A Little Knowledge

Sunday morning the girls and Martin all left the Aerie to have breakfast together since Corinna did not have morning practice that day. Ambrose had given them the day off to recuperate from the strenuous match played the day before. The team, Corinna included, had certainly needed it.

Because of the length of the Quidditch match, Corinna had not visited Professor Mallaghan yet, but she intended to drop by his office early that afternoon, supposing that he wasn’t busy. The elderly Divinations’ professor never really seemed to be. She wasn’t sure what he would make of Martin’s dream, which he had not mentioned to Olivia and Sophia, meaning that only Sissy and she knew about it. She hoped Professor Mallaghan would tell her it was silly, but then ... there was that bad feeling again, telling her that it wasn’t silly at all.

As they passed through the Entrance Hall, the large and imposing doors of the school, which were closed almost all the time now, began to open. Martin glanced over his shoulder and paused as the girls walked ahead of him. Olivia and Corinna were still discussing the Quidditch game from the day before, oblivious to everything else in the world. Sophia and Sissy were trying not to feel left out of the conversation, which was very much the same thing Martin had been doing before the doors caught his wandering attention.

The man who stepped through the doors was obviously every inch an Auror from the hooded traveler’s cloak that he was wearing and the duffel thrown neatly over one slender shoulder to the heavy, mud-stained boots on his feet. The emblem of service was displayed proudly upon his robes, glittering in the early morning light the spilled through the doors behind him in pale silver. He shrugged back the hood and dropped his bag on the stone floor to survey the hall with an appraising look.

Then his dark eyes fell upon Martin, who was watching him with interest, and he laughed. It was an easy-going, throaty laugh, and certainly not what one would expect from a man who seemed to have a knife concealed in his boot.

“Martin Dumbledore!” he called out with another laugh, striding swiftly toward the young wizard. Before Martin knew what was happening the Auror had caught him in a fierce hug, lifting him from his feet despite his rather small and wiry frame.

“Uncle Alastor?” Martin questioned in a muffled voice, finally recognizing the wizard.

Strictly speaking, Alastor Moody wasn’t his uncle. He was his mother’s distant cousin and had been her partner when she had first become an Auror and was therefore a friend of the family. His mum had wanted Alastor to be Martin’s godfather, but his father had strenuously objected to this possibly at least in part because Moody was a Slytherin and the war was still on when the question had been raised. But there had certainly been other reasons, the fact that the man was generally considered quite strange not the least among them.

Nevertheless, Martin still considered his Uncle Alastor an essential part of his family and one of his favorite people in the entire world. This could be considered remarkable as Alastor didn’t spoil him as his Uncle Merrick, his mother’s brother, tended to do and he was a bit gruff at times. The thing that set Alastor apart was his obvious, unguarded affection for Martin. He didn’t have any children of his own, but he treated Martin just as though he were his favorite nephew, or perhaps even his own son.

“That’s right,” said the Auror, setting him on his feet again and tousling his hair with a fond expression. “You’ve grown, laddie,” he added.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time,” said Martin.

“Almost two years now, isn’t it? I just heard from your mum that you’d started school,” said Alastor Moody with a slight growl in his voice.

He had missed the young wizard more than words could express, but as an Auror he was often in the field and away from familiar people and places, including those that he loved. It was part of the job.

“Really?” asked Martin.

“Of course, not that we had very much time to talk,” he said a bit mysteriously.

“She’s still in the field then?

“And where else would she be?” asked Alastor with a smile.

Martin just shrugged.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Martin?” asked Sissy from behind him.

There was amusement in her voice. The girls had not known what to make of the stranger’s enthusiastic greeting of their friend. Sophia was hiding a smile behind her hand, finding the scene rather sweet and endearing. She instantly liked the strange Auror. Olivia was a bit more wary, but certainly impressed that Martin knew an Auror, other than his mum, of course. Corinna was perplexed. She sometimes had a sense, a feeling, about people. This man radiated confidence and caution, which were two things that did not necessarily go together.

Martin went a bit pink as he turned and stammered, “Oh, this is my Uncle Alastor. He’s an Auror.”

“And you are, lass?” asked Moody as he laid a hand on Martin’s shoulder.

“Sissy Howard,” she replied coolly. Gesturing to the other girls, who were perhaps more easily awed and dazzled by the badge on his robes, she added, “We’re Martin’s friends.”

“Not John Howard’s daughter by any chance?” asked Moody, raising his thin eyebrows.

“The same,” she nodded curtly.

“You’ve got his manner. He’s a good man,” said Alastor with a short, approving nod. He seemed to look them all over before he told Martin, “Looks like you’ve chosen your friends well.”

“Thanks,” said Martin, growing a bit redder.

“I’ve heard tell that you have a vampire problem,” said Moody conversationally.

“That’s right,” answered Martin.

“You’ve come here to capture it, right?” interjected Olivia hopefully.

Alastor smiled at her, and it wasn’t exactly a nice smile. There was a somewhat eager look in his eyes.

“I’ve come to put an end to the creature if it so much as sets foot in the castle again,” he told them in a firm, no-nonsense voice. “I’ve heard you’ve had a hand at trying to subdue it,” said Alastor, looking down at Martin with a proud expression on his face. He gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“Er ... not exactly,” said Martin.

“But you’ve got plans?” he hinted in a lower voice.

“Honestly, uncle, I’d rather never cross paths with it again. Three times is really enough for me,” answered Martin.

The girls all exchanged looks. Was this man suggesting that Martin was going to try and solve their vampire problem alone? The idea made all of them very nervous. They all knew that the foe was too great for any of them.

Moody frowned at him, but Sophia noticed his eyes drift to the Ravenclaw symbol on the breast of his robes.

“You’re not a Gryffindor,” he said incredulously, noticing for the first time that Martin was not a Lion like his parents. “I just assumed ...” he stammered.

“It’s all right,” said Martin, stepping away from him. “Ravenclaw is wonderful, and I’ve had more adventures than I ever expected,” he said quickly, silently adding, “or wanted to have.”

“You mum must be very proud. She puts a lot of stock in good marks and education,” said Alastor, recovering as speedily as he could.

Not for the world would he want Martin to think that he was disappointed. As a former Slytherin, he was relieved that there would be significantly less house rivalry between them. Inasmuch as Alastor knew, he was the only Slytherin to have dined at the Dumbledore house since before the war. Of course, that wasn’t exactly true, but he believed it. And Ravenclaw was a very respectable house that would serve Martin well if he wanted to go into the Ministry after he left school.

But before Martin could answer a slightly derisive voice from the nearest staircase questioned, “And the Head Boy, class of 1928, doesn’t put stock in good marks?”

Professor Knowles, who had spoken, and Professor Krohn emerged from the shadows. Sissy noted that Krohn removed his hand from his colleague’s arm as soon as they stepped into the light.

“Knowles, for the love of Merlin, you aren’t still on about that, are you?” asked Alastor with a bit of a growl.

“You never cared about marks, not one whit, until you found out I had the best in our year,” accused the defense teacher, tucking his cane underneath his arm.

Sissy imagined that he had known Moody by his rather distinctive voice, but she could hardly believe that he had gone to school with Martin’s uncle as the Auror looked to be several years his senior due to the fact that his hair was showing signs of gray and his face was a bit scarred. The years had not been particularly kind to either of them, but with Mister Moody it certainly showed.

“That was just incentive,” answered Alastor bluntly.

“Whatever you say, Moody,” said Knowles. The way he said the words made them as effective as any retort.

Alastor furrowed his brow as he looked at Knowles. He seemed as though he were trying to solve a puzzle.

“What’s happened to you?” asked Alastor, not bothering to dance around the question. He was, as many Aurors were, a plain-spoken person.

“I’m blind,” said Knowles with a twisted sort of smile, “which should make your stay here that much more pleasurable. You can leave things lying about for me to trip over.”

“Blind?” asked Alastor, taking a step toward him. There was an incredulous, disbelieving look on his face.

“Yes,” nodded Knowles, taking a step backward as though he could sense that Moody had come closer.

Sissy could see that there was bad blood there probably leftover from their school days. It made her very uncomfortable.

Krohn, putting his considerable height to good use, carefully insinuated himself between Moody and Knowles.

“Let him be,” said Krohn in a low voice that was full of quiet menace.

“I don’t need a knight in shining armor, and you are ill-suited to play the part, Reynard,” said Knowles in an impatient and irritated tone. Olivia thought she glimpsed him prod Krohn hard in the back with the head of his cane.

The Slytherin head of house, who probably had not realized that he had just tried to defend a Gryffindor from a Slytherin, looked slightly embarrassed and stepped out of the way again with a low, murmured, “As you wish.”

“I’m sorry, Knowles. How’d it happen?” asked Alastor, and at that moment he did look rather sympathetic.

“Giant spiders,” answered Knowles, not elaborating perhaps because he knew that students, Miss Howard among them, were present. Or maybe he didn’t feel like giving Moody, who had never been a particular friend of his, such personal information.

“Eh?” asked Moody with a look of confusion.

“Nothing you need to know,” said Knowles, inclining his chin ever-so-slightly.

Sissy noted that his wand hand had inched toward his pocket.

“But you’re still a professor here then?” asked Alastor.

“I am pleased to say that I am. Professor Dippet is certainly not running a home for hard luck cases,” replied Knowles in a scathing tone. His expression remained carefully neutral. It was a shame his voice could not do the same.

Alastor glanced from Knowles to Krohn and back. He seemed on the verge of saying something, but restrained himself. Martin, who knew that his uncle had a bit of a temper, imagined that whatever he was going to say would not have been kind.

“I suppose not,” he said, glancing at Professor Krohn in a way that clearly indicated that he thought of the potions’ professor as a ‘hard luck case’. This was not appreciated.

“And I wonder what brings you back here, Moody,” said Krohn sourly.

“The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, and your little vampire problem,” he answered in a more even tone.

“I can well imagine that your colleagues in Wales weren’t sorry to see you go, if the rumors are true, but I can’t imagine why a loose cannon like you was chosen for such an important task,” said Krohn a bit derisively. It seemed that the ill feelings extended to the professor of potions as well.

Sissy thought Alastor glanced at Martin before replying, “I had some time out of the field due to me, and no one else could be spared. Does that answer your question?”

“Quite,” sneered Krohn.

“Now if you two wouldn’t mind sodding off now, I want to talk with Martin here. We’ve got some catching up to do,” said Moody with an edge to his voice.

“Language ...” said Knowles in a warning tone. “If I’m not much mistaken there are ladies present,” he added, grasping his cane again. Sissy raised an eyebrow as she watched his knuckles whiten.

“I suppose there are,” said Alastor, glancing at the four girls to find them staring at him. His lips twitched into a smile, and he winked at them. “Be on your way then,” he told the two professors.

Knowles and Krohn, who had clearly been on their way to breakfast, both did as he suggested without further comment, showing admirable restraint on their parts, and walked through the small group of students. The girls made way for Knowles, who still looked more than a bit disgruntled by the encounter.

“Sorry about that,” shrugged Alastor, “but Knowles has been getting under my skin since we were eleven. Then I had go to war with him.” He just shook his head.

Sissy raised her eyebrows and started to say something, but Olivia elbowed her hard, knowing that she was about to pick a fight with Martin’s uncle. The course of action did not seem wise to her.

“He’s a good professor,” said Martin with a slight wince. “Both of them are, I suppose, but Professor Krohn makes me nervous.”

“Are they now? That surprises me. But as for Krohn ... he’s made a lot of people nervous before,” nodded Alastor thoughtfully. Then he grimaced and said, “As much as I want to catch up properly, Martin, I’ve got to report to the headmaster. Maybe you could have yourself some breakfast in the meantime. I’ll come back for you once I find out where my quarters are.”

“That sounds great,” said Martin with a smile. “I’ll be waiting right here for you,” he added.

“Of course,” said Alastor, picking up his bag and shouldering it again, “but I shouldn’t be long, I hope.”

After Alastor had gone, disappearing up the stairs that would eventually take him to the office of the headmaster, Martin turned to the girls and shrugged. They were all staring at him, except Corinna, who was still looking up the stairs after Alastor and toying with her messy hair.

“He’s really amazing. My mum says he’s one of the best there is. Aurors, I mean,” he told them with a lop-sided smile and excitement in his eyes. He had not expected to see his uncle again until the holidays, if even then.

“He is different,” commented Sissy, who was very uncomfortable with the rivalry between Martin’s uncle and Professor Knowles.

Sophia felt much the same way about the exchange with the professors, although she would never have voiced that opinion to Martin, even in a veiled manner as Sissy was doing, for fear of hurting his feelings. It was very obvious to her that Martin cared about his uncle very much, and vice versa, which was, in her opinion, rather sweet.

Of course, his hint that Martin should be plotting a way to capture or kill the vampire made Sophia uncomfortable in the extreme as it was just the sort of thing Professor Krohn had warned her about concerning Professor Dumbledore. But if she were any judge of such things, Sophia would say that Martin’s Uncle Alastor was no more of a Gryffindor than she was, despite the fact that he was branded as a ‘loose cannon’ by Krohn. The gleam in his dark eyes was not one of bravery, but of cunning.

“I’ll say he is!” echoed Olivia, who was a bit more impartial than Sophia or Sissy. “You’ve got to tell us all about him,” she added.

“During breakfast, please,” interjected Corinna, finally taking her attention from the stairs.

“So he isn’t really your uncle, but he is your ... mother’s cousin and was almost your godfather?” questioned Sissy after Martin had explained some things to them. She wanted to make certain that they all understand.

“That’s right,” nodded Martin cheerfully as he crammed more egg into his mouth.

“I don’t suppose it’s that unusual,” said Olivia. “My father often ...”

The girls dropped their utensils and made unpleasant sounds as they moved to stop their ears. They knew that tone and that subject well enough. Olivia was about to launch into a long and doubtlessly dull story about her father, one that they most probably heard the year before when they didn’t know any better. Martin just gave her an apologetic look.

“Sorry,” said Olivia, pouting and poking at her kippers.

Martin glanced up at the high table where most of the professors, notably excluding his father and Professor Dippet, were eating and sighed.

“He was great to have around when I was little. Whenever mum and Uncle Alastor came home from an assignment, he would sneak me away from my tutors and take me to do fun things, like walking in the woods near where I grew up or to wizarding London for the afternoon,” said Martin with a slight grin.

“You’ve missed him,” said Sissy. It wasn’t a question.

“Of course, but the past few years have been busy for him, and for mum too, I suppose,” he shrugged. “Of course, mum said that he was almost certainly spending the hols with us this year,” Martin added. Then he frowned and said, “But if he’s been assigned here ... I guess that he won’t be able to leave.”

“Then spend as much time with him as you can while he’s here,” urged Corinna.

He gave her a peculiar look and asked, “Do you know something?”

“No,” she replied a little too quickly.

“Well, I don’t think we have to worry about the vampire anymore,” said Olivia. “I think he’s going to handle the situation easily.”

“He had better,” said Sissy, “because it still hasn’t fed and it’s going to be due soon.”

“We’re eating,” muttered Sophia.

“What if it found something in the forest ...” suggested Corinna with an unpleasant look.

“Eating,” said Sophia again.

Sissy leveled her eyes at Corinna and said, “I don’t think what it wants is in the forest.”

Corinna and Martin both gulped. They knew that the thing the vampire wanted might not be just blood, just a quick feeding on a random victim. She suspected that what it wanted was Martin. The same idea had occurred to him, but Martin tried not to dwell on it as it gave him an awful case of the shakes. No one could blame him for that. Corinna was still looking forward very much to her conversation with Joseph Mallaghan as she needed more than his help at dream interpretation. She needed advice as well.

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