Chapter 2
"I say, Victor, I didn't really expect to be a prefect, not coming new like this" said Darryl Zabini to Victor Crabbe, his blood brother and other ward of Severus Snape.
"You've been the sort of places that kind of forges you into being suitable I guess" said Victor. "Well you'll know some of your fellow prefects; Ulrich and Helga and Irmi as residents of the castle. Lily is the fourth upper sixth pre with Ulrich, Helga and me; she's rather on the shy side but Severus hoped it would help her blossom, 'cos the only alternative with the cackling hens in our year is Gaius Paddock and he's a bit high strung and erratic. In your year, Adrian and Sebastian go around with Irmi, so I expect she's talked about them; Elsie is the brightest witch of her age because she's been laid up so long she's had little to do but study. Her friend Emily – you've met her, she's the Grant boys' sister – is to be head of games. I was last year, but I asked Severus if she might not have the job as she's better at it than me."
"How excruciatingly noble!" laughed Darryl "You haven't been and caught Gryffindorishness somewhere have you?"
Victor grinned.
"If we're trying for Quidditch excellence as well as other forms of excellence I'd be a sad git not to go for the best for the first team" he said "Viktor is going to be organising some games with pro teams; and Emily will work well with our coaches to get all the teams licked into shape."
"I guess if you care enough about the game that does make sense then" said Darryl. "I guess I'm glad of the extra responsibilities of being a prefect; I miss Mimi already."
"You, like me, have come a long way" said Victor. "I never was more racist than the averagely stupid wizard; but we're both glad to have Sev as a spare father I guess!"
"The more, in my case, for never really having had one" said Darryl. "This explosion of school trunk almost has to be the notorious Rose Hubble I take it?"
"Hubble, stop having Hubble moments with that trunk and get on board, will you?" said Victor. Rose grinned at him and shot an enquiring look at Darryl.
"Darryl Zabini; transfer from Hogwarts, small family troubles and a desire for privacy" said Victor.
"Oh!" said Rose "Yes, there's a load of stuff all over the 'Daily Prophet' about a Blaise Zabini trying to throw the killing curse at his brother, is that you? You look remarkably well for being at death's door in St Mungo's or buried quietly in a family crypt."
"THAT was why I was hoping for some privacy" said Darryl dryly "Having one's own mother's crimes aired and one's brother's peccadilloes too and being pursued by reporters is NOT very nice. Nosy questions from kids I can handle; but Professor Snape has promised that I shan't have to put up with reporters."
"I say!" said Rose "Do you think he'll turn them into stone and we'll get a load of statues for the castle? That would be neat!"
"Brat!" said Victor. "The truth is that Madam Zabini is not very sane and has little concept of consequences; and should be pitied more than vilified. Her older son has had a muddled sort of upbringing. Darryl needs you lot to keep out of his hair; and as AHHa and team are at least partly assembled, perhaps you and your friends will join with them in sitting on crap will you?"
"Sure thing Victor" said Rose "I shouldn't much like it if the 'Prophet' ran a story on my family, and the worst thing that's happened to us was when mummy's self stirring cauldron exploded, still stirring, and brought half the chimney down!"
"Oh THAT's where you get it from, is it?" said Victor. "Well do NOT tell that story to Professor Snape; you're likely to have to endure a two hour lecture about the ills of self-stirring cauldrons. You know what he thinks about them!"
Rose giggled.
"I'll say! After the Appenine Agelast turned up with one last year; I say I am glad she got expelled. She was a nasty creature!"
Darryl had heard various young inmates of the castle on the subject of Ortensia Lollini and wondered if she might have learned, eventually, to overcome bad attitude and racism as he had; but in a small school he could appreciate that Severus had to make more of it. Especially as the girl was apparently an egregious liar.
Various children started turning up to be greeted by Victor and the other prefects as they arrived, Helga, Ulrich and Irmi being already there; and Helga and Ulrich on the train to keep an eye on those who had come to meet their returning friends. Darryl was introduced rapidly to the other prefects as they arrived and liked what he saw in Irmi's friends particularly.
New first years began arriving too, looking less certain of where they were going than the older ones. Victor had a list.
"Karin Meyer?" he asked a plainly Germanic child.
"Jahwohl, mein Herr" said the child.
"We speak English much of the time, though also some lessons are done in German and French; have you any English?" asked Victor in rapid German.
She shook her head.
"No sir" she said.
"I am not a sir; I am Victor Crabbe, a prefect" said Victor. "Birgitta Guttman, Wolfram Grindler and Siegfried Von Eiche are also on the train; they will help you start to learn English as they have already learned some."
"Are they too of blood not pure enough for Durmstrang?" asked Karin "My parents both had to learn magic on their own when they found they could do it."
"Birgitta is muggleborn like your parents and Wolfram and Siegfried are cured from when, as children, they both became werewolves" said Victor. "It is our own headmaster who has developed the cure. And they prefer therefore to come here than to go to Durmstrang."
"Then they are not, even the 'von', blood proud; it must have been terrible to have been a werewolf!" said Karin. "I will make sure nobody is unkind to them!"
"That's a good attitude; you will find none of the bigger ones will be. We have offered succour to many ex werewolves" said Victor. "And we jump on bullying of any kind – and racism."
"I am not racist" said Karin "What my parents know of the wizarding world they were mostly taught by goblins; so I have grown up knowing goblins. But as my parents have jobs in the muggle world and hide their magic they can afford to send me here."
"Well, a new school with many free places is to be set up in Germany for muggleborn and goblins and those Durmstrang despise" said Victor "My foster sister and her husband will be running it. So perhaps some of your friends will be able to go there."
The intake was still a little equivocal until Jade DID get her school set up; those not qualifying for Durmstrang could hardly be turned away if they had any ability and could pay; and likewise the goblins of Switzerland, since the country had been so supportive, nor those of Austria where the school was situated. There were no full blood goblins expected this term; only one part goblin, the grandson of a goblin armourer who had lived out of wedlock with a foreign artist and whose daughter had married a wizard. In fact Werner Wasner turned up next and Victor called on Karin to go through with the boy, whose eyes were eager and bright.
"Ah, our resident artist of the year" said Victor "Your lessons are a bit informal I'm afraid as there are too few artists in the Wizarding World who are trained and capable of teaching; the Headmaster's cousin comes in on Saturdays and teaches all ages together. He's an insurance diviner by trade because HIS art also takes the form of prediction; and it's one thing he'll test you on. We've some talented people though, and we've been promised a real full time teacher next year after she leaves school and has hopefully grown out of using her art to make bullies' noses grow."
Werner grinned.
"Thanks for the information!" he said. "Will I get racist comments er, Sir?"
"Not sir; only prefect" said Victor "If you do, and it gets heard, it'll get leaped on; if it's a private snidery, I strongly suggest you ask your fellows to join in a bit of peer punishment rather than necessarily reporting it to a prefect. Do you know English?"
"No sir – er, no; I know only French besides German since my grandmother is French."
"Well it's all a good start as we try to be trilingual" said Victor "You can help your fellows with French as some of them help you with English."
Next to arrive was Fulke Blackwood; he was a cousin of Elsie and greeted her cheerfully. He had passed the strict entrance exam Severus was now insisting on for any but siblings of his original Cackle's girls; it was unfair to exclude siblings after all. Fulke would have gone to Hellibore's as his father had; and hoped to have the chance to do better than previous generations at an academic school.
"I'm told if I can't perform in potions I get turned into a flobberworm" he said.
"Not quite; but Professor Snape is inclined to treat vocabulary as a weapon" grinned Victor "Luckily for you, if you AREN'T any good, we have a new professor this year teaching Junior Potions to free the Headmaster to give more time to senior classes."
"I don't think I'm BAD" said Fulke "But cousin Pamela's been telling scary stories!"
Victor laughed. Pamela had left a couple of years back, being two years ahead of him.
"Well this school has always had a good reputation for potions excellence" he said "I'm sure Professor Burke will be more than adequate to the standard if not perhaps quite as inclined to loose a well honed homily on miscreants and the careless as Professor Snape." It was odd to reflect, thought Victor, that Dympna Burke was his own age; had been indeed in his own class and house in Hogwarts School. He had lost a year through being expelled for rather disgraceful behaviour towards that poor girl… he could not even recall her name….. when searching for some means to assuage his frustration over his little brother's behaviour; and all the time poor Walter had been under a curse! And after two years in St Mungo's, Walter was starting Hogwarts again; and by all accounts had been befriended by some decent kids at Lucius Malfoy's weevil fest, that made Victor worry less about him. Dympna, or Dimsie as she preferred to be known now, had had her own revelation after having been cursed herself by a necklace sent by someone who had a grudge against her father; and was married to the late developing not-quite-muggle Parselmouth Lee Nuffield, teacher of muggle studies.
The next child to arrive was another English child; Germaine Oglethorpe was the daughter of Dunbar Oglethorpe, head of QUABBLE, the English regulatory body of Quidditch; and she was coming to take advantage of the coaching of Viktor Krumm. She beamed happily at the prefects and went through the wall, careful of her brand new Millenium Firebolt, still favoured by many quidditch players over the faster Firebolt 200, named for its speed. She was speedily followed by another English girl who gave her name as Evadne Horrocks. This was another traditional Hellibore-Cackle family, though she had no family in the school; but she had passed the entrance exam or Severus would not have taken her. She gave a patronising little smile and nodded to the prefects and Victor pulled a private face and dubbed her a 'Ravenclaw's Ravenclaw'.
Next was a little French girl called Solange Lebaton.
"'Ello, I am zo pleased to be 'ere" she said in careful English "I learn much music 'ere, n'est-ce-pas?"
"Indeed yes; we have a specialist music teacher now" said Victor "Your English is very good; you will be pleased that we learn French as well as English and German, and you will be able to help those whose French is poor."
"Yes, of that I will be most glad to do" said Solange.
"I must however stop you because you have the wrong cauldron" said Victor suddenly noticing the self-stirring cauldron. He switched to French "It is expressly forbidden on the kit list madame" he spoke to the child's mother.
"IS it? I am very sorry, monsieur; the man in the shop said it was just what every young witch should have. And so I went with his recommendation. I know nothing about wizarding equipment" she added apologetically.
"Maman is a muggle" said Solange "She is a nurse and Papa was most impressed when they first met – is it not romantic? – at how well she was treating a young wizard who had fallen from a broom, making him comfortable as she might without spells. He is a Medical Transfigurationist; and he says there is that to be learned from muggle methods. But it means Maman has been diddled by that little creep, for she showed him the list!"
"Papa will go and have words with him and put his feet on backwards until he apologises" said the child's mother "What am I to do?"
"Take the thing home with you and she can use a school cauldron; the headmaster will have a bill sent for one to be made for her" said Victor "You should get a refund – and maybe some goodwill goodies – for such a contumelious shop assistant. A man like a medical transfigurationist is a big enough man to make life uncomfortable for him if there is any trouble made over it. He sounds like a man with an open mind."
"Yes; he is eager to learn from Solange about this chanting that seems so successful" said Madame Lebaton "That even if Solange does not wish to follow in his footsteps she may at least teach him to improve his own work. It is why he has chosen this school over Beauxbatons for her, and then for her younger siblings."
"I should think that Professor Snape – who is my guardian – would be happy for him to come for a crash course from time to time when his work permits it" said Victor "I take it that was why he did not oversee the buying of your daughter's kit?"
"Yes; there had been a collapse of a stadium at a quidditch match, many injuries" said Solange "Poor people! He is still working on some of them. I hope Papa saved all their lives; one wonders if it was sabotaged. There is a violent goblin movement in France that gives nice goblins a bad name."
Victor sighed.
"It only takes one charismatic creep to spoil it for everyone else! And France on the verge of coming into line with Britain too; I hope it does not cause a backwash of anti-goblin feeling!"
"Yes; it is very worrying. Papa says that apart from being rather excitable, there is little difference between goblins and humans if you do not go on looks and that they have long delicate fingers ideal for medical work if they were only trained. Papa is only interested in healing; not politics or race or anything" said Solange proudly.
"He sounds a father to be proud of" said Victor. "Hop through now, youngster, and we'll all think of your father and hope our good will aids him in his work!"
Next was an English boy, Conrad Grailsquest, another traditional Hellibore family. Conrad had NOT passed the exam; but Severus was taking him anyway on special circumstance and had asked Victor to look out for him. Even medical transfiguration could not hide the misshapen nose and reddened patches of burn scars to the child's face from wounds that had something of the nature of the cursed nature of them.
Conrad had manifested magic in the normal way and had, like Professor Dumbledore's little sister, been picked on by muggles for it. Severus had, with Dumbledore's permission, shared the story with his bloodkin in Prince Peak for the sake of this child, who had managed, in his terror to set fire to a bush and been horribly burned when the muggle boys pushed him into it. The hatred from them had added a level of cursed nature to his horrific burns. His father had been more concerned with saving his son that chastising the muggles; who were, moreover, quickly grabbed by muggle police as a neighbour had reported – erroneously – that they were forcing a smaller child to set fire to himself. As one of the muggle boys had a lighter with him, protestations of Conrad's magic had fallen on disbelieving ears that were angry that these children should try to make up such a ridiculous excuse. They were in a secure social services unit at the moment. Conrad, however, like Ariana, was bottling up his magic as well as having suffered much pain and the need for medical transfigurations every few months as a means of not damaging him further by doing too much at once.
Victor smiled at the lad.
"Hello Conrad! I'm Victor; and I know your story, because I'm to be your special prefect. My little brother is all behind because of being cursed you see; and I also know Neville Longbottom very well, who's magic got blocked because of seeing, when he was a baby, his parents tortured with the cruciatus curse. Our Headmaster was his special teacher at school and helped him to find his magic. We're here to help you; and if you don't find much magic, then you can learn subjects that don't need it. Only you need to know that too much bottling up can lead to the sort of crazy eruptions of uncontrolled magic some little kids do; so if you feel all pent up, you let someone know and we'll keep you safe from hurting yourself or anyone else."
"It scares me Victor" said Conrad "Magic scares me because I got so bad hurt."
"Well, one thing some of us will do is to make a chant to help your scars to heal" said Victor. "Chants can heal any scars; Professor Snape has not healed his on purpose so he can use them as an awful warning about people who muck about; it was someone stealing ingredients that caused the fire that burned HIM and she got away and he had to save the school. He gets snippy about people being careless with potion ingredients! But we can heal you – and as you learn chanting, you'll find it is a way to let your magic out a bit at a time so it's less suddenly. And I think you'll find that much more soothing than trying to use spells. Siegfried Von Eiche is going to sit with you in class; because he's got a strange story too. I expect he'll tell you, but he has asked that people all get warned. He's good at chanting already so he can help you."
The boy was listening and tears stood in his eyes.
"Oh! How kind you are!" he said "I was really afraid of getting bullied because of the scar and because of being like a squib; you are very good!"
"I've been places it was hard to get out myself" said Victor "As well as feeling for my kid brother; who is NOT coming here because my parents, unlike yours, are idiots. Having friends your own age in a small school will help you no end kid: and I'm going to take you in to find Siegfried."
Siegfried was glad to make friends with a child scarred and handicapped through no fault of his own – as he had been in a different way; and readily told Conrad his own story.
Victor emerged to break up a tussle between the Villeneuve twins and to greet the final new child, Georgi Metlaev*, who was chatting to Darryl in bad German, the only language they had in common. Victor had picked up enough Russian to greet the child. Georgi was a near pure blood who would have been destined for Durmstrang had not his father and Volodya's been friends. Georgi also had a broom with him, a Boistriye Drakon, the nearest Russian equivalent to the Firebolt; he was coming on a quidditch talent and Victor quickly introduced him to Emily as head of games. The child was full of questions about how many teams the school had, and whether it was really true that he would be coached by Viktor Krumm.
"We have a very good teacher of Quidditch, Professor Ron" said Emily "Who gave up coaching an English team to come to us; and he's a friend of Professor Krumm too, and we also have an international referee on the staff who helps out too. And HE's a triwizard champion from his time too, and Professor Ron is best friend of Harry Potter the greatest seeker ever!"
Georgi's cup ran over!
The first years this year seemed a decent bunch, reflected Victor; with a possible problem in Evadne Horrocks. Still, it might be armour that made her seem stuck up. They would see; and the other first years would soon let her know if she was behaving unacceptably.
The prefects met on the train to vote for a head boy or girl. Victor puzzled over who to vote for. His fellows in the upper sixth were all good types, but not really leadership material. Darryl could do the job; but it was inappropriate for a new transfer to be head boy as he knew none of the customs or ways of the school. And nor was he known by the pupils any more than he knew which ones to watch out for, whether to step on trouble or to protect. Either Sebastian Cantripp or Irmi Luytens would do a good job of it perhaps; and Irmi was blood group. Victor nodded, and inscribed Irmi's name on his piece of paper to drop in the ballot box.
And then the train screeched to a halt.
Victor and the other prefects headed straight away for the front of the train.
The goblin driver was shouting at a house elf with her hands on the line.
"Silly bint, I'm not about to drive over your hands! Have you any idea the amount of damage that can do you? It'll cut them right off! And that's more than self punishment, girl, that's going to make you useless to your owner and then you'll be freed as a punishment and will starve to death!"
"Tetti deserves it for wishing her master dead!" said the elf, her big eyes full of tears of terror and sadness.
"Tetti" said Victor "You wish to punish yourself for thinking disloyal thoughts?"
Tetti nodded mournfully.
"Then go immediately to England, to Malfoy Manor and there you may ask Lucius Malfoy if he can make any suggestions" said Victor. Going to England meant she would pass the line cancelling the self punishment curse; and Lucius would think of a way to free the poor little thing if she was so badly treated she had actually wished her master dead!
"Thank you young master!" said Tetti, all unsuspecting and clicked her fingers and vanished.
Victor was relieved. If she had argued he might have had to use the Imperious Curse; and it WAS unforgivable.
"Silly creatures, elves" grumbled the driver "Glad Herr Snape's training his elves to be rational. Even educated, some on them. What do they do it for?"
"Because, Skadd" said Victor, hoping he had the right name for this driver "They were placed centuries ago, maybe millenia, under a curse akin to the Imperious Curse, tied to their very heritance and to their inmost thoughts that they must punish themselves for disloyalty; up to and including the briefest of thoughts. This curse has been broken in England; and I ask you to pass it around that if you can find any reason to persuade an elf to go to England this will break that evil curse. It has made elves into the wretched, snivelling, miserable creatures that they are; generation upon generation of them. And a tribute to their resilience that they are not all insane. Well, only a little bit. Elves who are freed can learn to be as normal folk are; and do not forget that there are some wizards who would like to see a similar servility curse laid on goblins."
Skadd spat into the firebox.
"I've heard of those sorts of wizards" he said "Herr Snape manages to kill a lot of them."
Victor grinned.
"That sort of fight for equality and freedom IS rather a hobby of his" he said "And the elves who go to England get uncursed because he and sundry others – including some of his other professors, and Jade Snape Luytens – chanted for eight hours without rest to break the curse, and Lucius Malfoy sacrificed heart's blood. Same as how Jade went into Durmstrang to get control of the German ministry to increase rights for goblins; suffered the cruciatus curse from Odessa agents to be able to succeed."
"The Snapes are great people" said Skadd. "I took a drop in pay to work for the professor; and worth it. I get more consideration, more job satisfaction. I done right to stop and not drive over her didn't I?"
"You did absolutely right" said Victor. "Right, we'd better get back on our way; thanks Skadd."
"Thank YOU Herr Crabbe" said Skadd. It was a little difficult to tell humans apart, but he was learning and Herr Crabbe was one of Herr Snape's wards and unfailingly courteous.
The school roiled in relays up to the school via cable car and children were whisked into dormitories to rid themselves of their kit. Victor had asked Darryl to share a study with him as sixth formers were permitted to have full choice of their partner in two and three man rooms; and Darryl had accepted gratefully.
Then they were at the feast; and before falling upon food, Severus rose to address the school.
"First of all, to announce this year's Head Boy" he said "I have an almost universal choice of the obvious suspect; Victor Crabbe"
Victor goggled.
"Me, sir?" he managed.
"Well I don't believe we have another Victor Crabbe in the sixth" said Severus with gentle sarcasm "Your deputy is your choice out of Irmi Luytens and Sebastian Cantripp who polled a vote each."
Victor considered.
"I think," he said, "where it is possible there should be a deputy of the opposite gender to the head; so both boys and girls may approach one or the other. I voted for Irmi; it was her or Sebastian and I picked her for knowing her slightly better as my first choice, Darryl, is NOT known to the school."
"Clear and cogent reasoning, Mr Crabbe; Irmi Luytens then is deputy head" said Severus. "For the benefit of the rest of you, Darryl Zabini has transferred from Hogwarts and those of you who read that rag the 'Daily Prophet' will know why he would like to study for NEWTs without stupid reporters pestering him. I warn you now, if any of you are approached by reporters when out of school, I shall consider giving them any story to be a possible expulsion offence. And I say now to the marauders among you PLEASE not too big a wind up of any of them; I don't really want to field a law suit suing them for claiming that I am harbouring a er, wereknarl or similar; and I use that as an example of a previous generation's wind up of the ministry of magic. Whilst I abhor the filthy habit of such low newspapers of victimising still more any unfortunate people who have had more than their share of knocks I do NOT want to have the embarrassment of sorting out the ramifications of too carefully convincing a tissue of mischievous mendacity. And if anyone tries to pester Darryl, I might point out that his fiancée is likely to take offence; and for those of you who know my daughter Mimi, who is a Hogwarts Marauder, I should think that will make you think twice."
"Anyone who rags Darryl for being unfortunate in his relatives gets to answer to us Prince Peak Marauders first" said Randolph Wright. "Apologies for interrupting sir" he bowed to Severus.
"Apology accepted" said Severus. "I have too another tale that I have been asked to share by one of the new first year; Siegfried Von Eiche has asked me to explain that if he should seem in any way to act strangely or speak strangely, he has a very good reason. Siegfried was placed under the draught of living death in the year 1600; because he had been bitten by a werewolf and his father hoped that a cure would be developed. It has of course; though I doubt that Baron von Eiche could have anticipated that his son would sleep on after all his family died out in a ruined castle until such time as he should be roused and cured. Siegfried is working very hard to come to terms with modern life; and I am certain I can trust you all to help him. Mr Grailsquest?"
"Sir, please sir, will you share what happened to me? I – I believe it will help me too" said Conrad.
Severus gave him a warm smile.
"That is very brave of you, Conrad" he said; and proceeded to tell the school the story. There were gasps of indignation.
"What would have happened sir, if the muggle police had not thought the boys used muggle devices to burn him?" asked Solange.
Severus sighed.
"We could only hope that in such case any sensible witch or wizard would NOT use magic on such muggles; for that can only lead to a custodial sentence under our laws" he said "We live beside muggles; we MUST acquaint ourselves with their customs and use their law where we may to keep them from hurting us. Anyone assaulting children physically would be arrested by muggles; but it would be easy then to have them confunded as it was in defence of a child. Our laws require us to use restraint, harder said than done when a child of our own is hurt. And yes, I DO know about that; two of my own daughters were badly bullied in their first year at Hogwarts and could have been maimed for life – through spite and stupidity where one was concerned, and through ignorance and a failure to understand the consequences of actions where the other was involved. I tell you this because when you grow up and become parents it is not inconceivable that you will find yourselves in a situation where muggles attack your children – in fear and ignorance for the most part. Wanting to know how the trick is pulled; for they do not believe really in magic. And I urge you to try to confine yourselves to verbal abuse – and report the matter to MUGGLE authorities. Justice does NOT automatically grow out of the end of a wand. And it may even be that those muggles who bully out of fear might repent of it and genuinely want to learn more; it HAS been known to happen. Well, that went into more serious channels than I intended; I'm sure you'll be supportive of Conrad as of Siegfried and Darryl; and if Conrad exhibits strange and uncontrolled magical effects, it would be best to leave him alone and get a grown up. It's not his fault but odd things may happen. And I am glad of his permission to warn you about it" he added.
Severus did not believe for one moment that Conrad was likely to kill anyone the way the unfortunate Ariana Dumbledore had accidentally killed her own mother; the oppressive atmosphere in which Ariana had been brought up was as likely to have exacerbated the problem as anything; a normal life would have done far more good for the girl than to have her treated like a half wit squib.
Severus had nothing but scorn for Perceval Dumbledore who had got himself sent to Azkaban for severely chastising the muggle youths, and moreover forbidding his family from saying anything in his mitigation lest Ariana be taken to St Mungo's; where she might have been cured of her self-induced compulsion and helped to resume a normal life. It was selfish in the extreme and stupid; and of all things Severus despised wilful stupidity. That young Albus had obeyed his father was in no wise unexpected; any boy with a hitherto reasonable father is going to obey unquestioningly, and Albus now had an example of that in the boy Seth, his body recreated and reborn as Albus' adopted son after obeying HIS parents' command to commit suicide. Perceval and Kendra Dumbledore were those parents who meant well by their offspring and managed to fail to deliver by being unable to think what was truly best for them. Bringing up Albus and Aberforth in a web of lies and deceit and imprisoning Ariana in body even as she was imprisoned in spirit was morbidly wrong. At least the Grailsquests had hired healers to try to help Conrad and had approached him, Severus, to see what might be done. And Severus had every intention of encouraging the boy to observe the incident through the Pensieve too, to help him find some objectivity; and to deep legilimens him to find and release the compulsion not to use magic his own childish subconscious had implanted. There was every likelihood of a happy outcome. And, reflected Severus, had Albus only been as great a legilimens at seventeen as he was in later life, he could probably have cured his own sister.
And if a cure had not been effected by Yule, Severus had every intention of asking if he might keep the boy over the holidays to let Lilith loose on. The little girl had often got some amazingly deep yet simple outlooks on problems that she could fix more readily than an adult.
And the Grailsquest parents were the exception to his assertion that most kids would be fine if they had no parents and he had told them so.
* Metlaev; son of a broom