Chapter 3

The day might have been marred by the small but vocal knot of those protesting miscegenation over Gorbrin's wedding of Meliandra; but the neatly uniformed security trolls and half trolls hired by Lucius from the newly licensed Bodyguard Bureau were ready to discourage them. Desdemona, the part troll owner of the Bureau had been invited by Lucius too and she knew her 'boys' were just longing to show off how good they looked in their snappy new uniform. David had, with help from Lucius, forced through a law that any being was all being and that half trolls counted as beings save if they qualified to have a protection order on them for diminished responsibility, like children. And the law permitting certain trolls to be counted as beings who could prove the ability to understand speech and reply to simple questions intelligibly was in the process of passing; which would give Trurk in the Forbidden Forest status as a being, and too the father of many young half trolls who were in training under Desdemona, being Trurk's brother.

"Tiresome of them" said Draco, of the protestors. He strolled over. "I say, you oiks, if a Malfoy unbends to marry someone of lower family like a Bulstrode, what business is it of yours? It's not as though my brother Gorbrin was sullying our line by wanting to marry one of your poxy and vulgar wenches, the Bulstrodes do at least have some modicum of class doncherknow."

This insult brought a moment of stunned, indignant silence, then a burst of outraged shouting. Draco held up a languid hand. His charisma made the small crowd fall silent.

"I believe" said Draco "You are infected by muddy and turgid thinking; and this is a bad idea, as you have NOT got the basic equipment for such an activity. I suggest you leave forthwith however unless you want to find out how come my father has so many fine peacocks; pretty creatures in that form, but rather stupid and inclined to screech about nothing; I'm sure you see where the similarities lie."

"That's threats that is, Mr Malfoy!" said one.

"Threats? Oh pardon me, is it a threat that I offer to tell you where the peacocks come from, fellow? I don't somehow think that it would read like that in transcription…..and I DO have omnioculars recording exactly what has been said. The only threat I've heard has been from the fellow in the green hat who made suggestions of what he'd like to do to Gorbrin….strange perversions you have fellow, but there ARE laws against that sort of thing and if you'd only care to either leave your name or hang about long enough to be arrested our family Quaestors will be ready to press charges….. oh you were going to leave were you? Wise move."

The little knot melted away like the earlier fall of hail.

"How to make enemies and intimidate people" said Harry to his friend.

"Bred in blood and bone – and adoption" said Draco cheerfully.

oOoOo

And then the brides were coming out for the ceremony and Draco had to shift quickly to take his place as Gorbrin's best man. Gorbrin was tall and well built for a goblin – the rapid growth of teenage years with good food and plenty of fresh air and exercise had wrought him into a very giant amongst goblins, standing head and shoulders over many an adult goblin at almost human height. Jardak was not so tall as his friend, but he too was well formed from the good food at Hogwarts in term time, and as well he was; as Jazka too had grown beyond the norm for goblin girls. Kinat's theory that poverty was at least a part of the short stature of goblins was definitely being shown up.

Even so, Meliandra was still taller than her bridegroom; and as a stocky girl rivalled his well muscled shoulders in her own width; but Narcissa had made the best of her in dressing her and had resisted Meliandra's mother's urges to dress her daughter in excess frills in what Charlotte suggested was a mistaken way to compensate for Meliandra's rather plain features. The Madams Malfoy had, between them – mostly Narcissa who was a genius at dress – managed to emphasise Meliandra's best points, and dressed her in a simple straight gown of heavy ivory coloured silk with a little jacket embroidered with seed pearls for trim and a plain elegant tiara of pearls holding the short veil. Meliandra would never be beautiful but she was regal and dignified and looked, as Gorbrin whispered to her, like a million galleons. Meliandra's sallow face flushed slightly and became almost beautiful; and the official photographer, Dennis Creevey, had the sense to snap the shutter quickly.

Leodegar Bulstrode had never been keen on the idea of his only child marrying a goblin – even one with Malfoy as part of his name – but had been brought round to give his daughter away by Meliandra threatening to live in sin with Gorbrin instead if he would not. Thetis Avery-Bulstrode just wanted her daughter to be happy; and had more or less come to like Gorbrin. Having Narcissa Malfoy invite her to the sort of do's she might not otherwise have had invitations to had not gone amiss either; Thetis was rather a silly woman but thoroughly manipulated and guided by Narcissa and the other 'girls'.

oOoOo

Erica really was the beauty of the party, her auburn hair shining in an aureole about her face with a veil that was held by more of a jewelled clasp than a tiara. All the brides wore similar robes – it was a style that with only a little alteration suited all of them – in shades of ivory and cream as best suited their complexion. Erica's gown was a shade paler than her perfect Malfoy magnolia skin and the seed pearls matching; Jazka wore a warmer cream to knock back the olive shade of her goblin complexion; Stacey, who had the kind of loveliness half breeds so often had, was in much the same colour as Meliandra, which suited a range of complexions; and Irmi was in the palest ivory with golden coloured scroll patterns in the brocade of the jacket that showed up the golden mountain tan she had acquired living in Prince Peak. She was a creature of gold, with golden hair cascading down her back; and amber eyes glowing with love for her Sebastian.

And Lucius made a speech as he gave away his radiant daughter.

"This is the first opportunity I've had to do my own giving away of a bride, since Erica is my oldest daughter; and all I can say, young Ming, is that if she's too hot for you to handle, there's no giving her back!"

Ming roared with laughter and so too did everyone else.

The bridesmaids were held in common; little sisters of brides and grooms, including Irmi's adoptive half goblin sister Lily; Yulan supporting her cousin Ming and his bride and Jordan's sister Martina who had gone to Rowan House since the Black family blood had not always bred true in the descendants of the squib Marius Black. His cousin, little Petunia Dursley was also a bridesmaid; she had insisted very loudly until cousin Jordan gave in. And Meliandra was happy to be supported by Gorbrin's little sisters preferring them to her cousin Dionysia or Dionysia's younger sister.

Stacey was married as Anastasia Kordach; she had left behind her mother's surname when the foolish Miss Preston had thought it all right to arrange a marriage for her daughter on Stacey's sixteenth birthday rather then let her take NEWTs because she thought this was the epitome of security and a marriage proposal was to be grabbed regardless of the fact that her daughter had never even met the man doing the proposing. Stacey had fled and begged protection of the school until her seventeenth birthday and had adopted her father's name; and he was giving her away, looking as pleased as punch. It may be said that Stacey had written to her mother informing her that she was marrying a scion of a branch of the Most Noble Black Family, acknowledged as a cousin by the same, and that as a clerk-in-training to be a quaestor she already earned more than the man her mother had picked. It was partly a gloat, and partly a letter to make it clear to her mother that Miss Preston would never see any of her grandchildren in case she tried to sell them. Stacey was not ashamed that her mother had been a kept woman; she was however deeply concerned that her mother's instincts as an inept and money-grubbing layabout, who would take any deal that seemed good regardless of impact to those around her or even if it really WAS a good deal, might cause more grief if she had anything more to do with the woman. Stacey's existence had bought her mother an easy lifestyle paid for by Kordach until the foolish woman had betrayed her own daughter in her mistaken attempt to 'establish her respectably', oblivious to the fact that a good education would gain Stacey a job that would establish her far more respectably than Miss Preston could ever dream of. Miss Preston had not only not been invited, but Stacey had written that if she tried to attend the wedding, she would be ejected by security trolls because Lucius was employing such.

It was Stacey's casual reference to Lucius by his first name that really brought it home to Miss Preston that her daughter actually moved in very different circles to those she herself knew; and that her own lack of comprehension about the other pupils who were Stacey's friends had cost her the chance to mingle with the great and the good at Malfoy Manor. The bride's mother shed many bitter tears but more on her own account than for the usual reason the mother of the bride often weeps.

Another mother of another bride also shed a few tears; Tears of happiness. Charlotte had never dreamed that her Erica would have such chances, and such happiness; and she absolutely adored Ming for being part of her daughter's happiness. Jazka's mother held Charlotte's hand and sniffed loudly too; the Malfoys had done such a lot for their family and her new son-in-law's family too; and Jazka and Jardak had jobs to walk into teaching – they would be Professors!

Irmi had no mother to weep over how lovely she looked; but Jade as her stepmother, who rarely did emotional, was grinning in delight for her friend and step daughter with moist eyes; and Wulf did the joyful weeping for both of them that his daughter could marry without worry that the taint of being a werewolf would pass to HER children.

Thetis Bulstrode's tears were partly from concern that it was actually going to work out and that her daughter would not regret marrying a goblin – even a Malfoy goblin – and would be happy.

oOoOo

The ceremony went well; and they were all married!

"I never saw such a group of insouciant bridegrooms in all my life!" said Dennis Creevey. "HOW did you do it?"

"Would you believe pure thoughts and clean living?" said Ming.

"Not from you old boy" said Dennis.

"It could be that those of us who aren't planning on being aurors are preparing to teach; and so we're all unspeakably brave!" laughed Gorbrin.

"Oh of course; that'll be it!" agreed Dennis cheerfully "Let's have a nice group; one for Kordach's new rag, Lucius promised him one or two pics in exchange for not using his own photographers."

"Bit of a cheek dad calling on you; you're a sports reporter" said Gorbrin.

"You mean this isn't the preliminary to bedroom sports?" said Dennis. He put on a commentating voice and said "And now we have Mr Malfoy-Tobak coming straight up the middle of the bed….. sorry" he added as Meliandra gave him a Look.

"Drawing a veil over any further speculative commentary" said Gorbrin "Thanks all the same but the idea of reporters on my wedding night fill me with urges of corridor curses."

"And he's too polite to go as far as I would" said Meliandra.

oOoOo

There was the feast then and Gorbrin pretended not to notice various of his siblings and their cronies casting the fluorescent fart jinx on his new father-in-law among others. Another would-be weevil was there with a spare – and not very welcome – relative; Godfrey Yaxley had brought his daughter Tiarella. Godfrey was the oldest son of Odilia Malfoy-Yaxley and had managed to avoid charges of goblin coursing for being too pompous to be involved in any active engagement. It may be said, however, that Godfey HAD been the only one of Sephara's older siblings to congratulate her on achieving four NEWTs and being a late developer not a squib; and if that was only perhaps to keep in with his uncle Lucius it had been done moderately gracefully, and he was in communication with both his youngest sisters. Tiarella had an arrogant carriage; but then, as the not-yet-named marauders agreed this was not necessarily bad because so did Richard, Drogo and Varjak. She also had very shrewd eyes so they decided to be polite to her for now because they could always jinx her into a ball later if she was a pain.

Tiarella was rather pleased to be acknowledged by Malfoy relatives; and she was more curious than otherwise about Varjak.

"Great Uncle Lucius is a clever man" she said "Everyone says so; and he wouldn't have adopted goblin children and given them the same status as his other children if he didn't think he had reason; so it stands to reason traditional views must be flawed. If he'd married a goblin woman for political reasons I think he would have picked one without children so any half bred children would too be half Malfoy; so it stands to reason that he actually does love your mother and it wasn't politics at all. Daddy says Uncle Lucius is most awfully complex but he never does anything he doesn't want to do anyway and Grandmama ought to have realised that and shouldn't have got involved in such stupidity. If you ARE equal to humans in all ways I should say that it's wrong as well as stupid. I did wonder actually if it was better to keep breeding within the wizarding world and so it still counts as being pure blooded to have goblin or elf in your family rather than muggle; but Great Uncle Lucius has a muggle wife too so maybe the traditional views are wrong there too."

"They are" said Drogo once he'd got his breath back over this self possessed little speech. "It's my mum. And muggles come in a variety of potentials too because there's wizarding blood in the muggle community same as how there's muggle blood in pretty well every family. Professor Dumbledore said being pure blood is a myth propagated by the insecure because it's impossible to know precisely way back to the beginning of people and magic. And so some muggles COULD do rudimentary magic, same as a lot of squibs can, but it's not worth training them; if they don't have enough to manifest in their early years, we ignore them on the whole. My mum could always get potions to work, kind of, and grind magical pigments and paint moving pictures; and dad did a ritual to develop her potentials and she's never going to be a great witch but she can do rudimentary grooming spells and hold up a shield charm and simple essentials like that."

"A shield charm's not exactly simple" said Tiarella.

"Of course it is!" put in Ruchard impatiently "Any muggins can do that one, it's one of the ones we all learn years and years before we're old enough for wands!"

"Along with sundry corridor curses" said Varjak happily "Though that might be the advantage of having an auror for a big brother."

"Well it's scarcely Conjuration Theory to reverse-engineer hexes older ones do around you" said Richard.

"Not for you" said Rose equably "Not everyone manages it though."

"I think maybe I'm talking to the more talented amongst this year's intake" said Tiarella "I don't know any spells."

They all stared at her.

Teddy found his voice first.

"Gosh, not ANY?" he said in horror.

Tiarella shook her head.

"Daddy said school would be soon enough to learn that sort of thing" she said.

"Well look here, cousin, the least we can do is to teach you the shield charm" said Drogo "On one condition."

"What's that?"

"Call dad 'Uncle Lucius' by all means but for Merlin's sake leave off the 'Great'; he'd massacre you. He's FAR too vain to want to be a great uncle; it's far more ageing than being a grandfather!" said Drogo.

"Well he doesn't actually look very great uncle-ish" said Tiarella "But I didn't want to be disrespectful; daddy said I should tread as though on dragon eggs around him."

"He's not that fearsome" said Glasbhinn "I mean you don't want to get caught doing something that's really going to tweak his strings; he put his slipper across my backside for filling Ransley Corbin's riding boots with spiders; and he gave me a massive talking to about cruelty to dumb animals. I hadn't learned the fluorescent fart jinx then and I didn't like Corbin's manner to me or my mum" she added.

"He is rather stuck up" said Tiarella "Are you – I mean what manner of person are you and are you one of Uncle Lucius' children?"

"No; his part-fey wife is blue" said Glasbhinn "And the colour cast breeds true until it breeds out. My mum ran away from de facto slavery in a rath of an Irish Unseelie chieftain and brought me with her; because Lucius was the Sacrifice we can all feel his freeing blood in our hearts singing and so he could be easily found….. I guess you don't know the story."

"Be fair; most people don't" said Drogo. "Maybe we'll tell you some day; just take it that dad is well popular with elves and lesser fey in Britain because he helped them be less miserable."

"Oh. Well I don't really understand but I guess it doesn't matter" said Tiarella. "As it's plainly a bit of a secret. So I shan't pry."

"Cheers" said Richard.

They voted her better than might have been expected from the child of one of Auntie Sephara's rotten siblings!

oOoOo

There had been much thought amongst the unnamed marauders about what animal form each of them might take; Drogo was of the opinion that some kind of big cat would be elegant and would have sharp enough teeth to worry people if need be; Varjak wanted to be something that flew and was torn between the form of the family eagle owl and an actual eagle, which would not be out of place in Scotland. Jala, who hoped to be in Gryffindor with her sister said a lion or gryphon might be rather nice, only lionesses weren't so magnificent; and Richard pointed out – with unwonted gentleness – that being an animagus of a magical being was harder and generally only happened if you were in a line that did animagus or were specially good at transfiguration. Jala said that in that case, as there were supposed to be tigers around the place being a tiger was rather pretty. Glasbhinn was torn between keeping her own accustomed colour and therefore being a snake – which was not, she said, quite a comfortable thought – and being something clever like a fox. Rose said that a fox sounded rather good and she wished she had thought of it first but there again perhaps a ferret might be cool and have the snaky sort of movements that she felt in her blood too.

"Well until we had eagles, foxes and ferrets we were set to be a Jungle Book Marauder group" said Richard. "Well there's a group called the Prowling Marauders; why don't we be the Hunting Marauders? We are all predators after all."

"That ought to do it" said Teddy. "And even if everyone doesn't become an animagus, Marauders hunt out baddies anyway so it still kinda fits."

They were draped over the limbs of a big willow that grew down by the stream that had become their temporary headquarters having diligently practised hovering charms and switching spells to acquire sausage rolls, sandwiches and cakes from the buffet and to fill bottles with pumpkin juice and – in the case of Drogo – something less innocuous that he spat out and declared horribly grown-up tasting. Richard asked which punch bowl it had come out of and absently switched it back and acquired pumpkin juice for Drogo with a smoothness that would have had his friends applauding if they had only been knowledgeable enough to realise that it was done with more finesse than most OWL students could manage. Especially as the bowls were out of sight and he was relying solely on memory. Drogo thanked Richard cheerfully and said it was good that they had a resident genius and hurrah for Snapes. Richard went slightly pink and tried not to look pleased.

oOoOo

Richard's older sister was haranguing her group that they needed something spectacky – as Stuart would have put it, she said – to mark their last few terms of being legitimate japesters.

"The thing is, Half-pint" drawled Sextus "That you come up with such virtuous japes that have already been spectacular that it's going to be difficult. I mean, how do we top New Zealand?"

This was such a good point that the Stripy Marauders were all reduced to silence – beyond the exercise of jaws on THEIR stolen goodies. The Stripy Marauders, being more sophisticated than proto-weevils, had used vanishing spells on various goodies and vanished them right ahead of them up to THEIR den in a tangled mass of apple tree branches. Of course both groups could just have filled plates and taken them right away by hand; but that was somehow too tame and having liberated the goodies made them taste better.

"I s'pose we could reverse the gravity in the senior common room with the tarantallegra curse tied to it so they go in and start dancing on the ceiling" suggested Kazrael.

"And it isn't interfering with their work because they didn't ought to be doing any in the common room" added Jayashree. "Tiger Rag too, as the honky-tonk twinkletoes curse because one of the people we'll catch is Bella and she'll be so much less waxy if there's a tiger theme in it."

"She has a point there" said Venus "So long as the sixth don't think Bella did it."

"Well it's not hardly likely as an elderly type like an upper sixth would do that is it?" said Lilith "Anyway, everyone knows Bella owns up to anything she's done; so they'll know it isn't her when she says it isn't."

"Unless that Fawcett girl makes trouble" said Gennar.

"Oh she's terminally scumbumbological" said Sextus.

"She's what?" said Gennar "I do believe you made that up – there's no such word!"

"There is now" said Sextus "I invented it and it suits Fawcett down to the ground."

"OOOH the excitement, I can hardly stand it!" said Lilith "I wish I could invent words like that it's the most THRILLING thing, he should be featured in 'Witch Weekly' and win their most fascinating sneer competition too!"

"Well he couldn't win their 'Most charming smile' competition because he doesn't know how to" said Gennar lazily.

Sextus absently accelerated bread pellets at both of them with his wand.

"Are we up for the jape?" asked Kazrael.

"Rather" said Lilith "It's a jolly good one. And I like the idea of using 'Tiger Rag' with it; sort of a farewell to Bella in there too. And we ARE the Stripy Marauders after all with a tiger on board in the form of Jayashree. Any objections? No? Well we'll see if we can get that in before Halloween, and I say, Sec, are you trying to set up some kind of a physical impossibility by getting those bread pellets up to light speed?"

"I just wondered how fast I could get them to go keeping my wand on them and an accelerating force" said Sextus who had changed targets "Reckon I can hit the stuck up moo from the 'Daily Prophet' if I keep on target…..BULLSEYE!"

The witch squealed and jumped; as well she might from a bread pellet accelerated constantly for about a hundred yards; it hit with about the force of an air rifle pellet on her well rounded posterior.

"I dunno about BullsEYE" said Lilith critically "More a bit of rump steak."

"Well I hit what I aimed at which is the main thing" said Sextus cheerfully.

The outraged witch was looking round for some cheeky fellow to blame for the sudden stinging sensation in her nether regions, and found nobody behind her; whereupon she screeched that there were hornets loose.

The ensuing mayhem was decidedly amusing to watch; and it was too tempting NOT to stir it up a bit more with a few more bread pellets.

It got rid of the more tenacious of the not really wanted guests in fairly short order; welcome guests seemed utterly immune to hornet-ball stings.

They might have played for longer had not Sextus accidentally hit Lucius as he came to see what the fuss was about.

"That's torn it" said Sextus.

Lucius stopped, rubbed his cheek where it had been hit and said,

"Accio missile."

The bread pellet flew to his hand and Lucius frowned. A bread pellet should not hurt that much unless subject to uncontrolled muggle physics. He looked hard in the direction from whence it had come; and walked purposefully.

Sextus stuck his head out of the tree.

"I wasn't aiming at YOU sir" he said "I was aiming for Mel's aunt."

"Ah, then I don't need to ask what terrible thing I may have done to arouse your ire" said Lucius. "Hornets, eh?"

"That was all that reporter's idea" said Lilith "If she hadn't screamed Hornet we shouldn't have thought of stirring up the rest."

"And she screamed so beautiful" said Gennar.

"What, blame it all on the 'Prophet'? damn good idea, I do it myself" said Lucius. "That was a NICE shot to her fundament; pack it in now though, too much overdoes things."

"Yes sir!" they all chorused.

oOoOo

The guests who were not unwanted were in no wise discommoded by such goings on; and as most were used to the high jinxes of the Weevil Fests they ignored the mayhem. The three young house guests there from Jade's school, Magda Schmitt, Biirta Hess, and Gauda gan Gerit noted that English small children seemed as high spirited as German ones but more self-confident in their bearing and outrageous cheek – they had been winked at by Chrys Lockheart as he and friends dropped the fluorescent fart curse on selected guests – than the underprivileged children of their own school. Lucius had met Magda at equestrian meets that Jade had taken her to, while Penny and Lucasta rode; and had decided to help her and her friend Biirta make connections. Jade had suggested having Gauda also. Biirta and her snide humour fitted in just nicely with the family; and Magda was a nice girl who was passionate about her ideals. Lucius liked them both. Gauda was initially more self effacing, but had come out very well when she saw that the goblins in Lucius' family really DID have equal status; and she too was a most pleasant girl, clever and able. Being at the Malfoy weddings was a way in which they might mingle with and observe high society without in any wise having to be in the limelight, as they would be when launched as debutants. Gauda was not to be launched as such – at least, not in Germany; it would not be accepted. Her ambition was to teach however, and being able to be comfortable in any society would give her a self confidence that would stand her in good stead, especially as she had talked long to various of the teachers at the London Free School.

oOoOo

The Weevil Fest was to continue unabated for another day after the weddings; a few other weevils as well as Tiarella had arrived with parents who had managed to wangle invites; one was a child called Cassandra Bode, whose older brother was nice lad in Gryffindor in the same year as the Stripy Marauders seemed less convivial then her brother; Cassandra was a seer and very pleased with herself over it. Her brother was voted most tolerant for just shrugging and saying that she couldn't help it, poor kid.

Alexander Bones was the much younger brother of a young woman called Susan, who had been a contemporary of Harry Potter; with Voldemort dead her parents had gone ahead and had another baby more or less to celebrate, which as Lucius said he could hardly carp over since there was his second family for much the same reason. Alexander was very proud of the fact that he had a little nephew just five years younger than him whom he would be able to look out for when the said nephew started school; his sister Susan had married a cousin of Cedric Diggory.

Ariadne Ollerton and parents had been invited mostly to spite Madam Flyte-Johnston since the guest list would be published and Lucius knew fine well that the wretched woman would read it to see what sort of trash the Malfoys had at their wedding parties. Like the Flyte company, the Ollertons made racing brooms; the Cleansweep company was established by the Ollerton brothers Bob, Bill and Barnaby; and were still among the best of the cheap end racing brooms for quidditch. The most recent model was the Cleansweep Prime, which would have been number thirteen only the three directors worried about this affecting sales as so many wizards were superstitious. Fortunately one of their factory managers was a goblin who suggested the name as goblins consider the prime number thirteen to be lucky; and it had proved a popular model with wealthy enough goblins who hoped to get their offspring onto quidditch teams now the IQA had opened the sport to goblins. The name was snappy enough too that it sold to wizards who had not realised the significance; and the company was going strong. Ariadne was the granddaughter of Barnaby Ollerton and admitted freely that she was fond enough of quidditch but no great player.

Oswald Beamish was the brother of Eugenia in the third, the same year as the Weird Marauders; a serious boy dedicated, like much of his family, to goblin rights and inclined to be a bit tedious about it, but tolerated because he meant well.

By contrast in attitude, Deirdre Tremlett was the daughter of Donaghan Tremlett, base player of the Weird Sisters; invited largely because the Malfoy children knew sundry other relatives of other members of the Weird Sisters. Deirdre was loud in her condemnation of a human marrying a filthy goblin and did not get to stay for the weevil fest's last day because Lucius asked Donaghan to leave and take his rude and ill-bred guttersnipe of a daughter with him. And Heathcote Barbary murmured to his fellow musician that least said soonest mended and it was best NOT to make a spectacle of himself as Donaghan Tremlett looked as though he was considering making an issue of the matter.

It may have been this incident that led to a rather acrimonious row and the break up of the Weird Sisters later that summer.

Lucius had also invited those of his ken who had deatheater associations, partly to keep an eye on them and see what their offspring might be like; to give his children a sporting chance of dealing with them before term even began when no official notice need be taken. Darius Burke, a cousin of Dimsie and her brothers, was a cheerful lad who made the right impact by picking up and mopping the knee of small Abraxus Malfoy when he fell over for being rather short in the leg to keep up with his contemporaries, being part fey. Abraxus it may be said was less grateful than he should have been as he wanted to go on playing, and a torn pair of jeans and bloody knee, once he was over the shock and the initial tears was nothing; so Darius merely got a quick kiss on the cheek for his pains and a scrambling small boy looking for more trouble.

"Cheers; you're all right" said Drogo.

"I have a kid sister, though she's a few years older than that one" said Darius. "Cynthia's rising eight now."

"Oh, she'll come in with Veronika, Honor and Hope, Andromeda and my nephew Edward then" said Drogo. "We must have you and her over to play some time so she gets to meet the others."

"Thanks" said Darius. "It's nice not to be looked at askance because dad has a cousin in prison."

Drogo shrugged.

"And we know all HIS kids; you know, it's no big deal" he said "It's not the fault of relatives."

Drogo introduced Darius to Ramsey Corbin; both seemed cheerful but essentially gentle lads who might do well by sticking together.

The friendship was instant.

The surprise child was Draco Macnair – Draco was, like Harry, Ron and Hermione a name much in vogue with children of around this age – who was a huge lad.

"Crumbs, mate, were you meant to be twins but got sort of squashed into one?" asked Ramsey before even Drogo could ask.

"I'm half giant" said Draco, elevating his chin firmly. "You see my grandfather was a deatheater; and he was sent by Voldemort to negotiate with the Giants and he had what he thought was the brilliant idea of using his own daughter as a bribe to the Gurg."

"That's horrible!" said Ramsey "And I thought I had a rotten father!"

"Well my grandfather died, as I understand it, at the Battle for Hogwarts" said Draco "And my mum actually survived giving birth, though it's made her health really poor. I hate everything the deatheaters stood for; and so does my mum. She called me Draco because Draco Malfoy had the courage to stand up for what was right in the face of being supposedly a supporter of Voldemort. She reckoned anyone who could fool the dark lord deserves respect. I guess too she hoped it might curry favour a bit with Mr Malfoy so he wouldn't dismiss me as just the child of a deatheater family."

"Well so long as you're not about to be racist about non-giant blood" quipped Drogo.

"Seems to me all people are much alike; some good, some bad, mostly indifferent unless they get persuaded to a cause" said Draco.

"He'll do" said Drogo.

"Reckon we've four staunch supporters of Marauders here, with Penny and these three" said Varjak.

Marauding was explained.

"Reckon I shouldn't like to get up to too much mischief but I reckon I'll stand by and help" said Draco in his slow deep voice.

Ramsey nodded and so did Darius; and if they were a little disappointed not to be invited to be actual Marauders, why supporting was the next best thing.