The corridor outside the empty classroom smelled faintly of dust and candlewax. Corvus arrived early and took a seat at the small table Dumbledore had arranged for this meeting, his fingers idly tracing the rim of the teacup. He liked punctuality. At 4:50 the castle buzzed low with it's usual late afternoon activities, at five on the dot the door knocked faintly and Arthur Weasley appeared. A worried expression etched to his face. Dumbledore followed him a breath later, moving with the easy, slightly theatrical calm.
Dumbldore took his seat next to Mr. Weasly, which made Corvus to raise an eyebrow. "I was not informed you'd be joining as well, Headmaster," Corvus said flatly. "On what capacity you will be with here today, Headmaster or the Chief Warlock? For I doubt an issue between to families be of any concern to Supreme Mugwump." he asked, folding his hands.
Albus gave his signature, grandfatherly smile. "I'm joining at Mr. Weasley's request as a mediator, Heir Black."
Corvus's lips twitched. "I wonder," he said. "Should I call for Lord Black for the same role?" he asked and Arthur's face went a little pale. "This is a meeting between Houses Black and Weasley. Bringing a third party without notice is discourteous and if curtesy is already out of the window.. demand of house black stands as it is. I want Fred and George Weasley expelled and arrested for attempted assassination. I believe, Chief Warlock have the legal capacity of being the hand of justice. At least on arresting the culprits."
Arthur made a sound like a small animal being sat upon. Dumbledore raised a hand to smooth the air. "Heir Black, surely.."
"Surely you would like me to forgive and forget, Headmaster?" Corvus interrupted. He looked at Dumbledore with eyes that offered no charity.
Albus did not flinch. "No. We deduct points. Add detentions. Make amends."
"Points and detentions?" Corvus asked, incredulity sharpening his words. "Do you think that poisoning a meal is a trifle? If you value the safety of your staff and students, do not ask for leniency. Do you want them to be left unpunished, Mr. Mediator?"
Arthur, trying to find purchase, spoke too quickly. "Heir Black.. they're children. It was a simple prank.. They didn't mean.."
"If you are not interested in protecting them, Azkaban is still available," Corvus interrupted, the threat precise. He called Tibby to serve tea with an almost bored tone.
Tea arrived in delicate cups. Corvus lifted a tiny vial from his mokeskin pouch and capered the lid off for effect, as if he were performing a minor flourish of etiquette rather than a menace. He dropped a single bead of basilisk venom into each of the steaming teacups and set them back on the table. Venom sizzling and smoking already.
"A little prank," he said, smiling in a way that did not reach his eyes. "If you wish to spare them, be my guest. Take a sip. See how your stomach answers your conscience."
Albus's expression changed like a sky clouded over. He made a swift movement, wand flicking. Both cups vanished in a blink. A polite, efficient vanishing that wasted no time on theatrics.
"Was that basilisk venom?" Albus asked quietly, more curiosity than accusation.
"Indeed. The strongest I have seen so far," Corvus answered. He watched Arthur closely as the older man's jaw dropped. Albus shook his head, the sorrow plain on his face. There was no middle ground with this young man.
Arthur's voice was nearly a whisper when he finally found it. "Heir Black… Fred and George are foolish, not murderous. Won't you… consider mercy?"
Dumbledore's tone gentled, the steel tucked behind velvet. "Is there nothing that would persuade you to reconsider, Heir Black?"
Corvus regarded him for a long, quiet beat, then smiled without warmly. "If you are offering a bribe, dear Mediator," he said as if talking on weather. "I am certainly bribeable. So would you like to start the negotiation for the future of an ally house or should I?" Albus simply sighed. He wondered which one of the burried skeleton's curse from his past made him work bringing this walking disaster to his school. He motioened for Corvus to continue with a gesture.
"There is one thing. Introduce me to Nicolas Flamel and secure no less than a month of private tutelage. Not a luncheon, not a tour of his library. Tutelage for this summer. You will place in my hands a signed letter of intent within a fortnight. In exchange, I will commute my demands. No Azkaban. No snapped wands. I will even spare Ronald Weasley." He added, the boy was talented enough to bring more trouble for himself and his litter.
A flicker calculating, passed behind the half moon spectacles. "Nicolas values his privacy," Albus said softly. "But I will arrange it. You have my word and you will have his letter within two weeks."
"Good," Corvus said. "Then we have an accord. The Weasley twins will repeat the year. A formal entry will be placed on their permanent records noting the attempted adulteration of a professor's meal. I believe they are already booked in detentions for this term. Instead of more detentions, they will apologize. Starting with Hogwarts elves. In addition, they will apologize before the faculty and student body for being insufferable bullies."
He turned his gaze to Arthur. "As for Ronald Weasley, you will issue a retraction for his slander during the troll incident and a written apology. Now that we have agreed on details, I have enough Weasley for a life time. Hopefully we will not meet again anytime soon Mr. Weasley he said and rose from his seat. As he was passing Dumbledore, he nodded politely. "A pleasure doing business with you Mr. Mediator" he said and gone out.
Arthur sagged with relief he barely dared to show. Turning to Albus "Thank you," he managed, hoarse. "I… thank you."
Dumbledore inclined his head, expression grave. "I will write to Nicolas tonight."
Outside, the castle carried on with its ordinary rhythm. A ghostly laugh from a portrait, a passing whisper of students hurrying to lessons. But for Arthur Weasley the world had narrowed. He would have to return home and explain in ways he had never needed to explain before. The tuition fees of the twins for another year was going to devastate their already demolished household economy. For Corvus though, another item had been checked off the ledger, lesson delivered, bargain struck, boundary set.
--
A month meant four chances to replicate the knowledge of the legendary Alchemist. The Weasley twins, by comparison, were barely a passing concern. Creative, yes, but immature and utterly unimportant in the grander scheme. Corvus had liked them once, as fictional characters in the books and movies of his former life. But reading about them and living among them were two very different things. When he thought of the Weasley brood, only the twins stood out at all. The eldest was an idiot to plan a wedding in the middle of a war, Charlie was barely a footnote, dragons and little else. Percy was the same pompous, spineless coward he remembered. The twins were bullies more than pranksters, entertaining for children perhaps, but tiresome in real life. Ron had been complicated in the novels, reduced to a jealous caricature in the films and irritating in both. And Ginny… the lovestruck brat who had been written as a heroine but read like a headache. Hopefully, after today, the red haired family would keep their distance.
His replication mark was ready. If fortune favored him, he would soon see Fawkes and acquire the phoenix's power of rebirth. For now, he decided to wait. If Dubmledore will not ask for a pirvate meeting about the power of love and mercy, there was always the diadem.
By the day's end, Albus didn't even appear for dinner. Corvus, consulting his enchanted map, saw the headmaster in his office. Shadow traveling to the seventh floor, he slipped into the Room of Hidden Things. It took some time but he found the diadem waiting, glimmering faintly under decades of dust. Cards manifested before his eyes. Each glowing in hues of blue and violet. Too minor to be worth a replication. He sighed and turned away, returning to the Room of Requirement.
When he asked the room for the runic structure that governed its magic, the air shimmered and a towering stack of nearly two hundred tomes appeared before him. Corvus chuckled. "Well," he muttered, asking for a wide armchair before a warm hearth, "they won't read themselves." Settling in, he opened the first book and began to read. He has time and Riddle was still playing boy scout in the Forbidden Forest, far from the castle.
It was well past midnight when Corvus finally returned to his chambers. Hogwarts after dark was a different creature now that students began at thirteen instead of eleven. He passed more than a few couples tangled together in broom closets and unused classrooms. The corridors buzzed with hormones and poor judgment. Corvus smirked faintly to himself. He wondered, not without amusement, how Madam Pomfrey was handling the inevitable increase in unwanted pregnancies.
--
Neville had informed Corvus that Dowager Longbottom would arrive at ten o'clock sharp. Once again, Dumbledore had arranged the same unused classroom for the meeting. Corvus, not happy with the setup of the venue summoned Pimsy, the elf responsible for keeping his classrooms immaculate and requested that the space be prepared. Within minutes, the once dusty room with a small table had transformed into an elegant meeting chamber complete with a polished table, upholstered chairs, and a faint scent of darkwood. Elves truly were some of the most remarkable beings in the wizarding world, he thought. A quick Tempus revealed the time, 09:50. "Always better to be early," he murmured, taking up one of the books he had copied from the Room of Requirement with the Geminio charm.
At precisely 09:55, Augusta Longbottom arrived, escorted by Professor McGonagall. The Dowager entered with her usual regal bearing, cane in hand, the lovely hat on top of her head and sharp eyes sweeping the room. Someone should inform her about the fashion she follows he thought. McGonagall's glare, however, was cold enough to freeze the Sahara. Corvus blinked, briefly wondering what on earth had triggered such hostility, then turned smoothly toward his guest.
"Dowager Longbottom," he greeted with a slight incline of his head. Polite, but carefully measured, neither servile nor dismissive.
"Heir Black," Augusta replied curtly, nodding in return.
As they took their seats, Tibby appeared and served tea. Augusta's brow arched as she eyed the elf's smart black and silver uniform. "I was under the impression that the Blacks were notoriously cruel to their servants," she remarked.
So much for a peaceful discussion, Corvus thought dryly. "If you refer to the unfortunate members of my family who currently residing in Azkaban," he said evenly, "please note that we are reviewing Sirius Black's case. As for Bellatrix, from what i could learn she was unstable, yes. But never the monstrous witch that she became. The marriage contract signed by my great uncle Cygnus III made her little more than a puppet in the hands of House Lestrange."
At the mention of Bellatrix, Augusta's expression hardened, fury simmering beneath her composed exterior. Corvus noted it and offered a faint, knowing smile. "Still, it would be poor manners to begin our conversation with barbs," he added, smiling lightly.
Augusta scoffed, unimpressed. Corvus resisted the urge to sigh. Perhaps this meeting had been a mistake after all. He had no patience for childish pride, even from one of the old guard.
"You asked for this audience, Dowager Longbottom," he said calmly. "How may I assist you?"
Augusta studied him for a long moment before replying, "Are you aware that I sit on the Hogwarts Board of Governors, Heir Black?"
Corvus inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I am."
"Then perhaps you can explain," she continued, voice sharp, "why you've seen fit to deduct hundreds of points from Gryffindor House."
"Lack of respect, discipline, and integrity," Corvus replied without hesitation. "Every deduction is justified. What is strange is not my enforcement of the rules but the staff's reluctance to uphold them. Though somehow, I doubt you asked for this meeting merely to discuss school discipline."
Augusta's lips tightened. She exhaled through her nose, steeling herself. "I want the Aetherveil Serum."
Corvus smiled faintly. "Then you may purchase it from any certified Potions Master."
"I want yours," Augusta pressed, her voice trembling only slightly. "Brewed by you. Administered by you."
Corvus met her gaze, eyes cool and unreadable. "I'm a busy man, Dowager Longbottom. However, I could make arrangements during the Yule break." His tone turned colder. "Now that we've clarified your request, allow me a question of my own. Why should I trouble myself for you at all? House Longbottom declared House Black its enemy long time ago. Your family has spent longer than I've been alive discrediting and vilifying us. Tell me, Dowager.. why exactly, should I comply?"