Chapter 3
"Me I'm sceptical that the muggles who hurt you could be brought to repent and want to know more, but if Professor Snape has known it to happen I suppose he has to mention it" said Fulke Blackwood to Conrad as they settled into Indigo Dormitory. "I don't know a whole lot about muggles. We get good lessons here, cousin Pamela says; my brothers left Hellibores without a lesson about muggles in their whole time there."
"Professor Nuffield was born a muggle and didn't develop magic until he was seventeen" volunteered Wolfram "But he's a Parselmouth and a descendant of the famous English Salazar Slytherin because magic can lurk in the heritance of muggles hidden for generations. Those that have some can more readily see stuff and it calls to something deep within them and that can make them jealous, Madam Malfoy says. Are we all going to be friends or does anyone have any problem with those of us who used to be werewolves or with Werner having goblin blood? 'cos if so we'd like to know who to ostracise now please."
Georgi grinned.
"I have no problems" he said "It is not what I am used to, but I'm too interested in learning in a good school to get upset by things I have not come across before. I will learn to adapt; Professor Snape is a world famous man. If he thinks someone suitable to come to his school it would be rather impertinent to question his choice I think."
"Pompous but fair" grinned Werner. "I'm no great shakes at a lot of wandwork; because Professor Snape said he'd have been dubious of taking me if I hadn't had a talent with artwork; and I have helped my granddad with metalwork, and we're to have that on the curriculum he said in a couple of years. But it's not because I'm part goblin or part muggle, he said, just because some people are better than others at different things."
"Well as it stands I'm no great shakes at ANYTHING even a talent" said Conrad "And I feel really lucky that I come under the 'and special needs' part of the school; 'cos it's for those with special talents and special needs. The sickly and such that means; and I really hope I can be sorted out."
"We shall all help in any way we might" said Siegfried. "And I have no doubt that Herr Professor Snape will aid you. He is a great man; and stands for me as the only father I now possess" he added sadly.
"Looks like we have a surprisingly decent group of boys then if we can hang together and support each other" said Fulke "And me the only nasty one; I warn you I have a sharp tongue especially first thing in the morning. I have to say I was expecting to have a bunch of either total ticks or the sanctimoniously pi"
"Good grief, Fulke, don't tell me you're as much a cynic as the Head?" said Wolfram. "I say this is one of the best years yet; and I've seen a few, since my brothers and I were rescued from Odessa and cured of being werewolves. My oldest brother is one of the prefects; but I'm glad he wasn't elected head boy. I love Ulrich; but he spent too long of his life being cowed. Me, I've adapted to freedom. And I don't see a single pi look here; so I vote the first thing we do when we have leisure is to go looking for secret passages."
"How do you know there are any?" asked Georgi.
"ALL old castles have secret passages" declared Wolfram.
It was voted a good idea.
The five little girls in lilac dormitory were also assessing each other.
"It is sensible of Professor Snape to outline the problems those boys have so we may be aware" said Evadne "Have we any like problems amongst us, that any were too shy to air in public?"
The other four looked at each other and shrugged.
"If anyone wishes to object to my muggle mother I would like please to know now" said Solange.
"Both my parents were muggles; though I've been reared by my muggle grandparents" said Birgitta "And it didn't stop them doing all they could to help Professor Snape fight Odessa."
"My grandparents were all muggles and my parents work in the muggle world because there is no work for the muggleborn save menial jobs in Germany" said Karin.
"I heard things were appallingly unfair on the continent; I guess I didn't know how bad that was!" said Germaine "Gosh, just think, that was what Voldemort wanted for us all! I'm glad he's dead. Well if we're all happy without bitching about blood status that's going to be fine."
"You should not use words like 'bitching'!" said Evadne.
Germaine stared.
"Come again?" she said "Don't spoil the harmony we seem to have got by being a mealy mouthed prig; it isn't on the forbidden list, I checked what was, account of daddy picking up a few ripe expressions from Quidditch players."
"Like what?" asked Solange.
"Don't you say!" said Evadne "A FINE thing it'll be if French and German kids go home having learned to swear from English girls!"
"Y'know what, Horrocks, I do think that Solange isn't actually stupid and isn't going to go home and say 'listen to all this lovely bad language I learned. Do you know any French bad words Solange? Fair exchange is no robbery."
Solange giggled.
"Fils d'un conjureur" she said "Son of a - 'Ow you say, a pretend wizard?"
"Neat!" said Germaine "My dad's favourite one is 'Merlin's Bollocks'; that's the male bits, and I'm not allowed to say it but fair's fair."
Solange giggled.
"Well one of my dad's favourites it ees to – to imply zat a man has been emasculate, wizzout sings"
"Oh a wandless wonder" said Germaine "There's ruder ways of putting that. I say have we offended Evadne enough now do you think?"
"I shall tell if you don't stop" said Evadne.
"You'll get ticked off for sneaking if you do" said Birgitta "Using such expressions in public would be jumped on and good; but in the privacy of the dorm and in the spirit of – of prurient enlightenment it's not going to be considered a sin you know; I've lived here in the orphanage part for a good few years so I do have a bit of an advantage of knowing what is going to get taken up on and what isn't. Lighten up do; you don't have to use rude words if you don't want to. And my granddad's favourite one, which is innocuous enough though is sounds lovely and rude to English speakers I'm told, is Kartoppfelkopf; which means potato head."
Germaine giggled
"That DOES sound rude!" she said. "And I guess we shouldn't have explored international ruderies, Evadne, if you hadn't made such a fuss about a word like bitching; which isn't at all the same as calling someone a bitch, because that IS horridly rude. Being faintly er…"
"The word you want is derogatory" supplied Birgitta. "Being derogatory about oneself or one's selves is kind of all right like a form of self deprecation which talking about us NOT bitching could be considered."
"Crumbs, Birgitta, not only is your English really colloquial you even have a massive number of words you know that I only know when you use them!" said Germaine, impressed.
"I have been here and working on being bilingual for about four years" said Birgitta "And by traditional learning lessons as well as with magical implant. We all use traditional lessons at first; because Professor Snape reckons that being taught the grammar gives us a better grounding. And THEN we can have a magical transfer of vocabulary and pronunciation. I mostly learned just by talking to people" she added. "Jade Snape managed to pick up Russian and Finnish and Rumanian as well; she's awfully clever though. It was she who performed the actions that finally brought Odessa down."
"There wasn't much news about Odessa in England; was it really as bad as Voldemort?" asked Evadne.
"It was, by the testimony of those who have seen both, far worse" said Birgitta "Because Germanic peoples will do what they are told by the one who shouts loudest; and too there was a culture of fear that had gone on so long people were used to it. I didn't suffer any because I was raised a muggle until we came here. And we came here by accident because the conveyance we were in was sent out in such bad weather conditions it crashed. And Professor Snape recognised me as talented and offered Granddad a job as caretaker to be sure I was kept safe; and he took it. But we have seen many, those who have been born werewolves in a prison compound where they were not told that babies would be born werewolves; muggles kidnapped to be made into werewolves; a man and all but his eldest daughter made into werewolves because his brother coveted his lands and in Germany werewolves are permitted to own nothing. Goblins have been dying of a disease that has been curable in England for two hundred years because they were denied the cure, living in conditions no decent person would keep animals in because they are restricted to certain areas and the owners of the buildings don't care; the women don't get to choose when to have babies, they have no control potions permitted to them. Anyone with less than eleven generations pure bred blood is suspect and not permitted certain jobs. Can YOU prove your wizarding blood back for eleven generations? That's about three hundred years, by the way" she added.
"That's AWFUL!" cried Evadne "Something must be DONE about it!"
"It is" said Birgitta "And we're at the school where the people who do things about it live or come from. Like Jade Snape. And our new deputy head girl, Irmi, is Jade's stepdaughter and she and her dad were werewolves and they're going to run a school for goblins and halfbreeds and muggleborn and those with muggles in their blood because educated people can better state their aims and fight for rights. And Jade made the new German government concede that goblins proven to be students or educated should be allowed wands. It's not as far as England goes but it is a start."
"But yes, it is what France permits; and then these silly fool activists try to force the government to let all goblins carry wands with acts of terror and they only damage their cause!" said Solange "They are obviously by such actions too stupid and too irresponsible to be permitted wands!"
"Huh, if that was a criterion half the Ministry of Magic ought to be denied wands" opined Germaine.
"And most German wizards" said Birgitta. "But I take your point. Solange, you should tell someone in authority; perhaps they can slip a few sensible goblins from England in to catch these fools."
"I spoke to Victor about it" said Solange.
"Oh, he'll have already discussed it with Professor Snape by now then" said Birgitta "Victor is a good man; and he is Professor Snape's ward. I expect something is in train."
oOoOo
What was in train was Kinat, visiting the Auror's offices in Paris, explaining who he was, and asking if the French aurors would like him and a few English goblins to find and dispose quietly of the hotheads who were causing so much unnecessary trouble and bringing goblin kind into disrepute.
The chief auror was an open minded man; but utterly opposed to the idea of quiet disposal. He preferred the rule of law. He was however ready to deputise Kinat and a few others as assistants and set them loose to arrest and bring in, only using fatal force if it became unavoidable. The zig-zag scar WAS an influence on him.
Kinat grinned.
"M'sieur, save against Voldemort himself, we were trained that anyone alive can be made dead but the other way around requires magic far too complex to bother with. Even if we had access to the Peverell resurrection stone."
Monsieur Chantier laughed a dry laugh.
"Then I leave it to your discretion M'sieur Konal" he said.
"Better get in some mandrake juice" said Kinat.
"I beg your pardon?"
"We have always found that to turn our enemies to stone is a most convenient way to do things; they can be stored indefinitely without cost to the tax paying wizard for their keep since statues need neither food nor a bed to sleep in; and can be revived readily as required. Simple!"
"If you are powerful enough to cast a spell that turns men into stone then I have no further reservations about the amount goblins might have learned in English schools; why, it is not a spell I know! Will you tell me it?"
Kinat shrugged.
"Why not? All I know of you is that you are a man of honour. It is developed from the spell duro; save that we use durocorpus. If you find it hard, adding the name of the person you wish to petrify may help with the introduction of Finnish naming magic. Names are power" he added. Monsieur Chantier stared.
"I think England is far ahead of us in the theory of magic" he said "And it is not surprising that Beauxbatons lags in the Triwizard when such esoteric things are spoken of in the casual way that is obviously just a part of your life and knowledge."
"I WAS one of the first to study comparative magic" said Kinat "And regret not having the sheer time to take it to NEWT; I only took six NEWTs, what you call the ELF, Examination Lycée Formidable."
"ONLY? You English are all formidable!" cried Monsieur Chantier "Assuredly I shall tell my son and daughters to send their assorted offspring to the English schools!"
"Prince Peak offers trilingual education" said Kinat "And is moreover on the continent; but there is too an entrance exam. Only the top students may enter. But as grandchildren of an auror I doubt they'll have any trouble" he added shrugging.
Kinat had borrowed some of Kordach's top men; some of whom were watch wizards under English law, and as such Monsieur Chantier readily issued licences to carry wands since, although not technically educated, they held positions of responsibility under the English Aurors' Office. And as goblins they might submerge themselves readily in the Parisian goblin population and see who the main troublemakers were. Kinat was going to be cautious; but he did not anticipate much trouble. From the outrages committed to date – he had read all the Auror reports – these people were amateur plotters. And Kinat had been plotting professionally against worse enemies than the gargantuan inefficiencies of the French legal system since he was eleven years old.
oOoOo
The Prince Peak students had been back just three days when Severus called Solange to his office.
"My dear, I have to pass to you the thanks of the French Auror's office; the information you gave enabled some English goblins working out of our aurors' office to penetrate the saboteurs. Indeed there were two groups; a hot-headed bunch of fools, who were given up fairly readily by other goblins to a GOBLIN investigator; and a group of sincerely hot-headed fools who did not know they were being manipulated – and partly by spells – by a human supremacist who wanted to see goblins discredited. His instructions were sent in written form only, and Mr Konal has now taught the French Aurors how to fold such things into paper birds and enchant them to find the writer; which enabled this scheming wizard to be arrested."
Solange's face brightened.
"Oh I am most glad sir!" she said "Papa will be pleased too; oh please, was the collapsing stadium the work of goblins?"
"Yes my child, it was; and THAT was undertaken by the group manipulated by the wizard. And you will be pleased to know that though some people are still critical, the medical teams managed to avert any fatal casualties, partly because the half troll bodyguard of a goblin bookie held up a huge part of the stadium while people escaped. He is to get a medaille d'honneur for it; and deservedly so" said Severus "And the French Ministry are paying all his medical bills. There are many of the French who are remarkably civilised people in the wizarding world" he added "Very open minded and ready to accept people."
Solange nodded.
"Eet is partly because we despise all that Germany stands for" she said "Eet ees a pity however that Beauxbatons is not so good a school."
"I fancy it is because your compatriots are, as a whole, such relaxed people" said Severus "And it is good that they should be relaxed about minor things like race, but not so good to be relaxed about education."
"Well as there are those ready to riot also because of race, perhaps then the education should not be so relaxed" said Solange "Papa says that there are two Frances; Paris and the Peasantry. People of Paris are ready to be open minded but in country communities there is much suspicion. And though Beauxbatons is in the south, most of its pupils are from Paris and the more civilised parts."
"Ah well; those who make the laws at least give us a good start" said Severus.
oOoOo
Dimsie Burke Nuffield faced her first potions class with the new ones with not a little trepidation. She was delighted to be teaching beside her Lee, and pleased to be under Severus Snape, so stern to malefactors, but oh so kind to those in trouble! She had learned to trust, respect and even love him over the troubles that had beset her from the time of the cursed necklace, and to miss him when he had moved to Prince Peak. And now she must try her best to live up to his standards and pass fourth years to him fully prepared. And that had to begin from the word go.
"Be seated" she said "I am Madam Burke; and in the fecund fumes of fortune that arise from each subtly simmering cauldron I hope to teach you the most subtle of the magical arts that may surpass in effect any effect to be attained by wand; for the effects of potions may be more profound than any mere spell, and the many layered subtleties of potioneering are approached only by the best chanters. When you are older you will be taught by Professor Snape himself, the greatest potioneer of all time; and I hope that you will work hard enough to deserve that privilege. Yes, what is your name?"
A child had put her hand up. Dimsie was faintly irritated as she was in full flow with what she fondly hoped was a sentence full of Snapisms.
"Please, Madam Burke, my name is Evadne Horrocks; and if he is the greatest potioneer of all time, why is he teaching not potioneering?"
"Miss Horrocks, whatever makes you think he is NOT potioneering? Professor Snape is a great man; it is HE who developed the cure for lycanthropy; and he is always having articles he has written published in 'Transactions of the Learned Society for Potioneers'. He teaches because he feels that passing on his skills to those who can appreciate them is far more important than merely becoming wealthy by making and selling the most difficult and expensive potions. As he has independent means, he is able to follow his feelings in that. Many of your professors here are at the top of their fields; because Professor Snape has put together a team of experts capable of guiding those children drawn from the cleverest and best, so that YOUR needs may be fully met. As they also engage in research during the long holidays, these pre-eminent professors are also able to work with each other in original work, and lead those who come for post NEWT education. I explain to you in full in case you have acquired some strange preconceived notion that teaching is a second-best profession for those unable to perform in their chosen field. For some teachers that may be so; but those of us teaching YOU have chosen it as a vocation. And I sit at the feet of such as Professor Snape for I too have much to learn from him and will relish the chance to study post NEWT applications during my free evenings. If you despise your teachers, and do not give to them as much as they give to you, I fear you will make but a despicable student."
Dimsie was proud of that summing up.
Evadne flushed.
"I meant no disrespect" she said "I did not understand that we warranted those in the top of their field. I always thought that those who can, do; and those who can't, teach."
"It may apply to some teachers" said Dimsie "Those who KNOW their subject but who have difficulty in practical terms, but know they can impart it to those of greater talent. And they are to be respected too for giving back their knowledge and not grudging those who surpass them. But for most wizarding teachers we are drawn by an enthusiasm for our subject that we long to share with you."
"Thank you Madam Burke" said Evadne.
Pedantic little prig! Thought Dimsie, though she smiled at the child kindly enough
It soon became apparent, when getting the class to brew a simple pepperup potion that Siegfried, Wolfram, Fulke and Birgitta were going to make a fairly good showing; and that Karin Meyer had the light potioneer's touch that would have Severus beaming with delight. As the child was also very organised she had every chance of doing extremely well. Conrad Grailsquest was certainly very poor; but, as she pointed out to him, he DID get some colour change and therefore was proven to have enough magic on the outside to make a difference.
Conrad smiled shyly.
Professor Snape had summoned him into his office as they settled in and he and several other professors had stood around Conrad, chanting in a low, intense sort of way; a quite scary situation in many ways! And his face seemed to mould and pull as they chanted; and the bits that were often sore felt eased. And then Madam Malfoy-Snape had handed him a mirror; and Conrad had gasped.
All the terrible scars had gone, and he looked just like anyone else; quite good looking even! And he had cried, and Madam Malfoy Snape had cuddled him while Professor Snape shoo'd out the other professors as though they were so many naughty children, though he had thanked them for their time and efforts too. And Conrad was determined to do all he could to overcome his blockage and work hard as the only way he knew to say 'thank you'.
And the boys had welcomed him back with good natured teasing, Fulke declaring that now he had taken ugly pills he must beware and not break mirrors – a joke you could only really make without causing offence to someone good looking – and Wolfram had commented that when they were old enough to want to pull girls, perhaps Conrad would do all the work and share them around.
"And it is more important that you feel no pain now" said Werner "Because whatever your scars, anyone who looked at your eyes could see a good-looking spirit that is deeper than flesh. Besides, little boys our age are designed to be too much covered in dirt to be anything but horrible objects; my mum says boys are made to be dirty, eat too much and smell, because it comes with the design."
"Mothers are rather biased about that sort of thing; I've noticed it myself" said Fulke "It's worse when you have a younger sister who's too young to get in as much trouble and can be held up as an unsullied example."
"And worse when they are twins who conspire" sighed Georgi "And who know how to be cute!"
They had forgotten Conrad's face as they discussed the motion that might be described as 'this house believes that girls are a pernicious influence especially sisters'.
oOoOo
Further up the school, Sara Barbary was settling in well in the fourth year; the girls in her year all seemed pleasant and Silvina she knew through being a pen-pal and as they were both musical she gravitated naturally towards the other girl. Silvina showed her around and did all she could to help Sara feel at home. Sara was also glad of the move – as she told Silvina – because in addition to her music she also was good at both potioneering and chanting, and you could not really get a better teacher in either than Professor Snape, or so she had heard. And it was too very nice to have such small classes!
Silvina blinked a little at that; since the fourth was the largest class in the school and one of the largest ever at the school, with fifteen pupils. She was very glad she had never been to Hogwarts if that was a small class!
Having a music teacher was wonderful.
Godfrey Goodchild had heard all about how Silvina had been denied music and felt deeply for the child, and determined to see that she should catch up properly; and that almost came close to causing a reft between Silvina and Sara.
Sara had always had something of a thing for Godfrey from having been some of the few chanters working together, initially under the leadership of Lydia Snape; and that he was giving extra attention to Silvina hurt.
Godfrey had beamed at Sara.
"Sara's so good and so far on, she'll be able to help you too, Silvina; and then we'll all be able to work together exploring the way the magic of each of you can work through music" he said.
"He's really nice, isn't he?" said Silvina, after the class, utterly unconscious of how Sara felt.
"Yes" said Sara, rather shortly.
Silvina was not that sensitive to people's moods but even she picked up something was wrong.
"I say, does it bug you that he was a schoolboy at your old school and has to be starchy at you because he used not to be a professor?" she asked "Or is it embarrassing that he's a bit gone on you?"
Sara blushed.
"Do – do you think he is?"
"Oh dear have I put my foot in it?" said Silvina "I – I don't reckon he'll be anything but proper; if it gives you the willies having someone who's ancient looking at you a bit too warmly, I can tell him to butt out if you like."
"He ISN'T ancient!" shouted Sara.
"Voice, watch your voice!" said Silvina in alarm "If you damage it if Professor Goodchild doesn't murder you, Professor Snape will! You mean you're gone on him too?"
"Yes" admitted Sara.
Silvina brightened.
"Oh that's all right then; if it was just one way it'd be kind of bad. If you're both going to be mushy together when you're a bit older that's fine. And I can stand cave for you."
"You – you don't fancy him?" asked Sara.
"Frankly I don't fancy anyone" said Silvina "I don't feel ready for it yet. Though I DO rather like Julian more than a little" she added.
Sara grinned.
"Sorted" she said. "No need for me to be jealous of you then."
Silvina stared.
"YOU were jealous of ME? When I envy you like crazy for everything you have – loving parents who let you be musical, good looks, talent, self confidence?"
"You are a prune!" laughed Sara. "We don't either of us need to envy or be jealous of anything about each other; friends don't!"
"Don't let Madam Malfoy hear you mangling the language like that" warned Silvina after they had embraced warmly "She'll set you reps of something ghastly with nesting sentences."
oOoOo
The term was four days old when BaHH, Yrdl and Batty Dubois asked Yrdl's twin sisters Vava and Hette to maraud with them.
"That's all very well, but what does it entail?" asked Hette.
"At our age it's about looking for secret passages and honing our skills playing practical jokes" said BaHH "But older Marauders get to be chosen to help really truly fighting against dark wizards. My brother is part of the First Peak Marauders; and we need a marauder name if you oiks will join us, in the hopes we get invited to be marauders officially and acknowledged by the older ones."
The goblin twins had become accustomed to the concept that the term 'oiks' was not necessarily in any way derogatory. And their big sister was a part of this.
"All right" said Vava "so what do we have to do to be acknowledged? Pull some really good jape?"
"Something like that I guess" said Batty.
"Something like poisoning everyone with the hair raising potion?" said Hette, who was an excellent potioneer.
"If we added elderberries we could chant over the potion while we brewed it to turn their hair purple as well" giggled Vava, who was good at chanting.
"Crumbs, we were right to invite them in!" said BaHH with some respect.
"It'll be noticed if we interfere with juice in the kitchen" said Yrdl "AND we need it to taste like ordinary pumpkin juice so no-one suspects; and then we need to pull a switching spell off."
"We better practise switching spells then" said BaHH "'Cos we're going to HAVE to do it in the jugs; and switch the liquid only. Have you any idea how hard that is?"
"Hard enough to give an almost automatic 'O' grade at OWL transfiguration" said Batty, who had had two older siblings pass through exams. "And us in the third!"
"Huh, all it needs is practise" said BaHH "Let's get to practising, kids, and you twins get into some potion research."
"We haven't got a marauder name" said Yrdl.
"Heh, if it comes off, the purple marauders might not be a bad one" said BaHH. "Or the poisonous marauders!"
"Or the purple poison potion marauders" giggled Hette.
"Too long" opined Vava "It's the purple poison potion jape; and I say, you humans have names starting with 'B' and us goblins adopted the surname 'Breuer' so why don't we be the Bee Marauders and buzz about a lot?"
"Much better" approved BaHH. "I say Yrdl, your kid sisters are on good form!"
"They are rather good" said Yrdl. "I say, BaHH, do you mind being the only boy? I know his name doesn't fit, but now he's settled in, I shouldn't actually object to Crow in with us."
BaHH considered.
"All right; I'll ask him. There are Langstaff relations in the Hogwarts Marauders; AHHa told me a bit about them" he said.
oOoOo
Engelram was much moved to be asked to join a secret gang by the most popular boy in the year; he had learned a lot since coming to school and actually being very close friends with goblins might almost be a private rebellion against his family's rather racist attitudes.
He accepted with alacrity.