Chapter 20
Law collected his set – including Vivienne who they were planning on blooding in if she was still keen – and asked if he had said what he thought he had said.
"What about Severus protecting the new girl's parents?" said Rence "You said it all right, Law, mate."
"I think she's the spy" said Law "But I don't actually get a bad feeling about her."
"Probably being blackmailed into it poor kid" said Hiob "Do we ought to scoot up and tell Severus before he sees her?"
"Or like, maybe, he already knows?" suggested Grace "No flies on Severus you know!"
By the time they had explained that colloquialism to the Polish twins they were at the castle.
"You head the Russian girl off, Hiob; Law and I will go to see the head" suggested CuHH "I DO have an impot to return anyway for having handed in the wrong sheet of paper last term."
CuHH had done the essay that was being handed in but had absently instead handed in a rather clever satirical poem about Madam Granger which had been written at the time that Hermione had been being snippy with the first and had never been intended for anyone to see it once she had lightened up a little; and Severus had felt he had no choice but to set the boy a holiday imposition of a sonnet on the joys of Arithmancy. CuHH loathed Arithmancy only slightly less than he hated properly formed poetry and had duly struggled. It would be of use, ultimately, for chanting and so he pursued the punishment poem with more philosophy than had he viewed it merely as properly sanctioned pupil torturing.
oOoOo
Severus received the poem and listened to Law's explanation. He nodded.
"I am aware that Miss Paslenova has been sent to spy" he said "And too that she has probably been told a pack of lies. Keep it to yourselves; I should like her to approach me of her own free will and open up to me. If she doesn't, then is the time to consider other tactics. I think I feel relieved that you don't feel her a threat as such and felt sorry for her fears, Law. She's in the capable hands of the Bee Too Marauders and I'm hoping they'll help her – as well as the general atmosphere of the school – to realise which are the er, goodies and baddies in the situation."
"Trust your feelings; you know them to be true" said CuHH – the MSHG had recently watched Star Wars again – "Come to the English side, it is your destiny."
"Something along those lines" said Severus equably "It's not a bad effort, CuHH; enterprising use of an Alexandrine for the last couplet."
"Thanks sir" said CuHH wondering what an Alexandrine was. Severus laughed.
"Twelve syllables, or rather six iambics" he said.
"Right; thanks sir" said CuHH wishing that the Head were not always so omniscient about one's deficiencies.
Still, it was good to know he was on the ball over this spy; and you could not have one without the other. He made his bow, as did Law, and they left.
"Did you do an Alexandrine for the last couplet on purpose?" asked Law curiously.
"Not hardly!" said CuHH "I was trying to write it all in Iambic Pentameter but I kind of lost control of the metre. Still, if he thinks it was all right and actually marginally clever I might manage to remember that for future reference. I HATE sonnets."
"Shelley got away with making up his own rules" said Law "At least that 'Ozymandias' piece isn't either Shakespearean or Italian in style."
"Haven't a clue what you're talking about" said CuHH.
"Oh yeah, I forgot; I got interested and read through the book" said Law. "Shakespearean is the three quatrains and a couplet that he told you to set it in. I guess it's the simplest."
"The simplest is ruddy limericks" said CuHH.
They were not to know that the discussion of poetry forms was a relief to Danica who was waiting to see Professor Snape since that meant it was not over her that they had come to see the head; which was in fact the reason CuHH had suggested bringing his punishment poem along too.
oOoOo
"I expect, my dear, that the children in the class I hope you will be in have already filled you in on what you have missed out on" said Severus kindly "And the compulsory subjects that they take to OWL; the equivalent of the Russian SOW."
Danica gulped. He was certainly fearsome to look on with that livid scar down one side of his face; and his black eyes seemed to bore into her soul. But his voice was kindly, and with the smile he gave her his face was somehow reassuring and more good looking than the scar ought to suggest.
"Yes Professor" she answered him "They have been showing me some arithmantic principles; they are of the opinion that I should be quite good at it. I have also a hobby of gardening which I take fairly seriously; so might I study please Herbology? And Beta suggested I might try metalwork; I do not know anything about it."
Severus nodded.
"It would go quite nicely with the enchanting and runic studies you have made to date" he said "And Arithmancy helps with the most complex pieces; the power of prime numbers works well with the crafting of traditional goblin items as with more esoteric attempts. I shall require you to learn Charms, Potioneering and Arithmancy as you will have discovered; Herbology is a good study alongside potioneering as well as an end in itself for those keen on such. Though it took a group of small imps in Durmstrang to combine Herbology, runes and ritual magic to make a magical maze" he added cheerfully. "Enterprising brats; a group who are in correspondence with some of our own enterprising brats, my daughter Lilith and friends – she's in Hogwarts school – and my daughter Jade's oldest adoptive boy. I believe that the Russian and German tradition is to sniff at Herbology; which is their loss. They sniff at potioneering too, which is the subtlest of the arts. Well, unless you hate any of the subjects you are currently studying I suggest you continue with them as they stand; you will have picked up more of charms than you realise from the applications of enchanting as I think you will find; Potioneering you will come to new, and I hope you have enough grounding in gardening to give you a good start in Herbology too. I think it would be a waste of studying enchanting and runes not to take up chanting also; a good grounding for future forays into ritual magic and if you prove apt, the Order of the Dragon may be opening its doors to females someday soon. They'll certainly be looking for Russian speaking teachers for the free school of which they are planning the inception; which is a job to consider if you had not yet considered a career. That is nine subjects; by all means study a tenth in metalworking and we shall see how well you do; or you may look on it as a hobby for now and take it more seriously as an OWL beside your NEWTS."
"I – I did not know the Sons of the Dragon would be looking for teachers," said Danica, more for something to say than anything else. Severus smiled.
"It is something of a new endeavour for them; and not to worry you for a while yet, merely something to consider. Now, I have drawn you up an interim special timetable to add remedial studies; you will find it easier I think to sit in with the third years in their potioneering classes, which can be scheduled in as part of your work. Madam Burke teaches junior potions and I will also have you for an extra remedial period once a week. You will start your remedial Arithmancy with my wife, Madam Malfoy as she goes under in school, who will also start you on charms before you progress to my third wife, Madam Parnassus, and she will also start you with chanting. Madam Malfoy came to education late and she knows all the pitfalls. You will dedicate all Saturday morning to catching up and with luck you will be on a par with your class, with a little extra holiday study, by the time you all start back in the new academic year next September. How fast you progress is very much up to how much you put in; but you may always come to a member of staff to ask questions at any time. I wish to test you out as well to find out if you have any wild talent in divination or geomancy; because if so, I would negotiate dropping one of your other new subjects to pursue a talent. I strongly advise that you also join the MSHG; has it been explained to you?"
"Beta mentioned it" said Danica "As a sort of self-help club."
Severus nodded.
"That's more or less what it is" he said "It started in England to practice defences against the dark arts when we were fighting Voldemort; and we disguised our efforts in a silly sounding name. People air all sorts of problems – not just academic but personal – informally. Those adults who attend give advice without it becoming official; though at times such matters have arisen that have need more formal attention. I acquired two of my wards from the time the oldest told the group that her parents quarrelled causing an horrific scar on her face for not noticing she was in the way of their jinxing; it's one reason I never remove my own scar since that gave her courage to speak of her own. She was afraid for the safety of her little sister" he smiled "And both are now long left school and married happily; because they have had the example of how to be happy. And actually, the younger of the two, Madam Harmony Weasley, will be available to be your special tutor to take any of your new work to; except Arithmancy. She will be very relieved that you appear to be a natural arithmancer! She's a fine herbologist – took it to NEWT as it happens as one of her five subjects – and if you DO fetch up having a bump of direction she will coach you in Geomancy. I also want her to teach you some History; not as an exam class if you don't discover a yen for it, but to make sure you understand the background of why what has happened over time has happened. Those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it, you know; and I like all my students to have at least a basic grounding."
Severus smiled kindly at the anxious looking child, and went on,
"Don't worry; she'll tell it as a series of stories and won't expect you to answer questions; though she'll be delighted if you care to ask questions. Poor child!" he added "It's a lot to cope with, isn't it? But then, it was a lot for the pupils at my daughter's free school for those ineligible for Durmstrang to catch up to take five subjects to fourth year level in one year, and some of them taking all to OWL level. One lad went from being illiterate to taking and passing six ZP's, as they call them, in that one year; which is impressive by anyone's standards, but proves that such is possible, hmm?"
"I shall do my best Professor" said Danica; and she meant it. No illiterate boy was going to outdo her efforts! Besides, she loved learning; was that not why she had agreed to take on this task in the first place, to take up a place in the school for pure bloods? And yet… if she studied metalwork and chanting here, they were not subjects offered; nor, if she DID have a talent, geomancy nor Divination. "I have heard too that you offer a qualification in Quidditch; I love the game though I don't know if I'm any good."
"Then by all means take the classes" said Severus "It is one of the specialist subjects we teach here. My daughter Lydia married Viktor Krumm; so as he wanted badly to coach youths to prepare a grounding we added it to the curriculum as a less academic but still serious study. The exam is based on the exams for officials of the game and is recognised by the IAQ as covering a portion of those exams. It's another career choice to consider; and I don't believe in trying to force any child into too tight a path as early as OWLs. And it's nice to be able to keep options open even at a later stage too. You won't know if you're on your head or your heels at first; but your parents wrote that you enjoyed academic study so I suspect you would rather work to near exhaustion for a few weeks rather than go back a year and take longer to catch up, hmm?"
"Oh yes sir; I'm happy to work as hard as it takes!" cried Danica, her eyes sparkling.
"Good girl" said Severus. Poor child; she was doing this to gain an education; and actually was starting to realise that she would get a better education at Prince Peak and was wondering how to hang on to that, and whether to invent some spurious ritual that would take a long time to discover the meaning of in order to make sure they sent her at least to cover her OWLs.
"Sir, do we study ritual at all?" asked Danica.
"Well it's a part of NEWT level Enchanting; and too of higher level chanting" said Severus "And most of the staff are readily enough sidetracked onto one sort of ritual or another by interested sixth form classes. I don't teach it formally except at post graduate level to selected pupils. Traditional ritual is limited by the weakest member of the group and I find it a little spurious; too many ritual wizards are didactic about rules learned by rote. I don't teach it because those employing ritual wizards tend to be among those didactic old fools who know only what pertains to their own job and are chary of actually doing anything as radical as thinking or trying something new. Those I train as post graduate are generally those who wish to be aurors or freelance cursebreakers or have other similar freelance careers in mind where being able to write a new ritual isn't actually going to upset anybody for whom they work. I have a very equivocal attitude to ritual; because it's the source of the greatest application of power in the world and yet is so easily abused or used with inefficiency. You will learn soon enough that a Snape catchphrase is 'I hate inefficiency' and nobody with a closed mind can use ritual with efficiency. Even as the dark arts are like a many headed monster, ever growing and mutable, and any who would oppose them must be as ready to be flexible and changeable so too a ritual wizard must be aware that actually no two situations are ever precisely similar and so be ready to be adaptive with his ritual; instead of approaching it with the formulaic way that most wizards undertake the same. Including the Order of the Dragon" he added, noting that the girl was wondering about grasping at the straw of needing to be in his NEWT and postgraduate classes. He continued,
"I consider that any Warlock or Sorceress who does not use ritual as a matter of course is a bit second rate; but then, too many people who fancy themselves ARE a bit second rate. If ritual comes to you naturally as you progress in your chanting, then you will be a great Sorceress; but like poetry, if it does not come naturally it were better that it did not come at all
"Oh" said Danica, unsure what else to say. She had a feeling that she was grasping at some really important information here if only she knew enough to use it; but she did not. "Thank you sir" she added.
He smiled again.
"I'll have you shown to your dormitory to unpack and put your things away" he said "I expect your dormitory mates will have just about finished; they haven't much to sort out. The elf who escorts you will also show you then to the common room where they will have gathered until Kaffee und Kuchen. You may spend until then with them, but between Kaffee und Kuchen and Abendessen I shall ask sundry of my staff to test you in Divination and Geomancy, and Professor Chang will give you an introduction to the metalworking dungeon to see if you have any aptitude there. Then I shall draw up your timetable tonight and will try to have it for you before you go to bed" he smiled at her. "Have you been told that I expect a curtsey when you enter and leave the study and that you rise for professors entering the room?"
She shook her head. Had they set her up to seem discourteous, the others on the train?
"I did not know the rule" she said.
"Heedless brats to take it as given" sighed Severus "The prefects warn new children at the beginning of a new year; I expect your form mates were too interested in testing your Arithmancy to give a thought to the appurtenances of civilisation. Because it is natural to them. Well, you will pick up our customs as well as the rules; ask them to explain the leisure rules and where you may, and where you may NOT do schoolwork."
Danica managed some kind of curtsey and fled. It was all a very great deal to take in!
And the elf who escorted her to her dormitory was helpful but not subservient; and actually did a lot of the explaining about school rules too which was nice. Danica was left at the common room.
"You did not tell me to curtsey" she said.
Beta clapped a hand to her mouth.
"Our bad!" said Vava "Was the old man waxy – er, was Professor Snape much put out?"
"No, he said that you were heedless brats and had doubtless forgotten in the heat of Arithmancy" said Danica.
"Heh, he knows us well" said Hette "Sorry, Danica! We rise also for Professors when they come into a classroom and to the high table for meals, or for a visitor, and it's actually customary to drop a curtsey to the head if addressing him any time though he only commands it in his study. We like to be polite though, especially in front of the niculturniy like supremacists."
"I should have thought" said Beta "It's too much second nature to us all I guess! And you fitted in with us rather well."
"Oh, that's all right" said Danica "He said I was to ask you about the leisure rules, though the elf who showed me about explained a lot."
"It's the principle of growing bodies needing a balance of work, rest and play" said Beta. "And those of us who are elves and who need less sleep are encouraged to have hobbies instead and to relax our minds. I'm permitted to rise an hour ahead of anyone else because of it but if I wake before MY rising time I must read in bed because I am growing, even if not very much" she grinned "But I am working on the big-elf form that was our natural form before we were cursed as a race into the small form. And that will take much energy so I shall be glad to rest while I perfect it. Madam Sirri Snape has such a form so she could marry the Headmaster or he would not have countenanced a marriage with her because of the size difference and the risk of killing her with half-breed babies. She's one tough lady and we elves all really admire her; she has the zig-zag scar because she's one who actually fought Voldemort and helped bleed for Harry Potter."
"How did that work?" asked Danica. Beta shrugged.
"Blood ritual" she said "You should read Professor Snape's book 'Blood Magic, Love Magic'; it explains all the things Odessa never could get and kept sending spies to try to find out; and I guess the Sons of Zirnitra will find it just as hard to understand too."
"What Beta means is that you can't have any kind of efficient ritual without love" said Vava. "Love is the most powerful magic. Love can make even muggles perform as though they'd taken strength potions to rescue their children and so on. Read the book; and then if any idiots in Russia want to know why the English are so powerful you can explain that it's the ones who understand love. And then you'll also know if you were up for considering being a marauder or if you still want a quiet life and don't actually want to fight. And there's the first bell for Kaffee und Kuchen so line up people and let's march to the Hall because I'm ravenous."
oOoOo
After the coffee and sweet cakes and breads that was the early evening meal Danica found herself whisked off and told to try various pieces of divination equipment and to stand on a particular spot and feel which way she was pointing and was told that as she seemed to have no rare talents in these two subjects it would be little use jeopardizing her other subjects with yet more studies; and the oriental looking professor who was hardly more than a boy himself gave her a brief safety lecture and encouraged her to try pouring molten metal and drawing a wire through a former.
"You have no special talent though I fancy you could be good enough if you decided to work at it" said Professor Chang. "I'm told by the head that it's something you wish to ally with your enchanting; may I make a suggestion?"
"Sir?" said Danica who had quite enjoyed herself.
"I think you should join the first year class" said Ming "And learn the basics with them. And if you find you progress, you can move up a class or two. But in view of the fact that you are learning so much else, treating it as a hobby might be wise at the moment. We can see next year how you go on, whether it's worth you doing an accelerator class to take you to OWL then, or whether you might take it in your lower sixth year, and the NEWT in the upper sixth, should you wish it; or even take the OWL alongside your NEWTs and consider taking it further as a post grad course with ritual enchantment and so on as a post NEWT student. There are ways to earn your way through that year if you need to" he added. "By coaching slow learners in one or more subjects. Our artists and musicians are sometimes a little deficient in their other studies! But you don't show the sort of form that has me hurtling off to the head to demand that you give up potions for it; I value my hide too well" he grinned. "Mind, if you were a genius I might just consider demanding it. Is my offer acceptable?"
"Oh yes sir" said Danica "I really want the chance to learn as much as I can but I DO recognise that taking too many subjects might cause me to come to grief with the others."
"Good girl" said Ming "Going from four subjects to nine is tough enough. Taking ten might be a little beyond you. I know plenty of people who have caught up five or six subjects in a year or two; but it can be at the expense of grades, especially as you do also have the homework of the four you already know! If I were you I'd concentrate on getting pass grades on the four you already study, and then study them like stink in the holidays to aim for a higher grade NEXT year. And I'll tell the appropriate professors what I've advised too" he added. "Madam Malfoy will concur; and so too will Professor Maxime. Madam Parnassus got horribly behind when she was at school because of something that happened to her – none of your business – in her home life; and Professor Beckard will need me to talk at him. Which I am quite capable of doing" he added. "If your parents wish it, I expect that holiday tuition could also be arranged; it will be much more informal but you won't half pick up a lot! When we stay over the holidays, conversations tend to roam way above NEWT level and then it's a shock to hear one of the preschool kids discussing with perfect understanding some NEWT level principle. Several of the professors have children who reside in the nursery here and have lessons with local wizarding children" he explained. "They tend to absorb knowledge through the skin as it were. It's why Lilith Snape went up to school two years early; she's two years younger than you and in the same year at Hogwarts, where she's already taken a large number of OWLs and NEWTs and pulled japes that caught even seniors; but then Lilith IS exceptional. She has all the power of her grandfather with the advantage of also being a dear little girl without an ounce of vice."
"Why then, who IS her grandfather?" asked Danica.
"Oh, Voldemort" said Ming "Madam Malfoy is his daughter. And her opinion of her errant parent is fairly unprintable, I can tell you! She's part of the pact that supported Harry of course. Actually we have been having a discussion over what would have happened if the Order of the Dragon and Voldemort had gone head to head; and we reckon it would have been touch and go, with the edge to the Order since they at least mostly co-operate willingly with actual friendships within, rather than always scheming to be higher in the Dark Lord's favour as in the Deatheaters of Voldemort. Friendly rivalry is good; anything else is dead inefficient and stupid. Well, kiddo, hop along; it's almost Abendessen and you'll want to wash up after doing sweaty things here for me."
Danica hopped with more to think about!
oOoOo
Lessons were tough; and Danica discovered to her horror that even with hard work she would find it hard to do more than scrape a pass grade in the four subjects she knew anyway! The class she was in was well beyond anything she had learned hitherto; but fortunately she had the sense to mention this to Beta, who took her promptly to the head.
Severus listened to Beta's firm explanation.
"Well, Danica, we have two or three options here" he said kindly "We can put you down a year to the third; which is not the end of the world because it means you can lighten up on the extra work as they are only themselves just starting electives. Or you can consider dropping one or more subjects that you are less able at; though I see that fills you with dismay. Or you can live with being bottom of the class for a while – I shan't consider it any reflection on you – as you come to terms with the huge amount of extra work and maybe forgo your summer holiday in order to do lessons instead. I don't LIKE the idea of children working through the holidays; it seems to me a shame to cut into leisure when you have the opportunity to rest your brain and return fresh to work. But once in a while I suppose it cannot hurt; and we should send you back home for a two week break at the end of the holiday. You'd live in with my family and have to put up with the odd interruption of people needing me to sort out stuff – and the fact that I want to be present at the wedding of my daughter in England when she leaves school – and such like. You'll be amazed though even two or three hours study every day does for you if you had the mornings studying and the afternoons off to play with Hette and Vava and Rudi and Sylvana who are locals, and Beta, Lucy and Sarah who are residents. Lucy is my ward; Sarah stays in the mountains for the good of her health. Your classmates have a large number who are around all holidays; and I imagine they'd be happy to revise by helping you too. I'm only going briefly to England this year to be on hand in case the Sons of Zirnitra decide to do anything silly when they think I'm out of the castle; and you'll have the option to chat to famous wizards like Harry Potter, who has agreed to hold the fort for me while Mimi and Darryl get married. I'm not missing the chance to give my daughter away and these blasted idiots are not going to stop me doing so."
"You are not then afraid of them?" asked Danica.
"Afraid? I think you overestimate their chances" Severus was really pleased to dredge up a less common Star Wars quote. "Why should I be afraid? They are amateurs; I have forgotten more about the dark arts than any of them ever knew. Dammit, my daughter LILITH has forgotten more about the Dark Arts than most of them probably know and she's only thirteen! But then for such types, the Killing Curse is the pinnacle of the Dark Arts; and the subtleties of its more insidious toils just pass them by or they'd try to do something a bit more clever than a brute force assault. Still, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good and the supremacists have financed four full seven year scholarships for impoverished children of whatever race by sending Zilants against us; we got a good price selling the parts as I was able to prepare them to the highest standard. And I fancy we depleted their numbers enough to make them think twice about doing the same thing again; because there comes a time when I get sick of trying to reason with people who have no powers of reasoning and then I get mean and just dispose of them."
Beta opened her mouth, about to ask why the head was being so forthcoming; shot a rapid look at Danica, opened her eyes in revelation and gave Severus a look of profound respect and awe. The Head WAS omniscient; and he knew what he was doing.
"You know, Dani, if you go down a year, they're a good bunch there; they'll just accept that it was a lack of opportunity that held you back" she said "And Professor Snape's adopted son Siegfried is in that class too. And if you want to stay the hols, the rest of us who will be here WILL help like mad; and perhaps your parents could come on holiday here? There's a lot of really nice mountain walks and there are water sports on the Achensee not far away, though it's awfully cold because of the springs. Whatever you choose, we'll all help out as hard as we can."
"May – may I think about it?" asked Danica "Have I to choose to go down or stay up immediately?"
"No; I should think though you ought not to spend more than a week thinking about it" said Severus.
Danica nodded; she would be expected to report before then and could ask for instructions. They would be angry that she was not keeping up; but that was not her fault, but the fault of the school she had been at. And she would indeed write home; THEY would want to know what she had written to her parents and would then perhaps have them mail her instructions. She took herself to the owl loft.
Danica wrote that the lessons in this school were far more advanced then in her previous school such that she was having to catch up at the four lessons she had already studied as well as having to learn enough to catch up almost four years in the other five subjects Professor Snape considered necessary to make her an able enough student and explained the options he had suggested, leaving out the suggestion of dropping a subject.
The owl returned at breakfast with the message that her parents had been instructed to inform her to take the opportunity to study Snape in the holidays and to do as well as she was able. Any extra fees for her keep and tuition in the holidays would be found. Her parents wished her well and begged her not to make herself ill with overwork. There was the additional information that she was to fire talk at midnight to give a report. Danica paled. She had very little TO report; not that they would accept.
She was preoccupied in class and Dione Parnassus asked her sharply if the letter from home had contained bad news.
And Danica made up her mind and asked if she might not speak to Madam Parnassus after morning school.
oOoOo
"…And so you see I find myself out of my depth because I want to stay here at school, but because I have been paid for by THEM they will extract payment in some way from my parents, probably by killing them if I don't spy for them" said Danica, having sobbed out the whole tale to Dione.
Dione gave her a cuddle; remembering for herself how much it meant to a frightened lonely young girl who did not feel that she had any options.
"First you are coming to Professor Snape so you can tell him about it" she said gently.
"Oh, won't he expel me, or do something terrible to me?" cried Danica "And he has been so kind, I don't want him to think badly of me!"
"My dear child, Severus has known all along that the Sons of Zirnitra had sent you" said Dione "But he wanted you to feel that you could tell him for yourself; not have to tell you that he knew. He will be pleased that you have the courage to tell him, you know; because he thinks you a plucky child to come into such danger. You should remember that he and Krait – Madam Malfoy – were undercover spying on Voldemort for years; so he and she particularly appreciate how much courage it takes to stand into what seems to be such danger. You have never been in danger from us here; but you were not to know that. Their offer of what you longed for most – education – was a wicked manipulation of a child. And though Krait was not much older when she decided to spy on her horrid father, for she was not quite sixteen, she made the decision and told Severus that she was going to join him. It never for a moment occurred to him to ask it of her, even discovering that he had the guardianship of Voldemort's abandoned daughter. And therein lies one of the differences between Severus and the ones controlling you; that he has CARE for those under his protection and does not use them. Come!"
"Please can Beta and the twins come too?" she asked.
"Of course" said Dione "Though what the twins know, all their fellow marauders will know; marauders do NOT keep secrets from marauders."
"Oh, well, Jo and Kizzy and Viridian may as well come too then" said Danica "I just didn't feel I'd got to know them so well."
"You will" said Dione and sent a blood pulse to the four little girls and boy with firm instruction to bring Beta too. She had a feeling they were considering bringing Danica in anyway; and there was Vivienne to join, and Henik in the fourth and they might as well have a ceremony and do the lot at once; which was why Severus had issued instructions to the first to hold back on Vivienne for a week or two as she could come in with others which they were to explain to her.
And bringing in Danica to protect her was as good a reason as any.
oOoOo
Severus listened as Danica stumbled through her story for a second time, with Beta and Vava holding a hand on each side.
"She IS worthy to maraud; I thought so" said Vava. "I say, Beta, will YOU join us now? I know you're a peaceable person but Danica's sort of your friend now and it seems a shame to bring her in and not you."
"I may prefer to avoid violence, but I know that I CAN fight for what I believe in" said Beta "And I will maraud. We were rescued out of Russia; and frankly the marauders are going to have to DO something about Russia sooner or later or it will be as bad as Germany was. If it isn't already as bad as Germany was. And us native Russians have a sort of responsibility to do it."
"Excellent sentiments if atrocious grammar" said Severus. "Danica, we will do all we can to protect your parents; and there's no harm in the school offering you a scholarship and paying back what has so far been paid out. And I think there's a sweet irony in paying out of the monies we got selling Zilant hide and innards" he grinned boyishly. "I think if you feel able you should keep this appointment tonight and tell them that you have the opportunity to study ritual next year and that I host symposiums for invited witches and wizards in the holidays – which I do in some respect save that they are more informal than a pure symposium – and that you might be very close to the ritual that makes the English so powerful."
"What if he asks details?" asked Danica. "And when you say, if I feel able, do you mean I don't have to do it?"
"You don't have to do it" said Severus "Only as it's rather short notice it gives me more options to keep your parents safe if you can do it. If you can't we'll just move them out in a hurry. It's merely more convenient if you can do it; but my convenience is less important than your fear."
"I can do it" said Danica "But only if you give me some details."
Severus grinned.
"Tell them it's blood magic" he said.
"Is it?" asked Danica.
"In a manner of speaking" said Severus "And to protect YOU I'm going to let you take part in the ritual too – if you truly DO want to maraud."
"Do; it's wonderful to belong so much" said Kizzy.
"I – yes!" said Danica "HE would have ORDERED me to report; not given me any option. And he would have sneered if I had shown fear. I HATE him; and I LIKE the goblins and the elves I have met, so there!"
oOoOo
The first year Marauders blinked slightly at the blood pulse; grabbed Vivienne and hurried to the head's office.
oOoOo
Arbrek went in search of Henik and drew his adoptive cousin along to the office too.
oOoOo
Various members of the school including staff went to the office.
"Severus, what ARE you like?" scolded Hermione "This is very precipitate!"
"Well then obviously what I am like is very precipitate" said Severus calmly. "All right; we be of one blood, ye and I; slit palms on my mark."
And the four new ones were being brought in; and Vivienne threw herself on the brother who she was now closer to than she could ever have been, the blood bond cutting through any reserve left over the curse she had been under; Henik wept to have Arbrek like a real brother; and Beta embraced Danica who clung to her and also to Severus sobbing in sheer relief that she was not alone, would never be alone again, would have the chance at education and the love of all these wonderful people too!