Disclaimer: Rowling presented seven years of a school which was supposed to have existed for centuries. Hogwarts 1835 had little from canon besides location. Hogwarts 1940 could serve as a prequel to the canon books. This sequel to 1835 has little from canon but a few family names and a location or two, but those are from Rowling's books. Similarities to any person, living are dead, with the characters in this story is an amazing coincidence.

My parameters for what constitutes canon are defined at the end of chapter one.

Chapter 6 – The Comedy of Errors

"What should I know about the church?" Vivien asked as the Malfoy party rode in the carriage on Sunday morning.

"It is our duty to attend," Claudius yawned.

"That is not what she meant," Titus told his son, with a touch of reproach. He turned back to Vivien, "The Reverend Henley is decidedly low church, which perhaps explains why the Bishop passes him over. But he has a keen intellect and a deep concern for those in his parish. I am certain he will eventually find a position with more demands – and rewards – for his talents."

Vivien sat in the Malfoy family pew with Matthias and the two Malfoys. Kitty had chosen not to attend the Church of England service, which had provoked ridicule from Claudius in regard to her faith not being very secure if she could not attend a non-Catholic service. "Afraid of leaving your Popish superstition if you hear the truth?"

He had wisely stopped as she began to grow red with anger.

After the service Mr. Malfoy invited the clergyman to supper that evening and Matthias promised to provide a ride to Malfoy Hall and back to the rectory.

Although she would have been ashamed to admit it, even Kitty enjoyed the Reverend Henley's presence at the table. He listened more than he spoke (an ability unknown to Bishop Ffolkes) and displayed a sensible wit in his conversation. He spoke of parishioners with Mr. Malfoy, who were all tenets on Malfoy land, but there was no sense of gossip. The reverend brought families to his attention for commendation and suggested, as landlord, that Mr. Malfoy do something to help one family where the husband had broken an arm. After some hesitation he asked Mr. Malfoy to look in on a family with "domestic problems."

"May I ask what sort of domestic problems?"

"I... I would prefer not to bias your observation. I pray that my fears are unfounded but... If you could form your own opinion I would be grateful for any insight."

"If it is a case of domestic unhappiness I think the clergy would provide a more appropriate voice than the landlord."

"It is a matter of authority, and if a parishioner will not listen there is nothing I can do. You have greater authority in regard to recalcitrant parishioners than I."

"And what would you have me do, put them off the land?"

"No. I... I have no idea on an appropriate course of action – and I certainly have no desire to see the innocent suffer. My prayer would be that you will tell me you find no hint of a problem and that you fear my imagination has gotten the better of me. Or, should you also find a domestic disturbance I pray you might find a way to address the issue."

"I will stop at their home this week," Titus Malfoy promised, "although without a clear idea of what I'm looking for I'm uncertain what I will see."

"Thank you, sir."

Claudius sighed silently, wishing his father would let the muggle tenants take care of themselves.

Vivien still didn't feel up to riding on Monday, but Claudius took her on a walking tour of the grounds in the morning while Kitty exercised Sparta.

Late in the morning Claudius left for a ride of his own and Matthias suggested that Vivien attempt to charm Yorick in hopes of discovering his history.

Mr. Prewett brought the skull in its crystal dome up from the dungeon and placed it on a reading table in the library before removing the dome. Mr. Malfoy joined Matthias and Vivien as the pretty witch prepared to cast her charms on the family heirloom. Kitty, too repulsed by the skull to join the others, merely pretended to read a book and listened intently as they discussed their plans to question the artifact.

"Why am I here," the sepulchral voice demanded when the dome was removed, as the lower mandible moved and green fire once more glowed in the empty eye sockets.

"I'm hoping for some information," Matthias explained, "and since you've never been cooperative I'm hoping this young witch will wrest your story from you."

"You are wasting your time and mine," the skull boasted.

"Our time is our own to do with as we see fit," Titus reminded him. "And surely being here is better than oblivion under the dome."

"Don't undervalue death," the skull argued. "It has its own advantages – I speak as one who knows both life and death. And oblivion is preferable to cognizance in the damn house of Malfoy. You cannot make me answer your questions."

"I suspect you are correct," Titus admitted, "but it is worth trying." He turned to Vivien, "Miss Kestrel, please proceed."

Viv licked her lips nervously. She had never read of anything like Yorick in her Dark Arts textbooks. She knew several charms that might be used to wrest answers from a living person and three with limited value in questioning domestic animals. She glanced at Matthias, "I'm not sure what to do."

"You might try throwing yourself from a high window," Yorick suggested. "You have as much chance of flying as charming me."

Kitty giggled slightly from her chair and Vivien glared at her, "I was, uh, reading something humorous," Kitty lied.

"I believe I'll start with some simpler charms and move to the more complex if necessary," Vivien told Matthias, who nodded in agreement. She applied a charm and demanded, "Tell us your name!"

"I am insulted you would use such a charm on me," the skull retorted. "For that I will tell you nothing."

"What was the charm?" Titus asked.

"It... It was..." Vivien stammered.

"It was a charm for dogs, to make them retrace their steps so that you will know where they have been," Yorick explained.

"Why did you use that?" Matthias asked.

"Well, he isn't human... Not anymore anyway, so I thought I'd try the spells not intended for humans first."

"An insult," the skull grumbled. "Damn house of Malfoy."

"You could try answering polite questions," Mr. Prewett reminded him, "then we wouldn't need to try charms."

The charms she next tried after the initial failure produced no information either. Finally Vivien had two charms left to try. After using the first of the pair she again demanded, "Tell us your name!"

"Robert."

"It worked! It worked!" Matthias exclaimed, dancing with joy. "Let me ask... Ask him... No, a pen! I need a pen and parchment! There is so much I– Let me me get a pen and parchment." He ran over to the table where he did his research and returned with his tools, kneeling at the library table. "May I ask a question?"

"Yes," Vivien told him.

"No," the skull answered.

"You won't answer his questions?" Vivien demanded.

"Who placed the charm?" Yorick replied.

"Ask him for a more complete name," Matthias suggested, "some of his own history."

"I thought you wanted to know what kind of spell was used to make him as he is," Vivien answered.

"Everything! I want to know everything. Start at the beginning."

Vivien sighed, everything could take a long time. "Robert, do you have a more complete name? Could you tell us something of your family?"

"Robert of the King's Green," the skull answered in a flat tone. "I am the illegitimate son of John of Gaunt and a witch named Matilda."

Matthias wrote frantically, scribbling down every word the skull uttered and firing off questions for Vivien to ask. Even Kitty dropped all pretense of reading and listened with awe as the epic unfolded.

After almost an hour of questions and writing there was an angry, "What are you doing?" from the doorway and Claudius strode into the library.

Matthias looked up, "Miss Kestrel has charmed–"

"Are you all right?" Claudius asked, and it was obvious the question was directed at the skull on the table.

"Claudius?" the skull asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, it has been too long."

"Don't trouble yourself on my account. I lose track of time when under the dome."

"Are you all right?"

An evil laugh filled the library, "Never better. They have entertained me by listening to my lies while this fool with a pen transcribed every word."

"But I charmed you," Vivien protested, feeling foolish.

"You attempted to charm me. You failed."

Matthias felt even more foolish as he stared at the pages of parchment, filled with apparently worthless writings.

"You know my son?" Titus demanded of the skull.

"Isn't the question superfluous when the evidence is before you?"

"I was in the dungeon, years ago, on a hot day and lifted the dome," Titus explained. "He seemed the most amazing thing in the collection."

"And while I deeply resent being considered part of a collection I found young Claudius the first, and perhaps only, Malfoy worth my time."

"Do you know his real name?" Matthias asked eagerly.

"Whether I did, or did not, I would not divulge the information without his consent," Claudius told him.

"I still have another charm I can try," Vivien reminded them.

"Not on my friend," Claudius told her. He picked up the stand supporting the skull and left the room.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the library. Kitty went quietly back to reading her book and the others did not mention the attempts to question the skull.

The atmosphere was slowly returning to normal a half-hour later when Gordon Sloper entered the library. "One of Mrs. March's servants," he informed his master.

"I'll see him." Titus left the library to hear the message.

The man was covered with dust and looked like he had ridden hard to reach the Malfoy home. Titus knew April would not approve of a horse being treated in such a manner for such a distance without good reason.

"Your errand?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"Three horses took ill, one bad. Mistress at wit's end. Asked me to find where some girl's father lived. I believe the name was Kelly."

"Miss Kelly. Yes, she is a guest here." He turned to Gordon, who nodded to indicate he had heard and left to fetch Kitty.

The Irish girl arrived a minute later. "You won't be getting help from my Da," she told the man when he asked his question, "too far away. What are the symptoms?"

"Heart arrhythmia, muscle spasms, excessive mattering of the eyes, and diarrhea."

"Did you bring shit?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Did you bring shit? Those are symptoms for several different problems. If you brought me a sample I might have been able to diagnose the problem."

The servant looked confused, "I was asked to locate your father. I–"

"Well, you'll not be finding him. I've got a lot of his learning even if I've not much of his experience. I'll go back with you and–"

"He looks like he needs a rest," Titus Malfoy interrupted, "and I'm certain his mount does."

"Well I don't know the way!"

"Which was why I was going to suggest Mr. Prewett take you in the gig, he knows the route."

Mrs. March's servant went to the stable to help Clarence prepare the gig for travel while Matthias changed clothes and Kitty frantically rummaged through the potion ingredients available at the Hall.

"Don't you have anything fresh?" she grumbled at Mr. Malfoy, who stood in the doorway of the potions room.

"I never had an interest in potions," he told her. "There were a few things my wife brewed – those would be the newer items. I fear most ingredients will date back to my father's time."

She almost scolded him for not stocking some very basic materials, but remembered in time he was her host and that it was not his job to keep items he had no use for on hand.

Fourteen minutes after the servant had first spoken to Mr. Malfoy the gig stood ready and Kitty jumped into the seat beside Matthias and ordered him, "Drive fast."

"How far away are the March stables?" Vivien asked as she ate dinner with Titus and Claudius that evening.

"About thirty miles," Titus told her. "Mrs. March lives on the other side of the Whitleys."

Vivien frowned, "So Kitty is unlikely to return tonight."

"I suspect that is true."

"What are your plans for the morrow?"

"I had planned to look in on the family Reverend Henley asked me to visit. Then I had other tenants my steward and I would visit."

"You realize that it would be entirely inappropriate for me to remain here alone with only Claudius in the house."

"You know that Claudius will not trouble you."

"I have, in my life, avoided even the appearance of evil. Spending the day alone with him could look scandalous even when everything remains innocent."

"You are being ridiculous," Claudius told her.

Titus thought a few seconds before speaking to his son, "No, she is correct. The appearance would be inappropriate." He looked over at Vivien. "I will see if I can postpone the work until Miss Kelly returns."

"No," she told him, "your work is important to the running of your property."

"But you said it would be inappropriate to stay here, alone with Claudius."

"Oh, it would be," she agreed. Both men already knew her intentions so she determined to be honest with them. "I will go out with you and your steward tomorrow," she told Titus. "It is important for Mrs. Malfoy to have some familiarity with running the property."

Father looked at son. "She didn't get the idea from me," Claudius told his father.

"Well I've told her I won't force you into a marriage."

"The estate needs a mistress," Vivien told them. "And I am the best qualified woman for the job."

"I have already told you that you are not appropriate as a fiancee," Mr. Malfoy reminded her.

"She is Slytherin," Claudius remarked, "and we do tend to be ambitious."

"You are intelligent men, you will see I am correct."

"Where does ambition end and imagination begin," Titus sighed.

"We can discuss that tomorrow while I accompany you on your errands," Vivien told him. "Now, having dressed incorrectly more than once I would like advice on what would be appropriate tomorrow. Will I be riding or taking a vehicle?"

"The riding habit adopted from my wife would be appropriate for either."

"Will the roads allow the gig?"

"Yes, but that is the vehicle Matthias and Miss Kelly took."

"Then I shall take the dogcart. It is important for the tenants to meet the future Mrs. Malfoy."

"You will not introduce yourself to anyone in such manner, and–"

"I would not dream of it. Such a thing would be entirely inappropriate until after you ask my mother for my hand."

Titus Malfoy paused a second to keep his temper in check, "Were it not necessary for the preservation of your reputation I certainly would not allow you to accompany me."

"But you do recognize it is necessary. That is a testimony both to your intelligence and sense of propriety. I–"

"Flattery will not change my mind."

"That isn't flattery. And false modesty will not make me change my opinion."

"Miss Kestrel, I find–"

"Why don't you tell Viv of your discovery over backgammon this evening," Claudius suggested with a yawn. "I mean to turn in early. I give you the edge in terms of logic," he told his father, "but Viv has an unholy streak of persistence. If you had not promised me that you would not force me into marriage I might be concerned – but your devotion to your word is more than equal to her stubbornness."

Titus Malfoy clenched his jaws to keep from speaking. He suspected Claudius would sneak out from the house rather than turning in early. The house elves had reported such behavior to Gordon three times since Claudius had returned home and Titus had confirmation from one occasion in which he had gone to his son's bedroom with a question soon after Claudius had said he was retiring for the night. He turned instead to Vivien, "Miss Kestrel, backgammon this evening?"

She smiled and nodded, "Thank you. I would enjoy it very much."

"To insure my own enjoyment I would prefer we speak of anything other than the topic of conversation a moment ago. I would even prefer you talk of the latest fashions in London."

"I suggest we find a topic of mutual interest. I was reading... Do you attend the theater during the winter in the city?"

"Not as much the last few years, but yes."

Vivien guessed the death of his wife was the reason for fewer visits, but didn't express her thought. "Then let us discuss the theater."

He gave a very small smile and nodded in agreement. Vivien suspected he agreed merely to be polite. The proposal actually pleased him more than talking of Vivien's dreams or fashion, but he was too concerned about Claudius to show his preference. He was also preoccupied during the games and Vivien beat him soundly in several games before the two retired to their rooms for the night.