Chapter 26 getting the kids back to school…..
While Krait was at Malfoy Manor, Severus had a serious talk with Sirri.
He cupped her face in his hands and regarded her seriously.
"You know I can never give you the love I have for Krait" he told her "And I should be wrong not to tell you that, for she and I have shared so much….and she has given me the peace of mind and sense of self worth I have always lacked. I love you with deep affection but I cannot give you my soul."
Sirri reached up a tiny hand to touch his face.
"Oh Mister Severus, don't you understand? A house elf is lucky if there is even mild affection in her life….my parents and Beloc and me thought ourselves lucky to have each other and to love each other. If – if you is prepared to like me a little I'd be so glad!"
"It's more than like, dear Sirri" said Severus, his heart going out to the lonely unloved existence of house elves, and to Sirri in particular for her low expectations. He knew what it was to feel unloved. "And it's just Severus, you know."
"Oh Severus! I – I would like to be with you if – if Miss Krait says it is all right!"
"Krait thinks it is a good idea; she loves you too and wants you to be happy."
"I has not been able to think what form you might like me to try to take" said Sirri tentatively.
"My dear, I would hope you would keep your own pretty form, just – grow the body a bit so I can't hurt you" said Severus "Or – or perhaps it would be better if I shrank?"
Sirri shook her head violently.
"NO NO NO!" she squeaked "YOU must not change form that would be WRONG!"
"But it's not wrong for you? How's that then?" Severus smiled gently.
"Because it is, that's all!" said Sirri firmly.
"I only suggest changing because of the practical difficulties…. And I suppose it would make sense for you to change, because if there are children – if you want children – you can then use the larger form for the later stages of pregnancy and birth to make it less risky. You are lovely as you are, because it is what you are meant to be" said Severus.
Sirri threw her arms as far round him as she could reach.
"You are so kind!" she cried. "Oh and I do want your babies, because you will treat them right and they will be your children – you doesn't treat Mimi or Sevvy any different to the others!"
"They are my wards – and now to be my adoptive children" said Severus softly.
"They love you and K-Krait too" said Sirri, fighting against the desire to add 'Mistress' to the name. "I will work on being big for you."
Severus grinned.
"Not too big – it tickles my vanity to be protective" he said.
"So – so about the size Krait is?" said Sirri.
"Just as high as my heart – yes, that would be ideal" said Severus "Unless there is a size you feel more comfortable at."
Sirri shook her head.
"I will work hard" she said firmly "And when I has it right I will come to you?"
Severus leaned forward and brushed his mouth across hers.
"Yes" he said.
Sirri glowed with joy; good food, security and kindness had given her good looks already, but in her happiness she had an inner beauty that few would have believed to exist in a house elf!
-/-
Harry returned to Hogwarts via the Loo network, and Draco went with Dudley back to Privet Drive to set up a gateway in the cupboard under the stairs to Myrtle's loo.
"You just have to have an act of faith and go through it" he explained, and took Dudley into the stall he had chosen.
"Ooh Draco, who's that?" said Myrtle, popping out of the U-bend.
"AaH!" said Dudley, startled.
"Miss Myrtle er, Carmichael, Mr Dudley Dursley" drawled Draco in his best social occasion accent. "Myrtle's a ghost, Dudley; she was killed by Harry's basilisk and got sentenced to stay in the loo because she haunted the girl who bullied her. It's one reason we meet here; Myrtle's one of us."
"Er..oh. nice to er, meet you" said Dudley, a trifle doubtfully.
Myrtle wriggled coyly at him.
"I always like to meet nice boys" she said. "I DO like your cousin Abraxus, Draco, he's Sooo polite to me."
"Flirt" said Draco amicably. "Dudley's going to come through in the mornings to run with us; you'll help him find the right stall if he gets confused, won't you Myrtle?"
Myrtle batted her insubstantial eyelashes.
"Oh yes!" she promised.
Draco went back through with Dudley; he had his school kit in the car and planned to go to London for the train, as behoved the Head boy!
-/-
David had made it his own duty to wait outside the barrier in case of trouble; as he said, he had enough knowledge of muggles, being born one, to head off any muggle trouble. Draco waited with him in his capacity of Head Boy to hurry up stragglers. First years particularly were always a worry and Draco was glad to count through his list and be sure all the Gryffindors were on, Gryffindors being, as he said to David, the source of most trouble.
David grinned.
"And being one myself I fear I can't dispute that. Especially with the likes of Colin Weasley and Jasper Crouch-Jones. And just think – each of them has several younger siblings."
Draco groaned hollowly.
"Will Hogwarts survive?"
"More to the point, will Hogwarts survive the string of half siblings YOU're likely to have?"
Draco pulled a face at him.
"I don't care, I'll have left long since" he said.
"Ah, selfish Slytherin to the last…" quipped David. "We have all YOUR house…. All the Ravenclaws….correct me if I'm wrong but are we not missing a Hufflepuff first year?"
Draco groaned.
"It wouldn't surprise me….Gryffs are trouble, Slythers can be too, Ravenclaws are so academic they're often almost as vague as our earnest Huffers manage naturally – if we lose one, it's usually one of those two houses. Who is it?"
"I think it's a kid called Cleonie Puckeridge" said David, who had a good memory. "Shall I stay here and ask your cousins if I can use the floo network or their loo to get back?"
Draco hesitated.
"It's my job really…but then I have the duty to be on the train too. But you're only a third year…."
"I'm blood group….if I haven't turned up at the castle with her, send a house elf to look for me" said David. Draco nodded, relieved. David was a preternaturally sensible boy who could be trusted not to do anything silly. Especially for a Gryffindor.
-/-
Draco boarded the train and pretended not to hear Hawke and Abraxus holding forth at the tops of their voices about the house elf they had helped over the holidays; then eavesdropped anyway.
They had recognised some stuff in a box being carried by a muggle as being magical; and observed him being trailed by a mournful house elf. The elf, named Riddy, had been left himself by his mistress when she died, and he was furious that her muggle nephew was disrespecting her wizarding equipment by just taking it either to the nearest pawnbroker or even to the tip.
"The house is up for sale too, and guess what! It's near our new house in Orme Court, it MUST be a small wizarding community!" said Abrax, excitedly "Dad's putting in an offer for it, junk and all as he said, and hoping Severus might like to buy it off him when Krait gets her inheritance…and Riddy's come to work with us, because he doesn't like being free that much, but he's happy to be employed….and mum met a house elf called Lilly whose owner had died without an heir when she was looking for a property in Diagon Alley, so she's going to be mum's new shop assistant….and mum's raking in loot from wizards on one side and muggles on the other and it's all good!"
Draco grinned. At least Abrax was discreet about the expected source of Krait's inheritance – any outsiders who heard would assume it to be a Malfoy inheritance – and it was good that his new relatives were doing well. He knew his father had suggested investing in Wendy's business and she had accepted, since he had the contacts to make a real difference; it was right that Malfoys should be doing well. His uncle Vladimir was not especially well off – he was a zoo vet who had been through a messy divorce – but he was considering a job at Hogwarts helping Hagrid on the understanding that Lucius would support his claim of total custody of the children of the failed marriage. Draco had met the former Mrs Malfoy briefly when she collected his cousins and seen how apprehensive and low they were at her concept of entertaining them for the weekend, taking them shopping in France. For a little girl of eight, and brothers one and three years younger Draco could scarcely think of a more tedious occupation! It would not be long before she'd be at Hogwarts; yes, David was right, they'd be knee deep in Malfoys. What a nice thought!
-/-
David, meanwhile, had taken Draco's list and took a bus to Cleonie's home address.
Cleonie was outside by a black BMW car with a man who was presumably her father. He wore an expensive grey suit; and she was in an unfamiliar uniform of navy blue and orange and looked totally miserable. David swore quietly to himself. How to attract her attention without doing illegal magic? She wasn't a member of the Blood Group, so Parseltongue was no good…he recalled that she had said that her father was a surgeon so he would probably understand Latin. Suddenly he had an idea; and whistled 'A Cauldron full of Hot Strong Love', an old song that was recently going through a revival having been covered by the Weird Sisters. Only a member of the wizarding community would recognise it.
Cleonie stiffened.
"I need the loo dad" she said, urgently.
"Haven't you BEEN?" demanded her father crossly.
"DAD! You don't ASK girls things like that!" said Cleonie.
David grinned.
She was a bright enough little thing.
"All right….hurry up. You don't want to be late at St Agatha's on your first day there" he said, looking impatiently at his watch.
David drifted round the back of the house; and the bathroom window flew open and Cleonie's anxious face peered out.
"Fraser?" she said, catching sight of David "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you, obviously" said David.
"Have I missed the train?"
"'Fraid so" he said, laconically "But I've arranged alternative transport…whatever is this St Agatha's rubbish?"
"Daddy wanted me to be a, what he calls, proper surgeon not some, er, witch doctor. Mummy's working and he offered to see me to the station – they're divorced you know – and then he turned up and burned my Hogwarts uniform and made me put this on and told me he'd arranged a proper school for me!"
"But he's not your guardian is he?"
"No! But that's one reason mummy divorced him, he's so arrogant and only his views count….and mummy has wizarding cousins so she accepted what I am, but he won't!" Cleonie was close to tears; she was a peaceable little thing and hated trouble.
"Right…your mum wants you to be at Hogwarts and that's all that counts legally. Can you climb out of the window?"
"I – I think so, if you'll stand underneath to catch me."
David nodded and talked her down patiently. She had stripped off the uniform and had pulled on jeans and a sweater, very sensibly in David's opinion; it was less distinctive. As she dropped to the ground the sound of her father's voice floated through the open window muffled by the locked bathroom door, demanding that she hurry herself up.
"Quick, over the fence onto the park!" said David, who had checked out the surroundings quickly.
"I can't climb the fence or I'd have done that before" said Cleonie. "I was hoping to run away from that horrid school he wanted me to go to, hoping that would be easier. It's too high for me" she sounded panicked.
"Yes you can; I'll boost you" said David. He did just that and had just scrambled over himself when a crash heralded Mr Puckeridge's entrance into the bathroom.
"Stay by the fence" whispered David "So he doesn't see us….follow me."
It was a simple matter to elude the sight of the angry surgeon; and David led Cleonie onto a bus and away across London to Bayswater where the Casimir Malfoys now lived in a tall Art Nouveau period house. Casimir was in the front garden, talking to an elderly neighbour who was accompanied by several cats, one of whom was a large and magnificent grey tabby.
Casimir waved at David.
"Hello young Fraser, miss the train?"
"Cleonie's father kidnapped her so I had to kidnap her back sir" said David cheerfully. "Morning ma'am, what a fine Kneazle you have there."
"Ah, a young wizard then and a witch?" said the old woman "I'm Mrs Abbott…I'm a squib and a near neighbour to Mr Malfoy here.
"Splendid!" said David "How nice for you to have nice neighbours, Mr Malfoy. Can we use the floo network here please?"
"I don't see why not" said Casimir "Oh dear, you'll arrive early…perhaps I ought to come with you and explain matters to Professor Dumbledore."
"Adults can be a little funny about reasonable explanations from youngsters" agreed David. Having a grown up on your side never came amiss. "You need to use the floo to contact him first with fire-talking to ask permission; the ministry limits who can get into Hogwarts, and quite right too."
Casimir nodded. "I'll leave that to you…lovely to meet you Madam Abbott, I hope you'll excuse me…"
"Oh certainly, Mr Malfoy….but do I pray you regale me with the whole story later, it sounds quite intriguing!" she smiled cheerily at the two children and hobbled off surrounded by her cats.
-/-
Professor Dumbledore listened seriously to David's story over the flames; and gave permission for the children to come into the school by means of the floo.
"I may have to have words with your father, my dear" he said to Cleonie.
"I hope you put the fear of something into him sir" said Cleonie "He still thinks he can tell mummy what to wear and what to let me do, and stuff, and I've tried so hard to live up to his standards with academic stuff, but I'm no Ravenclaw type, I wouldn't get the exams to be a surgeon even if I wasn't a witch. Only I haven't got my stuff, it's still at home and he'd have burned my books too if I hadn't hid them under a pile of comics quick while he was ripping up my uniform."
Dumbledore patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about that my dear, someone shall collect your belongings and tell your mother what has occurred. And I believe I may threaten him with legal proceedings over destruction of property….. perhaps I shall ask Professor Snape to talk to him."
Cleonie brightened.
"Oh YES! He does scary VERY well!" she said.
Dumbledore hid a smile. How far Severus had come that instead of being 'scary' to a first year he 'did scary very well'!
The child's predicament would soon be sorted out; he had every faith in Severus to scare Mr Puckeridge into leaving his daughter's schooling severely alone.