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"Good morning Lord Caspian!" welcomed Blake as Severus entered the temporary breakroom established on Caspian grounds for Rhys' team. "You're early, excited for the big day?"

"Good morning Mister Blake," greeted Severus back. "You know I am."

"Anyone would be. This is a fine home you've made yourself!"

"You certainly helped," replied Severus with a small smile. "I admit I did not imagine Caspian Manor would look so good when I hired Master Rhys."

In less than two months, the Dwarf's team had worked wonders to implement Severus' wishes and completely transform his childhood home. The entire house was built and only lacked its special stones, blazons and wards. Once those were set, the house could be furnished in no time with Tuei's help. If the day went as planned, Severus would be able to sleep in Caspian Manor tonight.

Severus was really glad for his clan's recommendation of Rhys' team. They clearly were experts in their trades, and his initial respect for them had only increased as time passed.
They had first built the building manually, then they had used Transformation to smooth out and strengthen the structure. The aim was to remove all weaknesses inside the building, as well as ensure the Magic flows were not broken by some of the building's angles. Then they had added the plumbing and windows, all the while using a mix of Magic and manual work, always with the goal to allow Magic to roam freely and to support the future wards of the house.
Rhys had called a meeting with Severus two weeks ago to explain the final phase of the work. To Severus' surprise, Blake as well as Wise Kasai had been present.

Blake was the usual warder of Rhys' team, however, Kasai had been sent by Clan Röykkiö to help ward Caspian Manor. Wise Kasai belonged to Clan Hankō, but the two clans had apparently decided to become allies, making Severus glad he had managed not to alienate Lord Potter during their meeting. Severus still did not have a clear picture of Goblin politics, but he knew the next Korkein election was scheduled in less than two years. From his past conversations with Drunek, he had gathered that the past seven Korkeins had been nationalists, persuaded that Wizards were only useful for money and favors. Clan Röykkiö was hoping to push forward their own candidate and rekindle the relationship between Wizards and Goblins to what it once was in the past. Clan Hankō and Clan Sēnlín were officially allied with Clan Röykkiö, and Severus could not help but note that he had met with representatives of both clans in Kyirong. Clan Runsaus was unofficially in agreement with Clan Röykkiö, while Clans Vauraus, Rén and Roca were on the traditionalists' side. The three remaining clans were neutral, though Wise Kasai seemed optimistic on swaying them to Clan Röykkiö's side, provided that Lord Voldemort won the Minister of Magic elections, put an end to the Death Eaters' distasteful guerilla activities and kept his promise to improve creatures' rights. Severus had asked Kasai why it would be enough as the Goblin nation existed in many more countries than Britain, but the Goblin had only alluded to other changes to come in other countries.

The meeting with Kasai and Blake had aroused Severus' curiosity as Rhys had outlined their next steps.

Step One. Blake, Kasai and Severus would choose the wards to be added to the manor. Rhys had assured Severus that no additional fee would be required for two reasons. First, Wise Kasai's fee was entirely covered by Clan Röykkiö and second, Blake relished the opportunity of working with him. Indeed, Kasai's knowledge of warding encompassed the best of all the races present in Kyirong.

Step Two. Once the wards were chosen, Kasai would work on the required spells, runes and their placement. The placement of runes was a delicate task requiring the Master's touch as it was crucial for allowing the new wards to be properly set into the newly constructed manor while fully integrating them with Severus' existing wards. Right now, the original wards covered the part of the manor which used to be Severus' home, and they needed to be carefully expanded to the entire manor as well as its grounds, although the wards of the grounds would be different from those on the house.
In the meantime, Severus and Blake would work together to determine the best places to put the special stones and blazons on the manor and its grounds. It would be tricky as the stones and blazons had to be in harmony with the magic flows coursing through the estate while enhancing the various wards which would be erected to ensure coverage of the entire property. They would have to consult with Kasai regularly.

Step Three. Set the special stones and the blazons in their chosen places as well as begin the carving of the various runes for each of the wards.
Then, Blake and Kasai would complete the runes and spells for both the new and old wards to be woven together. Severus' task would be to hold the wards in his mind and guide them through the path being woven as new runes were put into place. It seemed complicated but Blake and Kasai had assured Severus that the previously set blazons would help guide him.

Step Four. Finally, Blake would review the entire building one last time after the wards were set to make small adjustments to the special stones and blazons to assure they would be completely attuned with the wards and would not unbalance them over time.

Step Five. Rhys' team's work would end with Step Four; however, Severus would not yet be done. For Caspian Manor to truly be recognised by Magic as the home of Capian House as well as Severus' home, Severus needed to add his personal touch without the help of anyone else. It had to be a ward though its purpose could be anything, from scaring vermin to keeping the kitchen warm with warning of an enemy's intrusion in between. The wards could be added through any means, be it runes, potions or spells.

This morning, they were beginning with the third step. Severus was glad for the sunny if cold February morning as he had no doubt their task would be far less pleasant under a pouring rain.

Severus followed Blake to the entrance of Caspian Manor. The door was settled under an archway with a half-circle of smooth cobblestones in front of it, several paths of the same cobblestones leaving from the half-circle toward the outside grounds and the greenhouse. Several special stones were to be set in the half-circle while one blazon would be inset above the door. It would be bigger than all the others disseminated throughout the inside of the house.

Severus watched with rapt attention as Blake put a small dark red Carnelian stone inside the carved hole he had made in the half-circle then transformed the Carnelian so it fit snugly into the hole, the transition between cobblestone and Carnelian smooth to the touch. It was a specific use of Transfiguration which required precision and skill, similar to what the team had used to smooth out the building. The initial size and shape of the stone were close to their future ones, however, Blake had to transform the entire stone in order not to create any weak spots inside the stone. Blake repeated the process with the other special stones of the half-circle, Severus admiring his work through his Sense as the Wizard used a very small amount of Magic to perform this amazing feat of Transfiguration.

Then, Blake worked on the blazon. Like for the special stones, Blake first put the various stones in their carved holes then assembled them together using Transformation. The result was like a blurred version of Severus' blazon. For it to truly become a blazon, Severus' Magic was required. As the symbol of Caspian House, they were the reminder of the oath between Severus and Magic, and one of the means through which Magic would recognize and protect Caspian House. As Severus had done when he had created his House, he poured out his Magic inside the stones of his blazon, awed as his blazon slowly became more refined until he could look into Dhaal's fiery eyes. He stopped when he Sensed the blazon was attuned to his Magic and earned an approving and admirative nod from Blake.

The combined use of Transformation and Sensing was fascinating, and Severus was thinking it could make for an interesting project. He had always thought Transfiguration to be too much trouble for the gain it could bring. You could not use transformed ingredients in potions. It was easier to make or buy day-to-day objects than transform them, especially as you needed to know the object you wanted to transform in detail if you wanted it done properly and without weaknesses.

The papers Minerva had provided had not really changed his mind. Some had been interesting, like the use of Transformation to smooth out lands in preparation for roads or buildings, or the use of Conjuration to try to explore the differences between the four material kinds of elemental Magic. Most had seemed frivolous, like using Transformation to make jewels or as a means to show off, like reproducing a painting perfectly. Only the use of Transfiguration during a battle had truly caught his interest, but he doubted Dumbledore would appreciate it if he chose this subject. Transforming an object to bring it into a form compatible with surrounding Magic while guaranteeing it would perform its intended purpose could be something worth looking into.

"All right. We need to keep going if we want to respect our schedule," stated Blake after checking Severus' work.

They worked the entire morning, and Severus was glad to have come early. They barely finished in time for the lunch break.

Master Rhys insisted that Severus ate with Blake, Kasai and him so that he would discover the wonders of dwarvish food. The team leader always provided the lunch meal for his team when they worked, but while the kind of food served varied, dwarvish meals were Master Rhys' tradition on the first and last days of a project. The promise of unknown tastes lured Dhaal away from his enjoyment of the manor's grounds, to the delight of Severus' three companions. The dwarvish food tasted like a mix between goblin and wizard fares, on the right side of heavy and comforting. Severus made a note to ask Tuei if she knew some dwarvish recipes as it was perfect for a cold winter day.

Once they had finished the food and Dhaal had done enough preening under Blake's admirative gaze, the team leader made a last check with Blake and Kasai that everything was ready for their last task, then took his leave as the fewer persons present during the raising of the wards the better.

"Alright Severus," said Kasai as they stood in front of the main blazon. "Remember, your blazon is the key to your wards, the link between Magic and you. First, you must reach to your old wards to link them to the main blazon. Once it's done, you will signal Blake and I so we can begin to engrave the runes for the new and old or existing wards. Remember, you will Sense when a new set of runes is ready. At that moment, you must use the blazons and special stones to guide the wards toward the rune set as well as ensure the wards use the stones as anchors. The first set of runes will be the hardest as it will be the stepping off point to mesh together new and existing wards. You must ensure they mesh together instead of remaining separate entities."

Severus nodded, Dhaal vibrating with excitement at his side. His Familiar was proud that they were able to help with the protection of their home. Severus suspected that most clients were far less involved as they did not have the ability to Sense Magic.

Severus took a deep breath before opening his Sense, letting himself feel the Magic flows coursing his domain. He focused on the main blazon, which was easy as it called to his Magic in recognition. Then he took hold of the old wards and tried to link them to the main Blazon.

Immediately, he felt them slip from his hold. Dhaal chidded him for once more holding too tightly and trying to coerce Magic when you only needed to make it want to do what you wanted it to.
Severus silently huffed to his Familiar and tried again. This time, he used Sensing to link himself to his main Blazon then reached towards the old wards. He imagined he was looking for the heart of the wards and wanted to bring it inside the main Blazon without removing the wards from where they were settled. To his surprise, the wards obeyed him and at once, he Sensed them spread inside the Blazon using the link he was holding between them. It was uncomfortable as he felt like only his use of Sensing allowed the connection between the wards and the blazon to exist.

"The wards are linked to the Blazon," stated Severus.

Blake and Kasai were already getting ready to work. He did not know how long he waited, holding the old wards through Sensing, before the first set of runes came alight to his Sense. Carefully, he used Sensing to orient the old wards towards the set while keeping the connection between the old wards and the Blazon alive, the special stones helping him to guide the old wards to the set. The moment the old wards came in contact with the alighted set, they tried to escape the path defined by Severus' Sense. He felt the old wards rebel against the new wards and try to back away from the set. Severus held firm, pouring his intent of improving the protection of Caspian Manor and its domain into his Sense, visualising in his head the mixing of old and new wards and how it would increase their ability to serve the Caspian line.
Severus forced himself not to lose patience as time passed, and the old wards slowly calmed down, his shoulders relaxing as finally, they accepted the new wards and meshed with them, settling inside the new runes set. He barely had the time to sigh in relief before the second set alighted. Like Kasai had predicted, this set was easier, the wards following obediently the Sensing path defined by Severus. He took care to check that the wards used the special stones on the path to anchor themselves into the manor, sometimes using Sensing to improve the link between the stones and the wards.
Severus lost track of time as he did set after set, Dhaal a silent observer which reassured him that he would not let Severus make a mistake. It felt a lot like guiding a magic river through a stoned path. He felt the transition as they moved from the manor to the grounds, until after one set, Severus felt like a detonation, and suddenly, the loop was closed.

He stumbled, leaning on Dhaal as Blake and Kasai approached them.

"You're done for now Severus, you should sit down and eat something. The wards are stable, Blake and I will cast the last spells then our part will be done."

Severus nodded wordlessly and got back to the break room with Dhaal's support. He ate some of the leftovers from lunch, which helped with his tiredness. Yet, he felt restless, as if he had forgotten to do something.

"Relax, it's only the wards," Sensed Dhaal amused.

Severus shook his head at himself as he realised that his Familiar was right. The wards felt like they were on high alert, and Severus was channeling the feelings through himself.
He forced himself to relax his body, but kept watch over Blake and Kasai's works through his Sense.
They were nearing tea-time when the two wards specialists finally joined them, both looking tired.

"We are done," stated Kasai.

"We are," agreed Blake. "I must say I haven't been so tired after setting up wards since my Apprenticeship. Thank you for your assistance, Wise Kasai."

The Wise smirked.
"Learning always requires energy. I trust next time won't be as tiring for you."

"If I ever get another chance to set those kinds of wards. You realise most of our clients don't have the means to afford such high level wards, or don't know enough to decide to choose them instead of others, even on our recommendation," answered the Wizard.

It reminded Severus of his talk with Andromeda. No doubt she would choose those wards if she could afford to. He doubted that he could have afforded Wise Kasai's additions without his clan's support.

"True," admitted the Goblin. "Anyway, it's time for us to leave and let Severus finish the wards' settings. Call us when you're done so we can come back with Master Rhys for one last inspection."

"Thank you Wise Kasai, Master Blake," said Severus with a sincere smile. "I am grateful for your hard work."

"It was our pleasure," answered both the Goblin and the Wizard.

As soon as they were gone, Severus went to fetch the Potion he had brewed for this last step. He and Dhaal had discussed at length the kind of wards they wanted to use as their final touch for their home protection. Severus had reflected on the Oath he had taken as a Head of House, to protect and shelter Caspian House, and had decided on a potion to help the grounds nurture every plant and living being growing upon them as well as a spell to bolster the shielding of the manor against the Dark Arts.

Severus and his Familiar first walked the grounds, pouring the potion at specific places, then stood in front of the main Blazon. There, Severus fully focused on his Bond with Dhaal and cast the complicated spell to protect the domain against the Darkest Magic. At the same time, Dhaal Screamed. It began as his attack scream, the one that brought creatures to their knees, then morphed into something else for a few seconds before settling into the Scream of Draco's ceremony, almost a song to keep yourself warm and content.

The Thestral stopped Screaming at the same time that the wards settled. The restlessness changed into a warm hum at the back of Severus' mind, next to his Bonds with Dhaal and Draco. If he reached through it, he could Sense the grounds and the manor, Sense the magic flows and every magical plant and creature present on his domain. He felt like he could lose himself in this knowledge and it scared him a bit.

"It will take some time to get used to this."

His Familiar seemed as disturbed as Severus was. Weirdly, it made him feel better.

Severus went to bed late in the night. Rhys' team last inspection had taken about one hour, then Severus had helped Tuei organise the furniture. He would need to buy more as his House was far larger than before. He did not relish the time it would require and wondered if Tuei would accept the responsibility to take care of everything else.

The next morning, Severus took out the box containing his Yule stones and his branch of mistletoe to set them up inside his home. He had chosen to leave a wall bare in the library that would receive his Yule stones. He copied Blake's technique to incorporate the four stones inside the wall and felt exhausted afterwards. He marveled at Blake's ease with Transformation, knowing he had likely used too much inside Magic despite trying to use Sensing to optimise his transformations.

It took seven days for Severus to grow comfortable with his new wards and stop fearing to lose himself in an overflow of information. He had the impression that the Yule stones had helped, giving him a reminder of himself inside the Magic of the wards.
Seven days was also the time it took for Severus to notice changes in his Magic. He realised he had far more power at his disposal than before when he practiced the levitation spell to fly himself and easily remained in the air for fifteen minutes.

Severus was glad to have his home back before their attempt to retrieve the locket. He had transferred everything back from his grandfather's and his office was ready to become their meeting place. He had already used his lab to check once more that his nullifying potion worked and was quite pleased with the space and tools he now possessed to brew after one lengthy shopping trip to both Wizard and Goblin specialist shops.

In preparation of the Locket retrieval, Dhaal and Severus had decided to practice an alternate way to cross the lake beside using the levitation spell. Severus was a bit apprehensive as he was quite sure he was going to make a fool of himself.

"Come on Broer, it can't be harder than riding a horse," Sensed Dhaal to reassure him.

"I don't know how to ride a horse," answered Severus, flatly.

"Well, you can ride brooms. Nothing can be more complicated than flying wood scraps."

Severus knew how to ride brooms because it was important and useful and no proper Wizard should let a piece of wood get the better of him, as Evan would say, but he profoundly disliked it and was delighted to have discovered flow-travel instead.

He eyed his Familiar dubiously as the Thestral waited patiently for Severus to move. It was Dhaal's idea, a good idea as it could be useful in other situations than Horcrux retrieval. Still, Severus felt he had the right not to be overjoyed at the idea of riding a Thestral.

"Come on," huffed Dhaal impatiently. "I promise not to make any jokes about your weight."

Severus glared at his Familiar, perfectly aware that he had tended to be underweight for a long time and that despite Frekka's and Tuei's generous cooking, his apprenticeship training and regular Taichichuan practice had left him without an ounce of fat.

Sighing to himself, Severus put a hand on his Familiar's back, trying to find a good grip without hurting him.

"I'm not made of glass," remarked Dhaal.

Severus ignored him and managed to haul himself over the Thestral's back. He spent a few minutes trying to get comfortable, to no avail. He could feel his Familiar's spine, no matter the position he chose. Giving up on this lost cause, he tried to find places to hold onto, and settled on putting his arms around Dhaal's neck.

"Ready?" Sensed his Familiar.

"As I'll ever be."

Severus was grateful that for once, Dhaal did not follow his most childish impulses and began by walking slowly instead of doing a few loops. He could feel his Familiar's muscles moving under him as he tried to remain upright. They practiced walking, trotting, running and flow-travelling until Severus did not fear falling to the ground.
He would have loved to end the practice then as his backside was already feeling sore, but Dhaal would not hear of it.

"Who knows when we'll have the time to practice with everything you're working on," admonished the Thestral. "We're flying now."

And they were airborne. Severus reflexively squeezed his arms tighter as the ground moved farther away every second.

"You're strangling me."

"Sorry," Sensed Severus, forcing his arms to release their choking hold on Dhaal' neck.

"Don't let go completely either!" warned his Familiar, alarmed.

"I'm trying to find the right pressure," answered Severus stiffly.

To be honest, it was better than being on a broom. He felt safer, certain that Dhaal would catch him if he fell. However, it was as uncomfortable, and once they had managed several accelerations without Severus feeling like he was mere seconds away from dropping from Dhaal's back, they landed back.

"I think we did well for our first time," offered Dhaal.

"Thank you," answered Severus while he struggled not to limp now that he was back on his feet.

"We should do it again, you know training makes perfect."

His Familiar's tone was a bit too playful to Severus' taste. He knew that if they practised again, Dhaal would not restrict his aerial maneuver to mere accelerations.

"We'll see."

They managed to practice twice more before it was time to retrieve the locket.
As they had planned, Severus and Augustus retrieved the Horcrux while Regulus' watched over them for any unplanned difficulties. It went without a hitch. They checked outside the cave that the containing box blocked the Horcrux Magic as it was designed to, then brought the Horcrux to Prince Manor where Augustus put it safely away inside his Dark Artefacts room. Then, they went to Caspian Manor to meet with Jonathan in Severus' office to plan their next steps.

"You don't seem hurt so I take it that everything went well," said Jonathan.

"We followed the plan and it worked perfectly," answered Augustus with a smile. "I think we can be proud of our first achievement."

"Yes, it felt almost too easy," agreed Regulus.

"This is the perfect demonstration of the use of a carefully constructed and researched plan," stated Augustus. "And Kreacher was a great help."

"True," admitted Regulus. "It just feels… anticlimactic."

"I hope it remains that way until the end," said Severus dryly.

"I think what Regulus means is that in books, the hero usually faces an unplanned difficulty when he goes to take the prize," answered Jonathan with a smirk.

"But most of those heroes are idioticly gryffindorish," replied Severus.

"Good point," admitted his friend with a laugh. "Speaking of Gryffindors, tell us Severus, how does it feel to play teacher?" asked Jonathan mischievously.

"Awful. Would you believe some of my first years have a better understanding of Transfiguration theory than the entire second year?" asked Severus.

"Of course," answered Jonathan easily. "You know most only remember what's needed to pass their tests. Professor McGonagall teaches theory at the beginning of first year but puts much more emphasis on the practicals after. Unless you are particularly gifted or interested in Transfiguration, I believe you focus on managing your transformations, and that's it until fourth year."

"I really don't understand why the curriculum does not insist more on it. Charms, Transfigurations and Potions are the basis of everything we learn at Hogwarts. They should give the first years better bases to build upon before asking them to transform a needle, make feathers fly or disarm someone."

"I believe this is why Professor McGonagall took you as her Apprentice, isn't it?" said Augustus pointedly.

"I guess. But what will she do once I'm done? And I only focus on Transfiguration."

"From what you told us, I believe she would be open to suggestions on how to improve Hogwarts' teachings. And you could use my access to the board to support these changes," replied Augustus.

"Did you manage to find out anything on the Horcrux between your classes?" asked Regulus, getting their minds back on most serious matters.

"Yes, I found it in a really peculiar room," answered Severus. "Aside from the difficulty of accessing this room, it's not protected."

"Are you certain?" asked Jonathan surprised.

"I am. I think Hogwarts limited what Lord Voldemort could do with this Horcrux," explained Severus.

"And he cannot have had much time to hide and protect it," added Augustus. "I cannot see Dumbledore letting him wander the castle unwatched."

"So this one will be easy to get. We're lucky you have access to Hogwarts, Severus," said Regulus with a satisfied smile.

Severus grimaced.
"Actually, it might not be that easy. Apart from my first day, I have not been on my own in Hogwarts for more than two minutes. Between the students who have many questions, the other professors who also have many questions, and the Headmaster who insists I have lunch with the faculty when I'm in Hogwarts…"

"Your presence is still a novelty for them. It should calm down in the next few weeks," assured Jonathan.

Severus fervently hoped so. He had the feeling time was running out. The polls that had been promising a close victory to Lord Voldemort were now predicting it to be too close to call a clear winner. They needed Lord Voldemort thinking clearly to definitely tip the odds of winning the election in their favor.

Their meeting was not drawn out as the retrieval of the locket and the test of its containing box, while easily conducted, had already taken a good part of their afternoon. Severus promised to invite them over to give them the big tour of his new home in the following days.

He ended up hosting several small house-warming parties the next days, beginning with Lucius, Narcissa and Draco. His brother's wife was truly scary as she got him to agree to shopping together for furniture. She gave Caspian Manor her stamp of approval pending the buying of furniture, which was high praise according to Lucius, especially when the house had no ballroom.

The next day's party was bigger, his grandparents as well as the Tonks coming in addition to his brother's family. Severus was having trouble remembering a time when he had not considered all of them his family. He had discovered that he genuinely appreciated Ted, the other man always ready to talk of the differences between Wizards and Muggles, and to give food for thought to Severus on things Ted thought that Muggles did better than Wizards. Plus, he adored his magical daughter, and that fact alone would have put him in Severus' good books.

Severus was yet to give Andromeda a definite and official answer to her request of becoming a member of Caspian House. While he was convinced she needed to find a House, he did not want to jeopardize his plans for reuniting Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. He could not afford tensions with the Blacks, they were amongst the Lord's staunchest supporters and he would rather not give them a reason to look for his weaknesses.

Evan and Jonathan were Severus' only guests for his third and last house-warming party. They were both suitably impressed with his new home.

"I must say Severus, this is quite a fine home!" exclaimed Jonathan as they finished their tour of the grounds.

"I agree," added Evan with a huge smile. "It's not as grand or as big as the oldest families' manors, but it's perfect for you considering you would live like a hermit if you could."

"Not my fault if I prefer quality over quantities," answered Severus with a smirk.

Evan bowed exaggeratedly.
"I'm honoured to be considered quality goods."

"As you should be," replied Severus, glad that his friend's antics had remained the same since Hogwarts. So many things had changed since their fifth year that the familiar banter was a delight every time.

"Speaking of quality goods, this would not be a proper house-warming without a gift," said Jonathan as he produced a rectangular package little bigger than a shoe box.

"Thank you!" exclaimed Severus warmly as he uncovered the latest generation wizard radio set.

"Jonathan told me you were using an old muggle set that you had tweaked to receive a few channels and we thought you could not keep on using it in your brand new manor," explained Evan. "This one gives you access to all wizard channels in the world, and allows you to record some of the broadcasts if you wish to. You also have two RRB included, they are Radio Relay Balls which are linked to your radio set so you can listen to the radio in your office when the radio set is in the living room for example. You can also listen to some muggle channels, though I don't really understand why the sales assistant thought it was a selling point."

"Now you won't have any excuses not to know about the latest songs when the ladies flirt with you," added Jonathan mischievously.

"Isn't Evan the only one with a girlfriend right now?" retorted Severus pointedly.

"I think girlfriends would be more accurate," replied Jonathan as he looked at their friend.

Evan shook his head in mocked offense.
"I'll have you know I'm never with more than one girl at the same time. However, I may or may not date them for more than a week."

"I don't get how you have the time for the group, the girls and your apprenticeship," said Jonathan with a fond smile.

"Talent," answered Evan with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

"You might want to apply a bit more of it with Master Raleigh," said Severus knowingly.

"You're too serious my friends!" replied Evan. "We'll only be twenty once."

"True enough," agreed Jonathan. "It reminds me, Severus, didn't you say you had never learnt to apparate?"

"You're right, I never had the occasion during my Apprenticeship though we had other means to travel," answered Severus.

"I really don't understand why your Master forbid all contacts except letters during your apprenticeship," said Evan with a frown. "We could have taught you when we learnt in Hogwarts. But I guess, better late than never. We have enough space on the grounds outside of the wards to teach you, I'm sure you'll take it up in no time!"

Severus could only smile and agree in the face of his friend's enthuthiasm. Severus owned the land around Caspian Manor within a one kilometer radius. When Rhys' team had finished the foundations of Caspian Manor, Severus had realised that the manor would be bigger than he had thought, and that the borders of the grounds were far too close to muggle houses to his taste. Lucius had magnanimously not said "I told you so". Instead, his brother had helped him convince the muggles still living close to the Manor to sell him their houses, with only the barest use of intimidation and memory-altering charms. Money was a far more useful tool. To Severus' satisfaction, he had not needed a loan from Lucius this time, though Hoardrock had told him it was high time to work on selling the potions he had improved in his youth.

Severus was quite satisfied with the large buffer zone between the manor and the muggle habitations. It provided areas where Wizards could apparate without worry of being seen by Muggles, and made it easier to protect his home against magical attacks.

They walked to one of the possible apparition points as his friends explained the basics of apparition.

"Basically, to be able to apparate, you must be able to completely focus your mind on going to the point you want to," began Evan. "You know how teachers kept on repeating that Magic is intent, well, apparition is purely intent."

"Apparition can be summed up by the three D: determination, deliberation and destination," added Jonathan. "To be able to apparate, you must know your destination, be determined to go there and deliberately choose when you're going there. You must focus your mind on moving to your destination and only that before deciding to apparate there."

"If you lose your focus on your destination or begin apparating before having fixed it in your mind, you will splinch yourself more or less severely," warned Evan. "But I'm not worried for you. Anyway, Healers know how to cure most splinching."

Apparition sounded more difficult and risky than flow-travel. And Severus needed to be careful not to use flow-travel instead of apparition.

"So, to begin with, you will stand in this circle and try to apparate inside this circle," said Evan as he drew two circles a few feet apart in the ground with his wand.

Severus nodded and walked inside the first circle. He emptied his mind as he had learned for Occlumency then focused on the second circle. Its shape. Its surroundings. The distance between the two circles. He waited until the circle occupied his entire mind before willing to go there. For a brief second, he felt an uncomfortable squeezing sensation, as if he was being forced into a tube too small for his body. It was over before he could get alarmed, and he found himself on his knees, nausea making his head spin as he braced himself against the cold earth.

"Well done Severus! On your first try!"

Severus looked up to see Evan and Jonathan beaming at him.

"You're whole, I checked," said Evan with a huge smile. "Can I say I'm relieved that your first time seems to be as uncomfortable as mine was?"

"This will be the first and only time," growled Severus. "How do you stand this?"

"It gets better with practice," answered Jonathan with a shrug. "And it's useful."

He supposed he would have the same opinion if he did not know about flow-travel. Why were apparition and flow-travel so different? Severus was pretty sure both required the use of magic flows to move.

"Would you mind apparating?" asked Severus to Evan. "I'd like to check something."

"Sure."

His friend moved to the first circle.

"I'll go on three, two, one, ..."

Severus focused on Evan, Sensing when his friend yanked a magic flow and redirected it a brief instant to go where he wanted.

Evan apparated with a pop inside the second circle. Unlike Severus, he did not look phased by the process.

Severus wanted to shake his head. No wonder apparition was so unpleasant. Instead of jumping from flow to flow to go where you wanted, you forced one magic flow to change its course to take you there. This meant… that the wards at the locket cave were anti-apparation wards, preventing anyone from changing the course of the magic flows, while Hogwarts' were anti-flow-travelling wards, thus including apparation and flow-travel. Severus would have to try to Sense the castle's ward to compare it with the one on Caspian Manor.
Still, the Founders had known how to flow-travel. When had apparation replaced it?
More importantly, it was well-known that the Hogwarts' House Elves and her Headmaster were able to apparate on the castle's grounds, which meant that the wards were built to exclude them from the interdiction and that there were high chances that Dumbledore knew how to flow-travel. One more reason not to underestimate the old man. Severus would really need to be careful when he retrieved the Horcrux hidden in Hogwarts.

"So?" asked Evan curious.

"I'm persuaded we should be able to do better than this," answered Severus, focusing back on his friends.

"I'm sure that if anyone can, it's you. Tell me when you have found another way, I'll be delighted to try it out," replied Evan.

Severus felt a slight pang in his heart like each time he had to hide something from his friends or family. But soon, he would be able to tell them everything. Within reason. Only a few months to go.

"You'll be my first student," promised Severus.

"Hey, I want to learn too!" protested Jonathan.

"I said it first," taunted Evan.

"I'm sure Severus can handle two students at the same time," replied Jonathan. "He certainly does for Hogwarts."

"That's true Severus, you did not tell me how it was to be a teacher in Hogwarts!" exclaimed Evan, "Come on, how is it to teach ignorant first years?"

The discussion drifted on Hogwarts and reminiscence of their time as students. They ate Tuei's delicious meal then settled in the library corner with a glass of Calva each, the bottle a house warming gift from Augustus. They set up the radio set there and tried out the channels from various countries before finally settling on the Wizarding Wireless Network, the most popular British wizard channel, to play in the background.
They were discussing the advantages of Apprenticeships versus universities when the latest Banshee's song was interrupted.

"Dear listeners, we interrupt our usual programming for an emergency message from the Minister of Magic. The following speech will be repeated in 30 minutes and will also be sent by Owls or other appropriate means to every Wizard residing in Britain. Please hear Minister Birkins."

"What kind of dirty trick is this now?" wondered Evan with a frown.

Severus did not know if this was a dirty trick, but he felt dread settle in his stomach.

"Listen," admonished Jonathan.

"My Dear fellow Witches and Wizards, I address you tonight following the most grievous event that will deeply impact all of our lives in the following months. I am deeply distressed to announce that Councillor Jim Baxter, my most ancient and loyal friend and supporter since my first mandate as Minister of Magic, has been murdered in his home the past evening after being tortured."

What?

Severus looked at his two companions who looked as stunned and surprised as he was.

"His son-in-law was tortured as well and is currently at Saint Mungo's in a critical condition. Jim's wife, daughter and grand-daughter are in shock after witnessing the scenes."

"Merlin's beard, who would do this?" asked Jonathan.

"And why?" added Evan. "We searched for dirt on him and we didn't find any juicy old secrets. He's far cleaner than Birkins."

"The organisation known as the Death Eaters are responsible for these heinous crimes."

"Impossible!" exclaimed Evan furiously.

"Stop talking," snapped Severus, "we need to hear their entire story."

"I believe most of you will not be shocked by this accusation as it's not the first time Death Eaters have attacked members of my government, and it's not the first time they've killed though they've always claimed self-defense before. Some will say that I am accusing them far too readily, and I will answer that the proof in my possession is damning. Witnesses testified that individuals dressed in Death Eaters garbs exited the house at two in the morning, only minutes after the Death Eaters' Mark, that monstrous dark skull, had risen above Jim's home. The first interviews of the uninjured family members of Councillor Baxter confirmed these testimonies."

Who had been stupid enough to order this raid? This assassination? They had been so careful since January to limit the raids in order not to get caught just before the elections… What were they hoping to gain, especially in openly declaring themselves the culprit? Or were they being framed?

"Under these circumstances, the Death Eaters are now pronounced a terrorist organisation. Their dismantlement has become the Aurors' first priority. Aurors are authorised to use lethal force at their discretion in order to apprehend them. Denunciations and surrenders are strongly encouraged. I promise that all Death Eaters that surrender offering genuine remorse will be afforded leniency."

"As if!" snorted Evan.

Severus had to agree. He doubted the Death Eaters who surrendered would escape a long stay in Azkaban, considering what they were accused of.

"My dear fellow Witches and Wizards, the Death Eaters have made clear time and time again that their goal is to bring Lord Voldemort to power. This violent minority is actively trying to rig the coming Minister of Magic elections by scaring those of you who publicly oppose Lord Voldemort's ideas, especially when they are supporters of my government. In light of this dire threat and to protect our people, the Wizengamot has approved the procedure of emergency powers which grants me Merlin's powers under war threats. It gives my government the right to enact laws and decrees without consulting the Wizengamot for the next six months."

This was worse than anything he could have imagined.

"Finally, considering the danger posed by the Death Eaters to our democracy, the elections for Minister of Magic are postponed for a minimum of six months, with a new date or a new adjournment to be determined in four months.

Believe that I am deeply grieved to have to take such measures. I will do everything in my power, with the support of our Auror department, to resolve the situation as quickly and painlessly as I am able. Thank you for listening to me. Let your family and yourself be safe."

"This concludes Minister's Birkins' speech. I remind you it's currently being sent to all Wizards residing in Britain. We will now…"

Severus turned off the radio, thoughts reeling. This was not part of the plan. Not at all. Please let it be a rebellious faction of the group who had acted without Lord Voldemort's benediction. Or Dumbledore's minions aiming to discredit Lord Voldemort.

"This is a disaster," said Jonathan, exchanging a concerned look with Severus.

A complete disaster. Things had been going so smoothly that he had forgotten they could go wrong.

"It must be a set-up. We would have known if a raid of such importance was planned," said Evan as he paced in front of them.

"Unless they wanted to be certain of its success and chose to only inform the participants," countered Severus.

"No, they would have warned us, they would have put it to a vote, this is too big to—"

Evan broke off, his hand going to his left arm at the same time as Severus felt his coin vibrate in his pocket.

Meeting in one hour.

Severus had a bad feeling about this.