Chapter 17

The destruction of the stonework during the running battle back in 1767 had taken just under forty minutes; and Lilith declared it would take three times as long to fix as it had taken to break; and the other arithmancers of the Marauders concurred with this assessment. David worked it through for his own satisfaction and discovered that as usual Lilith knew what she was talking about. Two hours was a reasonable time to chant; and the Weird Marauders and the blooded supporters in the second were also invited in on it; and after due consideration the aspirant Hunting Marauders of the first, who may not all be blooded but might as well see some of the things Marauders did when not japing people.

Richard was terribly proud of his sister and he and his group felt much honoured to be permitted to be involved in serious Marauder business even if it was NOT terribly dangerous.

"Though you kids watch out" said Lilith "There was enough hate in that battle that the damage is almost like cursed wounds on the rock because the castle comes close to being a living entity; and some cursed wounds fight back. I don't say that you WOULD get rocks hurled at you, but nor do I say that you won't."

David marvelled again at the depth of Lilith's understanding of the nature of magic when emotion was involved; what she said made sense when applied to magical theory though it had not occurred to him. The castle was not really living; but there were aspects of it, being built as it was by magic forged through the bonds of friendship that sometimes responded in an almost self-aware way. Even as the doors could be taught to recognise and exclude anyone. No pile of stones had the right to be heuristic in the normal scheme of things; but this pile of stones resonated with four very individualistic personalities and with their unlikely yet strong combination.

Hence when the group took their positions, as close to circling the region of damage as they could, with the Hufflepuffs among them in their common room below and Nathan and Gennar above on brooms, they were prepared for some resistance.

They were not prepared for the very rocks to wail with grief and pain. Lilith signalled to the others to keep chanting and raised her own pure silver voice in a wordless song of soothing and pain relief, flying round and round the building, in and out of windows. Had she been on a broom it would have been less remarkable; but Lilith had forgotten a broom in her need to ease the building's distress.

And then to David's consternation she dodged in a window right into the heart of the damaged part; and her voice was muffled by thicknesses of stone, but still singing a song that was both soothing and yet gently, but sternly, commanding. He could only assume she knew what she was doing.

And to think, when he was one of those fighting Voldemort, he wondered why Minerva was always getting so frazzled.

Lilith emerged again and merged her voice with the others on the general chant, giving her friends the 'thumbs up' to show that she was fine and so was everything else.

David made a silent vow to make sure he had retired before Lilith and Sextus had children old enough to come to Hogwarts; which Heaven help him would probably be in less than two decades. Lilith and Sextus were each of them frighteningly intelligent; though nature prefers averages. He reminded himself that Frederick the Great had wanted a personal guard of gigantic men and had mustered tall men and women and had been disappointed that their children tended to be tall, but often not even as tall as their parents. Generations might make a difference, but the children of these two would probably be lucky enough to be no more than ordinary genius level kids, like Hermione or Krait.

And partly the reason they shone was that they were an inspiration to each other; as Krait and Severus were. Without Krait, David doubted that Severus would be any more than the world's pre-eminent potioneer with a good line in chanting. With Krait, David honestly believed that Severus rivalled Merlin in ability.

oOoOo

The chant finally wore down; and Lilith changed the nature of it. Those who were bonded to her went along with her in a slightly startled sort of way; then Sextus asked as she finished with an imperious little gesture,

"What was that about, Halfpint?"

"Well we shall want to get in, shan't we?" said Lilith practically "I took off Dilys Derwent's wards, obviously."

"Oh obviously" drawled Sextus. "Do take everything onto yourself and don't leave any fun for the Headmaster."

"Fido doesn't care so long as the job gets jobbed" said Lilith "Do you Fido?"

"No Lilith; though I do wish, just occasionally, that you would let me know your intent in advance" said David.

Lilith beamed at him.

"I didn't think of it until we'd nearly finished the main chant; I'm not infallible you know! So I figured if we just went straight on while the stones were still a bit in shock we might find it easier. I should have thought of it beforehand; I'm sorry."

David laughed and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

She giggled at him.

"Lilith, I'd rather have you on an inefficient day than nine out of ten adults being at the peak of their efficiency" said David. "Now go and bath; you're covered in powdered rock and lime mortar."

Lilith ran off happily to bathe; changed her mind and picked up her swimming kit and all of her friends to swim in New Zealand instead.

oOoOo

David inspected the new wing, as one might well call it. Sextus had suggested it as a fine set of rooms to use as studios; and David concurred. There could be a whole suite of studios; and indeed the metalwork could be moved up here as well. It had only been consigned to the dungeon because of needing a large room with facilities to smelt. Protection from intense heat might be equally well managed magically after all; and the big north windows as much of use to those crafting jewellery and fine clockwork as to the artists. And it would not take much to enchant shutters to produce a strong, non directional light to mimic daylight for winter and evening work. One of the classrooms away from the rooms with big windows might have large lockers for the storage of student work; and another might be used for theory lectures. The dormitories might be readily converted to staff suites to accommodate the extra staff who were being hired on for both the extra lessons and the junior teachers for the core subjects.

And at that the other spare rooms might be given over to the use of the Special Sixth, who would require room for their own specialist studies and a place to relax without necessarily wanting to be in with the other seniors. Yes, that would all work out very nicely; an extra three floors of rooms did not come amiss. He considered. If this was largely the province of the special sixth, the metalworking and art studios might disturb them…. But not if they were the rooms nearest to the secret passage and it was opened up just as a corridor to those classrooms. An art studio was not necessary yet for more than a very few; though Kevin Slugworthy would enjoy using it. It might be made available, for now, for hobby art and for those making working drawings for metalwork; and needed to be signed into and out of like the library. And Kevin should be Art Room prefect. And then the special sixth could come easily to do metalwork – and making parts for muggle cars could take place in the same room – or art or needlework in such an art and craft complex but it would be out of bounds for others to go beyond workrooms into the province of the Special Sixth. Really the explorations of the Stripy and Pepperingye Marauders were quite providential!

And of course the new subsidiary professors would be teaching some classes to the special sixth so housing them in here was also logical.

It did occur that as many of the special Sixth would probably be Hufflepuffs that it would be nice for them to be right above their old common room and close by to drop in and visit. He had debated making the special sixth houseless; but that meant that they would lose ties with friends in the standard sixth and would be unable to represent their house at sports. David had decided that if any of the special sixth had become prefects in the fifth they should keep their prefect status – unless they asked to have it withdrawn because the extra duties were too onerous – but he would not draw new prefects from the special sixth nor – unless he had no choice – a house head. They would have enough on their plates; for they would either be concentrating on serious study, a musician say; or undertaking work that was at the limit of their ability, if they were drawn from those who might have otherwise dropped out. Such would not be able in either case to give as much to the school as a prefect should; but he could not, in conscience, withdraw an already accorded honour.

oOoOo

Kevin had taken Art to OWL partly as a lark but he had realised from the exam how much he did NOT know and had been seriously studying with muggle books on drawing as well as the book on art in magic that had now come into the shops, co-written by Erica Malfoy, her mother and a Randolph Wright of whom Erica had spoken. Kevin was very good at charms and was good at making friends and managed transfigurations well enough to have taken 'E' at OWL and was otherwise, as he himself admitted cheerfully, really very unremarkable. Which was why he had elected to take three NEWTs and take Art as one of them. He would have to be his own tutor as David had made clear to him; but Kevin was not bothered. Erica had promised to write to him and give him assignments to complete in line with the syllabus she had worked out. Kevin knew he would never be in Erica's league; but he did harbour some ambitions to teach at least to OWL or as a subject for Special Sixth now that had been mooted, for those artistic children whose parents did not want to send them as far as Austria. Kevin privately thought that if you were prepared to send your child to boarding school, even if you were a muggle who did not have the floo or apportation available, then it mattered little whether your child was in Scotland, Austria or Timbuctoo.

Kevin had very little idea where Timbuctoo might be except that it sounded exotic; but it was the principle of the thing. And besides, half the kids in Scotland were in New Zealand half the time.

When David told him about the studio and his promotion to Art Prefect he flushed in pleasure and blurted out his thoughts.

David listened gravely.

"I'm going to make a suggestion and a proposal" he said. "Coming back to teach where you have just left school is hard. So I am going to suggest that you take a post for a few years in Durmstrang – no I haven't run mad" he said as Kevin's mouth dropped open. "I've had a few discussions with Agata Bacsó; she has a set of keen third years studying art on their own time; you would be able to give them a year's intensive study when you leave school before they sit the OWL. They are particularly keen on pattern magic – your field – though they've been mixing and matching ancient runes into their patterns. I thought you might like to work alongside Lilith Snape and give her some art pointers while she brings you up to speed on ancient runes and German and to prepare you for this bunch of imps – they're Marauders."

"Oh, enough said" grinned Kevin "Work like stink, little perishers, most of their library work comes out in a not always welcome surprise."

"That sums up juvenile marauders fairly well" said David. "Well I'm glad you're not too daunted."

"Actually sir, I'm LESS daunted to teach Marauders" said Kevin honestly "You know where you are with Marauders. And if that's sometimes lost for words, well they can usually talk the hind leg off a donkey to make up for it."

David grinned. Kevin's insouciant manner would go down well with the Musical Marauders. And they would appreciate him leading their studies; which would be what he would be doing more than teaching as such.

Kevin was flattered that he had been already mentioned to Madam Bacsó; none of his family had ever been a Professor. Actually none of his family had ever taken more than two NEWTs before; and the only reason he had not added Potions to the list was because his father had told him that he should not overreach himself. Kevin was a methodical rather than brilliant potioneer but he had achieved the 'E' grade which was all that Madam Hardbroom required and had considered it. Still, he could maybe study it alongside teaching a relatively small class at Durmstrang if he got on well with the Potions professor there and pay to take their exam as an external student. Negotiate to take a class in lieu of pay for a year say.

Which being so, Kevin went to ask Madam Hardbroom if he might sit in on classes just to keep his hand in.

Being Kevin, who had no side at all, Connie Hardbroom was glad to agree – so long as he did not fall behind in his other studies.

oOoOo

Lilith was happy to help Kevin with learning German and essential runes – Kevin was of the opinion that her definition of essential runes probably tallied closely with those of other marauders and involved use in mischief – in return for some training in art. In her ambition to take every exam she did not intend to leave art out; she was no great artist but she was ready to learn techniques and her grasp of significance in patterns was little short of uncanny. Lilith murmured something about reading deeper into Comparative Magic, something else Kevin was beginning to regret not studying. Their sessions together were mostly on the level of discussion around some pattern and had he but known it, Kevin was learning as much Comparative Magic as he was teaching Art!

And it was another couple of periods a week that David did not have to worry about where Lilith actually might be as she was, in her own idiom, only taking five NEWTs this year.

As Sextus was taking five OWLs ahead of the rest of the class, that meant the two brightest children in the school actually had enough work to do to keep their mercurial brains occupied.

Of course keeping them both out of mischief entirely was too much to hope for.

oOoOo

Sextus smiled beatifically one morning and said,

"I think from now my speech will always be

Iambic in its nature as you see."

"Why bother?" said Lilith. "It's not hard and it only proves that Ravenclaws really are addled."

"The proof dear Lilith is quite spurious

I do it to make others furious" said Sextus.

"Oh well if it pleases you it don't hurt the rest of us" shrugged Lilith. "If you managed trochees now not iambs and spoke like Hiawatha there might be some point in it."

Sextus discovered that a tongue stuck out spoke a thousand iambic pentameters.

It may be noted that he kept it up for a full three days – to the irritation of most and ignored by his own set – and then gave it up as a bad job to the relief of the staff who were finding it tiresome but could not actually find anything to criticise so long as the boy answered questions fully. And Minerva, who had acidly asked him to define Assimilative Correlation – which was out of his supposed knowledge as yet – in order to catch him out, had sighed and made a note of his excellent quatrain in definition.

"Assimilative correlation may

In finding likeness between objects two

Provide for the mutation thus a way

To concentrate the better spell to do".

"Wee sumpf" said Minerva, secretly moderately impressed.

Sextus had just grinned.

oOoOo

The weather improved enough to get back to earnest games of quidditch rather than the knockabouts on the beach and there had already been enough drama that year in more than just Ravenclaw.

Sampta had left Xanthia Fawcett off even the second team, one reason perhaps the girl had been so intemperate; Sampta had advanced that theory and an apology to Lilith who had entirely pooh-poohed it and told Sampta not to be a silly moo but make her dispositions as she saw fit. Sampta accepted this rather blunt way of putting it as Lilith's way of saying that she did not hold Sampta responsible and supported her decisions.

The Ravenclaw first team as rearranged the year before was actually playing the best it had played for some years and having already wiped the floor with both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor looked likely to make a clean sweep; Nathan, as head of Slytherin games, certainly did not consider their team quite a match for Ravenclaw's; though it might be close. It was the matter of Jack Murray; Paris Bullivant was good but he did not have that spark that a seeker needed; and really Lilith played much better at Keeper than as Seeker. And they had to play a first year in the first team too, Gondoline Goyle, who showed promise as Beater but had not yet the bulk that made a really good beater.

And Hufflepuff were looking forward to playing with their new player, Petrus, who had promptly replaced fifth year Herbert Clagg as second beater on the first team at the insistence of Miriam Moonshine, who was team captain, with enthusiastic endorsement from Herbert who said he loved the game, and By Jove, liked to see someone who could play it properly. Petrus' friend Sebastian was on the second team with another first year, Hilary Zeller, and Miriam said that with a bit of luck in a year or two Hufflepuff would have a team to take seriously.

It was Gryffindor which had been the main contender for drama queen of the year award, as Venus had put it disgustedly to the other Stripy Marauders.

One Sophronia Robins, in the fourth, had been played as chaser for the second team for a couple of years; she was good but not as good as some others. And she had not been happy about being passed over for promotion the year before by Hadjan gan Nork and Zakala Malfoy-Tobak, a pair of goblins which Sophronia, though she said nothing of this, resented more than anything else in that instance. And when Damian, as head of games in Gryffindor, asked her to play beater for the second team to keep the Malfoy twins Avice and Alienora together as chasers, being slight as they were and not suited as beaters she threw a total hissy fit and declared that if the team did not recognise her worth she did not recognise the team.

Damian had shrugged, and said 'fine' and set about rewriting his teams.

Seth Dumbledore was, fortunately, placid enough to play beater as well as a sturdily built lad and now in the third so not so tiny as most first years; and though he had played Seeker for the second team was ready to slot in where necessary even as he had been ready to cede his place to other, better, younger players. And there was a ready made replacement for seeker in Harronione Coote who was a natural; and Damian declared that it might be a stupid name but the spirit of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and the brains of Hermione Granger flew with her and she'd do for the first team seeker once Sekunder left.

Harri's cup ran over. That meant she would play first team seeker in her second year!

Most of the second team were very young; Roxanne Shacklebolt in the fourth and Seth and Bayard Chevallier in the third were the old ones of the team; the other four were first years, Harri, the twins and Varjak Malfoy-Tobak.

oOoOo

Slytherin had played only Gryffindor this year, a win for their first team and a loss for the second; which as three of the Slytherin second team were definitely also-rans who played only for House pride was not surprising. Walter, Isambard and U-may had volunteered to fill the places because nobody else would, or could; and Richard, Drogo and Pascoe Broadmoor might be all very good but they were still very inexperienced.

Pascoe, against all expectation with a family tradition of being beaters, tried out for and won the position of second seeker; and Richard and Drogo were content to work together as chasers together with Ludmila Yaxley. Though the second team did tease Ludmila that their team would have a better chance if she loaded her broom with aggressive plants!

oOoOo

Slytherin played Hufflepuff first, both teams; and as Drogo prophesied the first team won because the Huffers did not have the spirit, despite Petrus playing like a demon.

He was congratulated by his own team and Slytherin after the match however which delighted him! Being praised really was the drug that Petrus needed to find himself!

The second teams played a rather stodgily interminable game until light was called and decided to end in a draw on even points. Pascoe was the better seeker; but Isambard and U-may as beaters were no match for Norman Whitely and the stolid but efficient Herbert Clagg, who kept Pascoe more than busy enough to keep him from the snitch.

Slytherin met Ravenclaw next and, thanks to the extraordinary broomnastics of Lilith and inspired defending by Gondoline Goyle and Bryony Urquart, Ravenclaw were denied many points while Nathan, Phil Burke and Zajala racked up enough that even Jack Murray's catching of the snitch was not enough to deny Slytherin the win. Their second team fared less well; which was hardly surprising. Ravenclaw had some useful young players coming up the school.

oOoOo

It meant that the overall record stood at five wins for Ravenclaw, three and a half for Slytherin, three for Gryffindor and one and a half for Hufflepuff which was, as Dunbar Finch said half a win better than last year and a good omen of improvement.

And Nathan said that only a Huffer would put it that way.

oOoOo

David had urged the teams to get all their matches played because Prince Peak had issued a challenge to a Quiddpolo match after the exams were over in the summer; and he was keen to see the quiddpolo teams practice.

This was to be an all houses effort, and a couple of teams drawn from those who volunteered to learn to play; from which a first team would be picked.

And the Cricket team travelled too for an early game of cricket in the warmer climes of Devon at St Jodoc's, since playing the muggle school was now traditional. The practises on the beach in New Zealand paid off here; and the first eleven won by a run and two wickets; and the second team won by five runs. Which was enough. Naturally the boys of St Jodoc's promised revenge in the summer!

oOoOo

Sextus meanwhile had received a reply to the letter he had written to his mother and became morose and lapsed into trochaic tetrameter which, said Lilith, was a sure sign that he really was feeling more addled than any normal Ravenclaw because sounding like Hiawatha was far too highbrow for normal idiocy unless you were making a farce of the matter.

She asked him why. Sextus scowled.

"As my mother is a moron

and because she hates my father

hates him with a burning passion,

hates him with unreasoned fervour

then she can't accept I love him

and your cousin who he married

calls disloyal all my feelings

calls disloyal that I love them" he said.

"Well she is engaging in a bout of hysterical poor prunery but can't you just talk straight?" demanded Lilith.

"Not without breaking down and crying or saying things I might regret!" cried Sextus.

Lilith firmly wrapped her arms around him.

"Well break down and cry then you baboon; it's only me you're crying on" she said "And I don't believe I melt in salt water or I'd have dissolved when we went swimming in New Zealand."

Sextus gave a little whoop that was half laugh and half sob; and buried his face against her and cried. Lilith cuddled him and stroked his hair and waited for the storm to subside.

"Oh Lilith, what would I do without you?" said Sextus.

"Be a poor prune rather like daddy was because his girlfriend wasn't bright enough to pick up on his needs" said Lilith prosaically, taking the rhetorical question seriously. "Tell me."

"Well, because I'm taking some OWLs I'm supposed to stay for some of the holiday; and I wrote to mother to tell her that I intended to split the week I had at home between her and dad. And she wrote back the most garbled rubbish about how I was betraying her now my father was married, all but accused me of having the hots for Albertine or sucking up because of her association with the Prince family, and a load of rubbish. I burned it" he added as Lilith held out a hand "OY!" as she firmly legilimensed him.

"Riiiight" said Lilith. "I'd suggest she was menopausal only she's too young… jealous of your father? Probably. She burned her boats to have an affair with him and could despise him as 'only a muggle' and then he goes and marries into an influential wizarding family, and never mind that Cousin Albertine isn't actually the sort of person who goes to the sort of do's the top echelon attend – she'd run a mile if daddy suggested it – but I suspect your mother, seeing her launched from Malfoy Manor, thinks that she is, and wishes that SHE was, and hang about, Albertine was photographed with daddy and sundry other cousins and spread across Sparkle, all very tasteful and nothing that could be objected to because Kordach knows that where Lucius sues, daddy is more likely to rip off his head and piss down his neck."

"Graphic" said Sextus, almost his snide self again. "Oh dear; I never thought of that. Not that I've seen the article; how come you were reading tripe like that, Halfpint?"

"I wasn't; I was using it to cover the table while I played with Kevin's slugs" said Lilith calmly. "I was confunding them to crawl in significant patterns but sometimes they kind of ooze off the edge of the paper. It was a nice pic and I just noted that there wasn't anything to be offended about."

"Oh, that's all right" said Sextus "I thought you Slythers might have gone for more than usual in the brain softening techniques. Surely my mum's not shallow enough to….. actually she IS shallow enough to read that. I do love her you know" he added.

"'Course you do you Baboon" said Lilith affectionately "But sometimes bringing up the grownups we love can be a little wearing."

Sextus sighed.

"What should I do?" he asked.

"Decline the holiday at all; write and tell her that she sounds hysterical and ill and that you will forgo time at home to give her the chance to consult with a healer in St Mungo's; which tells her that you disapprove and find it unacceptable whilst being able to send a message of loving care" said Lilith "And write to your dad to see if he and Albertine can come up for a day trip to Hogsmeade. Maybe stay over a night at the Hog's Head. It's more robust than the Three Broomsticks."

"Somehow I can see dad and Albertine able to cope with robust….. I think I shall. I don't want to say anything to mum that I might regret if she makes me lose my temper; and she will. Not seeing her ought to prevent that AND make the message clear. I think I shall add that I don't need to have to deal with hysteria when I'm sitting OWLs next term."

"She'll have a hissy fit of course" said Lilith.

"Yes but she can have it in private" said Sextus "And I shan't have to deal with it; and I know that's selfish but I've placated her and placated her and put up with it and this is a time that's important to me; and she doesn't understand that."

"No" said Lilith dryly who had read his memory of the letter which had rambled into not understanding why he had to take any OWLs early since he could take them next year and she could have her baby with her all holidays. It had been an embarrassing letter and she could see why Sextus was nauseated and angered. Particularly since Madam Scarpin seemed to spend all the time when her baby WAS with her in picking fault. Distance seemed to lend a roseate hue to the way in which she looked at him.

Lilith disliked Madam Scarpin; but one day the witch would be her mother-in-law, if all went to plan, and she would have to rub along with her; so Lilith took the line of being what she considered to be nauseatingly cute and rather like the portrayal of Chrysogon Rufus in his mother's cynically penned poetry.

It kept her from being carped at and about by Sextus' mother who considered Chrysogon Rufus to be adorable.

oOoOo

Lilith dropped in to see David unofficially.

She explained all about it and finished,

"….So you see although I know you'd urge him not to stay all the while and would normally think he ought to go home, I really think he's best given the chance to keep out of an emotional situation."

David nodded. Lilith had thought it all through. At least Sextus was not a problem child because of his problem parent! And that was largely down to having been firmly adopted by Lilith too, he reflected. Lilith was such an eminently sane child, deeply loved and well aware of that without being spoilt; and how easy it would have been for Krait and Severus to spoil their firstborn child, the child of the time of terror who had so nearly been killed by that accident that had her being born so early….. but Lilith had been given firm and loving discipline, had been taught self discipline, and had grown up knowing caring compassion and generosity as a part of her upbringing.

For all the challenges of having such a mischievous little genius in the school, David was glad that he had the privilege – and it was a privilege – to assist in her development and growing up.

He gave her a hug and a kiss.

"I'll take care of your Sextus, young Lilith" he promised.

oOoOo

Lilith decided that Sextus needed to be involved in some true mischief – finding secret places did not count – and the Stripy Marauders took combs and paper and flitted joyously through the secret passages after midnight serenading various sleeping pupils with the unholy noise of renditions of Celestina Warbeck's top hits on the principle that comb and paper sounded enough like banshees that it came under assimilative correlation by scary.

Not all their involuntary audience were impressed.

Fortunately most of them growled something about Marauders and pulled the blankets over their heads; and the Marauders avoided junior dormitories in case of scaring little ones.

oOoOo

David asked in the morning if anyone would care to own to the authorship of the wailing banshees in the night; and when the Stripy Marauders stood, unrepentantly, informed them that since they had lost so much of their sleep they might go to bed at seven o'clock for the rest of the week.

The Stripy Marauders accepted this terrible sentence stoically and David decided to pretend that he did not hear Jayashree say to her fellows that the Head had never said when they must get up.