Chapter 19
The first team played another quidditch match against the Strasburg Swans; and this team gave some respect to the Durmstrang seeker after having heard of her prowess on wizarding wireless!
Jade almost did not play, having sent excuses for a couple of practises as she had homework to mark; and when Madam Rundqvist complained that she did not take quidditch seriously enough retorted that she certainly did not take it as seriously as undertaking a duty of care to those who required coaching to hope to pass the exam subject she was teaching and that Madam Rundqvist might look up in a dictionary that the definition of a school involved the passing of information and that a game involved enjoyment; and that the school team were not, nor were they supposed to be, professionals nor playing with a professional level of concentration and that any school child, unless too dim to excel at anything else, who concentrated on games to the detriment of his school work was going the right way about being expelled for wilful stupidity and if she thought that she could do better with another seeker, she might look for one if she thought so little of Madam Bacsó's desires that her school should show some degree of academic excellence.
She was thrown off the team and Madam Rundqvist promptly lost all her chasers, her keeper and one of her beaters. Xia Xuang did not resign as doing well at quidditch WAS her only hope since she was not academic.
Jade was reinstated in a hurry as the match was in two days time; and though they lost to Strasburg it was a good match and Jade felt that she had acquitted herself well enough even though the Strasburg seeker had pipped her to the snitch. As Jade said cheerfully afterwards,
"He's the pro; I can't be lucky enough to be matched against a baboon on a stick every time."
Madam Rundqvist had to admit that Jade flew better without much practice than most of the team did with practice; Madam Bacsó had exchanged certain words with that lady over her obsessions and over the stress that Jade had volunteered for in teaching alongside studying her own subjects including those she must study in her free time because their taught classes coincided with the teaching she was doing. Madam Rundqvist had said sulkily that she could not see what such a natural quidditch player was doing wasting her time on so many academic studies when she had a lucrative job to walk into anywhere as a seeker.
"Ask her" said Agata "But don't blame me if you don't like the answer!"
Unwisely, Frida Rundqvist did just that; and Jade said tactlessly
"Oh I don't have to waste my time playing sports for a living, I'm clever enough to get a real job!"
The lack of tact was partly deliberate; Jade was rather sick of seeing the little ones chivvied out to play coached quidditch during such free periods that they might choose knockabout games or read or study or do any hobbies. She had in fact sought out Madam Rundqvist to tell her so but was not about to raise her issue until a member of staff had raised hers, however stupid.
Rundqvist spluttered.
She had one ZH however; and could not deny not being academic.
"But why would you want to have an academic job when you could have more fun playing seeker?" she said.
Jade gave her a fishy look.
"Some of us find fun in translating ancient passages that have never received a full translation; or developing a new potion; and actually I find it a rewarding job stimulating young minds and helping them to achieve their full potential and find goals to work towards that have a little more meaning than dumping the pill through three hoops" she said "children should play games for the good of their health and to develop hand-eye co-ordination; and learning to work as a team is an important part of social development. But the beautiful game is a game; and I can't imagine anything worse than turning it into a chore with daily practise and having to play for money; somehow that makes something sordid of it. When I watch matches I try to forget that the players are playing for a wage. I try not to notice bookies. I prefer not to think about the practical side of the entertainments industry and the fact that players will let themselves be bought and sold by different clubs like so many good-time girls; and probably with as much control over their lives and who they play for as the said girls. It's nasty; and I had rather be nothing to do with it; even if I wasn't clever enough to do so many other things."
Rundqvist sneered.
"And teaching Dark Arts isn't nasty?"
"Well if you study it properly at least it isn't sordid; and I bet you'd run to me quick enough to kill any dementors that settled on your precious pitch; or to ask for advice over how to tie up a solid contract with sidhe who wanted to play a quidditch game for the souls of the under twelves. They do from time to time you know; happened nearly two hundred years ago and thirty kids got carted off into slavery because the contract wasn't tied up tight enough; it's in the history of Durmstrang dossier in the library. Go and look if you don't believe me" she added as Rundqvist paled "I know how to tie it up so solid even if they win we have clauses to get us out. The Sidhe are the most dangerous dark creatures in the world because they have laws and codes. And most people don't even realise how dark they are because plenty of them are pretty. Pretty! Heh!" she said. "And good at illusion magic too. You do your job; and let me do mine. And I suggest you check the limits of yours because if you don't stop giving the juniors nightmares that they can't get off their brooms because you won't let them do anything in their free – FREE – time except be coached I'll jolly well report you for abuse to Madam Bacsó because you're as much a ruddy bully as Hedda Schrempf in your own way; and the sooner you get into your bludger-damaged head that not every kid wants to play quidditch all the time, and even if they want to play they don't want to be supervised and chivvied at it, the better. I caught two little girls sobbing their hearts out in the loo – which is why I actually was coming to see you, not to answer stupid questions about why I should waste my time turning fun into boredom – plotting to burn all the school brooms so nobody could make them play again. That of a VOLUNTARY exercise you've made compulsory. You are making them hate quidditch you know; so in five and six years time you won't HAVE a first team because they'll associate it with misery and will refuse to play. And if you throw me off the team again for telling you a few unpleasant truths I'll ruddy well stay off, honour of the school notwithstanding and so will all the others except Xia and you and she can make up the ruddy team together. Are you actually hearing me?"
As this was delivered at the top of Jade's opera trained lungs in the middle of the quidditch pitch it was safe to say that a sight more people than Rundqvist heard her.
Rundqvist paled.
"They should get out more; and playing quidditch is fun and they need supervision!" she said.
"Fun? And if I chased you in and made you spend all YOUR free periods doing simultaneous equations that I happen to find fun how would YOU feel? Not everyone has the same idea of fun; and you're SPOILING their fun. You're SPOILING the game for those who want to play knock around games; and learning skills, incidentally, even if they DON'T adhere to match rules. You are putting the juniors OFF quidditch. How many ways must I say it?"
"I don't believe you!"
"All right; let me turn you invisible and you come into the junior common room" said Jade "And just listen; don't say anything. Just listen."
"Very well" said Rundqvist.
"Which of you kids wants a game of quidditch?" asked Jade.
"Oh Fraulein Von Strang MUST we? SHE's always forcing us to do it" said Sofie.
"She is the cat's mother; that was rude" said Jade.
"She's rude to us; says, 'you there, girl'" said Sofie "She can't even be bothered to remember our names; all she's got room in her head for is horrid old rules and moves and stuff; we aren't allowed to PLAY quidditch we have to have lessons in our spare time; I wish she'd get killed like Viktor Krumm even though he wasn't so we didn't have to play quidditch."
"I used to like it but she makes it such a drag" said a Swiss girl called Sarah "I don't even like having to watch you big ones play real matches any more; it's just so many numbers and I want to yawn. I'll NEVER get my knitting finished and then there'll be no present for my baby cousin."
"I thought we didn't HAVE to play quidditch" whined Anisoara Fieraru.
"We aren't supposed to have to" said Herwald "I hate it now; the minute you put a nose outside to go for a nice walk, you get pounced on and made to play; I've taken to lurking indoors and hoping she doesn't hoik me out; it isn't healthy but it's better than quidditch, quidditch, quidditch like there's nothing else in the world; reckon she has erumpants loose in her top playing field!"
"You know that as a part time member of staff I can't let you say that to me, Herwald" said Jade.
"Sorry Fraulein; I wish you weren't teaching so we could just tell it like it is and say how much we hate her" said Herwald.
"At least when Madam Schrempf's class was over it stopped hurting and you could escape" said Sofie "You can't escape Madam Rundqvist, she's always torturing us and forcing us to play even when it isn't her class. I hate her! She's a dark creature! 'cos a dark creature is defined by intent; and she must hate us or why would she be so cruel?"
"It's more that she feeds on quidditch and seeks food without realising or caring that she preys on others; be fair" said Jade.
"We'd feel fairer to her if she was fair to us" said Kjell "She hoiked some of us out of a free study period and I got an hour detention from Herr Rebet because I hadn't been able to finish my essay because I'd had to wait until then for the book; so I lost my slot for it and got a Ukrainian diatribe and lost another hour of free time to do the wretched essay because she can't read enough words to look up what free time means in the dictionary."
"Well I'll try to intercede on your behalf; can I have a show of hands of which of you babes actually still enjoys playing quidditch….. three out of the twenty eight of you; who enjoys SUPERVISED quidditch…. Zero out of twenty eight of you. Who USED to enjoy quidditch? Because if I can convince Madam Rundqvist that you don't like it as much as her because of being forced to play so much I'm sure she's fair enough to listen; she can't conceive that everyone doesn't want to eat sleep and dream quidditch."
"We DO dream quidditch and it's AWFUL!" said Elfleda "And when I get to have a study so I can't be chased out I'm never going to play quidditch ever again!"
The show of hands for who had enjoyed quidditch had been slightly more than half.
"Right then; I'll go see her" said Jade.
"If she doesn't see out point we already decided we just refuse to mount up" said Kjell "We had an indignation meeting; she can't punish us for refusing to do something that isn't compulsory in the rules."
"No she can't" said Jade.
She left and returned Madam Rundqvist to normal. It was fortunate that the juniors had been so loud as she had been gasping and making little cries of horror. She looked dreadful.
"They HATE me!" she said.
"Hardly surprising" said Jade "You'd hate someone who forced you to sit and do arithmancy. Who jeopardised your place on a team – which is the same as what you did to Kjell for getting him a detention! You should be ashamed of yourself; they dare not say they don't want to play because you hold being a grown up over them and say 'nonsense of course you do' as though they're as retarded as the average beater. Oh damn, sorry, you were a beater, weren't you? I didn't mean any offence. But I have known some pretty retarded beaters in my time. But to stop a kid doing prep work at the only time he can is low; very low. And I don't suppose you let the poor brat explain. If you have any honour you'll go to Herr Rebet and apologise and explain. Because that's lower than cobbing. No teacher gets a kid into trouble with another just for the fun of it; it's disgusting. And if you're surprised at the drop in numbers of those who liked the game I'm not."
"I only wanted the best for them!" wailed Rundqvist taking refuge in tears "I never meant to be unkind!"
"If I was in your boots" said Jade "I'd consider that little kids are usually very fair minded; and I'd apologise to the whole third, second and first and tell them that you were trying to give them a good time and didn't realise that you weren't and that you will try to make amends by giving tips – if they ASK – out of their lesson time; and just by watching if you happen by and calling out 'well played' if something was. And I should also in your boots suggest that if any of them would like a cross-country fly one fine Sunday you'll escort them, with NO quidditch talked. It'll all help their skills; especially jinking through trees in the forest. Let them fly races; coach without coaching. You're a damn good coach, if a little bit heavy; but give them back their love of flying!"
"All right; I'll do as you suggest. I was furious with you for your cheek but if they have lost a joy in the game I can see why that made you angry enough to be so cheeky."
Jade sighed.
She decided not to explain that it wasn't the erosion of the love of the beautiful game she minded so much as the erosion of the good health and happiness of the juniors.
Beaters really were retarded.
At least Rundqvist had an innate sense of honour that recognised Jade's sincerity; and she held out a hand.
The Quidditch coach shook it.
"Give 'em the year round and see them clamour to be part of a staff versus pupils match" said Jade. "Round Robin of four; first team, second team and best of the rest with a staff team as fourth."
"Are you coming back to teach full time?" asked Rundqvist.
"Oh yes, you'll have your seeker" said Jade.
Fortunately it was almost time for the holidays; and on the last day of school, at five o'clock in the morning, all those designated as to be in the blood group assembled in their dungeon.
Smoothly and almost silently other people started arriving; the scarred and unmistakable Professor Snape; whom Jade hugged; the tall blonde man with a scar who had featured as the human patronus, with a baby in his arms that Jade flew to and threw herself upon; Annet Breuer with a goblin child by the hand; goblins and elves; a black skinned boy who Jade shook hands with; and then she punched the arm of a big, thickset boy with tow coloured hair. Viktor Krumm was there wrapped around a girl so like Nefrita that Jade's friends looked at her to check. Jade was hugging a tiny girl with flaming red hair.
There was Harry Potter himself; the friends that were famous for being his friends even if names were uncertain in the minds of any but the oldest; Draco Malfoy, unmistakeably a cousin of Jade; two red haired men who looked enough alike to be brothers and one of whom was Harry's best friend; other Malfoys; and so many with the zig-zag scar.
It got rather cramped.
"Dad did you bring EVERYONE?" demanded Jade "It feels like it!"
"It seemed, that if this was the new branch, the prognosis would be more favourable with an eclectic selection of a moderately universal nature to give them the most advantageous mix" said Severus.
"That's dad-speak for he thought you'd have a better deal with everyone here" translated Jade.
"He's only logorrhoeac when he's in an unanticipated social situation" said Krait.
"She said dad gets wordy when there's a lot of people he doesn't know" said Jade.
"No wonder you're a bit inclined to the same yourself!" said Bertel.
The ceremony was counted down by Hermione – who liked to do the job – and palms were slit. Most old hands used diffindo; others used silver knives. And then the dungeon filled with the throbbing of a great drum like noise that was the combined heartbeats of more than a hundred hearts; and the new members gasped as the knowledge of their blood kin hit them; and the knowledge that all these people WERE kin, were closer than kin. And little Fyra and Alrik were like a little brother and sister too; Ritter gasping to realise that goblins weren't so different after all and was busy telling them emotionally that they were just a couple of years older than his half siblings.
And then they were drinking hot sweet cocoa; Severus had decided that crumpets were going to be too much bother in a cramped dungeon and the minimal blood sugar replenishment would do.
"You older ones will get to meet us more properly perhaps in the long holiday" said Severus "We have a ceremony on a grand scale; a kid was forced by his weirdo parents to commit suicide for being a wizard; he became a ghost. We're planning on putting him back in his body."
"Can that then be done?" gasped Cacilia
"They did if for me and I'd been dead fifty years" said Myrtle laconically. "My Abraxus gave his hand; Professor Dumbledore's giving his hand for this kid Seth and is going to be his new father. Anyone who cares to give blood for him is always welcome."
"Were – were these parents then muggles?" asked Traudl.
"Muggles with a strange belief and religion" said Lydia "And the two little girls ran away; so we're faking up a murder and getting the parents blamed by the muggle authorities. Nice piece of transfiguration; we did it with chanting. The little girls are safe now and Seth at least is a ghost in a friendly place if it doesn't work. But it will" she added "Dad's running the ritual; and nobody does ritual like dad does."
"He's so good in a group" purred Dione, snuggling. As Sirri and Krait were also snuggling her inference was quite clear.
"Grown ups can be very embarrassing; I do apologise for them" said Lilith and promptly got clipped across the back of the head by several pairs of fingers.
And then the English contingent were leaving; and the new members were left with both a sense of loss and a sense of having gained something unbelievable!
Jade was to stay in the castle over the Easter holiday, continuing to coach the exam classes rather than leaving them purely to revision; and she had insisted that quarters for herself, her husband, their son and Irmi should be found during that time. Madam Bacsó had been happy to agree; after all if Jade was coming back to teach in the following year, she would expect provision for her family. Wulf had agreed to a position as groundsman working too with Señor Carcano to collect animals to bring in for the junior classes; he did not feel qualified to teach although he had been studying hard to catch up on all he should have been taught in his youth. He also agreed to supervise preparation from time to time to give teachers a break; though that too would be a prefect duty. Next year would also see the installation of Nannerl Schwefel teaching geomancy; Jade suggested her to Madam Bacsó.
"Nannerl Schwefel? But Hesse told me that she had been killed in a raid against Prince Peak, captured and questioned until she died!" she said.
"We don't use torture; it's counterproductive" said Jade scornfully "Hesse either lied or made guesses based on how he'd treat a teacher from Prince Peak. She was one of four witches sent to take over the school after the first lot of dementors and stormwizards had subdued us, when dad and his family were the only ones in the castle in the holidays. They did NOT expect us to kill the dementors; the stormwizards expected to mop up and use the mind-dead girl children when their bodies grew up to breed on. The witches were expecting the children of the school, on their return, to just accept a fait accompli. Germans are so predictable; they always expect people to do what they're told so long as they shout loudly enough that they have authority! Mum held Nannerl because of all of them she was the one who was shocked to find out that dementors had been used; and she was a bit stubborn about actually admitting to being happier in our dungeons than in luxury with ODESSA – and mum had legilimensed her so she knew fine well how she really was feeling – so they threatened to let her go rather than have to keep feeding her with her fare back to Germany. And then Nannerl got really upset because she knew fine well she'd be tortured by ODESSA because they wouldn't believe that she had stayed loyal. Funny way they have of keeping loyalty; but there you go. So ODESSA should be kaput by September so she and her family will be safe for her to return. She's been serving in a shop to pay her way, though she has been going in to teach some classes in the free school over the last year to get her hand back in, but she'll be happier to teach in her own country. She's learned a lot but she still has trouble treating goblins as equals; I expect you'll sympathise with her on that."
"I do" said Agata "I am prepared to give more respect that I would have to goblins seeing that they have nicer habits than I realised – your little maid runs errands for me and is quite a sweet child – but I find the English choice to give them equality to humans extraordinary."
"German goblins are, as I have said, somewhat less civilised than English ones" murmured Jade gently hiding a smile that her suggestion to Fyra that she make herself useful to Madam Bacsó was bearing fruit!
Agata was not thinking about goblins; but about Nannerl Schwefel, a bright girl full of promise and respectful too; and how she had been angry that of the four young women she had heard had been sent to Prince Peak Nannerl was the one she would truly mourn, and was angry at the three who had returned to ODESSA as much as at the English; feeling sure that Erdmute Von Kessel, the leader of the group, had somehow been responsible. That Nannerl had not been tortured to death left her filled with joy; and the realisation that although she could not really see it of the English she HAD believed that stern Professor Snape had executed her or had her incarcerated in some deep political prison in England. That Nannerl herself had agreed to self imposed exile for her own and her family's safety she could well believe in retrospect. She was doing the right thing; she might have to make concessions to goblin rights and the mudbloods – though Jade had amply demonstrated that prejudice there was a fallacy – but ODESSA must fall. When well born witches who had done their duty to the best of their ability feared to be treated as criminals for being captured that was just the last straw.
"It would be better if there was a school that took the entirely muggle born and those of er, mixed blood and some brighter goblins; and then the trained mud….muggleborn could, over a generation or two, integrate better into our society" said Agata.
"It would be better than nothing" said Jade "And Wolf and I with Anett and Mort Bane were thinking of doing something of the kind. To have support from you would be very nice; and of course for a while we shall be the poor relation with fewer subjects available. However, perhaps we might arrange the option of transfer for the most talented muggleborn; if they prefer to try to brazen out at Durmstrang rather then transfer to Prince Peak; and if we DO get it running successfully, it means dad can afford to be pickier about who he accepts, because he really wants Prince Peak to be a specialist school for children of high talent, to develop the minority skills; rather than be half used as the dumping ground for English kids who are reckoned too delicate in temperament for Hogwarts – which either means, incidentally, that they have neurotic parents or they're horrid spoilt brats – and half for those children who are ineligible to go to Durmstrang. By the way, Adrian Petrescu; who was expelled for being nice to a house elf; what's the story from your end?"
"He defied Nachtigall; Hedda Schrempf backed up Nachtigall; Petrescu was extremely rude to her, and I had to back a staff member" said Agata. "Is he doing well?"
"Extremely; and my stepdaughter is one of his closest friends so she wanted to know the truth as you saw it" said Jade. "Adrian considers he was in the right; and, incidentally so do I though I can't see you had much choice but to back a staff member. In your shoes I might have arranged it differently; spoken to him, lied about Madam Schrempf having some home life trouble that made her touchy, and rather than expelling him told the lot to either Albus or Dad – or Madame Maxime I guess – and arranged a transfer. Small persons can't buck discipline with impunity but nor can you expect a kid to go against his conscience. Of course Hedda Schrempf made a small incident large; even without her innate sadism she was just unfit to be a teacher; not a CLUE how to handle kids! And having favourites just isn't on; you are always harder on any you feel partiality for than on the others; it's one of the unwritten rules of teaching – and for prefects!"
"This appears to be an English unwritten rule – will you explain it to me?"
Jade looked surprised.
"Well you wouldn't want a favourite to be ragged or despised for being teacher's pet, would you?" she said "Or if it's your own brat, you wouldn't want them pestered by idiots who think they can get round a parent who's teaching by making a pet of his little girl – it's rather a hard lesson to learn the hard way that sycophants are no true friends! No kid wants to be singled out as a favourite, do they? Either they must put up with being bullied for it or be labelled tattle-tale if they report things that on an unconnected kid would be reasonable to report. Nobody likes someone made a favourite; because it isn't fair. I bet the teachers are twice as hard on my kid sister Lilith in Hogwarts because she's two years younger than the rest 'cos she's so bright; and because they all know her. And quite right too."
Agata blinked.
The concept of it being unfair on the favourite to have favourites who were obvious had never occurred to her. She had grown up with the idea that teachers had favourites who ratted up the rest. Yes; she HAD thought it unfair in her time; but it had been the way it was.
"Your sister is up two years early? Why?" she asked.
"Oh because she's a genius; I shouldn't be surprised if she knows as much as me already, even if she hasn't the maturity to apply it all; and she'll certainly surpass me within a year or two!" said Jade proudly.
Agata shook her head in wonder.
"And not only do you not resent that, you sound pleased for her!" she said.
"Of course! She's my kid sister! I'm well proud of her; and only concerned that she doesn't get labelled a swot and get picked on; mind, she's no prig so I imagine she's in the centre of any mischief the weevils – first years – get up to" she added "And probably devising more than half of it. I just hope she doesn't get a swollen head for her abilities; but I should think the staff will sit on her pretty hard if she tries to show off too much" she went on "Because it's not an attractive trait and I'd hate her to be spoilt by being made too much of so she thinks she's something special. She is of course; but kids who think they're special are the most awful selfish stuck up brats. I expect they'll take the line 'yes dear, you're remarkably clever and you know a lot but you still have a lot to learn and by the way you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards, ten points from Slytherin for your appearance go and neaten up.' Depressing pretensions: the speciality of both Connie Hardbroom and Minerva McGonagall."
"I suppose that is why you English are so extraordinary; you consider it normal to prevent a child from showing off with an extraordinary ability; to – depress her pretensions you say – when it's no such thing as pretension but a real talent?"
"But does her talent make her a nicer person? Morally better than others? No it doesn't. And if she's allowed to think it does, she'll become a monster of vanity, convinced she is better than other people, and the idea of Lilith, who has more ability in her little finger than Voldemort had in his own body – she's his granddaughter, incidentally; mum is his daughter and Lilith is her eldest child – becoming a second Voldemort is scary. Because she'd do it far more efficiently than him; and has the ability to put England, the whole world, in thrall. And then I should have to kill my baby sister whom I adore – if I could manage it – because if she embarked on such a self destructive course, she's so young I think she'd find herself seduced by the dark side because she's too young to have the discrimination between the fascinating and the fascinatingly dangerous. We have safeguards against this; it was apparent from her infancy that she was something rather special; but there's no need to let her get to a point where she needs squashing." Jade reflected that the blood group, which also helped Lilith's development, would quickly pick up if she had any inappropriate feelings; and also the very fact of that deep bond of love would prevent any likelihood of Lilith becoming as cold and unemotional as she would have to be to become truly dark. And THAT had saved her from being affected by being surrounded by Krait-the-basilisk when that had been necessary to impress Voldemort. That Lilith had always been a snake animagus had been some cause for concern if she spent too much time in it; Jade knew, having been snake before she changed to wolf, that in snake form one's emotions were reduced. It permitted the use of pure logic if one was getting too emotionally involved in some problem and had its uses; but prolonged use of the form could be a little bad for a very small child. And Lilith's infant defiance had been to become snake.
It had been when Krait had discovered that homomorphous worked as well on an animagus as on a werewolf, using it in frustration.
And Lilith had always changed back when asked after that incident.
"I see; I see why that might be a matter for concern above the usual talented child" said Agata "You are not then Voldemort's granddaughter? Oh no – you said you were adopted, descended from the Malfoy; and yet as powerful as any pureblood and more so than most!"
"Mum was sired on a half muggle Malfoy by her halfblood father, Voldemort; dad is halfblood of the Prince family" said Jade "So Lilith's no pure blood princess either. And she's potentially more powerful than anyone since Merlin. And more important, we all love her to bits. Which is why she isn't going to be spoilt; or made teacher's pet."
"It's a lot to think on" said Agata. "And I do take your point about the fairness to one who is a favourite. I had never considered it before; but I will try to institute such customs. Because I recall hating the ones who WERE favoured; and for no other reason than that it wasn't fair!"
Durmstrang was going to improve; and with Agata as an ally so much quicker than Jade had ever hoped possible!