Chapter 14

Silvina felt a little stale, flat and unprofitable after Seagh left; but comforted herself that unlike Hamlet she was NOT going to bellyache about it for long and silly soliloquies. She got back to work because writing music made her think of Seagh and that made her feel nice all over.

True, the symphony was briefly abandoned for a tone poem of sheer joy of being loved; but once that was out of her system, Silvina settled back solidly to work. Her new dad had taught her that hard work always pays off; and it was true.

oOoOo

The Bee Marauders had worked very hard this term so far and though it was time to make their marauding known by pulling a jape of some description. Besides something had to be done to rival the Ubiquitous marauders and their singing toilets.

The Bee Marauders had a full and all round range of skills; but tended to fall back on potioneering and chanting solutions when in doubt as being the easiest way to do things; a sure sign that all of them were at least competent potioneers, even if only Hette could truly be described as brilliant. As it happened all managed to scrape into an 'O' average in class just for putting in the time on their potioneering; which had delighted Severus when they came to him as fourth years, those of them that were, even though it did not take much to figure out that potioneering was, like library work, considered to be largely for japes. All of the fourth were quite good at potioneering as it happened; so Severus was not about to knock it!

"Our best one to date" said BaHH "was the Purple Poison Potion Jape that turned everyone's hair purple and stood it on end."

"Yes but we're a whole year more sophisticated since then" said Yrdl "And that ought to be reflected in our japes. We're WAY beyond the skiving snacks of the Weasley twins when they were at school. I think we ought to do something slightly different; switching spells to get everyone to drink it is repeating. And it's an unwritten rule that you NEVER repeat."

"We could put a potion that's a lotion in the water tanks that turns everyone's hands into something harmless but weird" suggested Batty.

"Yeah… nice idea; only we mustn't contaminate drinking water or let it come out where Sev's children are in case it frightens them" said Yrdl.

"Can we – I mean, is it possible – to open some wizarding space in the pipework so it only goes to the main cloakroom when people wash hands after the loo when they've been outside?" asked Johanna.

"Now THAT's sophisticated!" approved BaHH.

"Interesting level of ritual" said Crow "Vava, reckon you can cook us up a chant to make it easier?"

"Reckon I might" said Vava. "What potion are we going to use?"

"A hair growing one" giggled Hette "So they wash their hands and then start looking like they're turning into werewolves; which isn't actually as scary these days as it used to be."

"Brilliant" said Yrdl "And the water fountain is on a separate water pipe too; because I looked into having it rise up when used to squirt people in the eye, only it seemed a trifle OTT. We need to know what ingredients to get; and see who we can con into going to get them for us."

"Dad, obviously!" said Hette. "What's the point of having parents close by if one doesn't use them to prevent one having to break bounds? We'll apply to visit the old folk tomorrow and give him the list and then YOU can visit him on the next weekend; and by Sunday afternoon it'll be sorted. We can do the ritual to open a wizarding space tank during the meanwhilst; when we've figured out how to get amongst the plumbing."

So while Hette and Vava visited their parents in the village, the rest of the Bee Marauders looked for access panels and scrambled amongst pipes, tracing back the ones they wanted ready to add an extra and entirely magical tank; and being thorough, they also turned off the water to those particular sinks while they transfigured the top of the section they had chosen into a screw cap they could remove at will.

The amount of wizarding space they needed to open was only small; the size of a large cauldron and they decided to make it one foot, by two feet, by three feet in order to utilise three factorial; none of them were poor at Arithmancy, but as an 'E' average student, Johanna was their relative star and they wanted to make it as easy as possible.

Consequently Vava, who could average 'E' at Arithmancy by sheer hard work, made a chant of three lines each of six syllables. They took off the lid of their section of pipe, squeezed uncomfortably into the crawl space and proceeded to chant, startling Solange Lebaton of the second into thinking there were ghosts in the pipework as their voices echoed hollowly through the tap when she turned it on to wash her hands.

Solange went to complain to her class that Zalmoxes was singing bad opera in the pipes.

oOoOo

Then that was prepared; all they had to do was to retrieve the ingredients, make a surreptitious brew and pour it in.

They received several tickings off for inattention in class and both fourth and third lost a few year points; and Eve Cherrytree moaned that they were hatching something with so much giggle and silliness.

"Wrong my child; it already hatched" said Yrdl "It was a boy and three wise men are already on their way with gifts."

"I don't understand half of what you're on about most of the time, any of you wretched Marauders" grumbled Eve.

"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis then folly to be wise" said BaHH.

"Ai gloess omoemoch, ai de fraiu auoemotos" *said Crow.

"What does THAT mean?" said Eve crossly.

"It means Eve never took Ancient Runes very far" said Crow.

"It's a quote from Euripedes; 'twas but my tongue that swore and not my soul' if you really care" said Yrdl. "It's a way around being rude without being rude; because Crow thinks you silly."

"It's more subtle then 'non amo te Sabidi' which small Latin even a prune like Cherrytree ought to manage" said Crow.

Eve flounced off; even when they were in the wrong and up to mischief these marauders made her feel flustered!

oOoOo

The following weekend saw surreptitious brewing and the lotion was poured into the spurious water tank; and as BaHH splashed some on his hands and face and it was a little concentrated they had to shave him quickly before he tripped over his extra hair; and then hide him until others had the same effect since the hair grew almost as fast as they shaved it.

"It should be a lot less profound when mixed with water" said Hette "About three inches growth and I say, Yrdl you're going to have to shave him AGAIN."

BaHH considered it worth the trouble – especially when the squeals of outrage and horror began from the first visitors to the cloakroom, the first and second quidditch teams.

Naturally the problem of having hairy hands – and in the case of Kate Grant who had splashed her hot face, a hairy face – did not avoid the notice of the Head.

Severus rose at Kaffee und Kuchen.

"Would the authors of the hairy jape care to identify themselves and tell their victims how long they may be expected to be horrendously hirsute?" he asked.

The Bee Marauders rose.

"It should have all fallen out by bedtime" said Hette.

"Excellent; and hopefully you seven will also by bedtime have completed the assignment I am going to set you; to discover the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs for 'old hairy hands' without resort to the spurious logograms in Asterix; and write me ten cartouches repeat of the same" he said. "You have caught prefects; and the dignity of the prefecture is to be upheld."

They beamed at him. Emily, the prefect caught, if not so thoroughly as her sister, had come up laughing when she realised that it was only a jape; she was a good sort. But they accepted punishment for having a jolly good laugh at the hairy ones.

BaHH had plaited the three locks of hair growing from the random splash marks on his face; and Severus eyed him dubiously.

"The concentrate was strongish sir" said BaHH.

The plaits from his hands were wound round his wrists like friendship bracelets.

"Well perhaps it may give you a lesson or two in careful handling of potions; not all of those you handle will be so benign" said Severus.

BaHH grinned unrepentantly.

It had disrupted the whole school quite delightfully!

By bedtime the hair had indeed all fallen out and the Bee Marauders were cheerfully volunteering to help the elves clear up excess hair. And Severus was glad that he had not set that as a part of the imposition; because they were good willing children who helped to sort out the mayhem their mischief might have caused.

oOoOo

"You think you're so clever inconveniencing people and making them hairy" said Eve Cherrytree crossly in the dorm to Batty and Yrdl.

"If you'd been one of the ones inconvenienced you'd have had the right to complain; but you weren't so you haven't" said Yrdl.

"Which does rather make your argument bristle with difficulties" said Batty.

"Hair today, gone tomorrow" said Yrdl.

"She just likes to beard other people with her moaning" giggled Roseli, who particularly disliked Eve for the events of the previous term.

"Was missing being caught a narrow shave?" asked Cecilia.

"You're all horrible!" said Eve "Taking the side of those marauders; they ought to be punished!"

"We were" said Yrdl "We had OUR lines in er, Hairyglyphs."

The others groaned.

"You ought to be punished for having a rotten society that didn't ought to be allowed!" said Eve. "And even though the Headmaster seems to know what you call yourselves he still doesn't ban it!"

"You are a poor prune, aren't you?" said Batty "It's a society to help people who really need it – not drips like you – and to have fun while we prepare to grow up to fight dark wizards. Which is the worst kept secret in the world in all the sects of marauding, whether in Prince Peak, Hogwarts, Durmstrang and the new school Jade Snape's running. Because Professor Snape was one of the original marauders who looked after a werewolf boy before there was even the Wolfbane potion because he's exceedingly ancient; and they started having japes to give the poor kid a chance at a proper childhood. And it was revived by Harry Potter and his friends and it's marauders who've always fought Voldemort and Odessa; and there's never been any Cherrytrees involved in doing anything useful. And it isn't as though any of us have actually targeted you; WHICH we might well have done after your nasty behaviour before Yule; so why don't you just dry up? We have no interest in aiming japes AT you; because it's rude to mock the afflicted."

When she worked this out, Eve flounced off to bed in injured silence; which suited her dorm mates.

"I say, Batty, I never knew that, about the head and his friends helping a werewolf" said Roseli "I can't begin to imagine how awful it would be to be a werewolf at school. No wonder he worked so hard to develop a cure!"

"If that's the purpose of marauders, I guess we're all behind you all the way" said Cecilia.

"Thanks" said Batty.

"And I'm here at school because of the marauder battle against Odessa; a symbol to demonstrate that goblins can learn so those who believed the common lies they were taught were just that – lies" said Yrdl. "I was taken out of a large goblin community in Germany for the purpose."

"And that can't have been easy – to have been the one who was there as a demonstration" said Roseli "I guess being a half goblin with the prejudice some people have is nothing in comparison to the problems a lot of people have. Kudos to you."

Batty did not know – she had not read deeply the history of the Marauders – that Severus was a later addition to the original marauders; but to her it was inconceivable that their kind and wonderful headmaster would NOT have been a part of helping out a werewolf friend.

Two of the three non marauders in Lavender Dormitory went to sleep feeling uplifted to know what marauding was about; and Eve fell asleep with the sulks and consequently awoke with a headache; which was nobody's fault but her own.

oOoOo

The peccadilloes of the Marauders were forgotten in the next bit of excitement; the Broomstick Boys, Crysochorus Bass and Nils Tenor, had finished their American tour; the Tour album – which was called 'Freedom' – had been released; and they blew by Prince Peak to give the kids there a reprise of their tour concert. Severus was inclined to be indulgent; they were virtually old boys after all, and HAD done a lot in the elf freeing business.

"Every one of our new songs deals with freedom or the lack of it in one way or another" Nils explained as he introduced the concert "And some of the numbers actually point out that you can be unfree and not know it; or feel that you are trammelled and not realise how mistaken you are. We hope you enjoy it; it's aimed a bit at the American market so we picked the good old Irish ballad of the last couple of centuries for style because of that being an ancestor of country and western music. And though we have to make a living out of it too, ten per cent of all the profits from sales of our records go to a fund to buy and train towards freedom American elves, most of whom are not even pure blood elves but are part muggle because American wizards used to keep muggles in slavery if they were dark skinned. It's not a pretty time and they try to forget it; but it's kind of hard for any visitor not to be reminded of it when a brown skinned half elf is busy acting subservient to you wherever you turn. When muggles abolished black slavery among their numbers, slave owning wizards promptly made sure all their muggle slaves had elf babies who could be hidden by disillusionment magic. We got quite upset by it all" he added.

"I'd like to share that my ancestors were slaves to muggles once" said Darryl, rising "Several hundred years ago; and I for one am behind any attempt to free these American slaves who have a VERY dodgy legal existence as such even without abhorring slavery in general."

"Thanks Darryl" said Nils. "We acquired and gave clothes to one kid; she's just a quarter elf; and some of her heritance is from wizards misbehaving with their slaves. She also has a golden voice; and when we've brought her up to speed she'll be joining your fourth next year. She's just thirteen; and we managed to trick her master into wagering her before he took her to bed, which he was planning on doing. She's his half sister, but as she's only a slave he didn't care. Rant over; starting concert now, with the song we wrote in anger over finding out such things. We had to be a little careful though so the meaning is hidden" he added. "It's called 'Does one drop suffice'."

The introduction was wild and in a minor key; and the tune wailed but as much in impotent rage as in misery; and the school shivered as the boys sang,

"Who am I?

What am I?

Why am I a slave?

What pact made me?

What law bound me?

What may yet me save?

How much then

Defines me then?

Does one drop suffice?

Are my futures

Doomed forever?

Who will pay the price?"

The song finished on a rising note; and Nils used every ounce of training Severus had given him to hold that long last note until all the hall full of children were gasping in wonder and in sympathy for his lungs and busy breathing to check that they at least still could.

"He picked up THAT trick by listening to my Uriah Heep" murmured Krait to Dione.

"It has everyone's attention though; which is the idea" said Dione.

Nils finished, still under perfect control and the song crashed to an end.

The applause was tremendous.

"Thank you very much" said Crys "The next number is called 'Dullsville'; it's a common enough theme but with our own inimitable style, which includes our usual modesty."

There was laughter. This was one of those tunes that owed much to the Irish heritance; and more than a nod to 'Blue hills of Breffni'; but as Crys said, with their own twist. They sang,

"I grew up in Dullsville and when I was a boy

I promised that I'd leave it when I was adult, to enjoy

Magic and excitement in a large community

Where folk outnumbered livestock when I would then be free.

So why am I going back to Dullsville

Back to that one broomstick town?

Back to that pumpkin patch of yokels

I never thought I'd want to settle down

I got to the city, I was looking for some cheer

For girls with pretty ankles and robes made just this year

I found all the excitement, she cost me all my pay

She confused me and befuddled me and stole my clothes away.

So why am I going back to Dullsville

Back to that one broomstick town?

Back to that pumpkin patch of yokels

I never thought I'd want to settle down

I found all the games and I laid my money down

But the mobsters saw me coming when I rolled into town

So though I won the betting the gold that I was paid

Was made by ruddy leprechauns and none of it has stayed.

So why am I going back to Dullsville

Back to that one broomstick town?

Back to that pumpkin patch of yokels

I never thought I'd want to settle down"

Naturally the boys also sang 'Turning' which was the title that they had fixed upon for their elf-freeing ritual; and asked Severus to play the bodhran for it. Severus was happy to oblige, and on that bodhran too; and a selection of chanting-oriented blooded chanted the chant as the background for it. The Broomstick boys had taught it to a selection of eager fans who had won the privilege of performing with them in each live performance; permitting them the words to read too. They had taken the ritual bodhran with them and Crys had played it while Nils sang the verses, joining in with the chorus; as did a substantial number of the school who had heard the pre-release version on Wizarding Wireless .

"Time is turning, a long time turning

Freedom for my thoughts in my heart I'm yearning

Freedom to think the thoughts that are burning

Let my heart be free!"

Few enough of them knew what the song was about; but it was catchy and they knew it; and that was enough.

There were other songs; a funny one about a quidditch fanatic who was so enslaved by his own passion he became ill if he missed a match of his local team; a serious one about poverty; and one based a muggle folk song called 'House of the Rising Sun' because it was as relevant in the wizarding community. They had changed the words slightly to be singing about a sister who was held down by being a scarlet woman – the inference was plain enough though there was never any outright use of contentious words any more than in the original – combined with a sinful brother who was a Felix Fiend rather than a husband who was a gambler of the original.

"There is a house in New Orleans

They call the Rising Sun

It's been the ruin of many a poor girl

My sister's only one.

Her mother, she's a seamstress

With one of these sewing machines

Her brother, he's a Felix Fiend

Down in New Orleans.

Oh tell our little sister

Not to do the things we done

And spend her life in sin and misery

In the House of the Rising Sun.

She's one hand in her pocket

The other on the portkey

She's going back to New Orleans

To pay those debts for me"

They finished up with the 'cauldron monster song', Prince Peak version, and 'Cauldron Master' just for fun; and the children brought the roof down.

"Those boys are good now" said Krait to Severus "That first one had hardly a dry eye in the house; not just the words but the way they sing it."

"They are rather a credit to the school" said Severus.

The Broomstick Boys stayed to tea and Nils asked,

"What did you think?"

"Sublime" said Severus.

There was a shocked silence.

"I say, Sev mate, did we actually rate an unmitigated compliment limited to one word?" said Nils, awed.

Severus grinned.

"BLOODY sublime?" he said. "You rate every compliment in the book; and when the Americans actually work out what you're getting at you might get the odd ritual sending; which in its way, albeit irritating, is about as big a compliment as any writer of protest songs can get. Oh wait; I forget. Americans. They probably don't even know how to DO ritual sendings."

"Be fair dear" said Krait "VOLDEMORT didn't know how to do ritual sendings; it's only because we've been poking around in a mix of fey magic and untranslated Bactrian texts."

"You have a point" said Severus.

"All right Sev; I'll bite; what ARE ritual sendings?" asked Nils.

"When you use ritual to send a spell effect across any distance to the target by using a piece of ritual material obtained from him" said Severus "It's fairly dangerous to the caster too; leaves him fairly open to his target and is massively draining. It's another of those lost arts and apart from writing it up for my own satisfaction I don't think it's going to be one I'm going to revive."

"Could it be used on those of elf blood as a freeing spell not a damaging spell?" asked Chrys.

Severus stared.

"You know, I LIKE these boys" he said "And I think it's actually about time to invite them into the core of the group."

"You mean like in your book?" asked Nils, awed.

"Exactly so" said Severus "You boys are exceptional; you have found your focus, found a goal; and you go for it without fear. Even though you concealed the meaning of your lyrics that was only to make sure that they got heard, became popular before anyone unravelled them; not to stop those damned Yankees attacking you. And I'd like to see you with a bit more protection and backing too."

"We would be more honoured than we can say" said Chrys.

"Good; don't say anything then" said Severus "I hate speechifying."

"He said he's got a bit emotional and choked up and he doesn't want anyone to see beneath the snippy" said Krait.

"I thought you'd grown out of translating what you think I mean?" growled Severus.

Krait kissed him; it seemed about the best answer to give.

oOoOo

Crys and Nils stayed for a blooding; and got to be taken to the marauding room for it with an inordinate – or so it seemed – number of children and a larger number of the staff than they might have guessed.

And when they has slit their palms and joined blood they knew why the chanting group had managed that impossible chant; because they had the support of more than two hundred brothers and sisters all over Europe; and they were one of an enormous whole and yet as individual as they had ever been. And they were now Parselmouths!

"Just don't go writing songs in Parseltongue!" laughed Julian Finch "Because it won't carry a message to anyone except the few Parselmouths outside the Blood Group and with us you're preaching to the converted! All it will do I'm afraid is to freak out the parents of your fans."

"Unfortunately true" said Severus dryly "There is a general belief even nowadays after Harry demonstrated that he was a Parselmouth, that all such are dark wizards. Which since the greatest concentration of us in the world dedicate our lives to fighting dark wizardry is a trifle unfair. The snake is not a popular animal; it is cold blooded and implacable and some of them can inject poison with a bite. That the same might be said for most first years is irrelevant."

"SIR!" chorused the Ubiquitous Marauders.

"The snake he is unpopular, I really wonder why

he is a cool and cleanly beast, his scales are smooth and dry" murmured Nils "There's almost a song in there."

Severus laughed.

"I'm sure we'll hear it on Wizarding Wireless soon" he said. "You should find the Gaelic easier to find; and even the language of the Fey that is akin to it; German and a selection of languages from Durmstrang; and the language – deep down and NOT for casual use – of tigers. We have Rakshasa among our numbers."

"Cool!" said Crys "An album called 'Animals' and we do songs about tigers and snakes and wolves! Anything else?"

"Dog" said Severus "We've a couple of dog animagi, a cat, a green falcon – don't ask – an ordinary falcon, a lynx, and an eagle owl. And for reasons that I will tell you tomorrow when you've slept it off, stags are also appropriate. And if you can do one about a magnificent stag I'd take it as a favour to Harry. Now however, the lot of you – adults and all – off to bed and sleep it off."

"Don't forget to clean your teeth" said Hermione.

"Madam Granger, I shouldn't dare FORGET" grinned Nils "But I might just dare defy you and choose not to!"

"Nils, you're a bad influence on the younger ones!" said Hermione.

"Rock stars are supposed to be" said Nils; and on that note departed leaving Hermione – for once – lost for words.