Chapter Thirteen

Fathers and Sons

Inside the gate to the Pitch, Aurelius was expecting the Slytherin team to turn on him for abandoning his position. He was just as surprised as the rest of them when Xavier turned on Henry.

"What the hell were you doing out there?" Xavier asked him.

"Winning the game," Henry said calmly. "I had to get Carey out of the way."

"I'm not talking about that and you know it. I don't care what you do to Minster when you're out there. You snapped Alex's broom."

"It was an accident… a real one. I was just going after the Snitch. It's not my fault she blundered into the way."

"You were supposed to be watching, you weren't, and if you hadn't cut in the pack when you had, you would have been on the right side to catch the Snitch before that point and wouldn't have had to cut her off. You're just lucky that we picked Snape up this year to clean up your messes for you," Xavier said. "If we're going to defeat those Gryffindors at the end of next month, we are going to need to pull this together, and that means listening to my instructions and actually carrying them out."

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You're only a fifth year," Henry said icily.

"I'm the captain," Xavier said coolly back. "And I'll have you all remember it." Xavier looked up then as he heard footsteps approach to see his father, Professor Snape and McGonagall heading towards them. A strange look had come over Professor Snape… a sense of déjà vu as he suddenly remembered another scene quite similar that had happened nearly ten years before.

"What an interesting game!" Damon declared, greeting them all with a gruff but genuine smile. "Amazing no one got seriously hurt, but then that's always true of Quidditch, isn't it? Good catch, Henry."

"Thank you sir," Henry said, avoiding Xavier's gaze.

"And you too, good catch, Mr. Snape," Damon said with a nod, "although it looked from our vantage point that you had to take a nasty blow to make that last save."

"I'm always taking bruises for this family," Aurelius said with a rueful smile.

"And causing his fair share," Severus agreed dryly.

"Mind if I talk to Xavier for a few moments before we head upstairs, Professors?"

"Of course, Mr. Platt. It will give me a chance to talk to mine as well," Severus agreed. Aurelius looked at him curiously, wondering what he'd done this time.

"I will show Mr. Platt up, Professor Snape," Minerva said, smiling approvingly at Aurelius as he followed reluctantly behind his father.

Severus was quiet as they passed through corridors busy with students coming from the game. He turned for the back stairwell while Aurelius walked beside him with his hands in his pockets. Finally as they headed up the stairs Aurelius couldn't take it any more, sighing with impatience.

"So what's on your mind, Father… Professor?" Aurelius asked, unsure which to use. Severus glanced over with a slight smirk, dulled by the solemn look in his eyes.

"The same thing that's been in both halves of my mind since the first of June," Severus said quietly. "I am debating whether or not to tell you something. In the meantime, I suppose I should say something about the game. Your mother would have been proud of the way you rescued your sister like you did."

"Are you sure she wouldn't have thought I had something to do with it?" Aurelius asked quietly. Severus smirked softly.

"Yes, and somehow managed not only to coordinate where your sister would be but control where the Snitch went," Severus said sarcastically. "She may have trouble reading you, Aurelius, but she would have no trouble reading Henry to find out what had happened."

"So you still believe she is alive?" Aurelius asked quietly.

"Don't you?" Severus asked with a serious expression, opening a pair of double doors and leading him into the Headmaster's Study.

"I don't know," Aurelius admitted.

"I suppose that's not all that surprising," Severus said with a sigh, sitting down tiredly. "Many times what we believe can be heavily influenced by what we fear. Was she kidnapped, is she dead, or perhaps she left because of one of us?" Aurelius looked uncomfortable. "And what, may I ask, happened to your theories on her losing her memory?"

"Well, they weren't mine, mainly they were Mr. Pyther's and Alicia's. The rest of us just tagged along to see the experiment."

"So you've met Roy Lockhart then?" Severus asked, his gaze steady. "And the paintings of Gilderoy as well, I assume."

"Yes, briefly. Rather nice man, really, although a bit shallow," Aurelius said. Severus snorted.

"Some things never change. And what about the paintings?"

"Who knows? All they would do is constantly talk about themselves," Aurelius said disdainfully. "Hard to believe it's the same man."

"He stayed in St. Mungo's for years," Severus murmured. "But as grim as the truth may be, I have found that when something you have been fearing finally happens to you, you begin to see things from a different perspective. The world still continues, there are still roads to travel for one's self and for others, and in that perpetual continuity that runs the universe, there is the constant presence of hope. Time heals all wounds."

Aurelius stared at his father not having a single solitary clue on what he might have meant by all of that.

"If your mother died tomorrow, it would be devastating to us. It would change us and none of us would never be the same. And I would lose the best part of my life… perhaps it is already gone," Severus said quietly. "But Jennifer would not be gone. You don't put years into something without it leaving a mark somewhere, and she has put years into Hogwarts. Generations of students will be affected by her work and pass it on. Not to mention the five of you… the one we raised as our own before we were ready for such a responsibility, and the four of you, planned, but not always behaving as planned. Jennifer, like most Craws, believes in family first and foremost, and I see those ideals in the four of you. I saw them today on the Pitch." Aurelius had trouble meeting his gaze then, nodding slightly and looking away, his eyes a bit glassy. "And now I am wondering if perhaps I can entrust you with a secret that will undoubtedly add a bit of burden to your life, but perhaps waylay that unfounded fear that you had anything to do with what happened."

"What sort of secret?" Aurelius asked carefully, looking back over at Severus. "Something you want me to keep in the Pact?"

"Interesting the way you use that term for your ability," Severus said thoughtfully. "Yes, but something I would rather you not share it with your siblings until we know more about what the consequences of what has occurred will be on the future."

"All right. It's not like they don't keep the same sort of things from me from time to time," Aurelius said, remembering Andrew's secret with Dumbledore.

"I have a feeling this one will be a bit more difficult," Severus said. "I'm going to tell you what happened to your mother."

Damon Platt gazed around the Headmaster's Study, lost in thought before he suddenly chuckled.

"It's been a long time since I've been in here," he said at last, accepting the offer to sit down. "I thought I was going to get expelled."

"So I recall," Minerva said dryly. "You and your brother were both quite a handful in those days."

"Yes, and now he is dead," Damon said. "Ten years ago and yet I remember it like yesterday. They never found the murderer, only the goblin dagger that was used. The Ministry, of course, said there wasn't enough evidence to prove that a goblin did, in fact, kill him. But I need not tell you that the war between my family and the families of his original goblin victims is legendary."

"Five hundred years of bloodshed over something that should have died with Yardley," Minerva replied with a nod.

"My wife and I could only have one child, and as you know, Xavier has hardly seen the poverty that my twin and I had growing up because of the feud," Damon said. "But that also means he is a prime target. He is the last of the Platt line, and if he dies, the family dies and we lose the war. But most importantly, I would lose my son."

"I am glad at least you have some decent sense of priority," Severus said.

"We've been able to shelter him from having to deal with the war most of his life, short of an occasional spitting in Diagon Alley if a goblin does happen to recognize us," Damon said dryly. "But his entry into this school and the events of the last few years between the goblins and the Ministry have changed that, and I think you probably agree that my concern for his safety is genuine."

"I can see why you are concerned, Damon. However, I would like to point out that Mr. Boulderdash has been the librarian here for quite some time now. He was hired long before Xavier came to the school, and no incidents have been reported as far as I know from either side."

"That was before the Ministry nearly went to war with the goblins," Damon snapped. "This conflict between the two sides is hardly over. We may have dodged the wand blast, but neither side is foolish enough to put away their wands. If someone fires, I guarantee it will not matter how 'docile' they have been in the past. The goblins will be at our throats, and as Platts, we will most certainly be the first victims. I do not want to lose my son, Professor. I will gladly pay the cost of wages to the librarian myself if you can convince him to take a vacation until Xavier is out of school." Severus nodded to Minerva, who then slipped out the door.

"Am I correct to understand that you believe avoidance is the best solution to keep your son safe?" Severus inquired. "What about once he gets out of school, Damon?"

"Well, hopefully by then you have done your job and shown him how to protect himself in the real world," Damon said.

"I applaud your faith in us. However, it didn't save your brother, did it?" Severus said expressionlessly. Damon paled a bit, staring at Severus in renewed dislike.

"One cannot always avoid a thrown knife at the back," Damon said icily.

"One can if one is facing their problems and not running from them."

"I have dealt with my problems in the past, Snape! It does nothing but bloody hands!" Damon barked.

"Violence in this case isn't a solution. It only feeds the nasty circle of vengeance you have going," Severus said calmly back.

"There is no other way," Damon said, shaking his head. "This is something you could not possibly understand."

"Don't be too sure," Severus said expressionlessly. "I've had plenty of first hand experience in what vengeance can do to people, including to myself. That is why last year I chose to do something to stop it before Xavier was pulled into this loop." He gestured at the doors, which opened to show Librarian Boulderdash standing there, patiently waiting. The goblin nodded to both of them as he came in, followed by Minerva, who closed the door and stood beside it.

Damon got up more out of surprise than from manners, watching warily as the librarian approached and offered his hand. Damon made no move to accept it.

"This is our librarian, Mr. Boulderdash. Boulderdash, this is Damon Platt, Xavier's father."

"Yes, of course. I know him well," Boulderdash said with a nod. Damon studied him more carefully then.

"Strange, I don't seem to recall meeting you before."

"Perhaps not, but I think you would recognize the name of Coldsprinter, a once renowned goblin craftsman?" Boulderdash asked. Damon glanced over at Severus, then back at the goblin. "The Ministry said, of course, you acted in self-defense, although I hardly think it is coincidence that the goblin whom you killed also happened to be the same one whose maker's mark was on the dagger found in your brother."

"How exactly is it that you know all this?" Damon asked warily.

"Coldsprinter was my father," Boulderdash said solemnly. Immediately Damon pulled out his wand, but Boulderdash didn't move. Severus merely shifted in his seat. "If you wish to duel with me, Mr. Platt, I suggest trying a different weapon," the goblin said with a wry smile. "I am a librarian, not a warrior. Knowledge is enough of a defense for me."

"You cannot tell me that the son of a weaponsmith has no training in warfare, librarian," Damon said coldly.

"Trained, yes. Taste for blood? No. Do you mind if I sit down?" Boulderdash asked.

"Please," Severus said unconcernedly. "Perhaps you should sit back down as well, Damon. Especially considering you did make the first move just now, so the justification of self-defense would not go well."

"Any move by a Platt made against a goblin is self-defense," Damon said, making no move to sit. Boulderdash had not either.

"I'm not sure my father would have agreed with you," Boulderdash said quietly. "But what's done is done. No amount of sparring, whether with words or blood will bring either of them back."

"Mere sentiment," Damon scoffed.

"Yes, I suppose, if we stand here and proceed to kill one another," Boulderdash agreed. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd much rather finish this discussion and either go back to my books or pack, depending on the outcome. That was why you came here, wasn't it? To make sure that I'm not a threat to your son? Or do you follow your ancestor's motto of the only good goblin is a dead goblin?"

Just then there was a soft knock and Minerva let Xavier in. Damon quickly put his wand way, glancing over at Severus. Severus looked either exhausted or bored… Damon wasn't quite sure which. Xavier glanced at Boulderdash and then glanced at his father unsurely, wondering what had been said so far.

"Your father," Severus began, getting Xavier's full attention, "has been expressing concern over the fact that a goblin is on staff at this school. He has even made an offer to pay Librarian Boulderdash's wages were he to take a leave of absence for the next couple of years."

"Really?" Boulderdash said with interest. "I didn't catch that part when I came in."

"With all due respect to my father, I think that would be a mistake," Xavier said, glancing over at Damon. "I might have agreed with you last year when things were getting rough, and I even considered mentioning to you he was here, but he was just a librarian then."

"And I'm not now?" Boulderdash asked, looking even more interested in Xavier's statement than in the prospect of free wages.

"I suppose I've come to realize that no one is on the school faculty unless they have something to teach, and they wouldn't last more than a year if Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty didn't trust them to some extent," Xavier said, looking back over to the goblin. "Perhaps a demonstration?"

"Good heavens, boy, not in here," Boulderdash snarled softly.

"Just watch out for the books and paintings," Severus said as he kneaded his forehead, his other hand rolling his wand on the desk. "Sit down, Damon."

"Father, could you sit down for a moment please? At least have the decency to trust me if you don't trust anyone else in here," Xavier said indignantly.

Damon gazed at his son warily and then at Boulderdash before sitting down and nodding to him. Xavier turned around with his back to the rest of them, wandering almost distractedly around the room. It was as he stopped to gaze curiously at one of the paintings that he heard a familiar sound and rolled to the floor. What had occurred in that instant had happened so quickly that it had taken Damon a moment to figure out what it was. Boulderdash had suddenly unsheathed a dagger from his boot and thrown it, the dagger now sticking in the wood panel between two paintings where Xavier had been standing less than a second before.

Damon tried to leap from his chair but found that he was stuck to it; his face was white as a sheet and his mouth was open. Xavier, however, looked positively annoyed when he pushed himself back to his feet.

"You call that a demonstration?" Xavier scolded the librarian. "Some throw! It wouldn't have gotten close enough to do more than nick me, and you hardly put any strength into it at all."

"Sorry, boy, but I was working around quite a number of irreplaceable items in here, you know. I didn't want to leave too much of a mark," Boulderdash explained apologetically as Xavier took the dagger out of the wall and handed it back to the librarian.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that you just didn't trust me," Xavier complained.

"I'm sure we can arrange a more worthy demonstration once your father is done having his heart attack," Boulderdash promised.

"You…" Damon rasped in mixed shock and anger, "just threw a goblin dagger at my son!"

"I wouldn't even grace it enough to call it a throw, myself," Xavier said. "He threw it like a human."

"Don't tempt me with another challenge like what happened a few weeks ago," Boulderdash warned him.

"He put a hole in my brand new cloak," Xavier scowled. "Oh, but don't worry, father, Professor McGonagall fixed it when she saw it." Minerva looked slightly sheepish about having to admit that she knew about the entire thing, but she nodded to Xavier.

"Would someone explain the meaning of all this? And let me out of this chair!" Damon barked.

"The meaning, Mr. Platt," Severus said calmly, very slowly releasing the binding spell a little at a time, "is that your son has been learning how to defend himself against goblins by the only person in the school actually qualified to teach him. And from what I understand, weak demonstration or not, he has been doing quite well."

"He's still a bit slower than I would like," Boulderdash grunted, "but he's got quick ears. By the time he's out of school, there won't be a single goblin out there who'll be able to pull a weapon on him without him knowing about it."

"Mr. Platt, didn't you yourself say when you came in here that you would let us do our job and let him learn how to protect himself in the real world?" Severus asked. "When Xavier came to me with his unique problem, I felt compelled to do something about it. Perhaps it wasn't mine to decide, but as you have already pointing out, teaching Defense is what we do and more to the point, what I do. Not to mention that I was also concerned because of some of the events occurring outside the castle was affecting certain staff members."

"I wouldn't have left, you know, if there had been a war," Boulderdash suddenly put in. "I was merely concerned about my brother. You see, Damon, I have a twin myself, and although as I understand it human twins don't always have the same telepathic bond we goblins do, I can understand how you must have felt when Dillon died. Not that I think my father did it, family history or not," Boulderdash added softly. "But Balderdash and I are tired of fighting and tired of this endless squabbling. And we don't mean just between my family and yours, but of the goblins and the Ministry and the bank and the radical goblins and all that other shmuck. I think the best thing about being a librarian, besides having plenty to read, is having the ability to tell everyone to be quiet for a while."

"If you're so tired of fighting, why did you teach my son how to kill your own kind?"

"He didn't," Xavier said. "He taught me how to stay alive if one came after me, that's all. Why in the world would I want or even need to kill one? I'm a wizard, and sleep charms are quicker than any dark charm anyhow."

"Don't be a fool, Xavier. If someone comes after you once, they'll keep it up until you're dead," Damon said.

"Well either way it breaks the chain, doesn't it?" Xavier told his father bluntly.