Chapter Text
The Summer Solstice ritual was over and the revelers were almost done packing up their belongings. Severus flicked his wand to send the last of their blankets into the expanded wicker basket they’d brought along. His eyes narrowed when he felt a tingle run up his spine. Narcissa and Lucius stiffened where they were gathering the children for apparition. He strode across the grass and leaned close to the pair so no one heard him, “You feel it, too.”
Lucius nodded once and looked down at their children, “I do. Something is wrong.”
Narcissa sighed and looked toward Stonehenge, “It feels like something is sucking the magic gathered from the ritual toward the henge. What do we do?”
Aria bumped her shoulder against Narcissa’s gently, “We’ll get the children home and into their beds. Malfoy Manor isn’t far. You three need to investigate whatever has you looking like you’ve seen a banshee.”
The four children grumbled about leaving their parents behind until Severus shot one of his lethal glares in their direction. After what felt like an eternity, the hillside was clear of everyone but them. The sun had set hours ago and dawn was due soon. The trio walked hand-in-hand up the hill and into the circle of stones.
Narcissa let go of her partners’ hands and wrapped her arms around herself when goosebumps started to rise. “It’s all wrong. The magic is… fading. It should be swelling and enveloping the countryside.”
Lucius took a step toward the archway in the middle. He couldn’t explain his need to reach out and touch the stone. Severus saw the movement and rushed to stop his love. “Lucius, no!”
Narcissa clutched the back of Severus’ robes as his hand closed around Lucius’ left wrist. But it was too late. Lucius’ pale hand flattened on the stone and light exploded around them. When they had blinked the spots from their eyes, they could see that a pale orange dome had dropped over the ritual site locking them in and anyone who might want to help out. The ground rumbled and the three stumbled back as an opening started to grow between the arch. Stairs formed and stretched down into a dark chasm.
Lucius gulped and looked over his shoulder at his partners, “I probably shouldn’t have touched it.”
Severus covered his face with his palm and groaned, “You fucking think? By the gods, Luce! You could have died!”
Narcissa took a hesitant step toward the stairs and peered into the new opening, “He didn’t, though. Should we– should we go down?”
Severus threw his hands up in the air and dropped his head back with a guttural moan. “Do we have any choice? We’re bloody well trapped. We may as well find out why .” They linked hands once more and set off on the adventure they never asked for with their wands raised.
Torches lined the narrow corridor and burst into flame as the three made their way forward. The path twisted and turned until they weren’t sure which direction they’d started in. At last, the path opened up into a wide circular chamber where pillars that matched the layout of the henge above were hanging from the earthen ceiling. Only… unlike the stones above, these were all hanging correctly with none out of place. Settled in the middle were three stone sarcophagi making this a very elaborate mausoleum.
Narcissa put a hand to her throat and reached out to trail her hand over the closest sarcophagus, “I know who they are without being able to read the inscriptions. H-how?”
Lucius moved around her to touch the center box, “Why are they together?” His hand pressed flat over the unfamiliar runes he somehow knew was a name.
Severus didn’t even realize it as his fingertips brushed the pristine white marble of the last casket, “None of this makes sense.”
The air pulsed with magic, throwing the three back into the hard stone wall. Lucius pulled his wife and husband close and tried to shield them with his own body as light blinded them once more. The air shimmered and settled into the dim flicker of torchlight just as fast as it started. Severus was the first to break.
He started laughing and gripped the sides of his head as pain lanced through it. Lucius and Narcissa were in a similar state of uncontrollable laughter and pain. He fell back on his rump and tugged his hair at the root in an attempt to ease the sharp stabs. “Buggering hell! I’m fucking Merlin! ”
Narcissa rolled her head on her shoulders and winced at the audible snap, “You aren’t fucking Merlin, you just happen to be Merlin reincarnated. Congratulations, darling.”
He shook his head and muttered, “Something isn’t right. Y-you’re not Morgana.”
Lucius crossed his arms over his chest like a petulant child and snapped, “No, I’m Morgana!”
Narcissa’s head snapped around to regard her partners and she hissed through her clenched teeth, “How do you think I feel? I’m Arthur, and I’m in a woman’s body!”
Severus looked between the pair and then started laughing all over again. “It makes so much sense. Lucius was always too obsessed with his appearance.”
Lucius cast a stinging hex at the man and grumbled, “Piss off. What do we do with this new enlightening information?”
Narcissa stood up and brushed the dirt off of her dress and looked around, “Someone else desecrated this site. They didn’t make it down here, but the stone circle above is what’s draining magic. It’s nasty, whatever it is.”
Severus stood beside her and sniffed the stale air, “This is beyond bizarre. All of my senses are heightened. I smell something underneath the dust and decay.”
Narcissa shook her head and leaned close to King Arthur Pendragon’s sarcophagus, “Nearly a thousand years hidden away.” She turned to the other two with amusement lighting her eyes, “At least I still have you both. I would never survive without you.”
Lucius pulled out the leather strip holding his hair in place and re-tied it swiftly, “We need to return to the manor and the family. Aria has the children, but I’m sure they’re worried.”
Severus put a hand on each of their shoulders and winked rather uncharacteristically, “I’ll handle it.” Before either could protest, he popped them away.
******
Magic was sitting on the silver chaise in Lucius’ office when the trio landed. Lucius smoothed his robes before summoning Firewhisky and taking a long pull directly from the bottle. He passed the bottle to Narcissa, who took a drink and handed it to Severus. Once they’d each had their fill they turned their attention to the Aspect. Magic’s eyes glowed as they observed the humans.
Severus sat down in a forest-green chair and leaned forward with his arms braced on his thighs, “Do you know what we found or do you need a report?”
Long legs crossed gracefully as Magic leaned back in their seat, “We all know,” they waved their hand about aimlessly, “We’re being inundated with information we were previously unaware of. How have more than eight hundred years passed without us realizing?”
Lucius rolled his eyes and took another deep drink of the burning alcohol, “You’re the gods. You tell us.”
Magic tossed their long purple and silver braid over their shoulder and huffed indignantly, “I will now that I know. You hid yourselves so well no one could find you but… you. All three of you had to be together for the tomb to open. By the way, you left an orange shield over Stonehenge. That’s going to be hell for the Ministry to take down.”
Severus rolled his eyes, “It’s my shield.” He snapped his fingers and nodded once, “There. It’s done. Why is Stonehenge a horcrux?”
Magic wagged a finger in his direction, “You got me there, Merlin. But if I had to hazard a guess, I would say take a look at Dumblefuck.”
Narcissa broke her silence as she scowled at the Aspect, “Absolutely not. He may have been Merlin in a past life, but I won’t have you calling me Arthur, or Lucius Morgana.”
Magic frowned and crossed their arms, “You ruin all my fun, Artie. Don’t you remember the good ole days when you three were running around Camelot causing a ruckus for all and sundry? Ahh the memories.”
Lucius polished off the liquor in the bottle and summoned another from the cabinet beneath the window. He cracked the seal and passed it to his wife without saying a word. When she swallowed a healthy amount, he turned his attention to the god, “I suppose this is the reason you came to us at Christmas telling us to fix the itch. Well, we found what’s draining magic. Now what?”
Magic shrugged and conjured a crystal bottle that flashed tiny rainbows all around. The liquid inside was oddly pearlescent and smelled like summer. “When you broke the seal on the tomb, you also broke the enchantment hiding the horcrux. It’s not a typical soul jar, either.”
Severus thumped his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes, “No. It’s not. It is holding a piece of a magical core. If it is Dumbledore behind this gross mishandling of magic, he is not only storing a chunk of his core. He’s adding to his power by draining it from sites of great magical strength.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as pounding started behind his left eye, “The one at Stonehenge is only one of many.”
Lucius slumped in his seat beside Narcissa and slurred, “I would like to state for the record that I hate having Morgana’s memories and magical strength. I can feel them, too. How the hell did he find our tomb?”
Narcissa rolled her eyes and snatched the shimmering crystal from Magic and took a drink before they could stop her. She giggled and covered her lips with the tips of her fingers, “Ohhh, that’s interesting! Mmmm.” She shook her head to clear the sudden wave of giddiness and sighed, “He’s a clever old fool. Finding it was probably easy for him. I think we should feel lucky that he didn’t get in. Well, Severus? How many sites has he desecrated?”
He picked his head up and took the offered bottle from his wife as Magic looked on in mild amusement, “There are seven in total. Seven pieces of his magical core.”
Lucius swiped the shiny bottle and poured it into his mouth. “I knew we should have taken care of Herpo the Foul sooner. Bloody idiot probably spilled all of his dirty secrets.”
Severus sat forward suddenly and clutched his head when he was overcome with dizziness, “He is Herpo the Foul!”
The crystal decanter thumped to the ground and rolled away without spilling a single drop.
******
Hermione’s head swiveled back and forth as she walked down the main staircase in Malfoy Manor. Her parents had let her stay with the Malfoys for the last two weeks of their summer break and she was having the most splendid time exploring their library. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase and looked up at the two portraits that had pride of place in the central hall. A woman with sparkling green eyes and hair so red she could be a Weasley smiled down at her and waved merrily. The man beside her looked strangely familiar.
“Hello! I’ve been here for nearly two weeks and haven’t seen you yet. My name is Hermione Dagworth-Granger. I’m friends with Draco and Hydrus. You don’t look like the rest of the Malfoys.”
The man grinned and winked, “That’s cuz we aren’t! James Potter, and this is my stunning wife Lily.”
Hermione blinked at the paintings for several seconds. “So, it’s true that Hydrus is Harry Potter. Wow,” she whispered. “Why did you wait so long to meet me? Am I not supposed to talk about it?” Her eyes got wider and she started backpedaling toward the stairs.
Lily held up her hands to stop the girl’s retreat and soothed her, “It’s alright, darling. We have portraits at Fort Black as well. We spend much of our time there with Sirius and Remus. We wanted to meet you before you all went off to Hogwarts again. The children can’t stop talking about you. You have quite the academic rivalry going with Thomas. Severus and I were the same way when we were at school.”
Hermione froze and tipped her head to the side, “Tom and I are always vying to see who can get the highest scores. Sometimes I think he has the advantage because he has access to the libraries here and at Fort Black.”
James’ white teeth flashed as he smiled at the girl, “Call for Dobby when you need a book. He can get into all of the libraries. Even the one hidden in New Zealand.”
She took a step closer to the portraits as her curiosity peaked, “They promised to take me to Slytherin Castle next summer. Are there really high elves and dragons there?”
James leaned his arms on the frame to get closer to the girl, “There are! And so much more.”
Hermione spun on her heel when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her. Hydrus was coming down with his hands in his pockets and a cheeky grin on his face. He looked like an exact copy of the man in the painting with the woman’s vivid green eyes. Her heart leapt into her throat and she gulped.
Harry waved at the people who gave him life before he linked arms with his friend. “Morning you three. I’m surprised to see you two here.”
Lily snorted and stepped into her husband’s frame, “Rigel and Roxana were in a screaming match over breakfast, so we escaped. Those two are certainly giving Remus and Sirius a run for their money. Minnie should probably retire before they start school.”
Hermione giggled as Harry led her toward the solarium where breakfast was laid out for the family. Aiyla and Cyra were already at the table with Draco when they arrived. Aiyla eyed the pair as they came in and sipped her tea. When they’d seated and started filling their plates, she turned her attention to their parents, “Mummy, Baba, Papa? When are we going to get our wands?”
Narcissa sighed and dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a silk napkin, “We’ll go today.” Her next words were cut off when the three Aspects they were so familiar with sauntered in through the open door to the garden.
Hermione choked on a strawberry and Harry thumped her back. “I just saw you on the wall.”
Life smiled sweetly and stroked a hand down the girl’s mane of bushy hair, “Close. We aren’t the Potters. We just like their faces.”
Hermione gulped and shivered as her hair tingled. She couldn’t see it, but her frizzy curls were suddenly sleek and smooth. “Y-your eyes are gold.”
The man who wasn’t James Potter flashed a feral grin and flopped into a chair that hadn’t been there moments before. “They are. Just like all of the familiars your companions carry around. Any ideas why, smartest witch of your generation?”
She looked at Thanatos and Hypnos and then over at Cyra and Aiyla’s winged cats Niamh and Kali. “They aren’t normal familiars, are they?” She looked the three newcomers up and down as realization dawned on her, “You’re gods.”
Magic leaned forward and sang out, “Ding ding! We have a winner! We like you, little librarian. We’d like to give you a gift,” they produced a gold key with a diamond embedded in the handle and passed it to the confused twelve-year-old. When she looked at it quizzically, Magic cupped a hand by their mouth and stage whispered, “It’s a key to the Library of Alexandria. Only five people alive have keys. It’s also a portkey, so you can get there from anywhere.” When the girl remained in stunned silence, Magic moved on, “Alrighty! Now for the real reason we’re here. My cohort gifted Hydrus and Draco with wands before they started school, and now I’m here to give Cyra and Aiyla theirs.”
Cyra jumped up and started signing, “That’s great! We were going to get them today in Diagon.”
Aiyla smiled softly and put a hand on her twin’s shoulder to stop her jumping up and down, “As you can tell, we’re very excited.”
Magic stuck a hand into the pocket of their tight leather pants and pulled out two lengths of wood. They passed the black wand to Aiyla and the white one to Cyra. “This one is ebony wood, and yours is from the ghost gum tree.”
When the twins’ hands closed around their respective wands, their hair ruffled in a magical breeze and their eyes blazed gold for a split second. Cyra signed and Aiyla spoke simultaneously, “ Merlin , what are the cores?”
Magic snorted a laugh and crossed their legs gracefully, “Ahhh, that’s the best part! I put a sliver of darkness into Aiyla’s and a beam of light into Cyra’s. No one else will ever be able to use them; just like your brothers’ wands.”
Cyra smirked at the god and signed, “Yeah, but we can use their wands.”
Life quirked an eyebrow in amusement, “Oh, really? How interesting.”
Draco popped his wand into his hand from his wrist holster with a smile, “We swap wands all the time. And the girls have practiced with them a lot.”
Magic clapped their hands while Death simply chuckled, “You’re always so exciting! I love visiting with you. I have an appointment with a clergyman in Bolivia that I’m running late for. Hermione, make sure you take everyone to the library soon. As long as everyone is touching you, they can be transported with the portkey.”
Hermione inspected her key once more, “I thought you had to be touching a portkey to be transported by it.”
The Aspect winked, “I run this game, kiddo. I make the rules.” The three gods were gone before Magic’s voice floated away to nothingness.
******
Molly bounced Nicolette on her knee as the baby gnawed on her fist. She looked her best friend up and down and pursed her lips, “You’re still Narcissa, though, right? I think I understand the reincarnation part. I just don’t want to lose the person you were before you regained King Arthur’s memories.”
Narcissa swiped a tear from her cheek and sniffled, “I’m still me. It gets a little confusing trying to separate my two lives sometimes, but it always comes back. It’s harder when I’m standing somewhere I’ve been in both lives. I can almost see a shadow of what it looked like in Arthur’s time.”
Alice was holding a book while three others hovered in the air around her. Her eyes flashed from the page in her hands to one hanging before her. “Nothing in the history books mentions Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana being in a triadic relationship.”
Narcissa smiled softly and waved a hand to sink the books low enough to see her newest friend’s face, “That was done for a very good reason. It made it so much easier to hide our tomb. People searched for three separate tombs for us and only chose places of significance to us singularly. We assume Dumbledore knew where we were, he just couldn’t get in due to the protections we left behind.”
Molly shook her head and ran a hand through her copper hair. “And he’s Herpo the foul. How powerful is he that he managed to insert himself into the Dumbledore family so smoothly?”
Minerva rubbed her belly absently as her baby rolled over, “I’ve been thinking about that for some time. What if that’s what caused Arianna to turn into an Obscurial? A spell that powerful would be the perfect catalyst for an Obscurus to form.”
Alice squeaked and turned a page in one of the hanging books, “Aberforth Dumbledore’s son was an Obscurial, too! What if he remembered and Albus had to perform the spell again to cover his tracks? Goodness, I’m going to have to check all of my resources to see if there’s any connection.”
Andromeda twitched her wand, sending the books to stack themselves on a nearby table. “You can write all new history books after we find the rest of his horcruxes and destroy them. Right now, we have bigger rusalka to fry.”
Bellatrix flinched and cast a side-eyed glance at her wife, “Please don’t remind me of Rusalka. The mere idea of them makes me want to go back to Russia and destroy the entire species.”
Alice’s eyebrows climbed her forehead as she looked between the pair, “I think I need to hear that story sometime soon. Oh! That reminds me, Stevie, I did a little digging into my genealogy books and didn’t find a single reference to any magical families with the surname Irvin. Or Irvine, Irwin, Yrvin… you get the gist– nothing in the United States.”
Stevie shrugged and wrapped an arm around Bella. “I’m not too concerned about it, Alice. I found all the family I needed when I landed in this one’s lap.”
Bella scowled up at the smiling woman and nipped at her chin with sharp teeth before lamenting, “You could have the next kid and give me a break.”
Andromeda clapped her hands and scowled at the group, “I’ll take away the rum punch if you don’t focus! School starts in just a few days and Minerva has yet to tell Herpo the bloody Foul that she’s pregnant and going to need maternity leave at some point. The revelation of Alastor’s younger face went over like a lead balloon last month derailing our plan to have Gus appeal to him. Albus came far too close to pulling rank and sending him to Azkaban as an imposter. It was only quick thinking by Lucius that got us out of that mess. Cissa, you were brilliant to look up the name of that spa in New Zealand.”
Narcissa grinned at the praise, “I didn’t just look up the name, darling. I opened the spa. They’re using potions that Severus created and patented. We’re the only spa in the world offering the treatments we do. The results won’t last as long as the rituals we performed and the helping hand from Life, but they last longer than anywhere else can provide. Lucius and Arthur are working on marketing the cosmetic line to the non-magic sector.”
Minerva sipped her punch (minus the rum) and considered the problem. “The staff meeting is tonight. I was planning to reveal my surprise then. I’ll be surrounded by family and far safer than I would have been if we met in private. Alastor and Gus will be there for Alastor to introduce the new security team. He wouldn’t dare cause a scene in front of so many witnesses.”
Alice reached over and squeezed the woman’s hand, “I’ll be there, too.”
Minerva’s smile was gentle as she squeezed in return, “I did say I would be surrounded by family, dear.”
Alice blushed in response. Andromeda didn’t want to break up the sweet moment, but she wasn’t done with surprises. She felt her lips curl up in a playful smirk as she cleared her throat, “Ahem. I suppose now is as good a time as any to announce this. I will be joining Hogwarts staff this year, too.” The gathered women started to chatter all at once and she held up her hands for silence, “I took the idea to Poppy before the school year ended in June and just got confirmation from her today. I’m going to be the second healer for the hospital wing.”
Minerva clapped and called out, “Oh! I’m so pleased! I’ve been telling Dumbledore for years that we need more than one healer. It’s just too much for one person to handle on their own.”
The party was interrupted when Severus stalked through the open double doors to the garden with Alastor and Gus hot on his heels. He scanned the gathered ladies and smirked, “Good. We can arrive at Hogwarts together and set the tone for the year to come. Are you all prepared?”
Minerva heaved herself off of the sofa and quickly pecked Aria’s cheek before turning to the three waiting men, “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get this over with.”
Alastor and Gus wrapped their arms around her middle from either side of her and apparated away. Severus held out an arm to Alice and Andromeda. The pair giggled like schoolgirls as they took an offered arm. The others were waiting for them by the gates of the school with a carriage at the ready. They piled into it and held their breaths until they were stopped in front of the doors to the entrance hall.
Minerva straightened out her skirts and adjusted her posture before climbing the steps at the head of the pack. They’d decided that as Deputy Headmistress she needed to be the one to enter the professor’s lounge first. The climb up to the fifth floor would have been far more difficult in her state if she hadn’t had that little nudge back to her youth from Life. Even being younger than she was when she first started teaching, she felt every one of the steps and had to pause to catch her breath before walking through the open door of the lounge.
Filius was busy filling a cup with tea and dropped the pot when he saw the group come in. Pomona yelped at the splash of hot liquid and flourished her wand to clean it up before looking up to see what caused her co-worker's outburst. Aurora Sinistra’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates and she grasped at the sleeve of the person sitting beside her without really seeing who it was. Albus just so happened to be seated beside Aurora.
A whoosh of air escaped him as he took in the arrival of his teachers. His voice was a strangled whisper as he rasped out, “Minerva? What is the meaning of this?”
She took her seat to the right of him and arched an eyebrow at him imperiously, “I’m certain you’ve seen a woman with child at least once in your long life, Albus. When the rest of the school is returning from the winter holiday, I will be remaining at home for maternity leave. I’ve already found my replacement, so you needn’t worry yourself overmuch.”
Clear blue eyes sparked with anger for a split second and settled back into vague geniality, “But of course, Minerva. I wasn’t referring to your obvious pregnancy so much as I was your new youthful appearance.” He flicked his gaze over her shoulder to Alastor, “It would appear there’s a lot of it going about these days. I see you’ve found Argus and de-aged him.”
Gus stepped around his partner with his hand outstretched and a warm smile on his face, “I do apologize for the confusion, sir. My name is Octavius Filch. Argus was my father. Well… I say was, but he could very well still be alive.”
A muscle twitched in Dumbledore’s cheek as he took in the new man, “I was not aware Argus had any children. How unfortunate that you should arrive after his disappearance.”
Gus yanked his hand out of the headmaster’s too-tight grip without any outward sign that he was in discomfort. “It’s unfortunate, indeed. I spent most of my life in South Africa with my mother never knowing who my father was. When she passed away two years ago I decided it was finally time to look for him. The goblins of Gringotts in Africa were very helpful and sent me to England in search of him. Lord Malfoy was kind enough to take me in after he had the hard job of informing me of my father’s missing status. I’m still holding out hope.”
Albus steepled his hands beneath his chin and observed the newcomer for several seconds as the rest of the staff whispered anxiously. “And what brings you to Hogwarts today? I assume you aren’t searching for Argus here.”
Alastor crossed his arms over his chest and tapped the toe of his wooden leg on the floor impatiently, “Guess I’ll just go ahead and start introducin’ the security team. Tonks!” The young woman jumped up from her position by a window and bowed dramatically. “Miss Tonks is the head of the team. She’s agreed to take the caretaker’s quarters in the battlements so she’s closest to the gate at all times. Gus here is takin’ the staff quarters at the other gate. Then we got Jim, Devi, Rohna, and Mattias takin’ quarters and positions throughout the castle.”
Albus held up a hand to slow his friend down. “Alastor, please. When I agreed to let the Ministry step in and take over the protection of the castle and its residents, I never imagined there would be more than two people. Is all of this really necessary?”
Alastor scowled as he looked at the old meddler, “You’ve had the professors and students canvassing the halls day and night. How can you expect the teachers to have time to teach and the children time to learn, socialize, and rest?”
Minerva shifted in her seat and pulled the headmaster’s attention back to her, “He’s right, Albus. The castle is too large and there are too many students to expect them to govern themselves. We cannot continue the way we have been.”
Poppy cleared her throat and flinched when piercing blue eyes landed on her, “The safety of the students and staff isn’t just in danger from lack of security. The board of governors have sent Andromeda Tonks to be my second in the hospital.”
He tried to cover up his irritation by adding extra twinkles to his gaze. He was so far beyond livid that he could hear his pulse in his ears. Severus was smirking in his seat at the other end of the table and he wanted nothing more than to curse the look off of his face. He smoothed the lines from his forehead and smiled placidly as he said, “I think that’s wonderful. You’ve been asking for assistance for too long. We have just never had the finances available to pay for a second healer.” He glanced at Alice Longbottom wriggling in her chair uncomfortably beside Sybill and had an idea. “Sybill! Would you be interested in doing a reading for this next year? I’m sure we could use all the forewarning available to us.”
The woman in question startled and nearly dropped her sherry-laden tea. These preterm meetings usually went by quickly without her needing to participate at all. She glanced hesitantly around the room and felt the world tilt on its axis. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, sir. There are too many people present who could interfere with whatever means I try to read. The cards would all give mayhem readings, tea leaves would be a muddy mess, and the crystal ball would show nothing but hazy smoke. I can try in the privacy of my rooms later if you really want me to.”
Alice leaned her head in her hand and observed the anxious seer, “Correct me if I’m wrong Sybill– aren’t you related to Cassandra?” She smiled encouragingly when Sybill nodded mutely, “I find her fascinating! Fated to tell the future and never be believed. We should collaborate on a lesson or two this year. The students would be just as intrigued by your family history as I am.”
Albus froze. Alice knew all too well the kinds of prophecies Sybill told. The one he tried to pass off as real was given by her. Sure, it took a considerable amount of compulsion magic to drag the prophecy out of her, but he’d succeeded. And now Alice was trying to further derail his plans. If Sybill were to give a prophecy in the presence of anyone but him it was likely to be true. He needed to find a way to stop this collaboration before it started. “Shall we discuss the new members of the teaching staff?”
Minerva rolled her eyes at his obvious distraction and cleared her throat, “Ahem. As it will be a considerable adjustment when I go on maternity leave, I have requested my replacement to join me at the start of term. Sirius?”
The man in question sauntered into the room with his hands in his pockets and the stick of a lollipop poking out of his mouth. He flashed a grin that exposed blue teeth and winked at Minerva, “Thanks, Minnie! I’m fucking thrilled to be here.”
Filius clapped his hands in excitement and called out, “Oh ho! This is brilliant! Say, Dora? You wouldn’t be interested in working with your old professor now and then, would you? You’ve already got that Defense mastery. You could work toward Charms next.”
Dora slapped her thigh and belted out a laugh, “Wotcher, Professor! I’m sure I can find time in my busy schedule of protecting the students. I hand-picked my team, ya know. Everyone here is fully capable of running the security team in my absence.”
Albus was trying not to choke on his tongue. He gulped loud enough for all to hear and tried to get this meeting back under his control. “Er, that’s wonderful. Congratulations, Sirius. Aside from Minerva, you were my best student. The children will be in good hands with you. As for the other position we needed to fill…” he took a steadying breath to let the anticipation build. At last, he clapped and stood from his seat, “Help me welcome Gilderoy Lockhart as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!”
Stunned silence followed his proclamation. Unbothered by the awkward tension filling the air, Gilderoy skipped into the room and fell into a deep bow as if he were a courtier meeting the new regent. “Thank you, Albus. Thank you. I cannot tell you how sweet it is to return to the old Alma Mater!”
Severus slammed his hands on the table and growled, “You hired this blithering idiot!? What were you thinking? He’ll kill a student with his incompetence!”
Gilderoy sashayed over to the fuming man and wrapped an arm around his stiff shoulders gently, “Still holding grudges, Severus? You must let the past go, old friend. Holding onto all that anger isn’t good for your soul.”
Severus grabbed Gilderoy’s wrist and squeezed until he was sure his nails would leave little crescents behind, “I will eviscerate you if you do not unhand me.”
The silly man laughed lightly and flopped into an empty chair in feigned grace, “I’ve spent the last several years traveling and building a name for myself as a Defense Master. I’m sure you’ve read at least one of my ten best-sellers. Why, I’ll be at Flourish and Blotts tomorrow for a book signing. You should stop in.”
Severus scoffed and crossed his arms, “I have enough of your autograph in my student files to last me a lifetime, you imbecile. We were students together and then I had the horrible misfortune of having to teach you. Or have you forgotten every single essay returned to me with your scrawling autograph taking up more real estate than the assignment? Albus, how could you? There are plenty of qualified Defense Masters in the UK. You’re the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW for Merlin’s sake! You could call in a favor to any country!”
Albus’ nostrils flared and his eyes sparked as he turned his full attention to his Potions professor, “That is quite enough, my boy. While I am still the headmaster of this great school, I will be making the hiring decisions. Not you. Minerva, while I appreciate your position as my deputy, I would like it if you brought all changes in staff to me first. I won’t go against your wishes to have Sirius join us because I think he will be a wonderful addition to our educational team.” He steepled his fingers beneath his nose and pursed his lips as he tried to get things back under his control. He was yet to find the location of the damned ward stone, and now his staff were making changes as if they ran the school and not him. It was truly infuriating. “Shall we move on to Hogsmeade weekends?”