AN: I wish you all a happy new year, full of joy, love, health and beautiful surprises!
AN2: As expected, this epilogue took some time to write, but it is long so I hope I'll be forgiven for taking longer than two months to get it right :) You can give huge thanks to Miette and dstone12 for beataing it very quickly, this story would not be as good without them.
We have another two epilogues to go before the end of the story, once more, expect that the next one will be published in two/three months.
Severus slowly walked through his memory, watching amused as his memory-self was furiously scribing on his notebook along with his neighbours.
Beò kept speaking steadily, explaining the various duties of the Hogwarts' Conclave.
Once Severus had overcome the shock of learning that Protector was a true title bestowed by Hogwarts that could not be easily passed on to someone else, and the even greater shock of learning about the existence of the Hogwarts' Conclave, he had thrown himself into learning about his duties. He was not the only one.
On his memory-self's side, Minerva was writing with a much more distinguished air while Pomona Sprout, the newly appointed Herbology Professor and Hufflepuff Head of House, was smiling brightly, her dictaquill taking notes for her.
Hagrid was also doing his best to follow the House-Elf Intendant's explanations, frowning his bushy eyebrows as he tried to memorise Beò's every word.
During those days, Severus learnt that while Hagrid had troubles with writing words, he had a keen memory as long as he understood what he was being told.
Filius was not attending this session as he already knew much more than his fellow wizard members about the Conclave they were part of. However, he would be waiting for them after the current lesson to answer any specific questions they might have on practical application of their new knowledge.
To Severus' surprise and relief, the fourth Pillar was not Slughorn. The older man was the only Head of House who had not been chosen to be part of the Conclave. According to Beò, the Pillars were chosen for their ability to fulfil their duties, not for their official position. Pomona being chosen as the Heart like her predecessor had not been a given, and Hogwarts had been adamant that her Defender was the newly hired assistant professor in charge of the first years, Elias Greenleaf.
Following Minerva's successful experience with Severus, the first and second years having earned the best grades in Transfiguration since she had taken over the post–even scoring a higher than average mean grade in all their subjects–the Board of Governors had unanimously voted the budget for an additional one-year experiment: one assistant professor assigned to each year from first to fifth, to offer the students the possibility of smaller group practices and studies in all their subjects.
The fact that Greenleaf had belonged to Slytherin was the "cherry on the cake'' in Severus' opinion.
Madam Pomfrey was the last member of their class. While she held no official position, Minerva had made the point that the nurse needed to know about the Conclave and how its members' duties may affect their health and magic. Madam Pomfrey was listening to the Intendant very carefully, taking numerous notes and muttering to herself with a disapproving frown. No doubt she was already making a list of the signs she would need to monitor for each conclave member.
Despite the weight of his numerous commitments, Severus had quickly cherished those evening sessions. He could see the bond it created between Conclave members, which would no doubt allow Hogwarts to grow and heal after her detrimental years under Dumbledore's guidance. He also learnt a lot about magic and magical creatures which might help him for his other projects.
Tilting his head, Severus closed his eyes, trying to get past the scene and focus on Hogwarts' magic. His and Pandora's project was still in its early stages, but he had found that in his memories, he usually had a better chance at being able to Sense Magic.
When Pandora had come to him with her idea to create a way to Sense magic in a memory, Severus had been shocked to realise that yes, Sensing did not work in a pensieve. Pandora, Drunek and Severus had worked almost a year before finally finding a combination of runes, stones and liquid that did not disturb the working of a Pensieve but allowed them to Sense magic in one of Severus' memories. However, they still did not understand why they could Sense magic in some memories but not others.
Severus smiled as his Sense finally caught what he was looking for. He let it roam over Hogwarts' magic, feeling it over to better study it.
Almost seamlessly, the memory changed.
Shelter.
Cherish.
Nurture.
Protect.
Every little one.
Every magical being and creature.
Protect.
From betrayal.
From hurt.
Careful.
Hogwarts' magic sang around them as the Conclave spoke their Oath to the nexus. Severus was grateful for Beò's steady presence. Hagrid was also a surprising rock in the whirlwind of sensations, feelings and power that he was experiencing, his magic mixing with the others', hesitantly finding its place in the wards to create a harmonious strength that would add itself to the nexus' ancient protections.
It was beautiful and frightening. Each conclave member possessed a distinctive magic that threatened to distract Severus from his task and bring his downfall if he lost his Sense of self in the nexus' energies.
Severus struggled to separate himself from his memory-self's Sense, both almost overwhelmed by Hogwarts' presence. Calling on his bond with Dhaal, Severus used his Familiar's presence to bolster his shield and close his Sense.
Severus Sensed reassurance to Dhaal, shaking his head to himself. The Thestral had also been his anchor in the memory, but his Familiar had had to call on their House's power to keep Severus' magic from being integrated to the nexus. From what Andersen, the Vampires' representative, had jokingly told Severus afterwards, Hogwarts really liked him.
Carefully letting his Sense study the Conclave, Severus was impressed to feel that the more ancient members had been looking after the new members and had helped them keep themselves whole, though Greenleaf had been far too curious for his own good. His attitude might be related to the rumours that all House Greengrass' vassals possessed Faes' ancestors. Severus would be curious to know how someone of Fae descent would experience the indomitable intensity of a nexus' magic.
Waiting for the oath to settle, Severus could not help but feel giddy as Hogwarts' magic became brighter. A complete and integrated Conclave was the basis for the Castle's protections and ability to fulfil her goals. Dumbledore could be accused of negligence, and even an attempt to destroy a nexus. With a full Conclave, Lord Voldemort would not have been able to bring his Horcrux in Hogwarts, even with Baskos' help.
To use Beò's metaphor, Hogwarts' Headmaster might be her face, with the grounds and the castle being her body, but the Conclave was her mind, while her inhabitants were her heart and the nexus' magic her soul.
As if summoned by the thought, another memory unfolded.
The entire Conclave stood in the great Hall, watching with interest the seven candidates to the Headmaster position.
To the surprise of most of them, Hogwarts had repudiated her Headmaster before the end of the 371 days period, showing once more that if a whole Conclave had been sworn in during Dumbledore's tenure, much heartache could have been avoided. Though to be fair, Beò had admitted that the Conclave had lacked a Protector since the Great Wizarding Wars were over, while Hagrid was the first Keeper of the Keys in a century.
It was a problem the Conclave would need to address in a few years, once each member of the Conclave had their duties well in hand. They needed to establish safeguards to guarantee that this situation would never happen again. The older Conclave members already had ideas on how to make sure that new members knew what was expected of them when they were chosen, the main one being to create a kind of Módiǎn for Hogwarts' conclave members. However, Beò had been the first to admit that he only had a vague idea of what the Protector's duty was. Only the older ghosts and portraits remembered a time when a Protector had been seated in the Conclave. Beò himself barely remembered the previous Keeper of the Keys. They would need to build back the roles of the members of the Conclave to serve the castle the best.
Another surprise was that Hogwarts had refused to choose her new Headmaster without a trial period, and also was going to select several potential candidates.
There had been some debate at the novelty, especially in the sheets of the Daily Prophet where a few fought to say why it was or was not a good idea to deviate from tradition. One dumber than the others had even suggested the ministry choosing Hogwarts' new Headmaster for her.
Thankfully, newly elected Minister Patil had firmly announced that per tradition and magical right, the Hogwarts nexus was the only one who had the power to choose her master.
Severus had to admit that Ranee Patil was showing herself up to the task of healing their world's fractures. The fact that the woman had not attended Hogwarts but one of the minor schools no doubt played a part in it. She might be a Witch of weak magical power but she possessed an impressive mind and political sense. Moreover, while she belonged to House Patil, a usually light-aligned House, her candidature had been backed by neutral Houses like House Bones and House Vernon.
Surprisingly, several of the initial members of the Defenders had also decided to support her instead of the Defenders' official candidate, Everett Parkinson. Severus could hardly fault Lady Greengrass for her choice when she had needed several months to recover from her mysterious "illness", but House Prince and House Rowles doing the same had been a low blow. Everest Parkinson had been chosen because no ties had been officially found between House Parkinson and the Death Eaters, and because his House had never taken sides during arguments opposing the two major factions of the Death Eaters. However, it also meant that Parkinson's position had been too weak to truly unite the Defenders behind him. He had not lasted more than three weeks before rallying behind Patil too.
Humming to himself, Severus forced his attention back on the seven aspiring headmasters who stood with various degrees of anticipation and anxiety showing in their faces. They were the seven that remained out of the thirty who had presented their candidature. Each had met with the Conclave, who had vetoed seventeen candidates. The remaining thirteen had then agreed to put the Sorting Hat on to gauge their ability to understand and care for all parts of Hogwarts.
Their backgrounds were surprisingly diverse. At least one candidate from each House, and even one who came from Landmeer, the same minor magical school as Minister Patil had attended. Purebloods from noble and less noble Houses, and Muggleborns. Some who had been Apprenticed and others who had attended university.
Yet, they possessed two common points. One, they all possessed at least three Masteries, with at least one of the three being on grade I level. Second, they came from Houses possessing alliances with at least two magical kinds other than Wizards.
Severus himself felt a bit vindicated that in the remaining seven, Hogwarts had eliminated candidates he had disapproved of without any concrete arguments aside from a dislike of their attitude and magical Sense, leading the Conclave to dismiss his concerns. He had no idea if the Castle had found something wrong with them or if he had somehow influenced her as her Protector, but he was quite smug about his colleagues' vexation when the Hat had eliminated them.
Today, the candidates would allow Hogwarts' magic to touch theirs without their shields on, and she would choose between two and five potential Headmasters to be evaluated during a trial period. The latter would consist of supporting Minerva in her interim-Headmaster's tasks, ranging from furthering changes to Hogwarts' improved curriculum to finding funds to support new lessons or establishing partnership between Hogwarts and other schools or universities. Severus was quite certain that Dumbledore had not done much on that front. He was curious to see how the would-be Headmasters would settle without stepping on anyone's toes.
Focusing back on the task at hand, Severus opened his Sense as Hogwarts tested each candidate. It was a bit disturbing to Sense himself in the memory, though his shields muted his magical presence a lot even when they were not completely closed up. At the beginning of the pensieve experiment, it had taken him a few tries to manage to ignore it enough to focus his Sense on something else than himself, but now he was well used to it.
As always, watching Hogwarts with his Sense was a delight. The selection process had worked wonders on repairing the splitting of the nexus, and Peeves was behaving more and more like a cute but mischievous child every day.
Severus could tell when the Castle had made her choice because her magic literally sang. The entire Conclave suddenly began to giggle, unable to resist the Castle's sudden glee. It was a sight to witness, one Severus would never share even under duress.
It also brought home the importance of the Conclave being able to shield themselves from Hogwarts if necessary. Severus suspected that in previous years, Hogwarts' darkness had also begun to spread to the Conclave, but it was a theory to explore on his to-do list for another time.
For now, the Conclave and the Mistress enjoyed her newfound lightness as three names slowly appeared on the wall.
Hogwarts had spoken.
Slowly, the memory changed.
Hogwarts' grounds were packed. Every great Rede had sent representatives, all wanting to witness the new Headmaster's Oath to the nexus. After a trial period which had finally lasted seven months, Hogwarts had made her choice.
All watched with bated breath as the three candidates stood on the stage, facing the Great Lake. Even the Giant Squid had deigned to show up.
Having so many different magical creatures present, some from opposing factions, was a security nightmare despite the nexus' wards. Severus might be a bit paranoid, but he knew that while the Oath settled, both Hogwarts and her new Headmaster would be vulnerable to magical tampering. At first, he had insisted that they should take the Oath in private the day before, the ceremony being only for show, but Hogwarts had been adamant that it was not the way she did things.
Severus shook his head fondly at his past self's nervousness. The ceremony had gone without a hitch like Hogwarts had predicted, the Castle feeling quite smug in the following days until Severus reminded her of why she had named him her Protector. Then she had brooded for a few hours until her new Headmaster had exasperatedly told her that she had chosen Severus as her Protector and needed to bear with the consequences.
Teasing the ancient nexus may have become one of Severus' favourite pass-times when he was on Hogwarts' grounds. Amazing how the Conclave and the Headmaster swearing their oath could change the atmosphere of the school.
While Hogwarts choosing her three Headmaster candidates had felt like the beginning of spring, the moment Lecto Ogden, son of Lord Nestor Ogden and Moody's nephew, took his oath, Severus Sensed the nexus' drive towards her goals crystallise. Her entire focus suddenly felt directed towards sheltering, cherishing, nurturing and protecting. Her flows grew stronger, and Severus Sensed the Headmaster's vow lending its strength to the conclave's wards. At once, the curse on the defence professor position vanished. The hum of magic grew louder. It took several weeks for Severus to get used to it.
Casting his Sense in the memory, Severus could not help but be amazed at the difference in Hogwarts' magical presence between the previous memory and this one.
He watched several other memories spanning over the past eight years, carefully monitoring the evolution of the castle's magic. While each of them showed the nexus coming even closer to completely healing, a lingering shadow of darkness remained.
The Conclave had been divided on the matter: some thought Hogwarts would deal with it on her own, while others wanted to actively research it and help the castle. At the end of a tumultuous meeting, Severus had reminded them that HE was the Protector and that HE would deal with the matter as he saw fit. Nobody objected.
After careful observation, Severus had identified the source of the darkness and decided he would not share his discovery with the rest of the Conclave as it was a potential disaster in the making. He had decided for a very light handed approach and it had borne its fruits only a few weeks earlier.
This time, Severus consciously called to him the last memory he had put into his pensieve.
His past-self stared dumbfounded at the dragon standing proudly in front of him.
"I was NOT expecting this," Sensed Dhaal, surprise leaking through their bond.
There was not much that could phase his Familiar, but Severus dared anyone not to be stunned right now.
"Isn't he majestically beautiful?" asked Hagrid, proudly petting the chest of the now preening creature.
The dragon certainly was one of a kind. He was a huge Hebridean Black, almost eight metres high with black scales and a spiked tail. However, his scales possessed a deep green hue that gleamed in the sun. The crest on his head and his ability to stun any creature with one look of his eyes if he wished to were another reminder that he was not a common dragon.
Only Hagrid would tame a thousand year old, mad Basilisk into becoming his dragon Familiar.
"You certainly remain a king among all," agreed Severus, addressing Baskos directly.
The former Basilisk bowed regally, acknowledging the compliment as his due.
Severus was pretty sure that only the fact that Baskos had once been Salazar's companion had made this feat possible. This and Hogwarts.
While the Basilisk had physically flourished under Hagrid's loving care, the mental toll of his several hundred years in seclusion and loneliness, coupled with the improper caring for his broken bond with his late master Salazar Slytherin and the fresher grief of losing Slytherin's last known heir had left Baskos under the threat of frequent mood swings and bouts of murdering raids if not watched closely. Thank Helhest for Hagrid's vigilance. Only focusing on the nexus' goals of protecting children had seemed to help the Basilisk remain sane.
"We cannot thank you enough," said Hagrid, suddenly enfolding Severus in a crushing hug.
Helhest help him.
Thankfully, the Giant released him before breaking any ribs or suffocating him.
"I would never have been able to bond with Baskos without your help with my wand and my Khorlos," added Hagrid gravely.
"It was the least I could do," protested Severus. "You should never have been in this situation in the first place."
After a three-year long procedure, Hagrid had been generously compensated for being wrongfully accused and punished for Myrtle's murder. Lucius' lawyer had been ruthless. It was a shame that most of the dignitaries responsible for this blunder had already been dead.
Yet, Hagrid did not care, not when Severus, helped by a goblin healer and Maverick, had already managed two years earlier to use the remnants of the Half-Giant's broken wand to create another one and thus close up his main Khorlo so that it was only cracked as it should have been instead of bleeding magic wide open.
One thing leading to another, Hagrid, still dreaming of his dragon, had decided to take the Ritual a few days ago since Maverick had confirmed that the bond between him and his wand was as strong as it was going to get. Of course, Baskos had been jealous and unwilling to consider that Hagrid's heart was big enough to love both a dragon and a basilisk. Hence the Dragon-Basilisk standing in front of Severus.
Watching the scene was no less impressive than living it. A basilisk turned into a dragon.
Shaking his head to himself, Severus closed his eyes and opened his Sense to feel Hogwarts. As he had thought, what little lingering darkness he had sensed before was gone.
Severus blinked as he left the pensieve, his eyes blinded by the sun which shone in his office. Time always flew by quickly when he was working on his projects.
He looked down at his notebook and quickly jotted down his observation on the evolution of Hogwarts' magic. Monitoring the nexus' magical health was a responsibility he took very seriously. He was doing quite well with it, though he had certainly not expected his effort with Baskos to turn out this way. When he had realised that the Basilisk was the cause of the faint darkness remaining in Hogwarts, he had thought that pushing the Basilisk towards Hagrid would be enough to heal the giant snake. He had not been wrong exactly but still…
At least, they had managed to get rid of the darkness without alienating Baskos. Which meant that when Baskos got used to being a dragon, Severus would be able to consult the former Basilisk on one of Lord Voldemort's hidden gifts. It seemed the Lord had not lied about considering Severus his heir, and had left instructions in his research notebooks in the event that Severus wanted to try to merge House Slytherin with House Caspian.
Severus was intrigued by the possibility but it raised many questions: how could the mere fact of Lord Voldemort considering Severus his heir be enough for him to lay a claim on House Slytherin? In the event that Severus was recognised by House Slytherin as the heir, why could he not swear an oath to House Slytherin and be the heir of both House Caspian and House Slytherin? Did the merging of the two Houses truly implied that both Houses would disappear to become a new one? Were the oaths for the two Houses even compatible? Severus thought so, Slytherin's motto being Singularity yet oneness, Power yet humbleness, Magic yet cleverness. Yet, House Caspian's motto fitted him even better. Should he try to find out if another Slytherin heir existed and try to educate them so they could take their proper place? Yet, the merging might be the way to get a permanent seat on the Wizengamot.
While House Caspian had taken one of the elected seats seven years ago, by current law, House Caspian could not be a candidate at the next Wizengamot election in eight years. In theory, it was a good idea to ensure representativeness and alternation of power between Houses. In practice, it was frustrating when they tried to promote changes that took so long to be voted and implemented.
Severus knew he was being unfair.
As soon as Minister Patil had been elected, she had dismissed the elected members of the Wizengamot to convene anticipated elections. Afterwards, the august body had chosen a group of fifty people to compose a special investigation group. The entire ministry's heads of department had been put under their review, with investigations led over the span of a few months into possible corruption of each of them by either Birkins or Lord Voldemort.
More than half of them had been dismissed and brought on charges of corruption, embezzlement, blackmail or harassment based on blood status. Next, the same group had investigated the department of justice and the Auror department.
To Severus' surprise, the justice department had been corrupted by both sides, though to a lesser extent than he had believed. He was not naïve enough to think that every culprit had been caught. Yet, he trusted that the investigation group had been fairer than most. Indeed, while few judges had been convicted of wrongdoings, many Aurors had been condemned for unlawful practices and alteration of evidence. The sentences ranged from a few Azkaban sentences for the worst of them to fines and probations, with demotions or redundancies in between.
It had been some chaotic months, fraught with tensions and frustrations. Severus was certain that if Bellatrix, Carrow, Yaxley, Lord Nott and Lord Black had not been dead or imprisoned, they would have managed to break the tentative truce. As it was, most people just yearned for peace and justice.
Minister Patil's election and then further actions had gone a long way in appeasing the crowds. The fact that those considered as the leaders of Birkins' and Lord Voldemort's side had made a show of cooperating if not outright supporting her had gone a long way as well.
Potter and Black's probation – for abuse of power – and black mark in their Auror file – for acting outside of the Auror Department chain of command– as well as Moody laughing with Evan being caught on photograph and published in the Daily Prophet had also helped a lot. Evan was only one of several symbols that Severus and Moody had worked hard to put in the right place, so that those who had once been on opposite sides could be seen working together. So that opposite sides could realise that they could live together and reach compromises.
To be fair, it had mostly been Moody's doing. Severus had only suggested the names of the pairs.
It was not like Severus had had the time to play the political game as much as he should have – thank Helhest for Andromeda, after the first weeks, she had borne most of the weight of being House Caspian's representative. Severus had had too much to do, between launching Eïleen's Apothecary and the subsequent revelation about his Prince's ancestry, developing the Vampires' equivalent of the Lupacem and supporting Minerva in creating a new curriculum for Hogwarts' younger years.
"Which project are you brooding about today?"
Severus rolled his eyes as Jonathan entered his office without even knocking.
His friend looked good, using his cane for show rather than to steady his gait.
"If you must know, I was feeling overwhelmed by everything we achieved these past eight years since Lord Voldemort's death," answered Severus.
"I certainly did not do much," countered Jonathan with a wry smile, taking a seat in the armchair across Severus' desk.
"This is patently untrue and you know it," stated Severus firmly and fixing Jonathan with an imperious look.
Even with the help of his great-grandfather's research and the tireless support of the Wilkes' House Elves, Manylion, Severus and Narcissa had needed one year to heal Jonathan's body, his fried nerve connections and his magical patterns. Then another year with Pandora's added help to consolidate the shambles of his mind so they could reach him in his safeplace without destroying his consciousness.
After that, Jonathan had taken three months to properly wake up, and another two to be able to sit up in his bed on his own. Only then had his friend begun the long and boring recovery road of using his body again. Kiveä had helped a lot, suggesting Jonathan learn Taichichuan and setting himself as his primary teacher. His friend had still been forbidden to use his magic until three years ago.
However, that did not mean that Jonathan had remained idle.
"You're right, I read a few lists of names between naps while Evan became a renowned Junior Auror and you achieved more than Merlin in one fifth of his life," said Jonathan mockingly.
"Stop exaggerating Jonathan," said Severus with a sigh.
His friend raised an eyebrow at him
"Exaggerating? Let me see. One, you invented a revolutionary healing potion that regenerates nerve connections; two, you revolutionised mind healing techniques, Saint Mungo is still shocked and drowning you under partnership proposals because apparently you healed a magical pattern that could not be healed; three, you earned your fourth mastery for your twenty fifth birthday; four, you are currently patenting a potion for your Vampire allies that has the other Families in an uproar; five, you expanded the apothecary you set up when you were still at Hogwarts and are now the first in global potion sales thanks to the creations you made back then and the throng of young potion masters you hired and who follow you with stars in their eyes, -"
"That last one was mostly Andromeda's doing," interjected Severus, fighting to contain his blush and attempting to interrupt his friend's list. Jonathan had discovered during Hogwarts that enumerating arguments was the best way to win over Severus to his side as it allowed him to be precise and concise without frustrating Severus by taking too much of his time. He may have taken to using it too often lately.
Jonathan kept going as if he had not heard the interruption.
"Six, you have people who are fighting to get a spot in your business area, yet you still keep half of it empty because you want to take the time to choose those who will settle there and how to best focus them on profitable projects, be it on a financial or magical side of benefits. Seven, rumours are that you are negotiating access to the goblin network in this area, and you seem to be on the verge of signing a contract with Faes. Eight, you also-"
"I get it, I'm a genius," interrupted Severus, huffing at his friend's look. "I was talking about you, you did a lot more than just nap during the last years. You helped expand the sponsorship to all magical schools and wrote the appeal that finally succeeded in getting the Wizengamot to officially sanction it. You are the one who supported the project of an elementary school for all magical children above six years old, Muggleborns, Halfbloods and Purebloods alike. You're the one who convinced the Muggleborns it was in their interest to mix with the old lines. You're the one who convinced the Purebloods that tutors were not the best way to educate young children and that they needed contact with other children to develop their magical core properly. And you're the one who did not let them forget that Halfbloods exist and are not shameful."
"None of which would have been possible if you and Lily had not gotten the Wizengamot to allow the use of Hogwarts' registering book to identify magical children," countered Jonathan.
Severus grimaced.
"You know I actually did not do much on that one. We romanticised it for the papers but Lily, Filius and Phineas are the ones who actually worked on the legislation, I was only part of the initial discussion."
Yet, to sell to the general population the idea that magical children, especially Muggleborns, needed to be identified and educated in the magical ways as soon as possible but also that Purebloods needed to learn about the Muggle world had required good communication and a symbol. So Severus had allowed his friendship with Lily to be used. The Daily Prophet wrote a beautiful story about a Slytherin-Gryffindor friendship between a Muggleborn and a scion of the Prince's line which had begun before Hogwarts. They wrote about how the both of them learning about each other's world at such a young age allowed them both to become successful Wizards. This story which had precious little in common with the truth had won them over several Wizengamot's votes.
"Anyway, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" asked Severus, more than willing to let go of the subject and intrigued despite himself. Jonathan seldom visited without warning him first.
"I need a favour."
For his friend to broach the subject like this, it had to be something Severus would not agree to easily.
"Unusual coming from you."
Jonathan offered him a small smile.
"I need you to listen to my proposal with an open mind. To hear all the facts before you give me your decision."
Severus sighed.
"Did they send you in the hope of convincing me of becoming a Mentor again? You know I'm too busy to be a reliable Mentor for a child."
"Miss Anderson would disagree," countered Jonathan, not denying that it was the purpose of his visit.
"It was different," argued Severus. "She was already fourteen and did not require more than letters and a loose guiding hand. Mentorees now can be as young as two!"
When Jonathan expanded the scope of the Mentorship to all schools, he had also lowered the age limit for it. While all magical children now were required to go to magical primary school, which offered courses both in magical and muggle fields, those who did not live in magical families also got assigned a Mentor as soon as their names appeared in Hogwarts' registry book.
"I'm not asking you to mentor a toddler, Severus," chided Jonathan with an amused look. "You know we are still in the trial period, but it seems that depending on the age they perform their first magical phenomenon, some children will need two different mentors as they grow older."
"I still don't see why you would need me specifically. I possess less patience than most-"
"Not true," Jonathan interrupted. "Your months at Hogwarts and the successes of Miss Anderson are proof that while you don't suffer fools and idlers, you are a good instructor."
"Being an instructor is only part of being a Mentor," countered Severus. "Abraxas was a lot more than that."
"Not all Mentored pairs become as close as you and Abraxas were, though you do seem to have a trend. It is one of the reasons why I think you will be perfect for the Muggleborn I have in mind," stated Jonathan kindly but firmly.
Severus looked away, feeling his insides churning. He knew himself. If he accepted a Mentoree, the child would become part of his family.
Look at Julia. He had kept his promise to answer her letters if she had questions she had not found answers for. He had thought she would lose interest after a few terse answers but she had kept on for two years before asking him to become her Mentor at the end of her third year.
He had only accepted after reminding her several times that he would not have much more time to give her than what he had the previous years. Naturally, when she graduated Hogwarts, she was considered by House Caspian like his annoying little sister. Julia, Dhaal, Nymphéa, Soraa, and Pākiki were thick as thieves, and to the surprise of no one, she immediately asked to be sworn into the House, which he could only grant with a smile.
Then, she surprised him twice. First by publishing, with Andromeda's help and without Severus' knowledge, her book Letters from my Mentor which remained at the top of sales charts for weeks, to Severus' chagrin. Secondly, by becoming apprenticed to Family Ressurs.
Severus was still unsure about how that one had happened. He had told Vilde once or twice about Julia's academic successes and how much his House liked her. He remembered bringing her with him once during a visit in Svalbard, and she had been as fascinated as he had been his first time. Yet, he had not foreseen Vilde coming to see him at the end of Julia's graduation ceremony with an apprenticeship contract for Julia Anderson ready to be signed.
He saw the two of them regularly as he often went to Svalbard for his current project. While Family Ressurs was already grateful for his Dominus potion, he and Maverick were now working on creating a Wall which would not be worn out by time and use. He wanted to try to use the Absorball concept of loops to keep their magic contained and prevent it from wearing down Walls. He still had much to figure out but if he demonstrated the concept, he could then apply it for Faes as well.
It was only one of his projects. The overseeing of Eileen's Apothecary and the associated potion development took a lot of his time too, though Fhu-Si was taking on more and more tasks everyday, leaving Severus free to focus on offering suggestions for improvements to their Potion Masters and Apprentices. All of them now were either members or allies of House Caspian.
Severus was proud of the dedication and creativity of his entire House. Ted was heading a small group working on establishing links between Magic and muggle sciences, with Brys being predictably the group's most eager and hard working member. It was slow going as anticipated, but everyone was enthusiastic so Severus did his best not to show any frustration or regrets at being unable to take the time to study physics and chemistry more in depth so he could help better.
He knew he already was lucky that Andromeda had taken over much of the financial dealings for the House. She and Hoardrock turned out to be like two peas in a pod, and he sometimes had to reign them in so they did not overextend their reach. While making profit and building business alliances was a noble goal, it was not the be-all and end-all to building a strong House.
Something that Tuei reminded him regularly when she presented him hopeful new members for their House. Most of them were ill-suited to House Caspian, but she always asked him to meet with them so that he could advise them on their next course of actions. Severus did not enjoy these meetings but Tuei had told him repeatedly that it was his duty as Lord of House Caspian.
At least, his Ansvar was far more in tune with Severus' vision for House Caspian than Andromeda and Hoardrock, and did not push for a rapid growth in their members' number. They were already far more numerous than Severus had ever imagined. The first time that Severus had opened his Módiǎn to find that it had evolved to add one chapter listing House Caspian allies and one chapter listing House Caspian members, he had almost had a panic attack. Seeing twenty-seven names – without counting the Faeries of Tree Caspian– written on paper had brought home the sheer weight of responsibilities resting on his shoulders.
"Severus? You're still with me?"
Severus blinked, meeting Jonathan's mirthful gaze. He forced down his blush, realising how far he had let his thoughts wander.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling embarrassed despite knowing that his friend would never judge him for this.
"Alright, give me your best arguments as to why this Muggleborn cannot be set up with another Mentor than myself. I was planning to enjoy my second peaceful year since Julia became an Apprentice."
Jonathan nodded easily.
"Her name's Hermione Granger. She is a precocious nine year old Muggleborn living in Hampstead Garden. Both her parents are dentists. The family's income is sufficient to provide financial security and comfort for a one child family. Her name first appeared in the registry when she was two and a half. However, the mentorship had not been expanded then, and she was not assigned a Mentor until she was seven."
Severus frowned.
"Only two years ago then, but the Mentorship has been extended for four years."
"Yes, but you know it took time to set it up properly and vet all the required mentors. Some investigations were still pending even then," answered Jonathan. "At the time, it was decided to assign Mentors to the Muggleborns who needed it the most. Hermione is among the lucky ones with loving parents who want the best for their daughter. The councillor who investigated the family also noticed no obvious sign of accidental magic over the house, nor did her parents seem to be scared of her or to look for explanations to weird phenomenons. Despite her name being on the registry at an early age, she was thought to be too weak to need a Mentor."
Severus huffed.
"They just looked for accidental magic residues when she was, what, five years old? By the time I was five, they would not have seen me do accidental magic either. Most Muggle-raised children get a kind of control over their magic when they become old enough to understand the need to hide that they are different from other children."
Jonathan offered him a satisfied smile.
"Indeed. We reached out to the Grangers when we opened the Greenwings primary school."
Greenwings primary school was the third magical primary school to be opened of the five that exist today, and the second situated in England.
"She didn't have priority to get to Whitehorn, I suppose."
Whitehorn was the first primary school to be opened, located in Scotland only because Hogwarts was there. Transports had been a sticking point at first, between those who wanted to put into place a kind of Knight bus and those who wanted to give each child a direct portkey to the schools, no matter the security risks. In the end, they reached a compromise with what they now called the Portbus: a bus where the children could sit, with the driver using a multiple destination portkey to go from one home to another before bringing all the children to their school, with one bus per school.
Jonathan nodded.
"As you've guessed, the introductory pairs that went to speak with her parents about the possibility of getting her to magical primary school were quite surprised, and a bit horrified, to discover that Hermione was in fact far more powerful than the magical activity around her home had shown, and that she had really good control over it for a seven year old. She was assigned a Mentor in haste."
"Who did she get?"
Jonathan sighed.
"All the available Mentors for someone her age were already paired, and you know how we are always stretched thin for candidates."
Being a mentor was more time-consuming than most assumed at first, at least if you were doing a passable job. To both find someone capable of doing the job and get them vetted by the ministry was a long process. To find someone adequate for young children was even more complicated.
"We compromised by having Mother act as Hermione's semi-official Mentor during her first year," continued Jonathan. "They got on well, and her parents liked Mother despite their initial mistrust of a whole new magical world. However, Hermione is a truly brilliant child, very curious and always asking questions about anything. After one year, Mother warned me that Hermione needed someone more qualified than her. Mother felt she was beginning to slow Hermione down for several reasons: first, because she did not understand magic well enough; second, because she lacked knowledge of the muggle world; and third, because she was not smart enough to engage Hermione's mind at her fullest."
Severus nodded. The gap between using magic and explaining why it worked the way it did could be enormous, and many Wizards had no interest in the latter, unless it lay in their field of interest.
"Hermione has gone through three other Mentors since then."
Severus felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
"Three Mentors?"
Jonathan smiled wryly.
"I know. The first one lasted a month before admitting he was in way over his head with her. He just was not quick enough to follow her thoughts which led to a lot of frustration on both their parts. The next one lasted three months before burning out, exhausting himself in reading books and researching matters to answer Hermione's incessant questions while keeping up with his own duties. The last one… The committee decided to stop her mentorship three months ago after a complaint from Hermione's parents. They said their daughter was becoming haughty and too self assured in her knowledge, asking less questions and showing narrower centres of interest. We investigated and discovered that this mentor was not abiding by the mentorship rules, and was restricting Hermione's magical education to the fields she deemed acceptable and proper. She also seemed to be grooming Hermione to become her heir without Hermione's parents knowledge or consent."
Severus frowned.
"How did she get the approval to become a Mentor? That kind of attitude is not easily hidden."
Jonathan shook his head at him.
"Come on Severus, you know that the right attitude to become a Mentor can be faked long enough to get the approval of the committee, especially when we always need more mentors. None know this better than Slytherins, and yes, she was one of us. I'm just thankful that her parents noticed something was amiss and contacted us."
That was something else which was changing. After the expansion of the Mentorship and the creation of magical primary schools, Minister Patil was currently renegotiating the limits between the muggle and the wizarding world. More specifically, she was renegotiating which matters would be handled by Muggles, and which should be handled by Wizards when unlawful actions were committed by or against magical people in the muggle world, even when they were muggleborn children.
"Alright, the girl is clever and had a stroke of bad luck with her Mentors. I still don't see why I would be your only choice for her."
"Believe me, I've been looking everywhere for the past three months," answered Jonathan, meeting his gaze seriously. "But the few I believed to be a good fit for her were vetoed by her parents. I told you they were distrustful when they were first told of our world. Well, now they're right back at that same place–maybe even more so."
"What makes you believe they will not veto me too?" asked Severus, intrigued despite himself.
"Your fiancée," answered Jonathan without missing a beat. "It would have been better if you had been married, but I'm grateful that you are finally betrothed. I still can't believe Evan won the bet that Neele's the one who would propose!"
Severus fought his blush down and rolled his eyes instead. He was almost getting used to the jokes two months later.
He could not help but glance at the promise ring gleaming softly on his left-hand fourth finger. Neele had insisted that she would not be the only one to wear the symbol of their engagement. Frekka had been delighted as it was the same in Goblin traditions. Severus would have loved to have witnessed Neele, her mother and his all but adoptive mother shopping for this ring.
Neele. He had been so focused on Jonathan's recovery and all he needed to do to strengthen House Caspian while helping improve the Wizarding World that he had not taken the time to wonder why she was the one he reached out to when he felt overwhelmed and out of sorts. Not until three years ago when he was cornered by Narcissa who asked him point blank if he was finally going to put a claim on the woman he loved before she lost patience and was stolen by someone less worthy.
It had been like a cold shower. Suddenly understanding why he could speak with her for hours without noticing time flying by. Making sense of this hot and cold feeling he always experienced after she hugged him goodbye. Dawning comprehension that the flutters in his stomach he sometimes felt when their eyes met were not a discomfort to be dealt with using Occlumency.
They were lucky she had not been as clueless as he had been. Thank Helhest, Neele had refused to suffer through days of his awkwardness after his realisation and had bluntly asked him whether he was ill at ease because he had realised he liked her or because he had realised she liked him.
From that day, they had cautiously agreed to go on dates and see how their relationship grew. Meaning nothing much had changed at first, except that Neele had sometimes taken his hand or his arm to walk in the street, and that goodbye hugs had included kisses.
Months later, Severus had dared ask her when she had realised she liked him that way. Of course, she had not let him get away with such imprecision.
"You mean, when did I realise I was in love with you?" she corrected playfully, her head in his lap as he played with her short blond hair, enjoying a quiet evening together without anyone from his House or her family to eavesdrop on them.
"Yes,"admitted Severus, still uneasy when he needed to express his feelings out loud.
"Well, I first got a clue when Lily told me that I kept rejecting men who were asking me out during my studies because they were not enough like you. Apparently, everytime I told her why I did not want to go out with them, I always ended up comparing them to you without meaning to. But then, I thought it was because you possessed many qualities I looked for in a man," answered Neele quietly.
She looked up to meet his eyes, pausing as if she was suddenly shy about sharing so much of herself.
"You don't have to tell me," said Severus softly. "It's not really important."
"No, I want to tell you. It's just… It feels silly, you have achieved so many successes and amazing feats, and I realised I loved you over something silly."
"Now you have to tell me or I'll die of curiosity," teased Severus softly.
She took his hand in hers, changing position to lay on her back, and turned her face towards him.
"Remember when you first brought me to Uusi? It was, what, four months after the whole Death Eaters mess?"
Severus hummed.
"Something like that. You were curious about Taichi and Frekka had asked me to come visit."
"I was right to be curious about Taichi," said Neele pointedly.
He nodded with a smile. Indeed, she might never cast a Lumos in her life, but thanks to a regular practice of Taichi, Neele could now brew Potions as well as any Potion Master Grade III as long as she knew the aim of the potion. She also possessed an uncanny Sense for imbalances in bodies' patterns. She was still experimenting with Narcissa, whom she surprisingly – or not– liked a lot, as well as with Yùwàng, a goblin Healer apprentice from clan Sēnlín who was spending his last year at Saint Mungo under Narcissa's watchful eyes.
"Anyway, remember we walked on that path bordered by so many blue petunias. You kept looking at me and then the flowers as if something was bothering you. When I asked, you said you had never realised that my eyes were the exact colour of blue petunias, and that in the Wizarding World, people would have believed that Mum had seer blood in her veins to name me so accurately."
"That's when you told me that you hated your name, because it was often shortened to Pet," said Severus softly.
Neele nodded with a sigh.
"You know I love my parents, but honestly, to be called Pet all the time was just… And it was even worse when people would say "oh, you must be Lily's Pet!". They all thought it was so cute that my sister talked about me so much."
The Evans had been good parents overall, far better than Severus'. Yet, as they had made efforts to accept and care for Lily's differences, they had forgotten that Neele needed them too. It had been the cause of a chasm in the family that had only begun to heal after Lily had graduated from Hogwarts.
Neele kept speaking quietly.
"And then you told me about Nymphadora, who despised her name and had chosen another for herself, one you had suggested. Not one completely different, one name close enough not to negate the one given by her parents, but one she liked. So I asked you how someone, even as clever as you, could find a beautiful name in petunias."
"I told you that in Gobbledegook, blue petunias are called gaharē nīlē raṅga, and that nīlē was the colour of your eyes," continued Severus, feeling a now familiar warmth grow in his chest. "So if you were to call yourself Neele, you would stay true to your parents' chosen name for you."
"And from that day, many people have taken to calling me Neele. This is when I knew," stated Neele with a smile that shone brighter than any star, in Severus' unbiased opinion.
"Severus?"
This time, Severus could do nothing to prevent his blush and felt his face grow red.
Jonathan laughed.
"Come on, I know you love her and you're excited about marrying her, but you cannot get lost thinking about her every time someone speaks of her!"
To Severus' great embarrassment, ever since he had agreed to Neele's marriage proposal, his mind kept woolgathering at the least opportune moments, just to remind him of a joyful moment spent with her.
He crossed his arms defensively.
"Why do you think that Neele makes me the perfect Mentor for the Granger girl?"
"First, your fiancée's a muggle doctor while Hermione's parents are dentists. Two, she's not the one who went to Hogwarts in her muggle family yet you managed to include her into your House. Three, your whole House will be as happy to help you with Hermione as they were with Miss Anderson. Four, you thrive on researching knowledge and magic," enumerated Jonathan. "Seems to me like Hermione and you are definitely two birds of a feather"
Severus let the silence fall on them, taking the time to analyse his friend's words. He truly had no argument to oppose him other than the fact that he already was leading too many projects. Several of which he was in the process of delegating.
"You can always ask for Dhaal's opinion," added Jonathan with a smirk.
Severus stared at him unimpressed. His Familiar's love for children had not diminished with the years – though he showed no indication of having some himself, and seemed even less interested in finding a Thestral companion – and he still played with them as if he were a youngster. At times, Severus wondered if the size his Familiar chose to take influenced his state of mind.
"I cannot agree to anything without having met with her once," finally said Severus. "Of course, she will also need to get Dhaal's approval but we both know he's easier to convince than I am when it comes to children."
"Her parents are of the same mind," answered Jonathan. He smiled at Severus mischievously. "Are you free next Saturday?"
He was. Which was how he found himself, four days later, sitting in Caspian Manor's conservatory, watching as Neele made small talks with Hermione Granger's mother while the girl and her father tried to observe him discreetly.
He was grateful that his House had relented when he had told them that they could not all be present to meet the girl. Only Tuei was home, but Severus had asked her to wait until he called for her before coming to greet their guests. He had no idea how much they knew about House Elves nor how they would perceive his relationship with Tuei if they did not know enough.
Dhaal was not present either, though only because he had more pressing matters to attend to at Hogwarts. Officially, he was to try to help Nymphéa since her metamorphic abilities and puberty might not be mixing well. Unofficially, Severus and Nymphéa's parents had not liked the tone of her last letter. She had not complained about anything, yet her letter lacked her usual exuberance and improbable tales of her adventures in the castle. Teenagers could be the cruellest creatures without meaning to, which meant that Severus had forbidden Andromeda from going straight to Hogwarts to speak with her daughter and instead sent Dhaal to evaluate the problem. While Nymphéa could be fierce like the badger symbol of her Hogwarts House, she wore her feelings and her golden heart on her sleeve. The Thestral should be able to quickly assess the kind of intervention needed, and Severus trusted his Familiar not to maim anyone more than it was called for.
"So, Doctor Evans. How did you meet Lord Caspian?"
Severus wanted to sigh. The Grangers refused to drop the honorifics, which did not bode well for the rest of the visit.
"Severus has been my little sister's best friend since they were eight. I did not like him much then," admitted Neele with a laugh. "He was taking my sister's attention away from me with all his talk of Wizards and Magic. He also was living in the poor part of the town, and did not yet possess his refined manners."
He refrained from rolling his eyes when she glanced at him mischievously.
"You were not the most charming creature either back then," he answered instead.
He mentally congratulated himself when this earned him a surprised laugh from the Granger family and a light punch in the arm from Neele. Meeting his fiancée's gaze, he had no doubt that it was part of her plan. She was far better with people than he was, thank Helhest.
"We both grew up, thank Helhest," agreed Neele with a smile. She turned back toward the Grangers. "I don't know how much you were told, but the Wizarding World was torn between two factions for several years, between what I would call the traditionalists and the idealists. The traditionalists feared that their culture and history would be forgotten and that magic would be devoid of its sense. The idealists chafed against rules and constraints they did not understand, and aimed to change the Wizarding World into something closer to the muggle world. Both sides seemed unable to find a balance that would be accepted by all, and took on more and more opposite and extremist stances until civil war broke out. The first signs of trouble appeared during Severus and my sister's years at Hogwarts. My sister and I did not trust each other by then, we did not even care much for each other to be honest. I went to Severus to ask for a way to protect my parents and myself from my little sister's world and the harm she would bring on our family."
"You're the first not to gloss over the subject," stated Joan Granger. "Were you both involved in it?"
"We were. We also are both involved in rebuilding our world," answered Severus.
"You're friends with Mister Jonathan, Mrs. Paule's son!" exclaimed Hermione, as if she had finally solved a complicated puzzle.
"Indeed," confirmed Severus with a smile. "We met at Hogwarts and with Evan, we've been friends ever since."
"You're the one Mister Evan calls Genius!"
"Hermione, honey, there's no need to scream," chided her father gently.
"Sorry Mis- Lord Caspian, Miss Evans," said Hermione sheepishly.
"No harm done," Neele assured her with a smile.
"How did Lord Caspian protect you during the war?" asked Joan Granger, a calculating gleam in her eyes.
Neele smiled at her knowingly.
"He gave me a special stone. Well, two as the first one broke after protecting me and my family."
"It's not something to put in everybody's hands," warned Severus. "I only gave it to her because I trusted Neele to only use it to defend herself. I… Wizards have been killed by Muggles not so long ago."
An uncomfortable silence fell on them as the Grangers pondered his words while Neele gently squeezed his hand in hers.
"What does Helhest mean?" asked Hermione, her curiosity seeming to take over her initial shyness.
"Helhest is the god of Thestrals. My Familiar, Dhaal, is a Thestral. I've become used to calling on him instead of God or Merlin, though I'm not certain that even if he existed, he would trouble himself with mortal troubles," explained Severus, grateful for the subject change.
"What are Thestrals?"
Severus took the time to observe Hermione and her parents, weighing several answers in his head before speaking.
"You will get very different answers depending on whom you ask. Why don't you look for this answer by yourself, I'm sure you have books on magical creatures in your school, as well as competent teachers. Write everything you find, putting each piece of information into different categories: those which seem more probable, those you are unsure of, and those which seem like great exaggerations or impossible feats. I'll introduce you to Dhaal when we next meet and we'll see if you managed to get a good enough sense of the kind of creature he is."
"How long do I have?" asked the girl, a competitive and excited glint in her eyes that made Severus want to smile.
He looked at her parents, well aware that he might seem presumptuous for assuming there would be a second meeting.
"It depends on when Lord Caspian can free himself from his duties again," answered Mrs Granger. "Would you be able to come to our house for tea next Saturday?"
They wanted to see him in a muggle environment. He could only approve.
Severus seldom planned important meetings on the weekend, so he easily accepted their invitation.
"You're welcome to come too, Doctor Evans," added Mrs Granger with a smile to Neele.
"Thank you Doctor Granger. I'll be there if my schedule at the hospital allows it."
"Perfect. Now, we won't bother you much longer, supper is not far for Hermione," stated Hermione's mother.
Tuei was going to be very disappointed not to have met the girl, thought Severus.
The Grangers said their goodbye, Severus and Neele accompanying them back to the door. As they watched them leave, Neele spoke softly.
"You want to be her mentor."
He sighed.
"I'm not sure yet. But her magical Sense feels strong. And if she's truly as intelligent and clever as Jonathan says she is, she would be a good match for House Caspian."
"You seemed sure enough of yourself when you suggested a second meeting."
"I'm curious to see how she will take on her assignment," answered Severus.
"A test then," nodded Neele.
"Same as they are testing my ability to fit in the muggle world," agreed Severus.
"It will be interesting," concluded Neele, taking his arm to walk back to the conservatory.
It was. The next Saturday, Severus spent three hours at the Grangers' house. Neele was held up at the hospital, but Ted offered to come with him instead, which he accepted gratefully.
They spent the first part of the visit speaking about Ted' integration into House Caspian as a muggle and the kind of project he was leading despite not having magical powers. They did not reveal that thanks to a regular practice of Taichi, Ted like Neele had developed his own sensitivity to magic. Contrary to Neele, Ted was unable to correctly brew a potion, however, he was better than many Wizards Severus knew at Sensing an object which had been transformed and identifying the kind of transformation it had seen. He also was quite gifted when it came to translating transformations into equations.
When Ted had first taken interest in Severus' mastery's project, he had not thought much of it. Severus was quite proud to have added the title of Master of Transfiguration grade II to his accomplishments thanks to his magical artificial leg, the first to have ever been made. It had also made Moody very happy to be able to run criminals and Auror trainees into the ground once more. Of course, it was but a prototype that only required to be improved. Severus had not thought that the team who would work on those improvements would be Ted, Narcissa and Moody, under Minerva's supervision. Now that she shared her deputy Headmistress position with Filius, the Transfiguration professor had time to devote to innovative projects in her specialised field even as she also took part in the continuous improvement of Hogwarts' curriculum.
The second half of the visit was spent discussing Hermione's assignment. Severus first introduced Dhaal to the Grangers, his Familiar earning his usual rounds of compliments and admiring petting, then they got on to work.
The girl had been thorough, and Severus was pleased that she had even interviewed teachers who were not her own. She had tried to get one from each magical kind teaching in her school.
It was something else Minister Patil and her allies were trying to promote: closer relationships between Wizards and the rest of the magical world. Following Jonathan's recommendation, the new Minister had tried to get several non full blooded Wizards in every magical primary school, as well as Wizards teachers coming from different schools and Houses. They also tried to organise at least one trip to a Sanctuary every year, so that the little Wizards may spend some classes with students from other magical origins.
The system was not perfect yet, but the fact that Hermione had gotten answers from a Dwarf, a Half-Giant and a Goblin was a good sign.
Severus was quite pleased with Hermione's work, though he cautioned her against trusting everything that was written in books. Dhaal was only too happy to demonstrate that he was not made of smoke and magic, and that he had a sweeter tooth for cookies than dead birds' hearts.
Severus was impressed when Hermione thought to ask him if Dhaal being a Familiar made him act differently from other Thestrals and promised that they would speak more of the subject during another meeting as it already was quite late.
The girl sulked a bit, but Ted distracted her by offering her a copy of Julia's famous book. Severus felt himself grow red when he realised what he was doing, but he had to admit that it was a good way to give the Grangers some insight about himself. At least, Julia had had the good sense to remove the too personal parts of the letters – but that might have been Andromeda's doing.
While Ted spoke with Hermione and her mother, Robert Granger took him aside.
"Thank you for visiting, Lord Caspian."
"It was my pleasure," answered Severus truthfully.
Hermione's father smiled then cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Please don't take it the wrong way, but I am still perplexed as to why Mister Wilkes recommended someone like yourself to be a mentor."
"Someone like myself?" repeated Severus, raising an eyebrow at him.
The older man met his eyes squarely.
"Someone so young and with so many on-going projects. We've heard about you from almost every Wizard we've met, you are very busy and a rising star in many fields. Will you really have the time and the patience for Hermione?"
"I wouldn't have had the time only a few months ago," answered Severus truthfully, "but I'm learning to delegate. As for patience… I've been told that I have plenty enough when it comes to teaching children as long as they are not idlers."
Mister Granger still looked unconvinced.
"I agree that your two visits went far better than with previous candidates. The fact that there is a second one speaks for itself. But it will be quite different when you're responsible for Hermione for a longer time."
Severus tilted his head, considering the man.
"I think that for our third meeting, you should come and spend the entire day at House Caspian. Well, read the book that Ted gave you first, and then if you still consider me as a possible mentor, come visit. You'll meet the members of my House."
"Why are you so keen on being a mentor?"
Severus smiled wryly.
"I am not keen on being a mentor. As you said, I already have much on my plate and I can easily find other very interesting projects to fill my days and my brain. However, Hermione seems to be a brilliant child, and it would be a shame to waste her potential. It can also be dangerous for her to try to find answers on her own, and the frustration from having a mentor who is not intelligent enough to challenge her mind won't help. So I am keen on being her mentor."
The older man studied his face for several seconds before nodding.
"Very well, we'll arrange to come spend a day at your home, and then we'll decide if you and Hermione make a good pair."
It took longer to organise than the previous visits, but about two weeks later, the Grangers were back in Caspian Manor.
They arrived early, just after breakfast as Severus had asked them to.
Tuei was the one who answered the door, prompting a lesson about House Elves and Wizards. She answered Hermione's questions kindly for a good quarter of an hour before firmly telling the girl that she could not hope to learn everything of great importance at once, and that there would be time to share more information on the subject at a later time.
Hermione started to pout at being denied in her quest for knowledge, but quickly smoothed her face at Tuei sharp look. Her parents looked quite impressed with his Ansvar. It seemed that avoiding a tantrum when withholding answers from Hermione was not an easy task, and something even they did not always get right.
The girl forgot her disappointment as Severus led the Grangers to the clearing where most of House Caspian was practising Taichi together, her eyes widening as she spotted Manylion in her full Cavalier's attire. The Centauress was trying to teach Unig, the latest and freshly sworn member of House Caspian and only the second Centaur to join them. Despite the Faerys who were also giving him advice, Unig seemed to have trouble following Manylion's brusque teachings.
Severus had not planned for Taichi to become a House's routine every morning after breakfast. In fact, he had been quite surprised the first time Pākiki and Nymphéa had joined him and clumsily imitated his stances, despite the fact that he had always planned to teach them one day. It had taken a few more weeks for the other members of his House to gradually join them.
After Lord Voldemort's funeral, Severus had gotten the members of his House together then proceeded to stun them with all his previously well-kept secrets, from the revelation that he possessed a Goblin family to the fact that he had been taking a lot more risks than any of them had thought.
He had not quite known what reaction to expect from his House. To Severus' great perplexity, they just began showing up at Taichi practice, more and more members of his House waiting for him in the practice area every morning as they each came to terms at their own pace with all the information he had dumped on them. All of them had understood the need for secrecy, though Andromeda had scolded him for not asking for more help, at least from his House and his Goblin family, and Manylion had surprisingly spent several days muttering about "idiot Wizards with no sense of preservation and delusions of grandeur."
Lucius had been a different matter. Between his slow recovery from the backlash of losing his Mark and his feeling of betrayal when he learnt that Augustus, Regulus and Jonathan had been in Severus' confidence, it had taken three long months before Lucius went back to treating him like his favourite little brother. Of course, Severus' ultimate punishment had been that Wirkrund and Lucius got along famously and took great pleasure in exchanging tales about his inability to ask for what he wanted. They especially loved to tease him about Neele, though they had been far too subtle for him to understand what they were teasing him about and had just infuriated him until Narcissa had finally cleared it up for him.
Hermione was a lot less enthusiastic about Taichi than Thestrals or House-Elves at first. Her father confessed that they had a hard time pushing her toward physical activity when she loved reading so much, though it had begun to change a bit now that she had made friends at Greenwings. He sounded relieved, and Severus had the feeling that Hermione had not had many friends in her muggle school.
Severus was completely unsurprised when Luna broke away from practice to come speak to Hermione with a brilliant smile.
"Hello Hermione! I'm Luna," said the almost white-haired eight year old, her blue eyes shining eerily.
"Good morning Luna, it's nice to meet you," answered Hermione politely, watching the younger girl with curiosity.
"Will you join us for Taichi? It's the best way to learn how to listen to Magic," said Luna.
"Really?" asked Hermione, her interest piqued as she reevaluated the practising members.
The young girl nodded.
"It will also help when you take your oath to the House."
Hermione did not need more to follow Luna and awkwardly try to imitate her as she went through the form. Severus smiled approvingly when Pākiki came closer to correct the girl's stance and help her follow Luna's fluid movements.
"It's not the first time we are hearing about the importance of Houses in the Wizarding World though Miss Anderson's book was the most informative about it," said Joan Granger suddenly. "Would you truly swear Hermione into your House without asking for her oath in return if she became your mentoree?"
Severus turns his head to meet her eyes.
"If you've read Julia's book, you know I will. Of course, it would be the basic oath of protection at first. Then it could evolve with time depending on our relationships, until her seventeenth year when she will need to choose a House for herself."
She nodded, a glint in her eyes that he had no idea how to interpret.
"Mister Tonks is a Muggle yet he belongs to your House. Did he swear you an oath too?"
"He did, like any member of my House. House Caspian accepted his oath the same way it did the other members' oath," answered Severus.
"Julia's mother is going to swear her oath to our House too," added Pandora, almost giving them a heart attack as she suddenly appeared at their side. "She was wary at first, being a Muggle and a single mother. Helhest knows it took me two years to get her to set up her sewing shop in our business area. But it's prospering quite nicely, and she has struck a fruitful partnership with Mrs Gilbert who does the enchantment for her clothes and accessories. Of course, I knew she would be part of our House, but it can be tiresome to waste all this time convincing them that they were meant to belong with us."
Severus barely refrained from rolling his eyes.
"Not all of us have the making of seers or trust blindly in magic and destiny, Pandora."
She smiled sweetly at him.
"And yet, I've never been proven wrong."
She turned to address Hermione's mother who was listening with interest.
"Caspian' grounds are quite huge, and part of it is just alongside the border of the muggle city. It's a nice place to build a house, close to both the Manor and the muggle world."
"That's good to know," stated Mrs Granger, seeming to take the information and its implications in stride.
Pandora smiled mischievously.
"Welcome to House Caspian, Joan."