That same night a tall man with silvery blond hair and carrying a cane with a silver serpent’s head entered the school just as they were all assembled for dinner

That same night a tall man with silvery blond hair and carrying a cane with a silver serpent’s head entered the school just as they were all assembled for dinner.

Draco Malfoy paled significantly and positively fled from the room, towards the Durmstrang ship. Lucius frowned, but could not follow his son when Headmaster Karkaroff beckoned him over.

“Severus,” he greeted the Potions Master with a slight sneer.

“Lucius,” Severus replied.

“I should like to take a drink with an old friend later,” the man was clearly unhappy and the tone in which he spoke the word ‘friend’ suggested that his friendship could possibly be extremely detrimental to Severus’s health.

“Of course, Lucius,” Severus had seen Draco flee as well and figured it might be best to keep Lucius away from the boy for as long as possible, “but I have not much time tonight. A drink after supper, perhaps?”

With a short nod Malfoy sat down between Headmasters Karkaroff and Sforza, the latter of whom gave Severus an inscrutable look.

Harry and Dudley studied the elder Malfoy as well.

“Blimey, I wouldn’t want that man as a father,” Dudley whispered.

“Me neither, I’m happy with Uncle Vernon and Uncle Severus. Do you reckon he beats Malfoy with that cane?”

“Wouldn’t put it past him,” Dudley said in awe, “did you see how he fled from the room? He’s afraid of his own father.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, “I can’t imagine that. I mean, you’re not supposed to be afraid of your own Dad, right?”

“Do you think Uncle Severus knows him? They did talk.”

Harry shrugged. “I suppose. They probably went to school together or something like that.”

“I feel bad now about winning,” Dudley complained, “knowing Malfoy might get beaten up over it.”

“Oh, don’t, Dudley,” Hermione chided, “you won fairly. You are not responsible for what Mr Malfoy is going to do. He is an adult. Besides, Master Snape will probably try and talk him out of whatever it is he planned to do. I doubt Headmaster Sforza would stand for any child being abused, either.”

“They would have to know first, don’t they?” Dudley glared at her.

“Oh, they noticed. They are observant people.’

At the dinner table, Headmaster Sforza leaned over and requested that Severus come to see him later that evening. Then he nodded to the others and left the table.

“He can order you around?” Malfoy asked as they walked towards the room Severus had been given for his stay in the castle.

“I am in his employ for the time being,” Severus answered, “and the final rounds of the tournament are almost beginning.”

He handed the Malfoy pater familias his brandy. He poured himself from one of the whiskey flasks – no need for the other man to know that particular one contained applejuice.

“Yes…the tournament.” Malfoy stared in his glass, feigning disinterest. “I hear you have a mudblood as a ward now.”

“Muggleborn,” Severus corrected, “Yes, I do indeed. It is quite a common practice in Italy for a Muggleborn witch or wizard to be sponsored by an adult. The Wizarding World has many fine and rich traditions – I need not tell you that. In Italy, we believe that those traditions must be protected.”

“We are in agreement on that, at least,” Lucius leaned back, “but that does not explain why you took on this…Muggleborn.”

“Instead of disallowing them access to the Wizarding World, we believe in tutoring and guiding Muggleborn students in those traditions we hold dear. Over the centuries such Muggleborns have even enriched them. Unlike Britain, where eleven-year-olds are thrown into an entirely different culture with no information whatsoever.”

“A different view on the best solution to this problem, then,” Lucius seemed to relax marginally.

“Indeed. There is another reason,” Severus sipped his juice, “Muggles have no rights here in Britains Wizarding World, not even over their own children. That leaves Muggleborn witches and wizards with no one to look out for their best interests between the ages of eleven and their coming of age at seventeen. Not only are they thrust into a world they know nothing about, they are forced to explore it on their own, as well. Although in Italy this is not the case, Muggle parents are naturally limited there as well simply because they have no magic and cannot enter or function in many establishments as a result. Hence the need for those students to become the wards of already established, older wizards, preferably half bloods who have been raised to understand both worlds.”

“Only those with proper pure blood deserve to have magic,” Lucius began.

Severus snorted. “It is not a matter of deserving, Lucius. It just IS. Muggles occasionally produce a child with magic. Such is the nature of things. Would you have untrained adult wizards and witches running around, in possession of their full magical strength but unable to control it? The Romans learned that particular lesson when an untrained Muggleborn accidentally destroyed two whole villages. It was fortunate they managed to alter history to blame it on an erupting volcano, but after that incident they quickly abandoned any thoughts about people not ‘deserving’ a magical education. It is not a privilege, it is a necessity.”

“You promised me, twelve years ago, that you would not ally yourself with either us or our adversaries,” Lucius abandoned the discussion and focussed on what he had come to say, “yet you have.”

“I fully intended to stay in Italy, blissfully far away from the whole of Britain,” Severus countered, “until that lord of yours killed two people and attempted to kill a small boy right in front of me.”

“It was none of your concern,” Lucius snarled.

“Lucius – why did your lord go after the boy?” Severus asked, “for the sake of our old friendship, make me understand what necessitated the death of a four year old.”

Lucius eyed him coldly. “A prophesy,” he finally stated, “something about a child born by the end of July. Our Lord rightly decided that eliminating the threat before the child was a fully trained wizard had merit.”

Severus nodded. “A child born by the end of July. You are very fortunate, then, Lucius, that your own son was born in June.”

Lucius paled, obviously never having considered the implications. “He would not…”

“No?” Severus asked, “if Draco had been born in late July, Lucius, and your lord had demanded that you hand him over to be killed…”

Lucius’ skin was almost translucent by now. “He would not…he would…I…”

“He could very well have been that boy,” Severus mercilessly continued, “do you love your lord more than even your son?”

He waited in silence until the other man had regained his composure and silently poured him more brandy.

“You have no idea what you have said,” Lucius finally said hoarsely, “Narcissa and I – we adore Draco. True, we expect much of him, but there is nothing, NOTHING, we would not do for him, Severus.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Severus said gently, “because what I saw tonight was a boy so terrified of his father that he ran from the room.”

Lucius’ face became stern. “He lost. To a Mu..ggleborn.”

“Draco performed well above the level of his age group and lost, barely, to a boy who has been tutored in duelling by myself since he was seven years old. Of course there is room for improvement, and I would be happy, since I witnessed the duel, to give Draco some pointers. He hardly deserves punishment for out-performing most of his peers.”

“Punishment teaches him to focus,” Lucius argued.

“Punishment teaches him to fear when he needs confidence,” Severus countered, “it prevents him learning from his mistakes. Obviously, if you would be willing to defy that Dark Lord himself for Draco’s sake, you love him dearly. Remember that when you talk to him. Do not kill your sons affection for you by being overly harsh.”

sssssssssss

Headmaster Sforza greeted Severus with a glass of their favourite Italian wine and they sipped in silence for a moment.

“The boy was quite distraught,” the Headmaster said, “is it safe to allow his father access to him?”

“If Karkaroff agrees, and he would not refuse Lucius, there is nothing we can do about it,” Severus shrugged, “but I think I have gotten through to Lucius.”

Sforza narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to redeem even that man, Severus? Is that possible?”

“The way to Lucius is through his son. I know, it did not appear so today. Lucius loves the boy, though, and needed reminding. I am not saying he is correct in how he is raising Draco, but if we want to keep him away from the Dark Lord if and when he returns, it is by reminding him that he loves Draco more than he loves Voldemort.”

“We will keep an eye on the boy nevertheless. He must not be allowed to mistreat the child.”

Severus inclined his head in agreement.

“We have another problem. Headmaster Dumbledore approached Harry after dinner.”

ssssssssss

Harry Potter walked towards the Hufflepuff common room with his cousin and friend when they were stopped by the Hogwarts Headmaster.

“Ah, young Harry,” the man twinkled brightly at them, “how are you doing? I have seen your duels – you performed quite well. Winning the competition of your group is quite a feat.”

Harry frowned. “Thank you, Sir. It was quite nice of you to come watch. What did you think of Dudley and Neville’s performance? Personally I thought Dudley should have finished his duel a bit quicker – what do you think?”

“Ah…well,” Dumbledore stammered only briefly, “You have an eye for duels, Harry. I’m sure Dudley will heed your advice.”

“Of course, but what did YOU think, Sir? After all, we don’t often get the opportunity to get some hints from a superb dueller like yourself, Sir.” Harry insisted.

“I eh…I am afraid my duties kept me from witnessing Mr Dudley and Mr Longbottom’s duels myself,” the Headmaster hedged, “From what Professor Sprout told me, they were both excellent.”

“Oh?” Harry turned innocent eyes on the old man, “I should feel flattered, then, that your duties did not prevent you from coming to watch my duels rather than those of your own students. If you will excuse us, Sir…”

“Ah, yes. Are you happy to be living with your cousin for a while, my boy?”

“It is an interesting change,” Harry allowed, “and spending time with Dudley and our friends is definitely a bonus. I miss the Institutio though.”

“No doubt, though I think you could learn to enjoy this castle as well,” Dumbledore pressed, “could you not? With your cousin and friends nearby?”

“I have friends at the Institutio, and I see Dudley during holidays. There is no need for me to learn to consider this castle home, as it is not,” Harry surreptiously pressed the charm he wore, alerting his own Headmaster to a problem.

“We offer many excellent facilities,” Hogwarts Headmaster smiled benignly, “your parents both went to school here. There might even be pictures left in the castle of them.”

The three boys stared dumbstruck for a moment at the blatant attempt at emotional manipulation.

“We have trophies with your fathers name on it, awards for charms that your mother won,” Dumbledore continued, “many of their friends have children here. And as I said, there could very well be photographs left from their time here at school…”

“I am sure Harry would greatly appreciate it if you would see to it that they were collected and sent to him,” Headmaster Sforza appeared, stepping behind Harry and putting a hand on his shoulder, “How nice of you to offer, Headmaster Dumbledore.”

Dumbledore was taken aback briefly but recovered like the old trooper he was. “Of course, I shall ask Hagrid, our gamekeeper, to find and collect them. He shall be delighted, I’m sure.”

“I am sure,” the Italian Headmaster patted Harry’s shoulder, “I shall see you tomorrow afternoon, then, when Dudley and Neville face off. I am certain you do not wish to miss it.”

“Not for the world!” Professor Dumbledore assured them, and walked off. Harry heaved a sigh.

“Thanks, Headmaster. I don’t think he would have harmed me, but…”

“That is quite alright, Harry.” Headmaster Sforza smiled at Dudley and Neville, “Good luck, you two, on your duel tomorrow. Are you looking forward to it?”

“Yes, sir,” Dudley grinned, “though the winner will have to face off with Harry in the next round, and I am not sure if that is a reward or a punishment.”

Harry goodnaturedly punched Dudley in the arm as Neville smirked.

“Silly boys,” Sforza shook his head, “go on, then, to your dorm. Make sure you are well-rested tomorrow. I will come watch,” he promised the two boys, “and Professor Snape and I will take notes so we can give you a few pointers to improve, before we go back to Italy.”

Dudley and Neville brightened. “Thank you, Sir!” with that, the troop of children rushed off towards the dorm, no doubt to read up on their spells and duelling techniques.

ssssssssss

“The old bastard!” Severus fumed, “and I actually thought he meant what he said.”

The Headmaster put a calming hand on his shoulder. “He did mean what he said to you, I am certain. He is genuinely sorry for how he treated you. He is also an old man who has been lying and manipulating people his entire life – habits that are hard to break. I am not happy with what he did either, but it was hardly unexpected.”

Severus turned dark eyes on him. “Can we do nothing to ensure he leaves the boy alone? And not only that, but how can he be so callous as to completely disregard his own students? It was very discouraging to Dudley and Neville.”

“We can have the Table of Peers question him, but I am afraid not much would come of it. He has disregarded them before. Still, it might be a good idea. Also, once we tell your aunts – Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey especially – what happened, I think an inquiry in front of the Table is the least of his worries.”

Severus smirked. He did always enjoy his aunts on the war path – as long as their ire was not aimed at him, at the least. He did remember a few times in school when he had done something stupid. The last time Aunt Minerva had hauled him to her office by his ear where all three of them proceeded to scold him until he was a teary repentant mess that could do nothing but stammer out apologies and promises of good behaviour in the future.

Of course, they had then proceeded to hug him and tell him that they loved him no matter what he did. He could not quite picture them doing that to Headmaster Dumbledore. He certainly hoped they wouldn’t, he thought vindictively.

Headmaster Sforza shook his head. “Severus, just as much as he needed to accept that he wronged you and you are not the person he thought you were, you have to accept the person he is. He can try to change but in many ways he will always remain the same. I am not saying he should not answer for his mistakes, but you do have to decide what you want with your relationship with him.”

The younger wizard sighed and acknowledged the wisdom of his employer. “Yes, Headmaster. There is just…”

“a lot of hurt left from your childhood,” the Headmaster finished, “I do understand, Severus. Either way, we will protect the children and so far we’ve had no problems.”

sssssssssss

“I can’t believe Neville made it this far!” Mrs Longbottom sounded excited. Poppy and Irma smiled. Minerva was at the judges table, though the actual refereeing of the match was done by Professor Flitwick.

“Neville did quite well,” Poppy said, “barely a scratch on him.”

Neville, meanwhile, paled as he and Dudley stretched. “My…my grandmother is here,” he whispered.

Dudley grinned excitedly, “That’s great, Neville! Now you can show her the new moves you’ve been studying.”

Neville nodded. “No matter who wins, it’s going to be a Hufflepuff victory,” he said shakily.

“And then one of us gets slaughtered by Harry,” Dudley lamented.

“Not necessarily. Even the toughest opponent can be defeated when you pay close attention to his or her weaknesses. Just one opening is all you need,” Severus, who had overheard the pair, lectured. “Never, ever give up on a duel before it is actually over and you are actually biting the dust.”

“Yes, Sir,” the boys responded and then they were called upon to step onto the dais.

Harry settled next to Severus. His own rounds over for the moment, he had time to watch his friends. Severus gave him a proud look.

“You did very well, Harry. Have you written your Aunt and Uncle yet?”

“Yes, I did. They returned the owl this morning with fresh cookies.” Severus groaned. Poppy had been trying for years, in vain, to curb Petunia’s tendency to express her love and approval with food and direct her to less culinary methods of reward. It mattered less now that the boys were in their early teens and physically active. They controlled their own sweets intake now - Dudley especially remembered the years in which he had to fight his obesity and was determined to keep his weight under control.

“I know, I know,” Harry teased, “but you can’t resist Aunt Petunia’s cookies either, Uncle Severus.”

The man had the decency to blush a little. It was true. Petunia was a wonderful cook and whenever he spent part of the holidays with the Dursleys, he was bound to have gained a pound or two by the time he got back. Not, as Ricardo often remarked, that it did him any harm. He was prone to forgetting all about eating and sleeping when he was brewing, and it had happened several times over the course of his apprenticeship that Master Rimini had actually grounded him to his room for the day to make sure he ate and slept.

He sighed wistfully. He might have grown up in this castle, but it was never home to him, and despite the fact that he enjoyed being part of Dudley and Harry’s lives, he longed for Italy, his lab and his mentor. That was home to him now.

Dudley and Neville had of course duelled each other many times before, and it showed. They clearly anticipated what the other would do, and spent the first half of their duel simply circling each other, trying to catch their opponent off guard.

Then Dudley started the attack. He fired several spells in quick succession, not bothering with his usual tactic of holding back. It would not work on Neville, who knew what he was capable of.

Neville quickly blocked, avoided some other spells and jumped aside to let a Stunner pass him and evaporate against the shield surrounding the area. He then launched his own attack, taking great care to watch Dudleys feet as well as his arm, knowing that Harry had taught his cousin some decent footwork.

Harry’s eyes widened as he saw Neville almost get hit by a Jelly Legs, and Severus clenched his hands on the arms of his chair.

“Oh, that was close,” Harry whispered, in his concentration leaning almost against Severus.

Neville apparently discovered some sort of pattern in Dudley’s spellcasting, and began to react to it. Severus frowned when Dudley faltered momentarily and Harry gasped. Fortunately, Dudley recovered quickly and the duel continued.

Half an hour into it the boys clearly became tired, though to the spectators, it still was an interesting duel. Headmaster Sforza leaned forward, pausing a moment in his notetaking to congratulate Severus on how well he had trained the boys.

When the end came it happened so fast no one was entirely certain what happened. Dudley sent two strong spells towards Neville. Neville dove to the ground, avoiding them, while sending a spell at Dudley’s feet.

Dudley attempted to jump but jumped just a fraction of a second too early, landing right in the middle of the purplish light. His feet froze to the ground, and while he was still trying to free them, Neville’s Stunner hit him in the chest.

A bit dazed Neville heard Flitwick call the winner, and he shook hands with the tiny professor while Madam Pomfrey woke up Dudley and freed his feet.

Harry bit his lip, not sure if he was happy for Neville’s sake or disappointed for Dudley’s.

“I guess one of them had to lose,” he muttered to his Uncle, and was surprised to see a deep frown.

“Uncle Severus? You aren’t angry with Dudley for losing, are you? One of them had to.”

Severus turned to the anxious boy. “There is no shame in losing when you’ve given it your best,” he said with a slight smile, “why don’t you go congratulate Neville? I will see if Dudley needs any additional help.”

“As if Aunt Poppy would let him out of her clutches if he weren’t,” Harry made sure he was well out of earshot before making that comment, though.

Severus made his way to a surprisingly unconcerned looking Dudley.

“Mr Dursley,” he began, reverting to the formal approach as he usually did when preparing to scold the children.

“Don’t, Uncle Severus,” Dudley said, his face serious, “I know what you are going to say, and I know you don’t agree with me, but I had to.”

“You purposely lost, and you expect me not to ask an explanation?” Severus folded his arms.

“Neville needed it more,” Dudley simply said, turning around a bit to look at a delighted woman hugging the stuffing out of a red-faced Neville, “My parents love me no matter what, win or lose. Neville never had that. Besides, it was a really hard fight. He might well have won on his own.”

“Then why did you not let him?” his guardian asked, his voice softening a bit.

“I couldn’t risk it. We were both tiring – he might slip up as well as I. I just made sure I was the first one to do it.” Dudley turned large, honest eyes on his Uncle.

“I know you don’t agree with me, Uncle Severus, but this was my choice.”

Severus ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “It was not obvious,” he said, “even Harry did not see it. Neville must never find out. I understand your motivation even if I would have chosen differently.”

He ruffled Dudley’s hair. “A real Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout can be proud of you.”

Dudley blushed with the praise. “Well, at least now Neville has to face Harry,” he said with a cheeky grin, “and I’m off the hook.”

That earned him a light cuff to the back of his head and a quirked smile from his guardian.

ssssssssss

The duel was the talk of Hufflepuff for only a very short time. Soon, everyone’s attention was on something else.

Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.