They spent three days cleaning. The place was a mess. Alther had really done a number on the living space and the necromancer had disorganized the library to the point even Marcia couldn't find her way around.

The first day after they had come to the tower Marcia tied back her hair and set to work cleaning the place. There was so much darkeness that Magyk would take twice as long as doing it by hand Marcia had explained when Septimus finally worked up the courage to ask.

"You can get complacent of Magyk, and yes I am guilty of it, take advantage of it. In this situation though it would be more trouble to use a spell than it would be to actually break out the cleaning supplies." Marcia happily explained as she shelved a handful of newly dusted books and began to teach Septimus the complicated shelving system used in the pyramid library.

Septimus slowly acclimatized to the work and when Marcia would find something she thought he might find interesting she showed it to him. She was making an effort to welcome him. She understood it was culture shock of the deepest kind to go from being an enemy of wizards to an apprentice of one.

One evening Marcia was helping a wizard who has just returned from the prison in the badlands and Septimus had the apartment to himself. It was scary, he thought, sitting in this unfamiliar place all by himself. He half expected the assassin to burst through the door and shoot him. The fire blazed happily bit the shadow cast by the glow made Septimus even more uncomfortable. He was about to go to his room, that was still a funny thought a room all his ow not one large one he shared with 20 other boys, when Marcia came through the door. Septimus jumped out his skin. "Are you alright?" Marcia asked yawning. She had dark circles under her eyes and it looked like her hands were shaking and her knees weren't going to hold out much longer.

"Did you run up the stairs?" Septimus asked as Marcia slid to the floor.

She shook her head,"No, Thomas Thomas was really ill, he's doing better now but for while there it was questionable. Once again are you alright?"

Septimus nodded, "I'm fine. It's your stupid home it's weird up here."

Marcia raised an eyebrow and suddenly Septimus remembered why people were afraid of her.

"You are a wretched liar you know. What's the matter? I thought you liked it here."

Septimus couldn't speak. he curled up and closed his eyes, maybe when he opened them again things would be less strange. He didn't want to back to the young army of that he sure, but the wizard tower, the symbol of everything he was raised to hate, was mind boggling and that might have been left over from years of having anti-magyk sentiment drilled into him, but it made things no less difficult to come to terms with.

Marcia wasn't exactly sure what to do. She wasn't a one for extensive contact but the boy was scared and everything in life had been turned on its head in a relatively short amount of time. So with that in mind she made the effort. She sat on the floor beside the sofa and took his hand gently in her own. "If there is something I can do please tell me and I'll do my best."

Septimus nodded and went to his room expertly avoiding eye contact. He flopped into his bed and was instantly asleep.

He dreamed of the Marcia the young army had told him of. The mad woman who could stare holes in you and liked making people cry. With wild hair and an evil smile painted on her face. He dreamt that she roused him from his bed and taking him by the ear led him out of the tower and back to the young army barracks where he would be court marshaled or more likely killed for consorting with the enemy and deserting. He dreamt he was marched to a gallows and as the rope tightened around his neck He felt himself fall and sat straight up in his bed.

It was the wee hours of the morning and Septimus sat in his bed and tried not to cry. He could still feel the rope and knew that pain should follow. His anxiety was not helped by a bedraggled and drowsy Marcia bursting through the door. With out thought Septimus flung himself into her arms.

"Don't send me away, I'm sorry, I'll be better, just please don't send me away." Septimus sobed and pleaded to a thouroughly shocked Marcia.

She stood there for a moment arms loosely holding onto the distraught boy before her mind informed her he needed comforting. "Sshhhhh, it's alright Septimus, I'm not going to send you away." she wasn't entirely sure where this had sprung from but if he was afraid of then she would assure him it was nonsensical.

"I dreamed you were just like i'd imagined you in the young army, it was terrifying." He leaned into her further and inorder to not fall over she guided him to the floor and he sat in her lap as she absentminded ly ran a hand through his hair.

"You imagined what I was like while you were in the young army?" Marcia couldn't help the note of disbelief in her tone.

"Hmmmm, we had to recite a rhym before we could gyard the tower." he looked up as if asking permission and Marcia nodded her head.

'crazy as a cuttle fish, nasty as a rat, put her in a pie dish, give her to the cat.'

"Oh," was all she said in responce.

"They had it all wrong though, that couldn't be further from the real you." he reassured his tutor putting his head on her shoulder and fighting to keep his eyes open. Even though he hadn't known her long Marcia was familiar and a comfort in this strange place she called home.

"Come on, back to sleep with you, it's nearly three in the morning." Marcia instructed feeling him grow slack in her arms. He dazedly did as he was told and was out like a light, however, as Marcia was about to leave Septimus caught sight of the troubled look on her face, "they couldn't have been further from the truth about you Madam Overstrand."

Marcia smiled, "Thank you, Septimus, now get some sleep, the morning will be here before you know it.

Marcia shut the door quietly and smiled, they weren't a conventional pair but it seemed to work so far, it would take time but they'd figure out how to work together.