I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been sick with the flu, and this is the first time I've even been well enough to be on my computer.
The family cleaned up the private potion's lab, and then they made their way together to the great hall for dinner. Once they arrived, the adults made their way to the head table, Oliver went to the Gryffindor table to sit with his quidditch team, and Marcus and Draco made their way to the Slytherin table to sit with their own friends.
Dinner had just started, and Oliver was busy catching up his teammates on Harriet and all of the drama from today when owls started flying into the great hall. The owls were carrying a special edition of the prophet. On the front page was a large article about the Malfoy's with several pictures. One picture showed a close-up of the damage done to Draco's face after the joke shop incident. Another photo showed the immediate reunion of Severus and his three sons as he was looking them over for injury and mother-henning them. The last photo was of Malfoy Senior standing over Tyler Worthington with a murderous glare.
Newest Malfoy Children Causing Trouble? By Rita Skeeter
Sources report that the youngest Malfoy, a certain little by the name of Harriet, may be causing quite a bit of trouble at Hogwarts. It is rumored that she is called "The Slytherin Princess" or even "The Hogwarts Princess". This can be quite disturbing to some readers who have children attending the school. With family in so many high places in the school (Headmaster, Deputy headmistress and Head of Gryffindor, Head of Slytherin and Potions Professor, and History of Magic professor) one is left to wonder if the girl is made to follow any rules at all? Some parents are left wondering if a little should even be allowed to be in attendance with the general public.
The reason for all of this new speculation is due to an incident that occurred very early this morning on the Hogwarts quidditch pitch. For some reason, Harriet Malfoy, Slytherin's newest seeker, was allowed to practice with the Gryffindor quidditch team by her new brother, Oliver, who happens to be the Gryffindor quidditch team captain. Could there be something sinister behind this?
Rightfully so, many of the Gryffindor teammates had negative things to say about letting the Slytherin seeker know their secrets, but a seventh year, Worthington, confirmed that Oliver Malfoy threatened him into submission. Worthington says that Oliver told him 'if he had a problem with Harriet playing, then he would be kicked off of the team.'
Worthington also says that Harriet was disruptive the entire practice. Towards the end, there was an accident that nearly knocked the little from her broom. Oliver blamed Worthington and ejected him from the team. Worthington claims that when he was handing his bludger over to his captain to follow his orders, Harriet was in the way and she was knocked from her broom. Isaac Jacobs, another teammate, managed to catch her just before she hit the ground.
It seems that little Harriet has more than just her family in her back pocket because the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, showed up immediately and dragged Worthington by his ear to the headmaster's office. Dumbledore expelled him and called aurors to escort the boy from the school. Was this expulsion fair, or was this the revenge of a bitter grandfather?
Sources confirm that Harriet Malfoy is currently in the infirmary in a healing sleep due to multiple fractures and severe whiplash, but she is due to make a full recovery. Jacobs was also admitted to the infirmary for injuries related to catching Miss Malfoy from a long drop.
Later in the day, the rest of the family was observed in Hogsmeade enjoying the sunshine and time with each other. Shouldn't they have been in class or teaching? Just how much does this family get away with? What kind of example does this set for the other children?
While in the wizarding village, the Malfoy parents unleashed their children onto Zonko's Joke Shop where Tyler Worthington, older brother of recently expelled student Jensen Worthington, works. Is this mere coincidence or is this family targeting the Worthington's?
Sources say that Tyler and the youngest Malfoy son, Draco, got into a heated argument, and Draco lashed out at the man. Tyler says that when he drew his wand to defend himself, the oldest Malfoy, Marcus, attacked him from behind and disarmed him.
Tyler, afraid of what the Malfoy heir, a historically dark family, might do to him, used Draco as a human shield to protect himself.
The parents quickly arrived on scene where Lucius Malfoy stunned and chained up Tyler and called aurors to apprehend him. Tyler was hauled away in handcuffs.
The events of today leave this reader to wonder, just how much power does this family have? Do they unfairly use their power to rule the school, and does this power extend to have some control over the Ministry?
Draco was furious. After reading the article, he looked up to assess the feelings of the great hall. It was obvious that some students believed the nonsense while others thought it was ridiculous. He looked down the table at Marcus who was trying to read the article over someone's shoulder. He went to his oldest brother and sat as close as he could. He allowed Marcus to read his copy of the paper. It didn't take long for Marcus to become enraged. He slipped his arm around Draco in a show of brotherly support, and then he looked across to the Gryffindor table to be sure that Ollie was alright.
At the head table, the majority of the professors were also furious. They knew that the Malfoy children were held to a higher standard than the rest of the students. Lucius and Severus expected obedience and exemplary behavior and efforts from their children. The headmaster took one look at his fuming son and son-in-law and shook his head to signify them not to show a huge reaction to the blasphemous article. The truth would be revealed soon enough, and then revenge could be had against Rita Skeeter.
Oliver and the rest of Gryffindor quidditch team read the article and couldn't believe what they were reading. That was not at all how the practice went. The majority of the team was saying that they were going to write in to the prophet with their own experiences of the practice. They wouldn't allow Worthington to get away with such blatant lies.
The only person who seemed pleased or at least completely unaffected by the article was Professor Quirrell.
After dinner, the family was going to meet in the infirmary to check on Harriet. Draco had stayed behind in the great hall to talk to his dorm mates and tell them not to wait up on him. He would be sleeping in his parents quarters tonight. As he rounded the last corner to the infirmary, he saw a couple of students gathered in the hallway obviously up to no good. He debated briefly whether he should care or not before he saw Oliver in the midst of them.
Multiple older students were harassing Oliver about the article. Draco wanted to help, but he was a Slytherin. He cunning enough to know he was no match for that many students with many more years of experience than him. He needed help. He quickly found his oldest brother and told him what was happening. Marcus, being the responsible one, stopped by the infirmary and yelled in, "Papa, Dad, hurry into the hallway! Come help Oliver." Marcus didn't wait to see that his parents heard him. He rushed to aid his brother.
When he arrived on scene, Oliver was cornered by four older students, one Gryffindor, two Ravenclaws, and one Hufflepuff. He was proud to see that his own house was absent from tormenting his brother. No doubt no one in his own house was stupid enough to go after their head of house's son, regardless of the house said son was sorted into.
The older students were casting various jinxes and hexes at Oliver while taunting him about getting special privileges. They had long ago disarmed him, and one tall 7th year held his wand high out of reach. It was obvious that Oliver was hurting and scared, but he was trying to maintain his brave Gryffindor mask.
Marcus was just about to take matters into his own hands when he heard his Dad in a very scary, silky voice, "What in the name of Merlin is going on here? Five points from everyone involved. Now everyone except for you four get out of here."
Severus waited until the students followed his instructions. All of the students except for Draco and Marcus obeyed, and he turned to them, "That includes you two, Misters Malfoy. Go on to the infirmary, and we will catch up shortly."
Marcus knew not to argue with his Head of House/Father when he was in this scary teacher discipline mode, so he just grabbed Draco's elbow and led him away from the scene.
Oliver was clearly relieved to see his parents show up, and Severus didn't see his wand on him.
"Mr. Malfoy, where is your wand?"
Oliver glared at the tall 7th year and pointed at him, "He stole it from me, and he wouldn't give it back. He taunted me with my wand just out of reach while the rest of them cast jinxes and curses at me!"
Lucius cast a finite incantatum at Oliver to right him to normal, and then he sent a mutinous glare at the older students, "You dare gang up on a younger student…a defenseless younger student?"
He walked over to Oliver and helped him to stand. Then he kept his arm around his shoulders. "Let's ignore the fact that he is my son. You three bullied a defenseless younger student mercilessly. That is enough to warrant 100 points from each of you, two weeks of detentions with Mr. Filch, a letter home, and a meeting with the headmaster. Let's see what he has to say about your treatment of his grandson. Dismissed to your common rooms, now."
The boys all paled and rushed to clear the scene. The 7th year who had Oliver's wand just dropped it in order to get out there faster. Severus picked up the wand and handed it to Oliver. Then they walked with Oliver to the infirmary.
Poppy took one look at Oliver and noticed the bruises on his face and hands, and said, "Come over here, Mr. Malfoy. Let me have a look at you. Merlin's beard, I am going to need to dedicate a whole new room just to the Malfoy family."
Oliver was deemed mostly ok. Poppy cast a few healing spells over him and said he needed a good night of rest. Then she grabbed Oliver gently by the chin and directed his gaze up to hers and said, "Pay no mind to those gossip mongering tabloids, dear. All of this will blow over soon. This will show you whom your true friends are. For now, hold your head high and be brave. You were sorted Gryffindor for a reason." She pulled him into a comforting embrace. When she pulled back, she winked at him and teased, "Never thought there would ever be a Gryffindor Malfoy."
Then they walked to join the rest of the family near Harriet's bed. Snuffles and Remus joined them soon after. They all sat around the bed talking and enjoy each other's presence until curfew. Poppy tried to kick them all out of her hospital wing.
"All right. It's been a long day for everyone here, so I want you all to head back to your quarters and get some sleep."
Severus made to argue with her, but she cut him off, "Severus, there is no reason for you to stay with her tonight. We all need sleep. You all have classes tomorrow, and I don't expect her to wake up for another day anyway. My elves will keep watch, and if anything happens, you will be notified immediately."
Severus didn't look happy. He wanted to tell Poppy that he was not a child, and she had no authority over him. Lucius knew that look in his husband's eyes, so he put a hand on Sev's shoulder and told him, "It's ok. Sev. We will come see her first thing in the morning. She will be alright for one night."
He said it gently, but Severus heard the underlying authority. He wisely opted to listen to his husband, but he had another idea. He turned to Snuffles, and commanded the dog, "All right, Snuffles. Get up there and watch over her tonight. Keep her safe and warm."
Padfoot gave a happy yip and jumped up onto Harriet's bed. The large dog took up most of the room, but he made sure not to crowd the girl. Poppy had a look a of pure outrage on her face.
"No! I don't think so. This is a hospital, not a kennel. That mangy fleabag will not be staying the night." Poppy said forcefully.
Severus idly scratched the dog behind the ears, and smirked at the mediwitch, "Either the dog stays or I stay. He is her familiar. He will not leave her side all night. If he misbehaves at all tonight, then I will just have him neutered."
Remus, caught off by the threat to his mate, growled under his breath, and Snuffles gave a startled whimper. Poppy just wanted this day to be over so she relented, "Fine, but if this dog does anything tonight, I will neuter both of you." Then she turned and walked away from the gawking family. Severus was appalled. Snuffles was grinning (as much as a dog could grin), and Remus was trying to contain his laughter.
Severus and Lucius fretted quietly over Harriet by rearranging the covers over her small frame and each kissing her forehead to wish her a goodnight. Marcus tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he bid her goodnight. Oliver stood awkwardly by her bed. He longed to feel comfortable enough to be more open with his feelings and affection, but he was unaccustomed to such things from a childhood spent without any affection. Draco leaned down and hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Get well, Harry, I need my best friend back."
The family settled down in their quarters, and the boys were sent to bed after showers and a calming cup of chamomile tea. Marcus let his brothers go ahead of him. He hung back to talk to his fathers, "Do you think Harriet will really be alright? Could there be any side effects from this?"
Lucius stepped up to him and placed his hand on Marcus's shoulder. "I truly do not know, Marcus. We will have to vigilant in the future and more cautious with her. I think we may have given her too much leeway."
Marcus nodded and said, "I feel terrible. I wish I could have done something. I won't ever let her out of my sight again. Magic chose me to be her big brother and protector, and I don't feel as though I have kept up my side of the bargain."
Severus spoke to him with such compassion, "Nonsense, Marcus. You had no control over her sneaking out. No one could have prevented this from happening. The only one to blame is Jensen Worthington. You did a wonderful job protecting Draco from the older Worthington and Oliver from those older students. You are a fine older brother, and we are proud to call you son."
Then unexpectedly, the dour potions master gave him a tight hug. Feeling caught up in the moment, Marcus hugged back and responded, "Thanks, Dad."
When they pulled apart, Lucius gave him a hug as well and then told Marcus, "All right. It's late. You better head on in to bed. There's no telling what those two are doing in there without any proper supervision."
Marcus chuckled and retorted, "Don't worry, Papa. I'll keep them in line. Goodnight."
When Marcus went into their bedroom, he saw Oliver and Draco near asleep, both curled up in Oliver's bed. He looked across the room to his own empty bed before deciding to sleep with his brothers. He placed an enlargement charm on Oliver's bed and then settled himself between his younger brothers. With an arm around each brother, he made a silent vow to himself to always take care of and protect his siblings no matter what.
Lucius and Severus stayed in the living room comforting each other and chatting for another hour. As they made the way to their own bedroom, they stopped to check on the boys. Their hearts melted at the sight of the brothers all in one bed. Severus took a quick photograph and then followed Lucius to their room.
A few hours later – in the middle of the night:
Across the castle, Quirrell was stealthily making his way to the infirmary ward under the direction of his Lord/parasite. The Potter (Malfoy?) brat was all alone and unconscious in the infirmary. That blasted prophecy would never be fulfilled after tonight. He would simply murder the girl in her sleep, and then when the Dark Lord returned to his body, there would be interference from the pesky Girl Who Lived. In a few minutes, the wizarding world would no longer be able to call her that.
Quirrell cast disillusionment and silencing charms before quietly opening the door to the infirmary. He didn't know if there were any other students in the hall. Disillusionment charms weren't perfect. They didn't make one invisible. It just made it so that you went unnoticed unless someone focused on you.
Padfoot drifted in and out of a light sleep. He heard the infirmary doors open, and feigned sleep so that he could sneakily keep an eye on the late night visitor. He sensed that whoever it was couldn't be up to anything good. If there was an actual need for the infirmary, the intruder wouldn't be so quiet.
Padfoot stared though lidded eyes at the direction of the door. He could hear light footsteps and smell garlic even from across the room. Quirrell! Padfoot figured he must have used a disillusionment charm, so he focused on trying to find the quivering, stuttering fool. He saw a blur, and he concentrated on it. Sure enough, it was Professor Quirrel. Padfoot decided to see what he had planned. If it was anything sinister, then he needed to time his attack just right to get the upper hand. He was, afterall, only a dog. His only defense was his teeth.
Quirrell tried to contain his excitement in the dark, empty infirmary. The girl was asleep in one of the last beds, and her giant mutt was sprawled over top of her also asleep. The dog was unexpected, but it shouldn't cause too much trouble. This was going to be easy. Maybe he could feign sick tomorrow so that no one would see his joyious reaction to the brat being announced dead.
He crept along to the girl's bed, and then he pulled his wand. He leaned over the girl completely ignoring the dog.
Padfoot knew this was his chance. He lunged and bit down as hard as he could onto the professors neck. Quirrell dropped his wand in shock and pain, and then he was dragged away from the girl. Padfoot let go of the man long enough to get to the wand.
He debated briefly with himself whether Padfoot should chew the wand in half or Sirius should pick up the wand and kill the man. He decided he couldn't risk his cover being blown just yet, and he knew he could hold off the man until help arrived.
He quickly picked up the wand in his mouth and chewed it up into little pieces. Quirrell was still on the ground holding his neck trying to stop the bleeding. Padfoot howled as loud as possible. It was a fearsome howl. The howl resonated through the majority of the castle.
As he was the only dog on the school grounds besides Fang, everyone who heard the howl knew where it originated. Fang was never inside the castle after all. Quirrell fled from the infirmary. Padfoot had to watch him leave. He was not going to leave Harriet's side. Less than one minute later, Remus came storming into the infirmary with yellow eyes blazing. He wasn't even dressed properly. He had on his nightclothes and bare feet.
Poppy, Severus, and Lucius were very soon to follow. They all made their way over to the sleeping girl. She seemed to be completely unaffected. Snuffles was snarling at all of them. He wouldn't take any chances. He needed to verify their scents first.
Severus threatened him, "You mangy mutt. Don't growl at me. That's my daughter. I'll be damned—"
Remus interrupted him. "Severus, he needs to smell us to be sure it's really us. He's still protecting her." Then Remus stepped forward slowly to offer his hand to the dog. Snuffles gave a long sniff and then relaxed marginally. He repeated the process with all of the newcomers, and then his attention was torn to the floo.
Dumbledore was striding towards them. Minerva was not present because she was sent to care for the children. They had all woken up from Snuffle's howl, and they were all worried.
Dumbledore quickly locked the doors to the infirmary and cast silencing spells. Then he looked towards Snuffles for answers. Snuffles seemed to hesitate and think briefly before he morphed into a man.
Poppy nearly fainted from shock. She looked at the rest of the men present in the room, and she was confused. None of them were reacting to the presence of this criminal in the near proximity to the helpless child. Dumbledore sensed her confusion and explained the entire situation briefly. Once she was all caught up, Sirius explained what had just happened. He told them about the wound and the blood loss. They hoped this would be enough proof to get rid of Quirrell. First they needed to get Sirius to the ministry to testify under veritaserum. They needed to prove his innocence and then condemn Quirrell.