Chapter 5

The fifth were brewing polyjuice potion for Professor Snape; an easy matter for the marauders who had used their own supplies of boomslang skin – purchased by bribing Jark, Lucius Malfoy's chauffeur to get it for them – for their own nefarious purposes on various occasions.

The lesson did not go smoothly for everyone however.

Davenport had a fancy to be David Fraser for a while and had gathered hairs from David's sweater rather than trouble the new head boy by asking.

Unfortunately the hairs he had gathered were from a semi-feral Kneazle which had set up home in the castle several holidays before - Alice Trumball among others had one of her kittens – and who had taken a liking to David, the only person she would permit to touch and pet her. This only really caused a problem when the Gryffindor Quidditch team wanted to play and needed their team robes since the robe cupboard was where she chose to live; and had in fact given birth in there several times leading once to the necessity to wear a scratch uniform since even David was not allowed near her kittens for a few days.

Davenport did not know this however and was mightily distressed to have his face become orange-striped and furry.

The marauders did at least howl with kindly laughter and promptly christened him 'The Librarian' claiming that he looked like the orang-utan librarian from Terry Pratchett's Discworld stories.

What stuck however was the more utilitarian soubriquet of Chewbacca.

The first intimation David had that Fenella had continued to irritate her housemates was when the jar of sludge balanced on top of the door fell on him not Fenella, whom he had overtaken on the corridor.

David sighed, rapidly cast cleaning spells to rid himself of the smell and looked about for culprits.

"THIS is one reason I did not want to come to school" said Fenella "The puerile childishness."

"Puerile childishness has its place, Fenella" said David "When little kids get to combine and work off their puerile childishness generally they get it out of their systems. Otherwise it can fester, and there's nothing so childish as a childish adult."

"I wouldn't know; I've NEVER been childish" said Fenella.

"No? I'd have said your attitude was incredibly childish" said David "You always give the impression of sticking out your tongue and claiming to be king of the castle, and in girl of seventeen I for one find it unbecoming. Now hurry along to arithmancy; you will perhaps have the goodness to explain to Professor Vector that I have been delayed by a piece of silly mischief."

"Oh certainly" said Fenella "If you don't think me too childish to relay a message!"

"If you take so childish a tone, I might well" said David grimly. "Don't bother then; I'll make my own apology."

When Fenella was out of sight, Mei Chang of Ravenclaw, a niece of Cho, and her cronies, Leonard Hitchins, descended from a disowned Black, and Mike Orde, emerged.

"Sorry Fraser" said Mei "You weren't the intended target."

"Look, she's got an awful father, from what I gather, who's taught her all this bunk about how wonderful she is; give her a bit of a break, huh?" said David.

"NOT when she's throwing her weight around like she's a prefect and ticks us off for cheek and threatens to report us when we point out that she's NOT a prefect" said Leonard, resentfully. "And we even were tactful in the way we did point it out!"

"Well…." David thought fast "Try to be at least a little more specific in who you're going to target, you may write me ten lines each in your best handwriting 'I will try for a little originality in my mischief and promise not to bore the prefects'."

They giggled and nodded.

It was a punishment but at least not so boring an imposition as some prefects had already set them. Prefects could only set up to twenty lines or half an hour detention; but it allowed a small measure of discipline without making a misdeed official. And clever prefects used a long poem as a single 'line' on more serious breaches of rules where more than twenty 'thou shalt nots' as prefect lines were sometimes known, were warranted.

In Arithmancy Professor Vector asked David, quietly as he apologised for being late,

"Why did Miss Fenwick tell me that she could not tell me where you were as she says you told her not to?"

"Oh dear" said David "How a clever girl can misinterpret the phrase, 'don't bother I'll make my own apology' I'm not sure, Madam Vector."

Madam Vector shot him a shrewd look.

"Well, you'll catch up" she said "It's the arithmancy of place; your favourite subject."

David brightened.

He had already read the text books to NEWT level on the subject – having borrowed Severus' copies – out of interest.

Fenella was looking superior and bored.

In Arithmancy she had some right to do so; it transpired that had been her only 'O' grade. She was being permitted to take only four NEWTs, Professor Flitwick not considering that an 'A' grade in charms sufficient to go on with it and demanding that if she wished to study further she might sit in on the OWL class and retake at the end of the year; and then he would see. Fenella had declined.

She might not have done so had she realised that she was also required to join the fourth years in both Potions and Transfigurations, since as Professor Dumbledore said it was no point her being an arithmancer if she did not comprehend the major applications of arithmancy. He had let her off studying DADA to OWL level however, and the private opinion of much of the lower sixth was that this was because any dark creature would flee rather than have her talk at it. Fortunately for Fenella these extra classes were both on Monday, and left her free to cover all of her other electives of Astronomy, Enchantment and History of Magic, on all of which she had achieved an 'E' grade. Dumbledore offered to arrange her timetable to fit in Herbology too if she wished; but Fenella had not been in a gracious mood and had refused, which she later regretted but had not the sense to realise than an apology for the grumps and a request to change her mind would have seen the staff going out of their way to accommodate her.

As it was she expected to shine in Arithmancy, and show up the Fraser boy. There were only a handful of NEWT level arithmancers, David the only Gryffindor, his Slytherin friend Wido Mordaunt and two Ravenclaws, Orla Quirke and Hugh Moonin. Hugh was musical like the two Goodchilds but liked the mathematical certainties of music as much as playing and used arithmantic calculations in conjunction with Professor Snape's Chanting and Ritual classes. David did not like Hugh; he thought him spiteful and self absorbed and so humourless he almost asked to be ragged. Orla was all right, a bit of a philosopher and inclined to take Vector at a tangent – David grinned at the pun – discussing esoteric points.

It soon became apparent that David was far and away the most talented arithmancer in the class with a feel for the subject that surpassed Fenella's. As this was her only star subject, and her father's subject too, Fenella was mightily put out!

Fraser was too good for her and it wasn't fair!

The idea of working harder rather than sulking about not getting what she saw as her fair dues was rather beyond Fenella's capacity as yet.

Fenella was still throwing her weight around and invaded a class of first years to tell them not to make so much noise while other people were trying to work.

"Look here, Fenwick" said Jade "If you were a prefect – which you're not – you might have some excuse for bawling us out, especially if this was a preparation period. But it isn't; it's leisure time and we're allowed to make as much noise as we want in wet leisure. In fact you're breaking the rules if you're trying to work in leisure time because 'growing bodies need leisure and pleasure as well as work to grow' as Madam McGonagall's always saying, only she says it more Scots than that. So please refrain from issuing orders that are not justified."

"You snotty little brat! Do you think you can make a fool of me with your snide attitude?"

"Not a bit of it" countered Jade "You manage to do that entirely for yourself and if that slap lands I shall retaliate."

Fenella dropped her raised hand. Somehow she realised that a chastisement to this cocksure brat would end in an undignified brawl.

"I suppose you think you're above the rules having a father teaching here" she sneered instead.

"Oh no! I know fine well I'd catch it harder if he caught me. But then, I've not broken any rules. The only person here who has is you – working in play time, interfering with younger ones and trying to initiate a fight" said Jade "Go away and try to get a life, will you? We're having fun here and you're a bore."

With that she turned her back deliberately on Fenella and resumed her top of the lungs conversation with her friends about the world cup. It was rude; and Jade knew it. But she also knew her rights. She had been at Hogwarts unofficially for longer than anyone but the sixth.

There had been some surprise over who HAD been chosen as prefects; some, notably Ravenclaws, expressed surprise that someone like Myrtle Carmichael who had not even been in the school a whole year should be chosen; and the Huffers retorted with more truth than tact that as Myrtle had been in the school longer than anyone and knew the peccadilloes of the parents and grandparents of most people she had more right to be prefect than anyone. As it was official Ravenclaw policy to deny that Myrtle was the same Myrtle who had once been a ghost this led to rather strenuous contretemps between many of the two houses; except Mei Chang and her gang, who asked Jade as a neutral and whose father was a Professor and therefore ought to know.

Correctly interpreting the query as serious and in the spirit of asking information, Jade gave an expurgated version of the ritual by which Abraxus had replaced Myrtle's spirit into her skeleton with the sacrifice of her parents' blood, freely given, and the flesh of his own hand.

"Which is why he has a marble one" said Jade "And as it's off a tombstone – Myrtle's actually – he can touch ghosts with it."

"Cool!" said Mei. "That's a wonderful story, I guess he's real brave and loves her such a lot!"

"Yeah" said Jade "Cousin Abraxus is one of the best. We had trouble with the ministry about it at first not that there's any laws against it, but they got upset because it was something that isn't covered in eight 'A' grade OWLs and three NEWTs obscured by a coffee stain to hide the grades that you require to get into the ministry."

Mei giggled.

"Isn't it us Ravenclaws supposed to be the intellectual snobs?" she said.

"Well we Snapes have always been intellectual snobs too, and our Prince cousins" laughed Jade. "You lot are all right; you ought to join the MSHG."

And after having had it explained, they did.

One reason being that Fenella Fenwick would probably disapprove of it; and any friendship with Jade whom she castigated as a cheeky, uncontrollable child.

As Jade was unfailingly polite to Ravenclaw prefects and even moderately polite to other Ravenclaw sixth formers she was met by her fellows with fishy stares that did nothing for her humour nor did it change her opinion.

Fenella was not the only self righteous prig in Ravenclaw.

Lisa Field had been Hatted into Ravenclaw and whilst she admired Mei Chang her audacity she also deplored lawlessness. She also adored being teachers' pet and had, unfortunately, gone to a school where sneaking was not discouraged.

Accordingly, when Sirius Black was grouching about having lost his pen off his desk – and concerned for the reason that Harry had bought it for him – she put up her hand and said,

"Professor, I was passing earlier and I saw that Dinalt boy fiddling about with your stuff."

"Did you now" said Sirius without sounding encouraging.

"Oh yes, Professor! I didn't think he ought to have been in your office at the time" said Lisa.

"It didn't occur to you to ask I suppose?" said Sirius. "No, I thought not…. I am grateful for a lead if young Dinalt has tidied up after me, but I don't like your tone, Miss Field; it smacks of joy at getting others into trouble and there are some rather nasty names for that. I don't know the customs in muggle schools of today but I understand in the school stories some of the older ones are addicted to, sneaking is not looked upon favourably; any more than it is here. I'm not really telling you off; just offering a friendly warning to shape up."

"What was I supposed to do?" said Lisa.

"Well, I'd think that if you said you'd seen someone at my desk and you would ask if they had seen my pen, that would apprise me that you knew a potential miscreant – or overly helpful near relative in Dinalt's case – and that you'd see about warning them to come to me of their own accord."

"Oh" said Lisa doubtfully. "I see; I think."

"Good girl" said Sirius, rarely irritated for long.

Sirius went in search of Ed.

"Ed, have you been at my desk?" he asked.

Ed blinked.

"No sir" he said

"Someone says she saw you."

"Well someone was lying then – or mistaken" said Ed, then laughed. "Willow's growing out her dandelion look, she's got hair a bit like a demented haystack right now like mine and cousin Severus. Maybe it was her."

Sirius brightened, though reflecting that Severus' hair might be long but rarely could it be described as a demented haystack; especially as he generally tied it back in a ponytail nowadays to teach.

"That's more than likely" he said "Sorry to doubt you lad."

Ed shrugged.

"It looks bad if a witness puts me somewhere I wasn't" he said "Thanks for trusting my word without needing legilimensy."

"I trusted Severus too little when he was your age" said Sirius "The mistake can be rectified in the next generation."

He sought out Willow

"Padfoot" said Willow accusingly "You left your pen on the desk again, some idiot will walk off with it if you're not careful."

"Where did you put it dear?" asked Sirius mildly, not bothering to rebuke her for calling him Padfoot in school.

"In the drawer of course" said Willow, patiently "In the box I bought you for keeping pens and penknives and things in. Don't tell me, you never looked there?"

"What, look for something in its proper place? What do you take me for, a Ravenclaw?"

Willow laughed.

"Oh Padfoot, it's true, Gryffindors never do grow up…. I do love you, you know, but sometimes you exasperate me a little."

"That's all right" said Sirius "Sometimes the feeling is mutual." He was so glad to have the matter sorted out! And to know it was just his fiancée being tidy, and no theft.

oOoOo

After school had been back a week or so Professor Dumbledore had an announcement to make.

"This year it has been decided to run the Triwizard competition again; as it is five years since the last one. This year however, although Hogwarts has been asked to host the competition again, the other contestants will only visit for a brief time around each actual competition. The Goblet of Fire will be set up tomorrow, with the usual age line to prevent anyone under seventeen from entering. Now I know some students have discussed ways around this" he smiled genially at both groups of New Marauders on their respective tables "And I wish to assure you that house elves are precluded from putting in any name but their own; tortoises cannot cross the age line whether they are attached to fishing rods or not; and fishing rods on their own certainly will not work. Ageing potions have been shown at the last competition to be utterly ineffective and as to the most ingenious solution, suggested as an academic exercise by a past pupil who is now Madam Malfoy, I assure you that Professor Snape has locked up most carefully the ingredients required for such a er, concatenation of potions. Security has been tightened to prevent the placing in of a name other than the person doing the placing. However the rule has been relaxed a little to permit anyone whose seventeenth birthday falls before the end of the competition to enter providing they have their guardian's permission which must be written and attached to the recipient's name. I hope that is clear enough."

"Pellucidly sir!" called out the marauders in unison. If he was going to borrow one of Severus' favourite words, so were they.

David's heart hammered. He would be seventeen within the time period. And Albus was looking at him and smiling; did he want HIM to enter? It would be another moral victory over Durmstrang, a muggleborn, a mudblood if he could win…..Krait had waxed long on the futility and idiocy of the competition, but much of her objection had been to the interruption to education of having extra people around, as well as to the foolishness of the tasks…..

"Are you entering, David?" Lysistrata Attercop whispered.

"I don't know" he found himself saying "It can be er, a demented display of imbecility devised by the certifiable to entertain the moronic."

"That sounded distinctly Snapeish" she said "Of course, he's your guardian, isn't he? Will he forbid it?"

"It's a Kraitism, which comes close enough" said David, absently. "I don't know."

It was Fenella Fenwick who finally made David's decision for him since she was busy sneering about the whole concept of the contest, and indeed about any competition at all.

"Your feeble and futile preoccupations with quidditch and duelling and this triwizard nonsense is perhaps all very well for the uneducated masses" she was saying to a group of outraged and disbelieving third years "But really, the only competition that is valid in life lies in the academic prizes available. Any idiot can play quidditch – and many do; that fellow Krumm they make such a fuss about looks half witted after all."

David strode up.

"Beat it you kids" he said.

"Wonder why" muttered one of them as they obediently if resentfully filed off.

"Because Fraser's too fair to bawl out a sixth former in front of us kids of course, idiot!" said Lionel Dell scornfully and with perfect truth.

Fenella sneered.

"And you're in favour of mindless thuggish competition I suppose Fraser?"

"I'm in favour of games to keep bodies fit as well as minds; 'cos you couldn't manage a five hour examination in YOUR physical state so you haven't a hope of taking the top academic prizes on offer" said David. "And I happen to know that Viktor Krumm has a sight more than six lousy OWLs with only one 'O' so I guess if he's half witted that makes you positively sub normal. You judge too quickly. If we hadn't practised duelling, we'd not have been able to fight Voldemort and his cohorts; and that you CAN't explain away, because most of the grown ups were too busy panicking to do anything practical; and if your father had even come up with some practical arithmantic charts about bad times for Voldemort that would have shown willing; even though we did perfectly adequate ones ourselves. As for the triwizard competition, it may very well be a demented display of imbecility devised by the certifiable for the entertainment of the moronic, as Krait Malfoy put it – Madam Malfoy to you when she comes back to teaching – but it's also an opportunity to keep an eye on the youngsters of Durmstrang that long to be the next Gellert Grindelwald; you have HEARD of him, I hope with your history of magic, even if the syllabus only goes up to the end of last century?"

"There's no suggestion any of the Durmstrang students feel like that."

"Oh? What else do you call using unforgivable curses in an interschool duelling match?" said David.

"Surely not… you have heard exaggerated tales" said Fenella, looking superior.

"Kiddo, I was THERE on the team" said David, quietly. "I SAW what happened, how both the cruciatus curse and the Killing Curse were attempted. I took third place, as it happens, out of the eighteen contestants."

"Who won then? Harry Potter I suppose?" she was shaken that this was something he had seen; her father had always pooh-poohed the alleged danger of alleged dark wizards.

"He and Draco drew first place" said David quietly. "And one reason we were invited was so that certain dark wizards could test out if Harry really was immune to the Killing Curse by encouraging a hot headed student to cast it at him. Life isn't pretty outside your academic bubble, my girl; and physical needs are as great as academic ones. Because I run every morning I can sustain spells longer. And I was going to refuse to enter the triwizard because I thought it silly; but by talking to you I realise that it has its place, and so I shall ask my guardian if I may enter. And if he says yes, then I shall because somebody has to be ready to stand up to the Durmstrang crowd."

"Yet you speak as if this Krumm is your friend."

"Not all Durmstrangers are bad types" said David "I got on well enough with most of them; most of them are just ordinary kids like the rest of us. It's the ones who are easily encouraged er, down the dark path we have to watch. And maybe they can be turned from it. Not that you care about how to try to keep the peace in the wizarding world, so long as you have your ivory tower you're quite happy because the sufferings of others are of no interest to a selfish stuck up little prig like you who will be childishly happy sulking over her imagined wrongs and gloating over her supposed abilities for the rest of her life. Please don't breed; one generation of you is one too many. Besides, I'm told it's messy, painful and undignified and I'm sure that's beyond someone of your academic attainments as pain and toil are only for the er, uneducated masses."

Fenella was white with fury.

"You are deliberately insulting!" she hissed.

"Yes" said David "You go out of your way to put down everything we consider important here; and you will not take hints, so I find I have to be blunt. You make it clear you don't want to be here and dislike everything about school; let me tell you, we don't want you and we dislike you too. The difference is we have been trying to make an effort for you. I even told some juniors you'd been pushing around to give you a break and not try to play tricks on you and give you a chance. I'm beginning to wish I hadn't bothered. And Fenella! I'm STILL willing to try to help you fit in if you'll only drop all this silliness!"

"How generous! How magnanimous! The great, the wonderful, the universally loved David Fraser is willing to help me to make myself into a freak and a puerile brat like all the others who worship him! I don't think so!" she almost spat.

David almost flinched.

"You seem to have a remarkably odd idea about both me and the rest of the school" he said coldly "And I say again; the one who needs to grow up and stop being puerile is you LIONEL DELL ARE YOU EAVESDROPPING ON ME? COME HERE!"

Dell came out sheepishly.

"How did you know, Fraser?" he asked.

"Because the stinksap you got on yourself in herbology is still attendant about your person" said David. "Write out for me five times Hamlet's soliloquy, the one that begins 'to be or not to be' and ending at 'or by opposing end them' and consider most carefully the words and whether or not you wish to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous Fraser."

Dell grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry Fraser" he said.

"Apologise to Fenwick as well for eavesdropping and consider your feelings if a first year weevil were listening now." Said David.

Dell pulled a face.

"All right… I apologise, Fenwick" he said

"Do you think I care?" said Fenella.

"Adults are usually gracious in the face of an adequate and genuine apology" said David coldly "You are NOT improving my opinion of you."

"As if I cared for your opinion!" cried Fenella "What are you, some jumped up kid who's got an attack of megalomania because you have a head boy's badge, that's all!"

"You are ignorant, aren't you?" raged Dell "Fraser has FOUGHT the scariest and worst wizards in the world, he's stood there and faced out werewolves, I SAW him killing werewolves and you treat him like some stupid kid no older than me? You're the stupid kid Fenwick and we all laugh at you because you're so stuck up and childish and I'm sorry Fraser but I'm NOT going to apologise because I'm not sorry!"

"I think you'd better leave and cool down" said David "And add a sixth repetition to that imposition too."

Dell nodded.

"Yes Fraser" he said.

David pretended not to see the surreptitious wand work as Dell left.

He recognised the patterns of the fluorescent fart jinx; and it was a nice piece of work to have learned to cast it wordlessly.

"I too will leave" he said coldly "I have nothing more to say to you, Fenwick, until you can acknowledge how disgusting it is for a girl your age to act like a kid Dell's age. Good day to you; I need to get my temper under control too." And he strode off.

This was a surprise to Fenwick who had thought David Fraser too dim to take offence at anything. The concept of self control was also an alien one to her.

David went to see Severus in the evening.

"I wrote out my permission if you want to enter" said Severus before David could speak.

"Do you think I ought to, Domine?" asked David, gravely. "I know you and Krait had grave reservations before…."

"Partly that was because of Harry" said Severus "No, I'm not sure if it's a great idea as a competition; but it exists and to refuse it sends a message to Durmstrang that would be misconstrued as cowardice; and we can't afford that. If Hogwarts can win it every five years for a few years, perhaps Durmstrang will get the message and stop insisting on it, hmm?"

David chuckled.

"If our champion wins."

"You will" said Severus "I have every faith in you."

"That assumes the goblet chooses me" said David. Severus looked at him directly.

"Madam Spikenard asked Dumbledore to get the rules stretched to be able to include you" he said "She wouldn't say why, just that 'David would know what to do when he had to do it'; which Albus took to be significant."

"Ooer" said David "I don't much like being the subject of a prophecy."

"Not exactly a prophesy; Madam Spikenard would, I think, consider anything like that too unverifiable" said Severus dryly "Which is why I'm more inclined to believe HER than Powerless Polly – uh, Madam Trelawney. Madam Spikenard used to be an insurance assessor remember; they demand sixty per cent accuracy for that job and she was reckoned seventy five per cent accurate."

"Why did she leave to teach?" asked David.

"Her husband, with whom she worked – he had trained her – died and she left the office" said Severus "But she found that without a job she brooded; and when the Divination job came up here she leaped at it. She gets to see more of her grandchildren here too, I believe" he grinned "Through teaching them. Anyway, she wanted you in the competition; and I have to say, that's good enough for me too."

David nodded.

"And good enough for me" he said. "I was going to ask if I might out of sheer fury; but if I tell you, it's right off the record as David to Severus."

Severus nodded.

"Let off steam lad; it's what your guardian is really here for. You don't NEED a guardian, nor have you for years; but every man needs a father figure. Mine is Albus."

David nodded.

"Dad would have liked you" he said; and proceeded to tell Severus about his little spat with Fenella Fenwick.

"That girl is the end" said Severus "She just sulks in my class; and it's a really bad example to set the younger ones. I've taken her to task over it after class, but all she does is say she didn't ask to be put in the class. She HATES being called childish though; and if you've also taken her to task over it I can see why. I've got to the point where I am seriously considering poisoning her so she has to do some work to find an antidote!"

David laughed ruefully.

"What else can you do with someone who won't work, eh?"

"Exactly! She's what they call a bump on a log – it doesn't do anything actively bad, but it's in the way and you can't push it off. I never understood the expression before, but now I've met one!" said Severus in exasperation. "Not all my best sarcasm will move her! At least the fourth are a decentish bunch of kids – apart from Cleon Tench who's a nasty little piece of work – and are horrified by her; if she was in the fifth with Parnassus….oh dear!"

"We'll just have to get over heavy ground lightly I guess" said David "And I'll try to avoid her if she's not actively upsetting the kids. Which will be easier to do if I'm also taking part in this competition because I'll have my work cut out juggling it, and work, and being head boy."

"If it's too much I'll tell Madame Spikenard so"

"No, I'll manage….especially if we don't have Durmstrangers creeping around all term" said David cheerfully. "I'm just glad you approve."