Chapter 11
The wedding of the winter was beautiful; and Krait went unicorn to carry Bella, lovely in white velvet and fur, in a welter of snow, to her bridegroom just to quiet any wagging tongues about her getting wed before the end of the school year. Mimi and Darryl and the other Belle Marauders and their boyfriends were loving supporters; and in the background of all this razzmatazz Cerellia was bridesmaid and Jocelyn was page as Pippa Yaxley married Orme Malfoy. As Pippa was a Malfoy by blood, Cerellia was to adopt her stepfather's surname too. If, as Cerellia said, anyone actually remembered; but names did not count, it was a loving family that counted.
As she referred to her new stepbrother as 'Swottyfeatures' and he called her 'Horse' they were presumably on excellent terms as loving brother and sister.
oOoOo
Crow Langstaffe was also having a busy holiday. He was an only child, so getting his parents to sit down with him to listen was not hard; and he also summoned the family elf. He told his parents that he had a girlfriend, who was the cleverest girl in the class and had too been the only one in the fifth who had accrued enough points to represent the school in the duelling contest against Durmstrang and the new Russian school; and who had actually made it into the top eight before losing in the playoffs to the boy who eventually won the whole competition.
They were busy congratulating him on having so clever a girlfriend and on his generosity in not minding that she had been chosen not him.
"Oh, I'm not quite as good as Yrdl" said Crow carelessly "Though I often share the top of the class with her."
"A strange name, dear" said his mother "Is it a nickname like that silly name they call you?"
"She's German" said Crow "Remember, only four of us are English; there's two French, two Swiss, two Germans and a Finn besides us. She's a ward of the last Durmstrang Triwizard contestant who rates the education at Prince Peak; taught us for a year too actually to learn better teaching methods."
"Snape is very successful" said his father.
"He's good" said Crow "And a very sensitive man; helped me realise my beliefs were so very wrong; made sure I got to talk to Malfoys and the like to see what top society and real gentlemen should be like. Of course Hellibore's academy is still breeding snobs with only the vaguest ideas of how to behave; they were almost embarrassing when they came to us for the Yule Ball, poor saps. But if we do it as a regular thing we might actually be able to help them not be such dreadful skirters."
"I suppose if educated wrongly it is hard not to believe what one is taught" said his father, who had been a Hellibore boy and who was trying to take on board what notions his son had brought home, like courtesy to the family elf. After all, Snape was MARRIED to a Malfoy so he ought to know.
"Yes dad; and so I've learned that a lot of what's spouted in the pseudo-society and especially by a rag like the 'Daily Prophet' is just so much bunk" said Crow "And I guess before I tell you any more about Yrdl I need to know if you trust my opinion as gathered by my own experience rather than what's been said time out of mind and parroted without thinking."
"Your opinion is valuable to us" said his father.
After all the elf had actually been a more efficient performer of his tasks since shown appreciation and courtesy; so there was a lot in what had been said. And Langstaffe senior had received a nod of approval from Lucius Malfoy himself when he had run into him in the ministry over his tax returns when he had been courteous to the elf who worked there. And Lucius Malfoy had actually chatted to him, and spoken of his brother Merlin's girl Maud; and the Malfoys did not consider the Hubbles low, and he, Lugh had managed to overcome the estrangement and was on good terms with Merlin again.
Crow heaved a sigh of relief.
"Good; because Yrdl is a goblin and I shouldn't like to bring her home if you weren't ready to treat her as you would any human girl" he said.
"Merlin's beard!" said Lugh Langstaff.
"And – and you find goblins are…. Well, if she is the cleverest girl in the class, she must then not be in any way inferior I suppose" said his mother.
"I've been knocking around with goblins and part goblins long enough to actually not even notice race at all" said Crow firmly "And actually there's no difference mentally at all. They look a little different; but once you've been around goblins you don't really even see it. Yrdl is the sweetest girl; her dad is a cauldron maker and he makes trinkets too for the tourists in the valley who come to see our caves and railways. Her twin sisters are in the thick of any mischief originating from the fourth; she has a brother in the second who knocks around with one of Professor Snape's wards and is mostly harmless – at least compared with the other small limbs in that class – and her next brother down is in the first and likely to be in the thick of mischief there. Professor Snape says that the more mischief kids get up to the more likely they are to be high fliers and get silly numbers of OWLs and NEWTS; you'll be pleased to know that until we got to be staid fifth formers, Yrdl and I and the other two in our set were in the thick of mischief."
"Professor Snape never wrote anything about it in your reports" said his father.
"Well it wasn't adversely affecting our grades or to a level that the staff didn't just sigh and pass out lines so I guess he didn't feel he needed to" said Crow. "A degree of prank playing is considered kind of normal. Especially those of us who consider that pranks that require library work to research spells out of our league are the ones to go for. It's considered a bit poor prunery not to pull off a jape with the sort of research involving spells at least a couple of years above your actual level of study. But this is sort of off the point. Are you ready to accept my girlfriend regardless of her race and ethnic background? Because if so, I'd like to have her stay and get to meet you over the summer while we prepare for our NEWT course. If not, then I guess I'll have to break myself off from the family like Uncle Merlin to marry her when we leave school. Because we've been more or less a couple right from my second term when she started as a new girl; partly because we both had no established friends, me because I'd behaved badly at first, she because she was new. But we were drawn in with the other two in our group, BaHH – that's Bellamy Hallow-Hellibore – and Batty Dubois. And we're all sort of hoping that Yrdl might be in with a shout for the Triwizard next year too you know."
"It – it's very sudden" said Crow's mother. "Bellamy is one of your friends too? He's a distant cousin of yours through my family. Obviously he is happy to be friendly with goblins too?"
"Mum, you need to get it that one isn't friendly with goblins or free elves in the school, one is friendly with such of the other pupils with whom one shares interests" said Crow. "We just don't notice. And there have been expulsions of people for racist comments; including of a goblin boy from the year below me, who made the most awful ignorant and crass comments about the half goblins, tossing around words like 'miscegenation' of all things; he even ran out of Professor Devlin's class – Professor Fraser's wife, you know – and she one of those with the zig-zag scar from having bounced the killing curse!"
"Well Mr Malfoy has certainly made goblin wives fashionable" said Lugh Langstaffe. "We HAVE been brought up to different beliefs; it's going to take some getting used to. Don't you find her, well….ugly?"
"Dad! Yrdl has the sweetest face!" said Crow "She looks like a kitten; no she's not beautiful by conventional standards but she is sweet and pretty and you can see in her face that she's not got an ounce of nastiness in her. She's got the loveliest eyes, they just GLOW with intelligence; and when she's saying something mischievous she has a dear little dimple, only I guess I might not tell her that because girls can get weird about things like that; Sandalla Zorn threatened to scrag AHHa – Angel Hallow-Hellibore – because he said she had dimples on her knees. And Yrdl's eyes are so dark a blue they're almost purple, like the Malfoys, and her hair is thick and soft and the colour of ripe wheat."
"Are German goblins not dark like English ones then?" his father was startled.
"Oh no! That's because English goblins are generally the remnants of the Celtic population" said Crow. "German goblins are essentially of Aryan stock. Way back where our bloodlines meet before elves and goblins and Veeli and other nymphs and things had a set form when the fey were sort of consolidating solid forms" said Crow "I'd like to study it further; Professor Snape and Mr Malfoy had to look into it to do rituals to keep the fey from making too much of a nuisance of themselves; because Dementors aren't the scariest fey creatures in the world and if you understand the nature of a being it's so much easier to undertake any kind of ritual to limit their powers."
"I er rather fancy that Professor Snape takes you children to educational levels even our upper sixth would not have dreamed of in our young day" said Lugh Langstaffe. "I know nothing of the fey; you say goblins and elves are of their kind?"
"Yes; bred with humans – not necessarily wizarding humans – to get a solid form" said Crow. "If we weren't interrelated we should not be interfertile. And it's patently obvious that we all are."
"Oh" said his father. "Well, if you bring your girlfriend home for a week in the summer we – we shall do our best. I can't say I'm anything but shocked; but she does sound an exceptional er, young lady."
"Thanks dad; mum" said Crow. "And Widdy will make her welcome, won't you, Widdy? I wanted you to know too, because you are a part of the family."
The elf glowed.
"Widdy is glad to serve master Engelram's family" he said "And Widdy will do his best for the young master's girlfriend though Widdy is much taken aback that goblinses and masters should be together at school and that the young master has not got a nice human girfriend."
"Well don't be shocked" said Crow firmly "Yrdl is my best girl; because she's the girl who suits me best. And I'd love her whatever her race."
Well that was a hard job jobbed; and really though the old folk were plainly not entirely happy, at least they were taking it.
oOoOo
"Rose Hubble and at YOUR age!" scolded Flo as Rose turned up – admittedly early – with her sister, and managing to break her wand as she manhandled her trunk, releasing a quantity of purple bubbles.
"Lumme!" said Rose "How on earth did that happen?"
"A sudden movement backwards to jam the end against the wall because of having to leap out of the way of a trunk too enthusiastically manhandled" said Flo. "Honestly, I do believe that you Hubbles are subject to Golapott's second law; that the longer you're kept the effects of your Hubbleness increase exponentially."
"Hey!" said Rose.
"She has a point, Rosie-Posie" said AHHa, who had just arrived with his brothers, the youngest of whom was now giggling with Grace Hubble. "Purple bubbles? A bit BILIOUS, wouldn't you say? I suppose you call then Hubble Bubbles."
"I have no control over what the wretched thing does when it breaks" said Rose mournfully. "Got any Spellotape?"
"No, and you ain't fixing it with that for further disasters to happen either" said AHHa firmly. "Here, Flo, come inside and give us a hand; the core's all right I think, I reckon we can add to the repair spell with a quick chant."
"Oh if you don't mind AHHa" said Rose.
"I mind – I mind what might happen to innocent muggles if your wand escapes" said AHHa, hugging her to take away the sting of that.
They went through the barrier to chant rapidly; and Rose's wand was soon as good as new.
"Bear in mind it might be a little huffy with you though" said AHHa.
Rose giggled.
"Don't be silly; it's not alive" she said.
"Oh ISN'T it?" said AHHa "I may not be taking enchanting but I've read Willow Prince Black's book; and if I were you I shouldn't take ANY chances and would do my best to pacify it. She reckons wands acquire a personality; so be warned."
"Ooer" said Rose; who knew that there were things AHHa did NOT joke about!
Flo hustled out again to check on various anticipated people, including the three expected new children.
oOoOo
The first new child to turn up was the goblin child with her well-dressed father and mother. Hiob had come along specifically to welcome her, though he would have rather have been giggling with Grace and CuHH; and he moved forward as Flo smiled at the child and her parents.
"You'll be Gudel then" said Flo "Herr Andag, Frau Bral Andag; Gudel will be in good hands; here is Hiob who is in her class who has volunteered to introduce her around; the only girl in the first who has yet arrived comes from a family that is accident prone so I like them to get quickly on the train."
"There's only four girls in the first anyhow" said Hiob "Or there were until you and the other new girl signed up which brings us to a nice healthy thirteen in the class; a big class is more fun I think."
"Oh I have come from a class of twice that size; so I think it will be a nice small class" said Gudel.
"Well, an ideal size is sort of between nine and sixteen" said Hiob "But of course Jade – you'll know her as Professor Von Strang – wants to teach as many as is practical without losing the ability to treat all as individuals. Which is about a couple of dozen really. Durmstrang has classes of as many as forty; and Hogwarts now splits their classes into two because there are about sixty in a year now the Voldemort years are over. You're an artist I hear? My brother's learning art mostly to help his best friend who's a proper artist. That makes three of them in that year; but all the artists do classes together to learn from each other. Our year gets to do an out of school art club if we want to now we have a full time teacher; there aren't enough hours in the school day to schedule it properly unless people are talented."
"It's really nice to come to a school where I can learn to do art properly" said Gudel "It almost seems too good to be true."
"Oh anything Professor Snape touches is twice as good and three times as efficient as anything anyone else does" said Hiob "He's just the works; and we all get encouraged to excel at our best subject. For me that's metalwork; and my dad is just so pleased that one of us follows in his footsteps. Though I have to say my biggest sister is pretty brilliant all round. Are you dire at anything? 'cos if so anyone who's any good will help to bring you on, though I must say none of us stand too close to Grace in potioneering because it's sort of asking to be exploded a little bit or covered in boils or turned purple. Hubbles are hopeless at potions, though we all help her with theory. She's pretty okay at metalwork however; she can be methodical for that."
"I think I am not BAD at anything" said Gudel "I have never had poor marks anyway; I am best, apart from art, at history and chanting."
"Oh chanting is dead important" said Hiob "And so is history; I'm okay at history. Who learns history is NOT doomed to repeat it you know. Well come on in and meet CuHH and Grace; and I expect the others will turn up soon. And we can get you started learning English and French."
"We are a trilingual school" Flo explained to the child's parents "I expect Jade – Professor Von Strang – explained to you; because we have a large proportion of Swiss and Austrian nationals in the school; and also both French and German children. Hiob is German so it seemed best that he should greet Gudel since some of the others are a little backward as yet in their linguistics. He is a good scholar and probably at the bottom of most of the mischief emanating from the first year."
"Excuse me gracious Fraulein, but it seems to me that you do not even notice that we are goblins" said Andag.
Flo blinked.
"Well I suppose I register the fact; but what is there to see? I look at parents carefully – in case I should decide to teach rather than follow my father in being a healer – because some parents are a bit dippy about their precious jewel. You, I should judge, are fond but not foolish parents, concerned about Gudel without embarrassing the poor brat with scenes nor worrying if she's going to weep for being away from home – they don't generally; far too exciting – or catch something from the charity kids who are here by scholarship. Some parents are the pits; like the ones who think it's all right to send self-stirring cauldrons and such cheating stuff."
"I must say I use one myself" said Frau bral Andag.
"But excuse me, no offence intended, you have not had the opportunity of an education to teach you to brew potions without some means of aid" said Flo "A schoolchild is here to LEARN how to do it properly; so for such it is cheating."
"Ah; I see" the goblin woman nodded "My only potioneering came from magazines; though I have read Gudel's text books. They do not always seem very useful potions though" she added.
"That is because many teach a technique in a simple potion that is used later in a useful potion that has other, complex things in it, so it is well for a technique to be second nature" said Flo. "I'm not much of a potioneer myself; though like small Grace I do find myself quite capable with metalwork. It's a new subject for us and rather exciting."
"And your school does not despise a goblin technique! Ruddy marvellous if you ask me!" said Andag "For the free school, what's mostly goblin, this I can understand; but here in a posh school…"
"Well Hogwarts in England pioneered it" said Flo "And Professor Snape asked their teacher to train him up a teacher for us; and he's married to our art teacher. Erica Malfoy-Chang helped write the book on Art in Magic so Gudel won't have a much better teacher. Will you excuse me? I have a horde of small boys to shout at."
The horde of small boys – and girls – were the Ubiquitous Marauders who had spent a few riotous days together at Von Frettchen's castle and were jostling, giggling, shouting and generally being a flaming nuisance.
"YOU WARTS!" shouted Flo and proceeded to tick them off; and in case they missed it in English repeated her remarks in both German and French.
They shuffled and apologised.
She sent them firmly into through the barrier with a demand that they return to her a sonnet of their own devising on the pleasant sound of silence.
This was reckoned horribly harsh by the Ubiquitous Marauders who were quite shocked into relative meekness; fourteen lines was nothing if you were just copying them but having to make it up with the proper arrangement of three quatrains and a couplet was not easy! Not that Flo had specified a Shakespearian sonnet, but the Ubiquitous Marauders, not being quite as up on poetry as some Marauders had yet to work out that there were easier ways round this imposition.
Gudel's parents were amazed again not only at the easy way Flo managed several loud children – and their manners in apologising – but the fact that she was quite even handed over the three goblins, two part goblins and the human boy. This school WAS the right choice for their daughter. They left, much relieved.
oOoOo
Sarah Elliot had ridden the train into Zurich so she too could wait for a new pupil; the boy Viridian D'Aubert, who would join her in the fourth and be a fellow artist. Zoë Gestler arrived and hung around with her friend too. Claude LeBatons was to take Viridian's sister Vivienne to meet others as a countryman of hers; and the LeBatons siblings turned up in good time also.
The D'Auberts arrived, the little girl clinging rather tightly to her father's hand. This was not necessarily good; but Flo knew that she had been a violent-tempered bully and would have been expelled from Beauxbatons had not Darryl Zabini figured out that she had been under a similar curse to Walter Crabbe, of whom the older ones at least knew for being at school with his brother Victor. Flo smiled kindly.
"The school knows you have been unwell, Vivienne, though most do not know any details. Those of us who were friendly enough with an older boy whose little brother had similar problems know more; so if you feel any need to talk about things, or have nightmares, or need guidance you may come to me to talk. Every effort will be made to help you catch up and nobody will be cross with you if you are not up to the class average. The kids in the first are a decent bunch who will aid you to catch up. Some of the classes you'll be taking weren't available at Beauxbatons anyway so you're in for a treat; and you'll get remedial classes in the things you're interested in or that are compulsory; and I expect the faculty will be pretty flexible in letting you give up those classes you're not so good at to allow you to catch up others. Some of our classes are awfully new; we only started metalwork this year, and I want to work like stink to take it at OWL over this single year; so I can take it too as a NEWT alongside my others; and I'm not the only person in the same boat so you won't be alone in having to make up extra learning!"
"Thank you" whispered Vivienne. "Zis metalwork, he sound exciting!"
"It is; most awfully" said Flo.
Vivienne decided then and there that she was going to be good at metalwork to please this kind and jolly head girl who knew about nightmares and the sometimes awful pressing need to talk about how she felt; and gave Flo a tentative and shy smile.
Flo kissed her cheek; and acquired an immediate puppy, though she did not immediately realise it! Later in the term she was to reflect that thus had Jade Snape felt when she and George had attached themselves as her fags.
Sarah smiled at Viridian.
"The two boys in our class are most dreadfully pleased to have another boy" she said in her beautifully colloquial French. Being a diplomat's daughter had given Sarah a wide range of languages long before she entered the wizarding world. "I asked to meet you because I am the other artist in the year; and so claimed the privilege of welcoming a new boy."
"Right" said Viridian. "I never knew I could actually do anything much with art; well except paint moving portraits of course; but I'm not that gone on portraiture."
"Oh there's heaps of things to learn" said Sarah "Have you been reading the text book? Our teacher this year is one of the co-authors; and one of the other co-authors is in our upper sixth. He is brilliant; already makes a living painting, though he IS into portraiture. I like doing portraits of horses. I love riding too; do you ride?"
Viridian brightened.
"I do" he said "I say, do you mean you actually ride at school?"
"Rather" said Sarah "We just about flattened Hellibore's at a gymkhana at Halloween, like we always flatten them at quidditch; they're awful snobs so it's kind of fun to make them look a bit silly. And next year I expect our champion, whoever it is, will flatten them in the Triwizard too, even if we don't have Jade Snape any more. Not that I was here then because I came late; I'm muggleborn though my mum is sort of more than a sensitive; she can get magical paints to work. This is my best friend Zoë; she doesn't ride but she's a demon at quidditch so we cheer for each other in each other's sports. And I say, do you have a pony, 'cos if you do you can bring it to school you know."
"How do you do" said Viridian to Zoë. Both made a formal greeting; Zoë was both formal and shy and Viridian was slow to trust, though Darryl, who was just wonderful, had told him he might open up to the kids here.
The D'Aubert parents were busy asking Flo about how accurate was this girl's comments about ponies, as both their children rode, and Viridian was rather keen; and he had a pony though because of her troubles, they had not permitted Vivienne one after she had ill treated her first.
"Then buy her one as a sign of your trust in her" said Flo "Tell her now that once she's had a term's riding lessons you will take her at Easter to choose a pony. And Viridian's can be brought out for him; there is stabling plenty for the mounts of pupils. We do not enter many public gymkhanas – only small, local ones – but the exam classes and those who are resident as wards of the school take part in the big Easter meet. We mean to challenge Hogwarts to Quiddpolo too" she added.
oOoOo
The D'Auberts told their children that Viridian's pony should come out to him and that Vivienne should have her own at Easter once she had spent time learning more; and both children were much gratified; and Vivienne hugged her parents hard.
The spontaneous expression of love was a sign that the curse was gone; though Flo knew that the child WOULD need careful handling; and that the Head expected her to do her bit in that. And she was determined not to let him down!
Claude and Sarah each took their charges through to meet others of their respective years, the new siblings feeling perhaps happier than they had expected for so warm a greeting and the knowledge that another interest was one they might pursue here!
oOoOo
Well that was all the new ones safely stowed, and the Hubbles safely on, and Antti Laakkonen only trailing half his kit behind him as he walked through reading a book.
And one must remember that Cerellia was now Cerellia Malfoy not Cerellia Yaxley, talking nineteen to the dozen to Liriope Hallow about her rather splendid stepbrother.
Flo wondered whether there was to be a romance between the step siblings and then was hit between the eyes with a sudden revelation.
Cerellia was firmly matchmaking between her new brother and her best friend.
Flo groaned. That could lead to tears. Or to friends becoming sisters. Well THAT was no part of a head girl's duties anyway; not unless there were indeed tears and it spilled into schoolwork.
That Liriope was being invited to stay for part of the Easter holidays to meet Cerellia's new family would settle the question of whether Liriope at least liked this boy Jocelyn or not; and anything more was in the hands of fate.
Probably helped by a fourteen-year-old cupid. Ah well, at least Liriope did not take offence easily and was always willing to learn more about anything or anybody so would probably have wheedled an invite in any case out of sheer curiosity; she had not been dubbed 'Elephant's Child' in her first year at school for nothing.
And that was everyone; and at least the journey was entirely uneventful, barring the usual barrage of jinxes various marauders practised on each other that the youngest needed a hand with undoing; because none of them knew the counter to the boogie woogie bogey bugle hex and Otylia was playing 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' rather loudly from one nostril and 'Moon River' from the other and the combination was rather disturbing.
oOoOo
AHHa was met at the railhead by Severus who apparated him firmly to his office.
"I thought I'd tell you, my boy" said Severus "As you've always been a bit of a favourite of Miss Bat; because she reckoned you proved that boys could be both mischievous and civilised."
AHHa gasped.
"She's dead, isn't she?" he said.
Severus put a hand on his shoulder as he nodded.
"Yes lad; she passed away quietly just after Christmas; she enjoyed the liquorice sweeties you left for her you know" he said. "She's decided to be one of the castle ghosts; because her whole life has been teaching here, and she appreciated very much your popping up to her room to tell her about events in the school."
Severus had kept Miss Bat as his pensioner, with a small suite of her own and a piano for her own use; the elderly witch had been effusive in her gratitude; for she had nowhere else to go, and no relatives bar some distant cousins. The school was her home; and here she had spent her last days.
AHHa swiped the back of his hand across his eyes.
"I suppose she was most awfully old" he said "I – well I guess if she's a ghost she can get about a bit better to see what's going on."
"Yes, Angel I can" Miss Bat's ghost glided through the door "And I don't ache any more and my memory isn't fuddled any more either; and it was starting to be. Don't be sad for me my dear boy; I'm perfectly happy to be a ghost here with dear Merope; though I must say I find the Grey Scholar a trifle tiresome."
"You and most other people" said AHHa, sniffing hard "I won't let that snide creep bully you, Miss Bat."
"You are a dear boy" said Miss Bat warmly "And I think I should like to be known by my first name now I'm not in a position to be in authority over anyone; my name is Alcithoe."
"That's really pretty" said AHHa "Though I shouldn't mind betting Professor Snape will ask you to sit prep from time to time if he's short of prees."
Alcithoe Bat brightened.
"I'd be delighted to help in any way I can" she said.
"Well I can bear that in mind" said Severus.
"And we shall get to see more of you" said AHHa, using the marauder's special transfiguration to insubstantial on his arm to put it round Miss Bat and give her a hug.
"Get away with you!" said Miss Bat.
She looked very pleased.
AHHa sniffed hard.
"Hot fire in here" he said "Making my eyeballs sweat."
Severus gave him a hug.
"You know how much you owe Alcithoe Bat" he said "Her good sportsmanship gave you a good lesson at the beginning of your school career to teach you how far it was reasonable to go with a rag. I think she helped ME in that in giving me a boy with a sense of fun who could have been a flaming nuisance without the calm and gentle handling of a liquorice bat addict."
"Severus!" Miss Bat was slightly flustered; and Severus winked at her.
"You're right sir; I could have become something rather obnoxious but for the really calm way er Alcithoe took it" said AHHa "I know I'm still a little childish; and to be honest I WANT to be childish until I have to be an adult. It's not many months. And I'm not as responsible as some by inclination. But I will pull my socks up when all the candidates for the Triwizard are on display, unless any of the Russians makes himself or herself so obnoxious I HAVE to do something involving swooping cursers or something more creative."
"I'm sure you won't do anything to damage the school's reputation, Angel, and will make sure it remains in the bounds of being amusing" said Alcithoe.
He grinned at her.
"If you happened to flit in to check us out I might even plot with you" he said.
"Well well!" said Alcithoe, both flustered and pleased.
The school had now a third ghost; company for Merope who disliked the Grey Scholar quite as much as he despised her. But then, Zalmoxes Von Finsternacht had not gone out of his way to endear himself to many people; which was, as most of the marauders agreed, his own problem.