Sub Rosa

Chapter 14 – Cries in the Night

As Kathryn’s popularity grew, she found her late evening office hours becoming littered with students coming to her for one thing or another. Harry, Hermione, Ron and the others kept her updated on their progress which at the moment was mostly negative.

Then there were the students who seemed to think that she would understand them better than the other teachers, being one of the youngest staff members. They brought their childhood pains and hopes to her and she wondered how the hell to help them. The tiny agonies of adolescence were giant wounds to them and she forced herself to take them as seriously as the children did. Her experience and training served her well; she doubted she was the only witch in the world with psych analysis in her repertoire but she was certainly the only person at Hogwarts with it.

Particularly gratifying was the number of younger Slytherins who were showing up, either too intimidated by their Head of House or requiring a female perspective.

One little girl in particular was rapidly becoming Kathryn’s favorite visitor. Minuet Ravagienne reminded Kathryn strongly of her niece, Lillith. She was cunning, ruthless and fiercely loyal. Her father had been sent to Azkaban over the summer for killing a family of Muggles. Minuet thought her father was stupid to follow a loser like Voldemort but she would never say that where any of the rest of Slytherin could hear her.

The third year student was highly intelligent and insightful and she knew everything that was going on in the school. She had first wandered into Kathryn’s office about two weeks after the start of term. She was a tiny, slender girl with huge dark eyes and ebony black hair. The Ravagienne family was closely related to the Snapes and they shared the same silky black hair and sallow skin. Where Snape looked greasy and forbidding, Minuet looked elfin and delicate.

She and Kathryn had developed a tentative friendship based on mutual need. Kathryn taught Minuet what she needed to keep from getting beaten up by the other houses, which all thought a small, defenseless-looking Slytherin was easy meat, and in return Kathryn was kept up on every piece of gossip in the school.

Minuet had an appointment that evening with Kathryn for their weekly exchange and, most unusually, Minuet was late. Kathryn rose and hesitated at the door to her office. She was concerned something had happened to the child, but she had no idea how to hunt her down. Her leg slowed her so much that searching the castle, even if she knew the Slytherin common room password, would be agonizingly slow. Still, Minuet was punctual to a fault, it wasn’t like her to be late and not send word.

Ten minutes later, Kathryn was clumping along the hallways headed for the Slytherin common room. As she turned a corner and headed towards the stairs to the dungeons she heard a soft whimper. Kathryn turned and limped towards the sound.

“Who’s there?” Kathryn called.

“Professor?” Came Minuet’s piping voice, weak with pain.

Kathryn rushed as fast as her leg would permit and sank down beside the crumpled heap that was Minuet.

“Where are you hurt?” She asked briskly, wand in hand. The child raised her head and Kathryn’s jaw tightened in anger as the black eye and split lip were revealed to her view.

She placed her wand next to the eye and began to heal the bruise.

“Integro” The bruise faded from livid purple to yellow and then disappeared altogether. She turned next to the lip. “Consanesco”, she cast. As she worked on the child, Minuet pulled herself upright with a wince and tried to put herself into some semblance of order. Kathryn ran her wand over the child as the flesh of Minuet’s lip knitted back together and found the two broken ribs. She healed them as well. “Anywhere else?” Minuet shook her head, moving stiffly and sorely.

Kathryn hauled herself to her feet again and extended a hand to the little girl. They began the long walk to Madam Pomfrey’s.

“Thank you, Professor.” Minuet whispered. Kathryn was so angry she could barely speak.

“Who did this?” Her voice was level, but Minuet still winced.

“A couple of seventh year Gryffindor boys.” She replied very softly. “I don’t know their names. I tried to use the things you taught me, but they grabbed my wand.”

“I will have to teach you Muggle-style combat fighting.” Kathryn saw the child’s head come up in surprise.
“For goodness sake, Miss Ravagienne, this isn’t your fault.”

“No, it’s my father’s.” Her voice was low and angry now. “They called me a “Baby Death Eater;” they beat me up for what my father did.”

“You are not your father, Miss Ravagienne, don’t ever forget that. Those boys are stupid, ignorant and as prejudiced as any Death Eater. I am going to eat them for breakfast.” She growled and Minuet smiled up at her.

“You’re the best, Professor.”


Half an hour later, Minuet having been thoroughly checked out by Madam Pomfrey and healed of the internal injuries that Kathryn’s battlefield charms couldn’t cover, Kathryn found herself, Minerva and Severus in Albus’ office.

“She said she passed out after the taller one kicked her in the side.” Kathryn finished the explanation. Minuet’s description of the incident and the perpetrators was clear and concise and Minerva had winced and gone white as she had spoken.

“Tolliver and Platt. I noticed they were rather flushed when they came up to the common room.” Minerva almost whispered, deeply shaken that two of her own could do such a terrible thing.

Severus had remained silent through the entire recitation of Minuet’s ordeal, the only sign of his anger, the curling of his fingers as he dug them into the arms of the chair.

“What did you have in mind for punishment Minerva?” Kan tun turned to the older woman, waiting.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before, Kathryn. For two Gryffindors to have beaten a fourteen year old girl unconscious, even if her father is a Death Eater...” Minerva’s words poured oil on the fire of Kathryn’s ire.
“What do you mean, even if her father is a death eater? There is absolutely no excuse for this outrage.”
Kathryn controlled her voice and body with extreme effort.

“You are right of course, Kathryn, this is an outrage and I shall have both those boys expelled immediately. I’ll see to it tonight and have then on the first train tomorrow morning” Minerva was getting some color back into her face as the shock of it wore off. Severus began to relax, almost as though he had thought the two boys were going to get off.

“And then…” Kathryn prompted. The other three looked at her in confusion.

“And then what, Kathryn?” Albus asked. He had his innocent look on his face but she saw something moving beneath it.

“And then how do we stop this from happening ag Mis Miss Ravagienne isn’t the only child in this school with a parent or parents either in Azkaban or under suspicion. So, you expel those two -- what stops the rest from taking out their anger on the other Slytherins or the Slytherins taking revenge on the Gryffindors?” Severus looked thoughtful, Minerva surprised and Albus sad. “There is a serious problem in this school right now and this incident is only the most obvious sign.”

Minerva looked puzzled and then resigned; Severus and Albus both simply nodded.

“Kathryn brings up a valid point.” Albus agreed and she realized what the look in his eyes was. Pride. He was proud of her for speaking up for Minuet, for Slytherin and by extension, for Severus. She felt all wriggly and humble inside; her righteous indignation vanished and she squirmed under his gaze. She continued with her thoughts, but more calmly than before.

“We need to get some inter-House unity going on here or Slytherin House will end up as an armed camp in enemy territory and we will lose every one of those children to the Dark.” The others stared at her solemnly. “Right now, Miss Ravagienne thinks that Voldemort is a loser.” Albus grinned, while the other two looked startled. “But if she is given no other choice, she will go and do whatever it takes to survive.” Minerva frowned and looked down at her hands.

“I will speak to the students.”

“Actually, I had hoped for something more direct.” Kathryn smiled as an idea formed in her mind. The room was silent except for the crackling of the fires. “We are going to start a series of activities and events that will force the Houses to cooperate. We will divide the student into inter-House teams and groups -- really mix them up. Force them to see each other as people, not Houses. Reward will go to the groups individually, rather than to the House. At the end of the year the group with the most points will get a prize.”

“ is is a recipe for disaster. You are talking about rivalries that go back to the founders.” Severus drawled from his chair.

“Then help me refine it into something workable!” She challenged him. “You both know this school and your respective Houses far better than I do. Think of something.” She glared at Minerva and Severus each in turn. Albus threw his head back and laughed.

“Kathryn, I cae whe why Flora didn’t want to let go of you. You are like a terrier, absolutely relentless.”
Kathryn felt a wave of embarrassment flow over her.

“Sorry Severus, sorry Minerva; I get a little carried away sometimes.” She shot them both looks of apology and received a smile from Minerva and a wave from Severus.

“No, you are quite right about the problem. In normal times the inter-House rivalry acts as an excellent system of discipline and reward. In timike ike this, it works against us, dividing us one against the other.” Minerva chewed her thumbnail absently as she thought.

“The antipathy against Slytherin House has risen in the last twenty or so odd years. The rivalry has always been there but the hatred and distrust are recent developments. Slytherin House used to be as well respected as any of the others.” Severus shifted in his chair uncomfortably. “My own position makes it difficult for me to work against certain oe see sentiments in my House.” Kathryn sighed. It was a pretty problem: how to increase inter-House cooperation without jeopardizing Severus?

“Albus will simply have to make it an order. You can comply grudgingly and complain to Moldywort about how unreasonable Albus is being.” Kathryn was interrupted by a crack of laughter from Severus.

“What did you call him?” The man demanded, still laughing.

“Moldywort, it’s what Madam Chanel calls him.” Kathryn blushed a little at her slip, it highhighly unprofessional of her and she was feeling somewhat chagrined.

“Oh gods, I will have to put that in a pensieve before I am summoned again!” Severus was still chuckling and muttering “Moldywort” under his breath. Kathryn smiled at him, feeling a little better about her slip up. If she could make him laugh at the thought of being summoned, well, that wasn’t bad was it? Minerva was hiding her mouth with her hand, her eyes crinkled in mirth and Albus was giving her another one of his approving looks.

“We shall have to work on a plan to achieve some lessoning of inter-House tensions, in the meantime, talk to your students. Tell them that abusing children for their parent’s actions will not be tolerated.” Albus commanded and the two Heads of House nodded aepareparted. Kathryn rose more slowly, her leg having gotten a workout that day, then nodded to Albus and made her way back down to the hospital wing.

Minuet lay quietly in the white bed, staring at the ceiling. Surneurned and watched Kathryn limp in.
“They are being expelled; they will be oe tre train home first thing in the morning.” She repeated what Minerva had said to her in the Headmaster’s office. “I have Professor McGonagall’s word on it.” Minuet relaxed back on the bed and tears began to leak from her eyes.

“Professor Dumbledore is writing to your mother; she should be by tomorrow to see you.” She settled down on the bed beside the weepingld ald and Minuet crawled into her lap and clung to her, finally allowing herself to break down. Despite the pain it caused her mangled thigh, Kathryn held the little girl close and let her cry herself to sleep.