XXXIII: Dispatches

Chapter XXXIII: Dispatches

'My apologies for the early start, but I very much wanted to tell you this before you hear it from anyone else.'

All eyes in the Ravenclaw common room were on Professor Flitwick, the tiny Head of Ravenclaw House, who was currently pacing back and forth and fidgeting anxiously with his wand, causing puffs of foul-smelling blue smoke to belch out of the tip. It was early in the morning, and most of the House were not even dressed yet, but standing around in their pyjamas, dressing gowns and slippers. Many rubbed their eyes and stifled a yawn as Flitwick once more paced the floor.

'There is no easy way to say this, so I will just come right out and say it,' Flitwick sniffed, just as another particularly flatulent gust of blue smoke burst forth from his wand. 'Professor Dumbledore has been removed from Hogwarts, and Professor Umbridge is now Headmistress, with immediate effect.'

Charis and Jack exchanged horrified glances as all around them their fellow Ravenclaws gasped and muttered in disbelief. Dumbledore removed from Hogwarts? How could that have happened? For most of the students, Dumbledore was a part of Hogwarts just as much as the House ghosts or the Giant Squid in the Black Lake. Hogwarts without Dumbledore was unimaginable. As for Professor Umbridge being the Headmistress now, that was almost as bad as You-Know-Who himself taking over the position.

Terry Boot was the first to speak out. 'What in the name of Frej's enormous, throbbing, pink...?'

'Yes, thank you, Mr Boot, it's safe to say we are all as shocked at this terrible news as you are,' Flitwick replied, somewhat flustered, trying to fan away the blue smoke. This always happened when he was nervous. The smell really didn't help matters.

'But, sir,' Anthony Goldstein piped up, 'why has Professor Dumbledore been removed from Hogwarts? And where is he now?'

Flitwick shook his head ruefully. 'I am not privy to Professor Dumbledore's whereabouts, I'm afraid. Suffice to say, I am sure he can take care of himself. However...' The tiny professor sighed heavily. 'His departure is due to rumours of an army formed at this very school in his name.'

Once more, Charis and Jack exchanged furtive glances, as Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Cho Chang, and all the other Ravenclaw members of Dumbledore's Army looked aghast. They had been so careful. They had spoken ever so quietly about their meetings. They had never entered the seventh floor corridor more than three people at the time. And still, they had been discovered. They were all so shocked that none of them noticed that Marietta Edgecombe was missing.

'Now, I will not be handing out punishments for those of you who were smart enough to see what is going on outside these walls, and who have chosen to pledge allegiance to the Light,' Flitwick continued, noticing many of his house looking forlorn and guilty. 'You are members of my House. You know we are in the midst of troubled times. But, for your own safety, I must implore that any of you who are involved in such activities must now cease.'

Once again, Flitwick noted several students shuffling uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. So it was true, then. There had been an army set up under the teachers' very noses. Flitwick didn't know if he felt more proud or annoyed at the students' daring.

'I mean it,' the diminutive teacher continued. 'With Professor Umbridge at the helm, this school will be very different to what you have known before. Do not give her a reason to punish you.'

A first-year girl with bushy blonde hair, sitting at the front, raised her hand gingerly.

'Yes, Miss Hawkins?' Flitwick asked wearily.

'Will Professor Dumbledore be coming back next year?' she asked timidly, her blue eyes filled with fear.

Flitwick sighed once more. 'That, I am afraid, I do not know.'

* * *

When the first students of Slytherin House tried to leave their common room for breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, they found the door locked. Moments later, a note written in green ink appeared, instructing them to stay put until their Head of House arrived.

'Do you think he is about to reward us?' Pansy Parkinson squeaked happily. 'After all, it was us who busted that Potter brat and his gang.'

Draco Malfoy nonchalantly leant back in one of the leather armchairs and put his feet up on the table. He couldn't have looked any more smug. 'Yes, we did a fine job,' he drawled, casually inspecting his fingernails. 'I expect at least fifty House points for each of us. Maybe we will even be given a medal.'

Pansy looked as if she were about to levitate with happiness. So did the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad. All except Crabbe and Goyle, that was. Those two boys seemed mostly annoyed at the fact that their breakfast was being delayed.

'I doubt Professor Snape will reward snitches,' Morgana's voice came from the shadows. She had been lingering by the door for quite some time, long enough to conclude that Draco and his cronies were once more boasting about having busted an organisation called Dumbledore's Army. Pansy had given quite a speech about her heroic deed already the night before in the girls' dormitory. Morgana had pretended to be asleep then, but she had not missed a word.

'And what would you know about that, Belakane?' Draco spat and shot up from his chair. He had not drawn his wand, but his sudden movement had been enough for Morgana to flinch involuntarily. For a split second, Draco had looked so much like is father with his blue-gray eyes glittering and the corner of his mouth twitching in anger. And she regretted having spoken.

Fortunately, she was saved by her Head of House.

'Sit down, Draco,' Snape murmured. His voice was not much more than a whisper, but still it made not only Draco take a seat but everyone else in the room. As so often, Snape's arrival had taken them all by surprise. He had not entered through the common room door, had he? No one could tell.

'I assume that you are already aware of the changes that have taken place in the castle last night,' Snape started, raising his eyebrow and nodding slightly towards Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight that had appeared on the message board by the door. 'As of today, High Inquisitor Dolores Jane Umbridge has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'

A murmur went through the Slytherin common room. Of course, not all of the students had read the decree. Crabbe and Goyle looked most surprised, and Snape sighed inwardly. Were the rumours true then, that those two boys did not know how to read? Others, however, looked unusually pleased with themselves, and Snape assumed that Draco Malfoy had most certainly received notice from his father the moment the decision had been taken to remove Dumbledore from his post. Most probably, the boy would soon be gifted with yet another new broom for having had a hand in the Headmaster's downfall.

Suppressing a sneer, Snape continued his speech. 'A new Head means new rules. I know that some of you are already familiar with the new terms and standards. For you others, I recommend using your brain when it comes to following them. I have better things to do than getting you out of trouble. Off to breakfast with you now.'

The common room was cleared of any students in a blink of an eye, and Snape followed them up to the Great Hall. It wouldn't be a wise move to not make an appearance at the staff table and pay homage to the new Headmistress. He was just about to put together an excuse for making his stay in the Great Hall a short one when he saw one of his Slytherins detach herself from the group.

'Miss Belakane,' he growled and pointed towards the entrance to the hall. 'Breakfast would be that way.'

Morgana resisted the urge to groan. Why had she not turned to see that Snape was following? 'I am not in the mood for breakfast, sir,' she explained half-heartedly.

'Whatever anyone of us is in the mood for is not of the essence today, Miss Belakane,' Snape stated. 'I am certain that the Headmistress would like to address the whole school this morning. But do tell where you were planning to go.'

He didn't like the idea of the girl sneaking around at all. She had snuck out of the castle once too often for his taste already.

'The Owlery, sir,' Morgana answered in a tone that was too quiet for his liking, and Snape frowned. It was then that he noticed her carrying a little box wrapped in plain, brown paper. 'I gathered some things last night which I would very much like to return to their sender as soon as possible. But I can do that after breakfast as well.'

Quickly, she tried to stuff the package into her book bag. But Snape caught sight of the handwriting on the package and put two and two together. The girl was obviously about to return the gifts she had received over the last couple of months.

'You know very well that every package arriving at and leaving the castle is searched nowadays,' he pointed out, reaching his hand out for the package. 'Do you deem it wise to let anyone know about your relationship with Lucius Malfoy?'

Morgana just lowered her head.

'I thought as much.' Once more, Snape reached out his hand, his voice a little firmer this time. 'If you are so desperate to get rid of your trinkets, I will take care of them for you.'

A quick wave with his wand and a muttered spell was all it took to reduce the package to the size of a thimble, and Snape stuffed it into one of his pockets, slightly annoyed by the rueful look in Morgana's eyes. Suddenly, he doubted that she would actually have carried out her plan. Most probably, she would have returned the package to her dormitory, and all her gifts and broken dreams with it.

'To breakfast with you now,' he growled and then watched after the girl as she silently slunk into the Great Hall and took her seat among the other seventh-year Slytherins. And when Headmistress Umbridge rose from her chair with her characteristic and oh-so-annoying little cough, he wished that he had followed Morgana to the Owlery instead.

* * *

If breakfast at Hogwarts on Professor Umbridge's first day as Headmistress were a joyless matter, it was nothing compared to the Saturday brunch at Malfoy Manor three days later. Lucius had been sitting in his favourite chair, his still aching upper body supported by soft cushions. Who would have guessed that crushed ribs still hurt days after they were mended? Damn that ugly snake! But he didn't mind being pampered by both his wife and his elves and had just been about to sink his teeth into one of Silvy's famous chocolate croissants when Bellatrix Lestrange had come bursting into the room.

'Your little threat did not work, Lucius. Runcorn tells me the Ministry received an owl asking for certain birth and marriage certificates this week... the very ones that Draco removed from Hogwarts.'

Bellatrix was furious. Her dark eyes glistened with malice; her deep red lips were pursed into an angry pout. She had screwed her hands into fists, both arms ramrod-straight down by her sides.

Lucius regarded the woman as he sat back in his chair. Her quickness to anger often amused him as much as it scared him. At this moment in time, Bella looked like a petulant little girl, who had been told she could not have a second slice of pumpkin pie. Nevertheless, the Black women were all famously blessed with good looks, and even during a tantrum, Bella was a fine looking specimen. Lucius let his eyes roam from her bright eyes, down her sculpted cheekbones, eventually resting on her succulent cleavage, which was currently swelling with Bella's temper. And he could not stop his mind from drifting back to a certain afternoon a couple of months ago when he had seen Bella's bosoms heave with excitement as Morgana had freed them from the confinement of Bella's tight corset. How he wished that he had fucked both of them that afternoon.

Regretfully, he abandoned the happy memories and returned to the present. 'My dear Bella,' he drawled lazily, crossing one of his legs over the other. 'Under the circumstances, I did as much as I could.'

'You did nothing!' Bella hissed, stepping forwards towards the blond wizard.

'What did you expect me to do? Strike them both down whilst inspecting the school? Come now, Bella, even one as wand-happy as you could see how foolish that would have been,' Lucius replied calmly.

'Your family's honour is at stake!' the dark witch spat in return. 'Or are you happy to sit back and watch our names be defamed by a Mudblood? It seems you are losing your touch if you cannot even threaten a couple of school children properly.'

Bella stalked slowly around Lucius' chair, her voice dropping to honeyed tones as she leant forwards to coo in his ear. 'And yet, you were able to destroy the heir of Slytherin on that very same night. No wonder the Dark Lord is angry with you. It appears you can do nothing right, Lu-Lu.'

At this, a shadow crossed Lucius' face. He did not need reminding of his indiscretion at the castle, and Bella's insinuation that he was a failure hit a sore spot. And the sickly use of her secret pet-name for him made his hackles rise. As fast as lightening, his hand reached up and grabbed Bella's face as he turned his to face her. His silvery-blue eyes flashed dangerously.

'The Dark Lord has entrusted me with a highly important task,' he ground out through gritted teeth. 'It would be imprudent to jeopardise that task by drawing undue attention to myself now.'

Bella grunted as she tried to wriggle herself free from Lucius' grasp, but Lucius squeezed his grip tighter.

'As you clearly have nothing better to do, Bella dear, I suggest that YOU should be the one to take action. After all, it is YOUR bloodline that is coming under scrutiny here, not MINE. Go and prune your family tree, and make sure this time that the weeds are gone once and for all.'

He let Bella go as if burnt, and she straightened herself quickly, still glaring down at the blond wizard.

'Am I interrupting something?'

Snape's velvety baritone made Bellatrix spin around. Lucius, however, only smirked lazily.

'Not at all, Severus. Not at all. Bella was just leaving. Were you not, dearest?'

Bella huffed indignantly and shot her brother-in-law a last poisonous look before turning back to Snape. 'How are things at Hogwarts?' she purred, pouting and looking up seductively at the Potions master. She was unable to keep her hand from tracing along Snape's forearm as she spoke.

'Surprisingly calm,' Snape stated, looking down his hooked nose at the dark witch. She was standing much too close to him, and he could feel the softness of her fingers tickle the inside of his arm. 'Not that it is any of your concern.' Unceremoniously, he snatched Bella's wrist and pulled away the hand that had made its way under his sleeve. 'Neither is the inside of my robes.'

He let go of her with a look of disgust on his face, and Bella's pout turned into a sour glare. 'You will soon see that it concerns me very much how things are at Hogwarts, Severus,' she hissed. 'Especially since you still seem unable to keep your students in check.'

'That is quite enough now, Bella,' Lucius interrupted. Bella couldn't be as daft as to hint to Snape that she was about to dispose of the Mudblood and her Blood-traitor friend, now could she? But then again, this was Bella. One never knew what she would do next. 'You were about to leave, so leave,' he added in a condescending tone. 'Run along. Shoo, shoo.'

'Such a temper,' Snape stated after Bella had slammed the door so hard on her way out that several portraits had fallen from the wall. 'And so unpredictable.'

'That is how I like my women,' Lucius drawled. 'Fierce and feisty...' He broke off and looked at Snape, eyebrow raised and nose slightly wrinkled. 'I guess your type is more of the, shall we call it, submissive kind? The type to lie back and think of England?'

'I have not come here to discuss women with you, Lucius,' Snape hissed in response. 'But if you would rather revel in erotic fantasies, I will owl you my report instead.'

Lucius raised his hand in a yielding gesture. 'Forgive an injured man, Severus. I was only yanking your wand. Please, sit. Have a drink.'

'I would rather get this over and done with quickly,' Snape replied curtly.

'Suit yourself. I for one will have a brandy. It's eleven o'clock after all. Elf!'

Silvy appeared almost immediately. Once more, she was limping, and there was a deep, fresh cut above her right eyebrow.

'Brandy,' Lucius commanded.

'I see you have been treating your favourite elf very well, Lucius,' Snape commented drily. Obviously, Lucius had let the poor thing tend to his injuries and had rewarded her by inflicting some on her himself.

'Your report, Severus?' Lucius insisted, deliberately ignoring Snape's comment about the elf as Silvy poured him a healthy glug of brandy into a cut crystal glass.

'The Order is still patrolling the corridor at the Department of Mysteries at night,' Snape started. 'If you want to make a move, you will need a proper decoy.'

They went on to discuss possible decoys and the best time to make their move. Snape's report was nothing more than a charade, however. As usual, he had reported nothing that the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters didn't know already. But still, it made him look good in the eyes of Voldemort, who, after all, still thought that Snape was working for him and him alone. And for the time being, Lucius seemed content as well with their in depth discussion.

Snape was already on his way out when he remembered the package in his pocket. 'By the way, Lucius, I have a gift for you. From Miss Belakane.' He cast a quick Engorgio charm and handed the parcel to Lucius.

If Lucius was surprised, he did not let it show. 'From Morgana?' He put on a radiant smile. 'I knew she would miss me sooner or later.'

Snape almost vomited on the expensive Persian rug. He had always known that Lucius Malfoy's arrogance had no boundaries, but this was outrageous. Did the smug bastard truly believe that the girl was still longing for him, that he could have her back if he just winked at her? After all that he had put her through?

His smile growing ever broader, Lucius ripped off the brown wrapping paper and revealed an emerald green box. 'Gift wrapped and everything. The darling angel.'

His smile, however, froze as he lifted the lid. 'WHAT is the meaning of this?' he snapped, lifting up the ring he had gifted Morgana back in October.

Snape smiled innocently. 'I assume Miss Belakane has no longer any use for any of your trinkets and baubles, Lucius. I volunteered to bring them back to you, with her compliments.'

Lucius' jaw was so tight that Snape could actually hear his wisdom teeth crack as he fished a pair of silken knickers out of the box with his index finger. 'The ungrateful little trollop,' he spat and flicked the delicate lingerie away from him in anger. 'How dare she?'

'Master Lucius ...' came a hushed, trembling voice from the side after a moment.

Both men turned to the liquor cabinet where Silvy was still standing ready to receive any new orders from her master. The pair of knickers had landed right on her tiny head, looped over one of her big, floppy ears and now hung down over one eye.

'Master Lucius is giving me ... sexy clothes!' Silvy's unobscured eye was shining with delight, and she clutched her hands together in front of her with joy.

'WHA-? I have not ...' Lucius blustered. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't have accidentally lost yet another elf through sheer carelessness.

'Silvy has clothes,' the elf squeaked in delight, ignoring her now ex-master. 'Sexy clothes! Silvy is free!' And with a pop, she was gone.

Lucius was furious, and Snape had to suppress a snort. 'Would you like me to pour you another drink before I leave, Lucius?' he asked with glee. 'We would not want you to overstrain yourself in your condition, now would we? After all, the Dark Lord expects great deeds from you.'

But the brandy tumbler that smashed against the wall mere inches beside his head made it very clear to Snape that he could consider himself dismissed.

Out in the hall, he felt something tug at his robes. It was Silvy.

'Why are you still here, Silvy?' he enquired. 'Your master has presented you with clothes. You are free.'

'Silvy knows that, Master Snape,' the elf replied, radiant with happiness. She had now tied the knickers around her leg like a garter. 'Silvy wants to ask Master Snape a favour.'

Snape crouched down and listened.

Five minutes later, he ushered Silvy through the door that led to the girls' dormitory in Slytherin House. Morgana was not there, but Snape was certain that a smile would light up the girl's face when she returned to find an old friend and trustful servant waiting for her on her bed.

* * *

The Easter holidays had begun. Morgana would be staying at Hogwarts as usual for the duration, not having any family to stay with. Jack and Charis, however, were both going to stay with their respective families and so took the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade that very morning.

Charis felt particularly sad leaving Morgana this time, especially after all the heartache they had shared after renewing their friendship over the last few days. But Morgana had put a brave face on when it came to saying goodbye and they had hugged tightly. Charis took some comfort in the fact that she had seen her friend genuinely laughing the night before. As usual, Ravenclaw Tower had hosted an end of term party where the Butterbeer flowed freely and sweets and snacks were piled high. Jack had everyone in stitches with his very own Eggspelliarmus charm, which caused the suits of armour in the corridor outside to start clucking like hens before squatting down and laying brightly-coloured chocolate eggs.

Fred and George Weasley had got wind of the hilarity at breakfast the next day before the mass departure to Hogsmeade and had offered Jack an eye-popping amount of Galleons for the spell, to which Jack refused and insisted on showing them it for free. The twins in return had written Jack an I.O.U on a piece of parchment and told Jack he would know when the time was right to cash it in, leaving the Ravenclaw table with a wink and an enigmatic grin.

After saying their goodbyes, Jack and Charis had boarded the train without incident, and as soon as they were in their own compartment and away from prying ears, they once more began discussing the next stage of their investigations into Charis' family tree. Charis had received an owl earlier in the week from the Ministry, saying that the certificates would not be issued in the post, due to them having been issued once before. Bless Wizarding bureaucracy and economy measures. Hence, the documents would need to be collected in person from the records office in London. As they were not allowed to leave campus during term time, Jack and Charis were both relieved at the swift arrival of the Easter holidays, which meant that they could meet up in London to collect the certificates together.

By the time they had reached the Lake District, they had settled on a plan to meet the following week. Neither of them had taken their Apparition tests yet, so it would mean an early start and Muggle transport. But that did not matter to either of them. They both felt excited at the chance to explore both Muggle London and Wizarding London together, as well as finding out if Charis did indeed have any skeletons in her closet.

Charis had to take a connecting coach from London to Somerset after leaving the Hogwarts Express, which took another three hours, and it was evening once Charis had finally returned to her family's home in Somerset. Approaching her house, she found herself praying that she would not be walking in on an argument, as she so frequently did. She let herself in the front door quietly and peeked around the lounge door. To her delight all was calm except for the hum of the television, which was probably showing one of her mother's favourite soaps.

Her mother glanced up, and her eyes lit up immediately with a big smile. Her father was absent, however. Probably down the pub, Charis thought.

'Hi, Mum.' She grinned back and hugged her mother tightly.

'You made it then?' her mum said in response, hugging her daughter back.

'Dad at the pub?' Charis continued, dropping her heavy bag by the side of the sofa and shrugging off her jacket.

'Yes,' her mother replied, rolling her eyes. 'It is a Saturday after all.'

A creature of habit, my father, Charis thought to herself as she made them both a cup of tea. She had noticed as she brought out the biscuits that the cupboards were freshly stocked with crisps and various snacks and smiled. Her mum knew that crisps were not freely available in the Wizarding world and always made sure to stock up on her daughter's favourites for the holidays.

Feeling tired from her day's travelling, Charis only watched a little television with her mother before retiring to bed early. When she closed the bedroom door, she smiled wearily. Her boxy old room was feeling much too small and child-like for her these days. It still had the same chipped wallpaper from when she was a little girl and the carpet still bore the singed hole from the time she had tried smoking when she was fourteen. Plus, she was used to sleeping in a queen size four-poster bed, and now she had to get used to cramming into a single bed again.

Sighing, Charis crawled into bed and wriggled down, lying on her back. In five days time, all would be revealed regarding her family tree. The more she thought about it, the more she thought Jack was right: that the reason Malfoy had threatened them was because they were on the edge of finding out something important. Part of her didn't want to know, after all ignorance was bliss. Imagine if she was related to Malfoy, or to Dumbledore, as Jack had suggested jokingly... or to Severus! She shuddered at this thought and drew the duvet up closer around her. Surely, if she were related to Snape, she would have inherited his impressive nose. At this thought, Charis gave a giggle.

The giggle soon faded, however. Severus. That name seemed to trigger a dull ache inside her these days. None of her dreams had come true. Severus had not turned into the gentle lover she had hoped for. Neither had he confessed his love for her. The only time he had spoken to her about private matters after their night in Firenze's classroom had been when he had told her how to handle snakes. And as intimate as that discussion had been, it had not been about them, not about Charis and Severus and the things that could have been. Charis had cried countless times over her Potions master. It hurt so much. She loved him still, although she knew that she mustn't, that he would never love her in the way she loved him. The only way to stop the pain, she had discovered, was to find distraction. So she tried not to dwell on it. Luckily enough, the whole business with her family tree was just the distraction she needed.

So yes, maybe she was a little, tiny blossom somewhere in a Wizarding family tree. And who knew, maybe she was related to her Star Sister in more ways than just spirit. Charis smiled and closed her hand around the silver star that was dangling from her necklace. She had not taken it off since she had returned its twin to Morgana.

It was too late to turn back now, she decided, turning to her side and plumping her pillow. The documents were waiting and she had made her plans with Jack. First thing tomorrow she would book her coach tickets. And soon she would find out once and for all if she did indeed have magical genes.