Chapter 11
Pearl fishing occupied wet leisure periods for the Stripy Marauders though they enjoyed taking advantage of the windy moors in Scotland when the weather was what an Englishman would call 'clement' or rather when it was not actually raining. The pearl collections were compared and books were consulted about what made pearls different colours. It kept them out of further mischief which was, David reflected, just as well since Lilith loathed Xanthia Fawcett as much as the older girl loathed Lilith and the little snake animagus was quite capable of being irritating for its own sake, in the same way as he was fairly certain her father had been to equally discommode the more stuck up Ravenclaws of his own time at school. Not to mention the original Marauders.
Indeed Sirius confessed that the marauders had forced Severus to debate some obscure point with Cornelius – or as Sirius called him 'Farty' Fenwick at which point they were actually rooting for Severus because he was their plaything to tease and it was by way of teaching the Ravenclaws and their pet prodigy that the Marauders' pet swot could out-swot them.
"Which was awfully childish" admitted Sirius "But actually I think Scales quite enjoyed it; putting idiots in their place has always been a pet hobby of his."
David laughed ruefully and wondered what might have been different had only the Marauders and Severus managed to get some dialogue going out of that.
"Who won?" he asked.
"Severus of course; don't ask stupid questions!" said Sirius. "He's forgotten more about Arithmancy than the supposed expert has ever learned; and actually history repeats because as I recall it was a very high level discussion on where rubbish goes when you cast the vanishing spell. Which is one of Lilith's favourite topics, isn't it?"
"It's a Snape thing" said David cheerfully.
oOoOo
The mysteries of the shape and colour of pearls were more interesting to Lilith at the moment than arithmantic debate and she pored over downloads she begged Hugh Hulitt to make her from the internet about how diet and temperature as well as location affect colours and how pearls may form in different shapes and most natural pearls are called 'baroque' for not having a seed to grow around and so being decidedly irregular or 'off-round'. As it did not seem to harm the oysters the Stripy Marauders decided to try seeding their oysters for more pearls and studied assiduously to that end. After all it hurt nobody and gave them hours of harmless amusement. It would take two years for their seeded oysters to have produced decent pearls, but as Lilith said, they were not going anywhere in the meantime. And besides it would give them practise in control spells to poke their oysters into making better nacre to cover the things because you had to start small and actually controlling something as dim as an oyster had to be harder than controlling say a dragon.
"Which has no point because dragons don't produce pearls" giggles Jayashree.
"You poor prune" said Lilith "It's about due for Dragons to be used again in the Triwizard and I'm jolly well putting my name in. Just on principle."
"Well if the ruddy thing accepts you, you've got the best chance" said Sextus "The lower sixth of this year are pretty mediocre; best is Nigel Baddock now he's bucked up, and Roger Blake and – heaven help us – Kevin Slugworthy."
"The Slug is all right" said Lilith "But you're right; I am way better than any of them I think; I'm not being stuck up and fatuously vain am I?"
"No" said Gennar. "My sister Zajala is MY best bet for the upper sixth as it will be but she ain't Gorbrin. The thing is Sec, they're not really mediocre; that does them down. There's a load of solid 'O' average, five-NEWT students. But none of them actually SHINES. Of course the lower sixth next year will have Marauders; U-May, Tobala, Charis, Isambard, Nathan, Jingjie and Wanda."
"Jingjie's a good possibility" said Lilith "Did you think I ought to confund the ruddy goblet to give him his chance like Barty Crouch did for Harry?"
"It would be kind of more sporting" said Gennar. "Especially as you'll still be here for the next competition too by right on account of you being stupidly young."
Lilith beamed.
"I did rather hope to be the only person in history to hold two Triwizards" she said.
"Greedy" said Sextus.
"Yes" said Lilith.
oOoOo
Meanwhile Lucy was settling in and was busy forgetting that she had ever NOT been a part of the wizarding world; she still had gaps in her education but the other Hunting Marauders had done things like tell her all the old popular fairy tales and nursery rhymes to fill in the gaps in her cultural heritage. They also ran through the most popular publications with her – Lucy had not got over being fascinated that the pictures moved – and who was who in society. They used the so-called society magazines to give her the chance to recognise famous persons; though as Richard said snidely the idea of fame of the idiots who published such things was more about glitz and wealth and glamour than the things in life that counted; and that they were interested in the Snapes solely because his mum had got her hands on the fortune of the Riddle family – which was of course shared, he added hastily, with Salazar and Rose – and so were seen in fashionable robes; rather than in his parents' extremely erudite contributions to the fields of potioneering, chanting and transfiguration or his sister Jade's contribution to Ancient Rune translation.
"They care more that my sister Grace married one of the bachelors of the year, Draco Malfoy than that Dad reintroduced chanting to the wizarding world" he said scornfully "And like to get stupidly excitable about the dark reputation blood magic has over his book 'Blood magic, Love Magic' rather than actually bother to read it and find out that it's about how they helped Harry by bleeding for him and taking deadly wounds spread out that would have killed him if he hadn't had the blood bond with them. It's a most awfully profound book but nobody among these silly fools reads much beyond the title because it's actually too difficult for them. He's always getting stopped and asked if any ill effects of risking dark magic have manifested and he's got so sick of trying to explain that it WASN'T dark magic he's taken to saying 'apparently yes as you've been spawned spontaneously' which might take them a while to work out but at least makes Dad feel better."
Lucy chuckled. She had been given the entire history of Harry Potter and all the new marauders-to-be had heard of the blood group and what marauders do explained to them; and Lucy had no qualms about joining her blood with the others one day. Uncle Severus was a tremendously clever man and she could see why he would be irked by the inability to appreciate just how clever he was by the chattering fools. The social magazines were much the same as those they had in the hairdresser's shop she had frequented; things like 'Hello' and 'Okay' which had pictures of famous people she had never heard of and cared less about. And judging by Richard's look of bafflement at some of the people featured in 'Witch Weekly', 'Sparkle' and 'Alohamora!' presumably some of the celebrities of the wizarding world were also famous for being famous too. Uncle Lucius sneered regularly from the pages of all sorts of periodicals usually attached to some snide quote or because he was asked for his view and gave it only too truthfully. He made a statement on the death of Peverel Corbin, as it had occurred at a point-to-point Lucius was himself attending. He had said 'it couldn't have happened to a nicer person' and when pressed to explain that negative attitude had explained – forcefully – that as Peverel Corbin had been expelled from Hogwarts for torturing a junior in the person of Draco's wife Grace the papers could hardly expect him, Lucius, or any of his family to feel any degree of sorrow or regret for the death of a louse.
What had NOT been printed was that one cub reporter had asked Lucius if he had arranged the death of Mr Corbin; which had left him feeling about ten years old and a foot high when Lucius Malfoy had said very quietly that he hoped that if he even considered saying such a thing in public, let alone printing it, that his standing with his editor was VERY good since that was as pretty a case of libel as anyone had seen this century or was likely to.
After all, there was not a shred of proof that Lucius had had anything to do with it. The power of twenty-three factorial was considerable and not widely known and frankly Corbin's heart had not needed much encouraging to burst at high altitude; for a man who considered himself a sportsman he did NOT take good care of himself. And now young Ramsey and his mother were safe from him; and Lucius had no regrets. Admitting to that however was an entirely different matter!
Lucy however was entirely unaware of Lucius' involvement in the matter and asked Richard if he knew about this horrid man who had tortured Uncle Lucius' daughter-in-law.
"Know? I'll say I know!" said Richard "It's my sister Grace he's talking about; dad adopted her on the strength of how badly treated she was by her wonderful, socially well connected erudite Corbin family you know; Peverel poisoned her to test some rotten potion he'd invented only from what I've heard he made potions the way a garden gnome cooks fairy cakes; not very well. I shouldn't actually" he added thoughtfully "Have put it past Uncle Lucius to have killed him if he thought he could get away with it; on account of how Draco really couldn't, not with him being an auror. Though Draco might have been able to force a duel on him" he added. "If he'd been spending the next hundred years as a sheep he couldn't be much trouble to anyone. But Draco's always treated him with icy hauteur; and dad makes sure never to meet him because if he did he'd just lay him out the good old fashioned muggle way. I say good riddance to bad rubbish and all the best to Ramsey; that's HIS dad we were celebrating the death of."
"Oh that makes it clearer now" said Lucy "Sounds like he was an all round rotter."
"Rather" agreed Richard.
"And if Dad pushed, nobody will ever find out; he's too good" said Drogo "And anyone in their right mind wouldn't even ask; terribly bad form."
"Like anyone actually CARES enough to ask" said Teddy "Corbins – our year excepted and Grace not counting – tend to be awful stuck up."
"Funny you should say that" said Drogo "My sisters Griselen and Genavka rate the Corbin twins; and I think that m'sister Zajala is a bit sweet on Hugin Corbin – that's one of the twins, our Lucy – especially since he signed up to be an auror with Gorbrin and Mel. Shouldn't be surprised to see more of Hugin at Malfoy Manor. Besides he gets on all right with Gorbrin. His twin's a bit pompous but you can't have everything."
"Funny" said Teddy lazily "I thought that having everything was one of the Malfoy family ambitions."
"Don't be silly Ted" drawled Drogo "Where would we put it?"
"In wizarding space, oh brother mine" grinned Varjak.
Drogo grinned at him and draped an arm around his shoulders and Lucy marvelled at how Varjak managed to look every inch a Malfoy despite not actually being a relation and not even being human; it was the expression and the hairstyle. Drogo grinned at her.
"When we're blooded we can do what the Malfoy twins did – that's Professor Hawke Malfoy and his brother Abraxus, on account of how Hawke was actually adopted" he said "Though probably related somewhere down the line. They sort of merged looks with miniature transfigurations; and though Varjak doesn't want to be made genetically dad's son with a ritual because that disrespects his real father who was a hero, we want to be more alike. Because we ARE brothers."
"Magic can do some pretty amazing things" said Lucy.
"Yeah, the grownups who are too hidebound to experiment find it hard to cope with what Marauders come up with" said Varjak.
oOoOo
As term wore on towards Halloween there were the beginnings of the inevitable rumblings about the Yule Ball. The Stripy Marauders and their class were to go this year; and Sextus and Lilith cared not a jot for the romantic maunderings of anyone else because they were to go together and their gowns would even tone since they were wearing the same gowns they had worn as bridesmaid and page at Sextus' father's wedding, made over – mostly by Lilith with help from her mother – to make sure they were bang up to date. As Krait said, being rich these days was no excuse to be profligate. Sage green and black were nice, understated tasteful colours that brought out Sextus' green eyes and flattered Lilith's red curls.
In their set, Gennar was going with Kazrael, and they were more or less an item too; and Lilith had ruthlessly organised James Malfoy and Paris Bullivant into going with the other two Marauders, Jayashree and Venus, and Jayashree's fellow rakshasa Mohini into going with Heath Barbary. Gareth Rookwood, whom she considered a friend enough to take an interest in she ruthlessly sorted out with the half goblin Maia Pleiades as Gareth had been firmly friendly with the girl to try to dispel the whispers about his name as that of a prominent deatheater that had been spread in their first year.
This left the mildy irritating, though much improved, Michelle Makepiece in Slytherin so Lilith took the bull by the horns and asked Hubert McLaggan if he would not take the girl as he had a better chance of out-talking her than anyone else.
"Coming from you, Snape, that's rich" said McLaggan who had also improved somewhat after a sobering conversation with the portrait of James Potter on the nature of bullying by heartiness.
"Yes I know" said Lilith "But Sextus kind of manages to handle me so I'm not entirely irrepressible. I feel sort of sorry for Makepeace; she doesn't actually seem to know how to enjoy herself and I think her experiences of slavery have left a sort of hardness inside her. And you don't actually take offence easily because you've got a hide like an erumpant so – sorry, that was awfully tactless, I do TRY to be tactful you know" she added mournfully.
"It's all right brat; I guess I'm used to you" said McLaggan "You mean you want someone to take her who isn't going to be hurt if she addresses them like a public meeting not a dance partner?"
"That's about the size of it" said Lilith "Stupid waste of time at our age if you ask me."
"Certainly your age" said McLaggan "Can't say I'm looking forward to it; I say, haven't you had trouble in your house with Makepeace again?"
"Not exactly" said Lilith "There's a first year who's a bit of a tick; mostly it's goblins she don't like which for a half-blood is coming it a bit rich when her dad got helped out by, among others, goblins in the pogrum years; maybe she's got a babyhood memory like Darryl Zabini had, because goblins and elves dragged him away from his dad's dead body but Tremlet's dad has no excuse to back such silliness; and she's decided to be racist about all non-humans just to be annoying. Which did her NO favours when she refused to acknowledge she was even being spoken to by my sister when Mimi dished her out lines so she spent a couple of hours as a woodlouse instead for saying that she only noticed people. This was, wonder of wonders, because Mimi was standing up for Makepeace who was being unwontedly tolerant; years of nagging HAVE got through to her. So I figured she deserved a partner who does at least stand for the right sort of things without being an intolerably pompous stuffed robe like Hector Weasley; and she's scared of Julian in case he has another seer attack and you're the only three Gryffs and I'd already sorted out the Slythers and none of Sec's friends could cope with her. If you won't I'll ask Dunbar Finch and ask him to be boring about the rights of muggleborn."
McLaggan grinned.
"I'm tempted to cry off because that might be amusing to listen to; but I'll do what everyone else does and fall in with your irritatingly managing suggestions Halfpint."
"Thanks McLaggan; but I'd sort of rather you didn't call me that; it belongs to Sec you know."
"Crumbs, you aren't a case with him at YOUR age are you?" said McLaggan.
"Hubert you dip, I decided I was going to have Sec when I first met him in Diagon Alley. FAR better to decide who you're going to marry before all that stupid hormonal sex crap older people go in for sneaks up and attacks me!" said Lilith.
Hubert actually blushed!
oOoOo
Bella had been in consultation with Assim Khan over the ball; which was to say had got as far as talking to him after a passionate kiss with a lot of purring, mock growling and nibbling.
"Fawcett has seen us snogging because she said so" said Bella "So discretion is now quite pointless; because she's the only one in the year who's actually spiteful enough to do anything about it. I wrote to Cissy to ask her to place the announcement of our betrothal in the various papers and I thought we could ask Fido to announce it and then we may as well go to the ball together. I don't trust the silly cow not to try to get at me by sneaking to the papers whereas if it's all official and Dennis Creevey has a scoop about our intent to teach in India together, human interest story etc there's bugger all she can do."
"Hrrr" said Assim. "You may be right, Bella; indeed I think you are. I have done nothing to be ashamed of and nor have you; it is better to be open now. You are, after all, over seventeen. Physically in this form as well as technically from your previous existence."
Bella giggled having been about to mention that.
"Well let's go and see Fido" she said.
oOoOo
David listened to Bella's explanation as to why she wanted to release the information now and nodded.
"I'll make the announcement at teatime" he said "Have you a ring to wear?"
"I have one that I have been waiting to give her" said Assim "I wanted to propose formally."
Bella squealed with delight.
"OOH you romantic!" she declared. "Let's go straight back to your room and you can propose and then I can wear it in school so everyone will KNOW you belong to me!"
"Isn't that YOU belonging to ME?" said Assim in his purry growly voice.
Bella giggled.
"Whatever!" she said airily.
She was satisfied with the proposal – on one knee in time honoured fashion – and squealed with more delight at the ring which was carved in its entirety from the red form of Tiger's Eye.
"I could give you expensive jewels, little Bella, but this caught my eye and I thought of you, and how symbolic it is" said Assim.
He had to give up any further speech because Bella leapt on him to kiss him.
David banged on the table for silence at tea.
"I have been asked to make a most pleasant announcement" he said "It may be the worst kept secret in the school that Professor Assim Khan and Bellatrix Black have a long standing betrothal – with the blessing I may add of Bella's guardians, her sister Narcissa Black Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy – but Lucius feels that it is now appropriate to make the news public, so I have great pleasure in announcing the official betrothal of Assim Khan and Bella Black, who will after the end of this year both be leaving us to teach in India setting up a school for impoverished witches and wizards there; and by the by my congratulations too, to Sampta and Sita Patil who will be joining their staff. It's a brave move. I understand that the happy couple are planning to be wed at Yule in order to be ready to leave for India to start making arrangements for their school as soon as Bella's exams are over."
David had spoken to Lucius who had mentioned this possibility.
"I thought we were all going to be married together!" said Maud indignantly.
"Hush darling, we'll be back for the wedding of the year" said Bella "Only Assim's mother will make waves if we aren't married but are setting up school together; they're frightfully proper and stuffy in India. Unless you four get wed at Yule too."
"Ours are all too busy" said Mimi "At least mine is; he has a little Nazi problem in France, remember?"
Julian Bode shot to his feet and spoke in a harsh voice.
"The Rising Sun turns to the wisdom of the Ancient Ones" he cried "He shall seek for the wisdom of the moon that the ibis-headed one has written down to seek for immortality!"
He fell to the floor in a faint.
"Oy, Lilith, you might translate that gibberish!" said Venus Nightingale going to the boy. He was her classmate after all.
Lilith stood.
"The ibis headed one is Djehwty, called in modern transliteration Thoth" she said "Thoth was associated with the moon and was the master of Magic and Arithmancy and Engineering and he raised sundry gods of Ancient Egypt from the dead. Achille Crouch Villeneuve, self styled Sun King is quite keen as I understand on Ancient Runes and might even have a cat's chance in hell of reading the fabled Book of Thoth if it exists and if he actually managed to find it. Reading it supposedly made one able to understand the speech of animals and other stuff but it's a long time since I read the legends. I expect that Professor Babbling knows more about it and I say, Bode looks awful, hadn't you better take him to the hospital wing? He HATES being a seer poor scrote."
Hubert McLaggan – who was actually faintly in awe of Julian – helped Venus half carry the boy until Madam McGonagall lifted him with a quick spell and took him away.
The school was in uproar.
David banged on the table.
"There is no need for all this disturbance" he said, using a sonorous spell "Julian is unfortunate to be afflicted with the curse of true sight; I am sure I can rely on all of you not to make an issue of it. His classmates may discuss quietly and sensibly what he said and Lilith's interpretation which for my limited knowledge of Egyptology and runes seems fair; the tale of the Book of Thoth was fabled even in Ancient Egypt, because I recall reading a muggle children's book retelling of Egyptian tales and fables that mentioned it. Darryl Zabini has the situation of French Supremacists well in hand. Mimi, I suspect you and Darryl may be spending sundry holidays haring about Egypt; you might want to let him know that speaking Arabic would be advantageous. And if anyone actually expected the problem of small minded would-be dictators to go away with Odessa, I fear it was a forlorn and naïve hope. It's nothing however to get excited about; we are all aware that Achille harbours some resentment over his having been asked to leave Hogwarts but no doubt we are more than capable of rising to the challenge of blocking any of the meagre efforts of a poor student with delusions of adequacy should he feel in the same league as Odessa. I think it's a far more important piece of news that the elves have created a mighty betrothal cake for Assim and Bella and it's about to be brought in. Naturally a piece will be saved for poor Julian" he added.
The juniors certainly considered that their teachers and prefects could get betrothed any time they wanted with the presentation of the rich confection the elves had cooked up; as a friend of the free elf Mimi, Bella was one of those who was popular in the kitchens for her unfailing courtesy to elves.
oOoOo
"Let's see the ring then" said Sampta, in the senior common room. Bella displayed her left hand proudly.
"Well I must say, he must be a gold-digger after the fabled Black wealth" sneered Xanthia Fawcett, who could not resist peering "Nothing but a semi-precious stone; not a diamond in sight!"
"You ARE middle class, aren't you, you poor prune?" said Bella "Do you think that for two people as obscenely wealthy as Assim and I are the display of that in precious stones actually counts for anything? Unlike you, we actually have enough understanding of magic to pick symbology over ostentatious display of conspicuous consumption; there are magical resonances in the gift of this ring far too profound for your pea-sized brain to actually manage to understood even if I bothered to explain in words of one syllable with a four-page arithmantic formula written out to make it pellucidly clear."
"MOST of us would be lost by that; be fair Bella" said Sampta "And as you aren't taking Arithmancy to NEWT that's scary."
"I know the stuff I need to know" said Bella "And I leave the calculation to Mimi; she can explain it well enough for me to follow which is all I need. Only Fawcett just hasn't got a clue that you actually USE Arithmancy for things any more than she has a clue that you use Runes for things; which is why it's kind of surprising that Achille Crouch-Villeneuve thinks he can be a dictator because I didn't think HE knew that you actually used knowledge in the real world either."
"He knows enough to want the Book of Thoth" said Mimi "I looked it up in a book of Egyptian legends; it's supposed to be buried with Prince Neferkaptah who was the first one to read it and whose ka warns others not to, because although you supposedly get to talk to the animals and have power over the earth and the sky, the gods punish you by killing off all your loved ones until you take it back."
"Well Achille doesn't love anyone but himself so he might feel he's safe" said Bella.
"It's also in a series of locked boxes inside each other and the key to each hidden disparately and cursed or whatever" said Mimi. "If it actually exists which is not certain."
"I say" said Maud "I KNOW we're beyond the sort of japes that one might pull on schoolkids but can't we sort of make a Book of Thoth to fool Achille and have those of you who are good at it fake up a tomb with instructions in hieroglyphs in riddles to make him go haring around Egypt after spurious keys and when he actually opens the boxes and reads the book it's a collection of Convolvumort speeches in hieroglyphs?"
"WOW!" said Bella "Absolutely brilliant! And that ought to sort of occupy his mind so he can't try to take over France because he'd be obsessed with finding his ruddy book first. There you go, Mimiwobbles; holiday tasks for you and Darryl."
"It has a certain charm" said Mimi. "I'm going to write to Darryl anyway warning him of this prophecy. Is Bode all right by the way, does anyone know?"
"More than likely" said Isabel "Venus is looking after him; she's a good kid and another Marauder."
"You Marauders are pathetic" said Fawcett.
"Funny" said Bella "Voldemort and Gerhardt Grindelwald don't think so."
Fawcett stormed off again.
"Hang on" said Bella, running after her "Fawcett" she said
"What?" Fawcett snapped; but she turned round.
Bella held her eyes.
"The plans of marauders aren't worth considering or acting upon" she said "Achille has no need to know what we might do."
"The plans of marauders aren't worth considering or acting upon" said Fawcett obediently "Achille has no need to know what you might do."
"Run along" said Bella.
Fawcett continued on her way.
"I say Bella that was a bit….. well, extreme" said Sampta.
"She's likely to rat us up to Crouch-Villeneuve purely out of spite; and if we DO decide to send him on a wild goose chase that could mean he's concentrating on real issues and that could mean race war in France" said Bella "It's a light compulsion not to talk about it or send an owl to him; not like modifying her memories you know."
"Basic Jedi mind tricks," murmured Mimi.
"I suppose the casual way you do it and the tame way she accepted it is a bit shocking; you're right of course" said Sampta. "As Lilith was to stop that horrid child Goshawk spreading lies about poor Wintringham. You Marauders take the hardest things so casually."
"Because we push our abilities to the limit" shrugged Bella. "Well I vote we get Lilith to do most of the Hieroglyph design and I'm going to rope in Lucius as well. Because it IS a bloody good idea our Maud; and an excellent diversion to the creep to give Darryl a better chance to train some French resistance against him."
"So long as you don't involve the rest of us" said Miriam Moonshine of Hufflepuff "And by the way I like your ring."
"Thanks!" said Bella "No, things like this are for volunteers only. And for that matter, volunteers who also actually know what they're talking about which means we get to take orders from Lilith; oh joy. Except maybe Mimi."
"Oh I'll take orders from Lilith over Hieroglyphs" said Mimi "I know enough for my 'O' grade average but I don't pretend to be in the same class as her."
oOoOo
Lilith considered deeply.
"A preserving charm on the gold inner box – it is a gold inner box isn't it? Yes I thought so – would be convincing so that we don't have to distress the papyrus too much" she said "And can have the colours bright and fair too. We need papyrus; I think muggle tourist shops in Egypt actually sell it. Or maybe we can get it online. I can do that; and isn't Mafalda good at riddles and things? Perhaps she'd help even though she isn't actually a Marauder and had you ever considered recruiting her?"
"I hadn't" said Bella answering the last "She's a bit of a loner."
"Well she might just change her mind" said Lilith "Anyway if she can come up with riddles – she's taking Ancient Runes to NEWT anyway, isn't she, so she'll know how to make puns in Ancient Egyptian – we can get a nice cave and fit it up as a tomb, nick an early unidentified mummy to be Neferkaptah and Bob's your uncle."
"Can we nick a mummy so easily?" asked Bella anxiously.
"Rather" said Lilith "I'm an official fan of Dr Zahi Hawass online – he's a muggle archaeologist – and Cairo museum is so huge and has so much stuff they don't actually know exactly WHAT they have. It'll be easy; Lucius will do it. He'll cough up for any expenses too just for kicks and giggles. He REALLY dislikes Achille you know for trying to rape Erica and for casting the cruciatus curse on you. Anything to piss him off he'll be game for. And nobody plays misdirection like Lucius; he'll take Mafalda's riddles and add whole new layers to them too. It'll be a breeze. There's only one difficult bit."
"What's that?" asked Bella
"Dropping the hint to Achille where to find the damn tomb" said Lilith.
"Is it too easy to have an eminent Runes expert mention that they have clues to the fabled Book of Thoth and the location of Neferkaptah's tomb in an article in 'Translations and Text'?" asked Drusillina laconically.
"Brilliant!" said Lilith "And I bet he doesn't actually know that Jade is Nefrita Von Strang und Luytens, and even if he does he would so like to steal a march on her. I'll get her to write an article as soon as Lucius has a tomb for us, and refer to a text which we can insert into a muggle museum. No sweat! If she says that she was blown away to see the very clues she needed on a piece of text displayed in Berlin by muggles….. of course it might mean other treasure hunters go looking too but perhaps people could put a repelling spell on it for anyone not called Achille or something."
"Subtle but not out of the capabilities of Lucius" said Bella. "Sorted!"