"... for this is the finest milk and cream that ever came out of a cow!
Though finest it is, the price is small, for milk and the cream alack!
There's nothing to do but sell it all, the cow willna take it back!"
Several of the girls, especially those of the older years, stopped to stare at her. For Ranko was not dressed in the standard Hogwarts black. Indeed, she'd have shown out as a bright star practically anywhere.
She wore a full skirted dress with blousy sleeves, cut in an elegant fashion not seen in a century, but it was one of those classics that Hollywood likes to trot out from time to time as it was just so lovely there was no resisting its charm. Today she was wearing a beautiful combination of blues with accents of pink, with a silvery-blue full length apron with frilly edges and matching gloves that went up to her elbows.
In burning jealousy, most of the girls noticed that big clay pot she was balancing on the top of her head did nothing to muss up her hair. It didn't even mash it down enough to hide the jeweled tiara, or the necklace and earrings that went with it.
"Good morning, Ucchan! Good morning, Shampoo!" Ranko gave both those girls a kiss on their lips, chastely I might add, and flipped the clay pot off from the top of her head. While it was in midair upside down she grabbed four flagons and filled them each from the milk spilling out, letting not a single drop hit the floor (or anywhere else for that matter), setting the flagons out before her friends just as the clay pot landed, empty, on its base in a corner.
Taking one of the flagons she skipped up to the high table, setting it before her mother and Cologne, who were sitting together. "Good morning, mother! Good morning, Cologne!" She spared a kiss on the cheek for each of them as well and hopped back to her own place at the student's tables among the echoes of her friends' "Good mornings."
Today they were seated at Ravenclaw's table, though last night it had been Gryffindor's. This in spite of the fact that Shampoo was a Gryffindor and Ukyo was a Ravenclaw, while Ranko was somehow both. The Patil twins, sucked into this vibrant group along with them, had found themselves feeling rather plain, seeing as how they were sitting there in standard Hogwarts black while there wasn't a black stitch to be seen on any of the three other girls. In fact, their dresses were not an ounce more plain than Ranko's. Ukyo's was done up in very flattering shades of blue while Shampoo had an odd rose that set off her purple hair just perfectly. All three were embroidered beautifully, and close up it could be detected that their aprons and matching gloves were all expensive dragonhide. Ukyo's was Opaleye, and Shampoo's was Chinese Fireball, while Ranko's (today) was Swedish Short Snout.
They shone out like jewels on a black background, and it was not only students that noticed.
"Twenty points from each of your Houses for violating dress code." Snape snapped evilly from behind them, sneering at the girls.
"I contest that ruling." Nodoka said from behind *him*, holding a wrapped bundle in her arms. "These girls are each wearing their House colors. There is no violation."
"As I recall," Snape turned menacingly about to face her. "Hogwarts requires a black robe of all students. And these filthy popinjays are out of uniform no matter those colors!"
"And they are wearing it under those dresses. It's a thin, silk robe called a chemise, Snape. And while it is available for viewing by any female staff member, allowing an attempted rapist such as you permission to view a girl's undergarments is folly! Nor should you be allowed to insult them based on nothing more than your own insecurities!" She was raising her voice so the whole school heard. "The dress code's requirements are filled, and your point taking away is just another example of you own petty tyranny!"
Never having been crossed at this school before since becoming a teacher, Snape reacted by reaching over to grab her by the shoulder so he could dig in his thumb where it would hurt, but appear to be 'friendly' as he seethed horrible, threatening whispers in her ear.
Nodoka wasn't having any of it and when he reached for her out came the bundle, smacking across his face with enough force so that he went spraying teeth. She started shouting as she smacked him again and again with the sheath. "You swore an Unbreakable Vow to your beloved Dark Lord to marry me no matter what a slime I knew you to be and 'tame' me to his will! You swore you'd raise little Death Eaters for his service by turning me into your little breed sow! You were going to use the Imperius on me! You'd cast that curse a dozen times but I kept dodging as you chased me out of the only home I'd ever known, running me off into the woods to avoid becoming your little plaything! And now you're here pulling your bullying tricks on my daughter!!"
Nodoka had, by now, smacked Snape halfway across the room, raining blows down on him to the astonishment of the entire school. Teachers sat paralyzed as Ms. Malfoy at last drew her silver weapons and pinned the bloodied Potions Prof to the back wall, sword and knife crossed just over his throat, ready to scissor his head off.
"Enough of this!" Dumbledore shouted from the front of the room, just having entered the great hall. "Nodoka, release him!"
Gazing one last moment into the panic filled eyes of her nemesis, a man who'd personally haunted her nightmares for twenty years, Nodoka gave him one cold glance before turning away and sheathing her blades. "As you wish. But remember, I told you this would be a problem before you hired me, and I objected to having that rapist near my family. You told me that you could control him, yet here this morning I found him already attacking my baby girl. What have to say for yourself, Albus?"
"Has your daughter come to any harm, Nodoka?" Albus was suddenly concerned.
"It was a verbal attack, but he specializes in those, and they can do more lasting harm in the end, especially to girls, Albus." Nodoka ruthlessly ignored the potions master she'd beaten bloody sinking to the floor behind her in shock. Then her voice froze. "And you have done nothing! I've looked up the logs, Albus. He's taken more points away from Gryffindor than all other teachers combined have taken from all the Houses PUT TOGETHER! He does that Each Year, and has since his hiring! Nor has he spared Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw! And he's taken only one point away from Slytherin, only once! And that was seven years ago! Yet you've cared nothing for honesty or fairness all this long while and let his open bias, his bullying and extreme prejudice ruin an entire generation of children's careers! Despite the shame of it, all you've done is smile and let him do whatever his black heart pleased. He's awarded more points to his own House than all the other heads have PUT TOGETHER! And if that shame weren't enough this goes beyond merely ridiculing an entire generation and making a mockery of the House system, verbal abuse and jibes. No, he has refused entrance to his advanced class for anyone but his own toadies, and the handful he could not keep out no matter what he did."
Nodoka advanced on Dumbledore, fire in her eyes and hand closing upon the hilt of her sword. "Do you have any IDEA how many careers demand a NEWT in Potions? Do you even CARE? For Ten Years unless you were a Slytherin you could forget any dreams about becoming a Healer, an Auror, or dozens of other high-paying jobs that asked for a Potion NEWT. But the Slytherins didn't want those jobs, so we're critically understaffed in all those positions! People DIE because of the lack of Healers, Albus. Thousands of children have had their futures crushed, ruthlessly, pitilessly crushed by this MONSTER of a man! This wretch who bears the Dark Mark on his arm and has never even apologized about it"
She stood before Albus Dumbledore, eyes ablaze with righteous fire. "Give me a reason not to or I will kill him right now. Let Justice be done. Or are you confederate in his crimes? Is that where the control you claim over him comes from, shared guilt?"
You could have heard a pin drop in the great hall, student faces were wide eyed and riveted by this spectacle all over. There was no motion anywhere, not even a breeze.
The Headmaster glanced over to where his spy was slumped to the floor, bruises forming all over his face and hands, which were his only visible flesh. Unfortunately, he found himself caught in difficult circumstances in no less than three ways. One, was that Lucius Malfoy was already en route, and by all accounts enraged for the 'failure' of Hogwarts to get his son safe to school and enrolled, once he'd been entrusted to their care by boarding the train. Already there would be a convening of the council of school governors for an inquiry on that. To get Lucius any more upset by disciplining his sister that same day could seriously jeopardize his own position as Headmaster. On the second front, having a recognized Death Eater on staff with an as-yet-unfulfilled Unbreakable Vow to force another into the Dark Lord's thrall was as bad as one could ask all on its own. Pity that Severus had never told him, or that Nodoka hadn't mentioned it before this. Lastly, there was simply the fact that he couldn't casually dismiss a Defense teacher on the first day of school, counting on getting an all-too rare replacement on short notice. And the Ministry would not stand for the subject not being taught, even if it was only delayed for a few months.
All of this was looking like he might lose his job permanently. So as much as it pained him to turn his back on his loyal spy, it was Nodoka who was going to be getting the kid gloves at this moment. If he got removed there would be no one to protect Severus from Azkaban or even death - particularly in the face of this very public revelation of black misdeeds as yet unpaid for and unresolved.
He could not even counterattack for fear of bringing on a power struggle he was not sure to win, as most uncomfortable sorts of investigations could be made into matters already broached.
Dumbledore normally had no care for his career, as he truly believed that he was virtually invulnerable in retaining it, having a very broad power base and powerful reputation for good. However this was one of the few exceptions of events going deep enough and broad enough to truly hurt him, and he could not keep Severus alive without the influence granted him as Hogwarts Headmaster. Nor could he fight the Malfoys, who held their own quite considerable power, and save his potion master's life simultaneously.
"Yet I see that you have already disciplined him appropriately, Professor Malfoy. I think he has no further need of punishment at present. Well done. The needs of our students must always come first, of course, and yet I know how much they would miss our Potions Master if he were to leave us. While Professor Snape has regrettably been allowed to run away with himself these past few years, perhaps it is time he be reined in once again. But I know how difficult he would be to replace, and how much we would miss his skills. However, I am afraid that you are going to have to take over his classes for the day, Nodoka. As you've beaten my potions master to the point where he is in no condition to do so himself. This will be in addition to your own workload, of course. Also, sometime today I would like to see you both in my office, as I find fighting among my staff repugnant. But for now you should go to the entry hall, as your nephew awaits your company."
Snape's face was white with betrayal.
Dumbledore's eyes went to the trio of girls sitting in beautiful dresses at the Ravenclaw table.
"Our black robes are worn as undergarments, headmaster." Ranko headed off his question. "As per allowances made in the school's charter and not amended since."
"And your gowns are done up in your House colors, I see." Dumbledore smiled, a bit of twinkle returning to his eye as Nodoka regally swept out of the room. "It has been a long time since I have seen that style, but your mother was correct, you are not out of uniform. Twenty points for bringing a spot of color into our lives, and ten more for looking so lovely when for many years all we have seen is basic, easy to care for attire."
Snape would have preferred to sweep out of the room in fury but had to settle on a limp.
"And that brings me to another matter," Dumbledore raised his voice to address the hall. "Last night I did some study regarding dual-house pupils, and what I discovered astonished me. This was once not only done, it came close at one point to being a standard, building school unity to a degree we have not seen in a very long time. This year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor will share most, if not all, of their classes together. The students of these will quite naturally know each other better, and be more prepared to make friends. Points awarded or taken away from a dual-house student will benefit or penalize both houses equally, and that should give them an excellent start, being up thirty points each on the first day. Ranko and the two Patils are entitled to wear both sets of House colors, come and go from the dorms of each as they please, and in all other respects enjoy the membership of both Houses. The only slightly odd thing would be if they wished to join a Quidditch team, in which case the only adjustment we would need to make would be they could not compete in any games against the other house to which they also belong."
While he was talking Ukyo bent low and gathered up several teeth with her napkin, slipping them into a pocket still wrapped in paper so they wouldn't stain her dress.
A little Ravenclaw, sitting at Ukyo's elbow with a wand stuck behind her ear, wrote calmly while all this was going on, apparently unruffled by all that had occurred around her. A heavy camera lay at rest in her skirted lap.
After a while Professor McGonagall entered the room and began to hand out listings of each student's course schedules for the upcoming year. True to Dumbledore's word, all of Ravenclaw's classes were shared with Gryffindor, except for Herbology. But where one of those two Houses had Herbology the other had a free period and vice versa.
"This should be easy." Ukyo blinked at her class list. "We get to stay with Ranchan all day, it looks like. And we start today with Magical Defense! That's your mother's class, isn't it?"
"I think so. She told me this morning about changing the name of it."
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Lionheart
(Posted Tue, 09 Aug 2005 01:40)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.