A Squib's Proper Place
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a Sequel to "To Save A Squib"
Chapter 3: New Arrivals
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling
The large chestnut wardrobe in my bedroom usually contains only my
brown coat, my shirts and breeches; also brown, and the bottle green
tailcoat that I wear on special occasions. There's plenty of room at the
bottom of the wardrobe for a cardboard nesting box with a mother cat and
a litter of four kittens. A fifth kitten would be joining us
momentarily.
A few weeks earlier, Hermione Granger had helped me cut the box so
that the sides were high enough to keep small, curious kittens inside
but low enough to permit their mother to come and go. The box was lined
with many soft, absorbent cloths. Birth is a messy business.
Poppy and Hermione had both seemed to know that tonight was the
night that Mrs. Norris would have her kittens. Poppy had told me to keep
a close watch on my cat when I'd visited the hospital wing earlier this
evening. And Hermione, who'd been keeping track of the days, had said in
very serious tones, "it's day sixty three, Mr. Filch!" just before I'd
dismissed the Gryffindors from their detention.
Mrs. Norris had approved of both the nesting box and its location.
I'd known that Hermione and Poppy were right when my cat had chosen to
sleep in there instead of on the bed beside me.
I'd taken my pillow and a blanket to lie on the floor near the
open wardrobe, so I could wait with her.
Her labor had begun in the middle of the night. The sky outside my
window was beginning to lighten as kitten number five joined her
brothers and sisters.
Each kitten was duly weighed, measured, and the resulting
information was entered into the ledger that Hermione had given me. My
writing was awkward and messy because of my injured right arm and hand,
but still readable.
Number six, who arrived about fifteen minutes after number five,
seemed determined to enter the world the tail first. (Numbers two and
three had also been breech births.) Fortunately this one, like the
others, emerged without too much additional difficulty.
Around twenty minutes later, a seventh kitten emerged. Poor Mrs.
Norris had not yet settled down to nurse her babies. After another ten
minutes had passed and number eight was born, she finally relaxed.
Mrs. Norris blinked her golden eyes at me, looking quite relieved.
"That's over!" she was clearly thinking. I stroked and praised her. She
was my brave one, my beautiful one, such a wonderful mother!
While removing the soiled cloths and towels from the nesting box
and replacing them with fresh, clean ones, I praised the kittens too.
Newborn kittens resemble blind, deaf, floppy rats, but Mrs. Norris
might have clawed my nose off if I had not said kind things about her
darlings.
I'd remembered the fear and sorrow connected with Mrs. Norris's
previous litter of kittens. But I'd forgotten the joy, and how the sight
of them could squeeze my heart. They were so frighteningly vulnerable.
Three tiny queens; all various shades of grey, and five tiny toms. Two
of the toms were ginger-colored like Crookshanks, their father. One tom
was grey, one was a patch-work of ginger and black, and the last one was
completely black.
While Mrs. Norris washed and nursed her brood, I made a note of
each kitten's gender and coloring. My handwriting grew progressively
messier, but I wanted to write everything down for Hermione.
I knew that it would be at least two weeks before I could allow
anyone else to view the kittens, even briefly. Mrs. Norris had been very
firm on that point the last time she'd had kittens. This time would
probably be no different. An exception would be Madam Pomfrey, who would
come in a few days to Charm the kittens against the illnesses that they
would otherwise be vulnerable to.
Hermione had been disappointed about the two week wait, but she'd
seemed to understand. I was determined to keep careful notes until she
was allowed to see the kittens for herself.
The other children who'd asked for kittens would have to be
patient too. I'd explained to each of them that it was Mrs. Norris that
they needed to convince, not me. The best I could do was try to put in a
good word for them.
Everyone knew that Ginny Weasley would be getting one of the
kittens. Mrs. Norris and I were very fond of Ginny. Colin Creevey had
wanted two kittens; one for himself and one for his brother, Dennis.
Mrs. Norris had seemed receptive to both boys. I was glad, though the
thought of Mrs. Norris's kittens being "fixed" the Muggle way did upset
me. (I hoped that Colin and Dennis could convince their parents that
Charms were an effective method for preventing unplanned kittens.
Strange as it may seem, Muggles seem to put more faith in their own
methods, even when their children are wizards.)
Lilith and Gehenna Morgan, two small sisters from Slytherin, had
also asked for a pair of kittens. Mrs. Norris had seemed inclined to
grant their request. Hannah Abbot was the last among those that Mrs.
Norris had clearly chosen to receive a kitten. That meant six kittens
were spoken for, and two still needed homes.
Other children had asked for kittens, so I wasn't worried about
the last two being unwanted.
The sun was completely up now and I was exhausted. Curling up on
the floor again, I was lulled into a peaceful doze by the sound of
contented maternal purring coming from the nesting box.
Suddenly, small strong hands were shaking my shoulders. Blearily,
I opened my eyes to find myself face to face with a house-elf.
"Mr. Filch is not at breakfast!" Dobby said. "And Hermione Granger
is wanting to know, is kittens born yet?" The elf grinned broadly.
"See for yourself," I yawned. "Please tell Hermione that she's a
"gran" now, eight times over."
*******
Mrs. Norris was well supplied with food and water. What she and
the kittens needed most now was peace and quiet.
Delivering kittens and writing everything down had taken their
toll on my right hand and arm. I'd ignored the pain for as long as I
could, but now I decided to go and see Poppy.
Someone, either Dobby or Hermione (probably both) had spread the
news. The corridors were full of children on their way to classes. I was
congratulated many times on my way to the hospital wing.
After adding her congratulations to those I'd already gotten, and
listening to a detailed account of each delivery, Poppy checked my arm
and hand. She reassured me that my injuries were mending nicely. Then
she gave me a slightly stronger than usual pain-killing potion.
Sirius Black also appeared to be mending. The Animagus was now
able to limp restlessly around the hospital wing in his human form,
which he was currently wearing since Poppy and I were the only ones in
the ward with him.
The Animagus had listened to me while I'd described the kittens'
arrival. He'd smiled and congratulated me, though he was clearly
preoccupied about something.
"It's Snape," Black growled, when I asked him what was wrong. "You
know what he did. He gave every Gryffindor fifth year detention last
night! The greasy GIT."
"He's not a git," I said, automatically. "He was sore and cranky.
It made him bad tempered."
The Animagus snorted.
"Even more bad tempered than usual," I amended.
"You always did take his side." Black folded his arms across his
chest.
"Perhaps I'm defending Severus because he never once put dungbombs
in my desk. Or used sticking-curses on my broom cupboard doorknobs. Or
hexed my mops. Or turned my wash-water into Mrs. Skower's flavored
custard and set the pail up to fall on me. Or blew up my office toilet
with fireworks," I replied, somewhat testily.
Black's grin was rueful. The expression made his gaunt face look
younger, a bit more like the incorrigible brat that I remembered.
"Please accept my belated apologies," he said. "Blowing up the
toilet was really an accident. We were trying to flush away the
evidence..."
I sighed. "Did Potter tell you about the detention?"
"Yes, I got that much out of him. He wasn't the one who told me it
was Snape who'd given it, though."
"He's wise beyond his years, that boy," I murmured. "How did you
find out if Harry wouldn't say?""
Poppy answered. "He overheard that bit of gossip from Callandra
Moffit. She was in here with her parents this morning."
"Is Callandra all right?" I asked, anxiously.
Poppy nodded. "I only needed to examine her, and ask her Mum and
Dad for some information about any of her past health problems."
I sighed. Squibs usually have longer and more complicated health
records that most proper witches and wizards do.
"I needed the information for her school records," Poppy said.
"Her s-school records...?" I asked. "She's going to be a student
at Hogwarts then?
Poppy smiled. "Albus was making arrangements with her parents
yesterday. Today Callandra is going to be tested by each Professor to
see which subjects she'll be able to manage best, and to which degree."
Potter had been right!! I knew that I was grinning like a fool,
but I hardly cared.
Madam Pomfrey turned to the Animagus. "Whatever you're planning to
do to Severus, don't!" She said, sternly. "I was thinking of allowing
you to take a walk today, but if I can't trust you to be good..."
Black gave her an innocent, decidedly puppy-eyed look. "I'll
behave, I swear!"
"I'll take him for a walk right now and make sure of it," I
promised Poppy. "We'll go outside. He won't be anywhere near Severus."
I thought that Black would object to me walking with him, but the
Animagus did not seem to mind. He must have been terribly bored.
Black was studying me, gravely. "Filch. I never thanked you for
what you did. Blocking Vol..."
Both Poppy and I looked at him in alarm.
He sighed. "Blocking the Dark Lord's Curse. Before it could hit
me."
I felt embarrassed. "You'd already saved me. Stopped me from
drowning. And I didn't thank you for it either."
"That was after you'd gotten both of us away from the Death Eaters
and out of the falling tower," he said.
"You stood between me and the Dark Lord!" I pointed out. "Which
was exceptionally stupid of you. I'm grateful, of course. But if you'd
had any sense you would have taken Callandra and left me."
Black's eyes became haunted. "You'd have been worse than dead,
Filch. I couldn't do that."
His pale eyes were full of shadows. Harry had told me a great deal
about Sirius. His godfather was innocent of betraying James and Lily,
but he still blamed himself for their deaths at the Dark Lord's hands.
The expression on his face distressed me. Of course I didn't miss
the mischievous Marauding brat he'd been, but I didn't want to see him
looking like he was in the company of Dementors either.
"All right," I muttered, gruffly. "It's not a Quidditch match. No
one's keeping score."
"Thank you for trusting me, even after you knew who I was," Sirius
Black added, very quietly. He took his dog form and we left the hospital
wing together.
*******
"Neville really thinks that he's a Squib!" Callandra's voice was
astonished.
Callandra's next test was scheduled to be with Hagrid, for Care of
Magical Creatures. Hagrid was still teaching a class at the moment.
The girl was waiting for him, sitting with Black and me, in the
grass near Hagrid's hut. Her ebony hair was in a different pattern than
it had been on the day I'd met her; many small braids wound carefully
together in a pretty twist at the nape of her neck.
Both her new hairstyle and her grave expression made the child
look older than her fifteen years.
"Maybe you can convince him otherwise," I said. "Merlin knows,
I've tried."
"He'd believe us if he could only *feel* how much magic he has in
him," Callandra said, wistfully. "I never knew that feeling magic is
just, you know... a Squib thing. I thought everyone could do it."
"I did too." I told her.
"Neville's great Uncle actually pushed him off the end of
Blackpool pier!" Callandra said, indignantly. "Nearly drowned him! Can
you imagine? Neville's so brave about things like that. Mum always sent
anyone who wanted to `cure' me packing. I'm glad that my family didn't
treat me like Neville's family treated him. Even though he says that
they really meant well."
Her voice got softer. "I'm sure, if his Mum and Dad could be with
Neville, they would *never* have let anyone hurt him."
Her protective tone made me smile.
Callandra stroked the Animagus, who blinked at her, sleepily.
Black's slow walk around the Castle grounds had really tired him out.
"I can't believe I'm really going to be allowed to come here..."
Callandra said. "I keep expecting to wake up and find out that it's been
a dream. A very pleasant dream, after a nightmare..." she added, with a
shiver.
I watched her deliberately push all thoughts of the Death Eaters
away. "Mum and Dad say that I'll be safe here," she murmured, half to
herself. "The Headmaster says so too. I thought I'd be afraid of him,
but he's so kind. He told me that the things I can do are really rare
gifts."
She was biting her lip. "I'm not scared of Professor Dumbledore,
but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't afraid at all. I've always
thought I had no magic. What if the Headmaster was just being kind to
me, Mr. Filch?"
She took a deep breath. "The Potions Master tested me today. He's
every bit as frightening as Neville said he was!" She shivered. "I think
I did all right. At least I did everything that he told me to do, in the
proper order, with all the right measurements. I think the potion came
out the way it was supposed to. But he didn't say anything when I'd
finished."
"If he didn't say anything, then you must have done well," I said.
"Professor Snape certainly would have let you hear about your mistakes."
I wondered if Callandra would ever learn how Severus had risked
his life to save her. I wished that I could tell her.
"Professor Snape does smell rather nice for such a terrifying
man," Callandra said, thoughtfully. "Like strawberries with a bit of
orange or lemon peel added."
My eyes widened. The glamour! She'd described the scent of it,
exactly. She did not seem to know what she was sensing though, and I
couldn't tell her about that either. I sighed.
"Mr. Filch? May I ask you something? The Castle looks normal to me
now, but the first time I came through the gates with Mum and Dad, for
the party, I saw two images. One was the Castle like it really is..."
"And the other?" I asked her, "Was it almost a ghost-image? The
Castle as a ruin? The way Muggles are supposed to see Hogwarts?"
She nodded vigorously. "Yes! Oh, I was afraid to tell anyone! The
first time you ever came here, did you...?"
"Yes," I said, quietly, remembering my own initial glimpse of the
Castle, years and years ago. I'd been sick with fright, thinking that it
must mean that I was practically a Muggle.
"I've never told anyone either. Too afraid," I confessed. "Now, I
believe that all it really means is that we know the spell's there."
"You've probably been reacting to magic all your life," I
continued, my voice quivering a bit. "Spells can make you sneeze or
itch. They can make you see things that no one else around you seems to
notice are there."
Callandra nodded, brown eyes wide and serious.
My voice got a little firmer. "I'm sure that there will be people
here who will question your right to be a student. Try to remember what
the Headmaster told you. You do have magic gifts, Callandra. Not the
same gifts as the other students. But rare and precious ones,
nonetheless."
Deep in conversation, neither Callandra nor I had heard Hagrid
approaching til his huge shadow fell across us.
"I'm ready for yeh now." Hagrid said, cheerfully. His huge hand
was outstretched to help the girl to her feet. "Don't be afraid. Yeh'll
do alrig'."
Callandra might have been afraid. But she stood up, straight and
proud, her hand in his.
"I'm ready," she said.
END OF CHAPTER THREE
********
Author's Notes:
Alchemine: Thank you!!
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! The question of what the Sorting Hat will do
with Callandra will be dealt with eventually.
ThePet: Thank you!!
WG: Thank you!! If Draco decides not to follow his father's path, it
wouldn't be because he's just afraid of the risks and the pain.
Slytherins "use any means to achieve their ends" and will probably
endure any amount of pain or take any risk as long as the eventual prize
is worth it. Snape is trying to get Draco to realize that the "prize" of
serving the Dark Lord isn't worth the cost.
The kittens are here. Gehenna's sister Lilith will probably show up next
chapter. Gehenna will appear eventually, since she's getting a kitten
too.
There's an excellent story by Andolyn called "Muggle." The story's
heroine is a strong woman who finds herself mixed up in the Wizarding
World, but remains uncowed by the magical folk. HLB wrote a story called
"Pesky Muggle" about a woman who accidentally goes through the platform
at Kings Cross. Another excellent story.
Ezra: Thank you!! (And thank you for telling me about "Bitter
Reflections!") Excellent point that Snape is not the only force guiding
his young Slytherins. If they fall to the Dark, it's not all his fault.
He's the last hope to save the ones who come from Death Eater families,
and he feels the responsibility very strongly.
Melodie: Thank you! I'm planning to have some second year Slytherins
show up in the next chapter. (Just so Callandra will know that not all
Slytherins are scary.)
Gramayre: Thank you!!
RowanRhys: Thank you!!
Quoth the Raven: Thank you!! My son's learning disabilities are
invisible handicaps but other children still perceived the differences
in him and treated him very cruelly, especially when he was younger. His
classes were a mixture of "mainstream" and "special ed." The special ed
classes were a much better environment for him. His classes have gotten
more mainstreamed as he's gotten older, with mixed results. Some other
kids still treat him badly, but most of the kids who have known him for
years don't. Being treated badly still hurts, even if not as many people
are doing it.
I'm sorry about what both you and your sister Nicole went through. I
remember wanting to slap other children who were verbally abusing my
son. Especially since (in one particularly memorable instance) the other
kid's mother was *right there* and didn't even seem aware of what a
little b*st*rd her son was being. I dragged my son away from hers, too
angry to say anything.
RioRaptor: Thank you!! Argus would be stunned if he ever realized that
he's got anything in common with The Boy Who Lived.
Demeter: Thank you!! Like you, I'm hoping that Rowling will show that
Slytherin House is not entirely made up of Death Eaters. I did hear a
rumor, about Harry and Draco teaming up in one of the later books, so
this gives me a reason to be optimistic. Yes, if Snape can save Draco,
it will almost certainly mean that he can also save Pansy, Crabbe and
Goyle, since they are all loyal to Draco.
Even if poor Draco "falls" he may not be lost forever. The path that
Severus took is still open to him. (In fact, one of the paths that I can
see Draco deliberately choosing, is to be a "double-agent," determined
to save both his father and Snape. I've got some fragmentary scene ideas
for this, but no real fleshed out story yet.)
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!
Elspeth: Thank you!! You describe Snape's dilemma with Draco very well.
Snape would like nothing better than to tell him not to make the same
mistakes he made. But would Draco listen? Snape has to make Draco SEE on
his own, that following Voldemort is the wrong path.
UnrepententReader: Thank you!!
Jelsemium: Thank you!! I loved your scene between Sirius and Poppy!
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma
a Sequel to "To Save A Squib"
Chapter 3: New Arrivals
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling
The large chestnut wardrobe in my bedroom usually contains only my
brown coat, my shirts and breeches; also brown, and the bottle green
tailcoat that I wear on special occasions. There's plenty of room at the
bottom of the wardrobe for a cardboard nesting box with a mother cat and
a litter of four kittens. A fifth kitten would be joining us
momentarily.
A few weeks earlier, Hermione Granger had helped me cut the box so
that the sides were high enough to keep small, curious kittens inside
but low enough to permit their mother to come and go. The box was lined
with many soft, absorbent cloths. Birth is a messy business.
Poppy and Hermione had both seemed to know that tonight was the
night that Mrs. Norris would have her kittens. Poppy had told me to keep
a close watch on my cat when I'd visited the hospital wing earlier this
evening. And Hermione, who'd been keeping track of the days, had said in
very serious tones, "it's day sixty three, Mr. Filch!" just before I'd
dismissed the Gryffindors from their detention.
Mrs. Norris had approved of both the nesting box and its location.
I'd known that Hermione and Poppy were right when my cat had chosen to
sleep in there instead of on the bed beside me.
I'd taken my pillow and a blanket to lie on the floor near the
open wardrobe, so I could wait with her.
Her labor had begun in the middle of the night. The sky outside my
window was beginning to lighten as kitten number five joined her
brothers and sisters.
Each kitten was duly weighed, measured, and the resulting
information was entered into the ledger that Hermione had given me. My
writing was awkward and messy because of my injured right arm and hand,
but still readable.
Number six, who arrived about fifteen minutes after number five,
seemed determined to enter the world the tail first. (Numbers two and
three had also been breech births.) Fortunately this one, like the
others, emerged without too much additional difficulty.
Around twenty minutes later, a seventh kitten emerged. Poor Mrs.
Norris had not yet settled down to nurse her babies. After another ten
minutes had passed and number eight was born, she finally relaxed.
Mrs. Norris blinked her golden eyes at me, looking quite relieved.
"That's over!" she was clearly thinking. I stroked and praised her. She
was my brave one, my beautiful one, such a wonderful mother!
While removing the soiled cloths and towels from the nesting box
and replacing them with fresh, clean ones, I praised the kittens too.
Newborn kittens resemble blind, deaf, floppy rats, but Mrs. Norris
might have clawed my nose off if I had not said kind things about her
darlings.
I'd remembered the fear and sorrow connected with Mrs. Norris's
previous litter of kittens. But I'd forgotten the joy, and how the sight
of them could squeeze my heart. They were so frighteningly vulnerable.
Three tiny queens; all various shades of grey, and five tiny toms. Two
of the toms were ginger-colored like Crookshanks, their father. One tom
was grey, one was a patch-work of ginger and black, and the last one was
completely black.
While Mrs. Norris washed and nursed her brood, I made a note of
each kitten's gender and coloring. My handwriting grew progressively
messier, but I wanted to write everything down for Hermione.
I knew that it would be at least two weeks before I could allow
anyone else to view the kittens, even briefly. Mrs. Norris had been very
firm on that point the last time she'd had kittens. This time would
probably be no different. An exception would be Madam Pomfrey, who would
come in a few days to Charm the kittens against the illnesses that they
would otherwise be vulnerable to.
Hermione had been disappointed about the two week wait, but she'd
seemed to understand. I was determined to keep careful notes until she
was allowed to see the kittens for herself.
The other children who'd asked for kittens would have to be
patient too. I'd explained to each of them that it was Mrs. Norris that
they needed to convince, not me. The best I could do was try to put in a
good word for them.
Everyone knew that Ginny Weasley would be getting one of the
kittens. Mrs. Norris and I were very fond of Ginny. Colin Creevey had
wanted two kittens; one for himself and one for his brother, Dennis.
Mrs. Norris had seemed receptive to both boys. I was glad, though the
thought of Mrs. Norris's kittens being "fixed" the Muggle way did upset
me. (I hoped that Colin and Dennis could convince their parents that
Charms were an effective method for preventing unplanned kittens.
Strange as it may seem, Muggles seem to put more faith in their own
methods, even when their children are wizards.)
Lilith and Gehenna Morgan, two small sisters from Slytherin, had
also asked for a pair of kittens. Mrs. Norris had seemed inclined to
grant their request. Hannah Abbot was the last among those that Mrs.
Norris had clearly chosen to receive a kitten. That meant six kittens
were spoken for, and two still needed homes.
Other children had asked for kittens, so I wasn't worried about
the last two being unwanted.
The sun was completely up now and I was exhausted. Curling up on
the floor again, I was lulled into a peaceful doze by the sound of
contented maternal purring coming from the nesting box.
Suddenly, small strong hands were shaking my shoulders. Blearily,
I opened my eyes to find myself face to face with a house-elf.
"Mr. Filch is not at breakfast!" Dobby said. "And Hermione Granger
is wanting to know, is kittens born yet?" The elf grinned broadly.
"See for yourself," I yawned. "Please tell Hermione that she's a
"gran" now, eight times over."
*******
Mrs. Norris was well supplied with food and water. What she and
the kittens needed most now was peace and quiet.
Delivering kittens and writing everything down had taken their
toll on my right hand and arm. I'd ignored the pain for as long as I
could, but now I decided to go and see Poppy.
Someone, either Dobby or Hermione (probably both) had spread the
news. The corridors were full of children on their way to classes. I was
congratulated many times on my way to the hospital wing.
After adding her congratulations to those I'd already gotten, and
listening to a detailed account of each delivery, Poppy checked my arm
and hand. She reassured me that my injuries were mending nicely. Then
she gave me a slightly stronger than usual pain-killing potion.
Sirius Black also appeared to be mending. The Animagus was now
able to limp restlessly around the hospital wing in his human form,
which he was currently wearing since Poppy and I were the only ones in
the ward with him.
The Animagus had listened to me while I'd described the kittens'
arrival. He'd smiled and congratulated me, though he was clearly
preoccupied about something.
"It's Snape," Black growled, when I asked him what was wrong. "You
know what he did. He gave every Gryffindor fifth year detention last
night! The greasy GIT."
"He's not a git," I said, automatically. "He was sore and cranky.
It made him bad tempered."
The Animagus snorted.
"Even more bad tempered than usual," I amended.
"You always did take his side." Black folded his arms across his
chest.
"Perhaps I'm defending Severus because he never once put dungbombs
in my desk. Or used sticking-curses on my broom cupboard doorknobs. Or
hexed my mops. Or turned my wash-water into Mrs. Skower's flavored
custard and set the pail up to fall on me. Or blew up my office toilet
with fireworks," I replied, somewhat testily.
Black's grin was rueful. The expression made his gaunt face look
younger, a bit more like the incorrigible brat that I remembered.
"Please accept my belated apologies," he said. "Blowing up the
toilet was really an accident. We were trying to flush away the
evidence..."
I sighed. "Did Potter tell you about the detention?"
"Yes, I got that much out of him. He wasn't the one who told me it
was Snape who'd given it, though."
"He's wise beyond his years, that boy," I murmured. "How did you
find out if Harry wouldn't say?""
Poppy answered. "He overheard that bit of gossip from Callandra
Moffit. She was in here with her parents this morning."
"Is Callandra all right?" I asked, anxiously.
Poppy nodded. "I only needed to examine her, and ask her Mum and
Dad for some information about any of her past health problems."
I sighed. Squibs usually have longer and more complicated health
records that most proper witches and wizards do.
"I needed the information for her school records," Poppy said.
"Her s-school records...?" I asked. "She's going to be a student
at Hogwarts then?
Poppy smiled. "Albus was making arrangements with her parents
yesterday. Today Callandra is going to be tested by each Professor to
see which subjects she'll be able to manage best, and to which degree."
Potter had been right!! I knew that I was grinning like a fool,
but I hardly cared.
Madam Pomfrey turned to the Animagus. "Whatever you're planning to
do to Severus, don't!" She said, sternly. "I was thinking of allowing
you to take a walk today, but if I can't trust you to be good..."
Black gave her an innocent, decidedly puppy-eyed look. "I'll
behave, I swear!"
"I'll take him for a walk right now and make sure of it," I
promised Poppy. "We'll go outside. He won't be anywhere near Severus."
I thought that Black would object to me walking with him, but the
Animagus did not seem to mind. He must have been terribly bored.
Black was studying me, gravely. "Filch. I never thanked you for
what you did. Blocking Vol..."
Both Poppy and I looked at him in alarm.
He sighed. "Blocking the Dark Lord's Curse. Before it could hit
me."
I felt embarrassed. "You'd already saved me. Stopped me from
drowning. And I didn't thank you for it either."
"That was after you'd gotten both of us away from the Death Eaters
and out of the falling tower," he said.
"You stood between me and the Dark Lord!" I pointed out. "Which
was exceptionally stupid of you. I'm grateful, of course. But if you'd
had any sense you would have taken Callandra and left me."
Black's eyes became haunted. "You'd have been worse than dead,
Filch. I couldn't do that."
His pale eyes were full of shadows. Harry had told me a great deal
about Sirius. His godfather was innocent of betraying James and Lily,
but he still blamed himself for their deaths at the Dark Lord's hands.
The expression on his face distressed me. Of course I didn't miss
the mischievous Marauding brat he'd been, but I didn't want to see him
looking like he was in the company of Dementors either.
"All right," I muttered, gruffly. "It's not a Quidditch match. No
one's keeping score."
"Thank you for trusting me, even after you knew who I was," Sirius
Black added, very quietly. He took his dog form and we left the hospital
wing together.
*******
"Neville really thinks that he's a Squib!" Callandra's voice was
astonished.
Callandra's next test was scheduled to be with Hagrid, for Care of
Magical Creatures. Hagrid was still teaching a class at the moment.
The girl was waiting for him, sitting with Black and me, in the
grass near Hagrid's hut. Her ebony hair was in a different pattern than
it had been on the day I'd met her; many small braids wound carefully
together in a pretty twist at the nape of her neck.
Both her new hairstyle and her grave expression made the child
look older than her fifteen years.
"Maybe you can convince him otherwise," I said. "Merlin knows,
I've tried."
"He'd believe us if he could only *feel* how much magic he has in
him," Callandra said, wistfully. "I never knew that feeling magic is
just, you know... a Squib thing. I thought everyone could do it."
"I did too." I told her.
"Neville's great Uncle actually pushed him off the end of
Blackpool pier!" Callandra said, indignantly. "Nearly drowned him! Can
you imagine? Neville's so brave about things like that. Mum always sent
anyone who wanted to `cure' me packing. I'm glad that my family didn't
treat me like Neville's family treated him. Even though he says that
they really meant well."
Her voice got softer. "I'm sure, if his Mum and Dad could be with
Neville, they would *never* have let anyone hurt him."
Her protective tone made me smile.
Callandra stroked the Animagus, who blinked at her, sleepily.
Black's slow walk around the Castle grounds had really tired him out.
"I can't believe I'm really going to be allowed to come here..."
Callandra said. "I keep expecting to wake up and find out that it's been
a dream. A very pleasant dream, after a nightmare..." she added, with a
shiver.
I watched her deliberately push all thoughts of the Death Eaters
away. "Mum and Dad say that I'll be safe here," she murmured, half to
herself. "The Headmaster says so too. I thought I'd be afraid of him,
but he's so kind. He told me that the things I can do are really rare
gifts."
She was biting her lip. "I'm not scared of Professor Dumbledore,
but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't afraid at all. I've always
thought I had no magic. What if the Headmaster was just being kind to
me, Mr. Filch?"
She took a deep breath. "The Potions Master tested me today. He's
every bit as frightening as Neville said he was!" She shivered. "I think
I did all right. At least I did everything that he told me to do, in the
proper order, with all the right measurements. I think the potion came
out the way it was supposed to. But he didn't say anything when I'd
finished."
"If he didn't say anything, then you must have done well," I said.
"Professor Snape certainly would have let you hear about your mistakes."
I wondered if Callandra would ever learn how Severus had risked
his life to save her. I wished that I could tell her.
"Professor Snape does smell rather nice for such a terrifying
man," Callandra said, thoughtfully. "Like strawberries with a bit of
orange or lemon peel added."
My eyes widened. The glamour! She'd described the scent of it,
exactly. She did not seem to know what she was sensing though, and I
couldn't tell her about that either. I sighed.
"Mr. Filch? May I ask you something? The Castle looks normal to me
now, but the first time I came through the gates with Mum and Dad, for
the party, I saw two images. One was the Castle like it really is..."
"And the other?" I asked her, "Was it almost a ghost-image? The
Castle as a ruin? The way Muggles are supposed to see Hogwarts?"
She nodded vigorously. "Yes! Oh, I was afraid to tell anyone! The
first time you ever came here, did you...?"
"Yes," I said, quietly, remembering my own initial glimpse of the
Castle, years and years ago. I'd been sick with fright, thinking that it
must mean that I was practically a Muggle.
"I've never told anyone either. Too afraid," I confessed. "Now, I
believe that all it really means is that we know the spell's there."
"You've probably been reacting to magic all your life," I
continued, my voice quivering a bit. "Spells can make you sneeze or
itch. They can make you see things that no one else around you seems to
notice are there."
Callandra nodded, brown eyes wide and serious.
My voice got a little firmer. "I'm sure that there will be people
here who will question your right to be a student. Try to remember what
the Headmaster told you. You do have magic gifts, Callandra. Not the
same gifts as the other students. But rare and precious ones,
nonetheless."
Deep in conversation, neither Callandra nor I had heard Hagrid
approaching til his huge shadow fell across us.
"I'm ready for yeh now." Hagrid said, cheerfully. His huge hand
was outstretched to help the girl to her feet. "Don't be afraid. Yeh'll
do alrig'."
Callandra might have been afraid. But she stood up, straight and
proud, her hand in his.
"I'm ready," she said.
END OF CHAPTER THREE
********
Author's Notes:
Alchemine: Thank you!!
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! The question of what the Sorting Hat will do
with Callandra will be dealt with eventually.
ThePet: Thank you!!
WG: Thank you!! If Draco decides not to follow his father's path, it
wouldn't be because he's just afraid of the risks and the pain.
Slytherins "use any means to achieve their ends" and will probably
endure any amount of pain or take any risk as long as the eventual prize
is worth it. Snape is trying to get Draco to realize that the "prize" of
serving the Dark Lord isn't worth the cost.
The kittens are here. Gehenna's sister Lilith will probably show up next
chapter. Gehenna will appear eventually, since she's getting a kitten
too.
There's an excellent story by Andolyn called "Muggle." The story's
heroine is a strong woman who finds herself mixed up in the Wizarding
World, but remains uncowed by the magical folk. HLB wrote a story called
"Pesky Muggle" about a woman who accidentally goes through the platform
at Kings Cross. Another excellent story.
Ezra: Thank you!! (And thank you for telling me about "Bitter
Reflections!") Excellent point that Snape is not the only force guiding
his young Slytherins. If they fall to the Dark, it's not all his fault.
He's the last hope to save the ones who come from Death Eater families,
and he feels the responsibility very strongly.
Melodie: Thank you! I'm planning to have some second year Slytherins
show up in the next chapter. (Just so Callandra will know that not all
Slytherins are scary.)
Gramayre: Thank you!!
RowanRhys: Thank you!!
Quoth the Raven: Thank you!! My son's learning disabilities are
invisible handicaps but other children still perceived the differences
in him and treated him very cruelly, especially when he was younger. His
classes were a mixture of "mainstream" and "special ed." The special ed
classes were a much better environment for him. His classes have gotten
more mainstreamed as he's gotten older, with mixed results. Some other
kids still treat him badly, but most of the kids who have known him for
years don't. Being treated badly still hurts, even if not as many people
are doing it.
I'm sorry about what both you and your sister Nicole went through. I
remember wanting to slap other children who were verbally abusing my
son. Especially since (in one particularly memorable instance) the other
kid's mother was *right there* and didn't even seem aware of what a
little b*st*rd her son was being. I dragged my son away from hers, too
angry to say anything.
RioRaptor: Thank you!! Argus would be stunned if he ever realized that
he's got anything in common with The Boy Who Lived.
Demeter: Thank you!! Like you, I'm hoping that Rowling will show that
Slytherin House is not entirely made up of Death Eaters. I did hear a
rumor, about Harry and Draco teaming up in one of the later books, so
this gives me a reason to be optimistic. Yes, if Snape can save Draco,
it will almost certainly mean that he can also save Pansy, Crabbe and
Goyle, since they are all loyal to Draco.
Even if poor Draco "falls" he may not be lost forever. The path that
Severus took is still open to him. (In fact, one of the paths that I can
see Draco deliberately choosing, is to be a "double-agent," determined
to save both his father and Snape. I've got some fragmentary scene ideas
for this, but no real fleshed out story yet.)
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!
Elspeth: Thank you!! You describe Snape's dilemma with Draco very well.
Snape would like nothing better than to tell him not to make the same
mistakes he made. But would Draco listen? Snape has to make Draco SEE on
his own, that following Voldemort is the wrong path.
UnrepententReader: Thank you!!
Jelsemium: Thank you!! I loved your scene between Sirius and Poppy!