Chapter 20: A stowaway

Krait was much relieved to be through that ordeal; destroying Merope's locket was traumatic of itself without the attendant drama of a horcrux fighting back, something she had not previously encountered. Now they had all felt the malevolence; even those of the Blood Group deemed too young to attend had felt some of the backwash and were forearmed should they find themselves in a similar situation. She was glad that there was not a sufficient connection to the conscious mind of Tom Riddle that he should be able to divine who his enemies were; nor even that the horcrux was destroyed. She was pondering on the means by which she might best mend the locket to wear while pruning shrivelfig in her next Herbology class, and accidentally ran a splinter into her finger.

She said a short and Anglo-Saxon word, and had to cut it out with her silver knife, hampered by the fairy that flew over to lap at the blood.

"Shoo!" said Krait, irritably..

The fairy pulled a face at her and reluctantly shoo'd.

Presumably the little creature was pregnant; they preferred blood to honey or nectar at that time. And how little like the cutesy fairies of muggle folk tales they are, reflected Krait; though the cutsification of fairies was just another example of making the little people in general of myth less frightening. An interesting expansion to the work 'Why Muggles Prefer not to Know' or whatever the book was called. Hermione would know! At least Lucius had communication with an important muggle who WAS prepared to know and who could arrange to lend them SAS troops if need be!

-/-

Another muggle who was cautiously prepared to know was Dudley.

The boy had seen the way Harry's friends treated each other; and though he was not in the habit of using his brains, he was astute enough to realise that they had something that he did not. And Draco wrote to him again, explaining something of how he had been a bully and had had his life turned around. Dudley wanted real friends; he knew his cronies would desert him in an instant if he ever failed to force his will upon them by being harder than them. He had missed an opportunity to have his cousin as a real friend and dimly he was beginning to recognise this. Draco was debating whether to invite Dudley to spend some of the Yule holiday at Malfoy Manor, with Harry; his mother could be squared to the idea of keeping a close eye on Harry, but his muggle cousin? That would be harder to explain away. If only his mother could be brought to the crunch of defying Voldemort! And yet….her horror over what he, Draco was supposed to do, to kill Dumbledore…Draco hoped to work on her concerning that over the holidays, playing with little Bella Black and murmuring what a sweet child she was and what horrible things the Dark Lord must have done. He had seen Krait's memories, wrested from Bella's adult mind, in the Pensieve; and was sickened. Perhaps he could beg Dumbledore to let him borrow the Pensieve to show his mother what was done to Bellatrix…..perhaps too he might use the command word directly on his mother to demonstrate to her what had been – almost certainly – done to her as it had been to his father, Severus and Bella and doubtless all the Deatheaters.

And there was also the trouble of who to take to the Yule Ball.

He was tempted to ask little Grace Snape; but she was so shy, placing her under that sort of attention scarcely seemed fair. Besides, as a third year she would not attend the ball as of right; he would ask her next year so she knew she would have someone safe to go with. Assuming they were still all alive for the next ball.

The best person to take was a fourth year with no attachments who was not likely to take it as a big romance; and Draco bethought him of a quiet and unassuming Hufflepuff girl in the MSHG, who was witty on the few occasions she did pipe up, and quite clearly followed most of even Hermione's involuted periods. Yes, he would take Claire Barrett, a chubby girl who did not make the most of herself.

That problem was sorted, though Pansy Parkinson's comments over NOT being invited to him would have to be lived through!

He would just invite Dudley for a few days near the end of the holidays and hope that Charlotte would stand his ally, and that he would have had a chance to talk to his mother by then. After all, she doted on him as much as Petunia doted on Dudley; and THAT would separate her from Fishface in the end.

-/-

It was frustrating to all the Kindred to wait until the end of term to seek other horcruces; though Quidditch did occupy their minds somewhat, in practising for the upcoming international matches, as well as for the house cup. The matter of disappearing food was also a matter of concern to the house elves, as Sirri told the others.

"We'll have to stand watch then" said Krait "It's probably some homesick first year, stuffing food to make up for loneliness and homesickness, but their problems must be addressed."

"We gives food to whoever asks for it!" said Sirri indignantly.

"Oh, but schoolchildren find stealing more fun" said Severus lazily.

Sirri gazed at him worshipfully and he gave her a fond if rueful smile.

"Why don't you get the free elves to watch and call us down when you find the culprit at it?" suggested Krait. "That way we can sort this out quietly and unofficially."

Sirri nodded.

"Beloc and our parents and Dobby will watch; and I think Kreacher will too now."

"Good" said Krait "But I think not Kreacher yet; he's coming on, but he's prejudiced – not unreasonably – against thieves and he might not be gentle even if gentleness is called for."

Sirri nodded.

Anything Krait said was right for her!

-/-

It was Beloc who laid hold of the youthful thief; and to his surprise the child was not old enough to be a Hogwarts student!

The lad, about nine years old, stood terrified in Severus' office, with a number of the older Kindred looking on. David had managed to get himself involved, having been working illicitly with Beloc.

"Don't be afraid lad" said Severus, not unkindly "What is your name and how do you come to be here?"

"M-my name's Jem Ingate, sir" said the lad "That's James Edward Ingate. And I'm not even really sure where 'here' is, 'cos there wasn't no castle next to the old orphanage on the outside."

Krait stiffened.

"You were in the old orphanage? I thought the authorities shut that place down?"

Jem looked scared.

"I didn't BREAK and enter!" he said "There was a broke window!"

"You are under the age of Mens Rhea anyway" said Krait dryly "You can't be charged with a criminal offence – even supposing we cared – until you are ten. You er, didn't break in to the orphanage then, and came through the door with lights on in the cupboard?"

Jem managed a shaky grin.

"Yeah" he said "I went in there to hide."

"Aren't your family going to worry?" asked Severus.

"Not hardly" snorted Jem "My da's only going to miss his punching bag when he sobers up enough to stand." He gulped "Though I wish I had George, Lucy and Paul here safe. That's my brothers and sister. I couldn't get back through the loo wall to fetch them you see when it was so nice here."

"I'll go see if his name's in the book" said Krait, whisking out. "Boys, feed him cocoa and find out his address; if he can see the magic door, he's supposed to be here, and if his dad is a drunken bully so do his siblings."

"At your command, oh Mistress of the Blue Horizons" said David. Krait put her tongue out at him, and whisked off, leaving the others to convince Jem that magic was real and that he could do it.

-/-

Jem's name was in the book; and so, further on, were his siblings. An Ingate earlier in the book by a generation had not taken up his place. When Krait returned with that news it was to find Severus grave, for Jem had told him that Lucy had trouble walking, having a club foot, and Paul was only a baby. His mother had sickened and died not long after the baby was born; and Jem had had to put up with more rages from his father as a result. A neighbour cared for the two youngest; but it seemed that there was talk of Social Services becoming involved and taking the children into care.

"From what the lad says, his father may have latent powers, but didn't ever use them because believing in magic is sissy; and takes out his frustrations in the bottle and with violence" said Severus, grimly. "He sounds like my father, who was frustrated in NOT being able to perform magic….he had limited abilities to see things though, goblins and house elves for example. There's not enough done about muggles with small talent."

"Or squibs or siblings of the talented" said Krait. "If Petunia had had a bit of attention when Lily came to Hogwarts, maybe Harry would have had an easier time of it; and if there'd been a special non-talented annexe where History of Magic and how to deal with the wizarding world were taught, she'd likely have picked herself a nice squib or brother of another student instead of the verminous Vernon."

"That's a very good point" said Severus. "Well, perhaps we can persuade the authorities to consider such when this business is all over; surely there will be less anti-muggle feeling when Riddle is gone."

"Dearest, when this is all over, if we survive WE shall effectively be the authorities – or at least able to dictate policy" said Krait, calmly "And I suggest we exploit that to the utmost to reform all the ills of society that we can. Harry will have tremendous kudos; what he suggests will be taken as law, you know."

"That is not a responsibility I fancy you know" said Harry.

"No; James would have, but you have more sense" said Severus "Lily would feel the same as you, but she would not have shirked the responsibility."

"I don't plan on shirking it Sev; but I surely could use plenty of advice" said Harry.

"You'll get that and in spades" Krait grinned "Your problem will be sorting out the sensible suggestions and implementing them and saying 'no' firmly to the more way out ideas that it's hard to refuse because friends make them. Some of us are a little radical."

"She means me" said Hermione.

"I meant me too actually" said Krait mildly "But as we girls are alive to our faults and aware of our passions we shan't be offended if Harry thinks our ideas are too extreme to take seriously, at least in the form we put them. And by the way, shall we go back to bed? Jem can kip on the sofa here or go with David into his dorm and we can steal his siblings tomorrow. I have Arithmancy first thing."

-/-

Severus left Sirius covering his classes next day and went to see Arthur Weasley, explaining the situation, with certain edited details. The Loo network was a Kindred secret; he merely hinted that the lad had found a way through the floo network.

"More kids for that poor child to take on?" said Arthur.

"Krait likes kids. She'd start her own orphanage at Hogwarts if I let her" said Severus. "It's not as if there weren't willing house elves to help; our four we er, rescued – and I'm not sharing the circumstances with you Arthur, no offence, but you don't want to know – are happy to help all they can. And we have a grandmother of one of my wards who is a jewel among women. The paperwork should be simple; a court order of custody to a relative of the mother, say."

Arthur nodded.

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem….and if the child found a magic way to come to Hogwarts, he deserves to be there for certain. I'll have the paperwork for you in a brace of shakes, Severus." He paused "May I say, marriage to Krait has changed you – you're a more compassionate person than you used to be."

Severus shrugged.

"Having someone to share with and that you know cares for you does help" he said "But if you ever use the word 'nice' in connection with me, Arthur we shall fall out. I am not 'nice'. I am bad tempered and malicious. A whole generation of schoolchildren can't be wrong you know."

Arthur laughed.

"Oh I shall safeguard your reputation, Severus" he said "But I can see what I can see. And I can also see that you've stopped seeing James when you look at Harry. I don't know what was between you and James but it worried me that you laid it at Harry's door too."

"I suppose we can all get fixed ideas and make mistakes – even me" said Severus, looking down his nose in defence. "Was that paperwork going to be sorted any time in the next century?"

Arthur flushed and set to work quickly. Severus might have improved but he was still sarcastic, by Merlin!

-/-

Severus returned late in the afternoon with three children, two of them in his arms and the other clinging to his robe. He handed them into the care of Gran.

"Lucy's foot has been sorted out by St Mungo's" he said "Krait could probably have done it but I wanted to get it done soonest. They are traumatised by the death of their mother as well as the violence of their father."

"poor mites" said Gran "Come to Gran for a cuddle!"

Severus grinned.

With Gran on the case, other children, and Krait's own touch the little ones would soon settle in!