Chapter 16

"Please Miss Bat, I mean Alcithoe, will you teach me more about playing the piano?" asked Silvina "I've got just so far on my own and reading books, but I should think there's nothing like proper lessons."

The ghost looked pleased.

"Why, my dear girl, I'd be delighted" she said "You are so talented; anything I can do to nurture that talent would please me. I – I almost offered to teach you in the first year as you so plainly had a feel for music; but you were a little difficult."

"I was a stubborn, bad-tempered little cow" said Silvina "And though I'd have hankered for it if you offered it I might just as easily have turned it down rudely, cutting off my nose to spite my face rather than give anyone a hold over me – As I should have seen it. Getting expelled and having to reflect was actually about the best thing that could have happened to me at the time; and now I'm adopted I couldn't be happier. I'm never going to be a concert pianist; but I need to appreciate all the instruments I write for I think; and too it would be useful for Seagh if I can play to accompany children in the school he's starting."

"I must say I do miss playing for the children" sighed Alcithoe.

"Oh, but can't ghosts affect the things they're specially connected with?" said Silvina "So you could play ABOVE the keyboard and make the notes below play?"

"I – why, I don't know my dear" said Alcithoe, brightening "But there's no reason I shouldn't try, is there? I've learned so much from your father in the last few years so you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!"

"Now Alcithoe! I don't think anyone ever even considered calling YOU a bitch!" teased Silvina.

oOoOo

Mihail Vasylovitch Solvejov joined the post graduate students a few days after delivering his irritated and well cursed disciple back to Kiev. Grisha Dmitrievitch had descended finally with a loud bump when the bubble catching his farts and converting them into hydrogen finally overfilled to the point of bursting; and Mihail had been glad to take him away. He was an embarrassment.

He was also a good excuse to sever ties with the Sons of Zirnitra by claiming that the humiliation to a brother of the Order of the Dragon was their fault and was not to be contemplated repeating.

There would be those of the Order who doubtless would join the Sons of Zirnitra anyway – the legendary Zirnitra was supposed to be a dragon animagus anyway, if such things were possible, that they would doubtless find a sufficient casuistry to desert their brothers over, in order to pursue pure blood ideals. Well, Mihail Vasylovitch was not about to stop them; it would weed out the rasher and more hot-headed of his Order, and remove those whose personal beliefs stood in the way of academic enquiry.

And he had to fight with himself to deal with the concept that one of the post graduate students was a goblin woman; who had apparently come to learn chanting to aid with healing, and to take subjects that would permit her to train as a Healer by right, rather than being condemned to being a nurse all her life for not having been offered the education. One of the others was a Japanese boy, who seemed on good terms with a middle eastern girl; and when Mihail had learned that Takeo and Zhanargul had been to Durmstrang together this made more sense. Takeo spoke with enthusiasm about the school he hoped to start to teach Japanese goblins and mudbloods, and explained about his protégé, a muggleborn girl with extraordinary talents in transfiguration. And Mihail asked Severus if he might speak with Zhenga's father too at some point, and observe in the school where he taught.

Severus thought it a good idea and contacted Jade, who groaned but agreed. Anyone willing to set up schools should be encouraged.

Mihail immersed himself in learning about chanting the way Severus taught it, and asking questions, including of the Ubiquitous Marauders. He stuck to German to speak to all of them; and as Zhenga had relayed what they had spoken about, the others were cautiously polite.

Once it transpired that Mihail wanted to start a school, the six unbent considerably.

"Starting schools is rather a Marauder thing too" said Alrik. "Fyra and I were sort of educated whilst being safeguards for our families and acting as maid and page in Durmstrang; and we expected to go to the new free school, but Jade had other ideas because she thought that, specially with the extra coaching, we could pass to come here, and we did and we are and Fyra's generally top of the class."

Mihail looked upon the full goblin girl with interest.

Fyra grinned.

"They say I'm a bit like Hermione Granger; an intellectual's intellectual" she said. "And I guess Zhenga and I are a bit like Madam Granger and Madam Malfoy when they were at school because I like to do things by the book and Zhenga goes off and does things according to instinct."

"And none of us boys want to be Harry Potter thank you" said Wilhelm. "I can't imagine how uncomfortable it might be to be a prophecy! Though Professor Snape says that prophecies tend to be self-fulfilling because they don't start taking place until someone goes out of their way to either make them or prevent them."

'Professor Snape says' was, Mihail was discovering, about the most prevalent phrase to be found amongst the pupils of the school; even those who did not yet have him formally for lessons. To have so much influence with a whole generation of young people was simultaneously frightening and heady! And if he DID start a school, all future goblins in the Ukraine would be shaped by it; and that was a sobering thought!

oOoOo

"Will you tell us about the Order of the Dragon sir?" asked Zhenga "After all, fair's fair; and we have told you quite a lot."

"That does seem fair enough" said Mihail. "The Order of the Dragon was founded in the twelfth century so it is a little older than marauding; though I can't say that I'm sure it's as profound any more" he sighed. "It was founded by a group of dedicated warlocks who wanted to preserve knowledge despite wars and strife that often senselessly destroyed cities, people, knowledge. It was the age of the Mongol invasions; and recalling my history I should be the last to despise the efforts of children since the muggle boy prince Vasily rallied his city state to hold out longer than any other, although Kozelsk was not large. Once they had conquered, the Mongol invaders were remarkably tolerant, but it took a long time to recover. The Order had decided that preserving knowledge was more important that fighting what seemed an inexorable force; and set up a volume of wizarding space wherein our stronghold is situated and gathered all the knowledge they could; muggle as well as wizarding, though over the later centuries this has tended to be forgotten. In those days, women were not considered able to learn much at all bar some potioneering and a few useful household charms so it was an all male establishment. We did not, however, follow the foolish example of muggles by demanding celibacy; indeed marriage was encouraged to have children – male children – reared in the traditions of the Order; and female children of course as suitable wives. It was a long time ago" he added half apologetically "Though I fancy we are still rather behind the times in our acceptance of females. Though Ukrainian witches of good family often can be er, limited" he added. "The first Great Snakes of the Order realised that co-operation was probably a key to maintaining the greater mysteries; and ritual, particularly group ritual, became an important part of our Order. Research was done too of course; and still is to a certain extent. And then I look at what your Headmaster has achieved and the young people he trains post graduate studies in and I feel ashamed that we have so stagnated; that we have rested on our laurels, content to say 'we have preserved and added to knowledge we are the greatest practitioners of ritual in the world'. We are not. I fancy we are SOME of the greatest practitioners of ritual in the world, but Severus – uh, Professor Snape – is ahead of us in his daring experiments."

"We do call him Severus in an out of a school context as Marauders, sir; don't feel you have to be careful" said Wilhelm. "He's our blood brother remember; it takes the respect we feel into a level beyond titles and stuff."

"That I can understand" said Mihail. "He has described to me the way elves were enslaved; in great detail. And too how the group freed them from some compulsions. I have pledged the support of the Order to follow that up; because I have no desire to play the game of these Fey by letting them feed on the pain and misery of our magical little cousins the elves. Indeed I have told my own family elves that it would please me if they would accept livery and pay and would volunteer their own views. They're still thinking about it" he added.

"You are a good man" said Zhenga "What will the Order think of this?"

"Those who accept facts that are presented will accept; some may debate purely to clarify the matter; some will debate because they do not like the facts presented; and some will refuse to listen" said Mihail. "Grigori Dmitievitch will not listen. I fancy he will be one who will desert the Order for the Sons of Zirnitra and will consider his stay here a humiliation that he will want to punish; rather than having the wisdom to recognise how exceedingly merciful Severus has been to him and that a mild rebuke from the friends of one he offended against is just and indeed restrained. I saw Severus' face when those twins explained what he had said; I know that he was also restrained in the curse he laid and had he followed his inclination might have called death duel on Grigori; especially now I know more of the background of er, Kizzy."

"Some of us here grew up in grinding poverty; which is almost a slavery of sorts" said Zhenga "So we appreciate how hard it is to stand tall. My mum had a talent that gave us a better life and kept her out of the brothel; Alrik's, Fyra's and Wilhelm's dads had reasonably well paid and responsible jobs so were one step above the depression of the bottom of the heap; and Serrik is fortunately fairly irrepressible anyway. Bruno's our relative aristocrat having two parents working in the Swiss Ministry."

"I thought Wilhelm was the brother-in-law of a German noble and Serrik his ward?" said Mihail.

"Now, yes" said Wilhelm "My sister was working all the hours she could to supplement dad's income to send me to Durmstrang because it would get me a better job; we are, as it happens, pure blood albeit poor. Politics and reverses you know" he added. "Eduard went incognito to poke around in the goblin relations office where Ann worked and when he was poking his nose in he met Serrik and gave him a job caring for his horses – Serrik is horse mad – and we got to be friends so he came here with me, and it's more convivial then Durmstrang though there are marauders there now" he came up for air "And Serrik's ma died birthing a dead baby; and his father more or less signed him over to Eduard in return for a lump sum because he wasn't sure he could care for a son."

"Wilhelm is tactful" said Serrik in a hard little voice "My father didn't want to be bothered with a son. Not when Eduard made it clear that my pay as his ostler was to go into a bank account for me, and he couldn't touch it. So I'm his ward now; and I can repay that by helping his work with German goblins when I grow up. I know about having no choices; you have no choice when you live in a stinking, damp, decaying building with the threat of disease ever present, no proper sanitation, and one water summoning tap between ten or more families. I would have died but for Eduard when I fell through the rotten banisters trying to get out of the way of the noble witch and wizard. Poor goblins know almost as much about fear, pain, degradation and hopelessness as house elves without even the sense of belonging to a family that elves have. And training in how we should behave to noble witches and wizards is so much brainwashed into us it's almost as strong as a compulsion. Hope and being valued means more than anything else; and even if your elves fear to accept freedom sir, they know that you value them enough to want them liveried, and if you order them to express their opinions because they are of value to you, they will feel happy in your trust. I guess they're inside the zone of the big chant."

"They are; this I have asked them" said Mihail. "They are relieved that I know and do not blame them for it – as if anyone should be so unfair – and do not consider it wrong."

"You'd be surprised how many people consider that elves should be blamed for it" said Bruno "My parents are in the ministry in Zurich remember; and they have heard that people want to know how to punish their elves for not punishing themselves any more. The Swiss Ministry has however come in line with the English to forbid elves to punish themselves and to try to phase out slavery. It's pretty difficult."

"A very ticklish question" said Mihail "And some people blame their elves? Preposterous! I suppose that not being trained in a methodology of academic enquiry too many people are guilty of muddled and woolly thinking."

"Professor Snape says that nine out of ten people are morons and of the rest more than half are nasty" said Zhenga "And my dad – my stepdad – agrees with him, though he HAS taught at Durmstrang which doesn't exactly encourage optimism about people."

"I would prefer to be a little more optimistic about people" said Mihail.

"Professor Snape only sort of half means it" said Alrik "It's when he's irritated over something particularly dim that someone's done, usually a parent of one of his pupils. He also says most kids would be just fine if they weren't inflicted with parents, a few notable exceptions proving the rule. He likes all of our parents – if you count Eduard now for Serrik – just fine."

"Please may I ask a sort of personal question?" asked Zhenga, going on as Mihail raised an eyebrow but nodded "Do you all wear beards like some muggle orders shave bits of their heads?"

Mihail stroked his thick beard.

"Not as a compulsory thing, no" he said "It's a custom upon reaching the level of White Snake to let the beard grow; I suppose as a symbol of being a wise patriarch. Not all follow the custom. Does it then offend you little one?"

Zhenga flushed.

"I think in terms of being a potioneer" she said "And how easy it would be for a stray beard hair to fall into a potion and change, perhaps, its whole nature; I'm thinking of experimental work particularly but we are required to tie our hair back too just in case for potions and I heard that one of the boys in the sixth was sent out of class to shave because Professor Snape would not permit beards in his class. Of course many distinguished wizards have beards but not, I think, potioneers."

"It was not something that had occurred to me" said Mihail "We are of course more concerned with ritual than potioneering as a group; though as you mention it one of the order who does not wear a beard is a potioneer of some eminence."

"Might not there be a problem with ritual sendings if you got a bit of you in the ritual components?" said Zhenga.

"Now what do babes your age know of ritual sendings?" asked Mihail, slightly shocked at the casual mention of such by a child not yet thirteen.

"Well we haven't covered it in class of course" said Zhenga "But we heard from the Bee Too Marauders that the entire of their class joined in a ritual sending to put the words 'racist git' on the head of a boy who was expelled because he had caused them so much anger. And Severus actually had to go and chant to break the curse because they made such a good job of it. It's all in the book of wickedness."

"Mind, we could take a short cut because we have two artists in the year" said Fyra "So they could use picture magic to do something funny to someone like grow their nose or put words in zits on them."

"I have not come across this picture magic" said Mihail.

"It is Erica Malfoy-Chang who invented it" said Bruno "Who now teaches art; there was a bully when she was at school, you see. I know these things because my sister studies art and she is rather gone on Madame Malfoy-Chang and talks about her a lot. It's the same principle as kolossoi dolls, a kind of – what did you say it was, Zheni?"

"It's an advanced form of Protean Charm" said Zhenga. "I got Professor Tuthill sidetracked onto it in my last detention from Comparative Magic in case it ever came in useful. She's almost as good for sidetracking onto esoteric stuff as Madam Granger and she got interested enough to let me off my reps of Kipling because I'd taken notes on her pearls of wisdom instead. It was a clockwork unexpected tweeter" she added by way of explanation "I thought it was broken so I took it apart and tinkered a bit and the beastly thing went off unexpectedly tweeting in my bag and so far as I was aware I hadn't wound it up."

"I told you that you should have let me fix it" Said Wilhelm "I'm better at metalwork than you are."

They had to show Mihail such toys as unexpected tweeters and swooping cursers after that incomplete explanation and left him blinking slightly at the way they were such babes and yet clearly understood the concept of Protean Charms – an advanced technique – and that a group of then eleven year olds had managed a ritual sending of some complexity. He also considered the possibility of shaving his beard because shedding into a ritual WOULD be embarrassing

"You've talked about White Snakes, Sir; can you explain what that actually means?" asked Alrik.

"Our order is divided into three layers below the Great Snake" said Mihail. "Neophytes are Red Snakes; some never rise further. Above them are Black Snakes; and above THEM are White Snakes. Each year, anyone may propose for promotion to a higher level anyone of their own level or a level below them. When the proposals have been received, the others of their level are given three days to consider and debate; then they must vote for each as to whether they should be promoted or not. If three quarters or more think they should be promoted, then they are with the proviso that they are accepted by the higher level; from whom a fifty percent veto is sufficient to prevent promotion. The candidates do not know the results save whether or not they achieve promotion; ballot officials from amongst the White Snakes do all the counting. If a candidate has been proposed three years running and has just failed the number each time, the Great Snake is appealed to for a ruling; and he may be promoted anyway. If he has been vetoed more than once, the Great Snake asks the level that has vetoed him for a reason; and may overrule them or reach a compromise that he has to change some behaviour or study a particular aspect of his craft for automatic promotion in a year's time. Or the veto may stand. I have known one Red Snake who had been proposed six years running in order to get rid of him; I eventually asked him to leave the Order. The sixth year was my first year as Great Snake; and I must say it was a nervous decision to have to take in my first ballot. Fortunately it was one which made the other Red Snakes consider my leadership strong for daring to do this."

The children nodded, and Mihail resumed,

"The Great Snake is chosen in a similar way when the incumbent dies or retires – retirement tends to be the norm, though such keeps his status as a White Snake, indeed is accorded much respect. The retiring Great Snake is not permitted to vote for his successor though he has a lot of influence; if he suggests someone this is taken much notice of. I was recommended by my Great Uncle, who takes every opportunity to question my command decisions, but that is to make sure that I am certain I do the right thing. Of any who are proposed, the one who poles the most votes takes over; and it takes a majority of three quarters of the White Snakes to bring in a vote to depose any Great Snake. I don't believe it's ever happened, though there was one in the fifteenth century who was almost certainly assassinated. He exploded, suddenly, whilst making a speech decreeing that all ritual should take place naked except for jewelled posing pouches" he added "And had been previously known for….eccentricity."

"It's awfully interesting" said Zhenga "And if you have rules in place for people standing down – and people are willing TO stand down – I should think your Order is run on decent precepts and doesn't get lumbered with megalomaniacs."

"I suppose it is partly the concept that the group is strength; that no individual is of any account without his brothers" said Mihail "And really the same might be said for Severus Snape and you, his disciples; he is the principal focus, but that is dependant on the strength of his followers."

"Not entirely" said Zhenga "By all accounts he was dead hard before the blood group got going too; but it is the concept that no man is an island and that it is the LOVE of your brothers and sisters that supports you and enables you to tackle anything that makes us all powerful. None of us would ever die alone if we took on a job that was enough to get us killed. And that means we'd be willing to do so more readily I guess."

"A subtle difference" said Mihail "But one which perhaps makes you even more of equals than we are; though we are taught to consider each other brothers regardless of status within the Order. Because you KNOW that you are loved and supported by all. It must be rather wonderful" he added slightly wistfully. "For however much we have the concept, even so there are always jealousies and rivalries within the Order as I suspect cannot exist for closer-than-kin bonds like yours."

"It sort of tends to eliminate misunderstandings of a serious nature" said Wilhelm.

oOoOo

The discussion about Protean Charms came in useful when the Ubiquitous Marauders found Alcithoe Bat weeping in frustration that she could not make the piano keys work for her.

"Have you considered the Protean Charm?" asked Wilhelm "It's a bit beyond us really but I should have thought that 'Proteus Insubstantio' ought to work quite well. Shall I get a big person to give you a hand?"

"If you would be so kind, my dear boy, I should be grateful" said Alcithoe. Really, the little boys here were such dear children; why Miss Cackle had been so against having boys she could not imagine.

The Ubiquitous Marauders preferred to ask another Marauder to help out and talked Randolph, who was an 'O' average student at charms, to help Miss Bat. Randolph was happy enough to do so and worked with her to help her to cast a very specific ghostly Protean Charm until she was able to sit at a piano and play as though her fingers really touched the keys. It did not have the FEEL of a keyboard; but she could still play! She was delighted and very grateful for the kindness shown her by the children; really her decision to be a ghost to watch over them had been quite the best one to make!

oOoOo

"The thing is, Mihail" said Severus "That when children actually realise that ritual exists and that they are able to perform such by using their schoolwork and a bit of library work to add to that, they ARE going to find a way to turn it to mischief. Rather like the Bee Marauders who combined potioneering with a bit of ritual and some clever switching charms – the twins were in the second and at the time were with their cronies a year older for the want of those of their ilk who joined us later – to turn everyone's hair purple and make it stand on end. The hair-raising potion delivered by switching spell would have been a sophisticated enough jape, but they were determined to drag in chanting and with the addition of that, and some elderberries, made a rather memorable entry into the world of Marauding. And I have to say that I have the castle shielded against sendings from without; because I know the level of power that can be attained even by someone only halfway competent. I do NOT shield against sendings going out; and I was very pleased that one of my better-behaved pupils who has reason to bitterly resent a particular relative, used the fact that she was still a minor to curse the fellow. I refused to go and rescue him from being covered in dancing spider legs that played music as they jiggled; unless he paid me a massive curse breaking fee. In the end I charged him to send him the appropriate arithmantic notes to aid a curse breaker and a suggestion that he use Finnish naming magic to uncurse himself as doubtless, being Finnish, his niece had used it to curse him. The use of names is a powerful piece of ritual."

"Yes, the Finns name everything to give themselves more control over their environment" said Mihail. "You teach that here then?"

"Oh it falls into the province of Comparative Magic; a taster of several different traditions" said Severus "The exam has questions like 'compare the importance of naming to the Finns with the refusal of British wizards to speak the self-imposed name of Lord Voldemort and discuss the importance of naming' which is a fairly broad subject especially since the egophonic spell has roots in Finnish naming magic. Or 'discuss the differences between a repelling spell laid by incantation, a kolamic repelling charm and Finnish repulsion by naming'. The Indian kolams and rangoli have received some prominence in the subject as our first formal teacher is from India. He's at Hogwarts. He trained Freya Tuthill, who's busy adding a lot of Japanese tradition to HER lessons – and writing to Assim Khan to apprise him of what she has learned – thanks to Takeo, who finds the whole subject fascinating. My knowledge of the far east is shaky to say the least so I'm enjoying learning from him too."

"I don't think one lifetime is enough to learn it all" said Mihail.

"Probably not; though I suspect my daughter Lilith may come close" said Severus "She's a genius and a sponge for information; and having gone to Hogwarts two years young has the ambition to take every exam that's available before she's over seventeen. I don't doubt that she'll manage" he grinned. "If she wasn't one of the most mischievous kids in the school – a marauder of course – I'd fear she might turn into a prig. I doubt you or I could teach her anything about ritual that she hasn't already figured out. When Durmstrang had a little trouble with a lich, I heard her explaining in the next holidays how one would probably have to set about preparing to be a lich and the little monkey wasn't far off; because I went to find out how close she was. I love watching intelligent children learn" he added.

"So much for the fearsome and terrible and implacable Professor Snape who has a soft centre" laughed Mihail.

"SHHH!" said Severus "Don't TELL anyone!"

oOoOo

The year had turned again to Valentine's day which fell this year on a Saturday.

Flo enlisted the aid of Alcithoe Bat – who was delighted – and organised a party, at which the competition involved Miss Bat playing choruses from love songs which the children had to write parodies to. There were to be prizes for the most original, the funniest, and the most appropriate.

The efforts were extremely variable; with the least savoury coming, of course, from middle school boys. Werner Wasner managed,

"Oh come and hold this basin

and keep it right in place

I'll fill it up with hot strong puke

Because I saw your face" as a parody to the most famous love song played. Crow Langstaffe won a prize for the most appropriate – in Flo's opinion – version of this with,

"Oh come and stir my cauldron

and if you don't work hard

you'll soon be gutting hot strong toads

you feculent retard."

Severus was laughing and flushing at the same time.

"Well at least you know HIS vocabulary has been boosted by your efforts!" laughed Krait.

Crow had also managed a reasonable effort to 'Greensleeves' with,

"Alas Professor you do me wrong

to set detention in high degree

for I have laboured both hard and long

to understand trigonometry.

Madam Granger I thee implore

That arithmancy it is no delight

I kneel before you upon the floor

And beg from you some small respite"

Hermione was crying with laughter. Crow was her top pupil and had no trouble with any principle at all; so she gave him a two fingered cuff affectionately.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Vivienne whispered to Grace.

"Of course she is! He's a Marauder and so is she; it's one of those Marauder things" Grace whispered back.

Yrdl's best offering was to 'After the Ball is over' and ran,

"After the term is over

After the brats have gone

After they have departed

Plenty can still go wrong

Many a thing marked 'Hubble'

Still may detritus be

Many an item she's missing

Which all may see!"

"OY!" said Rose.

"It's true though, Rosy-Posy" said Vya "I spend a whole lot of time after you've left clearing, finding and returning your stuff to your locker, drawers, or other proper place. Last term you left three shoes – none of them a pair – several sets of undies, a library book from England that had been overdue even before term began and a bag of sweets with fluff on them."

"Oh dear" said Rose.

"Ah well, at least as Rose and Grace have another younger sister I don't suppose we shall be bereft of Hubble moments after you leave" said Severus.

"Oh Lucy is wildly much worse than me" said Rose.

Severus groaned hollowly.

"I think I might just retire" he said.

Fred Lowther's efforts had all the adults laughing and some of the juniors mystified. Taking 'Greensleeves' he had written,

"Professor Nuffield, your short square legs

knock me for six most dextrously

your googlies take my bails right off

and send my heart to the boundary.

Oh I am your silly mid off

I love your wrong 'un most desperately

For you although the rain stops play

I shall carry my bat most earnestly."

Both Dimsie and Lee appreciated the cricketing references and definite air of double entendre.

Everyone cuffed Fred with two fingers.

"Thanks, Captain, I needed that" said Fred.

It was generally accounted a most hilarious party, that had been rounded up with a glorious spread with all the food pink and cut into heart shapes; food colouring had been added to the bread and butter and ham and tongue were the meats, plus prawns in aspic, which Kizzie shocked everyone by calling it jello. It was gently explained to her that right was right, and that jello was to aspic what muggle clockwork was to goblin metalwork. There was, too, cranberry Wensleydale cheese, as well as strawberry jam and pink iced buns and jam tarts both baked in heart shaped containers. There was jelly and trifle set in heart shaped moulds with hundreds and thousands on them that Peter Lowther declared were a sign of heart disease so only sixth formers should risk eating them.

The little ones were well enough settled by now to scoff at him firmly.

Flo was reckoned to know how to run a decent party and the school retired to bed well fed and happy and still giggling from time to time over the choicer offerings in the parody line.

And as Flo said to Severus, it did help to jump on some of the silliness over Valentine's day to have the whole school organised firmly into structured activities.

"You're a good girl Flo; and a good Head Girl" said Severus.