Chapter 45

A/N Thank you Maria for taking the time to beta this.

Not all the information about the dietary habits of snakes as supplied by Binns is entirely accurate. What is important is that Kitten doesn't know any better. The same can be said about a lot of things Kitten has been told in the last few chapters or is going to be told in the next few chapters.

Entering the Slytherin common room just before the end of breakfast, Armando Dippet found both Mr. Riddle and Master Binns glaring at each other in the corridor outside the girl's dormitories. Mr. Riddle's presence was easily explained, as barriers existed to prevent male students from venturing into the rooms, however as a staff member Master Binns would not have been similarly detained.

Last night before himself retiring, Dippet had given the matter much consideration. After discovering that Mr. Riddle had defied his directive, and in continuing to allow the girl to sleep with him had left her exposed to such a potentially corrupting experience like last night's, Dippet began to fear his earlier faith in Mr. Riddle may have been misplaced. Besides, in all the time she had been under Mr. Riddle's influence, Dippet had not seen the slightest alteration to the future events he dreaded.

"Mr. Riddle, you are excused. Your presence is no longer required here."

"Sir, about last night, I can explain-"

"I am sure you can, Mr. Riddle, but I have no interest in hearing it. I no longer believe it is in the girl's best interest to be left under your tutelage."

"Sir-"

"You are dismissed, Mr. Riddle."

Though he had noticed Binns' antics, the way he kept alternatively sticking his tongue out and snapping his teeth at Riddle, Dippet chose not to address it until Binns mistakenly combined the two and in the process bit his own tongue.

"Robert, why are you here?"

Holding his tongue, Binns responded. "'ell, I 'anted to 'alk 'ith you about 'iss 'Grin'el'ald."

"Well talk to me when I can actually understand what it is that you are saying. I assume by now all the other girls are out of the dormitory?"

At Binns' nod Dippet went to find the girl. Much as he had expected, she was still precisely where he had left her. Given the strength of the sleeping draught he had given her, she hadn't even shifted in her slumber.

"Miss Grindelwald, wake up."

Perhaps a less potent potion or a lesser dosage would be in order for her. She stirred somewhat but couldn't seem to focus entirely. Dippet took out his wand. "Ennervate!"

Much as he had expected from his personal experiences having difficulty awaking after a strong sleeping potion, the spell had the desired effect on the girl. She was immediately completely awake, but the sudden shift had somewhat disoriented her. He took the opportunity to get her to drink the first of her two daily mandrake potions.

"Today I will pair you with one of the Slytherin first years and you can go to the same classes as her. However it is very important for you to remember you cannot touch anyone. Do you understand that? Do not touch any of the other children."

"Where is my Tom?"

The girl did not yet seem to have oriented herself to what was going on, and this was very important so he repeated his instructions. "You must not touch the other children. It isn't good for you to touch people."

Transfiguring her nightdress into day robes, to be clear she understood he asked her to repeat what he had just said.

The girl questioningly paraphrased him. "Touching people is bad?"

It wasn't really as if her touch was in any way harmful to others, but trying to explain things more precisely to her could prove to be rather complicated, so Dippet nodded. "Now it is time to go to the Great Hall for breakfast."

"Where is my Tom?"

"You are not to see Mr. Riddle anymore. When we get to the Great Hall we are going to find you a nice Slytherin girl to accompany to classes."

Binns was still waiting in the common room with other ideas. "Headmaster, I have been thinking and as Head of the girl's house she should be my responsibility. Allow me to handle the matter."

Dippet immediately became suspicious. When had Robert Binns ever volunteered for anything?

"Really Armando, leave Miss Grindelwald with me and I will arrange everything. I already dine with her, I can easily ensure she arrives to all of her classes in a timely fashion. I will even escort her to your office for tea in the afternoon."

Dippet knew with this ever oh so helpful façade that Binns had to be up to something . In an attempt to shake him of it, he pointed out a few of the tasks that he believed to be insurmountable hurdles for Binns. "You are also willing to ensure she has nightly baths and go into the girl's dormitory to put her in her bed at eight every night?"

Surprisingly, after his look of utmost horror faded, Master Binns agreed.

Dippet had two reasons for not wishing to allow Master Binns to have that much contact with the girl. First of all, Binns knew a great deal about Wizarding history in general and certainly Themises in particular. While the girl did not do it constantly, Binns was the only one at the castle that Dippet really needed to fear immediately realizing what was going on were he to touch the girl while she was 'projecting'.

Secondly, there was the matter of his Visions. He had had Visions of Master Binns' death for some time now. Like all of his Visions, this Vision was fragmented, not entirely clear. Still, he was most certain that the girl was to be the cause of it. While in his Visions of the havoc she would reek as an adult the castle appeared slightly altered and its inhabitants were unrecognizable to him, the people that populated and the circumstances surrounding his Visions of Binns' demise were already present. In fact a number of the people he Saw in that Vision were seventh year students and would only be present at the castle for a few more weeks.

Dippet suppressed a sigh. Trying to thwart the plans of destiny was difficult and thus far he had had no success. Perhaps the answer, perhaps the best way to change it was to play into it. Rather than try to entirely change events that you know are to happen, work with the inevitable and by making minor changes seek to change the final outcome.

Moreover, wasn't it only fair to allow Binns a chance to have an effect on his own fate?

In the end, with a firm warning to keep an eye on the girl, Dippet decided to let Binns have his way. He handed to him a copy of the first year Slytherin timetable.

"You have to keep a sharp eye on her when you are around her, Robert. She may not really mean any harm, but she doesn't think the way we do. At all times when you are around her just try to be aware of what she is doing. Try to keep a step ahead of her. Look for the signs and try to head off the worst before it can happen."

With a not at all certain feeling, Dippet left the girl in Binns' keep.

############################################

Robert Binns could have done a dance of glee watching the Headmaster walk out the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories. He would show Tom Riddle that Robert Binns was not a wizard to be trifled with.

"Come along Miss Grindelwald. Breakfast is nearly over, we must hurry!"

He noticed the way she peeked around the corners of the stone door before exiting the Slytherin common room but didn't comment. It wasn't until after she had repeated the action at the first three turns they came to that his curiosity got the better of him.

"Why are you checking the hallways?"

Her response was immediate. "No reason."

"Well if you are doing it for no reason than stop doing it. We need to hurry or breakfast will be over before we get there."

Ignoring him, she repeated the action at the next turn.

"Miss Grindelwald, what are you doing? Are you expecting someone?"

Not nearly so quickly as before she answered him. "Do you think…the snog from last night…is it still around?"

This was an awkward situation. Tom Riddle would be made to suffer for it. "Miss Grindelwald, I assure you, you have nothing to fear. You are much too young to need to be worried about snogs yet."

The girl did not look at all convinced.

Robert Binns had studied the past all of his life. He was quite familiar with the history of Wizardkind. Over the years, he had amassed a large repository of knowledge about many things of ancient origin, including Purebloods and Themises. He was not wholly unknowing of the consequences of their sometimes dangerously undiluted powers. Especially the children with their very vibrant young imaginations.

His choice of response to the girl's question last night had perhaps been a poor one. However, even from the worst of situations, often there was some good that could arise. He tried to make his voice as reassuring and as convincing as he could.

"Really, Miss Mc-Grindelwald, you have nothing to fear. The snog attack of Mr. Crouch last night was a very unusual occurrence. Normally, snogs prefer to attack Ravenclaws." Binns nodded knowingly. "Yes, usually they attack Ravenclaws. And even then they mostly prefer older Ravenclaws. Particularly those that have been aged over a hundred years, like Professor Shackleton."

Binns checked to make sure the girl was listening carefully before continuing. "Yes, why I expect if the snog from last night is still loose somewhere in the castle, when it gets hungry again, which will be quite soon I am sure, it will go looking for Professor Shackleton."

Without further delay, they walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall. However, standing outside the Great Hall listening, Binns decided it might be better just this once to skip breakfast.

"-Someone stun it!"

"-What is it doing to Professor Shackleton?"

Looking at the timetable the Headmaster had handed him, Binns smiled. He doubted there would be any Defense Against the Dark Arts classes today and certainly not any this morning.

"-What is that thing?"

"-Look at all the legs!"

He looked at the other classes listed for the week. Transfiguration which Miss Grindelwald was still excused from. Herbology, which besides being pointless, he had no intention of sending her to. Playing with dirt and mud were not things he wanted her to be doing if he was going to be responsible for making sure she stayed clean. Professor Pomfrey had been back for a while now, but Binns was of the opinion that the way the Headmaster kept feeding them to her, the girl already had more than enough exposure to potions. Charms was just silly wand waving.

"-Forget the legs, what is on the end of them?"

"-Where did it come from?"

No, the only really useful class on her schedule was History of Magic. Granted, he was planning to give the same lecture all day to all seven years of classes, but a very thorough understanding of that material would be of far more use than anything she could learn in her other classes. He would just keep her with him all day.

"-I don't know it just sort of appeared and went straight to Professor Shackleton!"

"-Is he dead?"

He could tell already, this was to be the beginning of a magnificent friendship.

Robert Binns had been beginning to grow worried about possible lingering aftereffects from the sleeping potion the Headmaster had given Miss Grindelwald; she had spent the entire morning sleeping in his classroom. However now that they were entering the Great Hall for lunch, she had finally perked up a bit. Unfortunately, in her case that meant she had become argumentative.

Looking up at the banner over the Slytherin table, she made an announcement. "We always sit at that table. Today, we should sit at a different table. Maybe the badger table or the eagle table?"

Binns was thankful that she at least no longer seemed to favor the Gryffindor table. She had even gone so far as to hiss at a student's cat as they had passed it in the hallway, but her lack of House spirit was still alarming.

"Nonsense! We sit at the snake table!"

Miss Grindelwald began chewing on her lip. "I do not care for snakes."

This was an outrage! "The serpent was chosen as the Slytherin mascot by Hogwarts founder, Salazar Slytherin himself! It is the very same emblem that was once found on the Slytherin family coat of arms!"

"What is so wonderful about a snake?"

"What an absurd question! Snakes are…are…well…they can swallow and digest things far greater than their own size!"

Seeing the girl's eyes widen in awe, Binns pressed his point. "Can you do that? I think not!"

Sitting down, Binns smirked to see Mr. Riddle immediately approach. Riddle spoke a greeting to the girl before addressing him.

"Professor Binns, I wanted to apologize to you for the misunderstanding last night. I hope there aren't to be any hard feelings between us."

"No, no of course not my dear boy! Hard feelings? Never! Apology accepted. By all means sit down and have lunch with Miss Grindelwald and myself."

Watching the tension leave Riddle's body as he began to sit down, Binns snorted. Clearly the boy didn't understand sarcasm. "Move along, Mr. Riddle. You are not welcome here."

"But, you said-"

"-I lied, Mr. Riddle. I am a liar, remember?"

Binns had to struggle very hard not to burst into laughter seeing the look of pure rage that transfixed Mr. Riddle's face. Oh revenge could be so sweet. Hiding his smile behind the newspaper he had not been at breakfast to read, Binns insisted.

"Move along, Mr. Riddle."

When his eyes actually focused on the back page of the paper, he saw the schedule for this afternoon's Quidditch match. Looking at the girl and the paper and then back at the girl, he had an idea.

Miss Grindelwald was a very gifted Seer

The Headmaster was always going on about how it was unscrupulous to use the ability of Prognostication for personal gain and certainly Binns knew it was wrong to exploit children, but…he really should try to engage her in some sort of conversation while they were just sitting there.

"I say, who do you think will take the League Championship this year?"

The girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I do not like lunch. Breakfast has bacon and dinner has dessert, but lunch is just sandwiches or st-eww."

That was all well and true, but that wasn't the answer to his question. "Yes, but what about the League match?"

Dejectedly, she rested her head on folded arms. "I do not like sandwiches. I wish they would serve candy at lunch."

Binns eyed Miss Grindelwald a moment. So that was the way it was going to be. He conjured before her a large dish of granulated sugar. "Why not try a sugar sandwich?"

Her eyes lit up.

"Now tell me, do you like the Chudley Cannons or the Ballycastle Bats?"

Scraping the tuna fish filling off of a piece of bread and instead pouring sugar onto it, she shook her head. "I do not like bats."

"So you would go with the Chudley Cannons?"

The girl shrugged as she tilted her sandwich to take a bite. Watching the sugar pour out the end Binns expressed some doubt.

"Are you certain? The Cannons haven't won the League since 1892. It's considered quite the feat that they have even made it this far. It would certainly be quite the upset if they were to win." Binns smiled thinking of the high payout that could be expected given the long odds on the Cannons winning. He would have to act quickly to put together a betting pool amongst the staff. "Are you sure it won't be the Ballycastle Bats?"

Doodling in the sugar drifts that had formed on her plate, Miss Grindelwald again shook her head. "I really do not like bats."

########################################

Albus Dumbledore turned to the professors seated beside him. "I would not leave Binns in charge of Fawkes for an afternoon and phoenixes are practically immortal. Am I the only one that gets an uneasy feeling at the idea of leaving a child in Binns' care?"

Viinder replied first. "You know, I rather get the idea Dippet is trying to kill the girl. Give it a few days and we'll find her in Binns' office crushed under a fallen stack of books just like the toad Binns used to have. Or summer vacation is only a few weeks off, maybe he'll forget her and leave her locked in his rooms over the break with no food or water like he did his cat. Which would be a painless death compared to what happened to his-"

A grimacing Kettleburn interrupted after looking at the Slytherin table. "-Please someone tell me I'm not really seeing this. He isn't really letting her eat a sugar sandwich."

Viinder laughed. "Albus, I believe we have found your one true love!"

Dumbledore frowned, very displeased with Viinder's comments.

Tofty however gave a little laugh. "Miss Grindelwald has always been rather sweet in my classes. Not sugary sweet mind you, but watching that, I'm glad she isn't in any of my classes until tomorrow."

Thankfully, Kettleburn was much more reassuring. "I will have a talk with Robert before dinner."

########################################

Robert Binns gave a cry of frustration as the Ballycastle Bats again scored. So much for Miss Grindelwald's incredibly accurate Prognostication talents! The score was now three hundred and sixty to ten with the Ballycastle Bats in the lead.

Binns thought he could hear the Riddle boy again lurking in the hallway so he threw the wizard's wireless out the open door of the Slytherin first year girl's room. Maybe he could 'accidentally' hit Mr. Riddle.

When instead Professor Kettleburn entered holding the radio in one hand and rubbing one of his shins with the other, Binns did his best to look innocent. "Professor Kettleburn, what brings you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you before dinner."

"Was Mr. Riddle still in the hall?"

"Yes, -"

"Did you kick him as you went by? You really should you know. It would be his word against yours. Go ahead, I won't tell anyone. It will be our little secret. You know us untrustworthy liars need to stick togeth-"

"-Robert!"

Binns sunk into his chair. Why were people always interrupting him?

"Robert, I want to talk to you about what you should be feeding Kitten. You cannot keep giving her so much sugar."

Giving his colleague a withering look, Binns responded in the most authoritative voice he could muster. "I understand, Professor Kettleburn, that you are new here and perhaps you have not yet figured out how things work. At Hogwarts, we recognize the rights of the individual. We do not tell the children what they can and cannot eat. Children know their own needs. They are capable of deciding what to eat and how much is enough. We are not the sugar aurors."

"Robert, she is eight. She has lived for the better part of her life as a cat. Do you really think she knows best?"

Binns sighed and returned to his normal more well…whiny tone. "It is all that she will eat!" Behind his back, he crossed his fingers. "I've tried taking the sugar away. I really did, but she refused to eat anything else!"

Kettleburn's casualness in responding made it seem like it were a simple problem to solve. "Then she just doesn't eat."

Binns snorted. "Oh yes, I've gone down that route before. I doubt what happens when you don't feed children is any different from when you don't feed cats…or mice…or…anyway, my point is, are you going to take responsibility for the consequences when Dippet comes by and wants to know what happened to her?"

"Robert, she won't starve to death. If she gets hungry enough, she will eat whatever you put in front of her - even if it isn't sugar."

Kettleburn looked around the room. "Where is Kitten anyway?"

"She is having her bath - in the other room - with all her clothes on - and keeping the door closed."

After Kettleburn's next few words, Binns was almost sure the Care of Magical Creatures professor was deliberately trying to cause trouble.

"Aren't you supposed to be supervising her? I mean if Kitten is 'having her bath - in the other room - with all her clothes on - and keeping the door closed' how do you know if she is alright?"

Smarmy little bastard. Binns would show him. "MARCO!"

The reply of "POLO!" immediately followed from behind the closed door.

Kettleburn laughed. "Well, you certainly seem to have thought of everything. Why don't you get her out and we can all go to dinner."

Binns began to fidget. "I'm not sure if she's quite done yet."

"How long has she been in there?"

Since his last class almost four hours ago. What she could possibly have been doing in there that long he had no interest in speculating about. "Oh, not long. Not long at all."

"It is late now. If we don't leave soon, we will miss dinner entirely."

Binns sighed. "MISS GRINDELWALD, IT'S TIME TO COME OUT NOW!"

"NO, I DO NOT WANT TO AND YOU WILL NOT COME MAKE ME!"

Binns' shoulders sagged in defeat. "She is right you know."

"Robert, you said she still has her clothes on. You don't have to be worried about seeing anything. Just go in there and get her out."

Binns was scandalized. "But now her clothes are wet. They will…cling to her…and…and…"

"Robert, she is eight. There is nothing for her clothes to cling to yet." Kettleburn seemed to find the situation entirely too amusing. "Fine, I will go get her. You and Dippet are something else. Sometimes I wonder how your generation ever managed to have children."

Entirely serious, Binns responded. "Professor Kettleburn, perhaps you missed the fact that neither the Headmaster nor myself ever did."

Though he did not want to miss dinner and he was grateful for the help, as Kettleburn headed for the door, Binns felt it necessary to share his true opinion of the other man.

"Before we go any further, I want to make one thing perfectly clear, Professor Kettleburn; I don't care for you and I don't care for your…kind. When the suggestion was made to hire you, I spoke against your appointment. As far as I am concerned your…sort has no place at a school and I believe you to be a degenerate influence on the children here."

Binns saw his young colleague bristle at his words. When Kettleburn replied, there was no trace of humor in the usually jovial young man. "And exactly what sort might I be, Professor Binns?"

Binns reddened at the other man's cheek. "You know perfectly well what I am referring to."

"Yes, but I want to hear you say the word, Professor Binns. And while we are so openly exchanging opinions of one another, let me just say that I find it completely out of place to discover such a small mind at an institute of higher learning such as this, not to mention finding it paired with such an overly developed stomach and a complete and utter lack of -"

Binns' mouth opened. "See here now, there is no need to move to insults of such a personal nature!"

"You call that a personal nature? What about what you said about me?"

Binns' cheeks if possible turned a deeper scarlet. Apparently his young colleague was determined to make him say the word. "I find there to be something deeply disturbing about anyone who chooses to devote their life to the study of…the…proliferation practices of animals."

"Oh." Kettleburn just stared at him…oddly. "Okay then. I'm going to go get Kitten out of the bath now."

Late as they were to arrive at dinner, dessert was already on the table. Robert Binns watched his younger colleague push the chocolate pudding out of Miss Grindelwald's reach and conjure a few of the entree platters back from the kitchens.

"Try some chicken or the roast."

Instead Kitten just rested her head on her folded arms. Binns gave a smirk. "I told you so!"

Kettleburn frowned. "Kitten, why aren't you eating? Don't you like chicken?"

"Yes, I do, but I like candy and dessert more so I am waiting for them."

Kettleburn shook his head. "Chicken is what we are having for dinner. You need to eat chicken or you won't get anything."

Miss McGon-Grindelwald gave him a knowing smile. "Yes, I will. If I do not eat this, I will get candy later."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will." Binns tried to look blameless as she pointed to him. "He will give it to me."

Binns knew that the warning in the Care of Magical Creature professor's tone was meant for him. "No, he won't."

She seemed to find his words to be either amusing or some kind of a challenge. "Yes, he will. I just have to wait him out. He is very weak; he gives in easily."

Binns' mouth gapped, but he remained silent. He didn't like to have to hear it said so bluntly, but he knew it was true.

Kettleburn shook his head, "Not this time he won't," but the girl gave a little laughed and pushed the plate away.

Kettleburn's idea was all well and fine, but he wasn't going to be the one responsible for the consequences. If the girl starved to death, it wasn't Kettleburn that everyone was going to be making snide remarks about in the faculty lounge for months to come.

Once he had her out of the Great Hall, Binns handed the girl a chocolate bar. "You must eat it quickly before anyone sees it."

By the time he got Miss Grindelwald back to her room, the Headmaster was waiting.

"Headmaster, as you can see, we are managing quite well."

Binns could see the skepticism in the other man's eyes as he went to administer the potion. "It is eight o'clock."

Binns began to protest, "Armando, do you really think that is necessary-" but it was already too late.

Dippet laid the sleeping girl on the empty bed and covered her. "Robert, it is a sleep potion. It contains no harmful ingredients and it is non-addictive. It merely induces a deep, dreamless sleep."

Watching Dippet walk out the door, Binns refrained from making a retort regarding the 'non-addictive' comment.

#######################################

Armando Dippet entered the Great Hall for breakfast with a feeling of release and happiness he had not experienced for years. At long last something had effected a change upon the girl.

He had had a new Vision.

He still Saw the same events that were to transpire in the distant future, but something had had an effect on the more immediate events. For some time now Dippet had had Visions of what he believed to be the death of Robert Binns. But now he had a new Vision; his new Vision showed Binns still teaching next year.

#########################################

"Come along, come along! We mustn't keep Professor…Professor…stop your dawdling and come along!"

Leaving afternoon tea with the Headmaster, Robert Binns was in a hurry to deliver Miss Grindelwald to her rooms. The Care of Magical Creatures Professor had offered to supervise the girl's bath today and was waiting for her there.

Personally, Binns found his young colleague distasteful and a potentially harmful influence on the girl. Anyone who made their living watching animals…propagate was not the sort that Binns believed belonged around small children. For the last century whenever the need had arisen to refill that staff position, Binns had proposed eliminating it from the curriculum. Perhaps if he had not made that same suggestion for just about every vacancy that occurred at the school, more weight might have been given to his proposal.

Regardless, the Headmaster had approved both the idea of hiring the young professor and allowing him to supervise the girl's bath. As much as Binns disliked his young colleague, he wasn't entirely upset at the prospect of a free afternoon. Unless he could think of a way to get out of paying his debts, he needed to pay a visit to Gringotts. Thanks to Miss Grindelwald's 'spectacular' Prognostication skills, he currently owed some forty plus galleons to various faculty members.

"Come along!"

"I do not want to walk. You should carry me."

Binns snorted. "Certainly not! Do you have any idea how old I am? You should be carrying me!"

That quieted her, but only for a minute. As they continued walking, she tried again. "I really think you should carry me."

"And I really think you should carry -" Binns broke off as he saw Mr. Riddle watching them. "All right, I will carry you."

Sneering at Mr. Riddle, Binns reached down to pick up the girl. When one of her hands went round his neck he felt an odd, not quite smarting sensation. His shock was so great that he immediately released her.

"Ow! You dropped me! You were not supposed to drop me!"

Mr. Riddle ran over to pick up the girl. "What did you do that for, you oaf!"

"My Tom never drops me!"

Entirely forgetting his plans to punish Mr. Riddle by keeping Miss Grindelwald away from him, Binns abandoned the girl and sprinted - well walked spiritedly - back to the Headmaster's office. He had to tell Dippet - the girl wasn't a Seer, she was a Foci!

Why hadn't he realized it before! He knew all about true Purebloods and the by far greater frequencies at which they used to possess some abilities that were nowadays found only extremely rarely in the Wizarding population at random. Themises, having still retained their pure bloodedness, frequently had it expressed in, to name just a few abilities, talents in Prognostication, innate skill at Legilimency or Occlumency, or less commonly as Parseltongues or Metamorphmaguses, and the rarest of the rare, Foci.

A Foci! Oh why hadn't he seen it before! Certainly it explained why Jupiter Grindelwald had managed to keep making successful predictions after the end of his marriage bond to Artemisia Themis. The girl was not the one supplying the Visions, but she had been furnishing Grindelwald with the power to improve upon his own rather unspectacular Divination abilities.

Galloping Gargoyles! The mere touch of a Foci while they were 'expressing' could temporarily purify and improve upon a witch or wizard's own natural powers and abilities, but what about all the biting and scratching the girl had been doing! While the improvements caused by simply having physical contact with a Foci were temporary, the effects of a Foci biting or scratching were even more lasting than those of a vampire or werewolf. Vampires and werewolves could only reproduce through biting or scratching, but a Foci's attacks could not only permanently enhanced a witch or wizard's magical abilities, it could also be passed on within a family for generations. Why there were even stories describing non-magical folks being embedded or infected with magical abilities if exposed frequently.

Remembering how thoroughly the girl had scratched Mephistopheles Malfoy, Binns realized it would be quite a few generations before the Malfoy family would again have to worry about producing squibs!

Throwing open the door to the Headmaster's office, Binns tried to catch his breath.

#####################################

Armando Dippet looked up in alarm at the disheveled sight of his History of Magic Master. His alarm grew as Master Binns began to gasp out a few words.

"Armando…the girl…I touched her…burn-"

Having foreseen the possibility of such a problem developing, Dippet was quick to interrupt. "Quiet! Someone might hear you. Think of the consequences, you mustn't let it be known. Robert, you are one of them."

Binns stopped short. "One…of them?"

Dippet nodded. "You said it yourself, you touched the girl and felt burning. You must be related to her. You are a Themis."

Binns gasped and his eyes widened in shock. "Oh my!"

Dippet watched Binns back out the door, repeating over and over, "Oh my!" Binns never had been particularly sharp.

#####################################

Standing in his bed chamber, Robert Binns looked into his full length mirror. He closed his eyes and his face took on a strained expression as he concentrated with all his might. While he hadn't succeeded in making himself completely disappear, when he opened his eyes and looking down at his hand, he was absolutely certain that the edge of his hand had begun to blur.

To think, all this time he was a Themis and he never realized! He shuddered to think of all the years he had wasted as a piddling History of Magic instructor. But now, now he knew the truth and he had years of injustices to make up for. It was up to him, Robert Themis Binns, to avenge all the egregious wrongs that had been done to the Themis line throughout the centuries.

But first, he would need to discover and hone his new skills. And there were a few small injustices to take care of here at Hogwarts.

Sitting in the faculty lounge, Robert Binns closed his eyes and focused all his concentration on Shackleton. In his mind's eye, he envisioned the other man exploding in a burst of flames. Opening his eyes, he gave a sigh of disappointment to discover Shackleton still alive and well. Still his efforts must be having some effect, Shackleton was staring at him.

"Robert, what are you doing?"

Binns smiled. "Never you mind. Go back to reading your papers."

Hearing the door open, Binns tried to predict who it would be without turning to look. Hearing the voices of Dumbledore and Pomfrey, instead of the Headmaster, Binns thought it safe to assume Prognostication was not his skill.

"For the last time, I do not know how to make a sorcerer's stone. Nicholas Flamel never told me."

"Come on, Dumbledore, just tell me how! I can make one and we can share the gold fifty-fifty."

"Valhala, I dedicated years of my life to the study of Alchemy and Potion mixing. Before the Transfiguration spot opened up, I was the Potion Master at this school for almost a decade. Why ever would I tell you how to make a stone in exchange for half the gold when I could just make one myself and keep all the money?"

"Aha! So you admit, you do know how to make one!"

Seeing Dumbledore's annoyed expression, Pomfrey finally gave up on the topic of Alchemy. "Did I tell you about the healer I met while I was at St. Mungo's?"

Apparently, Dumbledore was not the only one to have had enough. As Pomfrey began to use his hands to make squiggly…woman shapes in the air, Shackleton snapped at him. "You met a woman. We get it!"

Binns lost his concentration as Shackleton turned his ire on him. "And you, what are you trying to do over there?"

Snickering at the welts still visible on his 'superior's' face, Binns replied. "Not doing nothing."

Shackleton scowled. "I may not be able to prove it yet, but I know it was you that put the girl up to setting that thing on me. You wait, Robert, just you wait. Yours is coming. I will find proof and when I do, Dippet will dismiss you."

Binns snorted. "Armando Dippet never fired anyone in his life and he never will." In his best impression of the Headmaster's voice, Binns went on to say, "It might 'adversely effect the future!'"

Knowing it was true, Shackleton just continued to scowl.

As the Headmaster and Professor Viinder entered the room, the Herbology professor, Archie tried to change the topic.

"Binns I believe you owe me five galleons from yesterday's match."

Still concentrating on Shackleton, Binns grinned. "I can pay you five galleons or if you prefer, we can go double or nothing. I've decided to start a new betting pool, a death pool. I've already taken Shackleton as my choice, but who do you think Miss Grindelwald will kill first?"

Binns expected a possible reprimand from the Headmaster, but he felt it was worth it to see the look of outrage on Shackleton's face.

Dippet did frown, but it was Professor Viinder who replied first. "What is the maximum bet we can put down? Whatever it is, I want to put it down on you, Binns."

Dippet's frown deepened, but it was nothing like Binns' own. "If you aren't interested in participating you don't have to. There is no need to be rude about it!"

As Dippet motioned Professor Viinder out of the faculty room door, Professor Archie began to question the system of the betting pool. "Is it limited to staff and students or can I pick that Ministry fellow?"

"That's ridiculous. Just because she was born a Themis doesn't mean she is predisposed to violence." Binns wasn't the only one to snort in response to Dumbledore's attempt at a defense of the girl.

Shackleton sounded exasperated. "Come off it, Dumbledore. She made a hippogriff attack Kettleburn, set a…a 'snog' on me, tore the nose right off of one student, killed a puffskein, and Tofty won't admit it, but I am convinced she was the one that set fire to his classroom. Her behavior is escalating. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if she were to kill someone."

Listening to Shackleton, Binns smiled. So long as the girl was around, he had carte blanche to do anything he wanted; everyone would simply assume she was the one responsible. Sitting back, he began to ponder the possibilities.

#######################################

Troubled, Armando Dippet beckoned his Divination Master out into the hall.

"What you said to Binns, was that something you Saw in a Vision?"

Eres Viinder waved a hand dismissively. "Not to worry, Binns didn't believe me. They never do."

"So you did have a Vision regarding Robert?"

Viinder shrugged. "Between you and me, let's just say I will be taking my meals in my rooms instead of the Great Hall for the next few weeks.

Watching Viinder walk away, Dippet was feeling most unsettled. But perhaps Viinder had not yet had a chance to see the altered future. After all, it was just this morning that Dippet had Seen it

########################################

Robert Binns grimaced as the Headmaster entered the room, as always carrying a sleeping potion.

"Where is Miss Grindelwald?"

"She is in the other room brushing her teeth." Eyeing the vial, Binns held out his hand. "Leave it with me. When she comes out, I will make certain she takes it."

Dippet looked hesitant, but in the end he relented. Before leaving, he warned, "Make certain she drinks all of it. It wouldn't do to have it wearing off in the middle of the night."

Binns removed the stopper from the vial. Just the fumes were making him feel lightheaded. Binns knew he was not the most observant person in the world, but having been at Hogwarts as long as he had, even he couldn't help eventually picking up on a few details that the more casual observer might have overlooked. While it was bad enough that the Headmaster was a potion addict, that was Dippet's own business. Binns was never one to get involved in other people's concerns; eavesdrop on or gossip about certainly, but actually get involved, no. However, even Binns had to draw the line at getting an eight year old addicted to potions. He really would have thought that perhaps Dippet might have learned that they were not the answer to everything from his experiences with the girl's mother.

Binns emptied the vial's contents into the fireplace as Miss Grindelwald reentered the room.

"All right off to bed you go."

"I am not tired. Do you know any games?"

"Certainly I do. There is one that I am particularly fond of called 'Go to Bed Right Now!'"

Binns sighed as the girl began to stall. "You haven't told me a story."

"Lies! I told you lots of stories today during class."

The girl made a face as she realized he was right. "Well…maybe you should sing to me."

"Sing? I think we best not go down that path! Now go to sleep."

"I want to sleep with my Tom."

Binns shook his head. "Out of the question! Young ladies sleep in their own room-well a room they share with three other young ladies, but you get the idea."

The girl tried a different angle. "I want to sleep upstairs with the other cats."

Binns sighed and pointed to an empty bed. "Little girls sleep in the beds they are assigned to sleep in."

As soon as she was on the bed, Binns pulled the bed covers over the young girl in what he hoped was an adequately reassuring manner. Wide eyed, the girl looked at the canopy over her head and then looked down to something slightly above his shoulder.

Rather hesitantly, she asked, "Do snakes eat kittens?"

"What an absurd question. Of course they do. Some types of snakes will eat all manner of small creatures - kittens, mice, frogs, rabbits, squirrels…"

"Do they eat badgers?"

She certainly had an inquisitive mind. Binns despised inquisitive minds. In his classes, he highly discouraged the asking of questions. It disrupted the flow of his thoughts. "Certainly. They are small enough. Snakes can unhinge their jaws in order to swallow and digest things far greater than their own size."

"Do they eat eagles?"

Binns sighed. The girl's stalling had really gone on long enough. "Yes, they eat eagles - well at least their eggs. They will eat anything smaller than…than…a lion. Now go to sleep or we will need to see Professor Pomfrey for a sleep potion!"

Turning to go out the door, Binns stopped suddenly as he realized what it was the girl had been staring at over his shoulder. All along the decorative trim of the room, miniatures of the house mascot could be seen coiling and slithering about. Many of the student dormitories were decorated as such with their particular house mascot. Binns had never really considered it before, but now looking around the room, he found the Slytherin dormitory rather discomforting. Between the trim, additional snakes carved into the wood of the four post bed and the fact that none of the other students were yet in the room, even he wouldn't want to stay here awake and alone.

Maybe telling the small girl that snakes would eat anything smaller than a lion hadn't been such a good idea.

Kettleburn had cast a spell to remove all the little serpents from the Head Girl's room before Miss Grindelwald had been escorted to it. Though he was loathe to admit it, there was a reason why he taught History of Magic rather than one of the more applied magics. While Kettleburn had been able to remove them all with a few castings, Binns knew he would need to cast the spell for each one individually. Binns frowned considering how very many of them there were scattered about the room. No, it really entailed far too much effort for him to become involved with it.

Still, turning back to the sight of the girl's unsettled gray eyes, his resolve softened. Perhaps a compromise of sorts was in order.

"Would you like to hear tomorrow's History of Magic lecture tonight?"

Without waiting for her response, he began his recitation. Less than two minutes later, he was able to exit the sleeping girl's chamber .

A little later while passing through the Slytherin Common room, Robert Binns took the extra time necessary to walk by Mr. Riddle. Pausing to stick his tongue out at the Head Boy, Binns ignored the odd look from Miss Pritchard, one of the Slytherin first year girls as she left the room.

"Robert, what are you doing?"

Hearing Dumbledore's voice, Binns turned. He was moving closer, planning to ask exactly what Dumbledore was doing in the Slytherin Common room and why exactly he would care about what was done to Tom Riddle when a scream interrupted his thoughts. Screaming was not at all a good thing. Even without going to look, he was entirely sure that the screaming was coming from a certain Slytherin first year girl's room.

Apparently Dumbledore and Mr. Riddle were of the same opinion, both bolted down the hall. Quite reluctant to follow after, Binns gave a sigh as the screaming continued.

He didn't know what had happened yet and he wasn't sure how, but he was quite certain that somehow, someway, what ever happened, he would get blamed for it.

#####################################

When Albus Dumbledore pushed Miss Pritchard out of the way, she stopped screaming. He had moved her with the intention of entering the room, but stopped short at the sight before him. Dozens of snakes were moving around the bedchamber. A quick glance at the walls showed numerous bare spots where engravings had once been. Miss Grindelwald certainly seemed to have a talent at transfiguration. She had apparently changed the etchings to real snakes in her sleep.

Looking at the only occupied bed, Dumbledore pulled out his wand. Most of the snakes had begun to slither towards the bed and a few were already on it. Miss Grindelwald was sitting on the bed, too terrified to make a sound or move. Two of the snakes that were already on the bed looked quite ready to strike.

Quietly, trying not to startle any of the serpents, Dumbledore spoke. "Accio Minerva!" The spell had no effect so he tried again.

Riddle also had his wand out, but he wasn't trying any incantations. The boy was making sounds, but they weren't words. At first Dumbledore thought the boy was too frightened to think coherently, but as several of the snakes turned to face the door, he realized Riddle was talking to them and at least some were listening. Riddle was a Parseltongue.

"Accio Miss Grindelwald!" Still the spell had no effect.

At Tom's direction, most of the snakes backed away from Minerva, but the one closest still seemed to be contemplating a strike. In a fit of desperation Dumbledore tried the Accio spell again, but in a slightly different way.

"Accio Kitten!"

It was the first time he fully appreciated the magic in a name. The power in the telling, in the being told, in the knowing, and in the believing.

Kitten flew through the air towards him to the great anger of the serpent that had been delayed from striking by Riddle's parseltongue ability. Dumbledore wrapped his arms around her heavily shaking form, trying to comfort her.

"It's all right. You're safe now."

Tom tried to pull the girl away, but she was still terrified and would not relinquish her grasp on Dumbledore. "Kitten, come to me. The snakes listen to me, they won't hurt you, I can control them. There is nothing to be frightened of."

Still trembling, Kitten loudly responded. "I am not afraid of snakes!" Quite a bit quieter, she continued to lie. "I just do not like them."

Headmaster Dippet appeared, having apparently been notified of the commotion. "What is going on now? Dumbledore you put her down this instant!"

Seeing Kitten peek over Dumbledore's shoulder, Dippet seemed to grow incensed. He turned to Binns who despite having been in the Common room when it all started, was only just arriving. "Why is she awake?"

Dumbledore started to explain but was quickly interrupted by several people. "Kitten must have had a strong dream or in some way -"

"Dream? She shouldn't have been having any dreams!"

"He said snakes devour and digest little kittens whole!"

In a single breath, Binns managed to both deny and admit to the accusation. "Lies! Nobody likes a tattletale!"

Himself now incensed, Dumbledore had had more than enough. "Robert, you told her that! What is wrong with you! Have you no common sense?" Turning to Dippet, Dumbledore was about to begin to demand some sort of change in the girl's supervision when Kitten settled the matter herself.

"I do not like snakes. I want to go live with the lions!"

Tom was beside himself with indignation and Dippet opposed the idea, but Dumbledore found it to be a marvelous solution.

"Kitten, no! The snakes won't hurt you. I can control them; they listen to me."

"Dumbledore, you put her down this instant!"

With the Headmaster following on his heels, protesting the whole way, Dumbledore carried Kitten Grindelwald out of the dungeons and up to Gryffindor Tower.

###################################

Robert Binns peeked into the room at all the snakes. He might be a Slytherin, but he had no desire to spend time with real snakes.

"Mr. Riddle, as Head Boy, I believe you are capable of handling the clean up."

As he tried to make his escape, Riddle stopped him. "Sir, since I no longer have my familiar, would it be alright if I were to keep one of the snakes as a pet?"

Binns wrinkled his nose in disgust. He did want any of those things kept around. "Certainly not!"

####################################

Entering the Gryffindor Head Girl's room, Albus Dumbledore set the girl on the bed. With one wave of his wand, he banished from the room all the dust, doxies, furniture coverings, and wall etchings.

Now that she was away from the dungeons, much of the girl's usual confidence was restored. "Wait, bring back the lions!"

Given what he had just witnessed downstairs, Dumbledore shook his head. He really didn't think that was such a good idea.

Kitten frowned for but a moment before moving her attention on. "I need more pillows. Please."

Dumbledore found the request slightly suspicious as there were already two perfectly good pillows on the bed. "What for?"

Her shrug was entirely unreassuring. Still, he couldn't see any harm in giving them to her.

"Is there anything else you need?"

After Kitten shook her head, Dumbledore smiled. "Welcome to Gryffindor House, Miss Grindelwald."

tbc