Chapter Twenty-Five – Plans For Hogwarts
"We are going back to Hogwarts…" Charlie mutters into the silence. His face is blank as he stares into the flames dancing in the hearth.
He is sitting in one of the high-back armchairs in the Mansions general library, Bill scribbling away on his parchments which he had scattered across the entire table. He had mumbled something along the lines of lesson plans earlier on and hadn't moved since. Apparently, he hadn't finished them despite the school term starting up in a week or so. It was amusing for Charlie to sit back and watch him. At his quiet statement, however, Bill glances up from his work, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.
"Have you only just realised?"
Charlie blushes at Bill's teasing tone. Shooting a glare toward his brother, Charlie shakes his head. Of course, he hadn't only just realised, they had been having breakfast more frequently with the other faculty members, sans Severus, now that the school term was beginning soon.
"No, I just… it is strange to think about, isn't it? I mean we are in our twenties and are now the youngest Professors on the faculty. I just don't understand why Dumbledore wouldn't find it weird that all of a sudden, we both come back from abroad and both want to be teachers. Not to mention we actually went to Severus about vacancies instead of straight to Dumbledore or even Minerva. Merlin, sending our mum to ask would have been less suspicious than this."
Bill drops his quill to the table and drags a hand through his hair as he thinks over Charlie's words, thoughts processing before he frowns. It was very strange. Dumbledore hadn't even interviewed them for the positions, he had instantly agreed to make them both professors. He allowed them to be put in charge of teaching hundreds of children and he hadn't even questioned them about their apparent 'sudden change of heart'. There had to be something they were missing. He had to be planning something, but he couldn't think of what. Or, maybe he was just pleased to have more 'light-oriented' and biased professors on his staff.
"I know what you mean, Char. It is a little odd, I didn't realise how strange it was until now. I was expecting a couple of questions at least. Not to just be handed the curriculum and a 'Welcome to the Faculty'. I really hope he doesn't expect us to be as biased as some of his staff against the Slytherin students. I don't think I would be able to treat any child like that, no matter who their parents are."
"I don't think he would expect you to be. Didn't you have that Slytherin friend back in school? What was his name again?"
"Felix? Yea, he was the Slytherin Prefect, a right prick at times but he was a decent enough fella, even if he did join the Death Eaters as soon as he graduated."
"Bill… you joined the Death Eaters…" Charlie deadpans, staring at his older brother with a raised eyebrow. He rolls his eyes when Bill just shrugs his shoulders and grins.
"No, I am part of the In Dolus Intortis. Where have you been Charlie?"
"You are a prat. You knew what I meant. We were all for joining the Dark Lord's ranks before he offered the chance to join his son's faction instead. Don't be a smart ass."
Bill chuckles, ruffling Charlie's hair. He had missed his younger brother, not having been able to see him as much as he would have liked after they had both moved out of the Burrow. Him to Egypt and Charlie to Romania. It hadn't been easy on either of them; he and Charlie had been especially close since they were little. Closer than he was or had ever been to any of his other siblings.
"I am not being a smart ass; I am just being truthful, dear brother."
"Alright alright, you git. On a serious note, what do you think Dumbledore is plotting?"
"I don't know. He hasn't mentioned anything during the staff meetings, but maybe he is planning to do something he knows we wouldn't agree with…"
"Exactly, that's what has me worried. He hasn't so much as mentioned that the Dark Lord has returned and has taken up the mantel of Lord Slytherin and he hasn't tried to claim Aldwyn as the son of Lord Voldemort. He hasn't mentioned anything about trying to talk to Aldwyn, question him about his parentage, or persuade him over to the 'Light'. I just know he has something up his sleeve and the longer he goes without telling us the worse it is going to be."
Bill stares over at his brother for a minute, he can hear the stress in Charlie's voice, and he doesn't like it one bit. Pushing himself up from his seat, Bill perches himself on the arm next to Charlie and wraps his arm around his younger brother, drawing him into his side. He cards a hand through his hair, something which always soothed Charlie when they were younger.
"He will not lay a finger on Aldwyn, we will not allow it. Besides, Severus is going to be at the school, and he won't let Dumbledore even think about trying to harm his son, nor would Marvolo if he were to find out. Also, Aldwyn is going to have us, his papa, and all of his friends to keep him safe. It will be alright, Char, no matter what Dumbledore is planning on doing, he won't get away with plotting against Aldwyn."
"I know Bill, I just can't help but worry. He is so small."
Bill snorts and drops a kiss on Charlie's head, tightening his arm for a brief moment.
"Don't let him hear you say that he has a nasty roundhouse if you piss him off too much, Fenrir has been doing a good job teaching Aldwyn some defensive moves. Not to mention his father has been tutoring him in defensive magic and Parselmagic… Merlin help any kid who tries to bully him."
"I pray for the Hogwarts faculty. You know what Draco and Aldwyn are like here, imagine what they are going to get up to when surrounded by hundreds of potential victims for their pranks…"
"They may even end up being worse than Fred and George…" Bill groans which draws a chuckle from Charlie.
"Now, just imagine what they could do if the four of them were to partner up…"
Bill actually whimpers much to Charlie's amusement. He was not looking forward to the upcoming school term if he was going to have to deal with mischievous little boys who had a knack for not getting caught. He had yet to catch the little buggers when they set off their pranks around the Mansion, even though he knows it was one of them, if not both. Charlie laughs, twisting his arm up his brother's back to run a comforting hand through Bill's shoulder-length hair.
"Alright, you procrastinator, best get on with those lesson plans before the term starts again."
Charlie bursts out laughing when he gives Bill a little nudge and accidentally causes him to lose his balance and fall to the floor with a yelp. Peering down at the tangle of limbs, Charlie wipes his tears away as his shoulders shake when Bill manages to twist himself enough to allow him to glare up at his brother. A smirk makes its way to his lips and before Charlie has a chance to react, Bill surges up from the floor, wraps his arms around Charlie's neck, and drags him to the floor as well.
The two rough house around the floor for a moment or two, laughter floating through the air before they collapse onto their backs, arms outstretched. Charlie lifts his head up, dropping it to rest on Bill's while his arm stretches over his brother's chest, the occasional chuckle still escaping them as they work on regaining their breath. They hadn't roughhoused like that since they had still been living at the Burrow with their parents and hadn't realised just how much they had missed it until now. They turn to each other, wide grins stretching their lips at the other's red face and heavy breathing. It was good to be back again.
Aldwyn sets up his cauldron as he hums under his breath. He mumbles a quiet thank you to his papa when the man comes over to give him his ingredients as he is measuring out 24 fluid ounces of water. He sets it to the side. The standard measurement for most potions; it was one of the first things his papa had made him remember. Though he didn't need the entire measurement just yet, he didn't want to keep getting up to fetch more water throughout his brewing process.
Setting his cauldron on the heat, he checks to make sure the flames are turned off as he didn't need to heat anything up at the moment, not while he is just preparing his first ingredients anyway. Reading the instructions from an old textbook his papa had let him borrow, Aldwyn drops two measured scoops of dried nettles into his stone mortar and adds three puffer fish eyes, crushing and mixing the mixture between each addition of an eye. He leans further onto the table, raising his tiptoes in order to put enough pressure behind the pestle to turn the mixture into a medium-fine powder. Aldwyn calls his papa over to check that he had done the first step correctly, smiling when his leather tie is tightened around his hair and a soft kiss dropped on his temple in praise.
He takes up his measuring spoon again, washing all access ingredients from the metal before dropping two measures of his now 'mediumly-fine' powder into his empty cauldron. Replacing his measuring spoon with a standard tablespoon, Aldwyn carefully adds two full spoons of plain water to his cauldron and mixes it with the power. Flicking his wand toward the base of his cauldron, Aldwyn smiles when the flames spark to life and he sets it on the medium burn, setting his timers to twenty minutes.
Walking over to the sink at the back of the potion's lab, Aldwyn scrubs his used equipment as he has nothing much else to do while he waits for his potion to finish up; the first part that is. He dries his spoons meticulously and replaces them in his borrowed apprentice potion kits. His father and papa had insisted on purchasing his own when they took him to Diagon Ally to buy his school supplies, despite his initial protests. They said it would help his continued studies.
Reading through his methodology in the textbook, Aldwyn reorganises his ingredients in order of preparation and addition, finishing up just as his timer buzzes quietly reminding him that he needed to add more water to his potion. Adding a tablespoon at a time, Aldwyn watches as the remaining powder slowly dissolves into the liquid. Picking his wand up from where he had left it on the desk, he waves it over his cauldron before setting another timer for 60 minutes. Ensuring that he sets separate alarms to sound every ten minutes as some cauldrons and brewing conditions could alter brewing time.
Releasing a sigh, Aldwyn pulls out his stool and glances over at his papa and father. His eyes widen in awed surprise when he sees that they have five cauldrons out in front of them. He watches, transfixed as they take it in turns to prepare their ingredients, dropping them into the appropriate mixtures, stirring each one, and adjusting the temperatures and all without bumping elbows once.
Resting his elbows on the workbench, Aldwyn was content to watch his parents brew their numerous potions and elixirs while he waited for his own to be finished. He watches with a smile when his father stretches in front of his papa, placing a steadying hand on the other's waist so he doesn't fall. His smile widens when he catches sight of the pale blush dusting his papa's cheeks and the reprimanding eye roll at the interaction.
So lost in his observations, Aldwyn jumps when his first alarm goes off. Pushing himself away from the desk, Aldwyn jumps down from his stool and walks over to his lightly bubbling potion, peering into the liquid he sighs. It wasn't ready yet. Settling himself back down, Aldwyn allows himself to continue observing his parents' interactions getting lost in his own thoughts as he does.
Finally, after the full hour of bubbling on the medium heat, Aldwyn grins down at his potion when he sees that it matches the description perfectly as far as he could tell. Turning the heat off, Aldwyn picks up his bat's spleen and drops it into the mixture. Grabbing a spare cloth, Aldwyn wipes his hands free of the slim now coating his fingers before he grabs his stirring rod. Stirring the mixture four times anti-clockwise, Aldwyn then leaves it to brew for 30 seconds on a low heat. Picking up his wand for the final time, Aldwyn casts an Engorgio charm and watches with interest as the sparks are absorbed into the potions, the process completing with a small flash of white light.
Grinning at his accomplishment, Aldwyn takes up one of his crystal potion vials and, using his Dragonhide gloves to move the cauldron away from the heat, which he quickly flicks off, grabs a ladle and carefully pours his potions into the glass. His nose wrinkles at the smell, the gloppy liquid slopping into the vial messily and he inwardly gags wondering who in their right mind would be willing, if anyone, to drink such a disgustingly green potion.
Settling his vials on the brewing station, Aldwyn glances across the room. He bites his lip as he watches his parents still pottering around their own workstations; he didn't want to call for one of them and risk messing up their potions. He watches as his papa adds another ingredient and sighs quietly, maybe they were nearly finished. Gathering up the remainder of his ingredients, Aldwyn places them back into the cabinet, ensuring that he gets them in the correct places before he proceeds to wash up his equipment and organises it back into the potions kit.
Settling himself back on his stool, Aldwyn clasps one of his potion's vials in his hand as he prepares himself to wait for his parents to complete their work, or at least get to a part of the process which would allow him to interrupt without risking them making a mistake. Leaning his elbow on the table, Aldwyn rests his head against his hand, his eyelids blinking rapidly as silence envelops him, the only sounds drifting from his parents' quiet mutterings, the soft boiling of their potions, and the preparation of ingredients. He is soon lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sounds.
It isn't long before Aldwyn is woken up by a hand carding through his hair, fingers gently detangling some of the knots that had formed behind his ear, his hair tie had been worked free from his hair. Snapping his eyes open, Aldwyn jumps to his feet and spins almost toppling into his workbench in his haste. He stares up with wide eyes and sighs heavily when he catches sight of his papa standing in front of him with a small smile on his lips. He had found his reaction amusing.
Aldwyn grins sheepishly up at his papa, glancing around to see that he was indeed still in the potion's lab. He scratches the back of his neck as Severus chuckles lightly.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Not too long, a half an hour or so. Why didn't you call one of us if you had finished with your potions?" Severus enquires, glancing over his shoulder to where Marvolo is just putting the finishing touches on their last potion before he turns to gaze down at his son. He frowns when Aldwyn bites his lip, shifting from foot to foot, and Severus has to grit his teeth. Crouching down, Severus takes hold of Aldwyn's hands and presses a kiss to both knuckles, he smiles.
"I didn't want to bother you. I could have made you make a mistake. I was going to wait until you reach a point where I could interrupt without risking your work, but I fell asleep before I would. I'm sorry."
"You do not need to apologise, Aldwyn. You did nothing wrong, though I would much prefer you come to one of us in the future. Our potions can be done over again, we are not desperate for them as of yet, and I would have much preferred to come to you, my little Snakelet."
Aldwyn glances down at the stone floor, scuffing the toe of his shoe before he gazes back at his papa, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It was taking a while, a very long time in his opinion for him to relax enough to be able to interrupt one of his parents while they were busy, but he was coming to see that they wouldn't mind. That they would prefer to help him instead, make sure he was alright before anything else, and the thought brings that same warmth to his chest.
"I think I am starting to understand that now, Papa. I just wanted to show you my potion."
Severus smiles, kissing Aldwyn's forehead he pushes himself to stand back up. Reaching across the table, he plucks up the small glass vial. Making a show of examining the contents, Aldwyn giggles when his papa scratches his chin, and furrows his eyebrows as he studies the potions, turning them every which way. Severus grins down at his son.
"This is perfect, Aldwyn. I am very pleased with you. You will have no trouble in the new year if you continue with this level of work."
"Really?"
"Truly, Snakelet. I am very proud of you. You are a real potions master in the making."
"Does that mean I will be able to help you sometime with your own experiments?"
Severus chuckles lightly as Aldwyn bounces on the balls of his feet. He drags a hand through Aldwyn's hair, handing him back the tie he had taken out earlier.
"Maybe in a few more years, Aldwyn. I promise that once you are taking your Potions' O. , then you can help me with my experiments."
"Wicked! I promise I will get the highest grades in the class and pass my O. with the best score ever! I am going to set a new record!"
"Oh? I think you had best look out, Love. I believe Aldwyn is determined enough to surpass you." Marvolo joins their conversation, coming to stand behind Severus, he wraps his arms around his partner's waist, resting his chin on Severus's shoulder to allow him to glance down at his son.
"I believe you may be right, Marvolo." Severus presses a kiss on Marvolo's cheek, hands resting on top of the arms wrapped around him. He leans into Marvolo.
"Papa holds the record?" Aldwyn questions, grinning up at his parents.
"He does indeed, Snakelet. Your papa holds the record for the highest O.W.L and N.E.W.T scores in Hogwarts history, and he was the youngest person in the world to ever be rewarded his potion Mastery."
"Wow. Papa, you are so smart. I am going to do it! I am going to beat Papa's record."
"I have no doubt that you will be able to achieve it, Snakelet."
Marvolo sits in his formal living room surrounded by his closest followers. Aldwyn was playing around at Malfoy Manor with Draco and Blaise, so he had taken to opportunity to hold a small meeting in regard to his son's progress in his tutoring sessions and to pan out some of their plans for the upcoming school year and how they were going to protect Aldwyn as much as they were capable. He didn't want his son to know about some of their plans in case it made Aldwyn wary of completing his education in Hogwarts or in case it wound him up to such a degree that he couldn't relax.
He glances around the room, wrapping an arm around Severus's waist. He pulls his partner close, ignoring the suggestive eyebrow raised by Fenrir, nor the grins of the Malfoys and Weasley brothers. If he wanted his lover close, then he would keep the man as close as he would allow, not that Severus was protesting at all. Not if the hand resting on his knee had anything to say. He turns his head, smiling against Severus's temple before he brushes a kiss to his head.
"I believe we shall begin. I have called you all here today so that we may discuss one thing and one thing only. Aldwyn. I would like to know how you believe him to be fairing during your tutoring sessions and if there are any concerns you hold about his studies. Fenrir?"
"My Lord. The Little Prince is progressing through my training regime much faster than most of my pacts cubs and I am sure he will be able to outrun me within the next few sessions. His footwork and stealth have exceeded my expectations and his tracking skills are almost unparalleled in someone so young, especially a normal wizard. He struggled through the defensive manoeuvres and martial arts tactics for the first few sessions but has progressed naturally. I have no doubt that he will be able to defend himself perfectly against many wizards and witches even without his wand within the next year or two."
Fenrir ticks off his points on his fingers, his leg bouncing against the floor as he keeps his eyes trained on his Lord and Lord Consort though he doesn't know what their take on his report is as neither of them makes any movements nor do they speak once he pauses for breath.
"The Little Prince expressed a great interest in Werewolves and Werewolf law, so I have taken it upon myself to answer any of his questions about my pact, the struggles we are facing, and what we wish to be done to make our lives easier. He has expressed his sympathies for our hardships and has begun to ask about the legislation suppressing us and ostracising us from society. The Little Lord has no troubles with his studies and has taken to asking me about anything he has not fully understood or any questions he thinks up."
"Thank you, Fenrir. I will admit that I was wary of introducing you to Aldwyn so early after his adoption and rescue, but if the tales he regales to myself and Severus after each of his lessons with you are anything to go by then I am thankful to you. Aldwyn is ecstatic after each session, and we are hard-pressed to understand much of his explanations due to his excitement and his rapid speech. He truly does find your lessons interesting, even if he has complained about your strict, non-lenient teaching methods on more than one occasion."
Marvolo inclines his head to Fenrir, smirking when the wolf fights with a light flush, he wasn't used to many people complimenting him outside his wolf pact, but he didn't need his Lord's thanks. It was his duty to train the young Prince and make sure he was capable of protecting himself when he finds himself in a situation where he is without a wand.
"What of his Astronomy tutoring?" Severus questions.
"Ah. We had a little more difficulty with this subject, My Lords. For us to be able to study the stars accurately I would have had to wake the Little Prince up late at night and I didn't wish for the Little Prince to become lethargic during the day due to his late-night sessions. When I discussed this with The Little Prince during one of our survival sessions, he mentioned a muggle device that allows people to study the stars even during the day. So, I researched these devices, bought one, and set it up in one of the unused classrooms. After we had spent time learning how to use the mini 'observatory' I believe the Little Prince called it, he took a fascination with the stories behind the various constellations and stars."
Severus nods, his ears heating with the title Fenrir had used to address him as and he turns to glance at Marvolo who smirks down at him an air of smugness surrounding him. Severus rolls his eyes, resting his head down against Marvolo's shoulder he curls closer. It was nice to know that his son was doing so well in his studies.
"Thank you, Fenrir. You do not foresee any issues for Aldwyn's continued studies within Hogwarts?"
"No, My Lords. I only fear that the Little Prince will not be able to concentrate during his late-night Astronomy sessions during the school year, but I have already promised the Little Prince that I will only be an Owl away if he wishes to ask any questions. I have also promised to allow him to take the observatory with him to school to further aid in his studies."
"Excellent. Thank you, Fenrir. Bill, Charlie?"
"Aldwyn has been progressing wonderfully in his Defence Against the Dark Arts sessions, I foresee absolutely no problems with his continued studies in Hogwarts either. From what I could gather, DADA was one of the only subjects Aldwyn had absolutely no trouble grasping last year, and it has shown during our training. He has taken to each new spell like a hatchling to the air. His base knowledge exceeded that of a typical first year and we have already progressed to late second-year, early third-year spells. He has also shown great interest in wordless casting."
Charlie explains with a smile on his face, Aldwyn had been an absolute delight to teach, and if all of his students were going to be as diligent and intelligent as Aldwyn then teaching this year was going to be a breeze. He had been incredibly impressed by the sheer power behind some of Aldwyn's spell work and stared in shock for a full minute or two when he had managed to actually severe a training dummy in half using a simple Diffindo. Even more so when he had repaired it without leaving a mark.
"Yes, we know all about Aldwyn's fascination with wordless magic. I cannot recall the number of times I have caught him buried beneath a pile of books explaining the theory behind wordless casting and if I am not mistaken, he has even succeeded in casting a few spells without incantations now." Marvolo deadpans, he wasn't upset with his son, not in the slightest. He was more worried for the Hogwarts staff that was going to have to deal with a twelve-year-old who was well-versed in non-verbal casting.
"I have witnessed his successfully casting a Lumos, Nox, Wingardium Leviosa and he has almost completed a Reducto as well," Severus adds in, pride coating his words. Charlie nods his head; he had even answered many of Aldwyn's questions about the theory behind wordless casting before so it may be his fault that Aldwyn was able to cast so many spells already.
"He is making leaps and bounds in his Care of Magical Creature studies as well, though it is difficult to get him to concentrate on the more docile creatures. He was not remotely interested in Bowtruckles, nor did he wish to learn more about Hippogriffs, but he asked endless questions about Salamanders, Dragons, Merfolk, and various magical snake breeds. I will attempt to find more ways to engage him in lessons if he decides to continue with his studies in his third year."
"Yes, thank you, Charlie. Aldwyn is an intelligent child, but if something does not hold his interest then it is near impossible to get him to learn more about it than necessary. Do not hold yourself responsible if he refuses to learn about something. If he wishes to learn more about it in the future, then he will."
"Thank you, My Lord. I will endeavour to remember that." Charlie accepts Marvolo's words and glances at his brother who is resting his elbow on his shoulder, grinning down at him.
"Aldwyn, again is surprising me with his knowledge and understanding of both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. He is inquisitive about their subject content and about what he could use the knowledge for in the future. He has shown particular interest in spell crafting and warding. He is now familiar with and can recognise every Futhark Rune and what each one means and is now learning about the connections to avoid. I didn't wish to begin teaching him Runic combinations without showing him which one should never go next to each other in case an accident occurs."
Bill explains. He had spent several hours secreted away in the family library with Aldwyn answering as many questions as the child could come up with in regard to Runes and furthermore, spell creation and warding. He had found Bill's previous job fascinating but didn't think he would have liked to crawl through all those dusty, cramped holes to find buried treasure, he was more interested in laying wards and breaking them.
"Aldwyn has developed an endearing habit of telling his father and I all about his recent discoveries in Ancient Runes and his fascination with warding."
"Indeed. He has even bought over some of that knowledge and has begun asking about Runic combinations with Parsel Runes as well as the possibility of warding with Parsel. I have informed Aldwyn of the dangers of warding, and the greater risk of warding with Parsel and warned him against even attempting such an endeavour without at least one adult proficient in such skills present. "
"Ah. That may have been my fault. I told him all about the basic theories behind warding and Aldwyn asked me if I think it would be possible to use these theories and apply them to other Runic systems." Bill admits with a sheepish grin, he hadn't thought anything of the questions when Aldwyn had first asked, but maybe he should have questioned him in return. It wouldn't do him any good if he encouraged Aldwyn to partake in some dangerous experiments.
"It is of no real consequence. I believe Aldwyn is the type of curious individual to sate his own thirst for knowledge one way or another. If you have not told him, then he would have researched the answer on his own. If he could not find the answer he is looking for in a book then he would most likely experiment to make the answers. It is not a bad trait to have, but for one so young it could be dangerous." Marvolo ponders, he knew his son wouldn't do anything if he knew it would put him in danger but seeking knowledge by any means wouldn't view as a potential risk, not when he wanted to prove himself to his father and papa.
"I will keep an eye on him and reiterate the dangers of experimenting with unknown variables in Ancient Runes. Though I am sure that Aldwyn wouldn't put himself at risk now that he knows the dangers." Bill reassures Severus and Marvolo though he isn't sure how successful he is.
"Aldwyn is an intelligent boy, he will know not to put himself at risk. He wouldn't want you guys to worry about him if he were injured if anything." Lucius points out and the room falls silent. It was a good point to make, Aldwyn wouldn't prevent himself from researching something dangerous for his own safety, but out of fear of disappointing his parents and 'bothering' them with his resulting injuries.
"I was delighted when Aldwyn also came to me the other day to ask if he could borrow the very basic books we began our lessons with. Apparently, one of his new friends Theodore Nott has a fascination with the subject and asked Aldwyn if he could borrow some of his study notes. The boy was upset when his father wouldn't hire a tutor for him and so Aldwyn offered to give Theo some help."
"I am sure we will be hearing about this from Theodore Nott Senior in the near future." Severus deadpans, rolling his eyes, though the up curl of his lips gives away his amusement. He was just pleased that Aldwyn seemed to be making more friends on his own.
"I believe it best if we move on. Aldwyn is showing dramatic improvements in his Potions and herbology lessons, though again it was difficult to get him to concentrate on Herbology until I started to include the various potion uses for each plant and how the care shown to each plant can affect their reliability when it comes to using them as ingredients." Severus moves the conversation forward, though he didn't have much to report in a sense seen as Marvolo was present to witness many of Aldwyn's achievements in potions and his knowledge of all ingredients he uses.
"Yes, he is improving by leaps and bounds in his Parsel magic, Dark Arts, and his Heir lessons. I am teaching him how to organise the family ledgers, his assets, dealings, and business ownerships currently and he is having a lot of fun helping me sort through the Slytherin folders." Marvolo chuckles, shaking his head at the thought of Aldwyn actually laughing and giggling along while sorting through a stack of old, boring paperwork.
"Your son always baffles me, My Lord. Not in a bad way, of course. He is just an enigma. I have been trying to get Draco to sit down with me for months to learn about the family files, but he is having none of it. Maybe Aldwyn wouldn't mind imparting his knowledge to my son?"
"I am sure, Aldwyn would be happy to help Draco with his Heir lessons. He has even asked me if he could start going through his other family files when he has time and if I would be willing to assist him. I of course, gladly offered my help." Marvolo responds to the sound of laughter. No matter how much the Dark Lord despised paperwork and documentation, it seemed that he really would do anything for his son if Aldwyn asked him to. Severus nods his head; he had received the same question just the other day when Aldwyn had spotted him going through his own business owning and shares.
"He is progressing rather well in my sessions with him as well, I foresee no issues with his continued studies within Hogwarts except Aldwyn may find the upcoming school term a tad boring as he is highly knowledgeable in his Transfiguration, and I fear he may now be leaps and bounds ahead of his fellow classmates. I have given him a couple of book recommendations to keep him occupied during his free time with the promise that he keeps up to date with his homework."
"Yes, I gave him the same advice. A couple of recommendations and a promise to complete all his schoolwork no matter how tedious it may seem." Bill agrees, nodding along.
"I did the same thing. We don't need him keeping us on our toes as much as the other staff members." Charlie jokes drawing chuckles from their gathering.
"I believe you will never have a dull moment at the school now, my dear Severus. Our son is going to liven the place up quite significantly."
"I believe you are correct, Love." Severus turns to Marvolo, a small smile dancing across his lips, his eyes alight. Despite his son being a little terror at times with his mischievous pranks and his diabolical way of thinking on occasion, Severus wouldn't change it for the world. He adored everything about Aldwyn, his shy and timid character, his powerful leader-like qualities, his thirst for knowledge, and his inability to focus on anything he found uninteresting. He wouldn't change anything about his son, not for all the money in the world and he knew Marvolo felt the same way.
Leaning forward, Severus brushes his lips against Marvolo's, a soft caress that lasts no more than a fleeting moment, but it still makes his heart race and his lips tingle. He doesn't know when his eyes had drifted closed, but he opens them when he feels a warm pressure against the side of his face, stroking down his cheek. Gazing across at Marvolo's brown and red eyes, Severus can feel his chest tightening at the absolute adoration he can see.
His eyes slip closed again when Marvolo leans forward, their lips connecting again in another kiss. This one is prolonged, sweet, and just as tender as the first. It lasts longer, their lips moving together in an intimate dance known only to the two of them. They don't take it much further, not with their current audience deliberately looking elsewhere to allow them this moment of quiet intimacy.
They pull away a second time, loving smiles on their faces, breathing a little heavier than normal. Severus leans into the hand still stroking his face then turns his head to place a kiss on Marvolo's palm. He gently grips the hand and pulls it down to rest on his own on his lap. Dropping his head back to Marvolo's shoulder, Severus interlaces their fingers. Marvolo clears his throat.
"Fenrir, I want you to spend whatever free time you can roaming the Forbidden Forest outside the school and be on standby in case something goes wrong within the school. If you cannot attend them, I would like you to assign a trustworthy stand-in. Lucius, I want you to keep playing those fools on the Board, as soon as Dumbledore steps a toe out of line I want you feeding them pieces, convincing them of the danger he poses to the students."
"Bill and Charlie, I want you two to keep an eye on Aldwyn. He will not be in your lessons Charlie so he may not come to you as often, but I want him to be aware of the fact that he is able to go to you if he needs to. Bill, he will be a student of yours so it will be less suspicious for him to stay behind and speak to you or seek you out. If any of you are questioned about your relationship with Aldwyn say the Goblins recommended Bill to tutor Aldwyn and you further recommended Charlie. That is the story we will be feeding Dumbledore as well."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Good. I will keep my mirror on my person in case Aldwyn wishes to contact me as well. Lucius, Narcissa you will keep yours on you at all times as well. At least one of you needs to be on hand should Aldwyn or Draco have need of any of us."
"Of course, My Lord."
"Thank you. Severus, I know you are going to be teaching Aldwyn this year, and although I am jealous of the added time you get to spend with our son, I will allow him to come to you as well if he ever has need of you…." The mirth in Marvolo's voice is obvious and Severus chuckles, pulling his head up off Marvolo's shoulder.
"I have already connected my Floo to the Mansion. My private quarters are warded so tight that even Dumbledore himself won't be able to tell that you are within the school for around three hours at a time. You will be able to join Aldwyn and I for a brief time every day if you wish, Marvolo. I will contact you if anything happens to Aldwyn during his schooling, I promise."
"But what about you, my dear Severus? Our son has the option of contacting me if he misses me, but what about you? Will you only think to contact me when an issue arises?" Severus's face lights up at Marvolo's questions, the flush deepening when Marvolo brushes a kiss to the back of his knuckles.
"Of course not, Love. I will contact you whenever I wish to see your face and hear your voice, I will call you through when I miss you terribly and simply wish to spend some time with you." Marvolo sighs against Severus's forehead, resting there for a moment.
"You know I am going to miss you and our son terribly, Severus. The Mansion has been so full of life since we moved here, and I fear it is going to be terribly lonely when you are spirited away from me by that blasted old coot." Severus sighs as well. He slips his arm behind Marvolo, burying his fingers in the man's hair as he guides him to rest against his shoulder, fingers tightening around the hand holding his.
"I am going to miss you as well, Love. You have filled the void left in me since your departure all those years ago. You have given my life purpose again. You have given me a home, love, a family, a son. You have given me everything I didn't allow myself to hope for and so much more, Marvolo."
Marvolo rests completely against Severus not caring for his Dark Lord image at the moment because he truly was going to miss his partner and his son. He didn't know how he was going to survive such a long time without them nearby. He had gotten used to waking up with Severus in his arms and his son's bright face smiling up at him, greeting him every morning at breakfast. He was going to miss playing chess against Aldwyn and Severus. He was going to miss watching Severus teaching Aldwyn everything he could possibly wish to know about potions. Most of all, he was going to miss spending time with them, even if they did nothing to interact with each other, he just loved being able to glance up from his book and see them both sitting in his company.
It was going to be a long couple of months.