Marcy sat down at the Head Table, ignoring the dark haired man seated at her right. It was far too early in the morning to deal with Severus, and she hadn't quite forgiven him for his behaviour the night before.

"Good morning Charity," she said politely, pouring herself a cup of tea. The other witch smiled, and then returned to her conversation with Aurora Sinastra. The Great Hall was rather quiet, and Marcy sipped her tea thoughtfully.

The sudden arrival of the owl post broke the pleasant silence, and the teachers all winced as the noisy birds descended on the Hall. Marcy untied the Daily Prophet from the leg of the owl in front of her, distractedly placing two Knuts in its leather pouch. It pecked at her plate, and then left.

The headline immediately caught her eye and she gasped, involuntarily. Suspected Death Eater Lucius Malfoy's Trial Complete! it screamed. Malfoys Placed Under House Arrest Until Further Notice.(continued on page 2)

She didn't even bother turning to the appropriate page- the headline was enough for her. She got up from her seat and made her way swiftly over to the Slytherin table. None of them seemed to have read their Prophets yet, as they were carrying on as usual.

"Mr. Laffol, may I speak with you, please," she asked quickly, tapping the blonde boy on the shoulder. He looked surprised, but stood up immediately.

"Of course, Professor." He followed her out the door and down to her office, where she motioned him to take a seat. Silently, she placed the Daily Prophet in front of him and stood back to allow him privacy.

He read swiftly, his eyes roving over the page, his face an inscrutable mask. The only sign of his distress was the white-knuckled intensity with which he grasped the paper.

He read the article thoroughly, and then turned a pleading face towards Marcy. "Mother," he said softly. "She'll be devastated. I must see her."

"I quite agree," Marcy said briskly. "Unfortunately, I can't give you permission to leave the grounds."

"Professor Snape then?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head regretfully. "I'm afraid the only one who can give you permission is the Headmaster."

He blanched noticeably, but squared his shoulders. "I will ask the Headmaster then."

She nodded, and opened the door, ushering him into the corridor. "I am coming with you," she said firmly. "He'll have a far more difficult time turning me down."

####

"I'm afraid I cannot allow anyone to leave the school grounds my dear boy," Dumbledore said calmly, folding his hands on his desk. "It would be quite irresponsible of me."

"Professor, I'm of age," James said quietly. "And my Mother really needs me right now."

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore repeated. "I cannot allow it."

Marcy could feel the coiled tension in her student rising to the surface and stepped forward before he could do anything unwise.

"Headmaster, I still have not heard a plausible reason why Mr. Laffol cannot go home to see his Mother," she said icily.

The Headmaster twinkled at her in a grandfatherly manner that set her teeth on edge. "Professor Drivyetsky," he said, "As I have just stated, it is unsafe."

"Unsafe?"

"The world is not a safe place my dear," he said gravely. "It is best for students to stay where they can be protected."

Marcy had absolutely had enough. "Headmaster," she said as evenly as she could through her nearly blinding rage. "I have had three Gryffindors miss my class so far this year because they went home for various reasons. As I recall, one of them had an uncle visiting from abroad, one had a new baby sister, and one of them just wanted to see his family. Explain to me the difference between those situations and this one, please, because I fail to understand."

The Headmaster had been steepling and unsteepling his long fingers throughout her tirade. Now he peered up at her through his spectacles with something between shock and approval.

"Those were gross oversights, I must admit," he murmured. "I will speak to Professor McGonagall at once about preventing such things in the future..."

"Speak to whomever you wish," Marcy said in disgust. "I will tell you though, that I have a good friend looking to be recognized at the Daily Prophet. I doubt that your nearly all Slytherin Board of Governors will be happy to read about this kind of favoritism."

She knew it was a dirty blow, but she was so fed up with the anti-Slytherin prejudice that she had been seeing that this just tipped her over the edge. She'd have James home if it was the last thing she did as a Hogwarts Professor.

Dumbledore pressed his lips together in clear annoyance. "I suppose it would only be fair to allow Mr. Laffol to go home, if such privileges have been extended to other students in the past," he said finally. "Mr. Laffol, is there anything that you require from your dormitory?"

"No sir."

"Then be on your way." Incredibly, the old man seemed to have regained his twinkle as he gestured James toward the fireplace with a flourish.

There was a flash of green flame, and then it was just Marcy and Dumbledore together in the office.

"Miss Drivyetsky." The Headmaster did not sound at all pleased. "Please stay for a moment- I'd like a word."

###

Marcy stumbled tiredly down the stairs towards her quarters. As expected, the talk with Dumbledore had been rather unpleasant, and she was rather sure that the rest of her year would follow suit.

As such, the sight of an Auror standing at the door to her office, nearly undid her composure.

"Can I help you?" She was doing her best to sound calm, but even she could hear her frayed nerves poking through.

The man surveyed her with keen yellow eyes, before extending his hand for a quick shake. "Rufus Scrimgeour, Auror."

"Marcy Drivyetsky, Potions Professor. Can I help you, sir?"

He gestured expansively toward her office. "Why don't you have a seat?" Marcy bristled at being invited to have a seat in her own office, but opened the door nonetheless, still trying to maintain a calm exterior. Surely standing up to the Headmaster wasn't a matter for the Aurors.

Once they were both seated, Scrimgeour began to speak. "Miss Drivyetsky, you have been friends with Narcissa Malfoy for quite some time, have you not?"

She gave a tight nod, not trusting her voice. She did not at all like where this was going.

"She apparently thought very highly of you," Here he gave a grim half-smile, "And named you the guardian of her son, should something occur."

Marcy felt the blood drain from her face. "Thought?" she repeated hollowly. "Should something occur...did something happen to Narcissa? The Prophet said they were only put under house arrest!"

"Madame Malfoy is in perfect health," he assured her, looking none too pleased for it. "However, she has been declared unfit to raise a child for the next year, while the Malfoys are under house arrest and subject to frequent sweeps for Dark Objects."

Marcy couldn't hold in a gasp. "Merlin! Poor child!"

"Yes, poor child indeed," the Auror agreed. "As it happens, Mr. Malfoy named the current Defense Professor, Professor Snape as his choice for a guardian should something occur."

"Where will Draco go?" she asked fearfully. "We both teach..."

Scrimgeour cleared his throat. "We had originally intended to send the child to Andromeda Tonks, his next-of-kin, but-"

"What of Serena Laffol?" She interrupted. "She is Lucius' sister, and the families are quite friendly. Narcissa hasn't spoken to Andromeda in more than a decade."

"Ahem." The Auror looked distinctly uncomfortable. "What I meant to say was, the next-of-kin with no Dark associations. And although the court would normally honor the wishes of the parents, Professor Snape does not qualify as a person with no Dark associations."

"He's been cleared!" She said indignantly. "Professor Dumbledore vouched for him."

"Well, yes. However, his Dark associations remain, and as such he is unfit to be a guardian. That being the case, the Wizengamot has unanimously voted to honour Madame Malfoy's wishes and appoint you as the child's guardian." He scrutinized her for a moment and then added, "Assuming that you're willing to care for the child."

"I would be honoured to care for Draco," she said emphasizing his name. "But would Professor Snape and I be able to share guardianship? It would be difficult for me to do it on my own with my teaching schedule and all..."

Yellow eyes met steely grey for a long moment, and then Scrimgeour nodded. "Officially, you will be the guardian," he said stiffly. "But Professor Snape can help to care for the child."

Marcy breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved Draco, he could be quite demanding, and she was certain the Severus would be able to put him in his place.

"I'll have you sign here, Miss Drivyetsky." The Auror pushed a contract across the desk to her.

Even without touching it, she could feel the magic sparking from the parchment. "What is the extent of the magical binding?" She asked suspiciously, dipping her quill in the inkwell.

Scrimgeour looked almost sheepish at being caught. "The binding will merely prevent you from harming the child, and the Ministry will be alerted if the child is not being properly cared for. It's really a very minor binding- no blood required."

Marcy nodded and signed her name. She handed the contract and the quill back to the Auror who signed off with a flourish, and then tucked the parchment into his cloak.

"Congratulations Miss Drivyetsky," he said, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his tone. "You are now the official guardian of Draco Lucius Malfoy."

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