Chapter Twenty-Four

Transition

As the holiday finally came to a close, no one seemed more relieved of it than Alexandria and Aurelius. Their father had the audacity to quite unwisely give his wife a camera for Christmas on the condition that he did not become one of her victims. The four children, it seemed, were exempt from this rule, so after the first couple of days of posing for fun, they found themselves doing everything in their power to escape her attempts at candid shots and the nerve-wracking flashes that came day and night, even once when they were sleeping.

On top of that, Aurelius found it impossible to sleep in his own room. Whenever his father got brave enough to try a simple chord on his new instrument, it was always done in his office in the second basement, which was right next door. In fact, Severus went out of his way to hide the fact to the rest of the world that he had been attempting to use it since Christmas morning, when Anna had made a reference to someone named Jack Benny. Aurelius had no clue who it was, nor did he know if his father did, but whoever or whatever, Severus had huffed off and had kept it a private matter ever since… except, unfortunately, to Aurelius, who finally gave up and moved back into Andrew's room.

Aurelius thought that Alex was going to kiss the train as she got on, and she did make an exaggerated attempt to hug it before she began searching for her friends.

"I never thought I'd be this happy to get back to school! I don't know what's been worse lately, trying to live with them as parents, or trying to live with them as professors!" Alex declared.

"I think that's still up in the air," Aurelius agreed, nodding to Rose who was beckoning them in a compartment.

"Alex! I brought your gift with me!" Rose said excitedly, pulling her in. "I'm going to put the Elf Willow in it. However did you know that I wanted it?"

"It was a flower pot, who else would want it?" Aurelius asked, getting hit in the arm by his sister.

"Mister Toby suggested it, he said that you seemed to like it," Alex said.

"Wow, all of those customers, and he remembered?" Rose said impressed. "I will have to thank him next time I go into his shop. Anyhow, I suppose you heard the news? We found out Christmas morning, I can't believe it."

"What news?" Alex said, sitting by her excited friend. Stock, who had been wandering the halls, saw them and waltzed in, sitting down.

"They caught the goblins who tried to kidnap me! They were the same ones that tried to rob the bank! But Athos was there to stop them, of course… he and his friends. Isn't that just poetic justice, after what those goblins put them through? I hear Athos even took the leader single handed!" Rose said proudly.

"Yes, I'm sure it was a difficult fight, four against three and all that," Aurelius said, completely unimpressed.

"Goblins are ferocious fighters. You'd know that if you were studying the revolts in history like we were," Rose said solemnly. "It was a good thing Auror Potter and Mr. Black had sense enough to hire them, or perhaps they wouldn't have been caught! My mother thinks that if they hadn't, it might have started another war. But I guess the goblins they caught already have an iffy reputation even with their own kind, marked as radicals or something. Minister Weasley is trying to smooth things over with the goblins by having them participate in the proceedings and all."

"But Rose, how are they going to testify? I mean, those four are just normal wizards in a masquerade. They couldn't risk standing up in court or anything, because they'd have to declare their true identities," Stock pointed out.

"I expect Harry will probably be the one doing the talking," Alex said. "No one would question his integrity."

"Hello everyone!" Mandria smiled and stepped in, getting a warm greeting all around. "Survived the holiday I see."

"We spent the first few days under house arrest," Alex admitted, "but after that it went okay. You?"

"The same," Mandria sighed. "My parents suggested that perhaps I ought to stay away from you both for awhile, actually. Then I pointed out that the only way I could stay away from you, Alex, was to ditch class or change houses, so they dropped it."

"I can't believe how much you all let your parents bully you around so much. If my parents tried to tell me something like that, I'd cut their allowance, court order or not," Stock said.

"Still having troubles divorcing them?" Aurelius inquired.

"They're stalling it again," Stock sighed. "Their counselor wants detailed instances of how my parents are damaging my well being. Well, if trying to bleed off all my future investments just so they can take it easy isn't damaging, I don't know what is."

"Anyone have a bottle of Bug-Be-Gone potion?" Alex said. "I think we've just been infested by something."

"Come now, how would you feel if all the sudden your parents started leeching off money out of whatever you have saved?" Stock asked.

"Our parents wouldn't do that," Alex snapped.

"Well, there you are, mine would," Stock said. It was then that the train began to pull out of the station, and Aurelius frowned.

"Where is Heph at?"

"Oh, I saw him when I came in, he's sitting with Xavier," Stock said casually. "Something's up with him. I guess Xavier had some sort of trouble over the holiday, curse threats and the like. Dunno why."

"I can guess why," Alex said, getting up. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"Go right ahead if you like, I'm going to read this new book you gave me," Mandria said.

"We'll save your seat," Rose agreed.

"I know neither of you trust him," Alex sighed, "but still he is a friend, and if he's in trouble, I'm going. Rel?"

"Going," Aurelius said, standing up and peering quizzically at Stock.

"Staying," Stock said, "It'll give me a chance to get to know the girls a bit." Rose and Mandria looked up, not impressed with that idea.

Xavier was sitting only a few compartments down, and only Heph was with him. Both of them were quietly looking out the window when Alex and Aurelius arrived. Xavier studied the two Snapes at the door for a long moment, before finally turning to Heph.

"Find another seat. I want to talk to these two alone," he said expressionlessly. For whatever reason, Heph didn't argue, nodding once and making his way past, glancing at Aurelius before heading out. "And slide the door closed."

"Are you all right?" Alex asked. "Stock said you had a rough holiday."

"Things are not well at home," Xavier said, glancing between them. "But considering your family's history, perhaps you would understand what it's like living in a shadow that doesn't want to go away."

"You are related to Yardley Platt," Aurelius said, sitting in front of him.

"Nearly five hundred years ago, when things between goblins and wizards were as shaky as they are now, one of my ancestors took it upon himself to try to exterminate the race single handedly. So brutal were the killings, so long did it take them to track him down, that even now the name brings a swift reaction from any goblin. They do not forget or forgive, and no Platt dares set foot in Myrkinbrek for fear of the consequences."

"I'm surprised Gringotts lets you vault there, if that is their sentiment," Alex said.

"They don't," Xavier said, waving off the comment before Alex made it. "Yes, I know what I tell people, but that's because no one worth their salt would use the Muggle bank system if they could help it. Aurelius can tell you as a Slytherin one is expected to keep up certain appearances, and if it's all the same to you, I'd rather you not speak of the dirty money to my housemates."

"Then you're not really well off either?" Alex asked.

"Oh, no, we are that. The part about buying into Bertie Botts before it hit the exchange was true. Of course, the reason we did it was merely because we can't buy on the Goblin Exchange at all, so our bad reputation actually gave my family a lucky break. Before that, we were in rather dire circumstances, and almost moved to another country altogether."

"If the goblins were troubling your family so much after all this time, why didn't you just change your name?" Aurelius asked.

"Why didn't the Craws change theirs after the massacres of Mallus Craw?" Xavier asked seriously.

"Craw is a very proud family," Aurelius said.

"So is mine," Xavier said. "And many of my family also think the only true crime Yardley committed was passing on the line, cursing us with his mission. The hatred the goblins have had for us has hardly been unreciprocated. But whether or not the rest of the family hates goblins like my ancestor is a moot point. When someone hates you for long enough, sooner or later you start to hate them, and it's been going on in my family for nearly five hundred years. Everyone keeps talking about this big threat of war. As far as I'm concerned, the war's been going on since the revolts, so it's a bit late to be worrying about it now." Aurelius and Alexandria looked at one another thoughtfully. "The goblins are expecting my family to be one of the first to jump in if fighting starts," Xavier said. "It wouldn't matter if we tried to stay out of it. The goblins would come and slaughter us all to keep us from killing them first. I just hope I'm not at school when it happens. I'd rather not face it alone."

"Do you hate them?" Alex asked softly just as the silence fell once more.

"I hate everything," Xavier said tersely. "But mostly I hate anyone foolish enough to think that we are any better than they are. If we were, we wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

There was a brisk knock on the door and Horus slid it open, his eyes looking over Xavier with open scrutiny.

"You're wanted in the front coach," Horus said to Xavier. "We're having a little chat with some housemates that we need your input on."

"Fine. I am done here anyhow," Xavier said, standing up and straightening his cuffs with his normal air of dignity, following Horus out. Alex looked at her brother worriedly.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" she asked.

"Horus didn't call him back there for no reason," Aurelius mused. "Slytherin takes care of its own. Hopefully Xavier will soon remember that, now that we're back in school."

"Well, there is one thing I am sure of, Rel. I don't think Xavier or his family had anything to do with the cup being missing. They had no reason to take it. Their war never ended," Alex said.

"I believe you are right," Aurelius murmured.

"Rel, do you suppose… well, the families of the Death Eaters that grandfather killed. Do you suppose they spite us as well?" Alex asked.

"Grandfather did what he did in retaliation for what they did to him, grandmother… everyone," Aurelius said. "His certainly wasn't an act of genocide, or hatred against a race."

"No, but what the Death Eaters were trying to do was," Alex mused. "And everyone feared them, rather like the goblins feared Yardly Platt, I would think. If Voldemort had children, how do you suppose they would be treated? Or Adolf Hitler?"

"You know what, Alexandria," Aurelius said, getting up. "You talk too much. Let's go sit with the others so I can hear someone else for a change."

The others, it seemed, were busy joking quite loudly over the futility of the desks to pigs Transfiguration spell, and Aurelius was for once glad to participate in the nonsensical subject.


It always took a few weeks to get back into normal routines at Hogwarts. Students were busy showing off their Christmas presents or at least talking about them; or trying to hide them from Mr. Filch who stalked the halls specifically looking for any contraband that might have snuck into the school without him knowing it.

Lesson plans were laid out, tests set up, schedules redone and lots drawn to find out who's turn it was to do OWLS. and NEWT testing. On the extra curriculum front, the sparring tournament had to be set up, Quidditch practices resumed, and the newspaper staff got in full swing for its next publication.

It then seemed to the entire faculty that a mere blink of an eye had past before Dumbledore was standing before them in the staff room in his best robes, his favorite hat, and a long warm overcoat. To either side of him stood Minerva and Severus, both gazing at him serenely, while the faculty as a whole was unusually somber.

"My goodness, you act as if I am going away forever. It is only for a few months," Dumbledore protested. "And I am leaving you in the most capable hands of Minerva and Severus, although I hope that you will all give them as much support as they need during my absence. I'm not sure even Minerva is aware of exactly how much is in store for them," he joked.

"I'm aware," Minerva said with a wry smile.

"They are also aware of who to contact if they need to get hold of me in an emergency, although I have no way of knowing just how quickly I would be able to respond to such a contact," Dumbledore admitted. "You are, without question, the best staff I have ever had, and I am quite sure that no matter what is thrown at this school from this point until Halloween that whatever decisions you make will be in the best interests of this school. We have all been through quite a lot together, and although for me it'll seem like a mere afternoon, I know that I will miss very deeply the time we will not get to spend together."

"Have a good trip, Professor," Hermione murmured.

"Have a very relaxing day, Professor," Danny added.

"Give our regards to Merlin, sir," Jennifer put in.

"I do hope he doesn't tire of my talking about you," Dumbledore smiled mischievously. "As much as I want to hear his own tales, I have one or two I would definitely like to tell him about. I will see you all next year."

With that he politely nodded his head and headed out the door without looking back, Minerva and Severus following somberly behind him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you to the Gate?" Severus asked for the fifth time that day.

"To the gates of Hogwarts, Severus, not a step farther," Dumbledore said. "Do not forget that someone must always be with the castle who knows its security, either you or Minerva, or in a pinch whoever you know you can trust with that information."

"I cleared most of my plans for the summer, Professor, you needn't worry about it," Minerva insisted.

"I do not worry about it, I worry about you," Dumbledore told her. "Severus, I am holding you personally responsible for making sure Minerva doesn't spend her entire holiday in the castle."

"Yes, sir."

"But that doesn't mean you forget your priorities, either. First family, then the school and then the rest of the world, unless one of the latter directly concerns the former," Dumbledore reminded him sternly.

"Of course, Professor," Severus said expressionlessly.

"I have kept a journal this year so that you don't have to bother popping around my untidy memories to find out what's been going on. There may be a blotted line here and there, but you need not concern yourself with anything you can't read; it only means you weren't meant to see it," Albus instructed. "Severus, would you do the honor of speaking on my behalf during the spring meeting of the Order of Merlin, and let them in on any events they need to know about?"

"Perhaps my wife should do the honors, sir, she's been a member much longer than I."

"I am not placing her in charge of this school, Severus, I am placing you and Minerva in charge. You will find that you will have different insights as an administrator than a teacher would over the same situation, so I would prefer it if you did," Dumbledore explained.

"I am hardly giving up teaching."

"I would not expect you to, Severus," Dumbledore said. "Any more than I would ask that of Minerva. Nevertheless, for the next ten months, like it or not, you are administration. I hope you will remember that anytime you need to deal with the board or someone asks you for aid in matters outside of the school. Any move you make, no matter how minute will be viewed as a move from the entire school and not just yourself. Oh, and one last thing. Have Minerva teach you how to play chess," he said. A smile crept along Minerva's face.

"I know how to play chess, Professor," Severus sighed with annoyance.

"Don't be so sure, Severus," Dumbledore smiled. They had stopped by the gate, facing each other in the chill evening, no one saying anything for a moment.

"I will be back before the end of the Halloween feast. Save me some pumpkin ice cream," Dumbledore requested. "I doubt they have any where I'm going."

"Take good care, Albus," Minerva said sincerely.

"And to you both," Dumbledore smiled. He turned then, just as before and walked straight away, skirting the lake as if he were merely on a long walk rather than a long visit. But when he arrived the other side of the lake, Dumbledore paused to look up at the castle and its twinkling lights, full of life and promise, reflected in the deep surrounding water.

"Dear Hogwarts. Keep safe all those within you while I'm gone. After all, they are your future, you know," Dumbledore murmured. Blinking a bit to clear his eyes, he turned once more, fading into the mist.