Chapter 18: A Declaration of War
Emma Granger enjoyed motherhood; she loved being a mom. The doctor kept repeating that sentence like a mantra. She had just forgotten that the first months were an absolute nightmare. Who was she kidding? Maybe if she could sleep, she would get nightmares. But, alas, Emma wasn't so lucky. Gabriel was not a happy camper since Harry and Hermione went back to school. He had significantly less playtime now, and that amounted to more energy and fussing.
Dorea had offered to add a drop of calming draught to his bottles, but Emma refused. Snape thought that the older the magical person started consuming potions, the better, and Emma tended to agree. Daniel had been very busy studying and putting in more hours at the hospital for his trauma surgery rotations. He helped as much as he could during the weekends and when he wasn't on call, but things for the family had gotten quite busy after Lily's law was passed. There were meetings at the ministry, the Wizengamot, alliance get-togethers, etc.
Right about now, Emma wanted to scream with Gabriel in plain frustration. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help it. She sat in the library chair closest to her and began to doze off while baby Gabriel screamed. As the baby noticed his mom shut her eyes, something made him stop crying and he realized that, after all, crying was exhausting indeed, and he fell asleep too. Had it not been for a curious Tremmy who had been organizing the books in the library, they would have fallen off the chair and hurt themselves.
Filius sat in his living room and sighed. That was the fourth mug he broke in a week. He was used to his issues related to height, or lack thereof. But having only one hand was significantly worse. It was a good thing that he didn't lose his wand arm. Then he would be completely ruined. He had a life debt with King Nagkrat now, and he was sure that it would be collected in the worst way possible. A beak tapped on his window; a Hogwart's owl was waiting. He fixed the mug and cleaned the mess. He broke the seal.
Filius,
They did it! Harry and Hermione managed to obtain what we were looking for. The magic behind it all was quite something. Please come at your leisure tomorrow to see it. It is remarkable. The possibilities of studying this are almost endless. Get your thinking cap on, and don't forget your glasses. We are doing research like in the old days!
Minerva
Filius smiled a bit. Research would do great for his self-esteem right about now.
It was the first day of classes after Christmas break. Harry and Hermione were eagerly waiting for Aunt Minnie to lay down the new law of the land. Daphne was sitting with them. She was a bit nervous at her sorting. The kids kept telling her that it would be fine, but she wasn't so sure. Back at Beauxbatons, she had been quite high in the school's social ladder because her mother's business had grown exponentially, and everyone respected their origin and work ethic. Here, she was starting from scratch once again. Chatter was abuzz all over with students catching up as to what they did during the Christmas break.
"Students, good morning," the Headmistress walked towards the center of the hall. "Welcome back to Hogwarts. We have a transfer student who will be sorted. She is coming from Beauxbatons in France. I expect you all to treat her with respect and welcome her into this institution. Scioness Greengrass, come up here so we can get you sorted."
Daphne sat with the hat on for a good minute. At last, Aldrich exclaimed, "Slytherin!"
Disregarding the applaud from the green and silver house, Daphne smiled at them but went back to sit with Harry and Hermione. "Ugh. I would have preferred Ravenclaw, but oh well. I take after my father, it seems," she said with a proud smile.
"We are sure he's super proud of you," Hermione beamed. Now that she was older, Daphne seemed to like her much more, and as both of them had common interests, they had become friends quickly.
"Thanks, Mi."
"Damn it! We missed it!" Neville sighed as he sat down.
"We're sorry, Daphne. We were making good time, but the stairwell moved and dropped us on the third floor," Draco said this apologetically.
"It's okay. After all, I am glad I am a Slytherin, if only so I can keep an eye on you, Drakey. Any bullies try to get to you, let me know. I can show them a bit of obscur savoir-faire," Daphne smirked evilly and winked.
Hermione mirrored her expression. "We need to talk."
Daphne's eyebrows shot up in interest, but Minerva did a sonorous charm, effectively stopping their conversation. The boys looked equal parts amused and scared at their conversation. Someone with The Eye and a mischievous genius working together? Heaven help those bullies.
"Before you proceed to the serving stations, I have several announcements. First, the construction on the third floor has been completed. You can walk around it at your leisure. Classes that used to be taught on that floor will be taught there again. The School Board financed the placing of floor maps around the school which will help you find your classes easier if the stairs change. I am looking into having them set to permanent positions, but we are still researching how to accomplish this. Madam Pomfrey wants me to remind the first-year students who haven't gotten their magical vaccinations yet that they are available this month. Madam Hooch wants me to tell you that quidditch has been canceled for the rest of the school year-"
"WHAT?! You can't cancel quidditch!" Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor captain, jumped and yelled.
"Mr. Wood! Sit down! I didn't cancel quidditch on a whim. There is a plague of doxies that has taken hold of the stands to use them as their colony. For those of you who don't know, doxies are dangerous. Their bites are venomous. Professor Sprout and Professor Snape have been making doxicide in large amounts to eliminate them, but the doxies are in their mating period. That makes them extremely territorial and aggressive. Therefore, we have to wait a few months to spray the stands and make sure they leave. Anyone seen near the pitch will be suspended from the school immediately. Am I making myself clear?"
A loud 'Yes, headmistress' resounded in the hall.
"Good, now since the Defense Against the Dark Arts position needed to be filled in, I requested Madame Bones' input for a recommendation, and she recommended two former students. They will be alternating each week. This week, William No-Name will get started, and then the following week, we will have Auror Tonks joining us," Minerva smiled at the former redheads that seemed genuinely happy for the first time in a while. She had always appreciated Bill Weasley. He was a good student and an all-around great guy. Now that he was a No-Name, particularly, she wanted to help him out. After what Tonks had done for Emma, she had been promoted and had Madame Bones' full trust.
"Lastly, Madame Prince wants me to remind you that if you want to have study groups in the new separate library rooms, you have to book them in advance. Oh! And Professor Snape wants for those of you who damaged your cauldrons beyond repair before the break," she stopped to look down at Mr. Finnegan, "to stop by his office today. We have received some cauldron donations."
Many Gryffindors chuckled at Seamus' deep blush.
The Headmistress carried on, "As most of you know, Hogwarts has suffered a loss in our student body. Ronald No-Name, formerly Weasley, passed away at St. Mungo's over the break. There will be a memorial outside of the hall if you want to leave any flowers or cards for the boy's family. I would like for you to join me in a minute of silence to remember Ronald."
A minute of still quiet, save for a few sobs from the No-Names, went by.
"Thank you. It would be remiss of me not to tell you that none of you should ever attempt to confront a dangerous creature on your own. As you read on the press, Professor Quirrell lost his position and life because he chose to bring a Troll into the school due to an oath he made in direct breach of contract. When professors are hired, they sign a contract that explains their duties. One of our main duties is to make sure that students are always safe. Hogwarts is currently under revision regarding all our security measures. If you have any concerns, you can leave an anonymous note in the new suggestions boxes that have been placed in each common room. Please proceed to the serving stations. The rest of the announcements call for a full stomach."
The kids shared a look with Daphne. "That was cryptic. But we know better than to doubt her. On to the serving station, allons-y kids," she said.
After a filling, delicious lunch, the headmistress stood up and went to the podium.
"I need all of you to pay attention to the following announcement quietly and without interruptions. The School Board has decided to approve a plan that will shake things up a bit. We have decided that there will no longer be house-exclusive common rooms," several gasps and Whats followed. "Up to this point, and for centuries, each of the four houses have had their own common room. That will no longer be the case," many murmurs began around the hall, but they halted when the headmistress raised a hand. "Hogwarts has unintendedly nurtured unhealthy rivalries between houses. That stops today. Your parents and guardians have been notified of this change. Rooms will be mixed. The number of students per house in each room will depend on the amount of students admitted each year," Minerva had to stop when excited whispers broke out from groups of older students. "Before the fifth, sixth, and seventh years get any ideas, this separation will still be gender-segregated."
A couple of boos sounded loudly.
"Silence. You need to start exercising your patience and your empathy for this to work with minimal trouble. The School Board believes that this change will reap only positive consequences in the long term. You are sorted to your House because you possess the traits that the founders valued most. This means that you end up sharing quarters with people whose traits and personalities are quite similar to yours. Living with like-minded people leaves little to no room for growth," many groans and a few nods followed that. Most students just shrugged or looked upset.
Minerva took a deep breath and kept going. "All that will start changing today. The School Board hopes that you get to make friends across the board and that you get to learn from each other. Access to common rooms will still be password protected to avoid crowds, and before you ask, all of this was raffled blindly. Each student was assigned a number, and those numbers were distributed per each room with a randomizing spell. This division respects your year level. First years will be placed with first years and so on. Lastly, each year, you will rotate the area you live in. This means that if you are placed in Gryffindor this year, you will have to go through three years of different houses until you repeat placement in Gryffindor. Understood?"
"Yes, headmistress."
Headmistress McGonagall tapped her wand against the podium. Hundreds of closed envelopes appeared in front of the students. "The envelopes have the distribution lists. Don't! You will open them when I say so. There will be no changes made. Before you ask, the House Tournament is still a thing. You can earn or lose points for your house regardless of where you sleep. Oh! And before I forget, bullying will not be tolerated. If you or someone you know is being bullied, talk to a professor of your choice, and they will help you. If you are a bully, your days as a student at Hogwarts are counted."
"Headmistress?" Hermione raised her hand with an embarrassed smile.
"Yes, scioness Dagworth-Granger?"
"Do we have to move our things ourselves or-?" the girl trailed off.
"No. House-elves have already moved your things. Prefects, go to the entrance of the Great Hall and help direct any lost students. You may open your envelopes, everyone," the Headmistress turned around and left. Once she left the hall, conversations, complaints, and angry remarks could be heard. The professors started to move towards the exit in the back.
"YES!" Harry exclaimed. "We're together!"
His room would have Neville, Draco, some kid named Terry Boot (a puff), and Anthony Goldstein (a raven). All the boys, Draco in particular, were over the moon. No more Crabbe and Goyle!
Hermione didn't seem as happy "I have Lavender, Hannah, a girl called Mandy Brocklehurst… and Pansy Parkinson."
"What's the problem, Hermione?" Daphe asked with a frown. Her big sister nature smelled trouble.
"Ugh. Parkinson is so mean."
"Hermione… I have to warn you. Parkinson suspected me… about the pranks. You have to be extra careful. She's vicious and has little to no moral reservations about… well, anything, really," Draco said with a worried expression.
"Mione, promise me you'll be careful," Harry requested, holding her hand.
"Fine," Hermione blew her fringe up and smiled at Harry.
"Ugh!" Daphne exclaimed, hugging both kids. "You are so stinking cute! Hermione, I know that these boys can't help you in the girls' rooms. But, if that little witch tries something, you let me know, and I will end her. Entendue?"
Hermione smiled. That did make her feel a bit better. "Entendue. Thanks, Daph. Which Common Room do you have?"
"Gryffindor like all of you… Something tells me this wasn't as random as headmistress kitty said," Daphne chuckled.
"Daphne! If the Headmistress hears you, she will not like that name!" Neville blushed in her stead.
"Oh, Neville! I will enjoy getting you all hot and bothered on the reg!" Daphne winked and walked away. As she left, she crashed against Percy, who was looking in another direction. "Merde!"
"Bloody hell! Sorry!" Percy grabbed Daphne so she wouldn't slip and fall.
She blushed and took a step back once she was steady. "Scioness Daphne Greengrass, nice to meet you."
Now it was Percy's turn to blush. She was gorgeous. He dreaded her reaction at his new name. "Percy No-Name."
Her friendly smile faltered a millisecond, but she recovered right away. "Nice to meet you. The kids have told me a lot about you and the twins."
"Good things, I hope," Percy smiled.
"Bien sûr. I am really sorry about what happened with my mom and your dad," Daphne blushed.
"Well, it wasn't your fault. Or your mom's, really. She was within her right to ask for retribution," Percy sighed. "It was nice to meet you. I have to get going… prefect's duty."
"Do you mind showing me around?" Daphne asked.
Percy's ears went red. "Sure, I think that falls in my duties," he offered her his arm, and she took it.
"See you later, bugs," Daphne winked and walked away, swaying her hips a bit more than normal with a blushing Percy.
The twins who had been eavesdropping sat framing Harry and Hermione. "Okay, what was that?!"
"International relations?" Neville suggested. When everyone around him sniggered, he blushed. "Oi! I didn't mean it like that!"
The kids laughed as they walked towards their common room, chatting animatedly.
Harry was happy to find that he had the same bed position. To his left, he had Draco and Terry, and to his right, he had Neville and Anthony. They introduced themselves, and the lions started giving their new roommates a tour of the common room and showed them where to find everything. So far, there were no weird vibes between them. Terry and Anthony were a bit shy, but that was understandable. On the opposite side of the tower, Hermione was arranging her things in her bedside tables. The girls already knew each other. But Pansy hadn't come to the common room after breakfast.
"Do you reckon she got lost?" Hannah asked the girls.
"I don't know. If Pansy doesn't come after classes, we should let a prefect know. She could be lost, hurt, or something," Hermione offered. Her concern quickly changed to apprehension when Pansy stormed into the room.
"Unbelievable!" she slammed the door behind her. "Bloody useless people!"
"Hi, there. I know we share some classes, but I think we haven't been introduced. I'm Lavender Brown, this is Hannah Abbott, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Hermione Dagworth-Granger," Lavender smiled tentatively. Living with the enemy was not her idea of fun.
"Who asked you!?" Pansy growled at her. "One of you, peasants, tell me which bed is mine?"
Hannah frowned. Peasants? What the heck? "This one," she pointed to the bed in between hers and Lavender's.
"I don't want that one. I want this one," Pansy sat on Hermione's bed while ignoring her completely.
Lavender looked at Hermione with worry. Hermione was a sweetheart if you treated her right, but if you treated her wrong, she would become a freezer, and she would ice you out. "Sorry, you can't have that one. It's Hermione's," Lavender said all this slowly, trying to avoid the explosion she could foresee.
"I don't care. Move to that bed!" Pansy exclaimed, staring Hermione down. Hermione returned the look. "I said move, you idiot!"
Suddenly, time slowed down as Pany harshly grabbed Hermione's forearm and dug her long nails into the girl's soft skin. Before any other witch could intervene, Hermione had applied self-defense moves which ended with Pansy down on her stomach, out of breath, with her arm twisted behind her back, screaming for the brunette to let her go.
"Let me go! You stupid mudblood!"
The door swung open, and Daphne came in rushing. She had been leaving the dorms when she heard that Slytherin berating Hermione. She grabbed Pansy and pulled her up by her robes, pushing her harshly against the wall, her forearm pressed against the younger student's neck, their height difference apparent. "Listen to me, you foul, arrogant, inbred little cockroach! You use that word against Hermione or anyone else ever again, and I will rip your tongue out!"
Pansy was too upset to think things through. "Unhand me, blood traitor! You are just as meddlesome as your fucking father! You keep this up, and you will meet his same end he-!"
All the other girls gasped. Parkinson wouldn't finish that sentence because Daphne backhanded her with all her strength. The Slytherin fell to the floor with a thud and a loud groan. Her head was lolling as she tried to stay conscious. Hermione rushed to pull Daphne back before she repeated the gesture and knocked Pansy out completely. Lavender rushed to help Hermione. Daphne was too upset.
"Don't you ever, and I mean EVER speak of my father again, Parkinson!" Daphne struggled against Hermione and Lavender's hold. Hermione made the most out of Lavender coming to help, and she pulled her necklace three times. Immediately, Headmistress McGonagall was popped into the room by an elf.
"What is the meaning of this? One of you, explain!"
The girls looked at each other. Harry's distant screams of "Hermione!" grew closer as the stairs up the girls' dormitories allowed him up. The castle's magic had recognized their bond and didn't dare to stand in their way.
Hannah took a step forward. "We were just getting settled, and Pansy came in very upset. She slammed the door and insisted that she wanted Hermione's bed. Lavender told her that she couldn't have it, and that's when Pansy grabbed Hermione's arm and-" Hannah gasped. "What are you doing here?"
Harry was standing at the door. He was quite shocked when he came in and saw scratches on Hermione's arm that mirrored the ones on his own. Then he saw Pansy spitting her front teeth and crying in pain. Daphe was still being held back, and her hand had a cut from where it had impacted Parkinson's teeth. "Sorry, I felt Hermione was hurt. I-"
"Mr. Potter! How on earth did you manage to get up here?" the Headmistress exclaimed. Harry shrugged and blushed. "Never mind that. Hannah?"
"Ooookay… Um, then Pansy called Hermione the 'm' word, Hermione defended herself, and Daphne rushed in to defend Hermione as well and pushed Pansy to the wall…"
"She spoke ill of my dead father! She threatened me! And she called Hermione stupid, and the 'm' word, headmistress," Daphne wiped her hurt hand with her robe. "You know full well that I don't attack people just because."
"I see. Miss Parkinson, hold on to the elf. He will take you to the infirmary," McGonagall indicated.
Pansy looked at the creature in open disgust. "Ugh, no. I prefer to walk," she sounded weird as her two front teeth were gone.
The headmistress took a deep breath as if to calm herself.
Daphne removed Lavender's and Hermione's hands from her body. "Headmistress, I will go to your office for my punishment as soon as Madam Pomfrey heals my hand. If -what's your name?" she asked the elf.
"Mutti," he replied.
"If Mutti takes me to the infirmary, I'd be grateful."
Daphne trusted Headmistress McGonagall to deal with Pansy. The elf popped them away.
"Miss Parkinson, I want you in my office as soon as you are healed. If I ever hear that you have used that despicable word again, you will be expelled immediately."
"That's what she is! This school is going down the drain!"
"Miss Parkinson, that's enough! Walk with me to the infirmary right away. Miss Granger, Madam Tonks is in the greenhouse helping with the doxycide. Go see her about those scratches. You too, Mr. Potter."
Harry offered Hermione his arm, and they walked away quickly. Lavender, Hannah, and Mandy gathered their school bags and Hermione's and left for class.
"And you were able to go up to the girls' dorm?" Healer Tonks asked with fascination as she fixed Harry's arm.
"Well, it didn't not right away… After a while, I was worried for Hermione's safety, and I just wished really hard to see… my wife," Harry replied. The last two words were barely audible. Hermione was in the loo, but still.
"I see. Perhaps it was a fluke or maybe something to do with your bond. Regardless, Mr. Potter, I would appreciate if you would not use this fluke to get in there," the Headmistress said in her stern voice.
Harry blushed at the implications, "I would never do that. I only went because Hermione was in danger."
"Did you feel anything strange?"
"No, nothing. There was like an invisible barrier, but then it was gone."
Hermione came back with her hair tied. They had potions first.
"Okay, now that you are both healed, go to class. Give this to Severus," she handed them a note explaining their tardiness.
At the new Greengrass Manor, Ianthe was celebrating her largest contract in England so far. She sipped on a champagne flute with a smile on her face. She signed the contract, fed her owl a large piece of jerky, and sent her back. A Hogwarts owl landed on her balcony. News from Daphne! She thought with a smile.
Ianthe,
There has been a situation with Daphne. She is safe. However, Pansy Parkinson attacked Hermione, Daphne defended her, and Pansy said unkind things about your husband. You can imagine that didn't go well. Your daughter backhanded the girls so hard that she lost some teeth. Daphne did hurt her hand but she's been healed as I write this. I have reason to suspect that your daughter will call a Feud. I'm just giving you a heads up so you can jump on that first and send your demands. I think it's time Daphne starts working towards that mastery you had mentioned. That will be her detention if you don't mind. She will be bruised and exhausted, but she will learn. Let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
Minerva
Ianthe took a slow breath. Pansy Parkinson… she was probably at least half as horrid as her mother. She sent a quick message back to Minerva. Then, Lady Greengrass considered her demands and penned a letter to the Head of the Parkinson family demanding a meeting on neutral ground. Once the meeting took place, she would inform her daughter of the results.
Pansy Parkinson was livid. That fucking Greengrass was going to pay for this. Three weeks detention with bloody Professor Sprout working her like a slave and a notice of misconduct in her student file. Just great. And that Granger chit! Oh, she was going to pay handsomely for this… even if it was in her dirty blood. To have to share a room with all those bitches was going to drive her insane. Was being a peasant contagious? Ew. As she left the Headmistress office through the gargoyle, she almost ran into Daphne.
"Watch where you are going!" she snapped.
"No, you watch it, you little death muncher wannabe. If you ever come near my friends or me again, I shall make a formal complaint to your Head of House through the Alliance, and then you will have more problems than you know what to do with. Understand?"
"Don't threaten me, Greengrass. My dad can bite your dad's head off and spit it out for breakfast- Oh! No, that's right. He can't because your father is dead!" Pansy cackled.
Daphne took a deep calming breath. "You must be seriously impaired up here," Daphne flicked at Pansy's forehead harshly. I told you to never speak about my father again. The Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass declares a Feud against Scioness Parkinson and her House, starting immediately. Now, fuck off, bitch."
"You talk a lot for a person coming from a Broken House!*"
"Better a Broken House than a Dark one. My mom is the kind of woman you will never get to be, you arrogant little bitch. Now get out of my way unless you want to lose those teeth that have just been reattached."
Pansy left, flipping her long hair over her shoulder with a huff.
Daphne went upstairs to find a professor McGonagall looking very serious while reading some old tome.
"Headmistress, may I come in?"
Minerva raised her head. "Of course. Take a seat, Daphne."
Daphne sat quickly and rushed in, "Headmistress, I realize that I have not been an exemplary student seeing as I just got here, and I will already be in detention for the foreseeable future. However, I cannot allow for something like this to stand. I just declared a Feud with her and her House, so I need to get a hold of my mom before she hears it from someone else. I hope she will understand, but I- Bloody hell!"
"Daphne. Breathe. Your mother knows about what happened. I wrote to her. She was even more upset than you, and I presume she has already contacted the Parkinsons. Daphne, I know we are not related. But I want you to know that I am here for you. Okay?"
She sighed. "Thank you. Please let me know how many detentions I need to serve and with whom so I can organize my studying schedule around that."
"No need for that. You will be serving detention with me. Your mother told me over the break that you are into Transfiguration and that you wanted to see if I could spare some time to tutor you, so I have made the time available. We start tomorrow at 5," Minerva smiled.
Daphne gasped. "Seriously?! You are willing to-?" Minerva nodded. Daphne went around the desk and, forgetting all etiquette, launched herself into the headmistress' arms. "Oh! This are the best news ever! Thank you so much!"
"Just know that this is not a reward. You will be doing very hard work, lots of studying, and will probably end each session exhausted and with many a headache, but if your heart is set on a Mastery, the sooner you start, the better," Minerva said with a slight frown.
"I thought you wouldn't approve…"
"This approval is conditional. You have to keep all your grades as they are: impeccable. And absolutely no more physical confrontation with no one. Oh, and your mother will be grounding you."
"I will happily accept my punishment, and I promise that I will work very hard to be a credit to you," she halted at the Headmistress' lifted brow. "Not that you need any, of course," Daphne added with a blush.
"You may live to regret this, my dear," the professor said in a cryptic tone that sent a chill down Daphne's spine. If she played her cards right, she may actually be invited to the coven after graduating.
At Potions, Hermione and Draco got 20 points each. Harry was too distracted to participate, thinking about how he was able to get to Hermione. The sensation had been so strange. He felt like he was crashing against dense gelatin and bouncing back. And then he felt such an intense desire to protect Hermione from harm when he felt a hand clawing at her arm and felt the pain she felt on his arm as well. And suddenly, there was a pull of energy from under his belly, and it was as if the gelatin vanished, and he could run upstairs. Unlike other times, Harry wasn't tired, but he should have been, and this worried him. Aunt Andy had said that the stairs would throw them out. Professor Snape said that sometimes the stairs turned to a slide so no one could go up. But he hadn't seen anything like that. He wanted to know if it was a one-time thing, but he didn't want to try. The girls could get the wrong idea. Who could he ask? Of course! His parents! He needed their portrait!
Back in Minerva's office, a heated discussion was blowing up. Many of the portraits had left in annoyance at the decibels and the cursing.
"We cannot sit on this, Filius!" Minerva was about to start cursing at her friend.
"We have to! Minerva, think of the possibilities! We should study the stone," Flitwick reasoned.
"Not by ourselves, we shouldn't. Do you know how many people have lost their mind trying to bring back their loved ones with that?" Minerva was pale, and her voice shook with emotion. She was sorely tempted to see her late husband again. However, it didn't do anyone good to be stuck in the future with a ghost from the past.
"I understand that, but we could unlock centuries-old knowledge and-"
"And we could destroy the stone in the process!" she bellowed.
"Destroy-? Morgana! And what pray tell is the alternative?!"
"Well, we act like what we are: members of an alliance. We bring this to the next meeting and make a decision together."
"Nagkrat will want to keep it for his people," Flitwick argued. "Goblins are not good at sharing!"
"Pot meet kettle… Then go tell Nagkrat that we have the stone and that the alliance wants to review it with them. That should allow the conversation to be less contemptuous."
"Aaaargh!" Filius kicked the desk in front of him and cursed in pain. "He will not share it. I am sure of it. He doesn't even like me!"
"Are you hearing yourself, Filius? His people saved your life! More than once!"
"It cost me half my arm!" Filius pushed his now scarred stump out of the robe and pushed it close to Minerva's face.
She moved a few inches back. "Well, it could have cost you your life! It wasn't your wand arm. I mean, it could've been worse…."
"Right. It wasn't your arm, so it doesn't matter. You have no idea what it's like to be me, Minerva! I am already at a disadvantage because of my heritage. Now, to make matters worse, I am handicapped! What am I to do with my life now!?" he sighed despondently, deflating on his seat.
Minerva felt anger pulse through her veins. For her friend to be so defeatist was not an option. She rolled The Daily Prophet that was lying on her desk tightly and began berating her friend while punctuating each sentence with a sharp newspaper hit."What are you talking about!?" she hit him over the head twice. "You are Filius Flitwick!" She swatted him again. "Merlin! Pull yourself together!" she hit the right side of his head. "You are a Charms Master!" she hit the left side of his head. "A Champion Duelist!" She hit his forehead. "You have been a professor who has shaped the minds of several generations!" by this time, he had stopped trying to defend himself from her strikes. "You are a warrior! A victor!" she hit his chest two times. "Stop with this self-pitying nonsense! You have not one but three Orders of Merlin First Class! You know where King Nagkrat is. Go! Confront the issue! Argue! Win!*" she exclaimed, sitting on the desk. She took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at him rearranging Filius' hair. "And let me know when you get back. I enjoy your visits," she smiled like the cat that got the milk.
"Minerva… I want you to know. You are the only person who could have survived attacking me like that," Filius smirked, and Minerva noticed that his wand had been on his hand and pointing at her discreetly the whole time.
"Pish posh. You wouldn't," she smirked right back, unrolling the newspaper to reveal her wand.
"Constant vigilance, huh?"
"Always, dear," she smiled mischievously, and he left through her floo, still chuckling.
Baby Gabriel was fussy. After the baptism, he seemed to want to be held every minute of the day. Emma was exhausted, and so was Daniel. One particularly gruesome day, Tremmy found the mistress about to fall off a chair asleep with the baby in her arms, and that day, the elves decided to start rotating the boy around. Once Grandma Granger and Cassandra taught Neesy how to wrap the baby with a sling cozy against their bodies, all adult elves were glad to carry Gabriel around, and Emma was finally able to sleep. And sleep she did… for twelve hours straight.
Gabriel was always delighted to be with the elves. They would make things hover in front of his face so he would be entertained. And his little gurgling noises and sweet smiles would give the elves giddy contentment that made them all even more efficient. His first bouts of accidental magic all had o do with food. He would summon his bottle from across the room as well as his favorite stuffed animals. His favorite people to be around, besides his parents and grandparents, were Remus and Sirius.
The couple had taken some time to recover and to get to know their new abilities by undergoing extensive testing under the supervision of Scamander and his wife. So far, their most incredible skills were their strength, their sense of smell, their speed, and their increased magical capabilities. Scamander was devising new and more complex tests each month to see if their skills kept growing.
It had been three grueling weeks since they left the Hog's Head. Albus was doing considerably better on phoenix tears, but they were expensive, and Gellert was starting to lose his patience. They managed to contact O'Brian and pressured him to help. He had found them a great hideout in Scotland in a former monastery. They were slowly recruiting firstborns, collecting life debts, cashing in favors, and dishing out some more. At this rate, it would take them around one more year to get back to where they were before shit hit the fan because of Lestrange. As Gellert poured himself some tea, a cheery Albus came into the kitchen.
"They're in!"
"Who's in?"
"The Parkinsons. They have a Feud with the Greengrass family and want a piece of the Ministry once we are done."
Gellert frowned deeply, "Which part?"
"The Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures," Albus replied with a shrug.
"Why the hell would they want that?" Whatever this was, there was a horrible stench tickling Gellert's nose.
"Don't know. Don't care. It's the least important department."
"Don't know, don't care," Gellert mimicked, rolling his eyes. "This bloody carelessness is what got us into this mess. Have you forgotten that you also didn't know and didn't care about the Horcruxes? Look how that turned out! Ask them why they want it and we will consider a partnership."
"We cannot alienate the Parkinsons. They have a lot of money. We need that."
"I'll talk to them," Gellert offered.
"Absolutely not. The Parkison family is known to be volatile, and right now, they are very upset," Dumbledore cautioned.
"They are not upset with me. They wanted to be in my inner circle during The First Uprising."
Dumbledore sighed. "It's too risky for us to go back to England now."
"Pffft… Who said anything about going back? The Parkinsons want me. They come to me. End of discussion."
"What am I in this little equation? Your maid?" Dumbledore growled.
"You are my second in command… After everything we lost because of you and all the time and effort invested in getting you back on your feet, you should be grateful you even rank, Albus," Gellert replied with a murderous glint in his eye.
Dumbledore huffed and left to write the response.
Charlus stepped back from the fireplace. Ianthe greeted him and Dorea. As Lady Greengrass updated them on the Feud and the terms, they grew more concerned.
"They refuse to settle. Here are their counter demands," Ianthe handed them each a copy.
"This is preposterous!" Charlus exclaimed.
"To ask for your family's remains is…"
"Dark. And very daring."
"Fuck," Dorea sighed.
Both Ianthe and Charlus looked at her use of the word.
"You know what this means, right?"
"We do. This means war," Charlus replied with a frown. "Call everyone. Things are about to get bloody."
*Broken House: a House with only a female, particularly a widow, for a Head of House
*I have always loved that scene from The Incredibles where Edna gives Elastigirl a "pep talk." Edna Mode is the boss. Period. If you don't know what I mean, search for it. It's wonderful.
A/N: Sorry for the long absence. This is a bit shorter, but the end of this semester is killing me. I have a few shorter things that I wrote that have nothing to do with ASF or TOG. I'd like to know if you would like to read those or if you'd rather keep waiting for the longer chapters on this story. PM me to let me know and to say hi. I love to hear from you. Thank you for the reviews and the comments. 😊 I hope you are safe and sound wherever you are. -Lux-