The Stars on the Staircase

The Headmaster's Spy

The students return to Hogwarts not with their usual hubbub but with quiet fearfulness. Those who are bold enough to be boisterous find themselves quickly confronted with the realities of the new Hogwarts. Severus is trying his best to keep the students out of trouble with the Carrows. I know his new rules about quietness in the corridors and moving through the hallways in orderly regimented solitude with one's cohort are intended to reduce the moments the Carrows will have to punish those who are seen to be out of line, but the students take these new rules as a punishment.

After our reconciliation we don't have another chance to be together in the first days of having students back. He is often busy up in his tower, but we frequently exchange mental pleasantries when we pass or at meal times. One evening only a few days into the term we pass in a corridor and he thinks to me "Carrow is up to something in the dungeon. Find out what. Take action if necessary." His face is always sombre but I note something in his eyes; worry. I slip down to the dungeons to find out what has Severus concerned.

I find Amycus Carrow in a sub basement. It is a deep, damp part of the castle that is not used for schooling. I had to follow the sounds of banging and shouting to find him. When I round the corner I stop in surprise. There are black vines grown up to the ceiling. In front of it are several cages filled with animals used to teach Defence Against the Dark arts, but normally you would not see so many in one place.

"Professor Carrow?" I yell, it was his shouting I had heard, and he walks out through one of the hedges clasping his hand in pain.

"What!?" He snaps.

"Do you need any assistance?" I ask.

"Finally you have removed your head from Flitwick's ass long enough to inquire after other teachers. Yes I need help! I want all these creatures inside this maze before the end of day. Tomorrow I want to have the students run the course."

I bite my tongue, I have asked him if he requires assistance every day since we were introduced. He has never expressed any interest in my assistance. "This is an educational exercise?" I ask. I like to act dumb around Amycus. He believes it, it's easy, and it makes him think I am nothing to worry about.

"Of course it's an educational exercise, you moron." He sneers with venom.

"For the 7th years?" I ask. There are all manner of things stacked up beside the maze.

"No, I intend to have all the students try their hand at it. There will be school wide rankings of time to finish. It will show us who our best students are."

"Those beasts there are taught in fourth and fifth year, that one sixth. Are we going to change which beasts are in the maze by year?" I try, willing him to understand that the maze is far too difficult for the younger students without questioning his decision making outright.

"Of course not. I just got burned letting something loose in there. I have no intention of going back in to get it out." He points his wand at his hand and casts something. If he intended a healing spell, it does not work. I bite my tongue. I could heal his hand. I won't. In short order I find out the depths of the maze problem. He wants my help releasing several nasty creatures into the middle of the thing.

The walls he has made are covered in some fast breeding devil's snare and I spy several filched bags of Sprout's personal blend of fertiliser dumped out nearby. Inside of his maze some of the floor is flooded and I can barely keep the angry grindylows off my feet, the just over ankle high water is not enough for them to comfortably live and breathe in, it makes them mean. They have so many places to hide amongst the vines that when they sneak out to bite you only have a fraction of a second to react. I cast a shield around my feet.