Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Not-So-Clean Sweep

Practices started again that very weekend after the students arrived, despite the cold conditions. It was difficult to make tight turns on the brooms so heavily bundled up, but Aurelius found that his new Firebolt X handled smoothly even in the worst conditions as he got ready for the Gryffindor/Slytherin game. Of course, they also had new rules to contend with, spelled out for them by Brittle and Weasley before they even had their first practice. The main one was lightning height rules would be applied during all games…which meant no flying past the top of the boxes. That was not a problem for Aurelius or his siblings, for they had gotten used to the low Quidditch Pitch of Aviation Park.\

The second rule was that special armbands had to be worn by all players before they left the ground, charmed with a short range teleportation spell that select teachers watching could use to instantly pull the teams out of the Pitch and into the castle at the first sign of danger.

Xavier and Alex took turns letting Snitches out for Rel to chase down while they chatted about the holiday, politics, and everything in general, sometimes leaving Aurelius to have to wave the caught Snitch in front of them before they grabbed the next one, sometimes letting out three or four at once just to keep him occupied for awhile before he came back to scowl at them again.

"Well done, Aurelius! You're no Alicia, granted, but you're definitely good enough to give Rose a run for her money next month," Xavier said. "And we're going to knock Gryffindor back during the sparring tournament again this year too. Except maybe for fourth year."

"Be glad Andrew's sworn he's not going to be in it this year or you'd have to worry about second year too," Alex teased.

"Maybe, but we do have to worry about Davidson. She's an even match for Meyers. What about Alicia? Is she joining the tournament this year?"

"Mum won't let her. She says she has enough to contend with playing Quidditch," Aurelius said, putting the Snitches away.

"Good, then more potential points for us," Xavier said with a grin, earning an eye roll from Alexandria.

Across the pitch, sitting in one of the stands, Severus sat with a steaming goblet in hand as he supervised the practice, gazing at the new list of houses that Sirius gave him and shaking his head at each one.

"Too expensive. Too small. And these last two are townhouses. Why do you insist on throwing in residences in the city when you know I don't want to live in the city proper?" Severus said.

"Because they're the only ones that have all the features and rooms you've requested. You could at least look at them," Sirius complained.

"If I went and looked at every house that you've selected, Jennifer would get extremely suspicious," Severus said, handing him the list back.

"Well, what about that house in the Burroughs? It may only have three bedrooms but it does have a garage we could convert to a lab, and we could easily add on another floor…"

"I have no intention of getting anything that would even remotely remind Jennifer of our former cottage. I want something that we don't have to add onto." Severus said. Sirius sighed, folding up the paper and putting it inside his coat.

"You are by far the most troublesome client I have ever had, and what's worse is you're not even paying me for it! If you were, I'd charge you extra," Sirius said.

"I'll remember to get you a new flea collar," Severus said.

"You're welcome," Sirius muttered. Just then the two of them looked up to see a broom come around from the other side and land in front of them. Danny nodded to them and putting away her broom.

"You're early, aren't you?" Severus asked with a frown.

"Uncle Lucius stopped by Draco's, and there's something I thought you ought to know. He has asked to attend the Slytherin-Gryffindor game with Rummert and someone from the Oracle. He wants to see Stock play, a sort of publicity stunt for Galemaster," Danny explained.

"Just keep him out of the teacher's box," Severus said wearily. "I really don't feel like facing off with him, I have enough problems to contend with at the moment, including game security."

"Well, I was expecting more of a protest than that, but you're right, that's probably the best solution. He'll want to sit in the Slytherin box anyhow," Danny said. "Sure you're not concerned with Xavier and Aurelius pulling this switch on us?"

"Why should I be? After all, he cannot harm Aurelius, can he?" Severus said in such a strange voice that Danny and Sirius exchanged a look of uncertainty.

"Daydreaming again?" Andrew asked Halbert as they stood brushing down the winged horses in the barn. The weather was cold but tolerable; the second of February being so calm and mild that many of the students were looking forward to an early spring. Andrew couldn't wait to go riding again; he was sure Sagittari was going to let the Bridle Club out this week if the weather held, taking extra care to check the shoes, hoofs, talons and paws of each mount.

"So about that Quidditch game. It's only two weeks away, you know. What do you suppose Shelly's going to do about her broom?" Halbert asked. Shelly Meadows, a third year Gryffindor who was the first replacement Beater, had developed a rather unpleasant allergy to her new Dutchman Flyer. Sagittari believed it was something in the polish, but regardless the scent of the broom made her very sick.

"Borrow another, I suppose," Andrew said. "If not, she'll have to sit out."

"And you know what that means, don't you? It means that we would be next!" Halbert said. Andrew sighed softly.

"Weren't you there when Rose told us that the odds of us getting to play this year were next to none? And really, even if I did want to play, I certainly wouldn't want anyone to get hurt," Andrew said. "Right now, I think we're just lucky to have a Quidditch season at all after what happened with Ciardoth that first game."

"You don't suppose she's going to come back, do you?" Halbert asked.

"I wouldn't put anything past Ciardoth. She's completely insane, after all," Andrew said solemnly.

"Not only that, but she wants to kill all of you. I heard that she said as much when she tried to kill your sister," Halbert said.

"I'm not completely convinced that she did try to kill my sister," Andrew said. "Ciardoth lives in all times at once, and if that's true, she probably knew that Alicia was going to escape."

"Then why bother doing it at all?" Halbert asked, Andrew shrugging slightly. "I mean, if I had a diabolical plan and I knew in the future that it would fail, I would either change things, or just not carry it out."

"I don't know," Andrew said thoughtfully, "I get the feeling that Ciardoth's convinced that what she remembers can't be changed, or she wouldn't have seen it. So I suppose she might just be doing it because she thinks she has to."

"No wonder she went insane," Halbert said. "I'd like to think I control some of my own destiny. In fact, if someone came to me and told me that I was fated to do something no matter whether I liked it or not, I'd probably do everything in my power to prevent it."

"Yes, I can understand that," Andrew said with a nod. "After all, that's rather what Professor Ravenclaw did, but he felt he had to destroy everything he loved to do it, and still, I guess it didn't change anything for him… I mean, it made him a condemned ghost, but it didn't change any of his memories."

Halbert stopped brushing Babe and looked at him thoughtfully.

"So do you think it's true? That we really can't control our destinies at all?"

"I asked a friend that question once a few years ago when Ciardoth was gathering the diamonds, he described it best," Andrew said, scooping out some feed. "He told me that from the moment we're born, everyone has their own special road which only they can travel, but it's filled with different paths, fanning out in all sorts of different directions. And along each of those paths are things are different things to see, and obstacles, and even paths of other people. So if you follow that path long enough…you'll run into those things…and that's what Fate is. But as to which path you follow initially, that's up to you, and if for some reason you don't like it, you can backtrack and take another one that suits you better. But, he said, the longer you go down a path, the harder it gets to turn around and take another one."

"Sounds just like something Dumbledore would say," Halbert grunted. Andrew merely grinned at him before putting his things away. "So if that's true, people who can see the future are just looking ahead on the path they're on?"

"Um, sort of… but I gather it gets more complicated in that. Like Corey's sister, Essie. She sometimes sees things on other people's paths and not hers… I'm not exactly sure how that works. But I am wondering if perhaps those born with this curse of seeing all times at once actually aren't just people stuck on that main road with no paths open to them to take. What if Ciardoth and Icarus are the way they are because for some strange reason they were born without a choice?" Andrew said.

"That would make sense, except… well, how would you explain Merlin then? From what I read, he was like that, but he always seemed to be in control of everything," Halbert said.

"You know, I don't think even Dumbledore would try to explain how Merlin does anything," Andrew grinned. "Come on, we'd better head back. It's getting late." But as they stepped outside and Halbert began talking about how the sparring tournament was going, Andrew saw a strange dark shadow in the snow just in view of the lantern light outside the pens. Cautiously he stepped over then let out a sigh, quietly telling his friend to wait there as he went over to where Aurelius sat, staring into the Forest with a lost look on his face. "Are you all right?" Andrew asked softly, waiting for an answer that never came. "Are you waiting for Pali?"

"I just wanted to see him," Aurelius said after a moment. "Not touch him or ride him… just see him. I had to come, you know. He called me. But I can't go any farther."

"Just as well," Andrew said quietly. "You shouldn't really go alone in there anyhow."

"My wand glowed a moment a few minutes ago, like it used to," Aurelius whispered. "And I thought I saw something white, but it disappeared into the mist again, and now I'm wondering if I imagined the whole thing."

"I doubt you imagined it, Aurelius. He probably just wanted to make sure you were all right," Andrew said.

"I'm not sure I'm ever going to be all right again," Aurelius admitted.

"Come on, walk back with us. It'll save me the trouble of having to come back out and follow you around," Andrew said. Aurelius gave him a dirty look but stood up with a sigh, brushing off the snow before they rejoined Halbert.

The weather had warmed up considerably by the fourteenth, an early thaw prompting the spectators of the Quidditch games to trade their heavier coats for sweaters and warm jackets, the sky a brilliant nearly cloudless blue. Only a chill wind reminded the crowd that winter was far from over. Despite that, everyone seemed to be in the best of spirits and glad to be back in the Pitch again.

It was over an hour into the game and still no sight of the Snitch, which had immediately flown above the lightning rules height and hadn't been seen since. It was a Chaser's game; and so far it had remained fairly even despite the fact that the Gryffindor Chasers seemed to push just a little faster than Xavier could keep up with, having trouble catching the quick plays at the ring. But Heph and Stock were brutal beaters, able to slow down the pack on several occasions and give opportunities for a steal that would turn things back in their favor again. Severus pushed down the Omniculars Jennifer was holding, scowling at her.

"If you don't keep the eye on the game instead of on the stands, I am going to take them back," he threatened.

"How come Malfoy seems more interested in watching Aurelius than Stock?" Jennifer asked. Severus snatched the Omniculars and put them away.

"We're here to watch the game, not analyze the spectators," he said in a low voice. Sighing, Jennifer turned back to the game with a frown, wishing for the hundredth time that Severus would tell her what was really going on. It was nearing the end of the second hour, and the cold wind was starting to finally win out over her chill spells, and she found herself blowing on her hands softly.

The score was 150-150 when Jennifer began to notice a slow down on the Slytherin's defense, the score slowly creeping up to 190-150 in Gryffindor's favor. Heph and Stock were starting to wear down dramatically, as were some of the Chaser's, who were not going the speed they had been in the beginning of the game. As it approached the third hour, Severus slipped off to get them some large mugs of hot tea, but just as he settled back down again and Jennifer was starting to warm up, Danny blew the whistle, calling the teams over to her.

"Now what?" Jennifer sighed, getting impatient for the game to get over.

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe Danny is going to allow voluntary substitutions," Severus mused, the crowd beginning to rumble as they talked over the matter with each other as the two teams began talking among themselves. A moment later, both Beaters and one Chaser of the Gryffindor team began to walk away as Stewart called to people standing along the sidelines, an applause erupting from the Gryffindor team as they cheered the substitutes. Then Heph and Stock took to the benches, replaced by two of the older Slytherin waiting there. But as the teams gathered waiting for the captains to finish talking to the coach, one of the girls on the Gryffindor team stumbled on the field.

"What's going on? Severus, give me those," Jennifer snapped impatiently as Severus glanced through the Omniculars.

"It's Meadows, it seems that she's ill again," Severus murmured. "Even a close proximity to those vile brooms affects her."

"There must be some sort of fairy dust in the polish," Jennifer said. "She's always been allergic to it. I had a note from her mother when she was accepted to Hogwarts. I've had to steer clear of several potions in her class because of it."

"Interesting, I always thought using those sort of speed compounds on brooms were illegal in Quidditch play," Severus said.

"They are," Jennifer said with an enigmatic smile. "At least in pro games. Think anyone else realizes what they've done yet?"

"Why do I now have the feeling that Galemaster is going to be a very short lived company?" Severus said.

"Why do I have the feeling that it was intentional?" Jennifer asked, looking over as the Gryffindor crowd began to cheer again. "Oh, no," she said, Severus immediately following her gaze as a thin scarecrow of a boy that seemed to be growing out of his robes again took to the Pitch with his broom and new bat in hand. It was Andrew, taking over for Shelly who was escorted back off the field. "Not another one."

But Andrew was no more thrilled to be out there than his mother was seeing him. He had only tried out to appease Halbert and had never thought in a hundred years that a third pick Beater replacement would ever see the light of day in the Pitch. Just his luck… this, it seemed, was the hundredth year, for not long after Shelly and Halbert had been called out, Stew had called his name and Shelly walked over to Sagittari and Madame Pomfrey looking unusually purple. On the other team, Aurelius frowned, seemingly unhappy that he was out there as well. But he didn't have too long to think about it, for the moment he got to his team, Madame Brittle called for them to mount up again, handing Jocelyn the ball and calling time after the Bludgers were well on the way.

"Come on, Andrew! Let's show them what we're made of!" Halbert said cheerfully before he zoomed up to get a good view of the Bludgers and hoping one would fly his way. "I sure wish my Dad was here!" he added, watching as Slytherin scored another goal

"Hey you two! Do you think you're still in the stands or what?" Stewart barked at them.

"Come on, Snape, don't choke on us!" Conner added as he flew by with the Quaffle.

The two of them had to think fast as the rest of the pack followed and it snapped Andrew out of it, becoming alert just as one of the Bludgers zoomed like a missile towards Conner's back. Cutting between Chasers he whacked it back, Rose having to jump out of the way of the Bludger speeding past.

"Loosen up, Andrew, you can do it!" Rose shouted.

"Andrew, please don't embarrass us again!" Aurelius added, earning a dirty look from Rose.

Halbert, however, had gotten over his initial excitement and was doing a fabulous job keeping the Bludgers moving as the pack flew by again. Gryffindor was still maintaining their lead but having trouble gaining any ground. As a Bludger passed by his nose, Andrew woke up again, shooting it up in the air rather than at anyone to give him a moment to think before smacking towards Xavier Platt at the rings, making him duck as Conner swept up and threw the Quaffle in the top ring.

"That's the ticket!" Stewart said when Andrew came close again, speeding over to Halbert who was in a better position to send it up the pack. "I want you to concentrate on keeping Xavier occupied, Snape! Halbert, you watch the Chasers, but if those Seekers dive, don't let Rel get an inch!"

"What is it you say again? Ah yes… aye, aye, captain!" Halbert said before zooming off again like a rampaging tank. Andrew hoped that his friend didn't get too zealous in his efforts, but he didn't have much time to worry about it as another Bludger flew up the Pitch, forcing him to push his broom forward to meet it, smacking it towards Xavier. But Xavier was ready for it this time, hopping to the side before making a quick dive to the lower ring, somehow managing to get enough of his hand in the way to tip the Quaffle up into Jocelyn's waiting hands. But Halbert was on it, shying one into the field and only succeeding in splitting up the Chasers enough that it gave Jocelyn room to breathe, letting her push ahead at a phenomenal speed and into the ring before Stewart could react.

"We are getting nowhere!" Halbert said with frustration, but Andrew had seen something coming from behind him and turned quickly around.

"Look! There it is!" Andrew said. Perhaps he shouldn't have pointed, for Aurelius had been watching his brother fairly closely and noticed it before Rose did, zooming past Andrew who realized what he had done, sheepishly diving to get out of Rose's way as she tried to play catch-up.

"I'll stop him," Halbert said. "Andrew! Don't forget about Xavier!"

Andrew gasped and turned around as he noticed the Chasers nearing the Slytherin ring. But the other two Beaters had it this time, smacking right into Conner and nicking his broom, making him pass the Quaffle off. Now the Bludgers were loose again and Andrew grabbed one, smacking it towards Xavier while Halbert grabbed the other, spinning around on his broom to face the other direction and smacking it with his full strength towards the Seekers dead on. Like a bull's-eye, the Bludger flew straight into Aurelius' chest, the crowd letting out a cry of alarm and sympathy pain as it knocked him backwards and into Rose, the Snitch pulling away in front of him.

"Aurelius!" Andrew shouted in dismay, wondering that he still even managed to be on a broom. But if he had anything broken from the blow, Aurelius made no sign. When he recovered from the loss in momentum he was off again, following the diving path that he saw the Snitch take. Rose cut over, and Aurelius reacted immediately when he noticed she wasn't following. He flipped his broom and soared as fast as he dared to until he once again caught sight of the golden object. Seeing that his brother was apparently all right, Andrew hurried over to block a Bludger that had been aimed towards Stewart, pushing it away and giving it a solid hit. Conner immediately soared across the Pitch and passed Xavier (who, Andrew had to admit, was a better Seeker than Keeper,) and the lead went up to 230-180.

As the two Seekers closed in on the Snitch, Halbert forced his attention solely upon Aurelius, but his hit was a little slow as Aurelius began to push his broom forward, succeeding only in brushing the bristles as they sped past. Rose was hardly deterred, certain that in the end her experience would pay off as it went into an upwards turn.

Aurelius immediately saw the danger… the Snitch was going to pass above the lightning line! Rubbing his hands on the broom, he leaned forward and kicked it into full, shooting up past the surprised Rose and snatching it out of the air just before it went out of bounds, doing a tuck and roll in air to keep himself under the line. Rose, who had come to a halt just inside the limits, sighed in mixed disappointment and relief that the game was over. She hovered over to take Aurelius' hand before the two of them floated down to join the rest of the teams.

Andrew and Halbert came down to find they weren't the only ones on the Pitch. A reporter and a photographer had come down from the stands, as well as Lucius Malfoy. Rummert stood a bit behind them, congratulating the Slytherin team with a smile. It was then and only then that Andrew noticed that Aurelius hadn't had his normal broom.

He had been on a Dutchman Flyer.

"Oh man, Father and Mum are going to kill you," Andrew said. But if Aurelius heard he didn't respond, talking instead to the reporter, giving an account of his victorious catch.

"I knew once the Snitch came down in our range that I had it in the bag," Aurelius said. "The broom's a lot faster than the Firebolt X, but I've had a lot of practice in Aviation Park flying under tight conditions and was able to pull it off. But let's face it, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my… his… the… actually, I just borrowed it," Aurelius quickly revised when he saw Jennifer and Severus approaching, followed by Minerva and Dumbledore.

"…Without the help of Galemaster's Dutchman Flyer, I believe is what he meant to say," Lucius told the reporter.

"What were you doing on that broom?" Severus demanded, pushing himself into the fray so that his back stood between Aurelius and the camera.

"Winning the game," Aurelius said calmly.

"Don't give me that. You knew perfectly well that I forbade you to get on one!"

"No, you didn't. You only said that I couldn't have one. You never said I couldn't borrow one."

"You knew perfectly well what I meant! I don't want you taking anything from him!"

"I didn't. It's Xavier's," Aurelius said.

"Severus, perhaps this matter is best left for inside. I'm sure Aurelius meant no harm in borrowing the broom," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, I'm quite sure you're right, Professor," Jennifer cut in, Severus staring at her with surprise. "I'm sure that Xavier Platt merely wanted my son to have a bit of an edge of the competition, and that broom did have an extraordinary burst of speed at the end. Tell me, what sort of compound do you have on that broom? It has a rather interesting color to it."

"There are trade secrets to every broom design, Professor. I need not divulge anything to you," Lucius said icily.

"Oh, that's quite all right, Lucius, I think I'll make it one of my class projects. It'll be good practice for them stripping down an item to see how it ticks. I won't be able to do it in Meadows class, of course, since she seems to be heavily allergic to it. It's almost as if there might be a pinch of fairy dust in the mix," Jennifer said slyly.

"Fairy dust?" the reporter said with surprise. "Surely not, Professor. It's not legal in regular game play, you know. Aren't the Falmouth Falcons using the Dutchman Flyers this year?"

"I highly doubt the manufacturers would be so careless as to let such a substance get into the formula, Professor," Lucius said, slurring the title a bit.

"Not unintentionally, no," Jennifer said. As Lucius moved forward, Severus immediately jumped in his path, daring him to come any closer.

"Severus, Jennifer," Dumbledore warned, turning to the reporter. "Tucker, I do believe that Professor Craw is right in that there's something quite strange about these brooms that needs to be investigated, although I am not concerned so much about game infractions as I am that one of my students is deathly allergic to that type of dust. If it does turn out that fairy dust is in the compound, I'm afraid I'll have to ban the broom from the school until I'm convinced that they no longer pose a danger to any student."

"Ah, I am beginning to see the light!" Lucius said, obviously seething. "Someone has tampered with these brooms, haven't they? Because this school does not agree with my politics, you are intentionally looking for a reason to boycott them, aren't you, Professor? I would not have guessed you would have taken such a thing as a new broom company as a personal affront, Dumbledore."

"If I had taken it personally, Lucius, I can assure you that you would not still be standing upon these grounds," Dumbledore said in a strangely calm voice that caused everyone who had heard it to feel a creeping tingle down the spine. "Now I think the students have had enough of this sort of excitement for one night. Time to run along to your rooms and drink plenty of warm cocoa and celebrate with your friends. Both teams played decidedly well tonight. Ten extra points to both sides for sticking it out under the new rules and not breaking one! It's good to see all of you taking them seriously and has given me more confidence in being able to continue this season," he told the students, who grinned at each other. Xavier excused himself and stepped up to Aurelius, offering his broom back.

"You know, the Dutchman is definitely faster, a Seeker's broom to be sure," Xavier said, nodding to Tucker before turning back to Aurelius. "But your Firebolt seemed to handle climbs and dives better and is a bit more sensitive in the turns. Definitely a better choice for a Keeper's broom. Speed isn't everything, you know. Quality counts for something, and I'm afraid in that the Dutchman lacks a bit. And that's two T's in Platt."

"I beg your pardon?" Lucius said, his eyes flashing a bit. But Xavier merely shrugged.

"You gave us the broom to test them, Mr. Malfoy. I like the broom and its speed boosts, but the wood is cheap and needs extra attention after it's used. Might want to look into that if you put any money into building an upgrade," he suggested, nodding to Snape before joining his teammates. Aurelius straggled behind, trying to avoid the looks his parents were giving him.

"Well, it was good seeing you again, Tucker, Morly. Goodbye, Lucius. Walter, I don't suppose you would have a few minutes for tea? I was curious on how you stood on a few Ministry issues that's coming up for vote soon."

"Of course, I would be happy to," Rummert said quickly, Lucius looking at him thoughtfully.

"Coming, Severus?" Dumbledore added, apparently not wanting to leave him alone with Lucius. Reluctantly Severus followed, while Jennifer stepped over to Minerva, warily watching as Lucius went over to greet his niece.

"What do you suppose Albus is up to?" Jennifer asked her as they turned, waving to some of the students as they passed them.

"Rummert has been attempting to keep himself from committing an answer on any of the major issues. I dare think Albus is hoping to get him to declare something. Right now he is merely agreeing with everyone, while Draco has made some very unpopular stands."

"Well, I admit that Draco is a tad radical as far as reform is concerned," Jennifer sighed. "But at least he's up front about it."

"Exactly. Only right now it seems to be hurting rather than helping. The Council is quite on edge about it," Minerva said.

"True, but Draco still leads in the popular vote, which means he'll win fifty council votes for the election. Surely that's more than enough to put the Council vote in his favor," Jennifer said.

"You would think so, Jennifer, but you know as well as I do that it is still possible for the Council to vote in favor of Rummert despite public support if they get enough of a majority," Minerva said. "And consider, the witches and wizards on the council who are voting in this election are the same ones that voted against Haven's Bluff."

"Minerva, a heroine again," Jennifer said unenthusiastically. "Can't you be a bit more of an optimist?"

"Oh no, I can't afford it in this job… as Hermione is beginning to learn," Minerva said with amusement. "We can't afford to take any chances."

"Well, at least I know this broom thing is going to fall like a rock if I can prove for certain that there's dust in them. Too bad there wasn't some way I could take Rummert out along with Malfoy on this one," Jennifer brooded.

"Just be careful how you handle this with Mr. Stockton," Minerva advised her. "Don't forget, the broom was named after him. I'm quite certain he has a great deal of money tied up in this venture."

"Yes," Jennifer said thoughtfully. "I think I just figured out which class has to be the one to test the broom."