Thanks to all of you who took the time to review my story :)
AN: Another chapter betaed by Miette and dstone12, thank you so much!
Severus focused on the Sense of burning and destruction that emanated from the curse while he poured the Hungarian Horntail antivenom on the ring. His grandfather was chanting the fire-diverting spell continuously.
Everything was going to plan, but Severus was worried. As soon as Augustus had opened the box containing the Horcrux, Dhaal had tensed in high alert. However, his Familiar had refused to tell Severus why. He seemed content to remain close to him, ready to intervene when a danger only he was aware of manifested. If the unknown power was the reason for the Thestral's unrest, they might have badly evaluated the situation. But Dhaal would have told him to stop if he did not think he was capable of taking on the threat. Unless he thought the need to reunite Lord Voldemort with his Horcruxes was worth taking a risk. If only to kill him as soon as possible. But now was not the time to think about the disagreement between his Familiar and himself.
As the last drop of venom fell on the ring, Severus Sensed the curse's intent falter, revealing the end of the magical thread that bore the curse. At the same instant, the unknown power that had been dormant woke up.
Dhaal screamed. Not the scream to bring enemies to their knees. The Scream he had used to form the Godfather Bond with Draco and to reinforce their home's wards.
The unknown power all but disappeared from Severus' Sense, muted by Dhaal's Scream. Pushing aside the urge to question his Familiar, Severus focused back on his task.
Gently, he took the thread of magic that bore the curse and pulled it away from the ring.
It fought against him, but its intent was weak and Severus' hold on the thread was firm. Slowly, the curse dissolved, the thread of magic freed to go back to the flows of unused magic that ran through the grounds.
Dhaal took a step forward, took the ring in his mouth before Severus could stop him, put the ring into the containing box beside and closed the box with a push of his hooves. Only then he stopped Screaming.
Augustus stopped his own chant, looking at them with curiosity.
"The curse is gone. Dhaal kept the unknown power in check but I still have no idea what it is," explained Severus, turning toward the Thestral in the hope of having an explanation on his unusual behaviour.
"We should take this Horcrux to Caspian Manor to try to separate the stone from the ring," Sensed his Familiar.
"Why?"
Dhaal usually was far more direct.
"I think the stone might react in ways hard to predict during the reunification," answered the Thestral, almost reluctantly.
"Because?"
"Because," huffed Dhaal.
Understanding he would get nothing more from his Familiar right now, Severus nodded.
"Alright. Are you sure the Horcrux is not linked to the stone?"
His Familiar shuddered, a sight Severus had never witnessed.
"The Horcrux would be quite different if it had been."
Even more intrigued, Severus let the subject drop and quickly told Augustus about their exchange.
The older man was clearly as curious as him, but he did not try to press Dhaal on it and agreed easily to give this Horcrux to Severus for safekeeping and study.
They went back to Caspian Manor where Jonathan and Regulus were waiting for them in their meeting room. Tuei was with them, seemingly busy with tidying the room.
Severus was unsure about how much his House Elf's empathy allowed her to understand his feelings, but Tuei seemed to have noticed his new wariness for Regulus.
While they had ended the meeting amicably last time, Severus could not forget what had been said. He worried that Regulus would try to kill Lord Voldemort as soon as the Lord was reunited with his Horcruxes.
He could not get over the feeling that Regulus was a hypocrite as he would forgive his own brother but not Lord Voldemort. Of course, Severus was aware that he would do many things for Lucius that he would not consider for anyone other than family. Lord Voldemort was among the few people who mattered and were not family. Regulus fell into the same category, which made the situation all the more frustrating.
Severus honestly did not know who he would choose between Regulus and Lord Voldemort.
"Everything went well?"
Severus knew Jonathan well enough to hear the slight concern in his voice.
"As smoothly as planned," he answered. "No ghost or anything of the sort tried to prevent us from taking the Horcrux."
"The counter-curse worked perfectly," added Augustus, smiling at Jonathan.
"Only three more to go then," stated his friend.
Augustus nodded.
"Severus is keeping his eyes open for any opportunity of taking the diadem from Hogwarts. He's also going to look for information on living Horcruxes and how Horcruxes work in four days. Which leaves the Horcrux in Malfoy Manor."
"We should begin to test the waters with Cista," said Regulus, speaking for the first time since Severus and Augustus had entered the room, aside for a brief hello.
To Severus' eyes, he looked both defensive and determined. It was close enough to Severus' own feelings.
"We agreed to wait until Severus and I worked on the Mark before doing anything else," Jonathan reminded him. "We'll know this afternoon if any of Severus' ideas work or not."
Regulus seemed like he wanted to argue but subsided after looking at Augustus.
"Well, the sooner you begin, the sooner we'll know," said Severus' grandfather with a sigh. "Come Regulus, those two need to work without any distraction."
"Are you sure you don't need another Mark to work on?" asked Regulus, looking at Severus hesitantly.
"Certain."
His voice might have sounded colder than it should have been. He could not imagine working closely with Regulus right now. He had been relieved that Dhaal had been deemed insurance enough this morning not to require the younger man's presence.
He figured he needed time to come to terms with their difference of opinions. Time he was aware they might not have.
"Right."
Hurt flashed in the Black's heir's eyes for a brief second.
"We'll call you if we find a solution, to test it on someone else," assured Jonathan, trying to dispel the awkwardness of the moment.
He nodded, then allowed Augustus to put his arm around his shoulders and lead him outside the room.
"That was harsh."
Jonathan was looking at him with a reproachful look.
"I won't pretend that everything is well between the two of us," answered Severus sharply.
"I thought there were no hard feelings…"
Severus looked at him in disbelief.
"You heard what he said last time. What I said."
"Yes, but… We're still meeting and planning together."
Severus sighed.
"We can agree to disagree as long as it does not endanger the reunification. I think he would be glad if Magic killed Lord Voldemort while he paid her back."
"I might feel the same if I was in his shoes. Regulus… He only saw you from afar in Hogwarts. He did not truly know you before you got Abraxas."
Jonathan shook his head.
"I think to him, you always were the Slytherin genius who was good at angering his older brother, and who passed his NEWTs in his fifth year to go on a grand and mysterious apprenticeship. He only got close to you when you came back with four masteries and an understanding of Magic greater than anyone he knows."
Severus raised an eyebrow at him.
"So what? You're saying he hero-worships me and that he's disappointed when I don't agree with him?"
Jonathan offered him a crooked grin.
"Yes. He's also disappointed to realise that you're only human. With feelings and failings."
Severus locked eyes with his friend.
"What do you think? Honestly?"
He did not hesitate before answering.
"I'll support you, like I've always done before. I'll tell you when I think you're wrong, of course. But on what matters, you've never led me astray. I don't… I don't like how much power the Marks hold over us. I don't like the fact that we cannot tell Evan right now, that he's not part of our group. I really don't like how the Death Eaters are deviating from their original goals to come closer to the Blacks and Mulcibers' view of our world. But let's be honest, Lord Voldemort is not the only one responsible. And I remember how it was at the beginning. Father was so enthusiastic. I eavesdropped on several of his councils with Lord Malfoy and the other vassals. The hope they had for us… It was breathtaking."
Jonathan understood. Severus felt his throat close up.
He reached to press Jonathan's shoulder in thanks.
They shared a smile of understanding and friendship. Helhest bless Slytherin for his rules.
Jonathan broke the silence.
"I've wondered, you know… Lord Voldemort changed the Mark when Lord Malfoy died. I think the previous mark was different."
"What are you saying?" asked Severus.
"I wonder if Lord Malfoy's death pushed him to do more Horcruxes. If he realised then that death was not just an abstract possibility to face someday."
"You really think Lord Voldemort made four Horcruxes because he was afraid of dying?"
Jonathan sighed.
"Maybe not afraid of dying itself, more like he was afraid of dying before reaching his goal. I don't know… Anyway, did you know that Wenlock was the Death Eater killed in the riots? A Hufflepuff. Of course, the Daily Prophet didn't say so. His family has been interrogated by the Aurors, and they are under watch so they won't be able to come to the next meeting. Lord Rowles went to visit, he's so respectable that even super Moody couldn't find any pretext to forbid his visit. They did not use veritaserum, even unofficially. Apparently, the riots are fresh enough they won't tempt it."
"Let's hope it will last."
"Yes. Some minor Purebloods and Muggleborns' homes have been searched by the Aurors, all from Slytherin of course. No one was arrested, they didn't find anything. And no use of veritaserum either."
"So they are discriminating against us but not too much," sated Severus wryly. "Have you seen the latest polls?"
He had not. He dreaded the consequences of the raid on Lord Voldemort's supporters.
"Yes. They're half-in-half."
Severus looked at him in surprise.
"Really?"
Jonathan shrugged.
"You know there are those who will never vote for Birkins-Dumbledore, and those who will never vote for Lord Voldemort. It also seems that many don't believe that the Death Eaters are representative of what would happen if Lord Voldemort was elected. And then, you have the people who are so disabused with our current Minister that they are determined to try anybody else. It certainly helps that people like you or Lady Greengrass are open supporters of Lord Voldemort."
Severus grimaced.
"I feel like we should have warned her about the Marks, yet…"
"We didn't know her well enough to do so," finished Jonathan. "We still don't. Augustus didn't propose it, and he's the one who began Plan Slytherin with her, Abraxas and Lord Voldemort. The Greengrasses are close to the Faes. They are unpredictable."
Severus shuddered. Since his talk with Tuei, he was feeling even more cautious about Faes than when he had first met Muśkēlī.
Jonathan laughed.
"Nice to see you agree with me. Now, enough chit chat, let's get to work."
"Are you really sure you want to take that risk? If he realises something is amiss with your Mark, he will monitor you and your family closely."
"We don't have a choice, Severus," said Jonathan firmly. "We need to find a way to block those Marks. For Evan. For Lucius. For me and Regulus. Even for Lord Voldemort. Both you and Augustus told us chances of him noticing anything going on with one Mark were slim if it didn't last long."
His friend was right, as was usually the case.
"Fine. Let's do this."
Severus had lost count of the number of times Jonathan and him had sat facing each other, his friend's arm in his hand as he Sensed for the Horcruxes. He had not truly looked at a Mark since the first time, when he had wanted to know what it did.
They had several goals today. First was to estimate if the Mark could be removed without hurting its bearers. Second was to test non-harmful ways to block it.
To remove a curse, the first step was to find its beginning, to know in which order you needed to apply the different counters and because taking hold of the thread of Magic that supported the curse was the safest way to prevent it from spreading.
Severus let his Sense prod the Mark, trying to distinguish each of its layers. It was not easy, the layers being meshed together two or three at a time. Severus thought he had finally found the beginning of the curse in the link that took Magic from Jonathan to Lord Voldemort but felt his heart sink as the thread did not end there. It was part of one of Jonathan's patterns. The Mark was integrated into Jonathan's pattern, which meant that anything done to it could imbalance the pattern and hurt Jonathan.
Severus knew almost nothing about those patterns. One afternoon at Saint Mungo was not enough to learn more than healing was complicated and delicate. And to observe the patterns. Jonathan's did not look significantly different from those Severus had seen then.
The silver lining was that the Mark and its wrongness had not spread to the entire pattern. They were just a small part of it. One link of the chain among many others. Of course, it could be different during meetings, or for other Death Eaters like Bellatrix or Mulciber. Even Evan.
Severus was pretty sure that Lord Voldemort had used a ritual to create the Marks. They were too complex to only be several spells cast together. To remove the Marks would require a ritual every bit as complex. It would take weeks, even months to get such a ritual right.
Severus had no idea what would happen to the Death Eaters if Lord Voldemort died right now.
Blinking, Severus released his focus on his Sense and leaned back in his seat.
"Drink this."
Jonathan all but force-feed him hot chocolate and cheese that Tuei had brought. Severus did not protest. Sensing still used up a lot of his energy when he was not using it to cast spells.
"So. We'd better find something that blocks the Marks," stated Severus as he sipped the last of his chocolate.
Jonathan nodded with a wry smile.
"I did not expect you to remove it so easily."
"Do you have less faith in me than Regulus?" asked Severus in mock shock.
His friend snorted.
"I know you are only human. A very clever one, but a human nonetheless."
Severus was so glad they were friends.
"Thanks. Cast your Patronus on your Mark, please."
Jonathan did so easily, his bright hummingbird flying closely around his forearm.
Severus focused back on the Mark. At first, he did not Sense anything different. Then he realised that the links between Lord Voldemort and Jonathan were not part of Jonathan's pattern any more. The other layers of the Mark appeared unaffected by the Patronus. It was like the Patronus had disassociated the parts of the Mark that could change Jonathan from the rest.
The links were the most dangerous parts of the Marks. Blocking these links meant there was no risk of Lord Voldemort either inadvertently draining magic from the Death Eaters or influencing them against their will.
Severus got up to the table where he had prepared the various elements he wanted to test. The idea was to try each element on its own then combine the most promising with the hope of inducing the same effect as the Patronus.
He took three syringes, each filled with different muggle drugs. The ones Petunia had sent him for Christmas were the only non-lethal means he had found to weaken Sensing Shields. It had worked where sleeping or calming potion had not, which was very intriguing. It stood to reason that muggle drugs might work on the Marks too.
Severus smirked at Jonathan's alarmed face at the sight of the first syringe.
"Is that a muggle thing?"
"Indeed."
"It looks like it will hurt," stated Jonathan, his eyes on the syringe.
"It's not that bad," assured Severus.
His friend did not look convinced, but he did not protest as Severus took his forearm.
The trust his friends and families had in him still amazed him.
He was as gentle as he could when injecting the drugs next to the Mark. Jonathan hissed when the needle first pricked his skin, but did not manifest other signs of discomfort.
The drugs took ten minutes to work.
"I can't feel my arm."
Severus nodded.
"The anesthesia is working."
He looked at the Mark with his Sense. The links were not separated from the rest of the Mark. However, the Mark seemed to have decreased in size. Could this be a way to prevent the Mark from influencing its bearer?
They had to wait for the drugs to stop working before trying the next syringe.
They stopped for lunch after the third trial, both Severus and Jonathan having burned up their energy. They spoke of Jonathan's little sister and her desire to become a wandmaker because "it was the coolest job in the world". They spoke of Narcissa and the reluctant admiration her studies evoked. They gossiped and kept their conversation light.
After two helpings of tiramisu, they went back to work. Potions like sleeping draughts or painkillers did not yield sufficient results and were less effective than the muggle drugs they had tried in the morning. Dragon skin and black tourmaline both made Jonathan lose consciousness. Thankfully, he woke as soon as they stopped touching his skin, which did not give Severus enough time to panic.
They took a break after Jonathan's second loss of consciousness, drinking hot chocolate to replenish their core and calm Severus' racing heartbeat.
So far, the results were hopeful but they were also a reminder they had to proceed with great care.
Then they tested white quartz which separated Jonathan's magic from the Mark at the location it touched his skin but made him feel nauseous. They tried green aventurine which only made his friend feel ill without an obvious effect on the Mark.
After this, at Dhaal's insistence, they put one hair from the Thestral' tail around the Mark. It seemed to act like the muggle drugs, the Mark's size decreasing.
Severus still had runes and plants he wanted to test, but Jonathan looked so exhausted that he decided to stop for the day despite his friend's protestation. They were both surprised when Tuei told them that it was already seven in the evening.
She insisted on feeding Jonathan dinner before letting him go back to his home. They agreed on a second test session six days later then his friend left, looking dead on his feet.
Severus was so tired that even his worries about his classes at Hogwarts the next day did not prevent him from sleeping soundly.
The next morning, Severus went to Hogwarts ready to find the doors closed. Instead, Filch welcomed him with his usual gruffness.
Professor McGonagall must have been keeping an eye out for him because she intercepted him before he could take five steps inside the castle.
"Good morning, Severus! How are you today?" asked the older woman warmly.
He offered her a small but genuine smile.
"I'm fine, thank you Minerva. What about you? Is the school still standing despite outside events?"
"Hogwarts remains a sanctuary for her students no matter the state of the rest of Britain," answered Professor McGonagall sternly although her eyes sparkled. "Would you care for a cup of coffee? I believe Filius kept us a seat at the High Table."
Severus felt a wave of gratitude for his old professor. This small action would ensure that the students did not doubt that Severus had Hogwarts' support. He was surprised that the Headmaster was allowing it.
The look of vexation on Dumbledore's face, quickly schooled into a benevolent smile, as Professor McGonagall led Severus to the free seats next to Professor Flitwick was priceless. He had clearly not been aware of his Deputy's plan. The question was, were Flitwick and McGonagall aware that the Headmaster would have opposed their move? It opened interesting possibilities of dissension between the faculty and the Headmaster.
"Good morning Severus! Here, black with no sugar if I remember well?" chirped Flitwick.
"Good morning Professor Flitwick. You remember perfectly, thank you," answered Severus as he sat down.
"Filius, Severus, how many times must I tell you?" exclaimed the Half Goblin with a fond but exasperated look.
"Don't worry Filius, he just needs time and exposure," intervened Professor McGonagall. "I think that nowadays, Severus calls me Minerva about seventy-five per cent of the time."
"Ah, but you see him more often than I do. It means he won't call me Filius regularly before the end of the year!"
Severus shook his head, relaxing at their gentle teasing. He let his eyes roam the Great Hall as he made small talk with his old Professors. The students did not appear to behave differently than any other day before the riots. The Slytherin table did not seem tenser or angrier than usual, and several students offered him a nod as their eyes met. So did several of the younger years at the other tables.
He stayed for twenty minutes before taking his leave. Dhaal wasted no time, bidding him good luck for the day before escaping to visit Hagrid, no doubt planning to roam the Forbidden forest with Fang. Severus wanted to roll his eyes at his Familiar's most gryffindor traits. He went to his classroom with ten minutes to spare before his first group.
He was glad to have the first years today.
To his surprise, neither of his morning groups acted any differently than usual. Whether he had succeeded in earning his students' respect or they were following Minerva and Flitwick's lead, he did not know. He made a point of eating lunch in the Great Hall, avoiding Professor Slughorn who was always trying to get Severus to one of his infamous gatherings and finding an enthusiastic ear in Madam Pomfrey as they discussed the Lupacem and how it affected the werewolf students of Hogwarts.
The after-lunch lesson slot always was the most trying as digestion was more conducive to sleep than reflection. However, after meeting with each group in January, Severus had changed their order so that he would have Anderson's group at that time on his first years' weeks. This group was the most motivated to improve, and they seemed genuinely interested in Transfiguration now that they were getting over their fear of core exhaustion. They were also the group who seemed to have formed the closest relationships together.
It was with a light step that Severus walked to his classroom when it was time for his lesson. His students were already waiting for him, whispering excitedly.
They fell silent as soon as they spotted him, straightening up and offering him genuine smiles of various intensity. He allowed a small upturn of his lips as he gestured for them to enter the classroom.
They settled in silence. However, they kept sharing glances, as if waiting for something to happen.
He held back a frown. It was something he expected from his first group of the day, especially Finnegan, when they were trying to get one over him. Not that they had ever succeeded. They were not subtle. What it meant from this group however, he had no idea.
He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms, and looked at them expectantly
"Is something the matter?"
Cromby, Parkes and Wakefield turned toward Anderson while Thickey and Lewis looked toward Alixan. Both girls met each other's gaze, holding a silent conversation under Severus' fascinated eyes before Alixan nodded.
They all turned to face him as Alixan spoke.
"Sir,... Apprentice Caspian. There have been many rumours since the murder of the Minister's Councillor. Some of the older years say that the Death Eaters are evil and want to kill every Muggleborn because Death Eaters support Lord Voldemort who's descended from Salazar Slytherin who hated Muggles. Others say that the Death Eaters had to kill the Councillor because he's the one who was pushing for less Magic in our world, and because the current Ministry has already cheated and will never give up power to Slytherins because he's a Gryffindor who doesn't want to admit that most Wizards don't want to follow him anymore. It doesn't make much sense to us, but all of them are quite firm in their position. As you're a Slytherin apprenticed under a Gryffindor, a Half Blood who created his own House, and because you've been able to explain Transfiguration so that it is much clearer to us, we thought you would be able to explain the situation in a more satisfactory way."
Severus' first thought was that at their age, he would not have trusted any of his professors to give him an honest answer, even less after Dumbledore's welcoming speech at the beginning of his fourth year.
The second was that he had not realised how outsiders could see him as almost neutral because of his accomplishments and relationships.
The third was a feeling of warmth coursing through his chest at the trust his favourite students were showing him. Not that he would show his favouritism during classes.
"Thank you Miss Alixan for clarifying the subject of your concern. As you must know, the faculty is not allowed to influence the students when it comes to politics."
The fact that the Headmaster thought himself above this rule was not lost on Severus.
"It means I am forbidden to express my personal beliefs to you. However, I can do my best to offer you the facts as I know them. Would this be a satisfactory answer?" replied Severus, taking the time to meet the eyes of every student.
"Yes Sir," was the general answer.
How to best present the fact without risking either Dumbledore's or Lord Voldemort's displeasure?
"Very well. First, I believe you have all heard about the raids led by the Death Eaters, to humiliate and roughen up their political opponents, with the last one ending with Councillor Baxter's death."
They all nodded.
"Those raids are unlawful. To harm physically those who don't agree with you is never an answer, be it in Hogwarts or outside. While using violence to defend yourself against physical harm is a healthy reaction, violence must be a last resort. That being said, I believe you need to know about the beginnings of the Death Eaters to understand the complexity of the situation," explained Severus, the students hanging on his every word.
"Seven years ago, Lord Voldemort was a candidate running against Minister Birkins for the position of Minister of Magic. He lost against Minister Birkins, though there were suspicions of fraud that were never proven because the Wizengamot refused to open an inquiry on the vote."
"Why did they refuse?" asked Lewis, looking confused.
"From what was said in the newspapers at the time, the Head of the Wizengamot trusted Minister Birkins and thought that Lord Voldemort was a sore loser trying to cause dissension. He said that Lord Voldemort reminded him of Grindelwald."
"But shouldn't they have looked for proof?" asked Wakefield in an unimpressed tone. "Even if Lord Voldemort reminded them of the last Dark Lord that doesn't mean that he is evil."
"There is no obligation in our law to examine claims of election fraud, Miss Wakefield," replied Severus, keeping his tone neutral even though he heartily agreed with her. "Plus, the Head of the Wizengamot is the one who prioritises the requests presented to the Wizengamot. In that case, I believe he thought it would be a waste of time better used on other requests."
"Who was the Head of the Wizengamot?" asked Thickey, seemingly curious.
Was he only curious or had he already heard this story in the Slytherin common room and wanted to share a proof of Dumbledore's less than stellar behaviour with his comrades?
In either case, Severus was glad to answer him.
"Headmaster Dumbledore was."
He ignored the surprised whispers of his students, hoping it would at least warn them that the Headmaster was not just a charming old man, and kept on speaking.
"Anyway, what is certain is that both candidates had almost as many voices and votes each. That two equal sides of the society were in direct opposition with one another. One side who felt that Purebloods and tradition had too much power and who wanted to copy the muggle model. Another side who felt that Wizards were losing the core of the magical world by trying to copy the muggle one. Both sides had valid arguments, and voters chose their side depending on which arguments weighed more heavily for them."
He paused to check that none of the students had gone glassy eyed before going on.
"One major disagreement was that Lord Voldemort's side accused Minister Birkins and his followers of not caring for all magical children as they should. Slytherin's fourth rule is that children must be protected from harm and politics. But today, Pureblood children fall under the wizarding laws while Muggleborns are under the muggle laws. Halfbloods are under either, depending on which world they are living in. It means that muggleborn or half-blood children who are abused by their families due to their magic often are not properly protected because the muggle authorities are blind to this kind of abuse. How could it be otherwise when they don't know that Magic exists?"
He paused to let his words sink in before speaking again.
"Lord Voldemort wanted all children associated with the magical world to be protected by the wizarding laws. Minister Birkins' side argued that it meant to weaken the family's structure as the parents were not magical and had no reason to trust a government that was not their own.
Some of Lord Voldemort's supporters knew of Muggleborn children being abused. They decided to intervene, either by hiding the children away with a wizarding family, or by threatening and watching the accused families.
Their actions were not legal. But at the time, the Daily Prophet applauded their actions and called them the Defenders because they were doing what a part of the population thought to be the right thing.
Then, the Defenders mission evolved into shock actions to bring to light everything they thought was wrong with Minister Birkins and his Ministry's actions these past seven years, and then going from shocking revelations about supporters of Minister Birkins to raids. They renamed themselves Death Eaters. Their last shock action and the most harmful was Councillor Baxter's murder."
Severus looked at his students, pleased to see them thinking hard about what he had told them. He hoped he had given them an unbiased view of the situation, though they did not know how badly the Death Eaters were influenced by the Marks. He would need to find a way to warn his students about the danger of the Dark Arts with more specifics than Hogwarts' Dark-Arts-are-bad usual speech. Most of this group were Muggleborns who did not know better.
"I want you to remember that the Death Eaters are only a small number of the people who support Lord Voldemort. They are not Lord Voldemort. They are not the majority of people who agree with Lord Voldemort's ideas."
The results of the previous election and recent poll numbers were a good reason to hope so.
"Does it mean the Sponsorship is illegal?" asked Anderson, looking disappointed.
"No!" exclaimed Severus. "While the Ministry refused to support the Sponsorship because it was a proposal coming from their political opponents, it is completely legal. I am very proud to have been among the first mentorees, and I can tell you without a doubt that I would not be who I am today without my Mentor."
"Is it true that the Sponsorship is open to non-Slytherins?" asked Parkes.
"It is," answered Severus, pleased to have the pretext to promote the program. "Every Muggleborn and Halfblood can ask for a sponsor. Until now, sponsors were only former Slytherins, but this year, they are recruiting sponsors from other Houses too. The sponsors just have to agree to respect Slytherin's rules."
"What are those rules?" asked Wakefield, curious.
Severus smiled. They would not do much Transfiguration today, but their time would not be wasted.
When the bell rang, notifying the end of the lesson, his students were in a pensive mood. Most left with a quiet if cheerful goodbye, but Lewis and Anderson remained behind. The two girls exchanged a look before Lewis came forward.
"Yes Miss Lewis?"
"I was wondering, Sir,... I have a friend who is in third year and who struggles with Transfiguration. She's a Muggleborn too. I've shared with her what we've learnt in your class since January and it really helped her. So we were wondering if she could meet with you after your classes to ask you questions about what she doesn't understand, or write a list of questions that you would answer? She's tried asking Professor McGonagall, but her answers don't always make sense."
Severus stared at her a few seconds until her fidgeting brought him back from his surprise.
"I have to discuss this with Professor McGonagall because it would be unfair not to propose my help to other struggling students, but I'm not opposed to holding a one hour class for older years at the end of the day."
He could spare them one hour if they were not dunderheads.
"Thank you, Apprentice Caspian!" exclaimed Miss Lewis with a huge smile. "I wish you a good day!"
"Don't promise your friend anything until I've spoken with Professor McGonagall!" said Severus, alarmed, as she skipped out of the classroom.
Anderson let out a giggle that she quickly muffled with her hand as he sternly looked at her.
"How can I help you, Miss Anderson?"
"I would like you to be my Mentor," stated the girl, all hilarity gone and looking him right in the eye.
For the second time in five minutes, Severus found himself speechless while facing a student.
Andromeda, and now Anderson. Why were people suddenly so eager to get adopted by him?
"Apprentice Caspian?"
He blinked. She was looking at him hopefully.
"You are only a first year, Miss Anderson," said Severus, trying to get his bearings. "You can't have a Mentor before your fourth year."
"I don't understand why," replied the girl with a determined look. "I am a Muggleborn, there are many things I need to learn. You've already given me so much good advice, like in December before I took my test, or during our first lesson when you said to study wizarding etiquette."
Severus sighed.
"Listen. It was decided to only give Sponsors to fourth years and above because your Sponsor will not always be objective. You need to be old enough to think for yourself before getting a Mentor."
"But I need someone to guide me now! And you were objective when you told us about the Death Eaters just now… Is it because you don't want to be my Mentor?"
She looked so crestfallen. He had the unexpected and foreign urge to offer her a hug.
"Miss Anderson, please. I assure you any reasonable Wizard would be honoured to be your Sponsor. However, the rules exist for a reason."
He held up a hand to prevent her from interrupting him.
"Here is what I can propose. You may write to me when you have questions, and I will do my best to answer them as completely and objectively as I can."
She looked at him in silence, considering.
"Alright. And I can remain after classes if there are things I did not understand in your letters."
"Not every class," replied Severus with a knowing look.
She let out a huff.
"Alright."
She smiled at him brightly, offering her hand.
"It's a deal."
He could not help but smile back, shaking her hand briefly.
"Now run along, you're going to be late for Herbology."
"Professor Sprout will excuse me, she knows we Badgers aren't late without good reasons," answered the girl with an impish smile, though she did walk toward the door. "Thank you, Apprentice Caspian. I wish you a good afternoon."
"You're welcome, Miss Anderson. Now shoo!"
He shook her head as he heard her run in the corridor. Hufflepuffs.
He did not have much time left before his last class began, but he had to speak with professor McGonagall before the news that he had spoken of Politics with this group got to the ears of the Headmaster.
He hurried out of his classroom, walking quickly to the older woman's classroom. He knocked, waiting for a sharp "enter" to open the door.
Professor McGonagall was teaching fifth years about Vanishment if the state of disarray of the room was anything to go by. She looked at him in surprise before telling the students to stop their practice and begin their essay while she went outside to join him.
"Is there a problem, Severus?" asked the Professor as she closed the classroom door behind her.
"No, I just need to warn you that I was not able to teach any Transfiguration to my previous group of first years because they had questions about politics," answered Severus honestly.
To his surprise, she let out a small laugh.
"Then you're officially a professor here. We've all been submitted to thorough questioning by the students. I admit none of my interrogators were as young as yours. Was it painful?"
Severus felt his tension ebb out from his shoulders at the knowledge that other professors had answered such questions.
"No, I think it's healthy for the students to ask about what they don't understand about the society. I tried to be as objective as possible but we all have our bias."
"All our biases will certainly cancel each other," said Minerva amused. "I admit I'm surprised you spent two hours on this, I certainly had enough after twenty minutes of the students arguing with each other."
"I tried to be detailed in my explanations," answered Severus honestly. "I reminded them that the Death Eaters' raids were illegal, but I also told them of their actions when they were still the Defenders. I told them about the previous Ministry of Magic election, and the opposition it showed between two sides of our world."
Severus paused.
"And then we drifted on the Sponsorship."
"You have mostly Muggleborns in this group right? I think it's good for them to be able to ask for your own experience. You certainly are a shining example of success for this program," stated the older woman.
Severus had to make a conscious effort not to stare at her.
"You're in favour of the Sponsorship?"
Professor McGonagall looked at him with surprise.
"Of course! It's high time we did something to support the Muggleborns who don't understand the rules of our worlds. It's so easy to criticise some of their behaviours or ideas when they are just ignorant of the reasons for our world's rules. I admit I was wary at first when all sponsors were former Slytherins. But your example certainly assuaged part of my concerns. And now that sponsors can come from all Houses, I can only support the program. I even think that students from what we so pejoratively call the lesser schools should be considered too."
That was a fair point. He should submit the proposal to Augustus. Luckily, the Sponsorship had managed to remain separate from the Death Eaters who were possibly in no shape to think logically about this.
She smiled at him indulgently.
"I have students to go back to, and I believe you are late for yours. Is there anything else, Severus?"
He started.
"No, nothing that can't wait for our next session."
"Then I'll see you in two days."
He nodded, addressing her brief nod before hurrying to his own classroom, his mind still stuck on her unexpected statement. She supported the sponsorship.
He had not thought she could surprise him more than when she had offered him an apprenticeship.
His last group did not ask him any questions.
He wondered if the students had a system, choosing those who would ask one professor about the current political situation then sharing their findings with each other. It was something that could have been done in Slytherin during his time, but the only other House they would have included in their plan was Ravenclaw.
He was glad that his students did not remain for questions at the end of his last class. He left the Castle five minutes after the bell rang, Dhaal urging him on to change into a proper attire quickly and leave for Uusi.
In his haste, he almost forgot to take his briefcase 一 and more importantly the constraining box it contained 一 back home with him. Another day without any opportunity to retrieve the Horcrux from Hogwarts. Severus could not bring himself to be disappointed, his excitation for the coming evening overwhelming any other feeling.
When Severus came out from the Room of Crossings, he was welcomed with the familiar but still amazing sight of a group of Chang form performers. They walked in the street for a few meters, then stopped to demonstrate part of the form before walking again a few meters and repeating the process.
They were dressed in traditional costume, the large coloured pants and sleeves giving the movements a life of their own.
He watched them several minutes before Dhaal got impatient and licked his ear.
"Dhaal!"
"We will have all the time to watch them later with our family!"
Severus rolled his eyes but obediently began walking again.
They crossed paths with many performers, from those who told stories through magically animated smoke to those who distributed magical sweets if you answered a riddle or enigma correctly, with music players in between.
Felsen and Soraa were waiting for them outside the house, and greeted them with joyous cries and hugs.
"Finally!" exclaimed Frekka, coming out of the house to embrace Severus and cuddle Dhaal. "What took you so long? Kiveä has been fretting for an hour!"
"I wasn't!" protested Severus' blood brother as he came outside to greet them with manly handshakes. "I just wondered why you couldn't just come and spend the day with us."
"I was at school today," explained Severus. "I told you I teach every Tuesday. "
"Who has school on Yuánxiāo jié?" Soraa asked, horrified.
"Wizards," answered Severus deadpan. "We don't have the same celebrations as you do. Our family day is Yule, on the 20th or 21st of December."
"You're weird," concluded Soraa solemnly.
"Yíngjiē Daoack, Dhaal!" greeted Drunek, coming from the direction of Wirkrund's house. "I saw you arrive, you're cutting it short!"
"I'm glad to see you too Master," answered Severus, ignoring Dhaal and the children's snickers.
"Everything's ready for the ceremony, come in!" said Frekka, taking Severus by the arm and reminding him eerily of Narcissa.
She led him to the living room where an ornamented bowl of water and a smaller bowl of red paint were set on the coffee table.
Drunek and the children went to kneel around the table, Frekka gently pushing Severus to follow suit. Dhaal hesitated before growing himself medium size and settling next to Severus.
Both of them startled as an unreasonably large Warg burst into the room. Severus aborted his stunning spell as Frekka immediately scolded the beast.
"Armiya! How many times must I tell you not to barge in the house like an erupent!"
The Warg, Drunek's Familiar of course, bent her head almost sheepishly with a low rumble.
"You're cutting it even shorter than Daoack and Dhaal! I was hoping to introduce you three before the bonding," said Frekka sternly.
Armiya went on her belly, crawling until she was close enough to lick Frekka' feet.
"That's enough cinema," huffed the Goblin, though a small smile played on her lips. "Go say hello to Severus and Dhaal."
The Warg gave her a small nudge of the head before getting up smoothly, walking straight up to Severus.
They faced each other, Severus feeling like he could not afford to avert his eyes first.
It felt like an eternity before Armiya blinked and bent her head, putting her head under Severus' hand.
He hesitantly gave her a caress, her hair thick and coarse under his fingers.
She gave a low rumble then turned toward Dhaal.
Severus felt the hair of his neck stand up as the two Familiars stared at each other. It looked like they were communicating. Dhaal's entire posture was tense, ready to fight. Armiya's legs were coiled, ready to jump.
Severus tried to Sense the Thestral's emotion through their Bond, but found it blocked for the first time since he awoke from his week long coma after the Ritual and found the tiny Thestral there with him.
Resigning himself to wait without any warning if violence erupted between the two of them, Severus looked at his Master. Drunek bore a fond smile on his face while Frekka looked unimpressed.
Finally the two Familiars broke up their battle of wills. Dhaal snorted, leaning against Severus, while Armiya growled low and went to sprawl at Drunek's feet.
"Now that the children are done," said Frekka pointedly, "we can begin."
She took some water in the deep of her hand and let it trickle gently on Drunek's forehead before drawing Dagaz, the rune for renewal, on his damp skin.
Severus felt a small spark of Magic and his Master's skin was dry.
Then, Frekka took the smaller bowl, dipped her forefinger into the red paint, and drew Gebo, the runes of connection, on Drunek's forehead. Again, Severus felt a spark in Magic, and the rune became a small ring barely visible between Drunek's eyes.
Drunek bowed, then repeated the ceremonial for Frekka. Afterwards, she did it for each of them, respecting the order in which they had integrated her and Drunek's family.
When Dhaal's ring formed, Severus felt Magic thrummed around him, like a flow which was surrounding them.
Frekka smiled then gestured for them to follow her.
Contrary to Malfoy Manor, Drunek's home had no room dedicated to ceremonies. However, it possessed a room dedicated to the family's Bonded. Severus had never seen it as it was a room only the family could enter.
He did not know what to expect and was surprised that the room was similar to some Purebloods' private parlours.
The family's Bonded's names, both through blood and Magic, dead and alive, were written in runes on the right wall of the room, in the form of a huge family tree. An altar made of smooth grey stone was set in front of the right wall, with unlit candles on the top. All around the altar, runes were engraved on the ground, forming a circle of smaller circles.
Looking closer at the circles, Severus saw runes to protect and bond, their meaning close to the runes that Lucius and Madeline had used for Yule. However, each smaller circle also contained the name of one of the family's members. One line of runes linked each circle to the altar. In fact, each candle set on the altar was surrounded by one of those lines.
"Please sit in your circles," asked Frekka.
Even if he had not known how to read the runes, Severus would have known which circle was his as Magic pushed him toward it.
"Spirits of my clan, spirits of my heart, welcome," sang Frekka softly, the melody both unknown and familiar.
The big white candle lit up.
"Magic of my clan, Magic of my blood, Magic of my heart, welcome!"
The blue medium-size candle lit up.
Frekka turned to Drunek.
"You who are my infinity, my words, my morality and my clarity, welcome."
The small teal candle lit up.
"You who are my confidence and my certainty, my maturity and my uniqueness, welcome," answered Drunek.
The small fushia candle lit up.
Frekka turned to Armiya.
"You who are life and destruction, passion and action, welcome!"
The small red candle lit up.
She turned toward Kiveä next.
"You who are calmness and happiness, tranquillity and energy, welcome."
The small turquoise candle lit up.
She looked at Soraa.
"You who are vitality and boldness, energy and hardiness, welcome."
The small yellow candle lit up.
Severus felt her gaze on him next.
"You who are regal and spiritual, warm and elusive, welcome."
The small purple candle lit up.
Felsen giggled as his mother turned towards him.
"You who are youth and optimism, life and happiness, welcome."
The small tangerine candle lit up.
Dhaal was last.
"You who are protection and death, elegance and timelessness, welcome."
The small black candle lit up.
Severus knew he would lay awake tonight, thinking about Frekka's words and their significance for Dhaal and himself.
"If you are willing, let us all be family," sang Frekka.
"I am!"
The word came out of Severus' mouth without any conscious thought, echoing the Goblins' own agreement, Armiya's howl and Dhaal's Scream, lasting longer than any word should, resonating in the room until all the engraved runes were alight.
Despite the night outside, the room was clear as day. The runes created rivers of shimmering colours, a hypnotic current of Magic that beckoned and promised love and acceptance.
"You can get up now, it's done," said Drunek gently, breaking Severus from his daze.
The children were already up, crowding Armiya. Frekka was still sitting, and Drunek went to help her up.
Dhaal jumped on Severus' shoulder, nuzzling against his neck.
"That was intense."
"Yes. Different from Yule. But..."
"Not so different," completed the Thestral.
There was no mistaking family Magic.
Severus frowned as Drunek and Frekka walked past them, Drunek supporting Frekka.
"Is everything alright Master?"
Drunek turned slightly toward them.
"Yes, better than alright Daoack. Dhaal and you are just a lot to take in. It will be less intense next year."
Severus felt his eyes narrow in consideration.
Did it mean that Frekka was the head of their family? Did she receive a boost of power like Heads of House did?
"Daoack! Come help set up the lanterns!" called Kiveä, diverting him from his thoughts.
It was not as easy as it looked, and by the time the lanterns outside the house were lit, Frekka and Drunek had come back and looked as sturdy as ever.
Kiveä gave Felsen and Soraa a lantern, then to Severus' surprise, gave Dhaal and him one too before taking his own.
"Are we ready to go?" asked Frekka.
"Yes Mamma!" answered the three goblin children.
They left the house, walking the lighted path slowly, other families already bright patches on the track.
Kiveä and Felsen took the head, Armiya going back and forth between them and other members of the Wargs' pack. Frekka, Soraa and Dhaal walked behind them, the girl and the Thestral waving their lanterns animatedly. How Dhaal managed with his lantern around his neck, Severus had no idea.
Drunek and Severus brought up the rear.
"Dhaal has really grown up, hasn't he?" stated Drunek.
Severus nodded.
"He has reached his adult size and really developed his muscles. I was even able to ride him."
"Really?!" exclaimed Drunek. "Did he make you sick with loopings?"
"No," answered Severus primly.
It had been a near thing during their last training flight. Severus was not made for great heights, and they had had one near miss. It was truly a last resort.
"I wondered… Is it one of his Screams that we heard during the Bonding?" asked Drunek, curious.
While much was known about Thestrals' eating habits, grooming and herd structure, it was not the case about their magical abilities. Even the existence of the Screams was not common knowledge, and often considered a superstition as few had witnessed it.
"It is," confirmed Severus. "It seems to be defensive, he's only used it to create Bonds or wards."
"So the same Scream can do different things depending on his intent?"
"It seems so, but I think it must be the same process. His other Scream is more aggressive, it makes creatures kneel, and even fall to the ground depending on if he's focusing on one in particular or not."
"I see. One kind of Scream but that can be adapted depending on his goal."
"Yes, that's how I would describe it best," agreed Severus.
"What about the legendary third Scream?"
"It's legendary," answered Severus deadpanned. "He told me once that he had a lead that was supposed to be in the Sahara, but he never spoke of it again."
"Maybe we should go there on a holiday, see if we can track a Saharan herd," mused Drunek.
"I won't have a holiday for a long time," answered Severus, thinking about everything he still had to achieve.
Drunek smiled.
"We have the time, Daoack. We'll go when you're free."
Severus felt a twinge of sorrow at the thought that Abraxas and Drunek would have liked each other.
He promised himself that he would go to the Sahara with both his families.
The rest of the night was spent admiring Uusi's lights as well as many street performers, eating sweets that fell from magical lanterns, speaking with other members of the clan and enjoying himself. The kids insisted that Drunek, Severus and Wirkrund perform the Chen form, and soon, they were a group of seven flowing through the form under the admiring gazes of Uusi's inhabitants.
Severus spent the night and the next day at Drunek's, enjoying a break from the outside world. The exchange of gifts during the morning was the occasion for many joyous laughs and heartfelt thanks. The Goblins were overjoyed to have him for more than a few hours, and he had to admit he had missed their routine: Taichichuan with the family, games with the kids, duelling practice with Drunek and storytelling.
They easily convinced him to stay the next night and morning. Who knew when he would next have the time to come to Uusi. Frekka made a point of making his favourite goblin meal for lunch, then after effusive goodbye and pleas to come back visit soon, Severus went back to Hogwarts for his weekly meeting with Minerva.
After a gruff acknowledgement from Filch, Severus walked through Hogwarts' corridors, climbing up stairs quickly to reach Professor McGonagall's office.
He knocked, then entered at her sharp "come in".
"Good afternoon, Minerva," greeted Severus.
"Good afternoon Severus," answered Professor McGonagall with a small smile. "Please take a seat."
Severus sat down in his usual armchair in front of her desk.
She called a House Elf for tea and an assortment of macarons, a treat that Severus could never refuse and Minerva's own little indulgence.
Once they were both settled with a cup of coffee and petits fours, the older woman spoke up.
"Let's begin with your project, Severus. It's been two months, have you found any subject of interest among all the articles you've read?"
"The articles were all interesting though some were quite a dry read," began Severus. "However, most subjects felt either too shallow or too abstract for me to spend several years working on them. I have found only two areas that raised my interest on a long-term basis. The first one is Battle Transfiguration. It seems to require ingenuity, precision and economy of Magic casting which I find challenging. The second subject that I'm interested in was not in your articles. It's the use of Transfiguration to alter an object to attune it to Magic. The building team I hired to extend my home used this technique with impressive effects, and in combination with runes. It was really fascinating."
Minerva nodded pensively.
"Hmmm. With your curriculum, I understand why you would be attracted to Battle Transfiguration. However, I'm not certain it's the best area to expand your capacities. Battle Transfiguration requires some… instinct, for lack of a better word, and while you have it for Potions and other fields, I don't think it's the case for Transfiguration. I'm not saying that you wouldn't succeed, but I don't see you… going beyond what already exists, as you did for the Lupacem."
Severus had expected her to reject Battle Transfiguration as his study subject, but he had never imagined that her arguments could be founded.
"I see your point," conceded Severus reluctantly. "What about the second subject?"
The Professor smiled at him.
"I think it's much more suited to you, and an excellent idea. However, this is an area which is fast blooming, so we must be careful on how we define your project. The use of Transfiguration in construction is already well developed, as you must have seen."
"What do you have in mind then?" asked Severus.
"Let me ask you a few questions first. Have you tried to replicate one of the transformations done for your home?"
Was she trying to evaluate the difficulty of the project she could recommend to him?
"I have, but not on the same level of complexity. And I used too much magic to achieve the proper transformations."
Minerva shook her head fondly.
"Being aware of it is important. And what do you know about healing?"
Could you use Transfiguration to heal? Severus was getting seriously intrigued.
"Well. Our magical core is at the centre of the magical patterns of our body. Illness and injuries disrupt these patterns. Healing means putting the patterns right, which can be difficult as you need to use the right amount of outside magic not to cause a rejection or a corruption of the patient's own magic," answered Severus, trying to summarise as much as possible without leaving out important notions.
For the first time since Severus had known her, except for Quidditch matches, Minerva looked excited.
"Yes, I think I have exactly the right project for you. I think you should work on prosthetics."
"Prosthetics? Do Wizards often need those?" asked Severus.
Minerva nodded with enthusiasm.
"Losing a limb happens more often than you'd think, usually when a Wizard is doing experiments. While we have skelegrow to heal complex fractures or grow back parts of a bone, and the Brackium Emendo spell to mend bone fractures, we don't have their equivalent for missing limbs. That's because losing a limb disrupts the magical patterns, usually to the point of cutting off at least one of them. Nobody has been able to grow back a limb and include it back into the right pattern. When a limb is lost, the pattern it was part of completely disappears in the worst cases, or changes significantly in the best of cases. It can mean death, or it can mean having to learn to use Magic differently from before."
Oh yes. This was actually far more exciting that any article Minerva had given him. Why had she not proposed this project before?
She kept speaking, completely absorbed by the subject.
"We don't even have means of healing bad vision or bad hearing, because the patterns in the head are very delicate to handle. In theory, precise Transformation could do the trick, but it's very risky as the patterns are easily disrupted. Here is a detailed article about a failed research that details interesting leads on prosthetics and body part transformations. I think the prosthetics will interest you more, but take the time to read the entire article thoroughly and we'll discuss your options next week."
She suddenly looked sheepish.
"If the subject interests you, that is."
Severus answered her with a huge smile.
"This looks far more interesting than any article we've discussed these past two months."
"Perfect!" exclaimed Minerva, toasting the air with her coffee cup. "Now, we have another point to address. I've been asked by Professor Sprout to see if you would accept helping out older students in Transfiguration."
"One of my first years asked me the same thing," admitted Severus. "I told her I was open to the idea, but it depends on how much you expect from me."
"Well, what would you think of working on Friday mornings as well, but this time you would have office hours that you would use to answer third to fifth years' questions?"
Could he afford to spend two days a week in Hogwarts? It would give him more opportunities to get to the Horcrux. It would also give him more work, without anything in exchange.
What could he ask from Minerva?
Severus tilted his head thoughtfully.
"I'm not opposed to the idea. However, you know my weeks are already quite full."
She nodded.
"Yes, I know. This is why I've already told the older years they would not have their own two hours with you every two weeks."
Severus felt his eyebrow rise on its own accord.
"I have never been so popular."
Minerva smiled.
"The younger years are singing your praise. Even those who complain that you're a harsh taskmaster admit that they are improving thanks to you. We've also seen improvements in Charms since you began."
It was nice to know his efforts were paying off.
"The surest way for them to improve is to make them think. I am a bit surprised by this popularity as a few students have tried to disrupt the class."
Minerva nodded.
"Students like to test their boundaries. They will respect you for enforcing them fairly."
She was right. He had always respected her, contrary to Dumbledore or Slughorn who played favourites.
He would never have thought he could be a teacher respected enough that his students would listen to him even when he gave advice on other subjects than his own. How much would the students improve if Hogwarts' curriculum was not restrained by Dumbledore´s despise for Slytherins and love for Muggles?
He blinked when the idea hit him. This could be the opportunity to make changes in Hogwarts.
"Minerva, in exchange for this half day of teaching, would you let me propose changes in Hogwarts' curriculum, with the promise that you will apply the changes that you agree would benefit the students?"
The older woman looked at him, perplexed.
"That's hardly a fair bargain, Severus. I would apply changes beneficial to the students no matter who proposed them. And this will require quite some work on your part."
Severus held her gaze steadily.
"Would you apply changes beneficial to the students even if the Headmaster was against them?"
She frowned, crossing her arms.
"Well, ultimately, the decision rests with the Board of Governors. They are the one who must approve new subjects. And while the Headmaster can influence what the professors may or may not teach, and the methods they use, if there is a disagreement, the professor can bring the matter to the Board. If the governors side with him, the Headmaster must abide by their decisions."
"Yet, several governors would not approve of subjects or professors who aren't supported by the Headmaster, except if someone else trustworthy supported those."
"I see."
The professor let silence sit between them as she pondered his words.
"What kind of changes do you have in mind, Severus, that would help the students without meeting with Albus' approval?"
She was not saying no.
"As you said, I would need more time to establish the entirety of the changes I want to propose so that they integrate in Hogwarts' cursus. That said, for example, I think muggle study and wizarding etiquette should be mandatory for first years. And those lessons should be approved by people who know these subjects, contrary to our current muggle study professor."
Minerva looked surprised at this.
"Aren't you afraid of making the sponsorship redundant?"
"Please, Minerva. We can never cover everything the students will need in classes. And each student's needs are different. The aim is to make them aware of what they don't know and why it matters. They must understand that even when things look like the muggle world, they are not the same. For example, the Wizengamot is not the muggle Parliament because of the duties and Oaths its members swore to Magic."
Minerva nodded.
"You make a fair point. However, this means adding more hours to the students, when the first years already have much to learn."
"I know. Which is why I believe that you should completely change the first years' lesson structure to focus on the basics for the first quarter. It doesn't make sense to separate Potion and Herbology at first when you need to learn the various plants and their properties, or between Charms and Defence against the Dark Arts when you are first learning spells. It's much more important that the students understand what is common to different areas of Magic and what makes them different. I would explain what the Dark Arts are beyond just saying that they are evil, I would explain why they are forbidden, the danger of becoming addicted to it and losing yourself without being aware of it."
Minerva looked up from the notes she was now taking.
"I agree that a common core during the first quarter is sound, though it will require a lot of work to determine the best way to build it. However, I'm not sure I understand your point about the Dark Arts. Won't it push the students toward it, thinking that they know better and will never fall prey to the Dark's lure?"
Severus shrugged.
"It won't be worse than now. It's easy to fall for the Dark when you don't know what it's like. You go in Knockturn Alley on a dare, find a cool book or a strange artefact, you try a few spells that go well, until you botch a sacrifice and then you get hurt or addicted."
Minerva nodded slowly.
"I have trouble imagining this as I was never attracted to the Dark Arts. But when you describe it like this, it's indeed easy to fall into it without realising it."
Severus looked at her with curiosity.
"You really never were tempted to try a Dark spell? I'm sure that some that are forbidden today were not when you were a student."
The professor shook her head.
"Hurting myself to use magic never was appealing. My parents also warned my sister and me repeatedly about the dangers of the Dark Arts. Which means I see your point, at least for Muggleborns. But I would recommend it for the older years only, fourth or fifth years maybe."
She smiled at him.
"You've already given much thought about this."
Severus smiled back.
"I might have. In hindsight, my mother gave me a peculiar education in potions, based on a muggle method that seems to be used at Saint Mungo too. I think it would be useful to transform muggle studies into muggle sciences studies, and how they could be included in the Wizarding World."
"I never thought I'd see the day a Slytherin advocated using muggle sciences."
"Then you don't know Slytherins very well," retorted Severus.
Minerva gave him an apologetic look.
"That was uncalled for, I'm sorry Severus. I am falling into prejudices without meaning to, even when I know that Houses only represent the main traits of a person's character, in most situations. But Hufflepuffs are capable of cunning, like Slytherins can commit acts of bravery. Gryffindors have been known to excel in their studies and Ravenclaws have fought in loyalty."
"Are all members of the faculty aware that we are not caricatures of our House?" asked Severus wryly.
She grimaced.
"Living in the school makes it easy to fall into these prejudices. And I admit that the Headmaster doesn't help in this instance."
"Does he regret allowing mixed House groups in our Transfiguration lessons?"
"Not yet. He's waiting to see if the other Houses are influencing the Slytherins or the other way around," admitted Professor McGonagall.
Severus was surprised to hear her admit some of the Headmaster's faults. Coupled to her and Flitwick's actions two days ago, he wondered if revolution wasn't already brewing behind the scenes at Hogwarts.
He focused back on Minerva as she began speaking in detail of what would be expected of him concerning the older years. Even if the situation was uncertain concerning Lord Voldemort, he could take other steps to make a difference for the children.