbatons youngsters danced fairly well, as did the youth of Prince Peak; it may be said that the Hellibore's boys and the two girls who were part of their supporters danced with two left feet.

Hellibore was planning on getting a dancing master as part of his lessons in skills of etiquette and social usage; but he was still consolidating actually having girls. And to date the only dancing masters he had interviewed had been, as he told Severus gloomily rather unsatisfactory.

"One was the sort I'd not trust with the boys and the other was a devastatingly handsome young man whose effect on the girls would have been too dangerous for him" he said.

"You could do worse than a muggle with magical relatives" suggested Severus "Muggles dance the same dances we do; if you can find the relative of a muggle born who dances well enough to teach that's another possibility. I got drilled well enough at Hogwarts that I do my own teaching, with Krait as assistant to er, manipulate the girls if they need it. And if I were you a dancing mistress might be better; less likely to cause trouble with the girls and actually more likely to make the boys less against the idea if she's pretty enough. A woman grown should be able to deal with juvenile wandering hand problem."

Hellibore brightened.

"You have such excellent ideas Severus" he said enviously.

Severus shrugged.

"Trained to think on my feet against other dark creatures then juveniles" he said laconically.

oOoOo

The next piece of excitement was when Prince Peak's own Godfrey Goodchild had a concert on the Wizarding Wireless. Krait had sent some recordings of him that she had made and suggested that they might like to feature him. Seagh, who had no interest in playing in public for fame, had immediately volunteered to accompany his friend on harp and a nervous Godfrey had been firmly bullied by Krait – in lieu, she told him, of her daughter Jade – into putting together a program for the brief half hour introductory concert that the Wizarding Wireless often used to introduce new musicians.

'Walking in the air' was a no-brainer; 'Magic at Midnight' was a perennially popular piece dating from the 1920's that was something of a blues piece by a wizard called Anaxenor Cleff; a motet by a sixteenth century wizard long forgotten reset by the whole music team, and to be accompanied too by the Broomstick Boys using wordless voice to add the canons; 'Bheir me ó'; and finishing with a piece by Silvina called 'Above the Snow' inspired by the way the Horn of Prinzhorn rose right above the weather. It was a short piece but beautifully sculpted and evocative; and the haunting little tune sat perfectly on the flute.

Finding that the writer was a pupil at Prince Peak, the Wizarding Wireless presenter had asked if the young girl would not be playing her own piece. Severus had replied that it was school policy not to thrust their children's talents too much into the limelight since this was too stressful for growing youths, but that the piece was too fine to be left out of Professor Goodchild's repertoire.

It had caused Sara some jealous qualms. However, Silvina had asked Sara to look over it with her to check it really was good enough for Professor Goodchild; and Sara, who was skilled musically but would not have known how to begin to craft a tune, was glad to do so to highlight her beloved Godfrey; and acknowledged that Silvina was not chasing him and had been thoroughly taken aback when the Head had suggested Godfrey including that piece. And as they worked on it, Godfrey had come in, winked at them both and said cheerfully how like Krait it was, er, Madam Malfoy he meant, to cock a snoot at two sets of difficult parents in one short concert.

"Is that why it was chosen? Not because it's good enough on its own merits?" said Silvina.

"Oh it's way good enough on its own merits" said Godfrey "Only the Head might have put his foot down about embarrassing any young composer by playing a piece in public if he didn't want to hoist a variety of fingers at your parents too."

"HE'S my dad and Krait, Dione and Sirri are my mums" said Silvina firmly.

"All right; he wants to hoist fingers at the Brewers. Consider the comment suitably modified" said Godfrey cheerfully "And on a show listened to by the relatively highbrow too; they might even be listening. Reckon even they can't be stupid enough to miss who 'fourteen year old Silvina' is. I look forward by the way, Sara, to having you join me to play on some of those more tricky motets; I thought I'd ask Krait to let you play on the recorded version. You play so well when we play together; we really complement each other."

Sara blushed furiously.

She DID play particularly well when playing with Godfrey; as he had noticed. And he liked Sara; if they liked each other as well when she grew up it was well to make sure she did not feel neglected for Silvina's extraordinary talent. Silvina was a good kid; but too intense for Godfrey!

"I wasn't planning on performing of course" said Sara "But that was because I was thinking about it being like my Uncle Heathcote in the 'Weird Sisters'. Playing classics with you is sort of different."

"The odd concert appearance and record pays a few bills but shouldn't interfere with the serious things in life – our research – like being part of a popular group would" said Godfrey. "Frankly, having a Professor's pay AND the chance to research fills me with delight; anything extra from concerts just fulfils the desire I have to play for a wider audience, the exhibitionist in me I suppose, and brings in pocket money. And cutting records also helps line the Snapes' pockets; and I owe everything to them for wangling me so much."

Sara grinned.

"Jade did a great job on Lucius Malfoy" she said "From what I've heard; AND making your older twin sibs look daft."

"Not as much as the Malfoy twins did" chuckled Godfrey "They are talented – only they don't really care to use it save for fun, and as they do use it for the entertainment of others too I've nothing against that! Chloe and Terence did the 'Flower Duet' on flute and fiddle; and the twins, whistling and on harmonica and with voice did that thing with two cats mewing; with a musical interlude and a VERY clever pastiche on the Delibes thing. Loved it!"

oOoOo

The whole school was permitted to sit up to listen to the concert; the first and second having been sent to get into pyjamas and clean teeth before returning to the great hall to listen.

There was a spontaneous cheer as Godfrey Goodchild was announced; and the school listened spellbound to the tune that had become very much a signature of the musical Snapes; and applauded thunderously when the first number was over.

The concert had a brief series of interviews as well; and Godfrey answered with aplomb that he had been educated at Hogwarts school in Slytherin House and was very grateful first to Jade and Seagh Snape – the latter being his accompanist here – who had loaned him instruments as his parents could only afford instruments for his two oldest siblings; and second to Lucius Malfoy who had provided him with a music scholarship to a music teacher. He explained that he wanted to dedicate 'Walking in the Air' to all the Snapes as it was a popular piece of theirs. And the next piece was dedicated to Lucius because it was complex like any Malfoy, he had added; and thanks too to the Broomstick Boys kind enough to be part of the accompaniment as well as working beside him in research into music in magic. This was the motet. Next he played 'Magic at Midnight' explaining that Jade had taught him to like jazz and the blues; and spoke about how he was able to pay for a place in post NEWT education by teaching music to the highly talented children of Prince Peak; and the pleasure of developing such able young musicians would be a privilege even without the opportunities to do research. He played 'Bheir me ó' next and then answered questions about the research that was going on; that whilst some talented musicians used music instead of chanting, there were things that could be done with music that could not be done as easily by chanting and Professor Snape was hoping to cover too such things as the hypnotic song of the Veeli in the new magical study of music. And, he added, he would like to finish with a piece by one of the highly talented students of Prince Peak, a child of fourteen named Silvina who was now an adopted child of the Snapes.

It was the first time the school had heard 'Above the Snow' – at least in its entirety; portions had emitted intermittently from Silvina when musing on it – and they were ready to applaud. Having a resident genius who did not put on airs about it was something to boast about as AHHa put it.

And that was something of a sore point for Hogwarts, as Albert pointed out, having had all that brouhaha over Amos Leroy.

"The Caterwauling Crow is a victim as much as a culprit" said Darryl Zabini overhearing that comment "Poor little sod, doted on by a drippy mother and exploited by a hard faced aunt. And don't pull those faces young Angel Hallow-Hellibore; because I was accused of the crime he got sacked for by some dippy kid in the first and enough people decided to believe her hearsay so-called evidence that led to a lot of unpleasantness. Actually, asking for legilimensy to be cleared led ultimately to unlocking my memories about my dad's death that got ME in the press so I have in many ways every reason to resent him more than most. But I don't; I'm sorry for him. He had no idea of consequences. I hear he's in correspondence with Gorbrin Malfoy-Tobak right now – Gorbrin's a friend of mine – so hopefully he's starting to learn a bit about real life. At least by all accounts Chrysogon Rufus is decent enough and yes I DID choose the cadence with malice aforethought."

The youngsters laughed.

"Some of us half wondered if he'd end up here being supposedly so artistic" said Crow Langstaffe.

"I gather he did not think that a small school would have as much scope for original and artistic mischief" said Darryl dryly "He's a Marauder of their newest generation; with our Glorious Head Boy, may he live forever!'s little brother."

"You can tell he's doing Ancient Runes NEWT" said Victor "All those formulaic phrases the Ancient Egyptians were so fond of; give his spirit thousands prep and potions."

Darryl laughed.

"Oh well, it comes in for chanting" he said. "NOT being musical; though I know enough to know that Godders – er, I mean Professor Goodchild – is really something out of the ordinary. Victor and I are NOT going to give you stories about what he was like when we were at Hogwarts with him either; he is a respectable professor and we shall now make noises like hoops and roll away to laugh uncontrollably about that last comment."

"Fool" said Victor affectionately "He never was one of the crazy elements; left that to the selection of Black-Weasleys, Changs and Snapes."

The smaller ones were now being shooed away to bed by the prefects chatting happily about how nice it was that one of their professors was now famous for something different than killing Voldemort and Evadne announcing that now she could legitimately photograph Professor Goodchild and get his autograph and biography. Of the youngest ones only Solange and Siegfried had any real idea of just how good Godfrey was; but they were all pleased that he had managed to play pieces that were not, on the whole, too highbrow and incomprehensible; and the fans of the Broomstick Boys may have been a little doubtful about the idea of motets as part of their heroes' repertoire but anything THEY did must be good so perhaps they had better listen to motets in future.

As Severus said, it was a start; and at least, even if not singing motets as a common thing, they were to have the application of a bit of skill, if not class, from the pens of Chad and Mad in their future hits. And that would mean a new album to be released before next Christmas that would include, the musicians confessed, the Cauldron Monster Song because it was fun and anyone who had ever been taught by Severus ought to be chortling over it.

And if there was a bit more chatter than usual and children were slow to get to sleep, well any who remained dopey in class the next day were doomed to get an impot, for the staff had agreed that a treat was no reason to be over excited. And the reason they had been sent to get into pyjamas first was to avoid such over tiredness.

When Solange answered dreamily in class that a chord was a harmony of toning notes within a particular key in answer to being asked to define a charm as part of end of year revision work she found herself writing out 'who is Sylvia, what is she' as being, Madam Parnassus said, the dippiest poem she could think of for the dippiest girl in the class.

oOoOo

The Bee Marauders, being affronted that Chrysogon Rufus had rejected Prince Peak on grounds that there was more mischief to be had at a large school entertained the school by cursing a section of floorboard to impart the honkey tonk twinkle toes curse to anyone who walked over it and sounds of shoes playing 'Ain't Misbehaving' – a beautiful irony they thought – were heard across the castle.

"If ONLY we knew how to drop a delayed action on it they'd never have worked out what section of floor to decurse so soon" mourned Yrdl as Severus quickly de-honkey-tonked the offending floorboard.

The Bee Marauders were set the impot of writing a life of a jazz musician of their choice, seven inches, by Friday.

It was well worth it.