Chapter 9

After Halloween one might expect the usual silliness to start over the Yule ball. Dancing on Saturday evenings did much to alleviate some of the shyness it is true; but still partners had to be chosen.

The sixth managed it with relative dispatch.

Irmi was going with her Sebastian; Darryl asked Elsie Blackwood; Adrian asked Emily and Evangeline went with Yukya, who had perfected a tall form and was looking forward to being an elf to aid with the big chant. In the lower sixth Peter and Fred asked Pru and Frieda; Rory asked Muriel; and Milos went with Leneli as they had got into the habit of it. This left Randolph, Marius and Mungo as spare males for the girl-heavy fifth year.

The fifth did not muck around much either, Fred and Flo Visick going by their usual friendships in picking Vya for Fred and George for Flo; they were a foursome after all. Silvina asked Julian as he did not have two left feet, in half mocking reprise of the way he had asked her last year; AHHa grabbed Sandalla before the Jorkins twins could make any fatuous comments about twins and Randolph asked Svetlana as another one time muggle. The Jorkins twins plumped for Rose and Hanna-leena, who were as joined at the hip as if they had been twins; Marius asked academic and musical Sara Barbary, who pointed out that she HAD a boyfriend and so long as he was aware of that, only her boyfriend had finished school, she was happy just to dance with him; which suited Marius just fine. And Mungo was left to choose shy Yelizaveta or sporty Kate Grant.

Mungo claimed a lack of interest in quidditch and a fine interest in animals to claim Veta, as the girl was known for short; for Veta loved all horses; and Kate glad not to go with anyone who was not into quidditch!

This year the oldest of the Bee Marauders and their class must go; and Arbek boldly invited Kate Grant and was accepted. They would not be in any way talking about anything more romantic than perfect catches in the beautiful game.

BaHH asked Batty and Crow asked Yrdl; which was the marauders sorted out. Emil and Cecilia decided that as twins they might as well go together; Blaise asked Roseli – to Eve Cherrytree's disgust as she considered Blaise a suitable partner and the only reasonable English person left in her form as BaHH was too insane to count and Crow just as insane to dance with a goblin and Blaise hardly any better for choosing a half goblin. Letting them have education was one thing, but Eve was horrified! She was left with a choice of Reinulf Grindler – a German – or Antti Laakkonen, a Finn. Of the two, Antti was the lesser of two evils, and sulkily Eve agreed to dance with him. Reinulf, laughing, said that made him the wallflower; and invited Sylvana Nachtigall of the third because their families were close. Sylvana agreed, she said, because the eats were supposed to be good.

Sylvana actually rather admired Reinulf but was not about to admit it, especially as he still called her 'funny face'.

oOoOo

"That went off too quickly and quietly; what's the hitch going to be?" said Krait suspiciously.

"Eve Cherrytree" said Dione, cynically. "She reckons she can get her hooks into either Crow or Blaise; she knows that the Langstaffs are considered a cut above most of the Hellibore-Cackle families, and her cousin at Hogwarts is going to know that Blaise's cousin knocks about with Malfoys. So do the Hallow-Hellibores of course but I can see any girl being chary of BaHH unless she's as nutty as him."

"I'll alert the prefects to keep an eye on THAT situation and nip it in the bud before it begins" said Krait.

"Why didn't anyone keep an eye on situations and nip them in the bud at Hogwarts?" asked Hermione.

"Because Hogwarts never was so well disciplined as Severus has it here" said Krait calmly "I certainly jumped on anything I found in Slytherin House; but Flitters could hardly barge into girls' dorms to read them the riot act, and McGonagall never cared to; she relied on honour in Gryffindor house. Which is all very well up to a point, but you can achieve more by relying on honour AND keeping several poems ready to copy than just relying on honour."

"I guess too we DID find some remarkably silly girls here when we arrived and cracked down hard" said Dione "To stop anything before it started – the Tugwood twins at fourteen years old remember."

"There is that" said Hermione. "Well good luck to the prefects; Eve might have come after the new school started but she really is a Cackle's girl by nature."

"Because we elected not to turn away those who traditionally came here" said Krait. "We ARE instituting the exam now save for younger siblings only. It will – it SHOULD make a difference."

"Good" said Dione "They were all like Elisa Mourne and me only wet around the edges."

"Well the pair of you turned out very well" said Krait kissing her on the cheek. "And Elisa married to Francis Davenport with a boy and a girl to keep her happy. And he's doing well at the free school and Hawk thinking of setting up another school with Lynx, perhaps with Fabian and Maud when she leaves school; and then Senagra and Elisa can fit in to teach in their places."

"We're getting a good education system set up" said Hermione "And I do really think it's an excellent secondary aim of marauders to protect society by teaching."

"It sort of almost happened by accident too" said Krait "Happy accident. Rather like reviving the marauders in the first place; and as I recall that was the Malfoy twins, Rom and Kinat too. The New Marauders started a few things; and bless them for it."

"Hear, hear" said Hermione.

oOoOo

Eve's idea of wresting her property – Blaise – from the obviously grasping scheming hands of the blithely unconscious Roseli was typical of the slyer type of silly girl; like dropping a shrinking charm on Roseli's clothes overnight.

Roseli was starting to panic that her clothes were too tight; and Yrdl pointed her wand.

"Finite incantatem" she said "That better?"

"Oh! YES!" said Roseli in relief "What happened to them?"

"I'd think" said Yrdl "That some mean nasty minded person dropped a curse on your duds and made them seem too tight."

"And the person who knows what was done must have done it" said Eve "Everyone knows it was a goblin boy who was the one who made the fuss about half breeds."

"Watch it" said Batty "That's a racist remark, Cherrytree; as well one might say it was a human who was Lord Voldemort. And why should Yrdl put a curse on Roseli, anyway? There's no quarrel between them. I've no quarrel with Roseli either; have you?"

"Why should I?" said Eve.

"Dunno" said Batty "But you've always been the one with queer ideas and sniffy about goblins and half goblins when you think you can get away with it."

"She is angry that Blaise Paddock preferred to invite a lady to the ball not her" said Cecilia shrewdly. "I expect she takes it as an insult that he prefers someone not fully human to someone without any gentility like her."

"You are insulting" hissed Eve.

"Yes" said Cecilia cheerfully "And you are offensive. And listen, my good puppy – you aren't mentally old enough to be a bitch – if anything untoward happens to Roseli – or Yrdl – I go to the head about you."

"Sneak!" said Eve.

"Sneaking is about mischief; this is nastiness" said Cecilia "You're the type that would try to damage a painting of Roseli's to hurt her; and that's not mischief, my girl, it's criminal damage; and you'd be liable for at least a whacking great fine and besides, as all her work goes into her portfolio towards her exam it's interfering with exam results and THAT is an expelling offence – AND a criminal offence into the bargain. So when you're feeling spiteful, think long and hard before you do anything, my fine puppy; because there are laws to prevent your sort from causing damage. Now grow up and accept that Blaise didn't want to take you; and I heard him tell Roseli that at least she's a decent sort to ask because otherwise the only person he could take would be the Finnish Flobberworm; he'd rather dance with Antti than with you."

"Huh, I should think any decent boy would rather dance with Spass than with HER" said Batty.

"I'd rather dance with Spass than with Antti" said Yrdl "He's not as boring."

"Poor Antti" said Batty.

It was a measure of Antti's lack of intentional harm causing that the adjective most often applied to him was 'poor'; and pity felt for him that he would not even have been able to work out why.

Eve flounced off hiding her face. In truth she had considered spoiling some of Roseli's paintings, thinking only of hurting the girl without considering consequences; or even that it would be considered criminal damage. That was a shock; it really wasn't fair. And surely Blaise would not prefer to dance with Antti than with her?

She asked him on the way to breakfast,

"If Roseli cried off, would you go to the ball with me, Blaise?"

Blaise blinked.

"No thanks" he said. "Besides, you ARE engaged to Antti; it's just not done to cry off for another partner; so ill bred. Besides if Roseli had been engaged to dance, I guess I'd have asked Lucy Ingram who's a fun kid or one of Yrdl's sisters. Or any one of the girls in the third; I'm not so strapped for a partner that I have to ask you, you know

"That's not very tactful" Eve tried to be arch "It almost sounds as though you don't like me!"

"Well I don't really" said Blaise. "You make sly comments about people and you're a snob without anything to be snobbish about and your hands feel puggy when I have to dance with you on Saturdays so I try not to. That's why you're partnering Antti; because you're the two nobody else wants to dance with."

"THAT, Mr Paddock, was rude" Severus had come up behind him. "Apologise to Miss Cherrytree please."

"Please sir, I'm not sure I can" said Blaise "Because how does one apologise for telling the truth?"

"One apologises, Mr Paddock" said Severus, fighting the laughter threatening to well up "For your abominably rude and tactless way of putting it; and for coming out with an unpalatable truth in the first place."

"Oh. Yes sir, I think I see" said Blaise dubiously. "Cherrytree, I'm sorry I was tactless enough to let you know what everyone thinks and that I didn't say anything I said with more tact. Only sir, how can you use tact to penetrate erumpant hide?"

"Was it necessary to make the point?" said Severus.

"Well if I want her to leave me alone it was" said Blaise.

"Hmm" said Severus. "Miss Cherrytree, I suggest you'll have less upset if you steer clear of the truly tactless and untutored tongue of Mr Paddock. Have you not yet got a partner for the ball then?"

"I – well I was going to have to go with Antii Laakkonen" said Eve.

"And you also have a partner Mr Paddock?"

"Oh yes sir, I'm going with Roseli and I don't see that she's likely to cry off whatever Cherrytree hints."

Severus regarded Eve.

"I shall, Miss Cherrytree, be remarkably disappointed to learn that any nastiness like shrinking ballgowns or shoes or itching powder or any other unpleasant prank should happen to make Miss Accola feel as though coming to the ball would be difficult" he said. "I WOULD consider it a serious matter of discipline."

"I – I really don't know what you mean sir" said Eve.

"Then let us hope you continue in such unsullied innocence" said Severus "And Mr Paddock whatever you were about to say, try for once in your life not to open your mouth and put your foot in it; good morning."

Blaise had been about to blurt out that was THAT what she had meant by Roseli crying off; and he glared at Eve as Severus swept away.

"Touch Roseli and you so will wish you had not" he said "Just because I'm not a marauder and the staff think me mostly inoffensive doesn't mean I wouldn't stop being inoffensive if you act the goat. Just because you look like one when you have that mean look in your eye doesn't mean you have to act like one."

This was too much for Eve who burst into tears and fled.

She kept herself very much to herself for the remainder of the term.

oOoOo

Severus was writing end of term reports for the first; since everyone else had only end of year reports. And what a joy it was that the weakest in the class was Gabiden, who was weak on potions and Arithmancy but above average at charms and runes and only average across the board otherwise. He was borderline for the new academic standards; but he was here as a favour to a protégé of Jade's and he COULD keep up.

It was a far cry from having once written, at Hogwarts, not long after he had started teaching there that ….how did it go? 'to find Rupert's intellect I fear I should need a goblin miner to delve so deep'. And then, 'If Arabella's mind ever attends school with her body I have yet to observe that phenomenon'. And 'if Denzil's intelligence were any lower he would need to be planted out in the greenhouses and watered twice a week. As it is he is at risk of being accidentally served for the fish course.'

It had helped to be viciously snide; unfair though it undoubtedly was.

But not, in the cases he could recall, in any wise untrue. And he sympathised with Blaise over Eve.

He sat down to write pleasant reports for all the first; and was delighted that he could genuinely write for Jöran,

"Jöran is a talented boy who has overcome the difficulties of too much inappropriate praise to find his strengths and address his weaknesses with a determination that does him credit. He is in no wise behind in class in any subject but potions; which I regret but accept that talent in one field may be balanced by a blind spot in another. More importantly he is bidding fair to be a fine arithmancer and his taster course in metalwork – at which he also excels – has given him further direction to his art. He has become a fully participating class member and is on good terms with the other artist in the class."

One could not say yet that the boy was making friends as such; but he was drifting into the group with Paul, Reaz and Gabiden; a nice little foursome. And one might say of Reaz that he was another talented child in the family; and of Gabiden that he was above average in a couple of his classes and might work hard in the few subjects he was weaker on.

Paul scarcely needed a report; as it would be written to himself! And apart from Hermione who sighed over his Arithmancy, there had been no poor reports on Paul; and Severus knew that his staff would not hold back just because he was the boy's guardian.

One might write too of Bertha that the family had sent him another hard worker; again Bertha was never going to shine, but she had no trouble keeping up. And of Lydia Grant that the family Quidditch tradition was still holding up. And too that Lydia was a good 'E' average student; which was more than Emily or Kate always were, being academically more erratic.

Then it was the turn of the marauders.

"Zhenga is a dear little girl who is a high flyer as well as a lovely child. She is a credit to her parents in all ways and if she may be said to truly excel at potions, this is in no wise to denigrate her other skills which are also well above average." he wrote. Ihor had done well to adopt her; the child had so much potential! He picked up another form. "Fyra is a hard worker and a very pleasant child into the bargain. She is talented in Arithmancy and also has a rare talent in Geomancy; which leads me to have to pun that she will go far" he wrote. Next; "Alrik is one of those at the root of most of the mischief in the first with a degree of efficiency that at present he is also applying to his work; if he continues to apply himself to his work as hard as to his mischief I shall be well content" he wrote. Alrik, Wilhelm, Serrik and Bruno were at least as bad as James and Sirius. They needed some minor squashing so they did not take the mischief side of marauding too far. For Bruno he wrote 'Bruno is a brilliant Arithmancer and I am hoping that he will continue to use that in his classwork as well as in devising ingenious spells for the purpose of mischief". Yes, it was not just the mischief of those four; it was the efficiency with which they planned – especially with the two girls involved as well. Severus did not know officially about the tribulations suffered by Leneli Accola when being a prefect had gone rather to her head and she had been throwing her weight around rather; but he had heard via the Muggle Marauders who had heard from Pru that Leneli had been keen to investigate when her brother had reported to her that Wilhelm and Serrik had been out of their bed; and the boys claimed that Serrik was taking Wilhelm to the nurse as he felt sick when Leneli stopped them to read them a lecture; and that as she had delayed them, Wilhelm couldn't wait any more.

WHAT they had concocted the false vomit from Severus did not want to know, little monkeys; but Leneli had had hysterics and Wilhelm had said in a hurt voice that he HAD been hurrying until she stopped him.

Severus wrote,

"Wilhelm is brilliant, innovative, clever and inventive. When he applies all this brilliance to his work instead of only half of it while the other half is on mischief bent he will fly high. Somehow I suspect he will fly high anyway but it would be nice to have a respite sometimes from his brilliance in any but the field of academe."

The self-folding flying exam papers had been funny though and Hermione getting crosser and crosser as she tried to catch them; and all six Marauders had received a stiff impot for THAT, doing some nasty calculations in base sixteen.

He moved on.

"I might say that Serrik could easily find himself led into trouble by his friend Wilhelm if only I thought Serrik was not involved with some of the leading. Serrik is however a shrewd boy and knows when not to go too far with mischief. I fancy he will manage to both enjoy himself at school and come away with a good crop of qualifications and leave the rest of us with a good crop of grey hairs."

Well, that was the lot; and now he would have the six brought blindfold to the marauding room to blood in as they had showed willing to help with THAT side of marauding; and too what a fine job they had made of the two dolls' houses. Any little girl was going to love playing with them; and a subtle idea that it should teach them about being a family! This group of six marauders really were some of the brightest and the best; most had a few shining beacons but it was not always that a whole group was so very much MORE than average high flyers. They reminded him very much of the New Marauders; who were ubiquitous.

Hmm and a good name that was for them; the Ubiquitous Marauders.

They were everywhere too; they had already found the secret passage into his office and had stayed, little horrors, to make coffee for him.

Just like Hawk, Abraxus, Rom, Kinat and Willow would have done.

oOoOo

The six new marauders were bubbling with joy as they slipped out of their beds to meet by the main staircase at midnight; and although Jöran might mutter sleepily that the four boys were insane fools to waste their precious rest he would at least not report them

They gave Jöran credit that even before he started to shake down he would not have reported them for that, only if they had tried to involve him in midnight fun.

And at the bottom of the stairs, blindfolds appeared out of nowhere and they were hustled by giggling people through narrow unknown passages and up steep stairs.

And one of the giggles surely belonged to Madam Parnassus!

Fyra and Alrik knew the extent of the blood group in Prince Peak; they could feel them. It was a bit of a shock to the others however!

"Crumbs Madam Granger I never imagined YOU Marauding!" said Wilhelm tactlessly.

"I was one of the first new generation marauders actually Wilhelm" said Hermione "With Harry Potter; Ron was the other original one and we collected Krait, Draco, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom; he's headmaster of the free school in London."

"Actually" said Krait "As I recall I did the collecting; you three were blundering about trying to stop Harry falling apart at the seams and following him into each of Tom Riddle's traps as he set them. He listened to my nasty sarcasm where your sweet reason fell on the deaf ears of the terminally Gryffindorish heroic male."

"Well the nasty tongue hasn't changed" said Hermione cheerfully. "Yes you kids we ARE human out of school; and we were once fairly heedless brats too. And now it's time to collect you lot too."

And then they were all slashing their palms and joining; and the synchronised heartbeat joined them in the love beyond love that was the blood group; and each of the newly inducted Ubiquitous Marauders knew as they hissed

sssswe be of one blood ye and Issss that they would willingly die for their fellows; and that there was no need to be embarrassed about admitting to loving them all.

Finishing the ceremony with cocoa and marshmallows helped too.

"You DO know how to run a good ritual, Severus" said Wilhelm.

Severus gave a thin smile.

"I have run rather a lot; I suppose it's practice" he said.

"DO clean your teeth on your way back to bed" adjured Hermione.

"And next time you explore these passages you will be able to find this room; that until you are brought inside is hidden under Fidelius Charm" said Severus. "And in this room is the book of all wickedness; which holds sundry random useful information that is written in as it is discovered, like such jinxes as marauders invent or er, acquire. Over time you will be told certain marauder secrets; some of which those who are in the know would lay down their lives to guard. Being a marauder is a lifetime commitment; and that life is always at the disposal of your fellows. You have showed a serious enough attitude to take the step of involving you young; as too we could use your aid. Lecture over; back to bed and don't expect any of the staff to be anything but as starchy as usual tomorrow or subsequently – unless you call marauder business. And it had better BE marauder business. Good night to you; if you don't need your sleep I certainly do and I'VE been wrestling with end of term reports all afternoon."

They murmured a good night and went back to bed exhausted but jubilant!

oOoOo

The last few days of term showed brilliant sunshine, so Severus cancelled lessons and took the school sledging and skiing. It was a shame to waste it after all; and as he said severely to Emily Grant when she made noises about Quidditch, Quidditch was a game you could play anywhere; and did she really want to waste her last winter in the Alps passing up on winter sports?

Emily considered; and gave in. Quidditch was her life, but skiing was fun too; and truth to tell she had not actually considered that it WAS her last winter in the Alps.

Emily was wondering suddenly if it might be worth while applying to Englebert Hellibore for a job teaching sport to the girls at his snob school, just to stay in the mountains; even if Hellibore's Academy in Switzerland did not have quite so perfect a location as the Prinzhorn did here in Austria.

And this was her last chance to be a giddy schoolgirl; so she might as well enjoy it!

Irmi decided that as one of the Wolves of Prince Peak she would decorate the Great Hall for the Ball as the Jungle Book; with the Council Rock covered with tiger skin – a carefully transfigured old rug she found in the attic – and a good job it was, as Krait murmured to Severus, that Bella Black was not here to make representations about ill treatment of tigers, even Lungri the lame one, as the humans called Shere Khan. The Hall itself was a clearing in the jungle and festoons of evergreens transfigured into jungle greenery. The walls of course were subject to illusion, and Irmi involved the muggle marauders as well as Sebastian and Darryl to pull off a chant to make creatures of the Jungle Book slip through the trees, including a bare brown boy; and Chil the kite hovered in the roof, giving his sharp cry from time to time.

She asked the Broomstick Boys to provide music as they were associated with the school, and were besides coming in for the twelve hour chant; they were to be secondary chanters, not being blooded, and arrived early so they could say hello to everyone first.

The décor was enthusiastically received with a spontaneous cheer by the ballgoers; after all, the lower sixth and the fifth were the first juniors who had had the privilege of having been read to by Severus in the evenings, working through the Just So stories and all the Jungle Books that had led, Severus recalled with surprise, from an impot set to sundry members of the fifth when they were new juniors. Reading twice a week to the junior common room had become an institution; and one Severus enjoyed, with the two junior forms – and a few invited older ones – curled up on cushions around his feet in front of the fire with cocoa and biscuits.

It was hard to realise that this year's first years were the fifth to be introduced to Kipling, and Leon Garfield and all the good old tales; and interesting to note that favoured reading in the upper forms ranged from 'Kim' from the third up through 'Stalky and Co' in the fourth and fifth to 'The Day's Work' in the sixth. And that sundry of the fifth had borrowed what was essentially a book for adults was evidenced by Fred and George – HOW those names always seemed to come together– chanting 'rigidity, rigidity, absolute unvarying rigidity, rigidity' as a means to meld together two metals in metalwork that could not alloy without magic.

Lydia, being equally familiar with Kipling, took it in her stride and had praised them for a good choice of chant.

oOoOo

The ball being underway, the evening went with a real swing; the Broomstick Boys played a few of their own compositions for form's sake, but mostly played good Christmas numbers and old fashioned dance music, with their own twist and pzazz to it as Crys put it.

Severus was not quite sure how they managed to turn 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' into a rock number; but it worked, and actually he liked it better than the original; though that was not hard.

The Muggle Marauders were discussing the décor for next year – and how like them – with their partners; since they had their money, they said cheerfully, on Pru being head girl since she was probably the steadiest person in their year. They had introduced Pru to 'Lord of the Rings' during the year and the Lowther twins had invited her to come and see all the films; and they were arguing the relative merits of Khâzad Dûm or Lothlörien as a good venue, or maybe Rivendell as this was the Last Homely House on top of the mountains.

Pru laughed and said that next year was next year and not to be worried about for now, thank you!

oOoOo

There were not many couples who were actually romantically involved; Sebastian and Irmi were a couple of course; and Milos and Leneli. Elsie might have liked to have been Darryl's girlfriend but she knew that his heart belonged to Mimi Snape. Elsie was a practical girl and tried very hard not to sigh over what might have been. She was to stay on another year undertaking research, and was in fact planning on writing a book on chanting. She was extremely chuffed that Severus had, after some hesitation, invited her to stay for a few days and join in the big chant; Elsie was a girl who believed in justice and was more than happy to accept the reason for this chant. Severus explained that he only hesitated because she was still a little physically frail; and that he wanted her to chant as a secondary chanter alongside Mortimer Bane, JUST in case being a quarter goblin made a difference if he was alone; and he, a less accomplished chanter than Emily anyway, there to take over if her strength flagged.

Elsie nodded; it was practical enough. She had succeeded at the hour chant for the OWL but she knew that even four hours chanting would tax her. If she could hold the majority of it with Mortimer to take over if she flagged she felt confident of succeeding. It was a nuisance not being as strong as the others; even though several years in the Alps had done wonders for her health. It was one reason she was to stay on for the post graduate research year.

"If I had only been good enough to be chosen as part of the blood group it would have been easier" she said "You support each other, don't you?"

"Did you work all that out for yourself?" asked Severus, surprised.

"Well it seems a bit obvious" said Emily "Besides I HAVE read 'Blood magic, Love magic' you know; and the inferences are quite clear."

"Well maybe you should be blooded at that" said Severus "It's usually those who show an inclination to er, interfere who get invited in; or again, those who ask to support. And it seemed a heavy burden to lay on a child with health problems. Though I do wonder" he added "If the health problems might not be helped by the blood group as much as magical problems are."

"That's why the Muggle Marauders can do magic, isn't it?" said Elsie.

"Strictly speaking, the Lowther twins already could; their abilities were blocked by living near to an electrical sub station" said Severus. "THEY took the decision to form a small blood group with their friends, just so they could come here of right too; and such loyalty had to be rewarded. So we brought them in. Are you certain this is what you want?"

"Yes" said Elsie, simply.

"Then we'll do a blooding after the end of term" said Severus "And you can too join to some of the German group who'll be coming in."

oOoOo

And Elsie was excited; and even forgot to answer sometimes when she was dancing. Big Victor Crabbe, doing a post graduate year, laughed when he was dancing with her.

"A lot to look forward to, isn't there?" he said "And unlike the small ones, you really are considering all the implications of blooding."

"I am" said Elsie "I'm afraid it's going to make a small but perceptible separation between me and Emily; but leaving school in summer is going to do that anyway. School friends don't always stay in touch, and she's not going to be living the sort of life I'd want to live; Emily has to live fast and I prefer to live deep. We have schoolwork and the school magazine in common, but the thought has been growing on me that dearly as I love her, a year after we leave school we shall still be affectionate when we meet but we'll be virtual strangers."

"That's sad" said Victor "I suppose it's partly the blood group that I don't feel that way about Seagh and Darryl, who are my closest friends; but though I'm looking forward to seeing Ulrich Grindler when he comes visiting after teaching this last year I suppose he and I have grown apart. Are you interested in teaching? Only I fancy Seagh, Darryl, Mimi and I might be setting up another school. Perhaps with Hawke Malfoy and Lynx. You remember Lynx?"

"More or less; I came in during her last year. Pretty dark girl, all flashing eyes, something of a foil for Jade Snape" said Elsie "That lot were all really decent to us younger ones. She had a baby while she was still at school and we weren't supposed to know about it; but I usually find things out. I don't want to pass them on but I do like knowing" she added.

"Well, that's an EXCELLENT trait in a professor!" laughed Victor. He knew that Lynx and Senagra both wanted to take part in the free school but that it was actually now over staffed; and Hawke had wondered if it might be well to have only one Professor Malfoy.

Personally Victor suspected that it was more likely that the New Marauders would all stick together and any new school the Prince Peak graduates started would take on Francis Davenport and his wife Elisa; or even Neville Longbottom, leaving the school in the hands of the Malfoy Twins, to be an experienced Headmaster for a new school. There was too Fabian Ramage and his girlfriend Maud, one of Mimi's closest friends.

It would be as it would be. And nothing to happen until Mimi left school, which would allow Elsie her post graduate year.

oOoOo

And then the term was over, and most of the children going home for Christmas, excited and noisy.

And Jade and most of her staff apparated in; and Severus and Krait, Dione and Sirri got to meet her newly adopted children for the first time; and there was a hasty blooding for Elsie; and then it would begin.