Jennifer Craw and the Cloak of Icarus

 

Chapter One

The Witch and her Family

 

  In the hours before dawn, in the blackness that shadowed the countryside in dim foreboding, two very unlikely figures met.  The first figure, tall and wearing a hooded robe cautiously stepped over to the other.  He was carrying a small item in his hand that appeared to pulse a wan green light in the darkness.  The other figure bowed slightly to the first, his eyes glittering with the apprehensible flicker of someone not completely sane.

  “It is done, m’Lord Wizard, yes done.  I took extra pains to see that she suffered long and well, just as requested.  A powerful witch she was, sir…yes very powerful, but no match for me.  I would have the book now, m’Lord, as you promised.”  The Muggle said.  But the wizard put up his hand.

  “Of course, of course.  But first, I would have the chest in my possession.  Then and only then will you receive your payment,” the hooded figure hissed.

  “Chest?” The Muggle licked his lips slightly.  “What chest?”

  “You fool!  Don’t play games with me!” the wizard snapped, the item in his hand pulsing green again.  It was matched by a reflection off the ring of the other, who recoiled slightly.  “The chest I told you to steal!  The reason I helped you escape in the first place!”

  “Sir, there was no chest.”

  “It has to be here,” the wizard hissed.  “I saw it moved here to France with my own eyes.  I must have it!  You had better not be playing games with me, Lorcan.  If I find out that you have tricked me, I will hunt you until the day you die.”

  “Hunting is my job, oh great Wizard,” the Muggle said acidly.  “To protect your lily white hands.  The chest is not there, but the witch is dead.  I request that you pay me now.” 

  “You do half the job, you get half payment,” the wizard said, handing him a small box with a shimmering globe inside.

  “I want that book!”  Lorcan snarled, his eyes flashing in a frenzied fashion.

   “Get me the chest and its contents, and I will give you the book.  Not before,” the figure said, Disapparating.

  Lorcan Dougal clenched his fists and then noticed they still had blood on them.  He licked his hands thoughtfully, still staring warily into the darkness.  Some day, the Wizard would regret trying to manipulate him.  Someday, they would all pay, and Lorcan would have vengeance on every high and mighty that had ever shunned him for being born a Muggle…

 

  The wizard Apparated, tearing off his hood and glancing at the other two wizards.

  “He didn’t get the chest,” he growled.  “But never mind.  Go tip the Enforcement off that the American serial killer is definitely here and give them his whereabouts.   In the meantime, recover the corpse.  We must honor Voldemort with a proper welcoming when he returns.”

  “Do you think he is really going to come back?” one of the others whispered.

  “His strength grows,” the wizard said, looking at his arm.  “And the Dark Mark’s reappearance at the World Cup this summer was not an accident.  I for one am taking some insurance along for when it happens.  Come, we must head back, I need to have a few words with our ‘dear’ Minister of Magic, Fudge.”

  “And what about her daughter?”

  “We can’t touch her while she’s at Beauxbatons.  We’ll just have to bide our time for now,” the wizard said.  He, of course, had not expected that ‘she’ would have been asked to teach at Hogwarts.

 

  So much had changed for Jennifer Craw in the years since she had taught at Beauxbatons.  She had been so young…okay, maybe she was still young…but she was far from the naïve Professor that had first stepped off a Pegasi-driven coach and landed on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  If anyone would have tried to tell her then that in five years time she would be one of the most famous Witches in Europe, if not the world, let alone being happily married with an adopted twelve-year-old Muggle-born son, she would have been surprised to say the very least.  But as incredible as that might seem, that was the life now of Jennifer Craw Snape.

    It was the middle of summer, and Jennifer was finally starting to adjust to both the married life and the life of a parent after a month and a half of chaos.  Her small two-room cottage (which they had affectionately named the Broom Closet) had been magically renovated to include a new upper story with a bedroom for Corey as well as several other spare rooms for later additions.  Downstairs a cozy living room with a large fireplace welcomed guests as they entered from the front porch, its walls covered with floor to ceiling bookshelves.  Just a couple paces away sat the bar that separated the kitchen area from the rest of the room where Jennifer sat to read or to just think.  Often she would open the glass door to the garden, which had been set opposite the front one, to let in the cool fresh breezes from the ocean.  To the right of the kitchen was another pair of doors, one leading to the master bedroom and the other leading down to the basement, where Severus Snape spent much of his quiet time.  The basement had always been the best part of the house.  It was larger than the cottage itself, delved deep into the cliff where the cottage lay, making a perfect spot for a potion lab and private work area.

  Jennifer knocked on the door of the basement as she looked over her shopping list one last time before getting a small purse out of the cabinet.  She frowned, glancing at the door impatiently for a moment.  Wondering if she had been heard she opened it and carefully latched it back to the wall hook, even taking the extra precaution of setting a chair in front of it to make doubly sure it wouldn’t shut.  Cautiously she stepped halfway down dark the narrow staircase, just far enough so that when she sat she could clearly see the tall, dark-clothed man huddled over one of the tables.  He had just started to let his midnight black hair grow out, tied in a small tail, and his intense black eyes were focused on a set of boiling decanters in front of him.  Despite his sharp features and chiseled nose that often made his students shrink away before he even spoke a word.  Jennifer had always been drawn by his presence.  Oh, perhaps he wasn’t the easiest person in the world to live with at times; his stoic manner and gruff opinions didn’t endear him to many people.  But there had never been any doubt since the day she first saw him that he had been exactly what she was looking for.  She couldn’t possibly imagine being with anyone else.  Severus Snape suddenly blinked at the sound of a sigh and looked up at her with slight surprise.

  “Sorry, didn’t hear you.  Are you coming the rest of the way down?”  Severus asked, turning down the burners.  Jennifer glanced up at the open door above and then around the dimly lit basement, shaking her head. 

  “No, I’d rather not,” Jennifer admitted.  “I just wanted to let you know I’m going to go to the market and pick up the boys from the broom park.”

  “I have a better idea,” Severus said, coming over to the stairs and leaning over her with an almost sinister expression on his face that Jennifer knew very well.  “How about you send Mercy to the market and give the boys a bit more time to unwind and perhaps we can do some unwinding of our own?”

  “One of your phials is still boiling,” Jennifer pointed out.  “Besides, your sister and Sirius are coming over later, remember?”  Severus’ expression changed to one of annoyance, and Jennifer could read quite plainly that he did not want Sirius Black in his house.  “Oh come on, now, Severus, it’s Corey’s birthday tomorrow.  Can’t you give Sirius some slack?  Ever since the wedding, it’s like you’ve gotten angry at him all over again…” Severus sighed and quickly turned around, stepping down to take care of his potions.  “You two were almost getting along before Christmas.  Aren’t you going to explain what happened to make you mad at him again?  Is it because he’s dating Anna?”

  “I do not want to discuss it,” he said, taking the decanters off the heat and setting them aside to cool.

  “You never do,” Jennifer said, shaking her head.  “You know I’m not going to try and read your thoughts when you don’t want me there, but I still wish you’d talk to me about it.  Especially since I really do think they’re getting serious…” Severus growled softly.  “I’d better get to the market.  Listen for Essie, will you?”  Jennifer asked, heading back up the stairs.

 

  Grey Quarry Park wasn’t the size of Aviation Park, nor did they allow Snitches or Bludgers on the premises for fear that one would escape from the bottom of the quarry and seen by someone in the Muggle residences surrounding it.  Still it was close to home, and Corey Willowby often went there to play Chaserball or Aircricket with some of his friends.  Above the park shelter (complete with chimneys for transportation,) Corey sat sideways on a hovering broom alongside his two friends, Doug Brim and Taylor Brittle, taking a break between games.  It wasn’t his own broom, of course, but one rented at the small park rental office.  The fact that he had no broom of his own was Corey’s single preoccupation, especially with his birthday tomorrow.  He was hoping- even though he had already been told he wasn’t getting one yet- that perhaps something would give and his adopted parents would relent, giving him a broom now before the school year.  Doug, a shaggy brown-haired freckled boy and a fellow Gryffindor, was riding the brand new Cleansweep Ten he had gotten for his birthday.  Even Taylor Brittle had his own broom, even if it had been a hand-me-down from a cousin and Taylor could barely even ride it.  Taylor was more interested in books than sports.  The lanky nearsighted boy with the tiny but thick glasses and the fine, short dark hair was a Ravenclaw through and through, yet there was something about his quiet and thoughtful nature that made everyone seem to like him.

  Corey had always been the undisputed ringleader, and it was the opinion of the parents of the other two boys that their sons probably wouldn’t have gotten into so much trouble at school last year if it hadn’t been for Corey.  But the Snapes had been keeping a tight leash on the boy since he had come into their care, so other boys’ parents went ahead and allowed them to attend his sleepover.

    “It’s not easy living with newlywed parents,” Corey said.  “Not to mention ones that are professors that I have to actually put up with all year round and who know every single thing I do in school.  I have no hope of hiding anything from my mother, since she can read minds just by looking at someone.  Still, I haven’t regretted adopting them, even if they won’t let me have a broom yet.  Besides, someone has to keep those two out of trouble, and I promised Dumbledore that I’d try.”  Doug and Taylor looked over at him wondering if he was pulling their legs again.  “I have to read a chapter of some book or another every single day all summer long, and when I get back to school I have to finish all my homework…even the essays… all the way up to Christmas or they said they won’t get me a broom!  And if I don’t keep my marks up after that, Dad already told me he would have no trouble with taking it away.”

  “You actually call him Dad?” Doug asked, making a face.

  “Well, I didn’t really feel right calling him father,” Corey said quietly, “Because he isn’t, anymore than Craw could ever replace Mum, and yet, calling them by name didn’t feel right either, so she’s Mom.  I suppose it seems a bit silly to you.”

  “No, not really,” Doug said, feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about it.

  “What’s it like, I mean, having Professor Snape as a Dad,” Taylor asked before the silence got too uncomfortable.  He was still petrified of the man since last year’s Potion’s class, and was truly dreading to find out what having him for Defense Against the Dark Arts was going to be like.

  “Really, he’s not as bad as you think.  He never yells or carries on or anything like he does when he’s teaching.  Well, not unless I deserve it.  Besides, Mom always keeps him in line if he gets out of hand,” Corey explained.

  “Professor Craw is definitely one of the bravest people I know,” Doug said.  “And one of the most popular teachers…you know you’ll probably be pretty popular yourself this year.  Everyone knows they adopted you, even if you do have to act all proper to them in the school.  Just think about all the girls you might get!”

  “Don’t you ever think about anything besides girls?”  Corey snorted, punching Doug gently in the arm and almost throwing him off balance.

  “There’s something else besides girls?”  Doug asked, trying to get back on his broom.

  “Hi there, anyone want to play four person Chaserball?” A cheerful voice asked from behind them.  The three boys turned around to see someone sitting on a broom tossing a Quaffle around.  It was a girl. 

  “Hello there,” Corey smiled at her.  He had never seen her before, but she seemed to be about the same age as the rest of them.  She had dark brown hair, tied back out of the way in braids, and clear violet eyes that seemed to be sizing the other three up.  “I’m Corey Willowby, this is Doug Brim and Taylor Brittle.  We’re all going to be second years at Hogwarts.”

  “Really?  So am I,” the girl smiled.  “We’ve just got back from abroad, my father and I.  My name is Danyelle Nelson, but everyone just calls me Danny.  So, do you want to play or not?”

  “Sure, I’m game,” Doug said, and the other two nodded.

  “Good, I’ll take you on my team then since you’re the one with the good broom,” Danny said to Doug.  Corey and Taylor blushed noticeably.  “Shall we play?”

  Taylor quickly opted for the netkeeper position as did Doug, leaving Danny and Corey as Chasers.  Corey soon learned that Danny was a formidable opponent in the air as she quickly snatched up the Quaffle after the throw-in, making spins that Corey wasn’t sure he’d want to try even on a good broom.  Taylor, who had never been any good at this game was failing to make any stops, and it wasn’t long before Danny and Doug had reached the game point at 160.  It was then that Danny suggested a change, offering to take Taylor as a partner.  Corey then took the net position, and Doug the Chaser.  She stopped the game often to give Taylor a few pointers, and although it became increasingly annoying as often as they paused, Corey couldn’t help but admit that Taylor’s game had dramatically improved by the end.

  Jennifer Apparated beside the shelter and headed over to the field to track them down.  Spotting her, Doug waved at the others and four brooms alighted right beside her.  Jennifer looked at the girl with curiosity, smiling at her.  There was an air of confidence in her face that Jennifer thought was quite uncommon for a girl her age.

  “Professor Craw, this is Danyelle Nelson.  She’s going to Hogwarts this year in our class.  Danny, this is Professor Craw, she’s the potions master.”

  “You’re Jennifer Craw, the professor who led the Unicorns during the Azkaban Revolt and helped Harry Potter defeat Voldemort last year?  It is an honor to meet you!  I say, though, I was expecting someone older as accomplished as you are!”  The girl said with amazement.

  “Yes, well, we all have our faults, I suppose,” Jennifer chuckled lightly.  “Well!  It’s nice to meet you.  Looking forward to seeing you at Hogwarts,” she waved hastily.  “We’d better be going, boys, I think the ice cream is beginning to melt,” she said, coaxing them over to the booth so Corey could turn in his broom.

  “Professor,” Doug asked when they turned to head to the shelter, “how come you never want to talk anytime anyone brings up any of the things you’ve done?”

  “Is it that obvious?” Jennifer chuckled, glancing at him.  “To be perfectly honest. Doug, it all seems rather silly to me.  One moment they treat me like I’m the worst person on the planet, and the next they act as if I could do no wrong.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather people judge me by who I am not by what they’ve heard I’ve done, one way or the other,” she sighed, handing them pinches of floo powder.

  “You know, Mom, I think that’s exactly why you and Harry are so famous,” Corey said, holding his hand out for his powder.

  “Why’s that Corey?” Jennifer sighed, pausing to look at him.

  “Because you don’t want to be,” Corey chuckled.

  “An expert at social psychology and he won’t even turn twelve until tomorrow,” Jennifer shook her head with a chuckle, nudging him into the fireplace.

 

  Corey’s sister Essie was there when they arrived, looking at photos from the album she found in the living room.  She was a quiet, very intelligent girl with copper hair that curled around her head like a cap and large grey eyes.  There was a cherubic look to her, so much so that she often used it to her advantage to explain away her trips to the cottage to her aunt.  Their aunt had unjustly turned upon Corey when his parents had been killed by Dark Wizards; blaming all magic folk for their deaths, including her nephew.  So Jennifer had adopted him, and their Aunt Rebecca Hunter had forbid Essie to see him.  Fortunately, their aunt had not come to realize that Corey was living right next door, and Jennifer and Severus had passively allowed for the two to meet and had even the Ministry’s sanction to do it.

  It wasn’t long after the four of them began to talk that Jennifer heard a loud noise as a two-wheeled Muggle contraption pulled up on the road outside the cottage.  Severus poked his head out of the doorway of the basement, frowning in irritation as Jennifer let in Sirius Black, followed closely by Severus’ half-sister, Anna Hughes, carrying several flat boxes and some soda.

   Born Titiana Snape, Anna Hughes had been only five when her mother and father had been murdered.  She had been sent to the States to live with her Muggle grandparents, and she had been thought to be Muggle born.  Suddenly about five years ago the thirty-year-old woman had begun to show signs of magic ability.  At first the events had been so subtle that they had been discounted.  But as it became clear that Anna’s abilities were not only strengthening but also displaying unusual qualities, Dumbledore had her moved to be near to the school so that she could learn to adapt to her newfound talents.  She was an Aethermage; one of those rare humans born not with magic, but of magic.  It was not all that surprising that it had been discounted for so long, being so different from the mainstream witch.  But being already well established in her life outside of the magic world, it had been hard for Anna to adjust to this twist of fate.  But soon she found a way to combine her talents by working with the Ministry as one of their Muggle correspondents for criminal cases that crossed into both worlds.

  Sirius looked around the cottage curiously for it was his first time inside.  He was a tall man, nearly as tall as Severus, in his late thirties with hair nearly as dark.  It was there all similarities ended.  His steel grey eyes, long haunted by his years in Azkaban, had begun to calm over the last year, gaining back a mischievous twinkle that many who had known him before had thought lost forever.  Now that Voldemort was gone and Harry out of school, he had begun to get back into his former job of finding suitable neighborhoods and buying real estate for wizard families.

    “Hello, Sirius!  Hello Aunt Anna!  Yay, pizza!” Corey said as the other three filed out behind him.

  “Of course, what’s a sleepover without pizza?”  Anna grinned.

  “One that doesn’t need heartburn antidote?” Severus offered.  Jennifer chuckled at him.

  “Don’t worry, Mercy made some sandwiches,” she assured her husband.

  “Good, I’ll be in the lab,” Severus said, taking out a plate and heading into the basement.

  “Well I see some things haven’t changed,” Sirius said dryly.  “So how’s life with the old dragon?  He retreat to his lair often?”  Anna was gave him a freezing look.

  “I have never been happier, thank you for asking,” Jennifer said with a beaming smile, stealing several bottles of Coke from the coffee table.  “And I’d recommend married life to anyone who wants to try it.”  Anna’s freezing look was suddenly turned on Jennifer.  “Thank you for bringing these!  I was almost out, and nobody will touch my attempts at making it myself.”

  “The stuff will make you burp for hours,” Corey quipped from the front room.  “But it doesn‘t taste anything like Coca-cola, let alone Fizzle drinks.”

  “I’ll get it eventually,” Jennifer said with determination, then glanced over at Anna’s face.  “What?”

  “Jennifer, you’re just going to have to give up and accept that there are some things Muggles can do that you can’t,” Anna said, shaking her head out her.

  “Like build motorcycles,” Corey chimed in.  “Can you take me for a ride sometime?”

  “No,” Jennifer said firmly, “Severus would hang us both up by our toes for that one.”

  “Yeah, but it’s kind of fun when he does that,” Corey grinned.  Sirius snickered.

  “Corey, why don’t you take one of those up to your room and eat,” Jennifer suggested.

  “Mind if I come up and see your room?” Sirius asked.  “I know you’ve added onto the place and I’m curious to see what you’ve done with it so far.”

  “Sure, Sirius, come on.  You can see my card collection.  I have the entire Hogwarts series now,” Corey said excitedly.  Sirius winked at Anna as the boys headed up the stairs, following behind.

  “I’m still trying to get the hang of this parenting thing,” Jennifer said to Anna with exasperation.  Anna grabbed a couple of pieces of pizza and went over to sit at the bar with Jennifer.  “So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?  I know Sirius didn’t clear out just to check out our renovations.”

  “I take it you didn’t see today’s Daily Prophet?” Anna asked.

  “Anna, you know how I feel about that paper after what happened last year,” Jennifer shook her head at Anna, sitting down at the bar.

  “Well, you’d better look at this one…Ron Weasley wrote it,” Anna added, showing her the paper.  Jennifer inhaled sharply as she read the headline:  Recently Revived Former Minister Fudge Claims Macnair Responsible: Raises Evidence Questions on Malfoy Trial.  Color began to seep out of Jennifer’s face as she looked at Anna’s serious expression.  So much for the hopes of it being a quiet year.

 

 

Chapter Two

Preparations

 

  Jennifer’s thoughts wandered back to when Anna had taken her shopping out in Muggle London.  It had been then during a chaotic flight away from local agents after Sirius that Jennifer had found herself facing Cornelius Fudge, someone whom everyone had suspected was dead after his disappearance two years before.  He had tried to cast a spell on her as she stood in the Muggle crowd…in fact; he had tried to kill her, for what reason Jennifer could only guess.  One reason was quite likely his association with Lucius Malfoy, whom Jennifer helped to put in jail.  Several of the items used to prove his guilt as a Death Eater had been directly connected to Fudge’s disappearance.   

  Part of the charges pertaining to manipulating court documents relied on the evidence found by the Ministry and notes made on it by an inkwell owned by Malfoy.  But according to the paper, Fudge claimed that a different Death Eater, Macnair, had forged the documents and then threatened to get rid of them, and that he actually had possession of the inkwell, buying it from the pawn and apparently selling it back.  Considering that Vallid brought to the attention that the pawn records were tampered with, there was enough question to make that a possibility…Jennifer shook her head.  A well thought out explanation, perhaps, but Jennifer didn’t buy it, not even for a moment.  She knew only too well that Malfoy had been responsible for the falsified records.

  Jennifer went over to the basement and rapped a pattern of knocks on the door before sitting back down on the stool beside Anna.  A moment later, Severus appeared and Jennifer handed him the paper.

  “So I suppose this is going to give Malfoy more leverage for an appeal,” Jennifer sighed, drumming her fingers on the bar.

  “I’m afraid that’s not all.  Malfoy’s lawyers are contending that his outburst during Vallid’s questioning of him before the trial was due to stress and that it was a forced confession…” Anna went on.

  “It was nothing of the sort.  I can’t see how they could even profess that with as many witnesses there were to the contrary,” Jennifer said, feeling her temper rise.  “He blew up because he found out that Severus was on our side, nothing else prompted it.”

  “Malfoy’s team is also accusing Audacious Belle of trial misconduct,” Anna said.  Jennifer and Severus both grimaced knowingly.  “Since it came out that she was helping the Ivory Skull, who admitted to trying to kill Malfoy, he claims that his defense was tainted, and that she had purposefully advised against certain lines of questioning solely to protect herself and not in his best interests.  If she’s found guilty it may be grounds for a retrial.”

  “Retrial, nothing, she may lose her Auror and Truth-seeking licenses,” Jennifer said, feeling horrible.  “I should never have let her get involved in this.”

  “Audi was over her head in the matter before any of us knew about it,” Severus pointed out.

  “Vallid asked me to head back to the States to help her finish a few Muggle cases we were working on, and the three of us will head back here together in a week or so,” Anna said.  “But even if we’re held up, I promise I’ll be back in time for Corey to stay with me when you two head back to Hogwarts.”

  “What a day.  First Fudge reappears and now this, what else is going to go wrong?”  Jennifer said kneading her forehead.

  “It’s really not all that surprising,” Severus said.  “Fudge is far from the only person to have recently ‘reappeared’ of late.  Quite a few others who feared Voldemort’s wrath have returned over the last month, and I wouldn’t doubt that the general public counts Fudge as one of those who disappeared for similar reasons,” he mused.  “It was also only a matter of time before Lucius decided to make a move again.  Now that Voldemort is gone, Malfoy has lost his best reason to run things from his safe, comfortable cell.  He’ll be doing everything in his power to get out.”

  A loud rumble thundered from somewhere above, and Jennifer glanced over at the living room just as one of the bookcases swung open and Sirius appeared, glancing up the stairs before letting the bookcase gently swing back into place.

  “That’s quite an addition you got up there, three bedrooms and a suite?  Taking on boarders?  Although, those stairs are pretty loud.  If you want, I can do something about…”

  “We like them loud,” Severus said curtly.  “And it’s none of your business.”

  “Severus,” Jennifer chuckled lightly at him, shaking her head.  “Your sister needs to know, at least. We’re hoping to start on family additions this year, so we went ahead and had them add a couple of bedrooms and living quarters for a nanny since we had to add a room for Corey anyhow.”

  “Wow, you two aren’t wasting much time are, you?”  Sirius said, looking between them.  “What about the school board?  You’re going to try to work, aren’t you?”

  “Dumbledore already said he’d deal with the board,” Jennifer explained.  “And Severus has worked out a schedule so that my downtime will be during the summers, and we’re going to have all four of them close together to make it easier later on.”’

  “Four of them?” Sirius blinked.  “I feel sorry for the nanny already.  Four Snape children, boy I hope they don’t all take after their father.”  Severus stared coldly at Sirius, and Jennifer saw from Severus’ expression he was contemplating throwing him out, Corey’s birthday or not.

  “At least we don’t run the risk of having puppies,” Severus said.  Jennifer and Anna quickly exchanged glances and Anna grabbed Sirius’ arm before he had a chance to reply.

  “We’d better be going, getting late, we’ll see you tomorrow,” Anna said as Sirius stood, still squinting slightly at Severus.

  “Bring his leash so we can tie him out in the backyard for awhile if he starts getting in the way,” Severus suggested.

  “Severus!”  Jennifer glared at him, folding her arms.  He went back to reading the paper, ignoring everyone.

  “Ha, I may be a dog, but at least I’m not a whipped one,” Sirius said as a parting shot on the way out the door.  Anna waved to Jennifer and followed behind him, fully determined to correct that.

 

  After Corey’s birthday, Jennifer turned her thoughts on getting ready for the next school year.  It was nearly the end of July and time to start thinking about work again.  Since the Professors had to be there two weeks before term, Corey would have to stay with his Aunt Anna when Jennifer and Severus left.  So Jennifer, supply list in hand, shuffled Corey and herself off to Diagon Alley.

  The first stop was Flourish and Blotts for books, and Jennifer was soon greeted by several Hogwart’s students who were also in there getting their own books for the upcoming term.  

  “Professor Craw!  Are you really coming back to teach Potions this year?”  Harold Gimler asked excitedly.

  “Yes, I am.  Professor Snape will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Jennifer told him with a smile.

  “I wondered why we had new Defense books this year,” sighed Sisna Gail, one of the girls from Corey’s second year class, tapping the new copy of Diligence Against Dark Creatures.  “This book is twice the size of the older one and full of charts and such.  I bet he’ll expect us to memorize those,” she added glumly.

  “Professor, where are you getting your ingredients this year?”  Harold asked.  “My mother is ordering ours from a catalog this year because she thinks the new apothecary is too expensive.  And did you hear who owns it?  Draco Malfoy!  It was a graduation present from his mother.”

  “No, I hadn’t heard about that,” Jennifer said thoughtfully.  “Draco is still on the Sentinels, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, as an alternate,” Sisna nodded.  “Finch-Finley got a position on the regular team already though, he was in here earlier with his little brother.  He’s hoping to get transferred to our team next year.”

  “Draco’s in the shop right now, being its first week open,” Harold said.

  “Well then, we’ll have to go in and say hello, won’t we, Corey?”  Jennifer smiled.  Corey’s face told her all too clearly that he didn’t think having Draco Malfoy filling his potion kit would be a smart idea.  He verbalized the protest the moment they left the bookshop.

  “Can’t we go to the one in Knockturn Alley?”

  “Go to Sludgebats?  Absolutely not, you know what your father’s opinion of that place is.  Besides, I don’t want you down there until you’re at least sixteen,” Jennifer frowned at him, picking up the pace.

  “We’re really not going to buy anything in there, are we?”  Corey asked, hurrying to catch up.

  “I said I’d stop in to say hello so that’s what I’m going to do.  As to buying anything, we’ll just have to see,” Jennifer told him, then opened the door.

  The new apothecary had been built on the same location as the one had been, freshly painted and clean.  Several students and parents were standing in line and they all looked curiously up when Jennifer and Corey walked in.  Harold’s mother was right; the prices were a tad higher, but Jennifer was less worried about that when it came to ingredients and more about quality.  Corey had gone straight to the bins, tugging on her sleeve a moment later to get her attention.  She reached into the Sleepsand bin and pinched a few grains between her fingers before brushing them off.

  “What do you think, Corey?” She said softly, wondering if he caught the same inconsistencies she had.

  “It’s very gritty, nothing usable in a sensitive potion,” Corey whispered back.

  “I agree, mediocre at best, and at that price too,” Jennifer sighed.  “Good enough for basic student potions, I suppose.  But there’s no way I’d bring that home, your father would never let me live it down.” Corey grinned knowingly at her.

  “Good morning, Professor Craw, can I get you anything?” a voice asked from behind her.  Jennifer turned to see Vincent Crabbe standing nearby.  Jennifer smiled warmly at him.

  “Actually, not today, I just stopped by to look around and say hello to Draco.  I didn’t know you were working here as well, it’s good to see you,” Jennifer said shaking his hand.  

 “Well, if it isn’t Jennifer Craw,” said Draco Malfoy, appearing from the back.  Draco, Lucius Malfoy’s son, looked a good deal like his father only slimmer and a tad fairer of face.  His eyes had a calculating glint to them, looking over at his old professor thoughtfully.  He had good reason to be wary, Jennifer supposed, for although she had always done everything she could to treat him like the rest of her students, the fact that she had testified against her father had always left a visible strain on their relationship.  They certainly didn’t like each other but approached one another with a precarious, reluctant respect.  Corey Willowby’s opinion of him was a different story; his expression didn’t even try to hide the extreme dislike he had of Draco.  Draco in return pretended as if he didn’t exist, feeling that he didn’t have to associate with such ilk no matter who had taken him in.  “I hear you secured a position as the Hogwarts’ Potion master this year?”

  “Yes, I have.  I’m quite looking forward to it,” Jennifer smiled.  “I came to say hello and see your new shop, it’s quite impressive, and successful, from the looks of it,” she added.

  “Well, when you are ready to get your supplies, just let us know.  We have a premium grade selection now as well as regular stock, for serious work.  Oh, and if I’m not here, just ask for Crabbe, he’s the manager.  He’ll make sure you get the Hogwarts discount,” Draco said, glancing at Crabbe with a slight smile.

  “Thank you, Draco, I’ll keep that in mind.  Good luck and good day to you,” Jennifer smiled, nudging Corey out the door.  She didn’t exhale until they were halfway to Ollivander’s.  “Well, their live ingredients looked alright, if not a bit on the small side.  But that’s about as far as I’ll go with it.”

  “You think the Hogwarts discount is more, or less than the regular price?”  Corey chuckled.

  “Oh, I’m sure he’d give me a decent discount just so he could tell his customers I shop there,” Jennifer said.  “I definitely don’t want to endorse them if I don’t have to.  Then again, it’ll be good practice for my classes when I cover potency and detecting inferior products,” she said, a smile suddenly curling on her lips.  “Now, how about we go to Ollivander’s next?”

  Jennifer stepped into Ollivander’s Wand Shop with both excitement and apprehension.  At last, she was going to get her own wand.  She had started with a cursed wand made for her infamous ancestor Mallus Craw, then had borrowed a wand from Dumbledore that she later found out belonged to Ravenclaw.  Since she returned it, she had been using Severus’ and Corey’s wand (mostly Corey’s, because being a Focus Caster he hardly ever used it.)  She had never had one of her own before.  Ollivander appeared out of the back…brightening the moment he saw them.

  “There you are, I had wondered when you would return, Professor Craw.  Hello there, Mr. Willowby…the Focus Caster with the Toadwart wand, correct?  So, are you here for your wand, Professor?”

  “With any luck,” Jennifer chuckled.

  “Well then, let’s see what we have in Unicorn and go from there, shall we?”  He said, getting down a box.  Jennifer, forever plagued by Unicorns in her life, could see the sense in that, but after waving the wand he looked at her thoughtfully.  “I think it could work for you, but I don’t think that’s the right one,” he decided, getting down another box.

  Corey had been quite interested in the entire process for the first dozen wands or so.  That was when he began to lose interest, sitting on a small stool as he watched the pile of wands get higher and higher on the table.  Jennifer for her own part was also getting impatient, for each wand had the same result…usable, but not quite right.  If she could use the wand what else mattered, she wondered with frustration, as Ollivander brought another handful of boxes down.  It was when Severus came in looking for them that Jennifer realized how long they had been there, glancing at him glumly as he gazed confusedly at the overflowing desk of boxes.

  “Oh, so that is what is taking you so long?  Had to be difficult, did you?”  Severus said expressionlessly as he stepped over to them.

  “Impossible is more like it,” Jennifer sighed grumpily.  “I can use them all, but none of them want to bother with me.”

  “I believe it is probably because she has gone so long without one truly her own, and having been given a very powerful wand years before she should have been trained to have one,” Ollivander said at last.  “Whatever the cause, I think it’s safe to say that I do not have the wand you are looking for.  You may, in fact, need to get one especially made for you.  Have you considered trying Grendelbane’s?”

  “Grendelbane’s?  The Grendelbane’s?  Oh no,” Jennifer said in complete surprise.

  “If you can’t find a wand here…and you are only the second person I’ve ever had no success in finding a wand…then to Grendelbane’s you should go,” Ollivander said.

  “Thank you for all of your time.  I am sorry for all the trouble,” Jennifer said, but he held up his hand with a smile.

  “I wish you only the best, Professor Craw.  Good afternoon, Mr. Willowby, Professor Snape,” he said, as the boxes began to replace themselves on the shelf.  Severus put a hand on Jennifer’s shoulder on the way out the door.

  “We may as well head towards Myrkinbrek now.  No use putting it off any longer,” Severus said, heading towards the bank.

  “Myrkinbrek?”  Corey asked.

  “It’s a Goblin merchant town, very expensive.  I expect if you want a broom this year you’ll be on your best formal behavior,” Jennifer said.  “I should probably get into the Craw vault for this trip,” she added with a sigh.

  “Very well, why don’t you go do that and I’ll take Corey to my vault and we’ll meet at the entrance plaza,” Severus suggested as they walked to the bank.

Chapter Three

The Beard Wand

 

  Gringotts Bank had a Myrkinbrek branch with a cart rail in between so customers in good standing could get a ride straight from their vault into the town.  Jennifer loved the carts but despised being underground, and in fact did everything in her power to avoid it when possible.  What made it even worse was the fact that her inheritance, a ‘pitiful’ (in her father’s opinion) remnant from the Craw estates was on one of the lowest levels.  But the mining carts moved through the twisting rails and a rapid pace and it wasn’t long before Jennifer had climbed out and into the large vault that was stuffed with heirloom pieces, art, and coins.  It was only the second time she had gotten in it since they were married; the first had been the renovations on the cottage.  She had no idea how much she needed, but opted for the direct approach of quickly shoving as much coin into the two pouches she brought.  Satisfied she had more than enough, she hurried back out and leapt into the cart, already feeling as if she were suffocating and desperately wanting a breath of fresh air. 

  The route to town was very long, but the sensations of the zooming cart she was in helped to keep her mind off how low in the ground she was.  After a countless number of twists and turns she found herself in a narrow tunnel that seemed to go on forever, lit only by the lanterns on the cart itself.   Finally a burst of light hit her eyes as they turned a sharp corner and stopped, and she was ushered out of the cart into a wide cavern filled with sunlight coming from just beyond.  Jennifer stepped out under a large glass-domed circular plaza, bustling with people.  A train station, port key platform, even several chimneys converged here as people traveled in and out of the town proper.  The plaza seemed to have been purposely built around the cavern that the bank carts came out of, which was directly opposite a wide cobbled path that led directly out of the plaza into the merchant district.  Chiseled deep within the rock of the cave in precise lettering and gilt in gold was the name Gringotts, as if there had been any doubt from the line of tellers and carts that it could have been anything else.

  Breathing deeply to recover from her trip, and glancing briefly at the gloriously blue sky, Jennifer looked back at the bank again to see Corey and Severus coming out and she walked over to join them. 

  She had been five when she had last been to this district, and Jennifer couldn’t help but think it was even larger and more overwhelming than what she had remembered.  Crystal equipment shops, watch shops, and charmed item shops sat on every corner, as well as jewelers, antique and collection shops, kitchen shops, and everything in between.  Corey’s keen eye spotted the sports and toyshop while Jennifer decided to veer to the right so she could pass the kitchen shop.  But just before they got separated Severus reeled them in with a firm hand on Jennifer’s shoulder and a quick grab to Corey’s collar.

  “Let’s all try to remember why we’re here, shall we?  Jennifer, why don’t you go on to Grendelbane’s, and I will take Corey for a walk so you can choose a wand in peace,” Severus said, nodding her in the right direction, while nudging Corey in another.  Jennifer nodded to him and stepped into the crowd, following her nose down the street.

  Grendelbane’s Wand Shop was at the far end of the district where the older businesses were; many of them open for several hundred years.  Grendelbane’s even predated that, being one of the three oldest businesses there.  It was a quaint gabled shop of only one story, with a homey, whitewashed, country appearance, complete herb flowerboxes in the windows.  But despite its modest storefront, Jennifer couldn’t help but feel a rush of awe as she approached, knowing it was the most prestigious wand shop in the world.

  She opened the door and entered as the bell just above her head chimed softly.  A low counter separated her from an intricate collection of labeled drawers, while along one wall next to her in latticed racks were partially prepared heartwoods of every sort of wood that Jennifer could imagine.   A glass case on the other wall displayed a fancy array of wands, some of them made with precious metals and covered with jewels and others made with intricate carvings along the sides or particularly tricky enchantments.  As she was gazing in the case, a long willow wand quite plain in appearance suddenly leapt out of it and flew across the room.  Jennifer watched in amazement as the wand pointed itself at the bell and it began to ring loudly and emphatically.  Jennifer wondered if the shop didn’t have a resident poltergeist.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming, you troublesome wand!  You know I’m in the middle of a component set, they could have waited,” a scratchy voice said from the back.  The wand, satisfied that it had done its job, bobbed slightly as it walked around Jennifer, almost as if it was pacing around her to get a good look at her.  She wasn’t quite sure what it was up to, but she had a feeling it liked her…although she could hardly be too sure of a wand that had somehow managed to acquire its own personality.  She had never seen anything like it.  She heard someone clear his throat and turned to see an old goblin with fiery black eyes surveying her with intense scrutiny.

  “So, you’ve contrived to somehow make an impression on the Beard Wand, have you?  Well talent isn’t everything, you know.  Gold might be,” the goblin added, watching her carefully.  “I am Grendelbane the Eighteenth, current proprietor.”

  “My name is Jennifer Craw Snape,” she said, emphasizing the Craw part of the name.  Evidently it was enough proof she had money, for the goblin’s face brightened considerably.  “Ollivander highly recommended this place, I was having trouble being fitted for my first wand.  I started with an heirloom wand and never got my own.”  Suddenly the wand tapped her on the shoulder and slipped into her hand, waving itself erratically.  “Might I buy this one?” she asked.

  “That wand is NOT for sale, that is the shop’s familiar,” he said in a curt firm voice.  “Even if it were, I’m sure you couldn’t afford it.  That is the Beard Wand.  Besides, as you can see, its behavior is quite erratic and I doubt you can handle it.  There are times when even I cannot handle it.  That wand was not meant to be tamed.”  The wand must have understood every word, because it pointed at Grendelbane causing his coat to break out in polka dots.  Jennifer suddenly found herself having trouble keeping a straight face.  “What components have been in your wands in the past?”  He asked, bringing out a wand maker’s compendium.

  “Banshee hair and Unicorn mane hair, although I have had marvelous luck with all wands…” The Beard Wand suddenly tapped her shoulder and made a sweeping movement as if bowing.  Not quite sure what it was up to, she curtsied in return, and excitedly it went to the case and turned on a music box.  Not quite knowing how to dance with a wand but willing to give it a go, Jennifer put her right hand on the tip of the wand and let it lead her around the floor.

  “Fine, keep her occupied then, as if I could stop you.  Dratted wand.  I knew my father hated me.   If he didn’t he would have given the shop to my brother,” Grendelbane grumbled, using a ruler to go down the book.

  “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to get carried away, but it really is an amazing wand,” Jennifer said after the dance, heading back over to the counter with a grin.  The wand tapped her on the hand and a bouquet of flowers appeared in it.

  “If you can cast with any wand we need not worry about the conductivity, so you can probably pick any wood you like.  I’m sure by your age you have settled into a preferred length?”

  “Twelve and three quarters please,” Jennifer said swiftly, missing the feel of her first wand.  “As for wood…” she glanced over at the woods to see the Wand over there already scanning them, pointing one out to her, she took a couple steps over looking thoughtful, then nodded, “black rosewood?”  The Goblin scrutinized them carefully.

  “Oh, very well, who am I to argue with a wand?” he said with obvious exasperation.  But it was as the wand went over to the drawers where his rarest magical components were kept that he finally lost his temper.  The Wand opened a drawer and Grendelbane shut it with a snap, glaring at it.  The moment Grendelbane went to reach for a different drawer, the Wand did it again.  “No, no, NO, this is where I put my foot down.  It is not your place to pick out what is best. It is mine!  Go back to your case and stop bothering me!”  The Goblin snarled.  The Wand had taken a dangerous position, as if threatening to zap the old wandmaker, but the Goblin stared stubbornly back at it as if daring it to continue.  Just then the chime of the bell alerted them to someone entering and the Wand suddenly shot over at the person coming in the door.  It was Albus Dumbledore.

  The Headmaster of Hogwarts smiled warmly at Jennifer, but had only taken a step when the wand demanded his attention, tugging on the sleeve of his robe insistently.

  “Yes, yes, Beard Wand, what is it, he isn’t arguing with you again, is he?  You’d think he’d know better by now,” Dumbledore said as the wand led him up to the table.  “I heard from Ollivander what happened, Jennifer, and I expected you’d be here.  Tell me, Grendelbane, what is in that drawer over here?”  Dumbledore asked politely.

  “Oh, nothing interesting, I’m sure, Professor, the Wand has just forgotten that its place is in a cabinet and not floating about in the air.”

  “Oh, come now, Grendelbane, as long as I’ve known you and known that Wand I can tell when you need an outside mediator.  Also, since Professor Craw works for me I have a great deal of knowledge about her casting ability and might be able to add some insight to the matter.”

  “Why don’t we try some gorgon hair, or perhaps some winged cat feathers?”  Grendelbane asked While the wand kept knocking on the same drawer persistently. 

  “I want to see what the Wand has in mind,” Jennifer said.  She had so completely fallen in love with the Wand’s personality that she found herself trusting it implicitly, and Dumbledore’s calm reaction to it only strengthened that opinion.

  “Very well,” Grendelbane said with total exasperation.  “Here is what all the fuss is about, one measly unoriginal tawny owl feather. Quite un-fantastic,” he professed, but Jennifer did not miss the extreme delicate manner in which he was holding it or the reluctant, pleading look in his face when he glanced at Dumbledore.  “Surely you would like something with a bit more flare than a tail feather from a familiar.”

  “I don’t have any trouble with it being an owl feather,” Jennifer said.  “Besides, I find it an interesting twist of fate having a Wand help chose a wand for me.  Do you not think it’ll work for me, Grendelbane?”

  “Yes, Grendelbane, what do you think?  I for one think it should suit her perfectly,” Dumbledore said with a gentle smile.  That was when Grendelbane began to bawl, a most horrendous sight coming from a Goblin, and one that fortunately didn’t happen too often.  The Beard Wand came up behind him and patted his shoulder as if comfortingly.

  “It’s the last one!  The very last one!  After this no more will be put into wands, Dumbledore, they’ve all been made.  It is my oldest ingredient, and the most rare.  Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered to my brother, the slime goat that he is, but it does matter to me.  I want some extra compensation!”

  “Charge her what you would have normally charged her for a regular custom wand and bill me for the rest,” Dumbledore said, holding up a hand when Jennifer began to protest.  “Now, Jennifer, I can’t expect you to go without a wand any longer, and after all, it was my order that had your first wand destroyed, so let me do this much at least.”  The Beard Wand, satisfied that Grendelbane was going to carry out the order, contentedly floated back over to Dumbledore making another sweeping movement.  “You are quite welcome.  I am certain you made the right decision, as did you, Jennifer,” he added smiling up at her as Grendelbane stomped off to the back room with the wood and the drawer in hand.

  “ I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me what’s so rare about a tawny owl feather, would you?”  Jennifer asked.  Considering the majority of Hogwarts owls were tawny, she couldn’t help but wonder and Goblins were not the easiest creatures to read from their faces.

  “There is something very special about the bond between a wizard and his familiar; of that I’m sure you know quite well.  Could you imagine Rasputin with any other wizard?” he chuckled.  Jennifer chuckled too.  Severus was probably the only wizard she knew who could get away with carrying a thirty-pound one-eyed basilisk around and not look comical.  “Or your bat Ratfly, or even my Fawkes?   In any case, when the Grendelbanes’ first opened their business, they were gifted with thirteen rare artifacts to use in wands, twelve of them owl feathers, and the other the lock of a beard.”  The Beard Wand bowed again before going back to peek at the Goblin.  “Considering the original owner of those, it’s not surprising that Grendelbane is a bit sorry to see another one go.  But I think the Beard Wand will be here as long as Grendelbane’s is open, so regardless, a piece of Merlin will always be here.”  Jennifer stared at him for a long moment incredulous.  So the feather was from Merlin’s own familiar!

  “What is it with me and wands?  Regular wands ignore me and extraordinary wands seem drawn to me like magnets.  I would have been content with a simple fairy dust wand or something,” Jennifer said, propping her head in her hand.  But Dumbledore looked amused.

  “Do not concern yourself about it, Jennifer, I myself have the same problem, which is why I’ve acquired a collection over the years.  In fact I have one of the other Owl wands.  Your friend Lunette Vallid has yet another.”

  “Well, yes but that’s different.  You’re Albus Dumbledore.  And Vallid, is well…Lunette Vallid.  I’m just, well, me.”  Jennifer said.  Dumbledore and shook his head at her, looking at her sternly from above the rim of his glasses.

  “I swear, Jennifer, if there was one thing more than any that I want to accomplish this upcoming term, it would be to get you to remove that ‘just’ from your name,” he said.  “And you need to learn how to deal with this ‘fame’ problem and learn how to live with it, because it’s not going to go away, I assure you.”

   The Goblin came back in with a design book, the wand floating contentedly behind him, and Jennifer quickly turned her attention to it and picked out one from his sketches.

  “It will not be exact… I refuse to go against the will of the wood if it tells me to carve it otherwise,” he said, giving her a stubborn look, but she nodded understandingly.  “Any special enchantments or protection curses?”

  “No curses,” Jennifer said so emphatically she chuckled to herself.

  “Just the standard ownership enchantments I think,” Dumbledore suggested.  The door’s bell went off again, and the Wand floated over to check out the new arrivals while the Goblin started making notes on the work order.  The Wand paced around Severus Snape as Corey watched in amazement, wondering why it was doing that.  Once it was done, it bowed to Snape then hovered back over to where Jennifer and Dumbledore were, ignoring Corey completely.  Apparently the Wand didn’t see anything interesting about a boy who didn’t need a wand.

  “Is it just me, or does that Wand seem to have a mind of its own?” Corey said in amazement.  “And I thought the toy shop had neat gadgets!  Hello again, Professor,” he added.

  “Oh, you’ve run into each other all ready today, have you?”  Jennifer said, curiously wondering why Dumbledore hadn’t mentioned that.

  “Yes, we met in the j…” Corey’s mouth suddenly had a hand over it as Severus moved in like a cobra.  Jennifer turned to look at them but Severus had turned them both around so as not to face her.

  “All right, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you had better not be spending any money on me, Severus Snape.  This wand is enough to last me ten birthdays,” Jennifer said, glancing suspiciously at the amused look Dumbledore was giving them.

  “The wand was a necessity, and you took it out of your own money,” Severus argued.

  “Our money, the inheritance was for me and my husband, Dad was quite clear on that,” Jennifer argued back.  The Wand, which had been turning back and forth as if listening to the conversation became excited, going over to Severus and put the tip of the wand in his hand, shaking it vigorously.  Severus looked at it with slight annoyance.

  “I believe the Wand is trying to congratulate you on your catch,” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

  “Yes.  So it would seem.  Thank you,” Severus said stiffly.  The Wand then went over and tapped Jennifer lightly on the cheek before hovering back behind the Goblin as if looking over his shoulder.

  “Is your wand going to do all that neat stuff too, Mom?”  Corey asked, heading to the counter.

  “I think that would get old after awhile,” Severus scowled.

  “There is only one Beard Wand, and one I think is quite enough,” the Goblin grumped, trying to push it back out of the way as he finished up his notes.  “It does keep riff-raff out of the shop, at least.  It doesn’t like many people.  In fact, this is the most receptive I have ever seen it to such a large group.”

  “Just what did you end up with?”  Severus asked.

  “Twelve and three quarters tawny owl feather black rosewood,” Jennifer said.

  “Merlin’s tawny owl feather black rosewood,” Grendelbane said, looking at her sharply.

  “You know it’s funny, when we tried to choose it you didn’t emphasize that,” Jennifer said almost teasingly.

  “I wasn’t working out the price then,” he explained.

 

Chapter Four

Back to Hogwarts

 

  Jennifer tried not to think about the fact that her wand cost as much as their house addition, knowing it couldn’t have been helped.  Severus took it all in stride, and when Corey excitedly asked if they could come back to the town before Christmas, Severus told him that they could.  Jennifer shook her head at them, but didn’t say anything.  The last thing they needed right now was to get carried away with money, Craw vault or no.

   Now with her new wand ordered and paid for and school shopping for Corey done, Jennifer could concentrate on preparing the cottage for the long school year ahead.  Anna, who had ended up staying in the States much longer than she had expected, arrived back just a day before Jennifer and Severus would need to be back.  Many of the bookshelves in the living room had been emptied, and two chests and three footlockers sat in the middle of the floor.  Jennifer knocked on the bookcase before sitting down with Anna and talking a bit while waiting for Corey to head.  The basement door opened, and Severus stepped in, carrying a small suitcase.

  “Hello Titiana.  I thought I heard your voice.  I’ve finished packing the lab,” he said.  “Corey’s still not done yet?”

  “Apparently not,” Jennifer said, getting up. “I’ll go up and see if I can’t hurry him up,” she offered, getting up and heading upstairs.

  “So,” Severus said when Jennifer had left, “I got a summons today.  Jennifer didn’t.” He sat down by Anna, looking at her thoughtfully.

  “I take it you haven’t told her about it yet then,” Anna inquired.

  “No, not yet, but you know I can’t keep anything from her for long, nor am I willing to anymore.  I just have a feeling whatever they want me to say at that hearing, it is not going to help Audi,” he frowned.  “I really don’t see how this can be stopped at this point,” he said.  “We need to be prepared for what might happen if he does get out.”

  Corey and Jennifer came down the stairs then, Corey with a suitcase in one hand and a pet carrying case in the other, Cheshire looking none to happy for being inside of it.

  “Now you sure you’re going to be all right with this Muggle thing,” Jennifer asked Corey, who rolled his eyes.

  “Mom, I was a Muggle for eleven years.  Don’t worry, I can handle it,” he insisted.

  “No magic, not one spark, and listen to your Aunt.  Anna, if he gets into any trouble don’t hesitate to send for us,” Jennifer said.

  “Don’t worry, Jennifer, Corey and I are going to be fine,” Anna reassured her.  “We’re going to play Muggle tourist and visit some of London.  Seems that Corey’s seen even less of it than I have.”

  “What potions do you have in your wallet?”  Severus asked him.  Corey took out the large wallet about the size of a notebook that he had gotten for his birthday and opened it.  Inside were five sets of straps holding individual phials.

  “Floo powder, healing potion, bezoar solution, sleeping dust, and bottled swamp gas.  Something for every occasion,” Corey said.

  “Fine, just don’t use any of it except for an emergency, and not in front of Muggles if you can help it,” Severus frowned.  “Where’s your wand?”

  “Packed away, not like I need it anyhow,” Corey said.

  “Yes, well, he’s not going to be casting any spells away from us or Hogwarts so it’s not going to be an issue, right, Corey?”  Jennifer said sternly.  Although she understood Severus’ insistence to be prepared for any emergency, she was a tad afraid that Corey might take advantage of that and redefine what an ‘emergency’ was.

  “Well, I guess I will take him off your hands then, and don’t worry, we’re only a pop away.  Besides, Sirius will be coming back from Harry’s in a few days and he’ll be around to help too,” Anna said.

  “Wonderful,” Severus said in a tone dripping with sarcasm as Corey came over to shake his hand and then gave Jennifer a hug. 

  “See you at the Sorting,” Corey said, waving.

  “Take care you two, don’t work too hard,” Anna said, helping Corey pack his things into her car.

 

  The next day was Jennifer’s birthday, and as always she spent it gathering last minute things from the cottage and sending them along to the school.  The house seemed so bare and quiet…her familiar Ratfly had left the evening before, so even his annoying squeaking sound was missing, and the absence constant sound of feet on stairs left a void in the cottage.  It was strange how a few short months had changed so much of her outlook on things, expectations, even her priorities somewhat.  And going back not as a Defense teacher, but as the potions master made it seem in some ways like it was her very first year all over again.

  She had been in the kitchen gazing at the garden when a glitter crossed in front of her eyes as a pair of hands moved around her, drawing something gently around her neck and fastening it.

  “Severus!  I knew you were up to something on that trip to Myrkinbrek,” Jennifer said with exasperation as she touched the small star-shaped pendant.  It hung on a fine silvery chain that sparkled like starlight, made from a material Jennifer didn’t recognize.

  “No arguments, goblins offer no refunds,” he said calmly, handing her her yellow pocket mirror.  “The chain is made from Moonspider thread, it glows softly in the dark…the less light the stronger it gets.  The pendant is red wisp crystal.  It can provide even more light if necessary,” he explained, gazing at her in the small mirror.  “Don’t tell me you don’t like it.”

  “Severus it’s wonderful, I do like it,” Jennifer said, turning around to look at him.  “Although I’m not sure we should be catering to my fears like this.”  Severus shook his head with a frown, straightening the necklace and putting his hands on her shoulders.

  “I would have to be completely blind to not see that what happened to you down in that Tomb left some scars, and understandably so.  I know how you are about not letting this sort of thing get to you, but it is going to take time for those scars to heal.  I don’t want you to feel trapped by darkness again,” Severus said, gazing seriously at her.  “It’s not catering to a fear to offer a solution.  Besides, it would be nice to be able to turn the lamps off at night without you waking up in a cold sweat.”

  “Oh Severus, I am so sorry.  I must be a total trial to put up with as a wife,” Jennifer chuckled apologetically.  Severus’ expression turned to one of mild surprise.

  “It can’t possibly be any worse than putting up with me.”

  “Nonsense, I’d rather be with you than anyone else in the world,” Jennifer said, kissing him lovingly.

  “And they say miracles never happen anymore,” Severus said softly, pulling her close. 

 

  Jennifer greeted Minerva McGonagall with open arms when they arrived at the gate, very glad to see her close friend and supervisor.  Minerva chuckled and hugged her warmly back, leaving Severus to walk contentedly behind them as the three of them entered the castle.

  “You both might as well have been halfway across the world as little as we heard from you,” Minerva said, scolding.

  “Don’t blame us.  Dumbledore was the one who told us to take it easy this summer,” Jennifer grinned.

  “Well honestly, you could have dropped a card at least and told us if you were ready to kill each other or not,” Minerva said.  Jennifer laughed at that.

  “I can safely say it was the best summer of my life so far,” Jennifer said, smiling back at Severus.  “Where are we headed, to the Study?”

  “No, actually, Dumbledore isn’t here at the moment,” Minerva admitted.

  “Not here on the first day of full staff?  That’s rather odd,” Severus said, frowning slightly.

  “Yes, well, things do come up, as you know.  I’m sure he’ll fill you in later.  In the meantime, I’d like to get you both settled…we did a bit of room arranging this year with all the new staff and all, I hope you don’t mind.  Your room has been moved, Severus, while Jennifer’s rooms are generally where they were.  You’ll see what I mean when we get up there.  Now, Jennifer, Dumbledore wanted me to ask you if you would work with getting Hermione Granger oriented this year…I’m sure it won’t be too much of a problem as far as learning the castle since she was a student here, but if you could work with her on the security devices, etiquettes and so on, that would be wonderful.”

  “Of course, Minerva, glad to help.”

  “Severus, might we ask you to see that our new history professor gets acclimatized if you will, you may be surprised to hear this, but it’s going to be Alvin Archibald.  He had been teaching at Durmstrang.”

  “Alvin Archibald?”  Severus said blinking.  “I wondered what had happened to him.  Thought he had probably been killed.”

  “Who?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Someone I went to school with; a fellow Slytherin two years behind me.  His father had been a Death Eater as well, but had been murdered early on.  Somehow Alvin had managed to stay out of the whole thing, I don’t know how, really.  At that point I was too embroiled in my own hell to really pay attention to what everyone else was doing,” Severus said.  Minerva regarded Severus with thoughtful surprise.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard him make such an open remark before.  “Is he here now?”

  “No, he’ll be a day late, still trying to get his affairs in order.  Also, I should warn you both we should have quite an influx of new students this year.  Many old alumni are have come back to the area since June, many with very exceptional children,” Minerva said, smiling softly at Jennifer.

“Dumbledore wants to have the pre-term staff meeting early this year, once everyone is here and settled.  Here we are, Severus,” she said, pausing in front of the painting of the sleeping dragon.  “The password is ‘Nightshade.’”

  “And here I was thinking we were going to my room!   Now yours is right next to mine!”  Jennifer said pleased. 

  “Yes, thank you, Minerva, this will make life a lot easier this year,” Severus agreed.

  “Well, just because you’re married doesn’t mean you are allowed to let your discretion slip around the students…”

  “Please, Minerva, spare us that lecture again,” Severus said with open annoyance.  “You know us both better than that.”

  “Perhaps, perhaps not,” Minerva said with a half smile.  “The two of you have changed more over the summer than you might realize.  Your password is ‘Foxglove,’ Jennifer.  Now, I know you both know your way around so I’d best go down and see who else has arrived.  I’ll see you both later.”  They watched as she headed down the stairs before turning back to each other.

  “Coming in for a moment?” he asked.

  “I’d better go let Ratfly in first,” Jennifer decided, heading down the corridor a few steps to the painting of a bright-eyed raven.  It looked at her, winking an eye as if glad to see her.  She in turn was happy to see him, the painting solidly making her feel like she had come home at last.  “Foxglove, Dewhurst,” she told the raven.  The painting opened, and she stepped into her sitting room. 

  Although she was sure it was the same sitting room as the one she had held the last three years, she was quick to see there had been some remarkable changes.  The corridor on the left side of the room that led into her bedroom was now just a solid wall, although the mirror that had hung between the rooms was still there, covering the wall.  She glanced at it in puzzlement as she went to open the window, then noticed Ratfly’s perch had also been moved and there was now a door at the far right corner of the room.  Letting her curiosity get the better of her she opened it to find herself in a large, tastefully but sparsely decorated bedroom with double nightstands and bureaus, a large walk-in closet, and a bathroom slightly bigger than her old one.  If she had any doubts what this was all about they disappeared completely when the door on the opposite side of the room opened and Severus stepped in, looking amazed in spite of himself.

  “I think my personal indebtedness to Dumbledore and Minerva just doubled,” Jennifer said when she could finally bring herself to speak, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Is that all?   I was thinking mine just quadrupled,” Severus mused, sitting beside her, glancing around thoughtfully.

  “We should go start unpacking,” Jennifer suggested, but didn’t get up.  Instead she tried to get a glance at her ring without looking like that was what she was doing.

  “Yes, we probably should.  Especially since you’ll have the lab to organize,” Severus agreed, turning to look at her a moment.  Jennifer was apparently occupied with looking at the carpet.  “Do you think anyone would notice if we didn’t go down for lunch?” he asked suddenly.

 

     Jennifer met up with Hermione Granger that evening at dinner in the staff room, quickly making plans to get together the next day.  The new librarian couldn’t help but be a tad surprised at Severus’ appearance when he stepped in a few moments later, for he did not seem like the same person she had first met as a student eight years ago.  Even though Hermione didn’t voice it, Rolanda Hooch who was sitting beside her was quick to do it for her.

  “Severus, I definitely believe that married life agrees with you.  You look ten years younger!  And you’re growing your hair out!  I like it.  Is that a new robe?  No, it couldn’t be, Severus never wears anything until it has tenure,” Rolanda teased mercilessly.  Hermione decided she liked seeing this side of her old broom instructor.

  “Yes, if you must know, Jennifer made it.  And yes, married life is quite agreeable, thank you, but don’t you have something better to do than try to taunt me?”  Severus scowled at her, sitting down beside Jennifer.  Rolanda looked thoughtful.

  “Nope, can’t think of a thing,” she decided, stabbing at her dinner.

  “Rolanda!”  Jennifer chuckled at her.  “I see you’re getting started early this year.”

  “Speaking of getting started early, are you going to help me with tryouts again, or did you ever get another broom?”  She asked.

  “No she didn’t, and no she isn’t, and she isn’t going to be getting on a broom at all this year, so I expect you’ll have to find some other poor soul to help you referee,” Severus said, folding his arms and glaring at Rolanda.

  “Well, I see some things haven’t changed,” she said, waving at Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse, who had just walked in the door.

  “Sorry, Rolanda, but this time Severus is right.  I’m not getting on a broom this year,” Jennifer said.  “Besides, I really had little time last year for anything with the paper, sparring and Quidditch games, and I was asked by several people to cut back.”

  “Including me,” Poppy nodded to Rolanda and then to Jennifer.  “Welcome back, I’ve been looking for you!  I have the regular prescription list for you for our second through sixth years so you can get started on stock,” she said, handing Jennifer the list.  Jennifer’s jaw dropped, and Severus smirked softly.

  “Great stars, that many?”  Jennifer said.

  “Oh, and here’s my list,” Poppy added, smiling beatifically as she handed it to her.  Jennifer gazed stonily at it for a moment before noticing above the top edge of the paper that Severus was watching her with intense amusement.

  “You know, I should have some spare time after I get these syllabi done if you need me to lend a hand-“ Severus said.

  “Oh, no you don’t.  You stay out of my lab.  Yours is at home.  Besides, you decided to go with new books this year, remember?  You have plenty enough to do, and I am more than capable of taking care of my own work, thank you.” Jennifer said, glaring at him stubbornly.

  “I love it when they get like this,” Rolanda told Hermione, offering her some popcorn from the bowl that had appeared in the middle of the table.  “Last time they did this is when we got together that grudge Quidditch match last year, remember?”  Severus and Jennifer turned their glares on Rolanda.

  “You know, this isn’t quite how I imagined things were going to be on this side of the table,” Hermione said.  “I guess I didn’t expect everyone to be so…human.”

  “Don’t worry, give it a month or so and you’ll be feeling right at home.  If you’re anything like Jennifer when she joined the staff, you’ll be well over your head in everything in no time,” Rolanda said cheerfully.  “So how are you on a broom these days, anyhow?”

  The next day Jennifer took Hermione around to show her many of the various security devices hidden around the castle.  Some of them, like the one in the library, she had known about as a student after one or another professor had used them, but others she hadn’t known about at all, and if she had might have been a lot more cautious about what she said and where as a student.

  “There are certain rooms in the castle you can Apparate or port out of, so long as the destination is outside of the castle.  Dumbledore has a way to alter that, but I have no idea how he does it, suffice it to say if he asks you to Apparate somewhere in the castle, you can at that particular moment,” Jennifer explained.  “Students can’t of course nor do they need to know that we can.  Many of the paintings are rigged with security as well, but honestly there’s so many I still haven’t memorized them all yet.  If you need detail, ask Severus or Argus Filch, they both know them pretty well.  I can tell you that any with the picture of a Headmaster has one.  Whatever you do, if you see one of them sleeping, never ever wake one up.  Get Dumbledore to do it.  And no I don’t know why that’s the rule, and I’m not sure I want to know why,” Jennifer grinned.  “Can we step out to the greenhouse?  I need to talk to Pomona about some ingredients, and I can show you what security she has out there while we’re at it.”

  “Sure,” Hermione said, grateful for the short break.  It had all started to become increasingly overwhelming.  As much as she had known about Hogwarts, she was suddenly beginning to realize she had only scratched the surface, and maddeningly wanted to learn more. 

  Pomona Sprout was working just outside, having brought out several dozen flats of blossoming herbs to bathe in the direct sunlight.  She greeted them both warmly as they came over.

  “Heartsease, how lovely!  And still blooming!” Jennifer said with a sigh.  “The ones I tried to grow in my garden just didn’t do well at all.”

  “Jennifer, heartsease is quite the easiest thing to grow.  Goodness, just drop seeds and they’ll take care of themselves even if you ignore them for months,” Pomona said, putting her hands on her hips.  “What exactly did you do to them, child?”

  It was as they were talking that Hermione noticed two figures walking along the inside wall coming towards them. The one figure, tall and dressed in black could only be Severus, but she didn’t recognize the other one.  Perhaps it was the new history professor, or the magical creatures professor?  Hermione’s attention returned to Pomona as she began to tell her about the security around the northern grounds.

  Alvin Archibald was a dusty blonde haired man with a closely trimmed beard and mustache.  He walked slowly along the grounds beside Severus in his chocolate brown silk robes with tight-cuffed sleeves, his face haunted with old memories. 

  “It’s strange, back at Durmstrang I probably couldn’t have told you much at all about my life here, but now it’s all coming back and it’s the memories of Izelda and Igor that are fading.  Hogwarts hasn’t changed much.  You have though…senior faculty professor, left hand of Dumbledore, and now Defense Arts teacher?  Does that mean you’re not a pain in the ass anymore?”  He asked, grinning weakly.

  “No, I’m still that,” Severus said calmly.  “I am sorry to hear that Karkaroff came to a bad end but I had a feeling he would when he left here after the games.”

  “That school has gone steadily down hill the three years since then.  In all honesty, I’m a bit surprised they hadn’t offered the position to you,” he said.

  “Who’s to say that they didn’t?”  Severus said expressionlessly as they walked along the wall.

  “You’re joking.  You turned it down, are you insane?  Do you know how much that would have meant, the prestige, the money, your status?” Alvin said looking at him incredulously.  “And you call yourself a Slytherin.  I would have taken it in a heartbeat.”

  “And what would have happened here if I had?  Voldemort had risen again; I was not about to leave Dumbledore when he needed me most, any more than he was willing to leave me when I had nowhere else to turn.  Besides, they hadn’t asked me until Christmas, and by then I had other things keeping me here.”

  “Such as?”  Alvin asked, studying the solemn man curiously.

  “Follow me, and I’ll show you,” Severus said, changing his path slightly away from the wall and towards the greenhouse.  Alvin glanced ahead at where three witches were standing just outside.  A young witch, barely out of school, he supposed, stood watching as an older witch bent over several rows of yellow and purple flowers.  That was when Alvin began to make out features of the third one as she knelt within the blossoms.

  “Who is that?”  Alvin asked quietly as they came a little closer.  “She is amazing.  Surely she can’t be for real?  A dozen enchantments I bet.”

  “Which one?” Severus asked casually, “the girl?”

  “No, no, the one with the exquisitely angelic face, light auburn hair and slender figure.  Surely even you can’t be totally blind to that.”

  “Oh, her...yes, she’s always looked like that.  She’s the new Potions master, but I would forget about her if I were you.  She’s married to a jealous and temperamental husband,” Severus advised him.  Alvin’s shoulders slumped slightly.

  “Ah, it figures.  The good ones are always taken.  I envy the lucky stiff,” Alvin chuckled.  The woman looked up and suddenly a bright warm smile swept across her face.  She waved and stood, stepping out of the flowers.  The girl and older witch moved to join her as the two men approached.

  “Severus!  I finally figured out what was happening to the heartsease.  I think my Griffonlilies were eating them,” Jennifer said.

  “Didn’t I tell you when you planted those you had them too close to your omnivores?” Severus smirked, folding his arms.

  “Yes, well, next year I’m going to plant them on the outer wall, it’s not like they’re not common around here,” Jennifer decided, smiling at the man beside Severus who was gazing at her thoughtfully.  Apparently he thought she was pretty.

  “Alvin Archibald, might I present Hermione Granger, the new librarian, Pomona Sprout, our Herbologist, and this is Jennifer Craw, our Potions master.”

  “Jennifer Craw?  Oh, wait, you were defense professor that helped Harry Potter defeat Voldemort, aren’t you?  I wasn’t expecting you to be so…young,” Alvin said, looking increasingly amazed.  Jennifer looked uncomfortable.

  “Well, I don’t really know that I was of that much ‘help,’ but yes, I was down there,” Jennifer said, who glanced pleadingly over at Severus.  Severus seemed to be amused about something, but before she could get a good look at his face he had turned towards Alvin.

  “Perhaps we had better finish our rounds so the girls can get back to what they were doing,” Severus suggested.  “Jennifer, Alvin knows of a respectable apothecary down in Wales we can try, so we’re going to go see if it’s still there.  Do you still have your lists?”

  “Do I, and then some,” Jennifer said with a sigh, “I sure hope it’s there.  I was about ready to give in and go to Draco’s.  The lists are up in our rooms.”

  “I’ll stop in and get them on our way out then,” Severus said.

  “Our rooms?” Alvin blinked in total disbelief, “As in…”

  “As in I’m the lucky stiff, yes.” Severus said as a thin smile played across his face.  “Frightening, isn’t it?  Come on, we’d better head out if we’re going today.”

  The two men didn’t get back until late, but the mission had been a success; the apothecary had still been there in a small, rural area outside of Carmarthen.  Glen Witolf, Severus told Jennifer, was a very venerable old man, and his granddaughter Ashley did most of the running of the shop.  In any case the quality was excellent and the prices reasonable, and Jennifer was quite happy with the results, although a bit overwhelmed with the amount she was going to have to reorganize.

  “I am going to be stuck in this lab all day tomorrow, I can tell,” she said when they entered the dungeon, going straight over to the outside corner of the room where the bottom of several windows let in a bit of evening light. She climbed up on the table below them, trying to fiddle with them.

  “Those don’t open,” Severus said, going through one of the parcels.  Jennifer took out her dagger; concentrating on it until it turned into a glasscutter, then with an annoying screeching noise cut the glass out, setting the panes aside.

  “They do now,” Jennifer said, hopping of the table.  “I can’t possibly work down here without air.  I was already starting to suffocate,” she said coming back over feeling the breeze on her back.  “There, now that’s so much better.”

  “What are you going to do about your office?  There‘s only the barred window in there,” Severus pointed out, looking at her thoughtfully.

  “Do what I do when I’m at home in the basement, just leave the door open,” Jennifer said.  Severus didn’t look too keen on that for some reason.  “Besides, there is a fireplace, so I still have an escape route, right?”

  “Jennifer, you are not going to get trapped in that office,” Severus said, frowning at her.  “Are you sure you don’t want to switch offices back?  My classroom is only up the stairs.”

  “Oh, yes, I can hear the students wondering about that one.  No, that is my office and this is my classroom, and we both know why the lab can’t possibly be moved anywhere else…I will just have to get over it,” Jennifer decided.  “Good grief, I thought I’d never get on a broom again and yet I can now, so I’ll survive somehow.”

  “Very well, have it your way, but if you start having nightmares again there are going to be some changes made,” Severus frowned.  “Now, about tomorrow.  I am probably going to be gone most of the day, I have business in London.”

  “Oh?  You never mentioned that to me before,” Jennifer said, suddenly looking up from the supply shelf.

  “I received a summons in the post to appear at Audi’s hearing,” he said grimly.  Jennifer glanced over at him, easily reading from his face why.  “I’ll probably go to Azkaban for awhile afterwards.  I’m not sure how well your father is being informed of all this, so I should tell him what’s going on.”

  “Oh I know what Dad will say, he’ll say, ‘Well, if Jennifer had let me kill Lucius Malfoy when I wanted to have killed him that day, none of this would ever have happened.’” She said imitating his voice so well Severus smirked slightly.  “And you know the scary part is that I’m beginning to agree with him.”

  “Well, don’t give up yet, I’m sure Lunette Vallid still has a word or two to say about all of this.  I wonder perhaps if that’s where Dumbledore’s been all day, talking to her and Audi,” Severus mused.

  “I’m sure we’ll soon find out,” Jennifer said with a sigh, opening another box.

 

Chapter Five

Cosmic Crisis

 

  True to her word, the first couple days at Anna’s London flat was like playing tourist.  Corey, grateful to be in blue jeans and t-shirts again, traipsed around town with her, visiting the Tower and the zoo and shopping for things he couldn’t normally get at home.  On the third day he was already getting tuckered out, hoping to stay at home and see what sort of new programs he was missing on television.  He was still lounging about on his couch bed flipping channels when Anna came out in business clothes, grabbing her Ministry cloak off of its hook.

  “Are we doing both worlds today?”  Corey asked thoughtfully, propping himself up on his elbows.

  “Yes, I need to stop by Gringotts and pick up some things for the Ministry, and to stop by the library for some things for Vallid.  If you hurry and get dressed maybe we can go to a movie or something afterwards,” she suggested.

  “Great!  I haven’t been to a movie in an entire year!” Corey said excitedly, turning off the tube.  He threw on his shirt and folded up the bed, and before no time they were out the door again, Corey with his black trench coat in hand.

  The Leaky Cauldron was close enough to where Anna lived that it only took a short walk to get there, and before Corey knew it they were in the bank, Anna handing the head goblin a Ministry envelope.

  “Three items from Ministry vault #263,” Anna explained.

  “Very well, I will take you down, Miss Hughes,” Griphook said.  Once they got there, Corey was made to wait outside as Anna entered a large vault with a tremendously gigantic door.  He peered in curiously, but was slightly disappointed, for instead of seeing piles of gold or items like in other vaults, all he saw were rows of smaller vaults, each one with their own number.  She took out a key and searched through one of those and pulled out three things and put them in a bag, coming back out.

  It was not long before they were back on the street and Anna was stuffing her cloak in her purse, which amazingly enough seemed quite big enough to fit it as well as everything else she had in there.  Corey grinned to himself.  Even Aunt Anna, who seemed in many ways to prefer the Muggle world to the magic, had learned to make some concessions for convenience sake over the last year.

  They took the tube to the library, and that time of day the streets were bustling with people.  Corey however, was suddenly getting a strange feeling as if they were being watched and warned Anna about it.

  “You know, Corey, you’re starting to sound like my brother.  Are you sure you’re not just imagining it?  I seriously doubt there is anyone around here interested in what we’re doing here,” she said, turning down St. James Square.

  “Aunt Anna, maybe they wouldn’t in you because most don’t know you well.  It might be me they’re after, my parents have quite a few enemies, you know,” Corey said looking serious.  “Maybe I should cast a you-know-what just to be on the safe side.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t.  You’re not going to be breaking the rules all ready.  Come on, let’s just get the periodical listings Lunette needs and get out of here,” Anna said.  Despite her own reassurances, Anna too began to feel a bit edgy as they headed through the library, looking up the levels with a growing sense of uneasiness.  “Why don’t you make yourself helpful and look some of these up?”  Corey sighed, and began looking them up, groaning slightly because many of them were in French.  As he tracked them down and brought them back to the table, he thought he saw a shadow from the corner of his eye.

  “Aunt Anna, are you sure I’m imagining things?  Because, honestly, this place gives me the creeps,” Corey whispered, but she nudged him hard.

  “Hush, just sit here while I copy these,” Anna said.  Corey had offered to copy them, but Anna, thinking Corey was already getting a little too insistent about using magic decided to do it the other way.  A strange sense of déjà vu came to her as they were leaving, and it was enough to convince her that maybe Corey wasn’t just being paranoid after all.

  “So back on the underground, Aunt Anna?” He asked as they headed out.  “Or do we want to check the movie times at the Odeon first?”

  “I think we’d better get to the Ministry as quickly as possible,” Anna said in such a tone that Corey looked up in surprise.  “I knew I should have rented a car today.”

  “Hang on a minute, let me get out my book of safe houses and I’ll see if there’s somewhere close we can go,” Corey said, stopping to pull out a little black book, flipping through the addresses.  “Here we are, there’s a little flag shop just two streets...Aunt Anna?”  Corey suddenly spun around, having lost her in the crowd.  Suddenly he heard a scream and rushed over to see Anna lying on the pavement.  It wasn’t a particularly unusual sight, Anna had a tendency of leaving her body at strange moments as a part of her magic, but Corey knew that this wasn’t what had happened this time at all.  Her face was very pale, and several others were trying to take her pulse.

  “I can’ feel anythin’ no…wait…I think she’s breathin’ but its shallow,” a man in a tweed coat told the crowd gathering around her.  Corey knelt beside her, picking up her purse.

  “Here, now, leave that,” the man said alarmed.

  “She’s my Aunt Anna, she took me touring,” Corey explained.  “Is she going to be all right?”

  “I saw someone take a stab at her, and then she fainted,” a woman said, standing next to the man.

  “I don’t think he stabbed her, there’s no blood, but she’s not doin’ all that well,” he told her, then saw Corey watching him.  “Don’ worry, I think someone went for an ambulance,” the man said.  Corey gazed at Anna but suddenly grew even more worried.  There could be little doubt that whatever it was that had happened it was magical not physical.  But how was that possible?  Magic didn’t normally affect Anna directly, for her magic worked differently than theirs.  Whatever this was couldn’t have been a direct spell, but Corey soon realized now was not the time.

  Right now there was little he could do except go ahead with the Muggles’ plan to take her to the hospital…there had been too many witnesses to do otherwise.  From there, he was sure he could contact the Ministry, or if all else failed Hogwarts.  She was wheeled into trauma, and Corey found himself at the front desk, pounded with questions of relationship and so on, and found himself extremely grateful of the black book Severus had given him complete with posts addresses and such, using the ID he found in Anna’s purse for some of the rest.

  “I really need to call my Dad.  Do you have a phone handy?”  Corey said.  “He’s the next of kin.”

  “Sure, you can use the phone over there,” the nurse said, and Corey went over, waiting impatiently to get the operator, and then called the Ministry.

  “Special Services, Penelope speaking,” said the woman on the other line.

  “Yes, this is Corey Willowby, can I get connected to the shells for Arthur Weasley?”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Weasley isn’t in the building, would you care to leave a note with his secretary?”  Penelope asked.

  “I don’t suppose Counselor Vallid is there?”

  “No, but even if she were, we’re under orders to hold all shells…”

  “Never mind, is there anyone there who works with Anna Hughes?  It’s an emergency.”

  “Why, yes, Ederick Thurspire is here, would you like to talk to him?”  Corey hung up the phone.  “Fine, time for Plan B.”  He said to himself.

 

 Minerva had gone to the gate to see who was waiting there, and was both surprised and concerned to see Corey Willowby standing there asking to see his parents.  Swiftly Minerva brought him in and walked him down to the dungeon where Jennifer was standing in a chaotic conglomeration of boiling potions and emptied and newly filled bottles piled on all of the worktables.  She jumped up the moment she saw Corey, and as he was quickly explaining the situation, she turned off the potions she knew were safe to turn off and stepped into her office long enough to get a long rectangular box that had just arrived for her earlier in the day.  She opened it and took the purplish-hued wand out of its velvet mold, not even having had time to test it.  It was too late now…she was just going to have to trust it would work right.

  “What are you doing, Jennifer?”  Minerva asked, although she had already guessed the answer.

  “What I have to do, I’m going down to that hospital.  Can Corey stay here?”  Jennifer asked, using the wand to disguise herself in Muggle clothing.  “Actually, Corey, if you’d finish that batch of Intestine Bias Solution and that Lavender Balm and bottle it while I’m gone…”

  “Jennifer!”

  “Don’t worry, Minerva, he can handle it,” Jennifer assured her, grabbing her cloak.  “Could you get a hold of Dumbledore and Severus?  Thanks Minerva!  I’m off,” Jennifer said, entering her office and shutting the door, leaving Minerva standing there momentarily speechless.

  “Mom in the Muggle world, now there’s a scary thought,” Corey said, stirring the Lavender Balm.  “Is it just me or does she always get bossy in a crisis?”

 

  As much as Jennifer was a fish out of water in the Muggle world, she knew she couldn’t leave Anna in such a state.  She Apparated on a rooftop near where Corey had said the hospital was, then down to a secluded spot, quickly entering the building and heading to the desk.

  “I would like to see Anna Hughes please.  I’m her sister-in-law, Jennifer Snape.  My adopted son said she was brought here earlier,” she said as she got to the desk.

  “Oh, yes, my you got here fast,” the nurse said with surprise, glancing around.  “I’m sure the boy is around here somewhere…”

  “He’s all right, I sent him home,” Jennifer quickly explained.  “How is Anna?”

  “Well, I don’t know, she’s still in emergency, but I’ll let the doctor know you are here,” she smiled.  “Please have a seat and I’ll call you when he’s ready to see you.”  Jennifer nodded and sat down, wondering what to do next.  A young girl was sitting next to her with her leg in a cast, looking bored and reading a magazine.  She smiled at Jennifer.

  “I’m getting my cast off today,” she said happily.  “I broke it crashing my bicycle six weeks ago,” she explained.

  “Six weeks ago?” Jennifer echoed, staring at her.  “And you’re still wearing a cast?”

  “Well, the doctor says bones take a long time to grow,” she said.  “I suppose you haven’t ever broken a bone, have you?”

  “Oh, yes, but…six weeks?”

  “Rachel, the doctor will see you now,” a nurse said.  Jennifer waved at the girl as she hobbled away, looking troubled.  Then she glanced at her watch.  What in the world was taking so long?  Just as Jennifer got up to strike out on her own, her name was called out.  A balding sort of heavy man with grey hair lead her into his office, sighing softly before offering her a smile.

  “My name is Dr. Coats, I’m the head neurologist, I’ve been put in charge of Miss Hughes’ case,” he told her.  Jennifer nodded.

  “I see.  What have you found out?”

  “Actually, we’re still running some tests.  You see, your sister in law seems to have fallen into a deep sort of comatose state, but we have yet to find the cause.  The CAT scan shows that she is actually having normal brain activity; there are no signs yet of drugs or sugar problems.  She does have a slight bump on the head but it is my feeling that she received that after she had entered this state.  However, her heart rate is very shallow and we have her on oxygen, otherwise, we haven’t found anything else wrong with her yet.  Do you know if she was under any special medication, or was she taking any alternative drugs?”

  “Alternative drugs?”

  “Herbal remedies, things like that…”

  “Ah, no, her brother and I would have known if she were,” Jennifer said.

  “Any history of epilepsy?”

  “Of what?”

  “Any seizures?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Jennifer said with a shrug.  “Can I see her now?”  Dr. Coats sighed.

  “No, I’m sorry, until we have some better understanding of what this is and what’s causing it I rather you would sit and wait until we run some more tests.  It should only take a few more hours before we know something…”

  “A few more hours?”  Jennifer blinked at him.  “What in the world takes so long?”

  “Well, we have to run some more blood samples, that takes time, an MRI, tissue samples…”

  “I got a better idea, how about you show me where she is now, and we both walk out of here in one piece, hm?”  Jennifer said, taking out her wand.  Dr. Coats blinked at her, but she didn’t give him much time to react before she landed him out cold with a spell.  Taking out her dagger she cut off a piece of his hair and began digging through her equipment, grinning slightly upon finding the right phial.

 

  Jennifer glanced in the mirror one last time before heading out of Dr. Coats’ office, glancing back over her shoulder where he was fast asleep.  Straightening her white coat and grabbing the clipboard she left the office, locking the door behind her.  She strode down the hallway, reading the numbers and departments before she finally turned into the right ward.

  “Doctor Coats?  I have those tests results you wanted, you want me to put them in your office?”  A nurse asked.

  “No…no,” Jennifer said, trying to calm herself.  “I’ll take them now, thank you,” she said, and took the papers and shuffled them under her clipboard.  Glancing above her and reading the numbers again she finally found the right place.  Anna was lying there with a strange mask over her nose but otherwise looking peaceful, as if someone had given her a powerful sleeping dose, or even…Jennifer looked at her thoughtfully.  Surely it couldn’t be Cosmic Sleep.  Then again, the doctor had said she had normal brain activity…if it was a regular dose, something probably would have shown up.  “Don’t worry Anna, I’ll get you out of here somehow,” Jennifer said in a low voice.  But how was the question.

  “Doctor Coats?” a younger man came in looking thoughtful.  His nametag said K. Braxton.  “Still no change, huh?  What do you want to do?”
  “I don’t think she belongs here,” Jennifer heard herself saying with a frown.  The other doctor nodded.

  “You’re right, it may be better if we transferred her to the main hospital.  There’s only so much we can do here.  Shall I prepare that transfer order for you?”  He asked.  Jennifer, looking at him with slight surprise, nodded.

  “Thank you.”

  “Sure, I’ll leave a note at the front desk with transfer information as well,” the intern said, walking off.  Relieved at the stroke of luck, Jennifer decided to peek around at some of the others in the emergency ward, and quickly wished she hadn’t.  A young boy, not more than four or five, was crying softly having apparently broken his arm.  She walked over smiling warmly at him and his mother, who looked terribly worried and was trying to calm him down.

  “It’s all right, the doctor says they’ll be doing your x-rays soon,” she said.

  “But it hurts Mum, it hurts,” he said.  She glanced up at Jennifer, a slight fire in her eyes.

  “Excuse me, but can’t you do something here?  Perhaps something for the pain.”  Jennifer barely hesitated, picking up a water glass from beside them and turning around, slipping a phial in her hand and pouring it in, mentally calculating how much extra dose to put in with the dilution.  She then turned around and handed it to them.

  “He’s to drink all of that,” Jennifer said firmly.  “He should feel better not long after he does.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” the mother said, and Jennifer nodded, looking in the next berth. 

  It was not long after she had gone around the whole room, looking in on the various patients that the man returned again with the paperwork.

  “I sent for the ambulance, it should be here any minute, shall I wheel her down?”  Braxton asked, leaning Anna’s head back down and straightening the bed she was one.

  “No, I’ll do that, why don’t you check on the other patients,” Jennifer suggested, and tried to push her. It didn’t move.

  “Oh, the wheels, I’ll get it,” the intern offered and unlocked them, glancing at the doctor strangely.  There was something definitely different about Dr. Coats.

  “Thanks,” Jennifer said.  Quickly she wheeled her out, spotting what appeared to be a large lift.  A couple of nurses tried to call after her, saying he was going the wrong way, but Jennifer wasn’t about to stop now.  The moment the lift doors closed she took out a key and holding on to her put it in her hand.  A second later the doors opened, showing only an empty cart.

   In the meantime, Jennifer took Anna in front of Jennifer’s cottage, laying her on a hovering stretcher.  Eddie picked them up the moment he came on duty, and the Knight Bus dropped them off at Anna’s cabin.  Finally having a moment to take a breath, Jennifer glanced at her watch to see where Severus was. It was still set on “elsewhere.”  Well, Jennifer still had a card to play.  If Anna had somehow been cosmic cursed, there was only one person who could bring her out.  Stepping outside, she held out her hand and thought of her familiar, and within a minute Ratfly appeared soaring through the trees and to her hand, screeching noisily.  Quickly scribbling a note, she sent him off.  It was starting to get late, and she wondered if Severus would be home soon.  She glanced at her ring…he was worried.  But as she stood pondering that, she saw something come out of the woods…a large black dog running ahead of a young looking Centaur with strawberry blonde hair.  The Centaur, oddly enough, was wearing a cuffed white shirt that fit snugly around his humanoid half as if tailored to fit.  But before Jennifer had time to ask who he was, the dog suddenly jumped up and turned into the frantic form of Sirius.

  “What’s wrong?  Where is she?  What’s the emergency?”  Sirius asked in a panic.

  “Just shut up and go kiss her,” Jennifer said.  “And don’t you dare tell Severus I sent for you.”

 

Chapter Six

Dumbledore Sorts Things Out

 

  “Aunt Anna!”  Corey came barreling down the main stairs as Jennifer, Anna, Sirius, and the Centaur walked into the gates.  Severus and Minerva walked out behind him.  “You’re all right!”

  “I’m standing now, if that’s what you mean,” Anna said, but accepted the hug.

  “What happened out there, one minute you were fine…”

  “Excuse me, I’m sure we’re all just as curious about this,” Minerva cut in as they joined the group, “But we should include Dumbledore in the discussion. He and Arthur are waiting in his study.  Dr. Sagittari, would you care to join us?”

  “Certainly,” the Centaur said.

  “Sagittari?”  Severus said squinting thoughtfully.  “I thought you were banished.”

  “From my people, yes,” Sagittari nodded.  “I chose to leave the Forest on my own for my father’s sake, but I’ve returned for other reasons.”

  “Yes, yes, we can talk about that too.  Come along, now.  You too, Corey,” Minerva said.  Severus fell into step next to Jennifer.

  “I kept expecting you to burst in to the rescue today, what kept you?”  Jennifer asked tauntingly.

  “Dumbledore convinced me that you had everything under control, and obviously, it looks as if you had,” Severus said softly, glancing over at her.  “Although, I might have looked at the watch and the ring once or twice,” he admitted.  Jennifer smiled at him knowingly.

 

  Anna was greeted to a warm reception when they arrived, especially by Arthur Weasley, who had been speaking to Dumbledore when they came in.  The Centaur suddenly appeared, making Arthur jump back in surprise.

  “Your pardon, Dumbledore, but spiral staircases were not designed with Centaurs in mind,” Dr. Sagittari said solemnly.  “Thank you for letting me up.”

  “Sagittari?  Is that you, old friend?”  Arthur said with amazement immediately going over to shake his hand.  “Goodness after you disappeared I thought we’d never see you again!  I can’t wait to tell Molly, she’ll be wanting to see you of course, you must come over and visit.  I have so much to tell you, where have you been?”

  “Why am I beginning to think that this particular Centaur is far from being a stranger here?”  Anna asked.

  “You would be correct, Sagittari was in the same class I was, a fellow Gryffindor, weren’t you, Sagittari?”  Arthur said.

  “Indeed, Arthur.  And it is an honor to be back,” he said.

  “A wizard Centaur?”  Jennifer said in total surprise.  “I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “Possible, but extremely frowned upon.  In fact, I am an outcast of my own people.  When I graduated I was forced to leave and seek sanctuary among the sages of my kind on Crete.  But there were also many learned wizards who came there often to study astrology, and among them was Master Hippocrus, who taught me veterinary science.  Since then, I’ve been working as a veterinarian for magical creatures on mainland Europe.  But I have returned now…accomplished, and I think much wiser than I left…in hopes of perhaps redeeming myself in the eyes of my family and my Constellation.  I am quite grateful to you, Professor Dumbledore, for requesting me for this position.”  Sagittari said.

  “Dr. Sagittari shall be taking over as our Magical Creatures instructor, as well as act as our groundskeeper,” Dumbledore told them.  “I believe not only will he be a great asset with his extensive expertise in medicine and creatures, but with the increased danger in the Forest, I can think of no one better to watch the grounds and keep an eye on things.”  Jennifer had almost forgotten about all the problems that had been developing last year in the Dark Forest since the banshee that protected the eastern side had been destroyed.  Many unwholesome creatures that had not been seen in decades were starting to make reappearances.  “Now that that is covered…Anna, Corey, could you tell us what happened?”

  “We were in London, not far from the library.  I had just finished making some copies for Vallid, and we were getting ready to return to the Ministry with the things you requested, Arthur, when we started getting the feeling we were being watched.  No, actually, Corey started feeling it before we even went in the library, but I thought it was just his imagination.  I didn’t feel anything until we were leaving, but then when I did, there was a strong presence there, almost familiar…I’m not sure,” Anna said with a sigh.

  “We were going to find a place to safely travel the non-Muggle way when we got separated.  I felt something like a bee sting on my arm, then the next thing I know I was on the ground and there were people around me.  Everything was sort of blurry after that, I remember something about a doctor wheeling me into some tests, then wheeling me out, then next thing I know I’m at Severus’ house, then on a bus, then at home, that’s where I woke up,” she explained.  Sagittari had taken a couple steps forward and asked for her arm and was quickly joined by Severus.  Dumbledore looked at Corey.

  “Corey, what did you do when Anna fell?”  He asked.

  “Well, there were too many Muggles around to do all that much.  I did grab onto her purse, and then went with them to the hospital and filled out forms with Muggle information, and then I tried calling the Ministry phone number, but Mr. Weasley and Ms. Vallid wasn’t around, so I left for the nearest safe house and went to Hogwarts to get Mom and Dad, that’s what Dad had told me to do if anything like this came up,” he explained.

  “Well prepared as usual I see,” Dumbledore smiled slightly at Severus and then back at Corey.  “Actually, Mr. Weasley and I found out you had called when we came from the courts, and Penelope said she had tried to get you to talk to Mr. Thurspire, but you did not?”

  “He’s not on the list of people I’m allowed to talk to, sir,” Corey explained.  Dumbledore glanced up at Severus and Jennifer again, who looked back at him expressionlessly.  It was no secret they didn’t like the man.

  “I see.  Thank you, Corey.  Jennifer, I assume this is where you came in?”

  “Yes, sir.  I had a little trouble at first convincing them to let me in to see her,” Jennifer admitted, “But I did have an acid-tempered Polyjuice Potion on me…something Severus and I developed for quick use…and subdued one of the head doctor’s there, assuming his identity for a bit.  From there I was able to get to Anna, discern that she was under a magic induced sleep and had to get her out of there.  Anyhow, I had it arranged so it looked like she was getting moved to another hospital, and the moment I was able to get her in an isolated location keyed her to my house, then Eddie took us back to the cabin…I thought she would be safer there, and it would be easier to get a hold of folks from there as well.”

  “And the doctor, did you have to obliterate him at all?” Weasley asked.

  “Yes, sir, I did as a precaution before I left the office, and gave him the idea that he had been working during that time and that the young woman that got “transferred” was actually misdiagnosed and was actually just asleep, oh, and that they were having trouble with faulty equipment.  Hope I didn’t overdo the explanations,” Jennifer chuckled.

  “No, that sounds like the sort of explanation they might buy,” Mr. Weasley said, but was eyeing her steadily.  “There were also some odd reports that several of the other patients in emergency had some rather startling recoveries this afternoon, I don’t suppose you noticed anything unusual while you were there?”

  “Did they?”  Jennifer said expressionlessly.  “Who’s to say with Muggles, their medicine practices were altogether confusing if you ask me.  It could have been anything, I suppose.  Maybe it was something in the water?” she said, with a noncommittal shrug.  Jennifer was very aware that Dumbledore was looking steadily at her.

  “Well, that’s good enough for me, I suppose,” Arthur said, looking back over at Sagittari.  “Anything there?”

  “A pin prick, nearly imperceptible,” Sagittari mused.

  “A needle, perhaps?”  Severus said.

  “No, at least, I don’t believe it was a potion or poison if that’s what you’re thinking,” Jennifer said.  “It’s more likely to have been an item, considering the curse that had been placed on her.”  Severus suddenly spun around with suspicion, glaring at Jennifer.  “It was Cosmic Sleep,” she said.

  Severus looked at Anna, who was attempting to ignore him, then at Sirius, who was looking incredibly smug.

  “No.  No, no, no, NO!  You are mistaken, no matter how it appeared or what happened, that is absolutely impossible, I’m sure there’s another explanation!”  Severus said, looking positively furious.  Sirius moved quickly so that Anna was between him and her brother.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” Jennifer said to Dumbledore, grabbing onto Severus’ arm and leading him outside.

  “Corey, stay here, please,” Dumbledore said warningly.

  “Aw, I want to see Mom win again.  She’s brilliant at it, and she always wins,” Corey said.  Arthur coughed into his hand.

  “Yes, I’m depending on that,” Dumbledore said, glancing at Sirius.  “Please do not instigate anything over this, Sirius…”

  “I won’t start anything if he doesn’t,” Sirius says, holding up his hands.  “It’s not my fault that he’s been choosing to be blind to the fact that Anna and I are destined for each other.  Boy, I bet this was a wake up call,” he chuckled, secretly pleased that Severus was getting so burned over their relationship.  He wouldn’t have been with anyone else but her no matter what, but Severus’ reaction was icing on the cake.  He glanced over at Anna, who was frowning at him with such intensity that he stopped laughing and tried to look serious.  “I’ll do my best to keep things civil as I always have,” he said.

  “How unusual to have two such couples find each other in the same generation, and even in the same family, the odds of that must be astronomical,” Arthur said suddenly, glancing at Dumbledore.

  “Such things do not occur by accident, Arthur,” Sagittari said.  “The stars show great periods of change ahead, for good or ill I know not yet, but I do know that it must be interconnected.”  Jennifer reentered, looking slightly flustered, followed by Severus, who looked only slightly calmer than when he had left, but had his mouth firmly clamped shut.

  “Well, in any case, we have more immediate problems,” Dumbledore said.  “I am very worried about the fact that anyone would attack Anna.  Until now, her identity has been kept low profile, as well as her abilities.  If someone has attacked her in such a way I wonder if others are not learning more about her.”

  “What about the items she took from the Ministry vault?  Anything in there someone might want?”  Corey asked.

  “Good heavens, I almost forgot!  Do you still have them?”  Arthur asked.

  “They’re in my purse along with Vallid’s papers,” Anna said.

  “I have it right here, Aunt Anna,” Corey said, handing her the purse.  She fished out the bag and looked in it.

  “Only two of the items are here,” Anna said looking pale, handing Arthur the bag.  “The ladle is gone.”

  “The ladle?  And that being the most dangerous of the three, of course,” Arthur grumbled.

  “What was its significance?”  Sagittari asked.

  “I had Anna get in our storage vault for confiscated goods, these were three things we had taken out of the Malfoy house on a cursed items raid…I had actually gotten them out in hopes of having Jennifer look at them; Ederick is building a separate case against Malfoy for using cursed items in relation to business practices.  A cursed vase, a cursed quill set, and a cursed ladle.  I wanted to you to look at the ladle especially, Jennifer, because it had your family markings on it.”

  “My family markings?”  Jennifer said with surprise.  “What was Malfoy doing with a Craw cursed item?”

  “All I know is Artie found it and the other items in a hidden cache behind one of the fireplaces, and from what we’ve learned has a powerful death spell on it.  Any liquid or food that comes into contact with the inside of that ladle turns to a deadly poison, although the appearance and taste doesn’t change.”

  “That’s the Queen’s Ladle!”  Jennifer said, looking alarmed.  “I’ve heard stories from father about that ladle, it’s an assassination tool.  The story was that ages ago one of my ancestors married into royalty for monetary reasons…they made the ladle so she could kill her husband, take over, then siphon off the funds.  Worked like a charm, too.  In fact, legend has it that she stayed long enough to finish the soup after he was carried off, since the curse didn’t effect her.”

  “Lovely family,” Anna said dryly.

  “I’m quite sure that my father would never have willingly given something like that to Malfoy, even when they were partners.  My father is that not trusting or stupid,” Jennifer said.

  “No, he is not,” Dumbledore agreed.  “And I can see how having that item would be quite detrimental to Malfoy were it brought into the court as something in his possession.  Especially now, when he feels that he has won a major victory over us.”

  “I take it the hearing didn’t go well?” Sirius asked, glancing at the solemn faces.

  “No, Sirius, I’m afraid not.  The evidence against Audi was quite surmountable, and in light of it, she changed her plea, and was found guilty of trial misconduct.  That means, of course, that Lucius Malfoy will be granted an appeal, which is currently in litigation to see if there is still enough evidence for a retrial, or if they will dismiss the case.”

  “Dismiss it?”  Jennifer said in a panic.  “You mean after all we went through, he’s going to walk away?”

  “Jennifer, believe me, we’re going to do everything we can to see that doesn’t happen,” Arthur said.  “But as quickly as this is unraveling, I don’t think we’ll be able to hold him much longer, even if it results in a retrial.”  Jennifer slumped down in a chair, feeling Severus’ hand on her shoulder.

  “Well, it’s getting late, and we need to try to start working to try and find out who attacked Anna and what the item was that he used on her.  Anna, I think it’d be better if you stayed at the cabin for now.  Corey may stay here, provided he doesn’t interfere with preparations for the school year.”

  “Speaking of which, I left the lab in a state, I had better go see to that as well,” Jennifer said, getting up.

  “Come, Corey, let me get you settled.  I need to talk to you about some things about the new school year anyhow,” Minerva said, moving over to the boy.

  Jennifer and Severus headed towards the back stair on their way down to the dungeons.  Just as they entered the stairwell, Severus turned and gazed at her with such searching scrutiny that she looked back at him with curiosity.

  “What?”

  “So what really happened to those other mysterious cases in the hospital?” he asked, following her closely down the stairs.

  “Oh, that.  What makes you think anything happened?”  Jennifer asked.  Severus stopped her and gently turned her to face him, flipping over the edge of her cloak.  The cloak, specially designed to hold dozens of potion vials, were missing several key healing elixirs, and Jennifer knew there was little use denying what she had done.  She sighed softly, looking slightly sheepish.  “I couldn’t help myself, Severus.  You don’t know what it’s like in there.  I couldn’t just stand by while those people asked for my help and not do anything.  And there was this boy there; he was hardly more than a baby…I just couldn’t let it go.  Can you tell me you would have done any different?”

  “Yes, I would have.  I would have left it alone.  It’s not our place to interfere with the way they do things, Jennifer.  You went in there because you didn’t want them touching one of our own.  For the same reason, I’m sure they wouldn’t want us mucking about with theirs.  Besides that, I’m sure you realize just how much trouble you’d be in if you had been caught.”

  “Severus, I understand why you wouldn’t have, and I respect that, but I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing about it, not when I could help them.”  Jennifer said.  Severus sighed softly.

  “Come on, let’s go see how much needs to be put away before we can turn in,” he said heading back down the stairs.

  “So this is our little secret, right?”  Jennifer asked.

  “And Dumbledore’s…and Arthur’s,” Severus said with such surety that Jennifer frowned slightly.  “Trust me, they were no more fooled than I was.  Just be glad we’re on your side.”

 

  Somehow (and with a little help from both Corey and Severus) Jennifer managed to get the lab completely reorganized within a few days, the potions for the medical ward made, and the prescriptions shelved in her office.  It was then that she finally settled down to her paperwork, finishing her syllabi mere hours before Minerva came to hound her for them.  In the evenings she had spared some time to visit her black winged horse Ruby, recently returned with Severus’ horse Babe from their summer home in the country.  They had been given to them as a wedding present by the former grounds keeper, Hagrid, and Jennifer for one loved having them back.  As much as she hated flying a broom she loved riding with Ruby, having learned to trust the large black Pegasus more than she trusted her own instincts in the air.  It also gave her an excuse for going on patrol with Severus on occasion, having to give Ruby some exercise, for her own security schedule had changed. 

  Dumbledore had told them at the staff meeting that he had decided to keep up the security measures that had been put in place while Voldemort was alive, still convinced that threats against the school were real ones.  Not only because of the recent incident with Anna, but also because many known Death Eaters were still out on the loose, and others suspected but not proven were also around.  The Forest had become darker than it had been for many years past, and Dumbledore knew he was going to have to keep a closer eye on it than ever before.  Most of the staff who had done security in the past were quickly assigned to the same schedules as last year, but Jennifer’s had changed dramatically.  Instead of an occasional flight patrol and Quidditch security, she had been assigned to internal castle security only, although still assigned to accompanying guests visiting the castle.  Rolanda, who had quite often heard Jennifer argue that she was just as capable of doing the grounds and Forest patrols as anyone, was completely surprised when Jennifer did not protest this change at all.  But although Jennifer had no objections to the change, she saw no reason why she could not accompany Severus if she wanted to, and so far Severus had not objected.

  In the Gryffindor houserooms, Corey was desperately ready for school to start and for his friends to arrive.  At first it was terribly fun to be able to sit and eat in the staff room every day and help his parents by mixing potions and running errands, but as time wore on it became rather old, and he spent many long hours looking out the window of his dorm towards the station.

  At long last the day finally came, and he watched with excitement as the new Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and students filed out.  Down on the lake, a row of lantern lights glinted where the boats were taking first years into the castle, and he sighed softly remembering when it had been him.  If only his sister were magic as well, he thought, then next year she would be doing this too.  It was as the boats got close enough for him to see a Centaur’s shape in the lead boat that he heard a voice in the common room, and turning around and throwing his robe on he went down to see Minerva McGonagall standing there looking impatient.

  “Come on, Mr. Willowby, they’re on their way over, you know.  You had better go ahead and get to your seat, everyone will be here at any moment.”

  “Yes, Professor,” Corey said, walking out in front of her.  He headed down the stairs to the Great Hall just as the seventh years stepped up from the entry hall, deciding to wait for several of them to take their places before going in himself.

  “Corey!” 

  Corey looked up to see a beautiful red haired seventh-year student pause as she noticed him by the door, smiling warmly at him.

  “There you are!  Your friends were worried you missed the train!  Are you all right, Corey?” she asked.  “I heard what happened.  I expect you must have stayed at the school then.”

  “Yes I did, and I’m doing fine thanks, good to see you, Ginny,” Corey grinned at her.  “You’re looking lovely as always.  How’s Harry?”

  “Doing well, but we’d better be getting in.  Come on, you can sit by me.  I’d love to hear your side of things, Dad didn’t say much,” Ginny said, and the two walked in together.

  Jennifer was standing at the high table talking to Filius Flitwick when they came in.

  “There he is, took him long enough to get down here,” Jennifer said, shaking her head.  “You’d think he’d been excited to see his friends again.”

  “I’m sure he is, but I bet you he just didn’t want to be the first student in here,” Filius said.  “In any case, I really want to congratulate you on your new agenda this year, although I’m surprised you found the time to add another advanced class to your schedule.   Just let me know if you want any other spells corroborated between my seventh years and your items creation class.”

  “Just what I’ve already mentioned so far.  I do hope it goes over well, I did get quite a few sign ups,” Jennifer said. 

  “Well have a few Charms majors that I still might be able to talk into taking it,” Filius winked at her.  “I’m sure it’ll go splendidly, everyone loves your classes.”

  “They loved my classes,” Jennifer corrected as she stood by her seat and Severus walked over to her side.  “But now I’m teaching Potions, and you know how bored students get of Potions class.”

  “My classes were never boring,” Severus interrupted almost indignantly.  “And I’m sure if you hop around in your Potion books as much as you did in Defense, you’ll be keeping them on their toes as well.”

  “Oh, dear, you two aren’t at it again, are you?” Dumbledore said, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he walked to his seat.  “Enough of that.  It’s a brand new term, let’s all get off on the right foot, shall we?”  He gestured towards Minerva, who was standing near the door, and she slipped out, coming back in a moment later with more students than Jennifer remembered seeing in years past.  At first it somewhat confused her, but then she noticed that several of them were actually much older students…students who had recently returned from abroad from other schools, and had been reaccepted back into the fold of Hogwarts.  Minerva had told her about that, she remembered now, but had reassured them that those accepted lived up to Hogwarts standards.  It would be interesting, she thought, to see how they do in comparison to the students who had been in Hogwarts from the beginning.

Chapter Seven

Agendas

 

  Jennifer smiled warmly as the last of her second year Gryffindor-Slytherin students filed into the potion lab, got their kits out looking expectantly at her.  A cool wind flickered candles around the lab, and bright sunbeams shone through the open windows, adding extra light into the drearily utilitarian room.

  “Good morning!  For those of you who have joined us from afar,” Jennifer started, smiling at Danyelle on the Slytherin side, “or those who have forgotten after summer break, my name is Professor Craw, and this year I am going to be your Potions professor.  Oh, and by the way if you have forgotten me, never fear, I have a potion for that,” she grinned, getting a light chuckle from the class.  “In fact, potions are one of the most versatile and dependable forms of physical magic, and in many ways, more dependable than practical magic when made properly and with good ingredients.  Unlike a cast spell where things such as duration, effectiveness, and magnitude can be uncertainties, in potion making it all boils down to precise measurement, formulas, and component quality.  They also have the advantage of being able to affect some sorts of creatures that have developed immunity against cast magic, which I’m quite sure you’ll be covering later on in your Defense class,” she said, eyes twinkling merrily.

  “For the next couple class periods, we’re going to review what you covered last year, go over basic balm formulas, then from there you’re going to learn some new ways to test your potions for potency, quality, and effectiveness.  In other words, you’ll learn some of the things I have to do to grade their efficiency.  Today, I’d like to start you with some hands on review.  Take out your kits if you haven‘t already, for you’re going to be showing me that you know how to mark them visually and by senses, and then I’m going to show you a potency test for herbs by testing vapor off of a simple test solution.  Let’s start with something easy. Everyone get out five decigrams of Sleepsand.  There are folders on the table, fill those out, make sure you list where you got each if you know…anyone who doesn’t have any in their kits for whatever reason feel free to get it off the shelf, just make sure you note that on your sheet,” Jennifer said. 

   It wasn’t long before she recognized an interesting pattern to those she had paused to glance at.  The majority of Slytherin seemed to have gone to Draco’s, while many of the Gryffindors seemed to have gotten theirs by catalog.  Two even admitted they had gotten them from Sludgebat’s.  The only student besides Corey who had Witolf’s was Danny Nelson. 

  The best part of the class for Jennifer was watching Corey.  As much of a terror as he was in a regular class, the hands-on methods of potion making seemed to make him come alive and he listened intently to her instruction and executed everything with perfect precision.  Jennifer quickly realized why Severus had insisted on putting him in Dabbler’s class in his first year even though the class was geared for the latter year students.  Corey definitely had a natural knack for the physical arts.

  All too soon the two hours seemed to be almost over, and Jennifer had them clean up and turn in their papers, assigning them the first chapter to read and reminding them sternly that she was a Truth-seeker and would know if they didn’t do it.

   After her shorter third year Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw class it was time for lunch, and Jennifer left the classroom feeling completely at ease with her new agenda, scooping up the lab papers into a folder and reading them casually as she walked to the staff room.  But the moment she walked in the door, Jennifer scrambled to turn around to leave before she was seen…yet alas, it was too late.

  “Jennifer!  There you are, just the person I’ve been looking for.  I have something terribly important to tell you about,” Sibyl Trelawney said so insistently that Jennifer knew she was in trouble.  “I had a dream about you last night,” the Divination professor said in a low, foreboding tone.  Jennifer, who would have preferred to run and lock herself in her office rather than hear about it, turned and smiled wanly at her, slowly walking over to the table.  Where was the rest of the staff?  She could have used a diversion right now.  Reluctantly she sat down by the woman as Sibyl patted her hand, suddenly turning it over.

  “Ugh!  It’s worse than I thought!  I am so glad I came down from the tower today!  You’re in more danger than I had even imagined.”

  “Oh really,” Jennifer said, glancing at the door.  Severus, who had nearly stepped into the room suddenly backed up and went the other way.

  “I see terrible times ahead for you and Severus,” Trelawny said, looking in her hand.

  “Yes, I can see terrible times ahead for Severus too,” Jennifer agreed, plotting to get even for him for not rescuing her.

  “Let me tell you about my dream, perhaps you can help me interpret it,” Sibyl insisted.

  “Actually, I should probably get back to the lab.  I think I left the burners on,” Jennifer said getting up.

  “Don’t walk away from your future!  If you walk away now it will have dire consequences!  I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, please don’t do anything rash!”  Sibyl said empathically.

  “All right, Sibyl.  I am sitting down again.   I’ll listen to your dream, but then I have to go, okay?”  Jennifer said with exasperation.

  “I see you, walking in a storm…no, no…not walking, flying, yes, and you are not well, not well at all, I don’t think, but your mission is dire, to save someone you love from the forces of evil!  And in the water under you, something lurks, as if waiting…waiting to strike!  And just as the creature begins to emerge from the water, lightning strikes you and you fall, fall deep into the ocean!  That was when I awoke and was left…with a sense of death,” she said darkly.

  Jennifer stared at her a moment before nodding slowly.

  “So, what is it supposed to mean?”  Jennifer asked cautiously.

  “What do you mean what is that supposed to mean?  Didn’t they teach you anything in that American school?”  Sibyl asked, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Yes, actually, there was a divination course…sort of,” Jennifer admitted reluctantly.  She wasn’t about to tell Sibyl it was lumped in with an elective class called a Muggle’s view of Magic Folklore.  “But I couldn’t fit it into my schedule,” she said.

  “Well, we’re going to have to work on that, especially if you’re going to invade my dreams with such powerful images!  Beware of showing your weaknesses, Jennifer, for something right now is lurking to take advantage of them!  And if you do, you will surely leave this world forever,” she said remorsefully, getting up.

  “I must meditate more on this event.  I am weary now.  I must go back to the tower!   You will come to see me soon, I predict.  Then I will give you a tarot reading of events to come, I have foreseen it!  It will happen!”  She said fervently then swept out of the room.  The moment she left Jennifer’s head hit the table and she groaned.  A moment later she heard someone enter and Jennifer turned to see Minerva, trying to hide the sympathetic smile that was emerging to the surface.

  “We wondered who Sibyl would find interesting when Harry graduated.  It looks as if I won the bet,” she said.

  “Congratulations.  How long until she gets tired of me?”  Jennifer asked.

  “I’m not really sure, actually.  She didn’t ever get tired of Harry,” Minerva said innocently.  “But don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll dream of someone else…eventually.”

  “Great stars save us all,” Jennifer said, chuckling softly to herself.   Well, Sibyl didn’t come out of the Divination tower often, and with any luck, her work would keep her out of the way until she found someone else to foretell warnings to.

  Reviews continued through the first week, but by then Jennifer had something else on her mind as well.  Her friend and Counselor, Lunette Vallid, had sent her a note asking to see her, and Jennifer had little doubt what it was about.  The Saturday of Quidditch tryouts, Jennifer put on her best conservative dress and headed down to breakfast to see Corey.  He was sitting with Doug as usual, turned to the side to talk with Taylor, sitting across from them on the Ravenclaw table.  Jennifer couldn’t help but get the odd feeling that they were up to something, but what it was she didn’t have the time to investigate.

  “I came to wish you luck at tryouts today,” she told Corey, straightening her gloves.

  “You’re not going?”  Corey said, clearly disappointed.

  “No, I have some urgent business in London.  Professor Snape will be helping Madam Hooch today,” she explained.  She heard several groans from around her but ignored them.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can though, so maybe I’ll get there before it’s all said and done, we’ll see.  Try not to show off too much, hm?  You can’t play Quidditch if you break your neck, you know.”

  “I’ll try not to, Professor, thanks,” Corey said.  He watched as Jennifer turned and spoke to Ginny before she left.  He then turned back to Doug.  “I wonder what she’s up to now?  A bit early in the year for her to be in trouble already.”

  “You think it has to do with whatever knocked your Aunt out a few weeks ago?”  Doug asked.

  “No, I think she’d have mentioned something about that.  I did see Aunt Anna combing over books with Madam Granger in the library, though.  I’m quite sure they’re trying to look for what he might sort of item that can be carried that might have a spell like that on it,” Corey said.

  “You sure it wasn’t just a pair of spells, and not an item at all?”  Doug asked.

  “Well, I’m quite sure that sort of spell wouldn’t work on Anna normally with her being an Aethermage.  Spells don’t work on her the same as they do other people.  In fact, I heard from a reliable source that Sirius once actually tried to cast that spell on Anna during an argument and it bounced off her and got him instead,” Corey smirked.  “Took my source and her boyfriend forever to convince her to wake him up.”

  “Corey Willowby, you had better not be repeating anything I’ve said down there, or I swear I’ll never speak to you again!”  Ginny said from where she leaned looking at them several students away.

  “Calm down, Ginny, I wasn’t mentioning any names,” Corey said to her, frowning.  He shook his head and turned back to the other two.  “Women.”

 

  Her name was Lunette Vallid of the order of Merlin and Libris, and she had never lost a case… until now.  Perhaps over the years she had gotten a bit cocky…yes even she, Lunette Vallid, deserved to make a mistake now and then.  But there was nothing that got her goat more than watching people she knew were guilty get out on a technicality as she believed Malfoy was about to do.  Her long time associate and friend, Madam Audacious Belle, sat humbly beside the desk in Vallid’s posh London suite, looking uncharacteristically glum.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Audi.  You did what you thought you had to do at the time,” Vallid said as she thumbed through a law book.  “And you know I’ll be happy to speak up for you at the ethics inquiry when we get back to the States.”

  “I could care less of the inquiry, Judge.  Let them take my license if they see fit, lord knows I’ve deserved it often enough before this.  I’m more worried of what this is going to mean for Jen-girl.”

  “It’s not going to mean anything to Jennifer.  I think Dumbledore’s testimony at your hearing was proof of that, and from the sentiment of the committee, I’m quite certain none of them bought any of that rubbish in the paper last year, either.  Besides, the Magistrate isn’t planning to give the review until Halloween, that gives me over a month to find a miracle,” Vallid said.  Audacious looked over at her skeptically.  “And, of course, it’ll give me another reason to go to the ethics inquiry, since I have to go back to the States anyhow.  There’s something I need to do for Dumbledore while I’m there, and there’s a disturbing report that has come out about a Muggle case I had worked on,” she said, sighing and rubbing her forehead slightly. “Well, I’m sure we can take a few birds out with one stone during the trip.”  There was a brisk knock and the concierge opened the door, letting Jennifer in. 

  “Good Afternoon, Jennifer, come have a seat,” Vallid smiled.

  “Audi!”  Jennifer said with such relief that Vallid forgave her for not acknowledging her.  “I’m so sorry I got you mixed up in this,” she said with such fervency that Audi couldn’t help but laugh at her.

  “Jen-girl, I will take the blame for my own messes if you don’t mind.  I expect you have enough of your own to keep you busy without taking anyone else’s.  I had my reasons for staying with the Malfoy team, and no one can say I didn’t…well, maybe not the best of reasons legally speaking, but reasons nonetheless.  It is I who should apologize to you.  First for letting you think me as an enemy when I took your wand back then, and now for giving them so much fuel for their appeal.”

  “And what about me?” Vallid spoke up in an exaggerated haughty tone, “After all, I was the prosecuting attorney in this case, so if anyone should take the blame, it’s me.”  Suddenly the three of them looked at each other and burst out laughing, not being able to stop for quite some time until finally tears came to their eyes, Jennifer holding her stitching side as it settled into a rolling chuckle.

  “Listen to us, a coven of Truth-seeking guilt complexes,” Vallid chuckled, shaking her head.  “Well, now we’ve gotten that off our chests, how about we start thinking about damage control, shall we?  Because if I’m not mistaken, this is far from over.”

  “He’s going to get out, isn’t he?  You’re not going to be able to stop this,” Jennifer asked Vallid, looking straight at her.

  “You’re right,” Vallid said, looking her back so Jennifer could see her face.  “I was able to buy some time to research the appeal, but I can’t hide it from you.  I don’t think anything I find out there is going to work.  Fudge’s return damaged the credibility of the evidence against him being a Death Eater, and Audi now being found guilty of misconduct poses questions on whether or not he had fair representation.  Not that I don’t understand her reasoning for that, but let’s not start that again.  Everyone did what they thought best for them to do at the time, you, you, and I.

  “I think right now it’s better if we take the defensive.  Malfoy is sure to have lined up a series of lawsuits aimed at everyone involved in this and will most likely also try to pursue some sort of grievances with the school itself,” Vallid continued, leaning back in her chair with her fingers pressed thoughtfully together.  “In the meantime, Arthur…who’s about as thrilled of the idea of him getting out as we are, is trying to get some steam on some side investigations he’s had going on Malfoy for a number of years, including use of illegal items.  It’s really his best shot, because it’s hard to refute evidence like that if you can prove whom the last person to use it was.  In any case, I do suggest that there should be some restraining orders in place at the school, since there is no question that having either you and Lucius Malfoy in the same vicinity might be a bit…volatile.”

  “If I were Malfoy I’d be more worried about Severus,” Jennifer said.

  “And vice versa, I think, Jennifer,” Vallid mused.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can somehow manage to have all those in place before he gets out.”  Jennifer suddenly sighed and shook her head.  Audi glanced over at Jennifer then back to Vallid, resignation dulling Audi and Jennifer’s eyes.  Vallid nodded her head at them.  “I know, I don’t want him out either.  But rest assured, my friends, this isn’t the last of this matter, not even by a long shot.  I assure you, Lucius Malfoy is definitely going to regret the day he heard…oh, any of our names, before this is all said and done.”  Audi and Jennifer looked up at Vallid, a glimmer of determination once again appearing in their faces.

 

  Jennifer got back to the school in plenty of time to see the end of the tryouts, walking over to the Quidditch Pitch and taking a spot on one of the lower stands.  She waved at Corey and Doug when they came flying past.  Severus, who had been standing on the side of the Pitch, walked over to her.

  “How did it go?” he asked.

  “About like we expected,” Jennifer said somberly.  “Audi and Vallid are now going back to the States for Audi’s ethics inquiry.  She might lose her counselor and Truth-seeker’s licenses over this one.”

  “Well, try not to blame yourself.   You had no control over what your father and she were doing at the time of the trial.  I spoke with Anna earlier; she is going to join them as well,” Severus said.

  “Is that wise?”  Jennifer asked suddenly.  “I mean, after what happened, and in a Muggle area too, who knows what might happen?”

  “I am sure that anything that might come up Audi and Vallid can handle.  And as an added bonus Sirius will be staying to help Harry on something he‘s working on in Paris.”

  “Well, I hope he’s careful,” Jennifer said.  Severus decided not to say anything.

  “I should get back to the other side of the field to see if Rolanda needs anything,” he said at last and got up.  Jennifer shook her head slightly at him as he walked away.  Wasn’t Severus ever going to forgive Sirius?  At least for his sister’s sake?   Jennifer couldn’t help but thinking this feud had gone on far too long.

  A few minutes later Taylor Brittle wandered onto the stands and Jennifer waved him over.

  “You didn’t try out?” she asked curiously.

  “No, sports just aren’t my bag, you know,” Taylor said, sitting down beside her.  Jennifer knew only too well what he meant.  Although Taylor loved the sport, he knew he was terrible at it.  He had always tired out quickly, and his coordination was lacking to be a good Keeper, but he had learned to come to grips with his shortcomings, playing to his intellectual strengths.  “I’m going to cover the games for the paper again this year,  I’ve already talked to Madam Granger about it, so I thought I’d come down and support Corey and Doug and get the new team members names for the Veritable Wizard Biweekly.”

  “You know, I have an idea,” Jennifer said suddenly.  “We don’t have an announcer yet for this year.  Why don’t you ask Madam Hooch if you can do it, since you’ll have to be at all the games anyhow,” she suggested.  “You can even tell her I suggested it if you like.”

  “You think she’d let me?”  Taylor asked, his face brightening.

  “Well, I don’t know if she has anyone lined up yet, can’t hurt to ask, can it?”  Jennifer said.  “Why don’t you run over there right now, looks like they’re finishing up.”  Indeed, all of the present members of the teams were already huddled together, discussing the candidates.

  “All right, I will,” Taylor said, mustering up his nerve and getting up.

  “Come back over and tell me how it goes,” Jennifer smiled, watching the huddled teams.  Ravenclaw’s broke up first…that hadn’t been surprising, for they only had a Beater to replace on regular team this year.  Hufflepuff, needing a Chaser and a Keeper, took some time longer.  But the longest two teams were Slytherin and Gryffindor, and expectedly so…they were both replacing Seekers this year.  At last Slytherin finished, and all that remained was Gryffindor.   Finally they too broke up, and someone, (Jennifer was fairly sure it was Ginny) went over to speak with Madam Hooch before turning to announce their decision. 

  Jennifer got up to meet Doug, Taylor, and Corey as they headed across the Pitch, and the look on Corey’s face quickly told Jennifer that he didn’t do as well as he had hoped.

  “Guess what, Professor Craw, Madam Hooch says she thinks I may be a good announcer for this year!”  Taylor said excitedly.  “She’s going to tell me for sure in a few days.”

  “Great, that’s wonderful news,” Jennifer smiled, looking at the other two.  “How did you both do?”

  “We’re on the team…well, sort of,” Doug said.

  “First and Second Beater alternates,” Corey said glumly.

  “Well, what’s wrong with that, Corey that’s amazing!”  Jennifer said with a smile.  “Second years being an alternate isn’t all that bad.  And next year both your current Beaters are graduating, I think that bodes well for the future, don’t you?”

  “My sister got Seeker her second year,” Doug said, “And Danny Nelson just got Seeker for the Slytherin team, and she wasn’t even a student here her first year!”  Jennifer was not too surprised at that.  From what she remembered watching them at the park, the girl seemed to be a natural on a broom.

  “Might I ask who got the Gryffindor Seeker position?”

  “There’s the real rub…the Gryffindor team didn’t think anyone this year had much promise yet,” Taylor explained.  “So they decided to switch positions inside the regular team.  Ginny Weasley is going to be the Seeker this year.  Perry Dalance got the Keeper’s position, and Juniper Lydian got the other Chaser position.”

  “Oh, and get this, Hufflepuff named a first year as a Chaser alternate,” Corey said.  “Aelfred Finch-Fletchley, do you believe that?”

  “Oh come on now, Corey, you heard what my sister said, he’s cracking good, they just thought he needed a bit more experience.  They replaced a Keeper…in fact, I think every team replaced a Keeper this year,” Doug said.

  “Well, that should make it an exciting year,” Jennifer grinned.  She waved to Ginny, who was walking towards them from the other side of the field.  “Congratulations, Seeker,” she said when Ginny got close enough.

  “Oh, please, don’t congratulate me.  I’m sure there are plenty of people angry with me right now, but we had to do what was best for the team,” Ginny said, looking apologetically at the three boys.

  “I’m sure everyone knows that, Ginny,” Jennifer reassured her.

  “What about these two?” the team captain asked noticing Corey’s glum face.

  “I think these two should be considered lucky to be alternates in their second year.  You never know, you may get to play, games can go on for ages,” Jennifer said.

  “We won’t,” Corey said glumly, “Not with someone as good as Ginny as a Seeker.”  Ginny smiled slightly, thanking him.

  “Come on you guys, I’ll walk you back,” Jennifer said, getting up.  Jennifer soon became interested in hearing the details of the tryouts, who made it and who didn’t, and was greatly surprised to hear that a fourth year actually made team captain.  “That’s highly unusual, but then, there’s nothing usual about Amadeus Longbottom.”

  “Well, he can definitely be a pain in the Longbottom.”

  “Corey!”

  “You know, I think we’re really going to have to watch out for Danny this year.  We happened to play a few games with her at the park this summer, and she’s wickedly smooth on a broom,” Doug warned Ginny.  “And what’s worse is she knows she’s good.”  Jennifer chuckled softly and then looked up suddenly bopping herself.  She had unconsciously walked them to the groundskeeper’s hut, as if to be expecting Hagrid there ready with ‘quiche’ and rock cakes for his Saturday night visitors.

  “Oh, guys, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” she said.  Ginny, who had been one of the other weekly guests suddenly sighed loudly.

  “I miss him too,” Ginny said.  “More than that, I miss all of us together…Harry, Ron, Hermione…I’m sorry, Madame Granger now.  Everything has to go and change.”  Corey looked at Ginny’s wistful face.

  “You can always hang with us, Ginny, we’d love to have you,” Corey said emphatically.

  “Thanks guys, but I’m sure you guys will have a lot more fun without a seventh year premed hanging about.  I think perhaps I’ll go back to the rooms and write to them,” Ginny said.

  Dr. Sagittari, coming back from the pens, looked over at them curiously as they headed back towards the school.

 

 

Chapter Eight

Ghosts and Strange Portents

 

  Sunday was Jennifer’s visiting day for Azkaban prison, and as always Jennifer was looking forward to her monthly visit with her father.  As intolerable as he could be sometimes, she knew he was also reluctantly proud of her, and loved her as she did him.  By alternating weekends with Severus and other visitors, they had been able to make the ‘one visit per person per month’ stretch so that Thomas Craw had a visitor every weekend. 

  In an almost tedious ritual Jennifer went through all the searches and met up with one of the enchanters that guarded the prison; a young calm man named Thatcher Boltin.  Boltin and Jennifer had become good friends.  In fact he had also become fairly good friends with Thomas Craw, for Thomas was one of those individuals that one either truly liked or extremely hated.  There was never any in between.  Thomas was a tall man with dark grey eyes and auburn hair, the sides and his short beard showing sides of grey.   He walked into the visitor’s room with uncommon confidence and dignity.  No matter what he might have lost over the last year and a half, there was little sign he was losing his strength of will.

  “There you are, Jen-girl, what kept you?” He asked, sitting down.

  “Dad, visiting hours just opened half an hour ago,” Jennifer said, shaking her head.  “I have your Wizard’s Digest, letters from Severus and Corey...”

  “Oh no, not another ‘Grandfather please talk them into getting me a broom’ letter,” Thomas chuckled.

  “Your herbal tea, and your worm mints,” Jennifer finished, giving them to Boltin to hand across the magic field.  “Did Severus tell you?  I got a new wand, my own wand this time,” Jennifer said.

  “Oh did you?”  Thomas said, picking up the magazine.

  “You’ll never guess what it is either,” Jennifer said.

  “Hm.  I don’t suppose it might be a twelve and three quarters rosewood Merlin owl feather wand?”  He asked.

  “Oh, so he did tell you,” she said, pouting disappointedly.

  “No, actually, I had some words with Dumbledore as well last week, he came to tell me about Audi just moments after Severus had,” Thomas explained, putting down the magazine and folding his hands together.  “Just as well, I suppose, Boltin was threatening to put me in solitary after my reaction when I first found out about it.  To think, that that…thing is going to get out while I am left here to rot forever…for every murder I committed, I can assure you through his actions he has done more.  I at least am a merciful killer…”

  “Dad,” Jennifer said sternly, “You weren’t exactly all that hesitant to torture Lucius in Knockturn…”

  “Considering what I wanted to do to that inverted slug it was very mild,” Craw said, standing, his eyes beginning to flash.  “Especially after what happened to your mother.  Can you deny he deserved a much more excruciating punishment…”

  “Thomas…” Boltin interjected warningly.  “You know I normally look the other way, but I might not be able to forget any more if you keep this up.”

  “You should have let me kill him,” Craw said gruffly, sitting back down.  Jennifer sighed.

  “I know, Dad,” Jennifer said with a nod.

  “You do?” Craw said with surprise.  “Well, I suppose that’s progress,” he said, eyeing her thoughtfully.

  “I don’t suppose you have any idea how Malfoy could have gotten hold of the Queen’s Ladle?” Jennifer asked.

  “No, I have no idea, and Arthur was already down here pestering me about it.  As far as I knew it was along with all the other items Audi packed when we fled.  Of course, it’s more than possible she missed it…everything she left behind was sold off as a partial payment to a ‘debt’ the government said I owed Malfoy.  Debt, my eye, he embezzled my investments then billed me for the loss.  Jennifer, you are really going to have to watch your step when he gets out.  There is no doubt on my mind that he will be out for blood, and you and I are on the top of his list,” Thomas grunted.

  “I know Dad,” Jennifer said.

  “You know, for a girl your age you know an awful lot,” he said, drumming his fingers testily.  “Don’t you have any good news for me?  As in, when can I be expecting a real grandchild?”

  “Dad!”  Jennifer chuckled with exasperation.  “You know the plan as well as we do.  We’ll have one child a year for the next four to be due out in the summer so not to conflict with work.  Assuming all goes well, that is.”

  “Well, I suppose that’ll have to do, just as long as one of them is named after a Craw,” he said.

  “Just don’t ask us to name one Thomas, because we’re not going to,” she told him sternly.  Thomas for once didn’t argue, nodding solemnly.  It had nothing to do with him, but another Tom altogether.  “But it’s going to be awhile before we know for sure if we can stay on schedule, so stop pestering us!”

  “Do you two ever stop arguing?” A hollow voice sounded from all around them.  “You are both depressing me to tears.  Can’t anyone ever get along?  This isn’t family counseling, you know, it’s a prison.”

  “Oh, what would you know about such things, you killed your family off,” Jennifer growled as a ghost materialized behind Thomas.  It was the ghost known by most patrons as Mad Ick, but whom Jennifer knew as Icarus Ravenclaw, Rowena’s adopted son and former apprentice.  Dark splashes of spilled potion covered the old Potion master’s robe, the eternal sign of what he had done…poisoning his wife and children and then himself.  It was something that Jennifer had considered the dastardliest of acts, all under the reasoning that he might be able to stop his bloodline from spreading in hopes to protect the future from the heir of his true father, Salazar Slytherin.  But all had been in vain, Voldemort had still come, and he had doomed his soul into haunting the island on which he was buried and driving everyone crazy listening to him in the process.

  “Do you know what I heard?” Icarus said, floating through the barrier to look Jennifer in the face.  “I heard that someone who told me that living and fighting was everything had tried to convince a young Harry Potter to leave her in the Tomb to die.  How hypocritical of you.”

  “I was already dying,” Jennifer snarled.  “That was an entirely different set of circumstances.  I was attempting to save his life.”

  “And I was trying to save hundreds.  But then again, you don’t see the bigger picture do you, anymore than you did when your father tried to kill Voldemort and you nearly killed him instead.”

  “Enough!  Ick, Jen-girl already has one father to remind her of her mistakes, she doesn’t need two.  Jen-girl, it’s utterly pointless to argue morality with the dead,” Craw barked at them.  “Get back over on this side where you belong, Icarus, and stop pestering her, she’s only allowed an hour.”

  “Fine, have it your way.  I waste too much time with you living people anyhow but I had to rub it in.  Another Craw willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause…what is this world coming to?  Disaster I’m sure,” the ghost muttered, fading away.

  “I really, really don’t like that ghost,” Jennifer said.

  “I don’t blame you.  He really likes you though.  In fact, he drives me insane asking questions about you,” Thomas grumped.  Jennifer stared at him.

  “Why in the world would that old doomsayer find any interest in me?”

  “Oh I can think of several reasons…you uncovered the trap he set in the Chamber of Secrets, helped destroy the one person he feared more than himself, and you have Ravenclaw blood in you from your mother’s side of the family,” Thomas pointed out, working to open the letter from Severus.  “Not to mention being born a Craw, which should be enough to interest anyone, even in this day and age,” he said, earning a slight smile from Jennifer.  The conversation quickly turned into current events and more or less trivial matters, as well as talking about the new family crest that Severus was working on.  Before she knew it, however, her time was over, and Boltin had to accompany her on the long walk back to the front of the prison.

  It was not far down the corridor that Jennifer felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and got the intense feeling of being followed.  There was little doubt in her mind as to who was causing it.  Boltin looked around casually, having gotten the same sensation.

  “What do you want, Ick?”  Jennifer sighed with annoyance.

  “I’m sorry to disturb your high and mighty Crawness,” Icarus said as he floated into existence walking beside him.  “But I thought I might check on that stuffy fellow while I was up here, you know the one…the one who hates you and your father and the ground you walk on.  Did you know he says he’s getting out soon?”  Boltin and Jennifer glanced at each other grimly.

  “Yes, I know,” Jennifer said.

  “Very well, Mrs. know it all, I shan’t tell anymore then, ever, ever again, since you can figure it all out…” he said, as if a threat, but Jennifer wasn’t in the mood for his games.  “You know, perhaps right now might not be a good time for you to think about starting a family…” he said hesitatingly.  Jennifer spun around with fire in her eyes, and Boltin laid a hand on her arm.

  “Would you just mind your own business for a change?” Jennifer yelled at him.  The ghost stared at her with a sad but stern look in his eye.  For a brief moment, Jennifer almost recognized the intelligence she had seen in him in the memory she had seen before he had died.  As always, it did not linger; fading like the ghost’s own intangibility.

  “My business is your business, oh last great Keeper of the Craws.  And you’ll do well to remember that when you have to come crawling back for my help someday,” he said glumly, before walking mournfully into a wall.

  “I really hate that ghost,” Jennifer said emphatically, allowing Boltin to conduct her back towards the front again. 

  As if to make her day complete, Jennifer found Sibyl waiting for her at the gates when she arrived asking her to lunch.  Sighing softly, she glanced at her watch, which was pointed at ‘Forest Cabin.’  That was when she remembered that Severus was visiting Anna today before her trip back to the States.  Knowing that she would probably regret it she accepted, and Sibyl’s eyes lit up as she guided them back to the tower, her chatting merrily about the trials of being gifted in such a ‘misunderstood’ branch of magic.

  As they ate, Sibyl suggested she do a Tarot Card reading, hoping to find out more information about the dream.  Jennifer couldn’t help but be slightly curious in spite of herself.  There had been so much symbolism in her life since she joined Hogwarts; perhaps there was something to be said for such devices.  Willing to give anything a try once, and wanting to make an effort to get along with a fellow teacher no matter how eccentric, Jennifer munched on cucumber and pumpkin butter sandwiches as Sibyl ‘prepared the cards.’

  “Ah!  Just as I suspected, Seven of Wands,” Sibyl said in a voice as if that explained everything.  “You are in a position of constant opposition.”

  “I am?”  Jennifer said, looking at her with bewilderment.

  “Yes of course, plain as the nose on my face.  Oh, and look here, ten of pentacles covered by the seven of swords, not good, not good at all,” she tsked, shaking her head, as she flipped over the cards.

  “Which means, what?” Jennifer asked impatiently.

  “Someone in the near future is going to attempt to take from you all of your wealth!  It will come without guilt, perhaps with revenge in mind.  Ah, look, the empress is your guide that is good, she is the mother of fertility, creativity and growth.  I believe you are fated to rise above this situation!  Oh, but do not get too comfortable, you have very hard times ahead,” Sibyl nodded solemnly.  “You see?”  She said, pointing out another pair of crossed cards.  “Nine of swords over the chariot.  You feel a lack of control over the decisions in your life.  Take my advice and fix that as soon as you can, or the next reading may not be as pleasant.”  Jennifer blinked at her.  She didn’t feel a lack of control over her life; in fact things for the most part had been going smoothly.  Although, some of the elements of the reading bothered her, as if there were some thin strand of truth to them…or was it just because Sibyl so fervently believed it?  In either case, the idea of a ‘next reading’ was definitely disturbing.

  “Have you finished your tea yet?  No?  Well, I have an idea to pass the time, how about just for fun we do a reading on Severus,” Sibyl said, shuffling the cards.

  “Well, I don’t know, you see Severus…”

  “Come, come now, it’s just between us, just for fun, we don’t have to tell him anything.  All you need to do is let me hold something he’s given you over the cards and we can go from there,” Sibyl said.

  “Very well, but just this once,” Jennifer said firmly, unpinning her cloak pin and handing it to her.  She smiled at Jennifer then closed her eyes, waving it over the cards before shuffling them carefully.  Running the pin over them again she handed it back to Jennifer. 

  “I believe I have them properly attuned,” Sibyl informed her before turning over the first card.  She immediately looked pleased.  “Ah, what else but the eight of swords? I should have guessed.  It is the desire to hide oneself from the world and his own failures and the unwillingness to change.”  Jennifer propped her head up in her hand.  That might have been Severus once, true, but Jennifer knew that Severus had changed quite a bit since she had known him.  “Ah, here is the eight and nine of wands.  He is going on an unexpected trip of great import, and will have to keep his guard up on his journey.”  Jennifer gazed at her thoughtfully but didn’t say anything.  Severus wasn’t the sort who would travel without notice or reason, either.  Perhaps the first reading did sort of work for Jennifer, but this one so far wasn’t making sense at all to her.  “And here, very powerful cards, the Tower, which means dramatic and sometimes traumatic change, and the fool, which is beginning a new venture.  There can be little doubt great upheaving events dominate his future.  His top card, the Magician, the will to see things through until the end, one trait I do think you’ll agree with me that he has,” she told her with a smile.  That was when she turned over the next two cards and looked at them with puzzlement, frowning.  Suddenly she started sweeping the cards back together.

  “What, what’s the matter?”  Jennifer said.

  “Nothing, nothing, that’s all there was,” Sibyl said frantically.

  “Sibyl, I’m a Truth-seeker, if you don’t tell me I’ll just get it from your face,” Jennifer said, trying to make eye contact with her.

  “You won’t believe me.  In fact, I’d rather not believe it, but then there it was plain as can be, I suppose I should warn you, but then again, I should probably just butt out,” Sibyl said.

  “Sibyl, what did you see?”  Jennifer sighed irritably.  She was half convinced this was all an act just to get her curious.  Exhaling, Sibyl putting her cards away and took Jennifer’s hand.

  “I saw the Ace of cups below a Queen of Pentacles, in this case, a person…an unknown girl…in the near future Severus will fall in love with another.  I’m sorry, but along with the Tower…a great change could also be a severed relationship, it doesn’t look good,” she said in a low voice.  Jennifer stared at her.

  “That…is the most total load of nonsense I have ever heard in my entire life!”  Jennifer said, getting up.  “I’ve heard of your ridiculous predictions before, but this one definitely takes the cake!  Severus and I are a cosmic match, or have you forgotten that?”

  “The cards don’t lie,” Sibyl said calmly.

  “Sibyl! They’re just cards!  There’s no truth in them, if there were I’d know it!”  Jennifer said.

  “I think you do know it, I think that’s why you’re upset.  You know if you were wise, you’d take my advice and do what you can from keeping him from meeting anyone…”

  “That’s it, I’m leaving.  Sibyl, I trust Severus implicitly.  And I definitely trust my own judgment over some half-baked conglomeration of superstitions that for some unknown reason still exists as a magical study.  There hasn’t even ever been any proof it is magic.  And I think, it’s not anything I care to explore further, but thank you for your interest.”

  Jennifer stormed down the tower stairs feeling utterly furious, and not really feeling in the mood to talk to anyone until she calmed down.   She went to the indoor gym where they met for sparring, and began working on her forms to help clear her head.  How could she have let Sibyl get to her like that?   Because Sibyl believed it, Jennifer mused thoughtfully, glancing in the mirror.  But just because someone believes it’s the truth, doesn’t make it the truth.  A curious feeling went through Jennifer as she pondered that before she glanced at her watch again and headed out of the room.

Chapter Nine

Unexpected Happenings

 

  Corey Willowby was having a splendid year so far.  In fact, he had somehow survived an entire month without getting detention.  Not only that, Corey was beginning to discover that being the adopted son of one of the most popular teachers (as well as one of the most notorious) had some advantages in the popularity department, and many students, especially the first years, regarded him with great interest.

  He had been under strict orders by McGonagall to try and play it down, making sure to call them Professors Craw and Snape in public, and not talking about his home life.  But the fact that he was their adopted son was known to everyone, so it was small wonder that he still had to fight off the curiosity that came with it.  Not that this also had some drawbacks; Corey’s list of enemies had grown somewhat, and those that he had acquired from last year, especially Amadeus Longbottom, a fourth year Slytherin, seemed to have responded to his newfound family with even stronger hatred.  The third year Slytherin students weren’t too fond of him either; nor was Casper Wyatt, from second year.  But at least Corey gained one friend among the ambitious house, and that was Danny Nelson.  Perhaps she was bossy, and too much of a know-it-all sometimes.  The fact that she could best him in most sports involving a broom didn’t thrill him either, but still she had also gone out of her way over the summer to try and help Taylor not embarrass himself, and that would not be forgotten.

  Of course, that was also before something happened that had completely shook up his school life.  That Monday at the beginning of Potions class, Professor Craw laid their test results from last week on their desks, smiling softly at each of them as they took their seats.  They knew better than to turn them over yet, waiting for her normal commentary.

  “As you can see, your test papers have been marked…I want to say beforehand that I realize these were unusually rigorous, but I had to make sure you completely understood all of the basic formulas for catalyst effectiveness before we move on to temperature sensitivity.  One of those questions seemed to pose some difficulty for most of you…in fact, only one person in this and the other second year class got it right,” she informed them.  Most of the class turned to glare at Corey.  It was no secret that he had been head of his class since the beginning of first year, and had never missed a problem.  “That person was, Danyelle Nelson.  And that’s worth five points for Slytherin, well done!”

  The Gryffindors all gasped with surprise, staring at Corey, while many of the Slytherins, especially Casper and Danny looked smug.  Slowly Corey turned over his paper to see his marks.  It was the only one he had missed, but still it was quite a blow to get one wrong in the only subject he had had perfect scores in.

  “Let’s go over that today, shall we, and discuss some of the more common mistakes.  First, Danny, why don’t you explain what you did,” Professor Craw said with a smile.  If that hadn’t been enough, Corey soon realized that Danny was also taking top marks in the rest of the classes as well, including Herbology (another of his strong topics) and Defense.  But perhaps the most startling of events was Wednesday afternoon when she showed up for Dabbler’s class, which before Corey had been the youngest member of, and then had the nerve to stay for Item’s Creation Class, which Corey hadn’t even been invited to.

  Corey picked at his food broodingly at dinner as Doug watched him thoughtfully.  It had been a long time since he had seen Corey this preoccupied.

  “You’re not still going on about missing that test question, are you?  Why, I’d have been tickled to have a score like that, I missed six,” Doug told him.  “You can’t get a perfect score all the time.”

  “Danny got accepted into Item Creation class,” Corey said, stabbing his chicken.

  “Well, you shouldn’t be surprised, you know what a whiz she is in charms.  Actually, she’s a whiz in practically everything…total overachiever that one.  She’s not a bad sort though you have to admit that.  She promised to give me some tips on broom maneuvers before practice Saturday.”

  “Like we’re ever going to get to play.  Doug, there hasn’t been a Quidditch game over six hours in years,” Corey said.

  “Well, you’re not the optimistic type, are you?  Besides, who says I’m doing it just for the broom maneuvers?”  He whispered with a wink.

  “I thought you said you were going after you-know-who this year?”  Corey said with slight irritation, glancing at Doug.  Doug leaned close over to him so no one else could hear.  “Who says I’m not?  In fact, Gail and I are going to the library later to study History.  We do have a test tomorrow you know,” he pointed out.  “And if you actually read the material once in a while, you’d totally ace it.  History is nearly all memorization, you should be at the top of the class.”

  “It’s just so boring,” Corey protested.  “Give me some credit.  I am turning in my homework this year.”

  “Only because you want a broom,” Doug grinned teasingly.  Corey nudged him in the shoulder in annoyance.  But he was right; with Corey’s memory he should have been doing well.  He had been getting by with just skimming the charts, and the essays had always slowed him down.  What did his opinion matter whether or not wizards should have gotten involved in the war of the Roses?  It was over and the decision was already made.  Still, Corey didn’t like to be bested, and he knew that the only way he’d feel better if he were able to prove that the imperfect mark was just a fluke.  So with unusual determination, Corey headed up to the common room to study.

 

  Jennifer listened quietly to Severus, Minerva, Filius and Pomona as they plotted in the staff room about Halloween plans.  She fussily picked apart and nibbled at her sandwich, far from hungry although she hadn’t eaten all day.  She had too much on her mind to eat, and the stress of knowing that Malfoy’s appeal as well as Audi’s ethics inquiry was less than a week away was giving her a headache.  She was glancing at Taylor’s article about the grim defeat of Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team at the mercy of Slytherin when Alvin came in with a folder in hand, giving her a warm smile.  He handed her a test paper and she blinked at it, sitting up straight as she read through it.

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Pretty dramatic difference, no?” He agreed, sitting down across from her.  “Not bad for someone who just told me three weeks ago that there was no point learning history because it had no place in modern magic,” he said with amusement.

  “He even answered the essay questions in complete sentences.  I should go make sure someone didn’t switch kids on us,” Jennifer said.  Severus peered over curiously, glancing at the paper.

  “That’s more like it.  I was about ready to shackle him to his History book if he had gotten one more average mark,” Severus said.

  “So, you’d talked to him about it?”  Jennifer asked.

  “No, but it is nice to see him actually doing what he is capable of,” Severus said.

  “You mean Corey Willowby?” Pomona said, sitting beside Alvin.  “You know, he has always done well with me, but lately even his homework has been coming back to me unsmudged and letter perfect.  I had thought perhaps you two had said something to him.”

  “I had a lot of trouble with him earlier this year not wanting to use his wand again,” Filius admitted, “But I’ve been getting little of that lately, he’s actually been attempting to use it.  Whatever has gotten into him it’s certainly working.”

  “He’s not been the terror he was last year, either.  Oh, he warrants some stiff point deductions now and then for that mouth of his, but nothing worth detention yet,” Minerva said.

  “Yet,” Jennifer chuckled, handing the test back to Alvin.  “He can’t keep this up forever, it’s just too un-Corey of him.  In either case, I think he’s earned his Christmas present.”

  “Well you two have worked miracles with the boy, and no one can doubt that,” Minerva smiled, turning back to scheduling.

  “Yes we have to some extent, although we can’t take credit for this last stint he’s on.  I believe we have a pair of long dark braids and violet eyes to thank for that,” Severus mused.

  “Danny Nelson,” Jennifer said at once, nodding to him.  “Ever since he flubbed that question on catalysts he has been working overtime not to make another mistake.  His pride’s getting the better of him.  He doesn’t want a Slytherin showing him up, let alone a girl,” she chuckled.

  “It’s nice to see the rivalry between those two houses is alive and well,” Alvin said with amusement.

  “Well it got a tad out of hand last year,” Minerva said, “but so far things have been fairly friendly. Of course, the year is still young,” she admitted reluctantly.  There was a pecking sound at the door and she got up, while Severus and Filius peered curiously at the schedule that she had been writing.

  “Looks like you have hall duty with Hermione this Halloween, Jennifer.” Severus said. 

  “Wonderful.  At least I don’t have an early class the next day,” Jennifer said.  “So what’s on the agenda, then, just the normal house parties?”

  “It’s always been good enough before, no reason to go overboard now,” Severus said.

  “I still think a scavenger hunt would be more fun,” Filius said.

  “Yes, so do I, and it could also be quite educational, depending on what we have them looking for,” Pomona said.

  “And have the students traipsing and poking about in every corner of the castle and getting into who knows what sort of trouble,” Severus said.  Minerva came back to the table, offering Severus a letter.

  “Oh, pish-posh, Severus, if you had it your way they’d all be caged like criminals all school year,” Pomona scolded.

  “Ermengarde dropped this off, international post looks like,” Minerva said, sitting down. “I think we’ll save a scavenger hunt for another occasion, perhaps in the spring when they’re all driving us batty with their fidgeting anyhow.  We’ll stick to the normal house parties…but NO séances this year,” she said sternly.

  “I wholeheartedly agree,” Jennifer said emphatically.  She remembered all too well what happened when a student séance awoke the ghost of Mallus Craw last year.  She turned to Severus, expecting him to add something to that, but saw that he was engulfed in the letter, his face pale and troubled.  Jennifer watched him carefully.  “Anna’s in some sort of trouble isn’t she?”

  “Yes, and Vallid wants me to come out there,” he said, looking up.  “Is Dumbledore here?”

  “Yes, he’s in his Study,” Minerva said.  “Is it that serious, what happened?”

  “Maybe we should try to get a hold of Sirius?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Vallid asked for me specifically to come, and I’m quite sure she has her reasons.  She didn’t give many details, Minerva, but it isn’t like Vallid to request something like this if it wasn’t urgent.  I had better head up,” he said, standing.

  “I’ll go with you,” Minerva said quickly.

  “Severus?”

  “It’ll be all right, Jennifer, stay here and relax, you look a bit pale.  I’ll come find you it a little while,” Severus said before striding out the door, Minerva close behind.  Jennifer looked after them with a curious feeling.  Was this the unexpected trip that cards had foreseen?

  Left alone, Jennifer poured herself into her work, starting with the sparring class that evening.  Filius, who had been a champion duelist in his own right, volunteered to sit in with her, watching over the older classes doing their forms as Jennifer instructed first years and new students in starting forms and the Hogwarts conduct rules.  It was not long after she had begun to work with them that she realized that Danny Nelson already new the basics perfectly and allowed her to join the other students, earning a grimace from Corey.  He for his own part was playing catch-up, for several new form movements they learned after Christmas last year he had never learned after getting kicked out for sparring outside of class.  He was determined not to mess up this year, especially now that Danny was in sparring as well.  But Jennifer noticed right off the bat that her main concern from last year…his ability to cast without a wand, was already starting to cause problems.  Although he did all of his forms and maneuvers perfectly, the moment he got into the ring and into a tough situation, his left hand would open up to cast a spell.  She benched him so quickly in fact that Corey’s eyes flashed in protest, but a firm look from her let him know that that wasn’t going to work.  Disgruntled, he headed over to the side, sitting by Taylor, Doug and Danny.

  “What, done already?”  Doug said with surprise.  Corey frowned at him in annoyance.

  “I can’t help it.  You don’t know what it’s like, knowing I could cast circles around most of these idiots and not being allowed to do it because all of them need a wand and I don’t.  I wouldn’t use a wand in a real battle. I wish I could learn sparring without all of these blasted rules,” Corey sighed, sitting down.

  “The rules are there to protect us, Corey,” Taylor said.

  “No, the wand rule is there to protect them against the likes of me,” Corey said.  “If being a Focus Caster is such a great thing, how come I’m always being held back from using it?”

  “I tell you what.  I had a private dueling instructor all of last year, how about we get together and we can work on sparring together on the weekends?  And you won’t have to use a wand if you don’t want,” Danny suggested.

  “Don’t do it Corey, your parents will kill you,” Taylor warned him.  “Besides, you know the rules, you can get kicked out of sparring again, and detention, and everything.”

  “Wait a minute, Taylor, remember last year we all came up and practiced forms on Saturdays,” Doug pointed out.  He was nodding and gesturing behind Danny’s back for Corey to go for it.

  “Professor Craw was there most the time, and it was just forms, not real fighting,” Taylor said.

  “Well, it’s not like this would be like real fighting either, we’d be just practicing,” Corey reasoned.  “I suppose it’d be all right, somewhere quiet and out of the way.”

  “If you’re so sure it’d be all right, why don’t you ask Professor Craw?” Taylor challenged him.

  “No need to go that far, she’s got enough on her mind with Snape being gone.  We just have to find a spot,” Corey said.

  “We can come too, right?” Doug said.  “Taylor, you’re in, aren’t you?  I know you’d never rat on us in any case, would you?”  Taylor sighed.

  “I’ll go, but only to make sure you all have a spotter.  And let’s not get caught?   I could do without all the Howlers from my father this year,” he said.

  “Don’t worry, we won’t.  I think I even know of a place we shan’t be bothered as well,” Danny smiled enigmatically.  Doug and Taylor glanced at each other nervously.

 

  It was with some apprehension that Doug and Taylor followed the two into the Dark Forest Saturday as Danny and Corey calmly stepped off the path and walked away from the clearing.

  “We are going to be in so much trouble if we get caught,” Taylor said for the tenth time.  Doug elbowed him hard.  “Students aren’t allowed in the Forest for any reason without a Professor.  We could have detentions the rest of the year.  Or maybe expelled.  I bet your parents would really like that.”

  “Can it, Taylor, you didn’t have to come,” Corey said.  “It’s midday, so we’re not likely to run into anything nasty.  Just sit back and relax, will you?”

  “Not only that, the fact there aren’t any students allowed means the likelihood of us getting found is not as great,” Danny said, taking out her wand.  “I suppose this area will do.  We got a little room here, and it’s far enough from the trails to be out of the way.  So what do you think, Corey?  How about we spar a few rounds so we can see if you’re as good without a wand as you boast you are?” she grinned.  “Rules are we spar until someone goes flat on the ground, and no casting anything we don’t know the counter for.”

  “I get the winner,” Doug said.  He had high hopes in being able to duel Danny and try out some spells he learned from the Impractical spells book that Corey had gave him over the summer.  “Begin when ready.”

  Corey wasted no time, hitting her with petrificus totalus with a wave of his hand.  But Danny had been ready, blocking it with ease before jumping into the air, whipping off a spell with speed and precision.

  “Cockatrix videre!”  She intoned, a piercing ray coming from her wand and directly at Corey who dove behind a tree in surprise.  The trunk of the tree suddenly took on a grey tone as it turned to stone.

  “Hey! That was a dark spell!  Bad form!”  Doug said, shaking his head.

  “I didn’t say anything about not using dark magic, only that you had to know how to counter it,” Danny said, her eyes intent on the tree Corey was hiding behind, trying to circle around it.

  “Caputaovum!” Corey called.  Danny looked up realizing he had climbed into the tree, looking up just as several raw chicken eggs crashed onto her face.  Doug and Corey laughed, and Taylor couldn’t help but to grin himself.

  “You see? I know that practical jokes spell book would come in handy,” he said, starting to get interested in the battle.  Danny wiped egg off her face, glaring up at where Corey sat in the tree, swinging his legs.

  “Simianpus!”  Danny said as Corey tried to hop down.  Corey’s face suddenly changed dramatically, and his other two friends choked back laugher as his ears grew and upper lip until he looked like a chimpanzee.  “Now stop monkeying around and try to ground me,” she demanded.  “Chersus movere!”  Corey jumped down before the slow spell could reach him, raising both of his hands towards her.

  “Timere atar!”  He cast.  Suddenly darkness spread around them so black that Danny couldn’t see a thing.  In fact, she couldn’t hear anything, besides her own breading and the rustle of the wind.

  “Corey?”  Danny said unsurely.  “Doug, Taylor?”  Just then she felt something cross her skin and slapped at it, then suddenly felt herself by surround by slimy, cold hands and tiny, furry creatures, coming at her from every direction.  Screaming she dove for the ground covering her head, when she heard Corey’s calm voice casting a light spell.  He was grinning from ear to ear as he looked up, and she also saw that Doug and Taylor seemed completely unconcerned about what just happened.

  “It had just occurred to me Danny didn’t go through Jennifer’s fear training class,” Corey grinned triumphantly.  “Looks as if I have a few tricks to teach you as well, Miss Nelson.”  Danny squinted at him, a slight challenge in her eyes.  It was apparent to the boys that the competition wasn’t going to be one-sided anymore.

 

Chapter Ten

The Ring and the Curse

 

  Severus stepped off the key platform and gazed around thoughtfully, walking through an odd curtain of plastic beads.  Apparently he was in the back of a book shop, the air filled with lavender incense and the front window filled with dangling crystals and curiously molded crystal skulls.  Muggles both dressed in typical Muggle style and some dressed all in black with baubles pierced in nearly every imaginable place on the face mingled through the shop, not even giving him a second glance.  That was when he noticed Auror Audacious Belle leaning on the counter in full witch regalia cackling at something the clerk had just told her.  The clerk was wearing a strange robe out of shiny fake satin, and yet despite his odd appearance, Severus’ keen eye picked up subtle signs as he spoke to Audi that he was also of wizard kind.

  “Severus, there you are!  Thank goodness, I’d been afraid you weren’t able to follow my instructions on how to get here,” Audi said, gesturing him to come over.  “Nice glasses, you look cute.”  Severus bit back his first response and glared at her.  “Ken May, this is the friend I was waiting for, Professor Snape from England.”

  “Ah?”  He said, with a smile and a glance that Severus most decidedly didn’t like.

  “He’s married,” she added quickly.  Snape squinted at her, then looked back at the other man suspiciously.

  “Welcome to America,” Ken said, smiling hospitably at him.  “It’s very nice to meet you anyhow.  I hope everything works out well, Audi.”

  “Thanks, Ken, I’ll see you in a few days for my next pickup.  You be a sweetie and try to stay out of trouble, will you?”  Audi said, shaking a finger at him.

  “All right, but don’t expect any promises Audi dear,” he said, before wandering away to help a customer.  Severus was still watching him when Audi tugged on his sleeve.

  “Come on, the evening’s not getting any younger,” Audi said, heading towards the door.  Blinking in surprise, Severus pulled her back.

  “You’re not going out there dressed like that, are you?” Severus asked in a low but surprised tone.

  “This is your first trip to California, isn’t it?” Audi said, walking out the door calmly with Severus close behind.  “Watch this,” she said, as she walked onto the busy sidewalk.  “Hey, guess what, everyone, I’m a witch!”  Most of the Muggles walking past ignored her, except for a young group of teens with strangely colored hair that turned around and grinned at her.

  “You go, Grandma!   Let us know when you get some of that love potion!”  One of them said in such a way that the girl with the spiked gloves beside him belted him in the arm.

 “Actually, I lied,” Audi said to another man as he passed by, stepping up next to him.  “I’m actually from outer space trying to stop the earth from destroying itself from war,” she told him confidentially. 

  “Oh yeah?  Me too!”  The man said, shaking her hand.  “Keep up the good work!”

  “You too, laddie, and tell yer leader I said hi.”

  “Peace and Prosperity, bag lady!” he said reverently, before continuing on.

  Severus promptly took off his glasses.

  “Welcome to San Francisco,” Audi said.  “Come on, we need to get to Vallid’s place, that’s where Anna is at the moment, and I can explain everything.”

    Lunette Vallid’s apartment was a split-winged penthouse, with the elevator opening into identical entryways into penthouse “A” and “B”.  Audi had pushed the “B” side, and Severus suddenly found himself back in a world he recognized as they stepped out of the entry and into a witch’s study.  It was tastefully decorated and was obviously set up with business clientele in mind.   Audi passed through it and up a small stair into a sizable living area, full of comfortable places to sit, books to read, and a patio leading out to a private garden on the roof.

  “This is one of Vallid’s working apartments, side A for Muggle clients, side B for us, and she’s got an identical setup in New York.  Anyhow, it’s got all sorts of special protections on it, so we thought Anna’d be safer here, don’t want her falling through the floor or anything,” Audi explained, knocking on the door next to the patio.

  “Falling through the floor?”  Severus asked with a frown.  Just then, Anna walked through the door, causing Severus to take an alarmed step back as he looked at her transparent figure.

  “Um.  Boo?”  Anna said.

  “How…” Severus started, trying to maintain a calm stoic expression, “exactly…did you manage to get yourself in such a predicament?”

  “I woke up like this.  I sat up feeling strange and ended up sitting up through the covers.   And I think it’s getting worse.”  She said, walking through them as she went to head towards the sitting room.

  “People don’t just fade away for no reason!  Audi?”  Severus snapped impatiently.

  “Well, it all started a couple days ago when we got a ring in the owl post with no notes or anything.  Anna had been staying here…Vallid had to go out of town and thought it’d be safer,” Audi explained…too quickly, Severus thought.  “Anyhow, this ring shows up, my own owl Fluke brought it, but he didn’t seem to know where it came from either which was the odd thing.  We didn’t touch it of course; I put it in an envelope for Vallid to look at when she got back.  That’s the last mail that we’ve gotten from the post too, although Vallid says she’s been trying to send owls our way.  I had sent a few posts to you, Dumbledore and Sirius about this but it wasn’t getting through.  Who knows what’s gotten into the post in this town.  As for Anna, I think it’s the Dwindling Curse that’s on her, that’s why we were looking for you.”

  “Impossible, that spell has to be cast and dark spells don’t work the same on her, we all know that,” Severus snapped testily.

  “Well, then how exactly to you explain that?”  Audi asked, pointing at Anna who was trying to amuse herself by looking in locked cabinets by sticking her head through the door.

  “Titiana, would you stop that?  We have no idea what’s causing that spell.  If it ends suddenly you might end up with severed body parts and I’d rather not have to clean that up,” Severus scolded.  Anna turned around and gave him a dirty look but didn’t say anything, walking away from the cabinets, frustrated and bored.  She wondered if this was what it was like to be a real ghost…if so she began to suspect why so many of them were so gloomy.   Of course, they all knew what got them in their position for the most part, but she was alive…or should be.  Every now and then she noticed herself getting a little more translucent, frowning at her image in the mirror as Audi recounted everything that she had tried to correct it so far.

  Carefully with gloves and a pair of tweezers Severus inspected the ring with intense care.  It was fairly small; a woman’s ring, Severus mused, a deep blue ban of unknown material, engraved with nothing but a glamorized symbol of elemental water.  Harmless looking, but looks were always deceiving, and Severus began muttering a series of spells to identify the curses surrounding it.  Strangely enough, although it was glowing a black aura left from the Question Intent cantrip, he wasn’t able to identify any other distinguishing properties.  It was almost as if the ring hadn’t been cursed at all.  Had that been true, however, then why was the cantrip working?  He put it back down on the table and brooded a moment.

  “You don’t know either, eh?”  Audi said, watching him carefully.  “You know, I don’t think anyone’s going to figure it out until someone puts it on, maybe I ought to try it, and you can cover…”

  “When we have no idea what it is going to do?  I wouldn’t know exactly what to cover for, and there’d be no guarantee it wouldn’t kill you or teleport you instantly,” Severus said, putting it back in the envelope.

  “So what, I’m up for taking a chance, don’t you think it’d be worth the risk to save your sister?”

  “Audi, there’s a difference between calculated risk and foolhardy risk, and I’d think an Auror would know that.  There’s no point in putting even more people in danger if we can help it.”

  “Danger is why I’m in this racket, son, I’m in it for the thrill of the hunt,” the old witch grinned at him.  “Very well, have it your way, but if we can’t mess with the ring, what’s the plan, Sherlock?”

  “I assumed Vallid asked me to come for a reason, and I believe I know why…there’s a potion cure for the Diminishing Curse that needs human blood, and it’s more likely to be work if the donor is a relative of the victim.  She would have told me the problem in the post however.  I certainly didn’t bring along the supplies I need for that,” Severus scowled.

  “Just as well she didn’t considering how many owl letters we seem to be losing.  Fluke is coming back empty handed, but I know they’re not going where they’re supposed to,” Audi said, gazing at the window where her owl was roosting with obvious concern.  “What do you need, Severus?  I’ll go try to track it down.”  Severus glanced over at where Anna was, pacing slowly around the room and gazing at her fading feet, having nothing better to do.  The potion he had to brew was going to take several days to make, and Severus knew that trying to have Audi track down the rare tome with the formula, let alone the ingredients, would probably add another few days to that.  At the rate Anna was fading, the potion would not be ready in time.  Sighing softly, he paced as well, sticking his hands in his cloak.  He turned around suddenly.

  “I don’t suppose you could find me a rose apple?”

  “Are you kidding?  This is San Francisco.  Some folks grow them for looks, if we’re lucky I can still get one down the street,” Audi said cheerfully, studying his face.  “Is this a new version of Fly fishing?”  She asked with a cackle as she headed towards the elevator.

 

  Jennifer was contemplating murdering a bat.

  It was the middle of the blasted night, and Ratfly was insistently scratching on something no matter how many pillows she threw at him.  Finally losing her patience she got up, the lanterns brightening on their own as she gazed around to see where her annoying familiar was.  He was perched on the edge of Severus’ black chest, chewing at the lock insistently.  Flailing him away, she glanced at it.

  “Oh, now you’ve done it, you’ve scratched up the finish.  You don’t think he’s going to notice that when he gets home?  What are you doing inside anyhow, go…hover or something!”  Jennifer scolded, standing up.  But the moment she stepped away, Ratfly was back on the chest again, gnawing at it.  Jennifer looked at with him bewilderment, now wide-awake, pushing him away again so she could work the complicated locking mechanism on the chest.  When she opened it she immediately spotted what her bat was after. Grinning slightly, she picked up the fruit and the letter that laid on top of the neatly packed chest that housed all of the items Severus stashed in his cloak.  She read the note as she distractedly put the rose apple on Ratfly’s perch.  Throwing on a robe and she went to the lab to get the things Severus needed.

    The next day she arranged to meet Minerva and Dumbledore at lunch to give them an update of what had happened the night before, reading them the note that Severus had included in the chest.

  “Please excuse my method of communication, it appears that the infernal owls of this accursed place seem to have their own agendas as to where and when post is delivered, and none of it appears to be linked to where it is actually supposed to be going.  Judge Vallid’s concern was warranted; Titiana is now approaching the latter stages of the Diminishing Curse, how exactly this was achieved I’ve not yet discerned.  No oddities rather than the owls (and discounting the local Muggles whom I can not even begin to describe in normal conversation) exist except for a ring of unknown origin and property which neither I nor Audi have been able to safely discern its purpose.  I am told it had arrived the day before Titiana woke up in this condition, and although it appears only to be coincidental at this point I cannot rule out the possibility that the two are linked.  However, I believe it is too dangerous an item to transport via cloak.  Please send the enclosed list of ingredients and tomes in your Puzzlebox so I might bring it back with me.  The potion, as you know, will require several days to brew.  Failing that, I have not as yet formulated a plan but will keep you updated.

  “That’s it, except for personal stuff,” Jennifer sighed, sitting down in the red high-back chair by Dumbledore’s desk.  “I don’t get it.  I thought Titiana was immune to dark spells, and yet here she’s been hit for the second time in just a few months.”  She looked over expectantly at Dumbledore, who looked rather grave and thoughtful.

  “Well, it appears that someone has found a way to circumvent that.  Which means, without a doubt, that someone must know exactly what Anna is…someone outside of our circle, or perhaps even several people.  I had hoped that she would have learned to control her magic a bit more before something like this occurred.”

  “But Dumbledore, who would want to hurt Anna?  I mean, she’s never hurt anyone shy from a few Dementors, and really, she’s quite agreeable with just about everyone, even if she is a tad odd sometimes,” Jennifer said.  Dumbledore studied her carefully.

  “First of all, Jennifer, it’s important to remember that there’s more to Anna than what we know of her from living in our world.  She also has her Muggle life, and an occupation that also might cause her to be exposed to dangers we do not realize.  Not an easy task, I’m sure, to try to balance both, and we only see one side of the equation.  Her Muggle life in many ways is just as perilous as this one.  I’m quite sure from what Vallid has told me that she has acquired several enemies over the years there, let alone those here who may see her powers as a threat.”

  “Well, it’s not like she isn’t more than a match for any Muggle,” Jennifer said, “I mean, really, one on one what chance would a Muggle have of taking any magicborn?”  Dumbledore gazed at her so solemnly that Jennifer felt as if her words had weighted the room, throwing it into one of perpetual silence.  Dumbledore’s thoughts were lost in a memory for a moment, before he decided to let Jennifer learn that answer for herself.

 

Chapter Eleven

Halloween Surprises

 

  Halloween was again upon them, and Severus had not yet returned.  Sighing softly, Jennifer stepped in front of her seat at the high table.  Beside her, Rolanda cheerfully recounted a close broom race between Corey and Danny earlier that day, trying to cheer her up.

  “He nearly caught up with her there for a moment.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a school broom pushed to that limit,” she chuckled.  “It almost reminded me of how you used to push that old automatic you had when you were refereeing last year.”

  “You refereed from an automatic broom?” Alvin said as he stepped up on the other side of Severus’ chair.  “In front of all those students?  That takes a lot of character,” he smiled at her slightly amused.

  “Well, I was on Quidditch security then, so it only made sense that I’d take a turn on the broom, even if I am a lousy flyer,” Jennifer said.

  “Lousy is an understatement,” Rolanda grinned.  “But she has a keen eye and a quick response if anything goes wrong, really a top rate referee in that respect.”

  “Good evening, everyone, happy Halloween,” Dumbledore walked up to the table beside Minerva.  They suddenly glanced over to where another professor entered from the back looking at her curiously.  They didn’t miss Jennifer’s soft groan however as the colorfully robed Sibyl Trelawney approached.

  “Good evening everyone, I thought I might come down and join you, I sensed strange vibrations in the air,” Sibyl explained with a smile.

  “Well, after all it is Halloween,” Dumbledore said with an amused sparkle in his eyes.  “It is good to see you out and about, you spend too much time in the tower.”  Minerva and Jennifer glanced at Dumbledore as if they thought otherwise.

  “Thank you, it is good to see you as well.  Oh and Jennifer, never fear, I foresee that Severus will be returned from his unexpected trip any day now,” she said with a mischievous, triumphant smile as she went to her seat.

  “Lovely, very lovely, thank you,” Jennifer said, with marked lack of enthusiasm.  Dumbledore looked over at her with curious interest but didn’t say anything as they took their seats, and Minerva tapped her glass to get the students’ attentions as Dumbledore stood.

  “Just a couple of short announcements…please remember to return to your rooms directly after dinner for house activities.  Since Professor Snape is still gone on family matters, Professor Archibald has volunteered to oversee the Slytherin house, so I trust that everyone will have an enjoyable evening.  Please remember, however, that no séances are to be allowed in the houserooms, although I’m sure you might expect a ghost visitor or two in any case.  Now, without further delay, I have only this to say…jack-o’-lanterns.”

  As the feast began the smells of sweets immediately overwhelmed Jennifer, and she was suddenly wishing she were somewhere else.  She felt glad, and not for the first time, that Halloween only came once a year.  She nibbled slightly on an apple butter sandwich when Rolanda smacked her hand.

  “Hey, you’re not supposed to have anything that healthy at this feast.  How did you rate a sandwich?”  Rolanda said.  “You have to wait until this evening like the rest of us.”

  “Oh, it was probably Francie, one of the house elves that followed me from the cottage.  She’s been fussing over how much I eat lately.  Silly house elf worries too much,” Jennifer said, putting it down. 

  “Well if you don’t mind me saying so, I agree with her,” Minerva suddenly said, leaning over to look at Jennifer sternly.  “You haven’t been yourself lately, and I’m not sure it’s all just from Severus being gone either.”

  “Oh, Minerva, I’m fine, you all worry too much,” Jennifer said, peeling the chocolate off a chocolate-dipped orange.

  “Now, Jennifer,” Dumbledore said, glancing at her from the other side of Minerva, “We only worry because we care, after all.  It wouldn’t take much time out of your morning tomorrow if you headed down to see Poppy…just to put the rest of us at ease,” he said calmly.  It was apparent from the sparkle in his eyes what he thought it was, but she was certain it was too early for it to be that.  Still, there was no use arguing with Dumbledore.

  “Sure, I can do that, if it means everyone will stop pestering me,” she glowered.  Rolanda clapped her gently on the back.

  “It’s as if Severus never left,” she teased mercilessly.

 

  Jennifer met Hermione in the staff room right after dinner for hallway patrols, and Jennifer opted to take the towers on first while Hermione would start in the dungeons.  For Halloween things seemed unusually quiet as the students made their way to their houserooms, but Jennifer knew from experience not to count her blessings too soon on this night of nights.  She had never had a Halloween since she had been to Hogwarts where something hadn’t gone wrong.  Perhaps now that Voldemort and Pettigrew were gone they had a chance for a quiet evening, she mused as she climbed up towards the Owlery.  She paused at the door near the top of the winding stair and went out onto the parapet, at the spot Severus referred to as the Perch.  He seemed to have a name for everything, Jennifer chuckled thoughtfully, going to lean over the edge.  Too bad not many of them were so complimentary.  The smell of autumn leaves was heavy in the air, and the breeze was fresh but far from warm.  Pale moonlight glinted off of the lake, wavering among the reflection of lights from Hogwarts itself.  Everything seemed quiet and peaceful.  Jennifer smiled softly, starting to believe that perhaps it would actually last this time. 

  She went back down towards the Gryffindor Houserooms for the first painting roll call check just as the staircases began to move.  Hoping no one was watching she hopped quickly over to the next one to continue her route, landing neatly on the steps grasping onto the rail for the support.  At last she got to painting of the Fat Lady, asked for a number, and then hearing what she wanted strode over to the next hall towards Ravenclaw.  Just then she heard a familiar hollow giggle and she groaned to herself, knowing the cause before she even looked up.

  She shouldn’t have looked up.

  A large pumpkin cake suddenly plunged from where it was hovering above her head and right in her face as an echoing laughter sounded around her.

  “Trick and Treat!  Trick and Treat!”

  “Peeves!  I thought McGonagall told you to stay out of the kitchen!”  Jennifer yelled at him, and he broke into another round of laughter.  Wiping cake off her eyes and wiping her wand off on her robe, she looked around for him but he had already moved on somewhere.  Thinking she’d probably better warn Hermione before it was too late she headed down the main stairs.   As she turned into the main corridor towards the Defense classroom, she heard the poltergeists’ uproarious laughter.

  “Trick and Treat!  Trick and Treat!”

  “That’s Trick OR Treat you stupid git!”  Hermione muttered, coming around a corner covered with cream pie.  Jennifer tried to bite back a chuckle as Hermione spotted her.  “I thought he was a bit more lenient on staff.”

  “Oh, most definitely not, in fact I think he hits us harder most the time,” Jennifer chuckled.  “We’d better get Filch after him and check the damage in the kitchens.”

  “Why don’t we just get the Bloody Baron?  You know he’ll take care of it,” Hermione suggested, “And with the way he keeps popping in and out tonight it’d be easier all around if another ghost was after him.”

  “He’s not popping in and out,” Jennifer suddenly realized, “he’s going door to door!  We’d better make tracks before he starts hitting the houserooms.  If we head to the kitchens we can cut off his ammunition.  Come on,” she said, and the two of them turned to head back towards the Great Hall and past the staff room into the kitchens.  Just as they entered they saw him picking up a chocolate mousse cake, disappearing before they could get to them.  A large group of House Elves had gathered trying to finish their baked goods for the next day and put them in the ice rooms before anything else was stolen.  “I think I got an idea,” Jennifer said with a grin.

  Dobby, Francie, and the other House Elves were only too happy to provide a delectable cream pie for the trap as Hermione and Jennifer quickly prepared it and stepped behind the door.  It was not long before the problematic poltergeist came to take the bait.  Suddenly as it began to hover in the filling of the pie began to inflate, and before Peeves could react it enveloped him as he squealed out in surprise, sucking him into the pie, his distorted shape wriggling in the gooey substance.

  “Quite brilliant as always, Jennifer,” Hermione grinned, “a perfect mix of ingredients”

  “Amazing what a bit of baking soda, bubble gum and an Angelica Ghostward potion can do,” Jennifer smirked.  Shall we call it “Crème de Peeves? Or just Peeves Pie?”

  “How about Halloween Surprise?”  Hermione grinned.  Suddenly she found herself surrounded by grateful House Elves, cheering her loudly.

  “The union of working House Elves officially thanks your heroic efforts saving our baked goods!”  Dobby bowed low to Hermione.

  “Oh, but I just helped, I didn’t…” But the House Elves were making so much of a fuss Hermione found she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.  She looked up pleadingly, but Jennifer had somehow already managed to tiptoe out the door.

  

  The halls were dark and quiet as Jennifer’s shift was nearing its end, her fears abating as midnight passed and the hour drew closer to one o’clock.  She stopped in her office to feed Rasputin, taking off his eye patch long enough for the basilisk to petrify the unlucky mouse she was holding up by the tail.  She fixed the patch from behind him and deposited the mouse in front of him, quickly making her way out of the office before she had to listen to the unpleasant crunching noise that usually followed.  Glancing at her watch she saw it was nearly time to meet Flitwick and headed back up to the main floor.  It was then that she heard voices, and curiously went to investigate.  There, holding a lantern, was Rolanda Hooch (who had gate that night) and someone she had never seen outside of Azkaban prison.  It was her father’s guard, Thatcher Boltin.  Jennifer hurried over to them, their attention immediately drawn to her as she approached.

  “What is it, is something wrong?”  Jennifer asked him worriedly.

  “It’s your father, he seems to have escaped,” Boltin said.  Jennifer stared at him dumbfounded.

  “But Boltin, that’s ridiculous.  My father wouldn’t try to escape!  Not without a good reason!”

  “Well, he may have had a reason,” Boltin sighed.  “Lucius Malfoy was released late this evening.”

  “WHAT?  Why wasn’t I told?”  Jennifer said as Rolanda hushed her gently.

  “The deliberations went late because of some trouble getting hold of Vallid.  I’m sure the letter would have arrived tomorrow.  In any case, I need you to come with me to the prison if possible.  We need help trying to figure out where he may have went,” Boltin said.

  “I’m coming.  Let me get my cloak.  Rolanda, let everyone know where I went?”  Jennifer asked.  Rolanda nodded quietly with a concern in her gold eyes.  But this was no time to hesitate, who knows what could happen if Jennifer’s father was on a rampage again.  And yet something in Jennifer doubted he would go this far.  Even with everything Thomas Craw had done, Jennifer couldn’t see her father breaking out just for revenge.  Threaten to, perhaps, but actually do it, no.  Not now.  He had changed in the last year…Jennifer shook her head, grabbing her cloak.  Or was she just fooling herself into believing that?

  Quickly she and Boltin headed out the gate and Disapparated to the island, Jennifer stumbling slightly as they reappeared, blushing slightly.

  “Sorry. It’s late,” she muttered as she fell in step next to the enchanter.  As they made it to the first checkpoint Jennifer noticed a man in Ministry robes leaning against the wall and talking to the guard.  He was a very lean, sharp-featured blonde man who met her disgusted gaze with a look of thoughtful suspicion.  His name was Ederick Thurspire and he was the First Assistant in the Department of Investigations.  That he had attained such a promotion in Jennifer’s mind was laughable, after all the times he had jumped to conclusions, accusing her and her friends of just about every crime in the book.  And yet, somehow, Dumbledore didn’t seem to mind him so much, nor did Anna, or Vallid.  But Jennifer was highly convinced that their trust was misplaced.  She could not stand the man, nor had any inclination to make an effort to change that fact.

  “You’re not letting her in there with that cloak, are you?”  Ederick asked.

  “She’s here at my request as another investigator, not a visitor,” Boltin said, “I already cleared it with your boss, the Warden, and the Minister of Magic, so you can take it up with them.”  Apparently, Boltin wasn’t too fond of Ederick either.  But Ederick nodded sharply in response, standing up.

  “Fine, ready when you are,” he said.

  “Don’t tell me he’s coming along,” Jennifer said.

  “Ederick was the last living person to see your father in his cell.  I want him along too,” Boltin explained as he escorted them past the first ward.

  “Last living person?”  Jennifer asked with alarm.

  “Yes, although it’s not what you’re thinking, no one was hurt, in fact everyone’s accounted for.  I mean, Icarus claims to know something, only he’s not willing to tell anyone…he wants to talk to you,” Boltin admitted.

  “Peachy,” Jennifer said glumly.  Boltin smiled at her sympathetically.  They passed the visitor’s room where Jennifer normally saw her father and through another enchanted vault door, into an even deeper cellblock, the heart of the maximum-security area.  Using a handprint and key system, Boltin opened the door.

  “No signs of struggle, no signs of magic use, break-in, nothing,” he said as Ederick went into the cell and glanced around.  Jennifer leaned on the door, a bit reluctant to go in to the small area.  It was terribly tiny, didn’t even really leave anyone room to pace, Jennifer frowned, and with the barest cot and humblest facilities.   The only comfort in the place was a corner with a small desk in it where he kept his letters, papers and other things that they had given him over the last year.  It was very strange to her seeing the items from this perspective…letters carefully stacked and photos set around the desk of her, Severus and Corey.  There was even one of her mother standing next to a much younger Audi under a blossoming tree, laughing, her mother in her wedding gown.  A curious sensation of regret suddenly began to well up in her, and Jennifer pushed it aside…this was no time for her emotions to get the better of her.  They had to find her father.  A hand reaching over her to grab a stack of envelopes interrupted her thoughts and she quickly smacked it away, scowling at Ederick.

  “I don’t think you’re going to find anything in Severus’ letters to Dad having to do with this, so just quit while you’re ahead, Thurspire.  And before you start trying to blame him, he’s out of the country at the moment,” Jennifer said, a warning flash appearing in her eyes.

  “We’ve already been through the recent letters, Ederick, part of our screening and all,” Boltin added.  But Ederick regarded Jennifer steadily, obviously not so sure that she hadn’t had something to do with this.  Jennifer forced herself to keep her temper in check.

  “So, what did you speak to my father about, Thurspire?  I assume that was from here instead of the visitor’s room?  And how long after you left did someone notice he was missing?”  Jennifer asked, studying his face carefully.

  “If you must know, I was in here talking to him about Malfoy and some old business deals I’m investigating,” Thurspire glared.  “And if you want to know how long, ask Boltin, he’s Craw’s guard, not me.”

  “You threatened him to come clean about some old business deals involving your father?”  Jennifer blinked.  “I didn’t even know your family had ever been in business with ours.  How can you threaten a man in jail?”  Boltin suddenly stood up straight and looked and looked at Ederick with surprise. 

  “What?  Ederick I thought you said you were here on court business, not personal business.  You’re not allowed in the cell area in an unofficial capacity,” Boltin said.  Ederick’s eyes flashed angrily at Jennifer.

  “It was court business.  Brown had me look up bad business deals with Malfoy Enterprises and your father was on the top of the list as a contributing partner,” Ederick snapped.  “Nor should I have to explain myself to you, because honestly, it’s Ministry business not yours.”

  “If it involves my father’s disappearance it becomes my business, and my father didn’t ‘escape’ willingly,” Jennifer said, picking up the book on the desk.  “See this?  He’s only halfway through the Wizard’s Digest I brought him last visit.  My Dad would never leave anything half finished…not even a book if he were going to escape, he’s a chronic perfectionist.”  Boltin suddenly glanced over at the book in surprise and opened it to the bookmark. 

  “He hasn’t even finished the tri-word puzzle.  Jennifer’s right, something is definitely wrong here.”  Boltin said.  “Let’s go down and find Mad Ick.”  The three headed out of the cell and Boltin guided them back to an unused quarter of the prison.  The abandoned area was dark and cold and had bare stone walls, unpainted and dreary, and there was a very unsettling feeling in the air.  Only darkness peered through the bars, and yet Jennifer couldn’t help but wonder if she was being watched.

  “What is this horrible place?”  Jennifer asked.

  “This is the fourth quarter…the old maximum security area when the Dementors were still here…still haven’t got it all the way cleaned up yet, obviously.  Charming isn’t it?  Mad Ick hangs out here a lot when he’s out of his crypt, this is where I found him earlier,” Boltin explained.  “Icarus?  Come out, come out wherever you are, you have visitors!”  Boltin shouted.  An eerie echo followed his shout that made Jennifer shiver slightly. It was if the memory of a scream haunted every word spoken in the area, unused to echoing any other sound.

  “I don’t see why I should,” a voice sounded from around them from somewhere close.  “It’s obvious her Crawness can’t stand the sight of me.  So I won’t bother to appear and disturb you.”

  “We don’t have times for games, Ick,” Jennifer said, her temper rising already.  “We want to know what happened to my father.”

  “You mean the tall man?  Stormy eyes, greying hair, likes to criticize everyone else’s actions but his own?” the voice of Icarus inquired.

  “You know perfectly well who my father is!”  Jennifer snapped.

  “Oh, but I thought I didn’t know anything,” Ick said back.  “Why don’t you ask that tall fellow behind you?  After all, he’s the one who cursed your father with Living Stone and hid him so no one could find him.”  Jennifer and Boltin turned and stared at Thurspire, who looked just as surprised at this accusation as they did.  “If you don’t believe me, check his wand, the last spell he cast was Living Stone.”

  “I have never cast a major dark spell in my life!  How dare you suggest such a thing!” Thurspire yelled, grabbing his wand out and thrusting it at Boltin.  “Here!  Test it if you don’t believe me!  Jennifer, you don’t believe that rubbish, do you?  I admit I don’t like your father, but surely as a Truth-seeker you can see I didn’t do anything to him.”  Jennifer had been watching him carefully, then nodded, to him, even as Boltin cast the recall spell on the wand.

  “He’s telling the truth,” she admitted.  But Boltin looked up at her in puzzlement.

  “Normally I would believe you, Jennifer, but oddly enough, Icarus is right. The last spell cast on this wand was Living Stone,” Boltin said.  The color drained out of Jennifer’s face as she gazed at his bewildered expression.  How was that possible?  Boltin took out his own wand, pointing it at Thurspire.

  “Where’s Thomas Craw at, Thurspire?”  Boltin asked.

  “I have no idea!”  Thurspire said.  Jennifer saw from his expression that he was quite confused over the matter.

  “I know where he is,” Icarus offered.  “But I’m only willing to lead Jennifer there.  I don’t want that man back down in the Crypt.  He depresses me.”

  “He’s in the Crypt?”  Jennifer said inhaling sharply.   “Fine, I’m coming.  Boltin, maybe you’d better get Thurspire to the other guards until we can sort this out.”  Boltin weighed the situation, then nodded.  Had it been nearly anyone else he would never have agreed to it.

  “I’ll be down to find you as soon as I can,” he said, staring fixedly at Thurspire.  “Hands where I can see them, back to the checkpoint,” Boltin said.  His face had become hard and cold, and Jennifer was suddenly glad that she had never been on his bad side.  As they headed out of view, Jennifer turned and looked around.

  “Fine, they’re gone, now take me down to my father,” she demanded.  Slowing fading into view as if reluctant to do so, Icarus appeared.

  “Don’t you ever say, ‘please’?” he asked, then turned down a corridor.

  Jennifer soon found herself on a stairwell, her legs growing heavy beneath her as they went farther and farther down.  She was very keenly aware that they were underground now, and was trying desperately to ignore it; her eyes steady on the hovering figure in front of her.  But they didn’t stop anywhere near the top level, instead she found herself going several more levels into the oldest part of the crypt where she had met Icarus the first time.  As the light grew dim, Jennifer touched the wisp light around her neck, causing Icarus to regard her with curiosity.  Let him wonder, Jennifer thought with frustration.  She wasn’t about to let that annoying ghost know just how hard this was for her to be underground ever since the Tomb.  But she wasn’t about to leave her father, no matter how suffocated she felt.  Finally the ghost went into a cell, pointing glumly.

  Jennifer noticed right away that something was wrong for one of the vaults in the wall had recent prints on it and signs it had been disturbed.  Jennifer cast the open spell and the vault slid open.  Lying inside like a perfect statue was the stone figure of her father, his expression one of slight surprise.  Burying her emotions and ignoring her pounding head, Jennifer fished in the inside of her cloak and pulled out a mandrake elixir.  Putting the bottle to his stone lips she took out her wand and pointed at him.  “Imbibe!”  Slowly the contents of the bottle began to disappear as the aid spell got past the outer layer of the curse and into the man beneath it.

  She was not aware of how long she waited…she was barely even aware of Icarus’ droning voice beside her as she laid watch over her father.  She only knew it seemed like an eternity before the stone began to take on a softer appearance and he began to move as she reached over to hold his hand.  Moments later he became aware of her, opening his eyes with some great effort.

  “Is…Ederick…dead?” He asked in a hoarse scratchy voice.

  “No, Dad.  Is that who did this to you?”  Jennifer asked him.  He nodded slightly. 

  “Caught me unawares…had just left…came back and hit me.  Damn Thurspires.  Should have killed them all…when had a chance,” Thomas muttered.

  “Well I see this experience hasn’t curbed his lust for blood any,” Icarus mused.

  “Shut up, Ick,” Jennifer snapped.

  “I see.  No please, no thank you just shut up, Ick.  I should have just left him down here to crumble for a few hundred years.”  Ick said forlornly.  Jennifer suddenly looked up at the ghost, who was standing in a corner making a futile attempt at trying to touch a vault so he could knock the cobwebs away.

  “Thank you, Icarus.  I suppose I owe you one,” Jennifer admitted reluctantly, encouraged by the warmth that was beginning to come back to her father’s hands.

  “Actually you owe me two,” he said.  “You wouldn’t have survived the Tomb if it hadn’t been for the artifacts I had left,” he said.  “But who counts favors to the dead?  Not like anyone cares,” he muttered.  “At least my sacrifice wasn’t all in vain, was it?”  He asked.  Apparently he had not expected an answer, for he faded away again.

  For the first time since she had met the ghost, Jennifer found herself feeling a little sorry for him.  He sounded so terribly bitter and lonely, and she suddenly realized that the guilt of his crime had plagued him mercilessly since his death.  She had been so busy reminding him of it that she hadn’t seen the impact his own feelings must have had on him.  And yet, here she was comforting her father whose own crimes in many ways were just as bad as his…

  It was very late before Boltin was able to come to help him back to the ward, and by then she was almost beside herself wanting to get back out in the open.  Thurspire was being detained until morning at least, and that done Jennifer thought it was high time she got home and hopefully get a few hours sleep.  She passed the last checkpoint and stepped out into the entryway, inhaling the sea breeze deeply and listening to the waves for a moment before she Disapparated to the Hogwarts gates.  Rolanda was there, greeting her tiredly as she passed, but Jennifer hadn’t taken more than three steps into the courtyard when she was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness and fell unconscious to the ground.

 

Chapter Twelve

Rude Awakenings

 

  Jennifer woke to find herself in the back room of the hospital ward, and lying beside a doctor she had never seen before.  He was a wizened old wizard, and although human had a very goblinish face.  He was bald on the top of his head, ringed by tuffs of white hair, and alarmingly clear blue eyes.  He was looking at her with such intense scrutiny that Jennifer sat up with alarm.

  “There now, take it easy, everything’s all right.  Madam Pomfrey, she’s awake,” he said, loudly.  The door open and Poppy bustled in with a slightly anxious look.

  “How are they, Doctor Weathering?”  Poppy asked.

  “Healthy, I think.  She’s not far enough along to have caused too much trauma by Apparating, fortunately.  But you’re not to do it again, under any circumstances,” the doctor said firmly.  Jennifer was too astonished to say anything.  She was too busy digesting what she was hearing, realizing quite suddenly where she had seen the name before.  It had been on a slip of paper that Molly Weasley had given her.

  “But that means I’m…oh boy,” Jennifer said, leaning back.

  “Or girl,” Poppy added with a nod.  “Two months oh boy or girl, as a matter of fact.  I thought the two of you were trying to schedule it so that you would be due during the summer?”  She added chidingly.  Jennifer blinked.

  “We did!”

  “Well, your due date is too early.  It’s the first week of June, and it’s just as likely for you to deliver two weeks before that as not, you know,” Poppy said, hands folded.  “Babies never follow schedules.  I guess someone forgot to inform Severus of that.”

  “You’re not actually considering working all the way through the pregnancy, are you, Mrs. Snape?”  Weathering inquired.  Jennifer suddenly turned to look at him, hearing a condescending tone emerging in his speech.

  “Of course I’m going to work.  In fact, I think I’d better go get ready for class,” Jennifer said sitting up.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Poppy said quickly, pushing her back down.  “You are taking it easy this morning.  And you are going to eat for a change if I have to force-feed you myself!  Better yet, I’ll go fetch Dumbledore to do it!”  Poppy threatened.  Jennifer smiled slightly.

  “I can’t stop you from trying to continue working,” Weathering said, although from his face Jennifer could tell he wanted to do just that, “but I will advise you to nonetheless.  Your priorities should be solely on your child and your health, its time to put away your ambitions and shelve them for awhile.”  Jennifer stared at him.  What century was this guy born in, anyhow?

  “Doctor, I have your lists of do’s and don’ts here and her prescriptions, anything else we need?  I know we’re keeping you from your regular appointments,” Poppy asked.

  “No, no, just take make her take it easy for the next few days and let me know if she has any more dizzy spells.  I’ll be back in a month to make sure there are no lingering effects, Mrs. Snape.  You just follow Poppy’s instructions, and I’m sure everything will be in order by then,” the doctor said.  Poppy went to walk him out and Jennifer’s eyes followed, frowning after them.  She wasn’t about to let some quack witch doctor let his old fashioned views get to her.  Who was having this baby, after all?  That was when it hit her again.  Even though they had planned it, there was something strangely stunning about it, too.

 

  From the moment the ghostly liquid touched her lips, Anna felt a change begin to tingle through her, and a warmth begin to work its way through her.  She was suddenly alarmed by the sound of her own heartbeat, and then her breathing, as parts of her began to materialize a second faster than the rest for a smooth transition.  The cup she had been holding suddenly seemed to lose its own substance and she could no longer grasp it, and it floated slowly to the floor.  Anna slowly sat down on the couch, suddenly aware that she was able to actually accomplish that feat. 

  “Well!  Now isn’t that a sight for these old sore eyes!  Severus, impeccable work and timing.  I salute you,” Audi cackled, then did.

  “I’m starving,” Anna suddenly realized, then stumbled towards the kitchen hitting her shin on the table in the process.  Severus snorted softly to himself and started disassembling his equipment.

  “Well hurry up then get yourself in order and get packed so we can get the hell out of here,” Severus said.

  “Already?  But I just got back in one piece!”  Anna said from the kitchen.

  “Yes, all the more reason to leave now before something else happens,” Severus snapped in irritation. 

  “I’ll go help get your things together, you just eat, Anna,” Audi said helpfully.  Anna frowned slightly, looking up from the icebox.  With Audi siding with Severus she knew there was little chance of talking him out of it.  And she knew that things had been growing on his mind during the last few days as the potion cured, pacing the floor impatiently like a caged panther.  It was not long after Anna was fed and refreshed that she found herself being hurried down to the port station.

  Severus opted to take the trip in several jumps for safety reasons, most especially since Anna was so new to her material form and he didn’t want to port and find her see-through again.  Anna thought he was just being overcautious as usual, and was slightly annoyed that he wouldn’t even stop long enough in New York for her to pick up one little thing.  In no time they were on the last stop before Britain, a small dragon reservation on Greenland, but when the two of them stepped off the platform to switch keys, they met the last person either of them expected to see at that moment.

  It was Sirius Black, and he looked far from happy.

  “It’s about time.  I figured you’d be coming this way,” Sirius said.  There was a dangerous flash in his eyes.  “Why was it that I wasn’t informed that something happened to Anna?”  He demanded, looking straight at Severus.  Anna was hardly in the mood to be talked about as if she wasn’t there and stepped between them immediately.

  “It wasn’t his fault.  We were having problems with our owls,” Anna said.

  “Well, apparently Severus had little trouble getting there, why didn’t he drop me a post?”  He asked.

  “Why would I?  Even if you had been there, you’d have only been in the way.  Frankly, Vallid asked for me, not you, and it really wasn’t any of your business in any case,” Severus said in annoyance.

  “When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that what happens to her is my business?”  Sirius demanded.  Anna stared at Sirius for a long moment.  “I want to be informed of everything like this that happens WHEN it happens, not after it happens, or have you forgotten that I am the one supposed to be keeping an eye on her?”

  “Anna doesn’t need you to keep an eye on her!”  Severus snapped at him.

  “Thank you,” said Anna who was about to say the same thing.  She was more than capable of taking care of herself.

  “She’s going straight to Hogwarts and I can assure you, whatever lame protection you had in mind can’t compare to what I can provide from the school grounds,” Severus said.  Anna blinked.  She had had about enough of this.

  “How hard would it have been to drop me a letter?  You know I wouldn’t be surprised to find out you started sending owls away on purpose just to keep me from finding out what’s going on, you’ve been against us ever since the beginning.”

  “Spare me,” Severus rolled his eyes.  “You wouldn’t have been worth the effort it would take to accomplish such a feat.   I had a lot more important things on my mind than annoying you, like saving her!”  Severus said, pointing.  But Anna wasn’t there.  That was when the two of them spun around and noticed she wasn’t anywhere.

  Alarmed, Sirius went out of the stone cottage and into the cold predawn air, immediately having to throw an anti-cold enchantment around himself.  The encampment was nestled in a remote area near an old lava flow.  Vents steamed beyond it, causing smoke to billow into the air in the distance.  The other few houses there that had belonged to the Wizard handlers were still dim; none of them awake yet.  Even with the enchantment on, it still seemed bitterly cold.  Severus walked out behind him.

  “She didn’t come this way, we would have noticed.  She probably tried Disapparating back, we had better go after her,” Severus said with a scowl.  “You know she wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t come here barking like a fool!  If anything happens to her, I am holding you responsible.”

  “How come every time anything happens it’s never your fault?  It’s just like all the asinine things you did in school…it was never your own bloody doing there was always someone else to blame,” Sirius challenged him.  “After all this time you’re still convinced everything was our fault!  When are you going to grow up and face the fact that maybe it was all your fault it got out of hand in the first place!”

  “Enough!  I’ve had quite enough of you!”  Severus said suddenly pulling out a wand.  But Sirius suddenly leapt forward into dog form and bit his hand, making him release it and the two of them tumbled to the ground.  It was as Severus began kicking him away to reach for a potion that the two of them felt a sudden heat wash over them and heard very loud, persistent, heavy breathing.  Severus and Sirius suddenly stopped what they were doing and found themselves looking up into the maul of a dragon. 

  Severus suddenly launched the two of them into a roll as the dragon’s breath came spewing out at them, grabbing his wand on the way past before flinging Sirius aside.  Sirius quickly changed back into his own form and grabbed his own wand, while they attempted to scramble away from another onslaught of fire.  The flames instantly melted the snow and ice beneath them; leaving only the black rocky ground showing underneath.

  Several wizards tumbled out of their dwellings in total surprise as the Greenland Blackwing swiped his claw at Sirius pinning him to the ground while launching another wave of fire at Severus.  Severus dove for cover but apparently was too close for although the cloak he was wearing was flameproof, one of the potions inside of it began boiling from the heat.  An explosion was heard around the camp, the area where Severus had been standing now covered with a large smoke cloud.  The dragon’s handlers were trying desperately to calm the beast down, obviously puzzled by its behavior.  But before they could get too close, the dragon rose up again, ready to attack.  As the dragon was rearing his head, a ray of light flashed out from the direction of the smoke.  As the dragon opened its mouth it found it instantly filled with a thick, sticky layer of marshmallow crème.  Pausing in confusion the dragon shook its head, choking a bit, pulling his claws back to try to deal with the sticky substance.

  One of the wizards who had been rushing to help Severus a moment before, suddenly turned and shouted in dismay, telling everyone to help the dragon.

  “He’s choking!  We have to save him before he dies!” He said, and the handlers rushed forward.

  “Better him than me,” Severus muttered.  His hair had been badly burned and his cloak had holes blown in the sides from where his potions had exploded.

  Sirius stood up, face scratched and clothes shredded, going over to help Severus up.  Severus completely ignored the offer and wincing somehow managed to get to his feet, gritting his teeth in pain from the heavy burns across his back and chest.  Sirius threw his hand down in sheer anger, fed up with being the one to always have to make the effort.  That was it; he was officially giving up, Sirius thought to himself with irritation.  It just wasn’t worth it.

  Just then the dragon spewed up the crème in a disgusting and foul smelling belch, receiving cheers from the encampment.   Quickly realizing that weren’t going to get much sympathy or aid from the idiotic MCPS (Magical Creatures Protection Society) Severus promptly exited, leaving Sirius to fend for himself amongst the morons.  It was time to go home.

 

  Jennifer awoke again an hour later hardly even remembering falling asleep and realizing she had already slept through her first class.  All she could think about was getting back to work and how much she hated lying in bed.  There was no way she was going to allow some doctor to tell her she couldn’t teach because of this.  Reaching over to the stand, she glanced at her watch then blinked at it in suddenly surprise barely believing what she was seeing.  Throwing off the covers she grabbed her robe and tossed it over her head, barreling out of the ward before Poppy had time to stop her, not even noticing that she had forgotten her shoes until she was halfway down the steps.  Ignoring Minerva’s exclamation as she ran passed her into the courtyard, Jennifer dashed over to where Severus had just entered the gate who suddenly (and very painfully) found himself being hugged by his wife who seemed unaware of the steam still rising off his damaged cloak.

  “Oh, your hair!  What happened, are you hurt?  Come inside, I was hoping you’d be back today.  Is Anna all right?  I’ve so much to tell you,” Jennifer asked.  But before he had time to react or even ask her to maybe not cling quite so tight, he heard Poppy and Minerva crying out Jennifer’s name, Poppy’s voice in worry and surprise, and Minerva’s sounding appalled at her behavior.

  “Professor Craw, get back to the medical ward at once!  I haven’t released you yet, nor had I any intention of releasing you yet!  You know what Doctor Weathering said.”  Poppy shouted firmly.

  “Professor, remember where you are!  And where are your shoes?”  Minerva demanded looking at her disapprovingly.  Sighing in annoyance, Jennifer turned to the other women, ignoring the students who were looking at her with surprise and curiosity.

  “Fine, fine, I’m going, no need to get worked up over nothing.  I’m perfectly fine,” Jennifer huffed, sticking her nose up in the air as she headed back over to Poppy who was scolding her incessantly the moment she came near, completely oblivious to the smoldering form of Severus Snape standing in the courtyard both surprised and annoyed.

  “What is going on here?   Did everyone in the school go insane while I was gone?” Severus asked to no one in particular, walking towards the doors.  Minerva glanced over at him as if noticing him for the first time. 

  “Goodness, Severus, what happened to you?  Are you all right?”

  “No I’m not, thank you.  I’m tired, Sirius nearly got me killed again, and I came very close to becoming a crater with the help of an irate dragon.  So if you don’t mind, I am going to go see about tending my burns and collapsing for a bit.”  Severus said in annoyance, storming inside with Minerva following not far behind.

  “Very well, I’ll head to the hospital ward and tell Jennifer you’re not to be bothered with visiting her.  I’m quite sure she’ll understand,” Minerva said, causing Severus to pull up short to look at her.

  “What is she doing in the medical ward?  She looked fine,” he demanded.

  “They are fine, actually.  Jennifer was called away last night and made the mistake of Apparating back and forth.  Doctor Weathering just wanted to make sure she got some rest,” Minerva said, a thin smile of amusement playing on her lips as the color drained from his face.  “You know for someone who planned this you both are acting quite staggered.”

  Severus spun around and shot down the hall only pausing when Minerva pointed out he was heading in the wrong direction.  Chuckling softly to herself, Minerva went to let Dumbledore know he had returned.

 

  The next day Jennifer was asked to a meeting with the Department of Investigations in the Ministry, and she and Dumbledore took the floo to the entrance, arriving from the foyer fireplace. Arthur Weasley, who had been waiting with his son Ron near the reception desk blinked in surprise at their choice in transportation before looking at Jennifer questioningly.  She blushed slightly, realizing quickly that it was going to be absolutely impossible to keep quiet.  A moment later, Thatcher Boltin appeared as well, smiling softly at Jennifer and nodding to all as he joined them.

  The Investigations office was not ornate in any way and was a model of order of efficiency; not a book out of place, not a paper unstamped, not a mark out of line on the several maps that surrounded the room.  Rhys Brown, the current Minister of Law Enforcement, was calmly sitting behind the desk and Ederick Thurspire was pacing the floor when the five of them came in.

  “Ah, good, you’re all here, thank you for coming,” Rhys said, standing and offering them all a seat.  “Ron, put your notebook away for a bit, we’ll get into the Malfoy case in a moment,” he assured him, and Ron did, leaning back to listen.  “First, I would like to hear more about what happened between my aid and Thomas Craw the last night.”

  “Well, I suppose I should start with when Ederick Thurspire showed up Halloween night after hours to see Craw,” Boltin said.  “He had the right paperwork, even though it was quite late, I assumed it was something important he needed for the next day and I let him through, not exactly the first time Thurspire has come to taunt the prisoners…”

  “I do not taunt the prisoners.”  Ederick said indignantly.

  “Why not?  I do it all the time, good way to get answers,” Rhys asked Ederick, waving his hand, “anyhow, proceed.”

  “Well, he came back up about an hour later and left for the Ministry.  It was not long after that I was informed that Craw was gone and was nowhere to be found.  There was no sign of force, no magic residue in the cell, and the only one who claimed to witness anything was the resident ghost, Icarus the Mad, but he refused to talk to anyone about the disappearance unless I called Professor Craw.  So, I did, and I asked Thurspire to come back so that I could ask him some questions about what they were talking about before.  The three of us went to his cell first, and didn’t see anything ordinary except for the fact that he seemed to be in the middle of his reading and left some letters unread, and it was the opinion of Professor Craw as well as myself that it would have been out of character to have left anything half-finished had he been attempting an escape by himself.  That was when we went to the third quarter to find Ick.  When we did, the ghost accused Thurspire of casting Living Stone on Craw and hiding him away in the crypt.”

  “And what motive would Ederick have for stuffing old Craw under Azkaban like that?” Rhys calmly asked.

  “When Professor Craw questioned him it had come out that Thomas Craw had bad business dealings with Thurspire’s family when he was still a Death Eater, and that Thurspire has an extreme dislike for him stemming from that.  And I think it’s obvious what might of happened if Craw did reappear again outside of his cell in or out of Azkaban, if anyone thought he was a threat,” Boltin said.

  “How I feel about any particular prisoner has nothing to do with anything!  Don’t you think if I had wanted to get Craw out of the way I’d be a little less obvious?”  Thurspire shouted at Boltin.  Suddenly a chair came up behind Ederick and he was knocked into it, slightly surprised.

  “Just sit down and be quiet, Ederick, he was only answering my question.  Getting defensive will only cloud your head,” Rhys said in a cool but firm voice.  Jennifer had only met Rhys briefly on a couple other occasions, but was quickly realizing why the man was so well respected.  His eyes then turned on Jennifer.  “I assume at some point he must have denied doing this deed.  Did he seem truthful to you?”

  “Yes, sir, he believed he didn’t do it,” Jennifer admitted.  Rhys looked at her thoughtfully.

  “He believed he didn’t do it?  I take it you mean you had some doubts with your assessment of that?”  He asked.

  “To be perfectly honest, it’s the first time I can remember that I looked at two different people with completely opposite truths like this with no clear answer.  Except, of course, the wand had been used to cast the spell, and my father specifically remembers Thurspire casting at him,” Jennifer said.

  “If someone’s memory was tampered with, would it still read to you as truth?”  Rhys asked.

  “No, sir, I’ve been trained to pick that up when I studied with Auror Belle a few years back,” Jennifer said.

  “What if there was no memory of an event present at all?” 

  “Well, in that case, there’s no truth or lie, so I wouldn’t be able to pick it up at all,” Jennifer admitted.

  “When Craw stated he was hit with the spell, he was in his cell, correct?”  Rhys asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Boltin, did Thurspire come in with anything unusual that evening, potions, equipment?”

  “No, sir, all he came with was his wand,” Boltin said, looking at the Minister curiously.  “Anything else would have been noted in the log, and that’s all he had with him.”

  “Well, then, this story has a very significant flaw,” Rhys said, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.  “Answer me this, if anyone can.  When the last spell that was cast via the wand was Living Stone, how could a man of Thurspire’s build get a man taller than he and made out of solid rock through several checkpoints and down several flights of stairs without using magic and without being seen?”

  No one said anything.

 

 

Chapter Thirteen

Harry Returns

 

  As Jennifer was finishing her classes on Friday, an owl flew in the open window of her classroom bearing an envelope with lovely calligraphy on it.  She couldn’t help to smile softly when she opened it, realizing it was from Doctor Sagittari.

  I am having a few guests over for an informal dinner on Saturday evening, and would be delighted if you, and Severus if he wishes, would join us after practice.

  It would almost be like old times, she thought.  She had so missed her Saturday evenings with Hagrid and Harry and his friends, and couldn’t help wondering who else was going.  Well, she wouldn’t have long to wait at least, she thought as she put the invitation away.

   The next afternoon Jennifer wandered over to the field to see a surprisingly familiar face, and even with wearing contacts now and out of Hogwarts robes, there was no mistaking him as he sat on the stands watching Gryffindor practice.

  “Harry!”  Jennifer called up, hopping up into the stands.  “What are you doing here, how are you?” She laughed, hugging him.

  “Oh, I got back a few days ago, had a few words with Dumbledore and he said I could watch practice,” Harry Potter grinned.

  “It is good to see you!  Gosh but you’ve changed!  How’s the traveling life?” Jennifer asked, sitting down beside him.

  “Exhausting,” Harry chuckled slightly.  “But I’m back for awhile.  So how have things been around here?” 

  Jennifer happily filled him in with some of the things that had been going on (Harry actually seemed very well informed but was interested in hearing her point of view on the Craw ‘kidnapping’) and he, in turn, talked a little about what he had been doing in Paris.

  “Sirius and I went there digging up facts for Vallid on Malfoy’s business ventures during the year you and your mother were there.   She wanted us to see if we could find some hard links on his employees and friends at the time to try and get a connection as to who all were actually involved in the murder itself.  She’d done some digging before the trial a few years ago, but since she couldn’t prove Malfoy himself was ever down there at the time she had to let it go.  A lot of the trouble we ran into trying to find things out was that it was treated like a missing person’s case at first and not a murder, and there were even comments that it looked as if she had packed and left in a hurry.”

  “Yes, her bureau was emptied and her oak chest was missing.  They tried tracking the chest but it wasn’t ever found,” Jennifer said.

  “So the chest was magic,” Harry prompted.

  “Sure, she got it not long after we moved to Paris.  She told me it was hers, and a friend shipped it over for her from England.  It was pretty, carved with an ornate protection ward in the top of the chest,” Jennifer said as they stepped into the stands and sat down.

  “Any idea what was in it?”  Harry asked.  Jennifer shook her head, thinking back.

  “I never saw her open it, not once.  But I have a good memory of it, if you think it’s important,” Jennifer offered.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Harry said thoughtfully.  “I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”

  “Thank you, Harry, for looking into this…especially when I know you’re supposed to be taking a year off.  This means a lot to me.”  Jennifer said.  Harry smiled at her.

  “Well, the sooner I find some closure on this Death Eater business the happier I’ll be,” Harry said.

  Even with Voldemort gone, the fact that many who followed him were slipping away from justice kept gnawing at him, and it had occurred to him how long it might be before he finally felt satisfied it was over.  Jennifer nodded at the look on his face understandingly, knowing in some ways she felt the same. 

  “Good afternoon, Harry.”  Harry looked over to see Severus standing at the bottom of the stands and stood up to greet him, shaking his hand.  “What brings you back this way?”

  “Business mostly, and paying some visits,” Harry explained.   “Some business you might be interested in.”

  “Oh?”  Severus asked, gazing at him thoughtfully.  Just what she needed right now, Severus getting more involved in the Death Eater investigations.  He had already provided a list of names and given dozens of statements, what more could they want?  “We’ll have to talk about it sometime soon, then,” he nodded.  “Perhaps I’ll drop by Sagittari’s when I’m free.”

  “If I’m not still there, I’ll be at Anna’s.  Dumbledore wanted me to talk to her about what’s been going on her end,” Harry said.

  “Sirius isn’t going to be there, is he?”  Severus asked.  Jennifer gazed at him thoughtfully.  She still hadn’t gotten a full account on the dragon incident, but she had already saw from his face that he and Sirius had some sort of fight.

  “I’ll make sure he behaves if he does,” Harry promised.

  “And when you get to Sagittari’s, make sure Jennifer eats something,” Severus added, and Jennifer scowled at him.  Harry grinned slightly as Severus walked away.

  “Is it just me, or is he a lot calmer than he used to be?”  He asked.

  “Well, that, and you’re not a student anymore,” Jennifer chuckled.  “From what I’m hearing though his Defense classes have gotten rather dramatic.  I feel sorry for those first years when he starts fear spells next week.”

  Harry glanced over towards the Gryffindor team, waving as several of them flew overhead.  Ginny, practicing a twisting dive suddenly pulled up as she spotted them and soared over, hopping of the broom as she came near and greeting Harry with a hug.

  “You made it!  I was hoping you would,” she said happily.

  “Of course, I made it.  Team looks real good.  I bet you’ll have a good year this year,” Harry smiled.

  “Well, we’ll find out next week, I suppose.  That’s when we’re playing Slytherin,” Ginny said.  “You’re coming to that too, right?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Harry said, smiling lovingly at Ginny.  Jennifer got up quickly.

  “Well, I think I’m going to head on to Dr. Sagittari’s,” she said, jumping off the stands.

  “We’ll be right along, Jennifer,” Harry assured her.  As she started off the field she suddenly heard footsteps behind her and her name called, and turned to see Corey, Doug and Taylor running up.

  “Professor, we were invited to Dr. Sagittari’s for dinner, is it all right?  We might be late,” Corey asked excitedly.

  “Sure it’s all right, I was invited too.  Come on,” Jennifer said with a smile, and the four of them headed towards the hut.  The aromas coming from inside were incredibly inviting as Jennifer stepped up and knocked on the door.  The centaur opened it and greeted her warmly, and Jennifer stepped in, looking around in amazement.  The hut had changed considerably since Hagrid had been there.

  It was still warm and cozy and yet brighter and more open, with clean white paint on the walls and filmy curtained windows open to take advantage of the breezes.  The main room had no furniture but a very tall table just the right height for Sagittari to stand at and plenty of tall cushioned stools.  An office had been added to the side with a door leading out towards the pens, where Sagittari could examine patients and practice veterinary medicine.  Corey couldn’t help but be curious about the sleeping quarters, however, trying to figure out exactly how the doctor slept.  Heavy rugs covered the otherwise empty floor, and a wooden stand built into one side of the room that came up to Corey’s waist, blanketed and filled with cushions.  Amused by the boy’s curiosity, Sagittari demonstrated how he laid on the rug while laying his head over his crossed arms on the pillow.

  Jennifer in the meantime was sneaking glimpses into the pots on the rack near the fire and into the oven that had been built just inside the hearth below the mantle when a knock sounded on the door and she quickly tried to look innocent when Sagittari and the boys came back out again.  The door opened to Harry and Ginny, followed closely behind by Hermione and Ron, who came in and greeted everyone warmly.

  “I think I’ll put the tea on.  I’ve two more on the way still, but we’re almost all here,” Sagittari said, heading towards the fireplace.

  “Sirius and Anna?” Jennifer said, and Sagittari nodded with a smile.  “But how did you know?  I mean…that’s the old Hagrid’s Saturday night crowd, plus Corey’s gang,” Jennifer said.

  “It was difficult not to know,” Sagittari chuckled, looking at all of them amusement.  “Every Saturday since school started. I have had people wandering by my hut, and considering there really isn’t anywhere to go from here but the pens, I was feeling as if I were missing out on something.  So when our librarian happened to wander by last week I cornered her and invited her in.  And I must say I’m glad I did.  It is quite nice to have company for a change.  Ever since I came back I’ve been the local novelty, but nobody seems to know quite what to talk to me about except animals.  I am hoping to correct that while also restarting an old tradition.”

  “You’re off to a splendid start,” Jennifer said.  It was then that Sirius and Anna had arrived, receiving greetings all around as they sat down.  Anna and Hermione tried to help at first, but soon learned that trying to assist a Centaur in such a small cottage was close to an impossibility, finally giving in to his insistence that they sit down and relax.  Before long, Harry, Hermione and Ron had broke into a conversation about other visits to the cabin and trouble they had got into through the seven years, which amazed the three boys at the other end, and caused Sagittari, Anna and Sirius to chuckle.  Jennifer, in the meantime, was quite engrossed with the dinner itself and from the moment she started the warm mozzarella salad to the filo crème pastry at the end she did not talk and barely even looked up.  It was just as they were finishing that Hermione launched an account of Hagrid’s cooking and Jennifer’s attempts to change it when they got her attention again long enough to chuckle.

  “What do you think, Professor Craw, any advice for me too?” Sagittari asked, eyes twinkling.

  “Oh, no,” Jennifer said in a slow appreciative voice shaking her head, “don’t change a thing.”

  “Wow, that’s a first.  She ate everything!  Mom’s a real picky eater,” Corey said.

  “Yes, so I’ve noticed during the times I’ve dined at the table.  She does tend to nibble doesn’t she?” Sagittari teased slightly.  “Well, no more of that, you need to take care of yourself.”

  “It was one of the best meals I’ve had in awhile also, where did you learn to cook like that?”  Sirius said emphatically.

  “Ah, mostly from traveling abroad…amazing what you pick up when you drift about a bit.  Cooking is a passion of mine, although I haven’t really had a chance to try it out on anyone since I moved back here.”

  “You can try your cooking out on me anytime,” Jennifer said with such a lilt that everyone laughed.

  “Well, since you seem to enjoy giving advice as well as eating, why don’t you stop by early on Saturdays, and I can teach you a few tricks…and then we can both try them out on whoever decides to ‘drop by’ that evening?”  Sagittari suggested.

  “Does that mean all of us get a standing invitation?”  Harry asked with a grin.

  “Well of course, as does that husband of yours, Professor, if he ever actually accepts an invitation,” Sagittari chuckled.

  “He’s not much into socializing, Doctor, he doesn’t really go to gatherings,” Jennifer explained, opening her watch and glancing at it.  “In fact, he’s already waiting at the cabin.”

  “I’d better get going then, I need to talk to him about a few things,” Harry said, getting up.

  “Let him wait,” Sirius shrugged.  “He’s the one who’s too good to join the rest of us.”  Anna glared at Sirius.  And Jennifer’s face expression suddenly turned stony.

  “Ginny, would you walk the boys back to the gate?” Jennifer said, her voice betraying her anger.  Harry quickly volunteered to walk with them, and the five of them headed out, Jennifer closing the door behind them.  “Sirius, you damn well know it’s against Severus’ teaching ethics to socialize with the students, there was no call for you to say something like that.”

  “Sorry, Jennifer, but I don’t see anything ethical about the way he treats his students, or anyone else for that matter,” Sirius said.

  “Look, I may not have much control over the two of you trying to kill each other, but let me make one thing clear.  When you’re on these grounds, you are a guest of the school and I insist that you speak of all Professors of this school with respect when there are students present, regardless of how you feel.  You want to have words with him or someone else fine, but don’t you dare let me catch you doing it in front of student again.”  Jennifer said, picking up her cloak.  “Thank you for having us, Sagittari, it was positively lovely, but I think I’ll be running along.”

  “I think I’ll join you,” Anna said quickly, completely ignoring Sirius when she passed him and the two women left.

  “She’s right, you know,” Hermione said after a moment of everyone looking silently at the door.  Ron and Sirius gave her a dirty look.

 

  When Jennifer and Anna got to the cottage, the two of them were out front talking about the dragon incident.

  “It just doesn’t make any sense,” Harry said, shaking his head slightly.  “Dragons don’t randomly attack humans, if they did then they’d have been made extinct.  From what Charlie has told me, there hasn’t been any known incidents of that for years…well, short of someone getting too close to a female nesting.  And you didn’t cast any spells?”

  “Sirius bit my hand before I got anything off,” Severus said.

  “Sirius bit your hand?”  Anna repeated.

  “You pulled a wand on Sirius?”  Jennifer asked, hands on her hips.  Severus suddenly felt as if his collar had tightened slightly.

  “I admit it might have gotten a tad out of hand had it not been interrupted, but the point of the matter was it had been and by a dragon that nearly took both of our lives.  The Protection Society has not offered any explanation of the matter.  In fact, they don’t even believe the dragon in question even recalls the incident,” Severus said.

  “That would definitely make me believe that some outside force or person manipulated the dragon into acting,” Harry said.  “Somebody who wanted either you, Sirius, or both of you dead in a way that would look like an accident.”

  “Malfoy maybe?”  Jennifer suggested.  Severus squinted.

  “Perhaps.  Although, I’m not sure he’d do something like this so recently after he had gotten out of jail.  He is more likely to wait awhile and take a more subtle approach,” Severus said.  Anna opened the door and the four went inside, the fireplace suddenly crackling to life as Jennifer sat in the chair beside it.

  “What I want to know is, how did the person who did this know where you were?”  Harry said.  “Sirius really hadn’t expected to meet you there, he was just following the instructions he got from Vallid on the safest way across.  Whoever did it must have been following one of you.”

  “It couldn’t have been me.  If anyone got close enough to keep an eye on me, my necklace would have gone off,” Severus pointed out.  “And I believe the others would have noticed another stranger around.”

  “Well, the person had to be there.  You can’t hold that sort of charm spell from a distance,” Harry pointed out.

  “Well that‘s only if it‘s a cast charm,” Jennifer chimed in.  “Items can be used to conduct certain kinds of energy, and can magic often jump from item to item if they’re made to work together.”  Severus stared at her a moment then brought something out of his cloak.  Jennifer instantly recognized as her Puzzlebox.

  “The day before Anna began to fade, a ring had been delivered with strange curse characteristics,” Severus said, deftly opening the various combinations.  Jennifer mused that she was going to have to change the lock before Christmas.  Her thoughts then dwindled back to the matter at hand as he put on some gloves and pulled out the ring, holding it carefully in the palm of his hand.

  “Here, let me see it,” Jennifer said, putting on her own gloves.  Reluctantly, Severus handed it over to her, as Jennifer ran the first series of identifying spells over the ring.  It was quite pretty, Jennifer thought, and the symbol on it was curious, the workmanship and quality nearly perfect.  “This wasn’t originally crafted as a cursed item,” Jennifer said, “and there’s definitely some powerful charms in the metal itself.  In fact, the physical ring doesn’t seem to be cursed at all,” Jennifer said thoughtfully.  “Either the ring is somehow repelling the curse someone tried to place on it, or the curse wasn’t put on the ring at all…it was put around the ring.”

  “Around the ring?”  Severus said then nodded.  “That would definitely explain why Audi and I were having trouble with the spells telling us both that it was cursed and it wasn’t.”

  “The curse seems to be some sort of area spell.  Cover me, Severus, I’m going to try and determine if putting the curse around it instead of on it like this was intentional,” Jennifer said. 

  “Perhaps I should do that,” Severus suggested quickly, but Jennifer pretended not to hear him as she took off her glove, cautiously rubbing her thumb against the outer surface.  A sound like the ringing of a champagne glass suddenly resonated through the room, growing louder and louder as Severus entrapped the ring in Jennifer’s hand in a magical barrier.  The sound did not stop, however, instead they were quickly aware that it was centering on the stone around Anna’s neck, which had started glowing a brilliant light.  As Severus turned to encase it, the light became suddenly blinding and there was a loud * CRACK *.  Jennifer blinked to regain her sight to see Anna still standing where she had been in total bewilderment, her hands holding two pieces of crystal.

  “Well, that was rather unusual,” Jennifer said once she found her voice.  Severus went over to Anna and snatched the pieces of broken gemstone and took off the chain from her neck before gently but firmly getting her to sit down.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “I bought it in Hogsmeade last year,” Anna said.  “From the Divination shop.”

  “The Divination shop?  Didn’t whoever was accompanying you bother to run a few basic checks on it before you took it home?”  Severus asked, looking irritated, thinking that Sirius had done it.  Jennifer sunk down in the chair.

  “Well, she was kind of busy trying to keep Pettigrew from trying to impersonate you right after that,” Anna said, glancing over at Jennifer.  Jennifer was busy looking rather sheepish.  Severus looked at Jennifer with surprise.

  “I thought it was a rock, they sold it as an aura stone, for heaven’s sake.  By the way, can I see it?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Absolutely not.  I don’t want you touching anything right now it’s too dangerous.  If that had backfired it might have hurt you and the baby,” Severus scolded, unaware of his sister and Harry’s widening expressions.  “I think we ought to have Dumbledore look at these.”

  “And you were planning to tell me about this, when?” Anna asked.  Severus gazed at her a moment before realizing what she was talking about.

  “Sorry, but we’ve been a bit too preoccupied to become a public spectacle.  I hadn’t learned myself until after I came back with you.  The point is Jennifer ought not to be messing with it let alone pulling a stunt like that,” he said as he carefully picked up the ring.  Harry quietly asked to see it before Severus put it away, and Severus handed it to him. 

  “Well, we did learn a few things from that at least,” Jennifer said, ignoring the scolding tone.  “First off, the curse, ring, or both was made to work with other items, probably specific types of items, for some unknown purpose.  And, the curse doesn’t appear to be faulty; it was intentionally set around the ring instead of on it.  That means whoever put the curse around it knew precisely what they were doing.”

  “Odd,” Harry said thoughtfully as he held the ring.   Suddenly he took off one of his gloves, and before anyone could stop him slipped the ring around his finger.  Severus and Jennifer screamed his name in dismay scrambling for their wands, but Harry just looked back at them calmly.  “It’s all right now.  I think I just dispelled it.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?”  Severus snapped in surprise.

  “Harry Potter!  What the blazes is the matter with you, didn’t you learn anything at all from us about hexed items?  You know better than to put on a cursed ring like that!”  Jennifer said, jumping out of her seat and going over to grab his hand, muttering a spell under her breath.

  “Hang on a moment, don’t bother, look…it comes right off,” Harry said reassuringly, handing it back to Severus.  “And actually, the reason I figured it out was that none of us would have put it on,” Jennifer and Severus stared at him in confusion.  Anna looked confused as well.  “Whoever put the curse on this ring didn’t want the original magic properties damaged; they wanted to protect it.  So what they did was put a curse around the ring instead of on it, knowing that any wizard getting a hold of the ring would see it was cursed and hopefully leave it alone.  The last thing any wizard would do would be to try putting it on…but since the ring is still fully functioning to its original purpose, it only made sense to me that putting it on would dispel what was around it.”

  “But we haven’t even figured out its original purpose yet!   Just because it wasn’t made with a dark curse in mind doesn’t mean an item isn’t dangerous.  Really, Harry, you do know better than to try something like that.  Not to mention now we can’t get specifics on the curse itself.  I’ll have to study the effects of what happened to the aura stone to figure out what happened to it,” Jennifer said.

  “Overruled, they’re going straight to Dumbledore,” Severus said.

  “Excuse me, but you know those things are mine, and I’d like to have some say-so in all of this.”

  Severus, Jennifer and Harry looked over at Anna in surprise.

  “Titiana, these items are obviously affecting you in odd ways, I think it would be best if Dumbledore had a look at them,” Severus insisted again.

  “Severus is probably right,” Harry agreed, glancing at Jennifer.  “After all, even if we are able to determine what effect it would have had on us, it might easily have different effects on an Aethermage, and he knows more about that than any of us.”  Jennifer sighed, and nodded.

“Fine, but I want them back,” Anna said.  The other three glanced at each other thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything.

 

 

 

Chapter Fourteen

Jennifer and One-Third

 

  Hermione looked up from the books she was sorting and broke into a smile.  Jennifer could tell straight away that she knew already.  Ginny had told her, Jennifer mused, who probably learned it from Harry…which probably meant the entire school knew by now.  The looks Jennifer received by passing students confirmed that, and Jennifer chuckled, shaking her head.  And she thought she had been a novelty before.

  “Good Afternoon, Madame Granger, would you happen to know if the library had any books on...er…potions made for certain conditions?”  Jennifer asked quietly.

  “We don’t, I already looked,” Hermione admitted.  “I was going to go ahead and pull them for you.”

  “Oh well, I knew it would be a long shot,” Jennifer said with a chuckle.

  “Well, I have to go to Flourish and Blotts to pick up some new books, why don’t you come with me and we can go look for some?”  Hermione suggested.  “It should be all right for you to use floo powder, after all.”  Jennifer thought about it a moment.  Well, she did need the books, and she felt fine, and she could stock up on some formulas later that evening while preparing for tomorrow’s classes…

  “Sounds like a good idea, when’s your next break?”

  “In just a few minutes, hang on a moment,” she smiled, working to finish up her stack.  Jennifer sat down, watching Hermione thoughtfully.

  The girl had definitely changed a lot over the summer…or perhaps it was only her focus was changed.  The same zeal she had put in her schoolwork was now concentrated on her work at the school and her extended studies with Minerva.  Her goal was clear to everyone who knew her; she wanted to teach, and Jennifer had little doubt that Hermione would soon get her license and join the regular staff in no time.  And then Jennifer wouldn’t be the youngest professor on staff, she thought with a smirk.   Not that she was all that young anymore; Jennifer now had ten years between her and the upper students, even if she didn’t look it.  Finally Dame Rachel, one of the more dependable of the Hogwarts’ ghosts, arrived for her shift, and the books that Hermione sorted began floating back to their places as she stepped away from the desk.

  The two of them grabbed their cloaks and stepped into the fireplace, and within a minute Jennifer found herself standing once again standing in the Leaky Cauldron pub house.  The warm greetings cheered Jennifer up considerably, and the two of them stepped into the busy alley.   As they approached the bank, Jennifer saw a tall familiar redhead, standing in front of the bank writing in a small notebook.  Ron looked up, slightly surprised to see Jennifer, but smiled and waved at him.

  “Hello Ron.  How’s the star reporter of the Daily Prophet?”  Jennifer winked at him.

  “Oh, she’s all right, I suppose,” Ron said.

  “Ron, she meant you,” Hermione said.

  “Oh!  I’m fine, but not even close to being a star reporter yet.  I’m on special interest stories,” he said rolling his eyes.  “You know, local man grows twenty foot nightshade plant, wizard youth gets perfect score on O.W.L.S. at the age of ten…that sort of thing.  I did have a front page story last week, though…of course, there was nothing going on last week, really.”

  “He’s just being modest.  He actually has a fan base, a lot of people say they only subscribe to the paper because they know they can trust his stories at least,” Hermione said.

  “You know, now that you mention it, perhaps it’s about time I start picking up the paper again, so long as they’re not condemning me every time I lift a wand like they were last year,” Jennifer chuckled as they entered the bank.

  “Oh, not anymore, Jennifer!  You’re a national heroine, what with defeating Pettigrew and all…” Ron said, but was cut off by a frowning gaze by Jennifer.  “Really, it’s not like it used to be.  Besides, the paper is too busy criticizing the Ministry’s handling of the Death Eater investigations to pick on anyone else.  In fact, I have to go there after my break to see what’s going on over there today.”

  “Just don’t let them use you,” Hermione said.

  “Hermione, in this game, it’s all about getting used,” Ron chuckled.  “But that’s all right, the more I do, the less dispensable they’ll find me.” Jennifer was handed a letter by the Goblin.  It was a court order Jennifer knew, and as she read it, she felt her temperature start to rise.  Her knuckles turned white as she read it again in disbelief.  “What’s wrong, Jennifer?”

  “It appears that our dearest of friends Lucius Malfoy has put a lien on the Craw vault for debts my father owes him and it is ‘sealed pending further litigation, ‘” she read.  “’Since the vault contains items from the estate holdings which should have defaulted to debts, it is summarily being assessed as property of Thomas Craw and therefore liable to imbursements of those debts until such time the court matter is settled and debt paid.’”  Jennifer growled, causing some of the other patrons to edge away from her slightly, not knowing what was bothering the famous professor but not really wanting to find out the hard way.  “Just get me in my personal vault!  I’ll take this to Vallid myself,” Jennifer snapped at the Goblin, putting her key down.

  “Boy, he didn’t waste any time, did he?  He’s only been out of jail a few days and already making waves,” Ron said, making a note in his notebook.

  “Well, if he thinks I’m going to let him get away with this, he’s dead wrong,” Jennifer said with determination.  “You know I really never cared about the money, but I’ll be damned if I see a Malfoy get a hold of it, let alone all those cursed heirlooms.”

  “Cursed heirlooms?”  Hermione echoed, growing pale.

  “Dozens of them, going back generations, and many of them extremely dangerous outside of Craw hands,” Jennifer said, growing more and more worried.  “We just can’t let him win this.  Wait until Severus hears about it, he’s going to flip.”

  “Remind me not to be around when that happens,” Hermione chuckled.

  It was after Jennifer had picked out her books and headed over to the counter that she realized how suspicious it looked for her to be buying The Expecting Witch’s Guide and The Mother-to-Be Book of Herbs and Potions and nothing else, and suddenly found herself shoving them at Hermione.

  “Here, you buy them, I’ll give you the money.”

  “Oh, no, you buy them, they’re yours.  You’ve nothing to be ashamed of, just go do it,” Hermione said, shoving them back.

  “Hermione, please, have some heart, if I buy those it’ll be all over the entire country in no time.  Nobody would blink at you buying any sort of book,” Jennifer insisted.

  “What are you two going on about?”  Ron asked, walking up to them wondering what was taking so long.  Suddenly he found a couple of books and a Galleon in his hand.

  “Go buy those for Jennifer, please?”  Hermione asked.  Ron read the titles and his eyes widened.

  “I’m not buying these!”  Ron said with surprise, and Jennifer and Hermione tried to shush him to keep his voice down.  He shoved them back at Jennifer, but she wouldn’t take them.

  “Come on, Ron, please, just tell them they’re for a friend if they ask, just go do it,” Jennifer hissed.

  “But they’ll think it’s for me!  I mean her!” Ron said, shaking his head.  “You do it.”  Suddenly the books disappeared out of his hand and Ron blinked.

  “Oh, come, on, Ron, there was no need for you to do that, just go get them and buy them for Jennifer so we can get out of here,” Hermione said.

  “I didn’t make them disappear!  But it doesn’t matter, because I’m not buying them.”  Ron said stubbornly.  Suddenly they heard someone clear his throat.  They turned to see Albus Dumbledore standing there, looking at them from above the rim of his glasses.

  Jennifer turned a bright red as she quietly accepted the parcel from his hand, muttering a quiet thank you.  A slight smile crept on Dumbledore’s face and a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes.

  “Hello Jennifer, using your lunch to runs errands I see.  Just as well we bumped into each other.  I had a little chat with Vallid this morning and she’s coming by the school later.  Would you do the honors of escorting her up?”  Dumbledore asked.

  “Gladly, Sir, in fact I need to talk to her myself,” Jennifer said, showing him the lien.  He nodded thoughtfully, but it was apparent from his face that he had already learned of this.

  “Don’t worry, Jennifer, I’m sure it’ll all work out.  Ron, you might want to ask about it when you get to the Ministry, perhaps you might uncover some newsworthy things on the subject,” Dumbledore added with a smile.  “Well, I had better go find the tome I was looking for.  I will see you later,” he said, walking to the back of the store

  “Well if that’s not sanction for an article I don’t know what is,” Ron grinned slightly.  “I am sure that the public will be very interested to know the kind of stuff Malfoy’s already starting to pull.”

  “That doesn’t sound very unbiased,” Hermione commented as they left the shop.

  “Don’t worry, Hermione, it’ll be unbiased…but I doubt anybody will be fooled one bit as to what Malfoy is really after,” Ron said.

 

  In between her last two classes, Jennifer met Lunette Vallid at the gate and began to ramble at her, while Vallid calmly smiled and put an arm on her shoulder as the two of them headed inside.

  “There’s no need to panic, Jennifer, I was expecting something like this.  In fact, I got wind of it when I first arrived back here last week…his team was looking up financial records and even got investigations looking up Craw’s old business deals. 

  Fortunately, we do have some say so as to how this is being handled, and I’ve requested a particular bank official to be the one to audit the vault who knows something about the value of heirlooms…have you ever met Arthur’s son Bill?”  Jennifer shook her head.  “Well, with him doing the appraising I know that part of it will be honest.  I also had a protective order placed so that you won’t be held responsible for anything you took out of the vault after it was given to you, so the lien is as the vault is now, he won’t be able to try to retroact it to a certain time.  I didn’t have any trouble getting the bank to agree to that,” Vallid chuckled, “Time is money, and combing records back to a specific date would take time, you’ve seen Goblin records.”

  “I’m glad we took out so many items last year then,” Jennifer said.  She shuddered to think what would have happened had Malfoy gotten hold of Mallus Craw’s painting before it was destroyed.

  “They’re all here in the castle now, right?”  Vallid asked.

  “Yes, Dumbledore is taking care of most of them,” Jennifer nodded.

  “Good.  Now, I’ve arranged to meet with Bill after the audit is done, probably on Sunday.  I’ll drop you a note when I have a time so you can join me,” Vallid said, pausing in front of the gargoyle.  Jennifer spoke the password and opened it for her.

  “Thanks, Vallid, I don’t know how I’d get through this without you,” Jennifer said sincerely.  The counselor paused and smiled at her.

   “Good thing you don’t have to then, isn’t it?”  She winked then before ascending the spiral staircase.

  Jennifer smiled softly to herself and turned towards the back stairway, glancing at her watch to check the time.  As she reached the stairwell, she heard someone call her name from above. Cringing slightly she forced a smile and waved at Sibyl Trelawney.

  “Sorry, can’t wait and chat, I have a double starting in two minutes,” Jennifer said, continuing down the stairs.  But Sibyl could be spry when she wanted to be, and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to her.

  “So, someone is trying to steal your fortune just as I and the cards predicted, I hear,” Sibyl prompted.

  “It wasn’t that unexpected.  We knew Malfoy would try something when he got out,” Jennifer said testily.

  “And you’re pregnant, too, now we know why the Empress was smiling on you,” Sibyl said with satisfaction.  Jennifer stopped.

  “Sibyl!  That was completely planned!  It’s not exactly difficult to predict something when it’s something intentional!”

  “Well, I wasn’t informed, but it came true anyhow,” she pointed out. 

  “Sibyl, each one of those cards have multiple meanings, you know that.  If I was cursed to turn purple I’m sure you would find a way to see that in the cards,” Jennifer said point blank, heading back down the stairs.  Sibyl thought about that, following behind her.

  “No, no I don’t think I remember seeing that,” Sibyl said.  “But considering everything else, don’t you think you should be keeping an eye on you-know-who maybe meeting who-knows-who?”

  “Sibyl, I swear if you don’t leave me alone -“ The bell went off and Jennifer mutterred.  “Now I’m late!  And there’s a class full of Snake-year Slytherins in there!”  She said, clambering down the stairs.

  “Don’t worry, dear, nothing will explode until near the end of class!”  Sibyl shouted down to her.

  Her third year Slytherin-Hufflepuff class was by far Jennifer’s favorite.  It had been Corey who in a random comment named the third year’s the Snake-year class because of the fact that it was the year the Slytherins outnumbered the other houses two-to-one, and somehow the reference stuck to where even the Professors had picked up the term.  It had been a problematic group ever since they had come to the school, and the Slytherin students dominated every class and competition in their year.  Fortunately for them they were all in their seats when Jennifer got there, and she had Julie Brim collect the homework before making them get out their kits.  This surprised them somewhat…Jennifer normally had them do labs at the end of the class.  But Jennifer was not in the mood to take any chances, superstition or no.  Afterwards Jennifer headed to Severus office to find him marking tests, waving her in absently when she stuck her head in the door.

  “You’re not going to dinner?”  Jennifer asked.

  “I’ve air patrol tonight,” Severus said, “So I thought we might have dinner here.  I think I’ll take Ruby, if you don’t mind.  She probably needs the exercise.”

  “Why don’t I go along, then we can take them both out?”  Jennifer asked, getting out a tray from its spot on the shelf and setting it on the side table.

  “No, not anymore.  It’s too risky for you to be riding a Pegasus right now,” Severus said sternly.

  “What?  Oh, come on, Severus, it’s perfectly safe…”

  “And what if she’s startled and you fall?”

  “I’ll just wear my barrette.”

  “And what if you both crash into something?”

  “Severus!  Pegasi don’t ‘crash’.”  Jennifer scowled.  But Severus met her scowl evenly.

  “No.  I want your feet firmly on the ground,” he said, working to finish the paper in front of him.   Jennifer folded her arms and turned to the wall, looking annoyed and miserable.  “You can come with me on Forest patrols if you like.”

  “You sure I won’t trip over a branch or something?” Jennifer muttered.  Severus smirked slightly.

  “Oh come now, no one’s shackling you in the dungeon.  It isn’t going to kill you to take it easy, the restrictions aren’t all that bad.”

  “That’s what you think.  The potions I’m allowed can fit on one piece of paper… I can’t even take Sleeping Potion.  No Apparating, no broom riding, some of my spells have started to fizzle, and I have to wear rubber gloves and a fume mask every bloody time I demonstrate a potion.  You know how hard it is to teach a class when you have to wear a fume mask?  I have an idea, let’s take turns.  Next year, you can be the one to get pregnant.” Jennifer grumbled.

  “Yes, I’m sure there would be a lot of people who would find that amusing.  And as for your complaints, if you have something you don’t want to risk handling just ask someone to assist, it isn’t as if there’s not at least one or two professors in conference when you’re in class. You never liked brooms, and why would you be taking a Sleeping Potion, anyhow?”  Severus said, looking up and frowning at her.  Jennifer looked uncomfortable.  “You’ve been having nightmares again, haven’t you?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you,” Jennifer said quietly.  “It’s been worse ever since what happened to my father, I keep seeing myself being placed in that crypt, or in his cell…every day of his life he has to live in my worst nightmare, how am I supposed to deal with that?”  Severus’ expression softened.

  “Actually, I think Thomas is doing rather well under the circumstances.  He’s aged a bit, perhaps, but he’s as strong and opinionated as ever…he’s sane, which I often questioned when he was out, and he’s learned to deal with his situation with a dignity and spirit few but a Craw could have,” Severus said.  “You needn’t worry about your father.  He has plenty of people looking after him.  Now more than ever.”  He got up and picked up the tray, now steaming with food, bringing it back over to the desk.  “Now eat, and don’t pick at it.  If you had tasted the rubbish I had to tolerate in the States you wouldn’t be so picky.  There aren’t House Elves over there, and nearly everything comes in a box and either tastes like the cardboard it came in or is so spicy it’s unpalatable.”  Jennifer couldn’t help but grin at him.

  “Yes, the House Elf thing over there is a pain.  There are Brownies, but they’re practically useless,” Jennifer said, picking at her dinner distractedly.  “So, you didn’t like it over there at all?”

  “Hardly,” he said.  “Eat.”  Jennifer nibbled on a roll for a moment before building up enough courage to speak again.

  “So, did you meet anyone interesting while you were over there?”  Jennifer asked, studying his face carefully.  Severus stopped long enough to give her a blank look.  “You know, interesting people.”

  “I didn’t exactly have the time or the inclination to socialize while I was over there.  In fact besides Audi and Anna the only other person I met was an odd wizard who ran a bookshop and wore fake satin.”  Jennifer smiled softly at that.  “Why do you ask?”

  “What?  Oh, just curious,” Jennifer said, poking at her chicken again.  By now Severus had stopped eating and was drumming his fingers on the desk, knowing something was going on but not knowing quite what, glancing at his Dragonheart ring.

  “Would you care to explain to me what you’re so worried about?”  He asked, trying not to sound testy.

  “It’s nothing, really, it’s just, well…if you did meet someone, you would tell me, right?”  Jennifer asked.  Severus stared at her in pure disbelief of where this was going.

  “You don’t trust me!” He accused her.

  “Oh, Severus, of course I trust you it’s just…I just want to know if you do lose interest in me, that’s all,” Jennifer said.  Severus shoved the tray aside and took her hand, shaking his head in both annoyance and bewilderment.

  “Jennifer, might I remind you I woke you from a Cosmic Sleep?  We haven’t even been married a year, you are carrying my child, and you’re not only brilliant, you’re stunningly beautiful.  How could I possibly lose interest?” He asked with exasperation.

  “What about the night you got back when…well…you know,” Jennifer blushed slightly, looking down.  Severus scowled at her.

  “You’re just not going to let that go, are you?  I was exhausted, I spent five days in a place where the sun was eight blasted hours late and I had to look after a three-day potion.  But believe me, falling asleep was the last thing on my mind,” he assured her, pulling her chin up and gazing at her intently.  “And all I could think of during the entire time I was gone was how desperately I wanted to be back here with you.”  Jennifer found herself drawn into a passionate kiss, her fears melting instantly at its intensity.  Jennifer relaxed in his embrace, suddenly wishing he didn’t have patrol that night…and not because of any predictions anyone read in any cards.

 

Chapter Fifteen

The Other Table

 

  Danny Nelson ate a hearty breakfast, trying to get geared up for the game ahead.  She had quickly gotten in the habit of eating with the team. Even though she wasn’t particularly fond of the team captain, Amadeus Longbottom, she got along fairly well with the rest of the team.  Casper Wyatt, at least, came from a similar background as hers…old money; with personal tutors up to the time they had entered school.  Amadeus was something else, though, and from a family that didn’t particularly care for him…it was evident in every thing he did, and from the whitening of the knuckles any time he received any post.  Still, he was a passable student, and a very brutal Beater; not afraid to swing the bat at any show of weakness from the other team.  Just the sort that would get the job done and the game won, Danny thought, which probably explained why he had been voted captain by the other players.

  “They don’t have a chance this year really, but I still don’t think we should take any chances,” Amadeus was saying, stuffing his face.  “What I want to see is a nice long game and a humiliating defeat.  I want them to realize just how impossible it’s going to be for them to catch up on points this year.  Potter’s gone now and it’s time for us to break that stupid winning streak of theirs.  I think it’s time we try the blockade we’ve been practicing.  Considering that old Firebolt Weasley’s on, she shouldn’t have much luck maneuvering around it.”

  “It might not be as easy as you think,” Danny said calmly, looking over at the others.  “From what I understand, Weasley’s going to be on a Skymaster today.  You may be better off sticking with the normal line of attack.”

  “There goes Miss Expert-at-Everything Nelson again.  You just do your job and get that Snitch.”

  “I will, provided you do your job, Captain.  If I get knocked down while you have Casper playing chase the Seeker, I will hold you personally responsible, Longbottom.”

  “Oh please, Nelson, just who do you think you are?  You’re nothing around here, and if you want to get anywhere in this school you had better learn which ass you should kiss.”

  “Oh please, Longbottom,” Danny said in the same mocking tone that he had used, “considering your entire family capital is less than my monthly allowance, I suggest you rethink who it is you are kissing up to.  If this team wants to win, it had better start catering to the one person who can get the points to make it happen,” she said, getting up.  “See you on the field Wyatt, Baylor, Starlings…scumbag.”  She smiled sweetly, and then hurried to catch up with Brittle who had just left the Ravenclaw table.

  “Taylor!  Wait up!”  Danny said, and Taylor paused, letting her catch up.  “Where’s the other two?”

  “Still eating.  But Corey wants to talk to you about the Study time,” Taylor said.  Danny knew he was talking about the Forest sparring matches.  “The group thing we did at Sagittari’s might be every week so we need to find another time.”

  “Hrm.  Sunday nights?”

  “I got a double Monday mornings.”

  “Tuesday?”

  “They’ve got an early class.”

  “Friday then!  It’ll have to be!”  Danny said.

  “There’s only one problem with that though,” Taylor said.  “Snape’s on Forest patrols on Fridays.”

  “Well, not all night.  We’ll just find out when he goes in, then go out after that,” Danny suggested.  Taylor gave her one of those looks that told her he didn’t think it was a good idea.  “So, you’re going to the game right?”

  “Of course, you know how Corey is…he keeps hoping for overtime.”

  “Guess that means you’re rooting for Gryffindors, eh?”  Danny inquired.  Taylor looked uncomfortable.

  “You’ve got to understand, Danny, we had all sorts of problems with some Slytherin students last year, especially Longbottom.  In fact, you’re the only one I’ve really known, outside the ones that were always bullying Corey around.”

  “Bullying Corey around?” She inquired.

  “Long story, really,” Taylor said.  “I’ll root for you next game though, if you want…just don’t tell Doug.  His sister is the Hufflepuff Seeker.”  Danny grinned at him.

  “Danny!  Taylor!”  The two of them looked around to see Corey and Doug running up.

   “Hey, Corey, did the Slytherin students really bully you around last year?”  Danny asked.  Brittle suddenly realized he might have worded that a bit more diplomatically.

  “Stars, no!  Nobody bullies me around.  I might have had a spat with Malfoy and his cronies now and then, but I always managed to come out on top,” Corey said indignantly.

  “What about the pig incident?”  Doug reminded him.

  “Pig incident?”  Danny asked.  The three of them then went into an account of when Corey had arranged to meet Draco to talk his way into a ‘truce’ and ended up being fed a Fibberous potion.  But as the tale went on, a dark look grew in Corey’s face that Danny had never seen before.

  “You know, except for getting kicked out of sparring for the year, I never did get punished for that,” he said softly.  “That’s when everyone got called in the school, because there’d been more attacks…I didn’t find out until the next day that my Mum and Dad and brother had been killed during the first wave on Christmas Eve.”  Taylor and Doug also grew quiet, while Danny, who had never heard of what had happened before grew thoughtful.  It did explain how distant Corey was at times.  Even among friends he seemed to be apart from everyone else somehow.

  “You all right, Corey?”  Doug asked after a moment.  “At least, you have so much going for you now…popular, first and second in your classes, and super adopted parents.”

  “Oh sure,” Corey said with a weak smile looking at Doug.  “I’m pretty happy all around really, doesn’t mean it still don’t hurt, though.  Come on, let’s head to the Pitch.”

  “So Danny, what do you think our chances are of having a real long game today?”  Doug grinned with a wink.  “Would be nice to get out on the Pitch once this season.”

  “Oh, no, I’m not going to play a long game just to give you guys a break on the field, you had your chance at tryouts, same as anyone.  I take my Quidditch very seriously,” Danny said.

  “You take everything very seriously!  Even our Study time,” Corey protested.  “Don’t you ever just want to hang loose and relax a bit?  Let your guard down and have some fun?”

  “I have a lot more fun when I’m winning,” Danny grinned.

  “I’d have more fun if I were playing,” Corey complained.  “Too bad something didn’t happen and one of the Beaters didn’t drop out.”

  “Watch out, there, Corey, don’t hex your own team with bad vibes,” Taylor teased him.  “You’ll get your chance next year.”

  “Hey look Corey, there’s Harry over there talking to Ginny, let’s go say hi,” Doug suggested.

  “Harry Potter?” Danny asked with surprise.

  “Sure, he’s a friend of mine,” Corey said boastingly.  “Come on, Danny.”  The four of them walked over and Ginny looked up and waved, followed by Harry, who smiled at them.  Danny tried not to stare, but it was hard to do, knowing that she was in the presence of one of the most famous wizards in the world.  And so young!  Not that bad looking either… “Hi Harry, hi Ginny.  Harry, this is the new Slytherin seeker, Danny Nelson, she’s a good friend of ours.”

  “Ah, yes, Ginny’s been telling me about you.  She says you’re really good,” he smiled at Danny, shaking her hand.  “Should be a good game today.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Danny said.  “I’m all up for a bit of a challenge for a change,” she added, and politely shook Ginny’s hand as well.

  “Good luck,” Ginny told her with a smile.  Well she may not have money, Danny thought, but she really wasn’t the bad sort at all.

  “To you as well, it’ll be an honor beating you,” Danny grinned.  “I’d better be getting over to the others.  See you later,” she said, and headed across to the Slytherin gate.

  “Confident, isn’t she?” Harry chuckled.  “How did you three end up friends with a Slytherin?”

  “Met her over the summer.  She wasn’t Sorted then,” Corey shrugged.  “She’s a bit bossy, but she’s all right, really.”

  “Yeah, and she has the coolest eyes, doesn’t she?”  Doug put in.  Corey and Taylor rolled their eyes.  There didn’t seem to be a girl Doug didn’t think was interesting in some way.

 

  Danny took her place with the rest of the team, her Nimbus 2005 in hand, exchanging good lucks with Lisa, Liam, Casper, Roger and Janders while purposefully ignoring the captain.  Amadeus didn’t appear to notice…he wasn’t wishing anyone anything as he mounted his broom and waited for the gates to open.  A stream of light came as they did and the team headed over the pitch.  Danny did a full triple twist maneuver as she passed the Slytherin box as a way to wave to her father, receiving an appreciative applause from those within.  She had worked hard to learn those tricky stunts, why not show off a little?  Diving towards the median she took her position, passing Ginny on the way and watching as everyone else moved to take theirs.

  Madame Hooch released the balls, and Danny tried to follow the Snitch’s movements as it sped out of range trying to get a feel for its direction.  The Quaffle was then thrown and chaos ensued, followed by one of the Gryffindor Chasers coming out with the ball and heading towards Janders.  That was when the Bludgers came back within range and Amadeus rose up to meet one, launching it over at their key chaser.  The game was aflight!   Danny’s keen eyes scanned not only for the Snitch but also concentrated on the teams themselves, trying to spot out inherent weaknesses and strengths.  The Gryffindors strongest players appeared to be the seventh years…Malor and Creevy, the Beaters, and Ginny, as the Seeker.  The Slytherin’s definitely had better balance and had only added third year Janders and Danny herself. Their weakness, if any, was the Keeper.  As Corey had warned, Ginny was on a better broom this game, one of equal quality to Danny’s own, perhaps even a bit faster although not made for as tight of maneuvers as Danny’s was.  Danny ducked an incoming Bludger and smoothly moved out of the way as Casper came barreling past to get it.  Danny then moved to get closer to Casper after he smacked the Bludger after the Chasers with Ginny watching her movements warily while still keeping an eye out for the Snitch.

  “If you’re going to do this plan of Longbottom’s, I suggest you try and take out their Beaters first,” Danny told him.  “Otherwise you are going to be sitting ducks for an attack, let alone me,” she said circling around and taking a higher position.  Casper nodded to her as he moved back up tracking another Bludger, and Danny noticed that Longbottom had an eye on their tête-à-tête and barked something at Casper as they soared near the goal.  Amadeus had better not mess this up, she muttered to herself.

  “Another score for Gryffindor as Janders Fox dodges another Bludger onslaught leaving the top ring open, and now the score is 20-0!  Baylor now has the Quaffle and is coming up fast…” Taylor’s voice rang out just as Roger passed Danny on his way to the goal.  The twins, escorting him on either side suddenly split up to cover the lower and upper rings, and as Roger passed it to the lower, the Keeper moved down towards it, but at the last moment Lisa passed it to her brother, who threw it into the top ring.  Danny was nodding appreciatively at the play when she saw something at the corner of her eye.  Maneuvering her broom slightly to look as if she were just moving out of the way of the Chasers, she suddenly kicked into high, dipping just below the oncoming chasers as they moved up field.  Where did the damn thing go, she saw it just a minute…getting eye contact with the ball again she was suddenly aware of Ginny closing in just above her.  Veering upwards into a spiral she cut across the other girl’s path, making Ginny slow down slightly to keep from hitting her.  Danny reversed then and sped downwards across the path again, straightening just as a Bludger came and nearly took off her head.  She growled to herself but leaned forward to follow the Snitch’s unpredictable pathing just as Roger and Casper showed up and dove in front of Ginny.   Frustrated at being slowed down again, Ginny climbed up above them, but by that time the Gryffindor’s two Beaters had been alerted to what was going on, and both Bludgers were smacked back over at Danny.  Just as she reached her hand to grab the Snitch, one of the Bludgers smacked into her arm causing her to wince back in pain as she heard an unpleasant bone-splitting noise just above the elbow.  Furious at being hit she snapped at Casper and he broke the blockade to meet the Bludger, and following her orders smacked the ball hard into Creevy who had just moved to get to the other ball.  He had turned to face the other way, and the ball hit the back of his shoulder blade with such a crushing blow Creevy lost his grip and fell off his broom, falling down towards the Pitch below.  Ginny, who had pulled up short when he had gotten hit, had lost sight of the Snitch, which had come around 180 again and right towards Danny’s clutches.  As she glanced quickly at the scoreboard, Danny made a grab with her good arm, twisting the broom around to make the catch.  The crowds around her breaking into a roaring frenzy as she guided the broom around with her injured arm, the game ending 190-30. 

  As the team alighted behind the gate, Danny knew Longbottom was far from happy, but at this point didn’t really care as she joined the rest of her teammates and congratulated Casper on a job well done.  Professor Snape was one of the first to arrive to congratulate them, and although it was apparent he noticed the tension between the two seemed to dismiss it, suggesting that Danny go to the ward to have her arm looked at.  In fact, although Danny had not said a word, it had already visibly started to swell, and Lisa Starling offered to walk her up.  The third year student, a pallid light blonde haired girl and Liam’s twin sister, was quick to get Danny away from the crowd and down the hallway.

  “Don’t tell me, Amadeus is mad at you undermining his authority again,” Lisa said the moment they were alone.  “What did you do?  Liam and I had the Quaffle the entire time during that last jaunt.  Well, almost the entire time, anyway.”

  “Amadeus missed one of the Bludgers like an idiot so I told Casper to guard.  He’s just ticked because Casper listens to me and not him.  Look, Lisa, I’m not in this to get my arm busted every time Longbottom wants to try a new technique.  Captain or no captain, I’m not going to let him ruin our chances this year with the cup.”

  “All right, but don’t expect Liam and me involved in this one.  Longbottom’s got some pretty powerful friends, and not just in the school either,” Lisa said.  Danny snorted.

  “Afraid, I’m sure,” she said as they went into the ward.

  Madam Pomfrey was busy with the whimpering Colin when they came in, so Danny sat quietly and waited.  Ginny, back in normal robes had arrived to assist and came over to check on Danny.

  “It’s going to be a minute, Creevy took quite a bad fall.  Can I see your arm?  It’s okay I got a first aid license,” she said, “I just need to see how bad it is.”

  “Be my guest,” Danny shrugged, rolling up her arm.  It was very swollen and purple and was definitely a nasty break, obvious from the contour of her arm.  Inhaling sharply she looked at her with new concern.

  “Good grief, aren’t you in pain?”

  “Yes,” Danny admitted.  In fact, it was excruciatingly painful, but she certainly wasn’t going to start screaming about it.  Creevy was doing enough wailing for the both of them.  Ginny, convinced she must be in shock, quickly got her settled in bed.  That was when Professor Craw came through with a steaming goblet for Creevy.  A moment later the nurse was over at her side and blinking at the arm.

  “Good heavens, doesn’t that hurt?”

  “Yes…no, not really,” Danny said, changing her mind as she glanced up at the door.  Her father had just entered, accompanied by Professor Snape.  Byron Nelson was a tall, burly, imposing man in a Muggle-style suit…a partner in a large Muggle banking company.  He had dark hair and a finely trimmed beard that had always reminded Danny of a picture of a king she had once seen on a cigar box.  Professor Craw had paused thoughtfully and looked between them from where she stood at the foot of Creevy’s bed.

  “Good game, Nelson, a fine win, although I am not sure I care much for your Beaters,” her father said.  “Need to work on that.”

  “Oh, I am, Sir,” Danny assured him.

  “And you’re still top in your schoolwork?”

  “Most of them, Sir,” Danny admitted slowly.  “I’ll work on that too,” she said quickly.  She was suddenly aware of Madam Pomfrey hovering over her with a phial.  Professor Craw suggested perhaps they had best let Pomfrey tend Danny’s arm and reassured Byron in an almost stern tone, that his daughter would be all right.  “If that’s a pain killer, I don’t want it, thank you,” Danny said.  “Just reset it, please.”  Before Madam Pomfrey could argue, Craw grabbed the nurse’s arm and said something in her ear.

  “Very well, Miss Nelson.  I’ll need to put you to sleep for a bit to relieve the pressure,” she said.  Danny waved to her father who nodded to her before following Professor Snape out.  That was when she was handed the Sleeping Potion.

  “How’s Creevy?”  Danny asked after she finished it, handing it back to the nurse as she lay back down.

  “Not to worry, he’ll be quite alright,” Madam Pomfrey assured her as she drifted off to sleep.

 

  When she awoke the next day her arm, although very weak, was in working order and under some protest from Madam Pomfrey she insisted on going back to class.  After making several promises not to overextend the use of her arm over the next few days, Pomfrey finally let her go, and Danny stopped off in her dorm room to get her books before heading to class, falling back into her normal routine.  After her items class on Wednesday (they were starting on different enchantments for small boxes, something that Professor Craw was giving them some generous leeway with in deciding what sort to use,) Professor Craw suggested she might want to sit out sparring class that night to give her arm more time to recover.  Slightly frustrated, she agreed.  Well, at least she would have her Friday night sparring with the boys. 

  Mealtimes had also gotten slightly uncomfortable, for Longbottom was still mad at her for what had happened at the game.  At least they had won, Danny thought irritably.  Danny thought he was definitely taking this power trip of his too seriously.  But she knew how to watch her backside.  Casper had taken to sitting beside her, accompanied by several fans that had been hovering near ever since that fateful game.  That Friday evening, Casper had quite a number of fans as well, because word came out that Creevy’s parents, alarmed by the severity of the broken collarbone, had pulled Creevy from playing deciding it was too risky.

  “It’s a good thing this happened during our game with them and not one of the others, if you ask me,” said Nora Dain, a first year student.  “Now that Corey Willowby’s been picked to be the new Beater, I’d think Snape would be at bit at odds on which team to support.”

  “Corey Willowby’s the new Beater?”  Danny asked.

  “Yes, Ginny Weasley told the newspaper staff this morning, so I guess it’s official.  They’re going to be in dire straits now starting a new player this late in the season though, and he’s only got a week before the next Gryffindor game too,” Nora said.

  “Oh, that is going to be a laugh, he doesn’t even own his own broom yet,” Amadeus sneered with amusement.  “I can see him out there on one of those old school brooms, pathetic.”

  “I’m sure they’ll get him a new broom,” Danny said, rolling her eyes.

  “They probably won’t have enough to get him a real broom now.  You heard about the Craw vault, didn’t you?  There’s a big property suit over it,” Amadeus said.

  “Amadeus, you really need to stop trying to profess knowledge on something you know nothing about.  Namely, money,” Danny said boredly.

  “That is it, I am sick of you insulting me all the time, Nelson!” Amadeus growled.

  “And exactly what do you plan to do about it?”  Danny asked, raising an eyebrow, unimpressed.

  “Good evening,” said someone coming up behind Danny.

  “Good evening, Professor.”

  “Hello, Professor Snape.”

  “Perhaps someone could explain why I am sensing an unusual amount of tension coming from this section of the table the last few days?”

  “Just some healthy inner team disputes, Professor, keeps us sharp in between games,” Danny replied evenly.  Snape’s eyes flicked down at her for a moment, then over at Amadeus, looking at his flashing eyes a long time until Amadeus looked down at the table.

  “Perhaps it would be better for you to find a solution to this dispute before it becomes unhealthy?  I know I for one would be quite disappointed for us to lose our leading edge this year.”

  “I’ll do my best sir,” Danny agreed.  Amadeus passed her a dirty look before looking back up to Snape.

  “I’m sure we can get things back under control sir,” Amadeus agreed.  Danny nodded back; not in an agreement, but as a challenge.  She had every intention of being the one to get control over this.  Snape nodded to them, his expression not giving any clues on whether or not he was content with that as he walked out of the room.

 

  With some relief and the need to unwind, Danny slipped into the Forest a half an hour past midnight with no lantern or light to betray her presence, walking parallel to the path but not on it.  At last she found their normal meeting spot, and within moments, the three boys joined her.

  “Hi guys!”

  “Hi, Danny.”

  “Good evening, Danny.”

  “Good to see you, who’s going first?”  Doug wanted to know.

  “Why don’t you go, Corey, maybe it’ll make you feel better,” Taylor suggested.  Danny squinted at the darkness at the other boy.

  “Why, what’s wrong Corey?” Danny asked.

  “I really don’t want to talk about it at the moment,” Corey said.  “Let’s just spar, huh?”

  “Wait a minute, my owl isn’t done checking the area yet,” Taylor protested.

  “Oh, come on, nobody’s found us yet, and we’ve been doing this over a month now,” Doug said.

  “Better safe than sorry.   Don’t turn on any lights until he gets back,” Taylor insisted.  He really didn’t want to get caught doing this.  Every week, he had gotten more and more paranoid that they were going to get caught.

   “Okay, we’ll wait.  Then how about you and I go first, Danny,” Corey suggested.  “Maybe they’re right, maybe it’ll help me clear my mind.”

  “I know the feeling,” Danny agreed.  “Sounds good to me.”  Just then Taylor’s owl Rigel came down, flapping its wings and making a fuss, winking one eye than the next.

  “There’s someone about!  Two someone’s I think,” Taylor hissed, “we’d better go.”

  “No, don’t be silly, they’re probably not anywhere near us,” Corey said.  “Hang here a bit, I’ll go check it out.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Danny said.  “They’re probably along the trail, come on,” she insisted then headed down on her belly into the brush.

  “Hang on!” Corey hissed and scrambled after her.  He quickly found, however after crawling a few paces that he was at a severe disadvantage.  He stared in surprise at the fox crouched beside him.  Bloody fantastic, Corey thought in annoyance, another thing she can do I can’t.    A blue light appeared coming from the path deeper into the Forest, coming closer towards the edge.  It was then that he saw the last two people he wanted to see at that moment…his parents.

  “I know it’s bothering him, it has been all week, but he left so quickly after dinner I couldn’t catch up.  You know how he is,” Jennifer said, walking with her arm in his.

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunity this weekend,” Severus said.

  “I wouldn’t count on that, I have to meet Vallid and Bill at the bank tomorrow, remember?  Just what we need right now…what’s wrong?” Jennifer asked pausing.

  “My chain is going nuts again,” Severus said, pulling out his wand.  Eyes widening, Corey suddenly cast the deafness spell on him and the fox, covered his eyes and grabbing her closed hers, trying to keep her from squirming.  Jennifer pulled out her wand as well, casting the Reveal Enemy spell.  Nothing appeared.  “Whatever it was it is gone now.”

  “Probably just a Centaur or something,” Jennifer suggested.

  “No, they would have shown themselves if they had seen me,” Severus said.  “It’s best we get back anyhow, Remus will be out soon.  And the Forest has been getting more dangerous by the day.  Perhaps it’s time we reconsidered postponing your joining me for patrols.”  In the darkness Corey risked a peek, but saw they were lingering and quickly shut them again.

  “No, don’t you dare try, I’ll come out here on my own if you do,” Jennifer said.

  “Jennifer…”

  “It’s bad enough you don’t want me riding Ruby anymore.  I can’t Apparate.  My magic is going haywire and my spells sometimes fizzle.  And I’m sick of being trapped in the castle all the time!  Next thing you know I’ll need half a dozen armed Aurors escorting me through chimneys before Christmas.”

  “Hmm, now there’s an idea.”

  “Severus!   I have to help my father, you can’t possibly expect me to stay here.  And I certainly am not going to stand by and let Malfoy get a hold of all of those cursed items,” Jennifer said.  Severus sighed and nodded.

  “Let’s go finish getting your cloak ready for tomorrow then, it’s getting late,” Severus said, walking further down the path.

  “Too late to catch up on homework?” Jennifer inquired slyly.

  “I did not say that,” Severus said almost defensively.  Corey risked another peek to see them finally moving away and let go of the fox, and released them from the deafness spell.  What in the world were they talking about for so long, he wondered with annoyance.  But a moment later he forgot about his parents as Danny took shape again and smacked him hard across the face.

  “What did you do that for?”  Corey whispered, rubbing it.

  “Why did you cover my eyes and mess up my hearing for?”  She hissed back.

  “So they wouldn’t find us,” Corey explained, crawling backwards.

  “Oh, that makes a lot of sense,” Danny said with irritation.  She should have bit his hand when she had the chance.  Doug and Taylor breathed a sigh of their relief at their return.

  “Boy are we glad to see you, we thought something might have happened!” Taylor said.

  “It almost did, Snape and Craw were out on patrol, I think they’re heading back now,” Corey said.

  “Are you going to explain to me why you did what you did?”  Danny asked.

  “Oh, Snape has a necklace that can tell if people are watching or listening.  If I hadn’t he wouldn’t have stopped looking until he found us.  By the way why didn’t you tell us you were an Animagus?”

  “Animagus, you’re an Animagus, Danny?”  Taylor said with surprise.  “And you never told us?”

  “A girl has to have some secrets,” Danny said with a grin.  “Come on Corey, time to dance,” she said, pulling out her wand.

Chapter Sixteen

The Vault Trap

 

  Lunette Vallid was not having a good month…scratch that…not a really good year.  Well, perhaps waking up at the end of May to find out Voldemort and Pettigrew were gone for good, that was nice, it was just that life ever since had been quite a headache.  It didn’t help that she already had a full schedule from juggling her magic and Muggle legal cases, for she had expertise and had (sometimes reluctantly) achieved quite a bit of fame with both.  But now, on top of that, two of the worst criminals she had ever put in jail were out; one on appeal, one on his own accord.  It was the one who had escaped, granted, that worried her the most…Lorcan, as he was calling himself these days.  He was without a doubt insane, and that the Muggle had made his way to Britain chilled her to the bone, for it was not other Muggles that he was after.  The other, Lucius Malfoy, was proving to be more of a nuisance at this point than a threat, although she knew too well that he would probably be the more dangerous of the two in the long run.  He was cold, calculating, and careful, and had the money and resources for long term plotting.  Right now, however, he was going to be playing it safe and keeping it legal…and there Vallid knew the Snitch was in her sights.

  She met Jennifer at the Leaky Cauldron; Jennifer coming out of the fireplace more or less with a smile on her face.  The two of them together were getting such a share of stares, whispers and greetings as they traveled through Diagon Alley.  Lunette Vallid, the most renowned Truth-Seeker in the world was back in Britain!  And involved once more, it seemed, with Jennifer Craw?  Speculation about what was going on was running rampant until they arrived at the bank, both sighing so loudly in relief that they grinned at each other in amusement.  But the moment Vallid noticed they were starting to draw stares in the lobby she strode towards Griphook’s desk, nodding to him as she approached.  Griphook lit up immediately and came out from behind the desk to greet them, gallantly (well, as gallantly as a Goblin could) ushering Jennifer into his office, Vallid following behind with a knowing chuckle, trying to get the Goblin’s attention.

  “Mr. Griphook,” Vallid started as he helped Jennifer into his best chair.  “Mr. Griphook, we are not here for a loan!”  The Goblin glanced between them looking suddenly disappointed.  “We’re here to see Mr. Bill Weasley, remember?  We had an appointment.”

  “Oh, yes.  He will be right with you, please wait here, oh, and here are some pamphlets for you to look at,” Griphook said, handing a stack of parchment over to Jennifer.  “Just in case you change your mind,” he grinned toothily as he walked out of his office.

  “Hey what’s the maximum on the Firstborn loans here these days anyhow?”  Vallid asked curiously looking over her shoulder.  Jennifer immediately handed the papers over to Vallid.

  “I am NOT interested in a Firstborn loan,” Jennifer said indignantly.  Vallid grinned at her, glancing over the paperwork.

  “Wow, the limits have definitely gone up.  You know, I started my first office on one of these,” Vallid admitted.  “Of course my husband wasn’t so crazy about it, but fortunately I had enough success to pay it off before my son’s fifth birthday,” she said, thinking back thoughtfully.  Jennifer looked at Vallid carefully, and it was returned with a slight smile.

  “Your husband was a Muggle?  I didn’t know that,” Jennifer said, feeling a tad awkward.

  “Frank was a good man,” Vallid said with a nod.  “A good lawyer too.  I think you would have liked him.  I’ll never forget him.  Well, not that I could; I see him every time I look at my children, and my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren,” Vallid chuckled softly.  Jennifer nodded and smiled gently, although she could tell the Vallid missed him very much.  The door opened, and a tall handsome redhead with long hair tied back in a tail and a deep tan entered, giving them a warm smile.

  “Hello again, Counselor Vallid,” he smiled.

  “Hello, Bill.  Jennifer Craw Snape, this is Mr. Bill Weasley,” Vallid introduced.  Jennifer got up and shook the man’s hand.

  “Mrs. Snape!  Pleasure to meet you at last.  I have been hearing some amazing things about you,” Bill said, shaking her hand warmly.  “And you’re as beautiful as everyone says you are too!”   Bill seemed to be much more impressed with the fact she married Snape rather than about her part in the Voldemort thing, and Jennifer quickly decided she really liked him, thanking him warmly and chuckling over the compliment.  “Counselor, I have those lists ready for you…the full vault listing here, and the estimated value listing based on Goblin appraisals.”

  “And by law you only have to provide the court the monetary value for a debt settlement, correct?” Vallid asked.

  “Correct, Counselor, whether or not we release the full item list is entirely up to the current owner, which in this case would be Mrs. Snape and her father,” Bill agreed.

  “Jennifer, I want you and your father to go over this inventory list of your vault.  I’m interested to see if we can find out just what exactly Malfoy is really after.”  Jennifer looked up at Vallid thoughtfully.

 “You think he’s in it for the items too?”  Jennifer asked.

 “He’s not in it for the money,” Vallid said, handing Jennifer the value list.  Jennifer sat back down.  It was a lot more than she had thought.  “For although that means quite a bit to you, it’s a drop in the bucket to corporation the size of Malfoy Enterprises.  Oh, no, I’m quite positive it’s the items he wants, perhaps even a specific item for all we know.  I’d have to see his face to be sure of that.”

  “Well, I don’t suppose you’ve considered the possibility of giving him what he wants?” Bill suggested with a smile.  Vallid looked at him for a long time and then grinned at him.

  “Bill Weasley, I like your way of thinking.  Let’s head to the Ministry and see your father, eh?  And while I’m there, I have a law or two to look up,” Vallid said cheerfully, as Jennifer looked at her curiously. 

 

   Jennifer had never made but a cursory inspection of the vault when she had been searching for the entrance to Salazar’s Tomb.  Now that she saw it on paper it was even more overwhelming than when she had first entered, for there were so many items, and ninety percent of them fell into the “cursed heirloom” category.  It wasn’t surprising, really, with the dark history that the Craws had, that they would have collected so many over the years.  And since so many of them would have been conditioned so that only a member of the Craw family could use them safely, why would Malfoy be interested in any of those?  Still, outside of the vault, Jennifer knew that many of them would be highly dangerous, especially in the wrong hands.  Hopefully her father would be able to remember enough of them that he might spot anything particularly dangerous that they may need to be wary of.

  Thomas Craw, as it turned out, was more concerned about Thurspire, wanting to know if anything more had been found out about the case.  He grew increasingly angry when he realized that even Jennifer seemed doubtful that it was Thurspire who had done it.  It wasn’t until Jennifer had gone over the entire conversation with Brown explaining the problem that he began to calm down.

  “I know what I saw.  Even if he wasn’t the only person involved in this, Jen-girl, Thurspire was involved,” he insisted, his eyes flashing dangerously. 

  “Thomas, Jennifer and I both know you saw what you saw,” Vallid assured him, “but it is my personal belief that Thurspire would not do something like that on his own free will, nor did he have motive to.  All right, so you forced his family into total financial ruin on Voldemort’s orders.  It’s quite clear from both of your faces that it happened, just as clear as Malfoy had tried to do the same to you, which is why you had Audi prepare this vault in the first place, if I’m not mistaken.  But I have a feeling that this entire little scheme to make you “disappear” for awhile was less about you, and more about Jennifer.  It was someone trying to lure her away from the school,” Vallid proposed.  Jennifer looked at her with surprise and concern.  “For what reason I have yet to guess yet.  But considering that whoever caused this event did you little true harm, nor even was willing to take you out of Azkaban, perhaps we should be looking for someone a bit more close to home.  For only someone who had free access to the prison such as a guard, investigator, or a prisoner themselves, would have been able to accomplish something like this without detection.”

  Jennifer and her father glanced at each other thoughtfully.  Both had considered guards a great possibility, but neither of them had thought of prisoners.  With Death Eaters being convicted every day, there was little doubt that many of Craw’s prison mates had much love for him.

  “Right now, I want you to look at the vault list, Thomas.  Arthur, his son Bill and I have an idea on how to get out of this mess, but I can’t risk it unless I know if any specific things in here would interest Malfoy,” Vallid said, handing Boltin the list, who handed it to Thomas.  Jennifer suddenly found that procedure a trifle annoying.  Oh, she understood why the magical force field was there, but after the incident in the crypt discovered how much she really disliked it.  She then noticed that Vallid was watching her thoughtfully, and Jennifer quickly turned her focus back to her father, who was scanning down the list, muttering to himself as he went.  Suddenly he frowned deeply, a frown that was mirrored in Vallid’s face as she nodded to herself in sudden confirmation.

  “There’s a chest missing that should be here.  It is one of the few things we put in here of your mother’s to safeguard it.  In fact, I myself put it in there that night…” Thomas looked up at Jennifer with an even more serious face than usual, “the night I killed your grandparents, Jen-girl.”  Jennifer reached out and met the magic field, then put her hand down.

  “I know.  At least, I had guessed,” Jennifer said softly.  “The Purge; the cleansing initiation.  Purify imperfections in the family.”

 “I was a Craw, a dark wizard…they disowned her, you know, the moment they heard we were married.  A Craw in the family, as if it were the supreme insult.  At least Craws didn’t thin the blood.  At any rate, they had held back her own birthright because of it, an ornate chest that had passed through the Ravenclaw line, and I knew had I not taken it before the initiation it would fall into Voldemort’s hands.  But the deaths themselves…they had done nothing to deserve it except defy the one man I strove from that point on to defy myself.  It’s something that I have regretted every day since.  Nor have I forgotten the look on Alice’s face when I had returned that night.”  Thomas said, his face turning dark and brooding.

  “Thomas, Alice had the chest shipped to her house in Paris when she and Jennifer moved there,” Vallid said quietly, bringing him and Jennifer back to the present.  “From the reports it sounds as if it went missing the same time as she had.  Do you know what was in it?”

  “No, Alice never spoke of anything but the chest itself.  I only knew it was supposed to go to her upon marriage and her mother denied it because of me,” Thomas said.  “But if it was missing then, Malfoy probably already has it, and whatever treasures lie inside it.”

  “Not necessarily…considering that we all know Malfoy would never have gotten his hands dirty if he could help it, whoever he hired to do the job might have taken it instead,” Vallid mused, taking out a law book.

 

  Jennifer couldn’t help but notice the surprised look on Lucius Malfoy’s face to see Head Magistrate Archimedes Muse as the acting judge in such a routine hearing.  The look was also reflected on the faces of the two counselors he had brought, Jeffers and Blake, who were also not pleased (although not really surprised) to see that Counselor Vallid was working for the defense.  It was also slightly unnerving that Boltin, Dumbledore, Bill and Ron Weasley, Minister Weasley and Minister Peasegood were sitting behind the three at the table, while only a bored looking Goblin accountant and an unhappy looking Ederick Thurspire sat behind theirs.

  “Let’s see, what do we have here,” Magistrate Muse said casually as he sat down.  “Malfoy vs. Craw…that sounds familiar,” he said musingly as he looked over the records then up at the two litigates.   “This case is to determine the ownership of a rather sizable estates vault of the incarcerated Thomas Craw esquire, whom the plaintiff claims to have breeched a contract of business partnership which led to a sizable loss, and therefore entitles you to compensation, correct?”

  “That’s correct, Magistrate,” Blake nodded.  “Although the valued amount of the vault does come to less than the debt, my client is willing to settle for the attainment of the vault as full payment.”  Jennifer snorted softly to herself.  As if he could ever get more now that her father was in Azkaban.

  “Counselor Vallid, you are here then to contest the contract then?” The Magistrate asked.

  “No, Head Magistrate, actually we contest circumstances surrounding the contact itself.  First and foremost is the fact that at the time that this case was filed the vault in question had already been passed to a new owner…”

  “Your Wisdom, sir, before this line of argument goes any further, I would like to point out that the reason that this matter has not come to light in the past has been due to the deceptions surrounding Thomas Craw himself, first fleeing the country to escape his debtors.”  Severus quickly put a hand on Jennifer’s arm before she could jump up in protest, contenting herself to glare murderously at the lawyer.  “Then after he was discovered, faked his own death.  For the record, the matter of this debt was brought up to probate in the United States but was not known to any party at that time that Craw still had holdings in Britain.”

  “Sounds like somebody didn’t do their homework very well, did they?”  Vallid said.  Magistrate Muse gave her a stern frown.

  “Counselor, considering that Thomas Craw himself did confess to the premeditative arranging his own false death, as well as his efforts to remain ‘unfound’ for much of the time between the contract breech and now, I must agree with the Counselor Blake in this matter.  The vault will be considered, for the time being at least, as belonging to the former estate holdings of Thomas Craw.”  Muse answered.  Vallid nodded.

  “In that case, your Wisdom, our clients will choose to plead no contest.  However, since the vault contains not only coin but also cursed family heirlooms and property of sensitive nature, the family of the defendant does by law have a right to make a bid on those items.  Therefore, Jennifer Craw would like to bid for the valued amount.”   Blake excused himself to talk to his client a moment, while Vallid watched them calmly.

  “Very well, our client will counter-bid for 15,000 Galleons.”

  “Twenty-five thousand,” Vallid said evenly.  Blake blinked at her and Jennifer, before looking back at his client a moment.

  “Thirty five thousand,” he said.

  “Fifty thousand,” Vallid countered, starting to smile slightly.

  “Magistrate Muse, this is ridiculous!  My client and I have serious doubts as to how a secondary Professor who earns less than a thousand pounds a year could possibly come up with that sort of money legally.  We demand proof that she has this sort of capital before this continues,” Blake said.

  “Counselor Blake, considering the penalty for lying in court, and in such a court as this bids are held as a matter of record…”

  “It’s quite all right, Magistrate Muse, my client and I have no objections to proving her capital,” Vallid said amused.  She walked over to Jennifer with a reassuring smile, and Jennifer handed her the envelope, grinning nervously.  Vallid then returned it to the desk to the judge.

  “I have here a certified cheque from Gringotts bank for seventy thousand galleons,” Muse said thoughtfully.  “For a Firstborn loan, with an extended maximum credit line on the merits of a cosigning loan guarantor, Albus Dumbledore,” the Magistrate said, handing it over to the lawyer to look at.  Blake frowned at it for a moment then headed back over to Lucius, talking to him a moment before turning back around.

  “Seventy-five thousand!”  Blake said, looking a bit shaky on his feet.  The Goblin accountant was pulling out his hair, trying to get Lucius Malfoy’s attention, but Malfoy was too angry at that moment to be paying much attention.

  “Counselor Blake, I feel it is my duty to remind you and your client of something you might have overlooked…you have now bid over coin value of the vault…summarily, since any value over the owed debt goes to the indebted and he is incarcerated, that money would then go to his family, namely the same person you are bidding against,” the Magistrate said.  “You are in essence allowing her to keep the coin and take only the items for the payment of the debt.”

  “Yes sir, but as you know, by law any bidders must have the money up front prior to the final litigation.  So unless the defendant has further income to declare, I suggest we close the bidding.”  Blake said.

  “We have no further bids, your Wisdom,” Vallid said.

  “Very well then, I award the vault in question to Lucius Malfoy.  Case closed,” said the Magistrate, standing up.  Malfoy smiled in pure satisfaction for a moment as he stood and accepted the key, so at first didn’t notice Arthur Weasley, Arnie Peasegood, and several others from the Ministry as they walked up to him.

  “Lucius Malfoy, I am afraid I have to place you under arrest,” Arthur said cheerfully.  “I’m sure you know the drill by now, don’t you?  Your lawyers may accompany you if you like of course while we draw up charges.”

  “What are you talking about, Weasley?  Have you completely lost your mind?  What could you possibly be charging me with?”  Lucius demanded, his face getting red with anger.

  “Why, ninety-eight charges of possession of illegal cursed items, of course,” Arthur said with a smile.  “Since the cursed items in the vault are no longer in the hands of the Craws, they are no longer protected by the Heirloom Act.  And since you bought them, you are accountable for them coming into your possession.  Oh, and I’m afraid we’ll have to confiscate them, can’t have them getting back out into society you know.”

  “But that is entrapment!  You tricked my client into buying those items!  There was no way my client would have known they were illegal!”  Blake growled at Arthur, his eyes flashing at Vallid who had walked up on beside them, accompanied by Magistrate Muse.

  “I do recall specifically stating that some of the items in there were cursed Heirlooms, Blake, and ignorance of a law is no excuse.  It’s his fault for having a pair of lawyers not capable of informing him of it.  My client made a genuine offer to take them off his hands, it was his choice to counter-bid it, and no one forced him to do anything.  Now, if you’ll just pay my client, I’ll be on my way,” Vallid smiled angelically.

   “I am not paying her for something I can’t even have!”  Malfoy shouted.

  “Sir, you made the bid and offer in a court of law, you have no choice but to follow through or you may face contempt and probably a counter lawsuit,” Jeffers reminded him.

  “They can not charge me with something I did not pay for!”

  “Not true, Mr. Malfoy, the court awarded you the key, therefore it is in your possession prior to payment,” Magistrate Muse said.  “Although if I were you, I would reconsider refuting payment.  If you do not follow through I would see that as a plaintiff’s incompletion of a court order, and grounds to absolve the complaint in favor of the defense.”

  “Fine,” Lucius snarled, throwing the key across the table where Vallid snatched it up.  “Absolve it.  Jeffers, Blake, you’re sacked,” he snapped, walking up to Vallid.  “You haven’t heard the last of me, Vallid.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt of that.  I’m just getting started myself,” Vallid nodded, smiling challengingly.  “One thing is certain; you are not going to find what you’re looking for, Malfoy.  If I have to go to my grave to prevent it, I will.”  Lucius stared at her a moment then swiftly turned around, bumping into Arthur, who was still standing behind him.

  “Out of my way, Weasley!  The case is absolved that means I haven’t possession of anything!”  Lucius snapped.

  “Ah, yes.  Well, we can’t have everything, can we?” Arthur said, stepping out of the way.  Behind him stood Jennifer, Severus, and Dumbledore; Jennifer and Severus regarding Malfoy with unmasked hatred.  Without saying another word, he stormed out of the room.  Behind him a cheer arose, audible from down the corridor.

Chapter Seventeen

A Winter Chill

 

  As winter settled in and the end of November came, students began bringing their coats and mittens to Jennifer’s dungeon where the windows remained open regardless of the weather.  The warmth from the ever-present bubbling cauldrons kept the breezes in check -only barely- but Jennifer welcomed the brisk air.  She also tolerantly made use of the elbow length rubbery gloves and fume mask during her labs with the students as a precaution to the more poisonous substances, and arranged for Severus to come in for a one-day lesson on venom extraction for the first year classes.  Even with all of the annoying restrictions and uncomfortable mornings, Jennifer had never felt happier.

  The only troublesome part came when a couple days before her scheduled check up with Weathering when she began to notice her magic was beginning to dramatically waver.  It had been extremely evident in the last sparring class when she was helping demonstrate a new spell to the younger members of the class.  The Feeble spell she had been trying to cast suddenly let out just a flicker of light as it came out of wand before fizzling all together, and when she began inspecting her wand it went off, landing on herself.  Well, at least Severus was nice enough not to say anything (not that he had to, the look on his face spoke volumes) but after that, Jennifer began to be a bit more wary as to how her magic was operating.  All of the other witch instructors were delighted with the news, telling her not to worry about it.  It was often thought a good sign that the child would be strong with magic if spells wavered, although there really had never been any proof that this common witch’s symptom of pregnancy really had any real significance.  She did become increasingly glad that she was teaching Potions that year instead of Defense.  She’d hate to think what would happen if she had to use her wand in every class now.

   That Friday during her conference time she swept up the chimney to Weathering’s office, a rather drab, old-fashioned place with uncomfortable chairs and a wizened thin old nurse with rather largish glasses.  As she filled out a form, she couldn’t help but notice the small passage at the bottom:  This office specializes in the care and the delivery of children in full wizard families and reserves the right to refer any new client to a different office in the best interests of the child. 

  Best interests of the child indeed, Jennifer chuckled.  She knew he was conservative and traditional…so him being a purist to boot wasn’t so much of a surprise.  Before long however she found herself run through an almost assembly line routine of weight checking, tests, and exam before he brooded over the chart in front of her, frowning.

  “Well, the baby seems fine, for now, although you seem to have developed a chill…your temperature is slightly low, your blood pressure is up, and you’ve lost a bit of weight,” he said disapprovingly.  “Exactly what is it that you do in that school again?”

  “I’m the Potions master,” Jennifer said, slightly annoyed at the tone in his voice.  “But don’t worry, I’ve been taking the necessary precautions in the lab.”

  “And how many hours a week do you put in?”  He asked sternly.  Jennifer thought about it.

  “I have no idea.  Fifty perhaps.”

  “And I suppose you are under a lot of stress?”  He asked.

  “Only during checkups,” she retorted.  Weathering sighed at her in annoyance, and then scribbled something down.

  “I want you to rest this weekend until your temperature has improved.  If you develop a fever check in with your nurse and alert me if it goes over 102.  Otherwise you need to stay inside in a closed room.  I cannot give you a cold potion, so you are just going to have to wait it out.   I want to see your weight up and blood pressure down by next visit, if I don’t, I will recommend that you go on an extended leave of absence.”  Jennifer blinked at him.  “In fact, I think I’ll send a copy of these orders directly to your husband to make sure they’re followed out.”  Jennifer’s jaw dropped slightly at that. 

  “I am quite capable of taking care of myself, thank you, and I can tell him myself.  And I’m not going on any leaves of absence, I feel perfectly fine.  In fact, if I am stressed about anything it’d be about all of these blasted restrictions, who made up all of these rules anyhow, a man?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Have you ever tried following this five page list of rules yourself, Doctor?”

  “Of course not.  I’ve never been pregnant.  But-”

  “Exactly,” Jennifer said getting up.  “Why don’t you get back to me when you are, and see how you do trying to follow them.  Oh, and don’t forget to quit your job while you’re at it, having a life isn’t allowed either,” she added on her way out the door.

  Doctor Weathering frowned after her and shook his head, scribbling a few added comments before folding up the sheet and giving it to the nurse for the post.

 

  Jennifer came back irritable and grumpy, but fortunately her last class of the day had a test on antitoxins that took the entire session.  And when Severus showed up as class let out to suggest perhaps they should eat in one of the sitting rooms so she could rest she snapped at him so ferociously that he backed off in mere surprise.  Severus frowned in concern, hoping that she wasn’t going to be like this every time she had an appointment.

  Jennifer used her “rest” time that Saturday to get her midterm tests written and set up her reviews before the Christmas holiday.  Some of the papers she couldn’t find at first, but then realized that her earlier tests were still in her Puzzlebox and got it out of Severus’ chest to sort them all out.  Late into the morning there was a knock on the door, and she opened it to see Corey standing there…there was little doubt there was a lot on his mind.

  “No practice?”

  “Too cold.  I didn’t feel like playing anyhow.  In fact I…I’m thinking about quitting the team,” Corey admitted.  Jennifer looked at him thoughtfully. 
 “Come in to my oven, have some tea or cocoa.  Let me get these papers up and we can chat,” she smiled.  “Come to think of it, it’s been a while since we’ve really gotten together outside of class and Sagittari’s, hasn’t it?”

  “Oh, that’s all right.  Most people don’t see their parents for months I see mine every day,” Corey said.

 “Hey, you make that sound like a bad thing,” Jennifer scolded slightly; stacking the papers, tossing the safe in her cloak, and opening the windows before she finally sat down.  “So, why do you want to quit?  You faired pretty well your first game,” she said.  Well, at least, he never fell off his broom, which was better than she could have done.

  “Mom, I sucked eggs.”  Corey sighed.  “I was so afraid I was going to hurt somebody seriously I wasn’t following through on my swing.  Maybe I’m just not cut out to be a Beater.”

  “Corey, someone capable of smacking McGonagall’s broom at full speed in a twist maneuver is cut out to be a Beater,” Jennifer said, handing him a cut with a slight smile.  “It is a rough game, and people do end up getting hurt.  But we also have a Cracker Jack hospital wing, and Poppy hasn’t lost one yet,” she winked.  “Colin doesn’t seem too upset about not playing anymore, in fact his parents apparently had been wanting him to drop out so he could get his marks up.  Never know, he just might graduate because of this,” she chuckled softly.  “Corey, it’s not your fault that Colin got hurt, there’s no reason for you to feel guilty for making the team.”

  “But Mom, before the game I…I was thinking…”

  “How you wished something might happen so you could make the team?”  She inquired.

  “That obvious to you, huh?”

  “Corey, you have barely been thinking of anything else.  You even slipped to second in all of your classes but potions again.  I know what you’re thinking, but Corey, you didn’t cause anything bad to happen during that game,” she reassured him.  “He was hit by a well placed Bludger by the Slytherin team, and that is that.  Let me ask you this, Corey.  Did you ever want anything bad to happen to Colin specifically?”

  “No, no of course not.”

  “Were you wanting the Bludger to hit Colin when it did?”

  “Er, actually, I was watching Ginny,” Corey said, “I was so mad at those Slytherin’s to blockade her…”

  “Well, in that case, it seems to me that if you had been wishing anything at that moment without knowing it one of them would have gone down instead,” Jennifer said with a half smile.  Corey relaxed slightly and nodded.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.  I just…with what we’d talked about with Dad over the summer, I was afraid…”

  “I know,” Jennifer said understandingly.  Some of the things Severus had told her about his past during that talk had rattled her as well; it was little surprise that it bothered Corey.  “But I also know that you would never hurt anyone on purpose.” 

  Severus suddenly walked in with a book in hand, waving absently to them as he went over to the bookshelf.

  “Do you remember when we talked about the wand thing last year, and I explained one of the main reasons you needed to learn it was for spell discipline?”  Corey nodded.  “Sometimes you just can’t control how you feel about something, and when you have magic at your disposal it makes it even harder to curb that first impulse to do something about it.  That’s why the discipline becomes so important.  There’s enough in this world to be afraid of without having to worry about yourself.  It might seem frustrating and even limiting now, but trust me, you’ll be very glad of it later in life.”

  “Discipline is one of the greatest powers one can have over magic,” Severus put in, taking another book off the shelf.  “Although I doubt that you will learn to appreciate that until the first time you want to kill someone standing in front of you, and can, but don’t.”

  “But how do you get to that point and still keep an edge?”  Corey asked.

  “That’s the next lesson,” Severus said expressionlessly, shutting the windows and sitting down to read.

  “Are you sure you want to quit the team?  You know, it is possible to be a good defensive Beater if you know what you’re doing,” Jennifer said.

  “Yeah, but I need more speed for that,” Corey said, nodding seriously.  “So can I have a Skymaster?”

  “I wondered when brooms would be getting into this conversation.  Go to lunch, you little rascal,” Jennifer chuckled shaking a finger at him.  “A Beater on a Seeker broom…we haven’t even decided for sure if we are going to get you one.”

  “But Mom!  I’m on the team, and I have kept my marks up, and I’ve only had two detentions this year.  I’ve even kept up on my homework,” he protested as he stood up.

  “I don’t know, Jennifer, lately I’ve been getting one sentence essays again,” Severus put in.

  “We’ll just have to see how you do on your midterms, I suppose,” Jennifer decided.  “And don’t forget to finish your Dabbler’s lab results.  And legibly this time, if you don’t mind.”

  “Okay, okay.  Thanks, Mom.”  Corey said, smiling at her when he got to the door.

  “Don’t wait so long to come to us next time,” Jennifer told him, and he nodded, leaving.  She turned to walk back towards the couch.  “You know, I think I’m finally getting a handle on this parenting thing.  Maybe it’s not so hard after all.”

  “Don’t you dare touch those windows.  It is freezing out there,” he warned.

  “It is stifling in here,” Jennifer protested, opening them anyhow.

  “You know, you probably got sick because of how cold you keep the lab.  Just as well that we had to move Rasputin out of your office.  He may have turned into an icicle.”  Severus scowled at her.

  “I’m not working down there unless the windows are open,” Jennifer said obstinately.

  “Very well, but if you’re too ill to go to Hogsmeade next week don’t blame me,” he said calmly.

  Jennifer certainly wasn’t about to prove Severus right, and after spending a cautious weekend in the rooms had Mr. Filch fix the windows in the classroom.  She left one of them open but closed the rest, much to the relief of her students who shucked off their coats and scarves.  By the next weekend, Jennifer was feeling much better, and looking forward to an afternoon out of the school as they headed to Hogsmeade. 

 

  After a casual stroll through Pitchplus Sports Shop (they had no intention of any serious Christmas shopping with so many potential student spies for Corey about) they stopped by to see Rosmerta at the Three Brooms.  Several professors were already sitting at their reserved table when they got there, greeting them warmly as they approached.

  “What’s this, Jennifer, regular robes today?  That’s not like you,” Rolanda teased, coaxing her to sit by her.

  “I can’t get in my burgundy dress anymore, thank you very much,” Jennifer muttered, and several of the others chuckled.

  “Well you should have said something, come up to my sitting room tomorrow and we’ll see what we can do about it before you two leave for break,” Minerva insisted.

  “You’re not staying?  Are you sure that’s allowed?  I thought Jennifer was chained to the school.”  Rolanda said.

  “That’s quite enough out of you,” Severus glared at her.  “I’m sure you’re not staying either.”

  “Hardly anyone is, students or teachers alike.  I suspect it’s to make up for having to stay for Christmas last year.”  Minerva said.  Just then Rosmerta appeared again, standing behind Jennifer and Severus in greeting.

  “I thought I saw more bodies over here.  You should have shouted, not that anyone can hear much over this racket,” Rosmerta said cheerfully.  “Hello Severus, Jennifer…hey Jennifer I have something I want you to try, be right back,” she said, then disappeared a moment into the crowd.  Within no time she had reappeared with an glass of Black Anise wine for Severus and a mug for Jennifer.  The hot Butterbeer was topped with a large scoop of ice cream, already beginning to melt into the drink.

  “It’s a new twist on an old favorite, I’ve been testing it on some of the students and they love it…haven’t decided what to call it yet.”

  “I suppose ‘Butterbeer with ice cream’ would be out of the question.”

  “I see marriage hasn’t ruined your sense of humor, Severus.  No, I’m thinking something catchier, like a Drowning Cow, or a Buttered Dream.”

  “Make it lemon ice-cream so it’s yellow and call it a Snitch in the Mud,” Rolanda suggested.  Several of the Professors stared at her.

  “I sort of like that, I wonder if lemon ice cream would work with butter beer.  Or maybe banana…I’ll have to test that,” Rosmerta said with a grin.  A call from another table sent her away again as Jennifer poked at the ice cream skeptically with a spoon.  Just then two figures swam through the crowd towards them, and Jennifer waved warmly at Sirius and Anna as they walked up.

  “Hello, Titiana.  What are you doing here, Sirius, I wasn’t aware that Rosmerta allowed wildlife in the bar,” Severus said in a tone that made everyone give him a dirty look.

  “Then how did you get in?” Sirius asked.

  “All right, that’s enough, both of you,” Minerva said sternly.  “After all, there are students present.  Anna, Sirius, would you care to join us?  There’s plenty of room.”

  “Thank, you Minerva, that’s very good of you.  It is quite crowded in here,” Sirius said.

  “And getting more crowded by the minute,” Severus muttered, putting his glass down.  “Jennifer are you about ready, I could use some air, it’s a trifle stuffy in here.”

  “I’m sure it’ll clear up right after you leave the table,” Sirius said evenly.

  “I think I’ll wait outside, this place seems to be going to the dogs rather quickly now,” Severus muttered, putting some coins on the table and heading towards the front.  Everyone at the table looked over at Sirius.

  “What?  Don’t start blaming me he was the one…”

  “He wasn’t the only one,” Anna said, frowning at him.  Jennifer sighed softly and grabbed her coat and cloak.

  “Well, it’s freezing out there, I’d better not keep him waiting; we still have a few shops to hit.  We’ll see you back at the school, I think.”  Jennifer said getting up.

  “Actually, you mind if I tag along?  I think it’s about time I had a talk with my brother,” Anna said.

  “Sure, let’s go,” Jennifer said as the two handed towards the door.  Sirius glanced over at Minerva and Rolanda, and Rolanda shrugged at him.

  “Maybe it’s the cologne,” Rolanda said.

  Jennifer wanted to stop by at Honeydukes, so the three of them headed across the street as students rushed passed them.  Jennifer went up ahead to steal or bribe a better place in line at the crowded shop, while Anna slowed down a bit, causing Severus to look back at her quizzically, if not a bit warily.

  “So are you going to tell me why you insist on blatantly insulting Sirius so much lately?” she asked.  He stopped and gazed at her expressionlessly.

 “Have I?  Sorry, didn’t mean to pull his chain,” he smirked slightly.

  “There you go again, what is with you?  I know the two of you have never gotten along.  You’ve both told me enough about that to leave my head pounding.  But last year at Christmas the two of you were almost speaking.  Ever since you got married it’s been a complete reversal.  Sirius is fed up putting up with it and so am I,” Anna said.  A couple of students passed watching them curiously, and Anna put her temper in check.  “I am tired of being in the middle of this personal war, and I’m tired of worrying which one of you will actually succeed in killing the other.  I don’t know what caused this whole thing to blow out of proportion again, but whatever it is, it isn’t worth it.  If this doesn’t end soon, I swear I’m going to go to Dumbledore about how out of hand this is getting.”

  “I wasn’t the one that showed up in a panic in Greenland and nearly got us killed…”

  “Severus, don’t start.  And don’t try to make me chose between you, you may not want to hear my answer,” Anna said coldly, and then turned to walk into the store.  Severus gritted his teeth in irritation as he watched her walk in.  There was no doubt in his mind who was turning her against him.  Severus glanced inside but had little desire to go inside the packed shop.  Instead he stood outside and glared at the students going in and out of the shop, making them hurry by a little faster when they felt his eyes on them.  Peering in and seeing they were going to be awhile, Severus turned and began walking down the street.  That was when he spotted a lone figure on a hill just beyond where a shack once stood.

  Harry looked out towards the woods beyond, where the skeleton trees of winter and the light snow starkly revealed the rifts in the earth created when the caverns beneath had collapsed.  Severus stepped beside him and into the biting wind that sped by unhindered by the buildings below and stood quietly gazing out thoughtfully at it.

  “There’s a Muggle saying that every time you get a sudden chill that someone is walking on your grave,” Harry said after a moment.  “I swear every time anyone walks over there I can feel it.”  Severus said nothing.  Instead he stared over the waste thoughtfully, as he pondered the heavy dark energy that still lay over the area.  It was little wonder so many unwholesome creatures were entering the Forest with the remains of the Tomb at its foot.  “By the way, I found out who sent Alice Craw the chest from Britain, although I’m a bit leery at following up on it.”

  “Oh?”  Severus said, glancing over at him.

  “Cornelius Fudge,” Harry said.  Severus frowned.

  “Cornelius Fudge had access to the Craw vault?”

  “Scary thought, isn’t it?  Apparently he’d had power of attorney for a bit after Thomas ‘died’ although I haven’t been able to delve too far into that, the records are closed.  If there was any correspondence between he and Alice, it wasn’t left behind after she was taken.”

  “How come every time you find more facts you leave me with more questions than answers?”  Severus muttered.

  “Sorry, I’m new at this,” Harry said, unable to hide the amusement in his tone.  “I haven’t told Dumbledore yet, but thought you might want to look into it.”  Severus nodded to him.  As he turned his head back he noticed someone coming and frowned at the sight of Sirius and Ginny heading up the hill.  As usual of late, Sirius did not look happy.

  “I thought you were looking after Anna?”  Sirius frowned at Severus.

  “Jennifer is with her there is little reason to panic, they’re in the candy shoppe.”

  “No, we were just in there,” Sirius said.  Sighing softly Severus got out his watch.

  “Well they are still here somewhere, so go fetch,” Severus said, waving him away. 

  “That’s it, I have had it.  It’s time you learned some manners,” Sirius suddenly growled.  Before Severus could react, Sirius had his wand out, and Severus was hit in the face with a swirling light before either Ginny or Harry could stop him.

  “Ettiquettia Parlem!”  Sirius snapped.  Severus blinked a few times and took out his wand, glaring at him furiously.

  “Pardon me, Sir, but if you’ll permit me a moment of your time, I would like to say would you kindly be so obliging as to not do anything like that again please?  I might be forced into a disagreeable situation and then will have to excuse myself for spilling your blood.”  Severus said.  Ginny blinked at him.  Harry, noticing the murder in Severus’ eyes and having some idea what he really would have said had he had his own tongue quickly stepped between them.

  “That’s enough, you keep this up, you’ll have the whole school up here wanting to watch.  Come on, Sirius, release him from the spell and shake hands.”

  “I’d sooner shake hands with a troll.”

  “I would be more than obliged to help you fulfill that desire, Sir.  Excuse me, Harry.”

  “No, I will not bugger off or whatever it was you were trying to say!  This fighting is absolutely pointless and you’re both just making asses out of yourselves.”  Harry said. 

  “This is none of your business Harry, take Ginny and leave,” Sirius said.

  “Kindly step aside please, Harry, I would not have you involved in such a disagreeable event.”

    “What is going on here?”

   The four looked up to see Anna and Jennifer standing there, Jennifer frowning with concern as she studied Severus’ face and Anna looking at Sirius with unmasked fury in her eyes.

  “A bit of the usual, Anna, these two are trying to kill each other again,” Harry said.  Sirius and Severus glared at each other accusingly.

  “It’s just in one ear and out the other with you, isn’t it?”  Anna said, glowing slightly as she clenched her fists.  Jennifer blinked and regarded her warily, as did Sirius and Severus.  “Fine, if you two are this bent on killing each other, go ahead!  But don’t expect us to send flowers!  Come on Jennifer, I’m walking you home,” she said, grabbing Jennifer’s arm before she could react and taking her down the hill.

  “Now look what you’ve done!  Now they’re mad at us again!”  Sirius snarled.

  “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I do believe and rightly so that you started this altercation, in fact I have yet to reciprocate the favor.”  Severus said, his eyes flashing with hatred.

  “No, Severus - Sirius- you know, this is more than what I bargained for.  I swear if you don’t both put your wands down right now, I am going to get Dumbledore.”  Harry said.

  “That won’t be necessary, Harry,” said a voice from behind Ginny.  Harry looked up in relief at the Headmaster as the two men on either side of him lowered their wands.

 

  A shiver went down Jennifer’s spine as they crossed the hills near Beansidhe’s Mound, as the sunken hill that had been the entrance of the Tomb was now called.  The wail of the wind seemed to carry the haunted memory of the creature’s presence on the lower end of the Forest, and as the afternoon waned and the little heat the sun had made escaped Jennifer bundled her cloak tighter as they walked, taking out her wand and on the third try was able to get the simple cold protection spell up.  Beside her Anna walked in silence, still very angry and hoping the walk home would cool her off.  Jennifer would have just as soon taken floo back, but wasn’t about to leave Anna, especially as the Forest was cloaking into night.

  They had still yet to get onto the connecting path towards Hogwarts when Anna finally sighed, making a futile attempt at brushing away the snowflakes that had begun to land on them from above.

  “I am so tired of them fighting.  There is really no need for it.  Don’t those two know how to just drop something?”  Anna asked.

  “Apparently not,” Jennifer said companionably.  Although she wasn’t really angry at either, she couldn’t help but be concerned about how preoccupied Severus was getting about the matter.

  “Now Sirius, I can understand why he’s getting mad at least because Severus has been getting quite vicious lately.  No, honestly, Jennifer, I’m much more mad at Severus for pushing this like he has.  He’s been doing everything in his power to try and stop Sirius and me from getting together you know.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Jennifer said, feeling a tad defensive.  “I mean, he might not admit it to himself, but I really think he’s known all along.  Maybe Sirius is just taking things too personally.”

  “Oh, come on, Jennifer, he can’t have a conversation without some form of insult, usually some sort of ‘mutt’ joke.  If someone did that to you, you’d blow up too.”

  “Well he did used to tease me about my age when we first met,” Jennifer admitted, “although I was too busy trying to figure out why he did it to be really angry at him.  Maybe Sirius ought to ask him.”

  “What?”

  “Maybe instead of blowing up he could try asking him why he’s doing it?”  Jennifer said.  “At the very least he’ll probably be quiet if he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

  “You know, that almost makes sense, which probably means it will never happen.”  Anna said.  Jennifer stopped for a moment to try to get a wisp light going, and finally got a good-sized ball up.

  “Awfully dark out here tonight.  Must be a thick cloud cover,” Jennifer commented, as she followed the trail.

  “You know it’s strange, but this part of the Forest doesn’t look familiar at all, although I’ve traveled this path dozens of times.”  Anna said.

  “Yeah, me too,” Jennifer admitted, feeling disoriented as well.  “Maybe it’s just because it’s so dark.” 

  That was when Anna started glowing again.

  “I don’t think it’s just because it’s dark.”  Anna said.  Jennifer pulled out her wand slowly, looking around.

  “If anything happens, you Apparate on ahead,” Jennifer said.

  “Oh and leave the pregnant fizzle queen here on her own?  That would be, how do you say it?  Bloody brilliant.”

  “Shh, hang on, I thought I heard something.”  Jennifer said, pausing.  But all she could hear was the wind.

  “I feel strange,” Anna said, glowing slightly.

  “Just don’t faint on me now, okay?”  Jennifer said as she turned to look at her.  That was when the hair on the back of her neck began to prickle and Anna’s face became white as a sheet.  Jennifer turned around to see a hovering shadow rising above them, the folds of the darkness stretching out over them and reaching up near the height of the trees around them.  A pair of eyes made of blackness and mist blinked open and a hollow shaded face; cruel and relentless, terrifying and grotesque, suddenly emerged from the unearthly form.

  There could be no doubt it was a wraith of unprecedented power.

Chapter Eighteen

The Wraith

 

  Anna felt part of herself try to react to the horror she was seeing, but strangely, no power came.  Jennifer stood in front of it with her arm up and wand ready as she prepared to fire, but there was a look on her face that Anna had never seen on Jennifer during any sort of battle; pure, unmasked worry.  Her calm determination was still there, but it couldn’t hide the fact from Anna that Jennifer knew from the start that there was no way she could win this battle, and for some reason, Anna couldn’t seem to bring herself out of her body to shield her.  Finally Jennifer cast as the wraith moved towards them, and a fanning wave of shrieking sound barreled into the creature, the spell so strong the trees beyond it bowed to the onslaught of sonorous waves.  But the creature bent over, folding itself around its head protectively, and Jennifer knew they had only bought an instant in time.

  “Run!”  Jennifer shouted, trying to keep the spell on it as she began stepping away from it.  But Anna wasn’t about to leave Jennifer there alone.  Taking a step forward she took a new shape and a Unicorn appeared with a neigh, running over to Jennifer and nudging her, putting her leg up.  Quickly Jennifer climbed aboard as the wraith began to recover, and Anna took into the trees as fast as she could gallop, running through the trees as if they were not even there.  But it was evident to Jennifer from the start that they would probably not be able to outrun it.  The wraith was soon on their tail and they were within inches of its deadly, life-draining touch.   Jennifer pointed her wand at Anna and shouted “Hermes” and sparks flew instead of a spell as Jennifer renewed her grip on Anna’s mane.  Just perfect timing for her magic to go, Jennifer thought.  Her stomach was reeling from the horrible pounding movement, and she was suddenly finding herself wishing it would just get it over with and catch them.  That was when she looked back again to see they were not alone.  A line of Unicorns closely packed had somehow managed to come between Anna and the wraith, while right beside them ran a large mare that had slowed to match their pace.

  “Keki!”  Jennifer shouted in surprise at the pack leader.  Once again she would have to owe her life to the greatest of steeds.  They pushed further and further in, and Anna, it seemed was able to pick up speed at Keki’s urging, driving them past Anna’s cabin and towards the far edge of the Forest.  Behind them, Jennifer was vaguely aware of Centaurs rushing about as they passed, taking up great bows and hand-held circlets of glittering light as they turned to meet the threat.  But inside her, Jennifer was realizing something was wrong as pain shot through her, and she found herself begging Anna to slow down as they neared the Hogwarts grounds.  “Anna, I need down, I’m not kidding,” Jennifer protested again.

  Suddenly at the treeline came to an end, Keki stopped quite abruptly and Anna along with her and Jennifer came tumbling off with a groan, getting violently sick.  A moment later, Jennifer was aware of Anna’s arm around her from behind, asking her if she was all right.  What a silly question, Jennifer said miserably, feeling dizzy and exhausted.  She heard Keki’s neigh behind her, unusually loud and demanding attention as she reared up, stamping a bit.

  Anna looked around just as Sagittari thundered out of his cabin alarmed and bewildered at hearing the Unicorn’s call. Anna shouted over at him, directing his attention, and within a flash Sagittari was over there as Anna gave a quick account of what happened.

  “We need to get her in my office.  Jennifer, can you walk?”  Sagittari asked.  After a quick shake of her head, Sagittari called up a stretcher and Anna helped her on, and the three of them headed back to the cabin.

 

  As Anna sat waiting in the main room of the cabin a pounding knock came at the door and she let Severus in wearing a look that could curdle ice cream.

  “Well, where is she, what happened?”  Severus snapped impatiently.

  “She’s in with Dr. Sagittari right now, calm down.”  Anna said.

  “What do you mean she’s in there with Sagittari, he’s a veterinarian!  Why wasn’t she brought to Hogwarts?”

  “This was closer, and Jennifer was feeling sick.  Would you please stop yelling?  If it wasn’t for you two fighting to make us want to walk home we probably wouldn’t have even run into the wraith!”  Anna snapped back.

  “Was it the same one that attacked Sirius last year?”  Severus asked anxiously.

  “I don’t know…this one looked bigger, but maybe.  And it was so dark…Jennifer told me to run but I wasn’t about to leave her, so I changed form and carried her back.  The Unicorns showed up and blockaded it from following.  Jennifer didn’t get sick until after we were away from it.”

  “Dumbledore, Harry and Sirius went out looking for it the moment we got your owl.  He wants the two of you to stay close to the castle and perhaps speak to all of this about this later on.” Severus said.

  “What about you?”

  “I’m not going anywhere until Jennifer is all right and back in the castle where she belongs,” Severus said, glaring at the office door.

  Finally it opened and Sagittari came out with a slight smile on his face, the door swinging shut behind him.

  “Ah, good to see you’re here, Severus.  Don’t worry, she’s quite all right, just ill from the jarring ride here, she’ll be out in a moment,” Sagittari told them.

  “Who are you to say whether or not she’s all right, you’re a veterinarian, not a real doctor!”  Severus snapped.  “How dare you - “

  “For your information, Severus, I have a Centaur’s veterinary license, which includes the practice on Humans.  I just can’t practice medicine on Centaurs.  I am more than qualified to treat your species.  Now, that that’s settled,” the doctor continued, although the look on Severus’ face clearly showed that he thought it was far from settled, “I’d like to talk to you a moment about this restriction list she’s on because if you don’t mind me saying so, quite a bit of it is totally unnecessary.  Jennifer is healthy, energetic and quite capable of making her own decisions on whether or not she can handle something.  The only thing that seems to be troublesome is her current stress level, and I guarantee you it’s not from doing her job.  Rather, it’s from feeling as if she’s not allowed to do her job.”  Severus stared at him when the Centaur paused, but chose not to say anything.  “The potion’s restrictions, I believe, are right on target, and of course she can not Apparate, but I suggest you throw the rest of these ‘rules’ away.  And another thing, do not try to restrict where she can go because of this incident either, rather I suggest you both work out some compromises on modes of transportation.  Let her ride on Ruby if she wants.”

  “But -“

  “Let’s look at this logically, shall we?  It’s less jarring than riding land mounts, and much safer…in Jennifer’s case much, much safer…than a broom.  So long as she wears that barrette of yours to prevent falls…that’s the real danger when riding any mount anyhow…she should be fine.  If you don’t give her some rein, Severus, she is going to do it any way, and that is the most perilous thing that can happen.  Do you understand?” Sagittari said, his face stern and serious.  Severus’ skeptic frown straightened somewhat, and he nodded curtly.  He knew Jennifer enough to know in this case Sagittari was right.  “Good.  We’re all settled then.  I’ll expect her back in to see me professionally in about eight weeks time.”

  “What?  Just one moment, you don’t think I’m going to allow you to-“ Just then the door opened and Jennifer came out, and Severus blinked in surprise.  She was smiling. 

  “Severus!  Oh stars, I hope I didn’t worry you,” Jennifer said, hugging him.  “Sagittari says we’re both fine, and I just got a little jarred that’s all.  No worse for the wear.  Did you make up with Sirius?”

  “I believe cease fire would be the more appropriate term,” Severus said, still slightly astonished by the change in her behavior.  “Come on, I need to get you both to Hogwarts.  Dumbledore wants everyone to wait there until he returns.”

  “Well, I hope he returns soon, because I have a few questions of my own,” Anna said.  Jennifer hugged Sagittari warmly and thanked him before heading towards the door before turning back to Severus who was regarding her thoughtfully.  It was going to take him a while to get used to the idea of having his children delivered by a Centaur.  Oh well, Severus brooded, it could have been worse…she could have gotten attached to a Muggle doctor.

 

  When Dumbledore arrived at the office he looked slightly tired and worn, and Jennifer and Severus couldn’t help but exchange worried looks.  Harry and Sirius followed behind, both looking grim, and Minerva McGonagall, who appeared uncommonly anxious.  Quietly he went over to his desk, sitting down as he looked over at them.

  “Well, I have managed to send the wraith away for now, but for how long, I cannot guess.  Fortunately, the protections around Hogwarts are still too powerful for it, but there is some concern over the Forest,” Dumbledore said.

  “I just can’t believe how big that wraith got,” Sirius said, pacing the floor.

  “So it was the same wraith that attacked before?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Apparently this particular wraith has been feeding off of the remains of the Tomb since its collapse,” Dumbledore explained, looking over at Jennifer.  “When the Tomb was destroyed, the dark magic that had been drawn into the place was suddenly released, and now the entire area above it as well is bathed in it.  It is more than likely that the resurgence of dark creatures in the Forest has been heightened as much by its presence as by any other cause.  There are some things we can do to help dampen it, but I do not believe that we will be able to stop it completely.  The balance has been disrupted too greatly for it not to leave a lingering effect.”

  “So in other words, this problem isn’t going to go away?”  Anna said.  Dumbledore nodded.

  “It can be lessened, however, with a lot of work.  And time.  Anna, you should be safe where you are for the moment…the Centaurs around there keep that area fairly maintained, but should you need to leave that area, especially since the wraith seems to have some attraction to your magic, I ask that you be escorted.  There’s also something else going on that Vallid will fill you in on tomorrow concerning some work you’ve been doing.  In any case, I’m sure you can find several volunteers, especially now that Harry and Sirius are back.  Ah, and I’m ready to return these,” he added, getting into his desk and taking out the ring and the gem.  “Please be careful with them, they are very, very old.  But something tells me it’s not an accident that you have acquired them, even if by unusual circumstances.”

  “But what do they do, Professor?” Jennifer asked impatiently.

  “They were made by ancient magicians, long lost under the sea, Jennifer, although some of their blood once mixed with fae ancestors.  They were called the Fomorians, and they used these things to heighten their natural magic ability.  The ring has some power over water, and the green gem of earth, and if I do say so quite appropriate for an Aethermage to own.”   Jennifer and Severus gazed at the two items that Anna took in astonishment and renewed appreciation.

  “Incredible…a gem the eye of an aura crystal?  And a ring from who knows where, such rare artifacts…appearing out of the blue?”  Jennifer said.

  “Do you think the person who gave Anna the ring knew where it came from?”  Harry asked.   “It would seem rather odd that someone trying to hurt her would hand her such a priceless artifact, and if it were a gift, they would have removed the curse.”

  "Very odd indeed," said Dumbledore.  "And yes, I believe it quite likely that for good or ill, the person that sent it must not have had much knowledge in magic items.  And it is quite worrisome that the familiar who brought it seemed to have little idea where he had gotten it from."

  "One old owl forgetting where it has been is not completely uncommon," Severus said, "but what we experienced abroad had effected more than one owl.  In fact, not one owl got through the entire time I was there.  Surely that feat couldn't have been pulled off by an amateur," Severus said.

  "Madam Belle is currently looking into the matter and should be back here before Christmas with some news for us," Dumbledore nodded.  "She is also going to stop by the dragon colony in Greenland and see what she can learn there as well.  In the meantime, I suggest we concentrate on the problem with the Forest for now.  Severus, I'd like you and Sirius to try and discern how wide spread the damage is to the Tomb so we may try to find some way to mark and contain it somewhat."

  "Sir, I'd like to help out if I may.  I'm quite sensitive to that area, after all," Harry suggested.  Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully for a moment then nodded.

 "Very well, Harry, if you have the time...I understand your work helping Vallid with the Death Eater investigations comes first, but any aid you can give I assure you will be appreciated," Dumbledore said.

  “Anything you want me to do?”  Jennifer asked.  Dumbledore turned to her with a smile, and Jennifer suddenly saw that he was quite proud of her for some reason, and had a great deal of confidence in her.

  “Well, Jennifer, you should just probably continue what you have been doing.  I’m sure anything you have planned in your spare time is in the best interests of the school, just check in now and then to keep me updated.  Oh, and don’t forget to let Severus know where you’re going and all that, so I don’t have to listen to him every time you slip out of his sight,” Dumbledore added with a mischievous wink.  Severus gazed at him but didn’t say anything.

 

Chapter Nineteen

Coal Expectations 

 

  It was review week, and as usual Corey Willowby had his mind on everything but his studies.  It was bad enough that Professor McGonagall had caught him with a copy of the December issue of the Wizard’s Digest (which featured a very nice article on the hot new brooms that year) in the middle of his Transfiguration class and he had detention Saturday morning, but he was so bored during reviews that he couldn’t help but get in trouble for everything from passing notes to whispering in class.  Danny, on the other hand, seemed to come alive as she fervently made notes on top of notes, and appeared quite stressed about the entire matter.  Why should she worry, Corey wondered.  After all, she was tied with him as top student in nearly every class, except for Potion’s and the Dabbler’s Class, where Corey surprised all the senior students in the class (as well as Jennifer) when he rose to head that class also.  But although she was tied with him for top student, Danny kept on studying as if she were struggling to make the mark, spending most of her spare time in the library studying with Taylor or her fellow housemates.

  He didn’t begin to worry until Danny and Taylor didn’t show up for Sparring Club on Wednesday.  The moment Doug had finished his bout and he was “benched,” Corey and he left to find them.  As expected, the two of them were still in the library, the only two people still there except for Madame Granger, who was quietly reading a book while waiting for the clock to chime.  She glanced up and smiled at them when they came in, nodding over to where the other two sat.

  “I say,” Corey said quietly when they reached the two figures huddling over the Defense book.  “You’re not going to be doing this during our other ‘Study Time‘, are you?” 

  “No, of course not,” Danny promised.  “Just squeezing in time while I can.  And really, I’m far beyond what Professor Snape is teaching at the moment in sparring class.  I just can‘t say the same about the Defense course.”  Corey looked over at her dubiously.  Perhaps one on one with wands it might be true, Corey mused.  But during their bouts in the Forest she lost as many as she won.  But he also knew she was tied with him in Defense.  Of course, Taylor wasn’t doing quite as well with it, and it wasn’t unlike Danny to help someone study who needed it.

  “That’s good.  Wouldn’t want to miss our last match before the Holidays, and I won’t be around during the weekend...Saturday I have detention and Sunday I’m going with Snape to visit Grandfather in prison.  I haven’t seen him since we came to school, and it’ll probably be my last chance in awhile,” Corey said.  The clock above Madame Granger’s desk chimed and she glanced up as Danny and Taylor got up and walked over to the desk. 
  “Are you going to be here late this weekend as well, Madame Granger?”  Danny asked.  She shook her head with an apologetic smile.

  “Sorry, I’ve made plans, but I will try to stay open later on Monday and Tuesday,” she said.  “Don’t forget to turn in your final copy by Saturday, Mr. Brittle, Creevy will be cross if you don’t.”

  “I’ll have it, don’t worry,” Taylor assured her as the four of them left.  “Creevy will be cross.  Ever since he took over as editor for the Veritable Wizard he’s been a stress basket.  He just wasn’t cut out for the media.”

  “Creevy doesn’t seem to be cut out for much of anything,” Doug snickered.  “They really should have picked Ginny you know.”

  “Ginny doesn’t have the time, being Head Girl and all,” Corey said.  “Although I admit, I might just join the paper if she asked me...well, and if my parents would get me a camera.”

  “A camera?  They haven’t even got you a broom yet,” Taylor teased.

  “Yeah, but they’ll have to get me one now, I mean, I’m nearly top in all my classes and all that, and all they wanted me to do was keep my homework finished.  I think I’ll earn the broom I want...a C.S. Nighthawk,” Corey said.

  “You can’t be serious, they’re not going to get you a Nighthawk,” Doug grinned at him shaking his head.  “You said yourself how stingy your mother was, and besides, the Nighthawk doesn’t even get released until the week before Christmas, and there’s already a waiting list.”

  “I thought you said Skymasters were faster, Corey,” Taylor said.

  “Yeah, they are, but I was talking to Harry about brooms after dinner last week, and he said I needed to get one made for Beater maneuvers, and the Nighthawk is supposed to be one of the most sensitive brooms going on market this year.”

  “And the most expensive,” Doug said.

  “Can we talk about something else for a change?”  Danny asked suddenly.  “Corey, what’s your new grandfather like?  What’s he in prison for?”

  “You mean you don’t know?”  Corey said with surprise.  “Oh, I forgot, you weren’t here, were you?  My adopted grandfather is the Ivory Skull,” he said proudly.  “He’s in jail for murdering Death Eaters, and he almost killed Voldemort at one point.  I really like him.”

  “He’s in jail for killing Death Eaters?”  Danny repeated with confusion, “what’s wrong with that?  I mean, after everything they did, you’d think that he’d be a hero for that.”

  “I didn’t understand that part at first either,” Corey admitted.  “But Mom said it was something about two wrongs not making it right or some such, and you can’t take justice into your own hands.  But it seems to me Mom and Dumbledore and about everybody here does just that in some way or another, so I’m not sure what the fuss is about.”

  The next couple of days flew by but neither Doug or Corey saw much of Taylor or Danny, for both of them avoided the library unless absolutely necessary.  Instead the two spent their down time playing cards in the Great Hall.  But Doug had noticed a change come over Corey the closer the holidays got...a distraction that increased more as time went on.  Whatever it was he didn’t speak of it to Doug or anyone else.  He was, however, even more enthusiastic about the weekend sparring than usual and was grateful when Doug shook him awake and the two of them snuck out of the dorms and down to their normal meeting place in the Dark Forest.

  It was almost unbearably cold, the stars wanly glowing like ice in the winter sky.  Corey carefully cast a spell to their feet to hide their footprints as they walked across the snow and slipped into the woods, lighting the lantern once they got away from the edge of the grounds.

  “This is the last match before the holiday, and I have every intention of winning it,” Corey was telling Doug.  “I bet she’s off her game this week with all that studying, not getting out and all.”

  “Yeah, she’s definitely overdoing it.  I bet she’s trying to break the tie and take top spot in every class, Corey,” Doug said.

  “Not going to happen,” Corey said calmly, “All the studying in the world is going to oust me from top of Potion’s class.”  Taylor was already there when they arrived, pacing nervously, looking off into the darkness.  Seeing his relieved expression when they appeared, Corey shook his head at him.  “Don’t tell me, you heard a noise.”

  “Yeah, and it wasn’t a very pleasant noise,” Taylor said.  “You know, I don’t think we should do this any more.  I heard some of the older kids talking the other day, and they said the teachers are worried that the Forest is getting more dangerous than ever.  We have more than your parents to worry about if we get caught I think.”

  “Oh, go on, Taylor.  Relax,” Corey sighed.  “Just practice your forms and get warmed up.  If Danny runs much later you and Doug can spar first.”  As if on cue, a grey fox appeared from the woods and changed into Danny, stepping up to them.

  “Sorry, thought I’d have a look around, I heard an odd sound, but I wasn’t able to figure out what it was,” she said.

  “See?  It wasn’t just me this time,” Taylor said.  “Maybe we ought to skip it this week.”

  “No way,” Corey said.

  “Not a chance,” Danny said.  “I owe Corey one after last week.  You never told me what that curse was you hit me with,” she added.

  “Reflex Curse, learned it from Mom...well, sorta.  Just don’t tell her I know it, okay?”  Corey grinned.  “I don’t think she’d approve of me using it.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Doug said.  “Although me I’d be more worried about Professor Snape if I were in your position.”

  ‘That’s because you don’t know my Mom like I do,” Corey chuckled, taking off his cloak and cracking his knuckles.  “When ever you are ready, Slythergirl.”

  “Taunting will get you nowhere, Newblood,” Danny said, taking out her wand and fixing her eyes on him. 

  “Begin then,” Taylor said. 

  Danny seemed anything but worse for wear than her long hours in the library.  In fact she jumped into a flip so fast that Corey just blinked at surprise, barely being able to dive out of the way as the vertigo spell came spinning towards him.  Corey returned with a flash spell, the bright light momentarily blinding Danny and earning expletives from Doug and Taylor.

  “Be careful with those sorts of spells, someone will see us!”  Doug hissed.

  “Relax, I saw Mom heading down to her office before we left, and she always goes on patrol with Dad,” Corey said, pointing to the trees above them.  “Quiver!”  He intoned.  The trees suddenly began to tremble, and a wave of snow fell off their branches trying to bury Danny.  But Danny didn’t need her eyesight to tell what was happening and rolled out of the way, rubbing her eyes until she saw Corey’s hazy figure.

  “Pinsin Eadulis!” she cast at Corey, and Corey failed to block it as a sharp prickling sensation surged over his skin, slightly painful and itchy that he yelped and started brushing himself off as if being attacked by bees.  Danny knew she had him now, there was no way he could concentrate to cast another spell.  But just as she lowered her wand to finish him off, a chilling sound erupted from very, very close by...a loud, threatening howl.  Everyone (except Corey, still under the influence of the spell) paused in sheer panic, and Danny released the spell and ran over to the others as they pulled out their wands, forming a small circle with their backs to each other, looking out in the darkness.  As Corey recovered, raising a hand protectively, he suddenly noticed a pair of glowing eyes staring at them from the dense underbrush.  It was then the eyes raised up above them, and as the werewolf stepped out, Corey broke into a scream.  As the other three turned they scream as well and mutually decided to make a break for it, Danny turning into a fox and speeding ahead of the boys as they crashed through the underbrush trying to get away.  The werewolf looked after them for a long moment, staring after them unmoving as they raced towards the school.  Finally he turned, disappearing back to into the shadows.

  The three boys were not about to take any chances that they might be getting followed, scrambling through any available space and getting quite scratched up in the process.  The creatures in the pens began creating a commotion as the three boys finally made it out of the Forest, and Taylor begged for them to stop, lagging behind.

  “Come on, come on, we’ll get nailed here for sure,” Doug hissed at him when he stopped to rest.

  “I can’t, you go on.  I think I might have sprained my ankle tripping over that last tree trunk,” Taylor said.

  “We’re not leaving without you,” Corey said, going back over to him to grab an arm.   “Help me, Doug, before we already get ourselves into any more trouble!”

  “Too late,” a low voice tinged with anger said from the edge of the Forest.  Corey cringed in anticipation of impending doom as he looked around into Snape’s furious glare.   It was in that split second that he was quite convinced that life as he knew it was over.  

 

 

  Danny had shifted back and had gotten to the gate minutes before them, waiting for a few moments in the stairwell to make sure they had gotten back in all right.  When they didn’t come, she began to slip back down towards the gate, worried that they might have been hurt and wondering what she should do, when she saw several figures appear.  Ducking back out of sight, she saw them getting led to Snape’s office, wondering how much trouble she was going to be in.  Not now, she thought to herself.  Please, not now.  Turning around she raced towards the back and up to the Slytherin rooms and slipped into her dorm, everything quiet and still.  She quickly changed clothes and slipped into bed, lying awake for hours just waiting for someone to come in, but they never came.

  The next morning Corey wasn’t at breakfast, and Doug, sitting by himself at the end of the Gryffindor table, looked far from happy.  Taylor glanced up and noticed her gaze and mouthed the word “library.”  Danny nodded, turning her attention back to Casper and Roger, who were going on and on about what they expected for Christmas that year.  It was just as her eyes began to glaze over from boredom that Amadeus Longbottom showed up in such a delightful mood that Danny had little doubt it was at the expense of someone else.

  “Did you hear about Willowby and his band?  Perhaps you did, Danny, since you seem to be an honorary member,” he said snidely.

  “No, do tell,” Danny said calmly, sipping her juice while watching him warily.

  “Snape caught them sparring in the Forest, and now they’re all doing double detentions and they’re houses are down so many points they’ll never recover.  All three of them are kicked out of Sparring Club, and if they get in trouble again, they’ll probably get expelled.  So much for teacher’s pet,” Amadeus grinned.  “I bet Snape’s sorry he let Craw talk him into taking pity on that mudblood now.” Having had quite enough, Danny got up and pushed her tray back.   “What’s wrong, Nelson?  Did I offend your mud loving sensibilities?”   

  “Don’t flatter yourself, Longbottom,” Danny said smiling sweetly.  “The only thing offensive to my sensibilities right now is the fact you smell like a mule, eat like a pig, and have the brains of an ant.  It’s a good thing you do know how to at least whack a ball, or I’d have absolutely no use for you whatsoever.”  Danny said smoothly.  She didn’t miss the sudden rush of Liam and Casper on Amadeus’ shoulder when he nearly pulled his wand.

  “You are about to cut that thin line you’re standing on, Nelson,” he growled.

  “Make a move on me, Longbottom, and I can guarantee you you’ll be cutting your own line, and you will live to regret it,” Danny smiled coolly before heading out of the hall.  Danny sighed once she got out of the room.  At first she had been more than willing to face the scrutiny she had always expected would come from joining her father’s old house, but now with the stress of studying and trying to make those scores stick, the daily brutality of the game was beginning to get to her.  Her time studying in the library was her only peace of mind, and yet even then it didn’t offer her much comfort.  Corey was never there.  He never needed to be there.   How was she ever to keep up with that?  Or worse, how could she face that dreadful moment when she had to face her father and tell him not only had she not been the top in her class she was topped by a Muggle?  And how would he react if he found out about her being caught breaking the rules?  The thought of the consequences of that were running through her head to the point she found herself at the Defense room, glancing at the office door thoughtfully.   At last she knocked timidly, and the door swung open.  Peering inside she saw a very irritable Professor Snape looking up from his desk quizzically at her, tapping his quill.

  “What is it, Miss. Nelson?”  He asked briskly.  “Well, don’t just stand there, I’ve a lot of work to do.”

  “Sir, I was wondering if there was any way that I could stay here during the holidays,” Danny said.  Snape peered at her quizzically, pulling out a rolled sheet of paper, glancing on it.

  “Your father requested you home for the holidays, and I don’t see anything here that would indicate anything otherwise,” he said.

  “Yes, Professor, I know, but I was wondering if I could stay here anyhow…”

  “The school isn’t a refuge, Miss Nelson.  If we allowed every student to stay over on a whim, we would never be rid of them.  And if you don’t mind I’d like to go home myself this year and not play nursemaid.  Of course,” he added, his voice suddenly taking on a different tone rather unlike the one Danny had come to expect in Defense class, “Of course it’s possible there are some rare occasions that a student has a valid reason for not going home, and then perhaps I would take that to Dumbledore to see what can be done.   So, why don’t you want to go home?”  Snape asked.  Danny stood quietly for a long moment.

  “Never mind, Sir.  I just thought I would ask.  Sorry to disturb you,” Danny added, edging for the door.

  “Yes, well, one has to be disturbed to be a Professor here,” Snape waved her away testily, his tone returning to the one she knew.  But as she left she couldn’t help wondering if his last line on her way out hadn’t been some vain attempt at humor.

   Back in the library, Danny met up with Doug, Taylor, and Corey, each one looking glummer than the next.  Wincing slightly at their expressions, she went over and sat down beside them.

  “I don’t suppose you’re still talking to me,” Danny said questioningly.

  “Why wouldn’t we be?  Not your fault we got caught,” Corey shrugged at her.  “If I were an Animagus, I probably would have done the same thing.”

  “Well, I think it was all decent of you not to mention I was there,” Danny said.

  “We don’t rat out our friends,” Doug said indignantly, “even if it would have put you a little closer on house points.”

  “Good thing my Mom left early, or we’d all have been caught,” Corey said. 

  “I expect I’ll be getting a Howler today, my father is going to be furious,” Doug grumbled.

  “Both of my parents will send me one,” Taylor said glumly.   “At least you got spared that much, Corey.”

  “I’d rather have had a Howler,” Corey muttered, putting his head in his hand.  “My parents are so mad there is no way I’ll ever get any sort of broom, let alone a Nighthawk.  And after all the work I put in for it too.  I am definitely not looking forward to this Christmas.”

  “Neither am I,” Danny sighed softly.  “Well, I am sorry you got caught.  But I think I’m going to go study in my dorm for awhile, I need to double check my formulas for my Dabbler’s project.”  The three boys watched her go, Corey looking after her in annoyance.

  “There she goes again!  What is with her, it’s as if it might be the end of the world if she doesn’t pull off a perfect score,” Corey said exasperated.  “At least she didn’t get in trouble.”

  “Yeah,” Taylor said, pushing his glasses up and watching as stepped into the hall.  “All the same it’d been worse for her than any of us if she had.”

  “My adopted parents want to disown me and I haven’t even been with them a year, and we’re up for coal this Christmas for sure.  How could it be any worse?”  Corey said.

  “I don’t think things are all right at home for her,” Taylor said, glancing at the other two.  “If I tell you both something, would you promise you won’t tell her I told you?  Especially you, Corey, but I think you ought to know anyhow,” he said.  The two of them shrugged.

  “Sure Taylor, you know you can trust us with anything,” Corey said.

  “I really don’t think her father is the forgiving sort,” Taylor said, gazing at Corey.  “And I think she’s going to be in trouble this year even without getting caught for Study Time.”

Chapter Twenty

Holiday Preparations

 

   Severus Snape flashed a warning glance at his last class as he whipped the test papers face down on each desk, as if threatening any student of turning them over sooner with an immediate failure.  None in the class doubted he would do it, especially Corey, but Corey wouldn’t dare to try and push his luck now…he was already in enough trouble.

  “I expect absolute silence.  Just because you are heading home tomorrow doesn’t mean anything at this moment, right now you’re in this class, and any “fidgetiness” or window gazing or any other such nonsense you’ll have your paper taken away and graded as is.  Just because some of the other Professors are letting you get away with your pre-holiday attitudes doesn’t mean I will,” Severus snarled.  “Eyes front, Mr. Brim. Five points from Gryffindor for not paying attention!  Next time it’ll be twenty and your test removed,” he said, frowning and turning to make eye contact with each student in turn.  “If you actually care to see your test results, they’ll be posted on the door before you leave tomorrow morning.  Well, don’t just sit there and look at me…begin,” he snapped, walking towards his desk.

  Severus hissed softly at Rasputin, and the basilisk slowly and with an almost disgruntled gait slipped off his desk and slowly towards the office.  The students knew better than to glance up, even though a couple of them were still slightly nervous of the basilisk, half-blind or not. 

  Severus spent the time marking and recording other tests as they were taking theirs; barely even glancing at the names as he did so.  He did, however, notice Danny Nelson’s test…a perfect score in fact, putting her at the top of her class again.  Of course, he hadn’t seen Corey’s yet, and with this sort of straight no-nonsense question and answer test, Corey had little reason not to perform as well.  So it was of little surprise to him when Corey was the first one out of the room hardly more than a quarter of an hour later.  Severus gave it a cursory glance after he left, then paused and squinted at it, hardly believing what he was seeing.  Putting the rest of the test papers aside he quickly ran down Corey’s then shook his head disapprovingly.  He set it aside as the others began to turn theirs in, glancing at his watch as the last of them made their way out of the classroom.

  Jennifer was already in his office and he entered to find her sitting in a chair with her legs propped up on his half-packed trunk with some papers in her hand, looking rather tired.  She glanced up as he came in, waving slightly.

  “You know, this school seriously needs a Door Lift,” Jennifer said.

  “The school has managed over a thousand years without one, I’m sure it can do without,” Severus said calmly.

  “The question is, can my swollen feet?”  Jennifer chuckled.

  “Well, we’ll be going home tomorrow…what are you doing here, anyhow, I would have expected you would be overwhelmed testing student labs by now,” Severus asked, “and I know you’re not here to ask for help.”

  “You’re always so suspicious!  And I’m quite capable of managing testing my own labs, thank you,” Jennifer said indignantly.  “Actually I came up to talk about Corey…I just marked his test.”

  “Don’t tell me, he slipped to second place after missing questions that you know he knew the answers to,” Severus said, handing her a cup of steaming tea and sitting down.

  “Yes, that’s exactly it,” Jennifer said with surprise.  “You mean he did it in your class too?”

  “He missed a question on werewolves,” Severus said sounding slightly irritated.  “After that discussion I had with him after the sparring incident, I am quite certain he has heard more than he cares to on that subject.  No, it was intentional.  How typically Gryffindor.”

 “What, for attempting to do something we can’t by trying to help Danny?”  Jennifer said with such a challenging tone, Severus frowned at her.  All the staff were quite aware that Nelson was putting undue pressure on his daughter, but Severus was also aware that Minerva had already spoken to his wife about when the school can and cannot interfere. 

  “He should be more concerned about his own schoolwork than anyone else’s…although I am quite sure his actions will come back to haunt him in their own way,” Severus said, continuing to mark the papers until the table was empty in front of them.

  “You know, I think perhaps we’re being too hard on him,” Jennifer continued after a moment.  Severus stared at her a moment before getting up.  “After all, he has done exceptionally well this year…”

  “No,” Severus said flatly, getting up.

  “But Severus…”

  “The boy intentionally did something knowing how forbidden it was and knowing the consequences of his actions.  If it had been up to me alone, I might have expelled them,” Severus said.  Jennifer gave him a look as if she didn’t quite believe him, and he scowled at her.  “He broke the deal, he’s not getting a broom.  I’m quite certain you can find other things on his list that he needs more.”  Jennifer looked at Severus dubiously.

  “I think you’re just trying to sink the Gryffindor team by not letting Corey get a decent broom,” she said and got up, glancing accusingly at Severus.  He blinked at her and made a face.

  “Don’t you start trying to twist things about!  I am not about to fall for any ploys to make me change my mind,” he said, following her out.

  “I’m not twisting anything.  I am only trying to be an understanding parent,” Jennifer said stonily.  “You should try it sometime,” she added before heading down to her office.

  Tapping his fingers against his side in annoyance, he watched her disappear down the stairs before walking over Minerva’s office to hand in his paperwork.  It was rather satisfying to be one of the first to turn in his scores in for a change, not having the tedious job of testing each potion phial as a part of his tests as in year’s past.  He had also been able to pack and put other things in order for what would be his first holiday away from the school in some time, and decided to go to check on his sister to see how she was coming along in her own preparations, for Dumbledore and he had been able to convince her to stay at the Broom Closet during the holidays.

  The Dark Forest was both disturbingly quiet and filled with a strange tension that Severus couldn’t help but be aware of the moment he stepped onto the path.  Of course, the apprehension had been growing of late, especially after the wraith, but it had not been to this level in quite a while, not since- Severus suddenly remembered- the year Voldemort had taken up residence there.  It was very much like a presence had come to the Forest with intent of using it to its own dark purposes…and that realization began to make him on edge as well.  One thing was certain as far as he was concerned…the sooner he got Anna out of there, the better.  Several owls and other birds gathered restlessly in the trees above as he approached the glen, and he glanced around, wondering if perhaps he should head down to speak to Firenze first, but finally decided against it, knocking softly at the door.  It was just as she opened the door that his necklace suddenly grew cold and hot intermittently and he quickly took out his wand.

  “What is it, what’s wrong?”  Anna asked in alarm as he moved her out of the way and stepped into the cabin, looking around with suspicion. 

  “Apparently someone is watching the cabin that shouldn’t be,” Severus snapped briskly, muttering a spell to try and find any spying devices in the house.  “Have you acquired any new items in the last few days?”

 “No one will even let me out of the cabin,” Anna said with irritation, shutting the door behind her.  Suddenly Severus strode to the door and threw it back open with such force that Anna had to jump out of the way and the birds lingering outside flew into the air with fright as he stormed out pointing his wand in a circle around the area.

  “Monstre hostis!”  Severus intoned, staring expectantly out into the brush waiting for the spell to reveal any hidden enemy.  But the spell apparently had no effect, and as he stood there with his wand out, he suddenly noticed that his chain had returned to normal.  

  “Pack the rest of your things,” Severus said as he reentered, looking a bit pale.  “We’re leaving now.”

  "Don't you think you overreacting just a bit?" Anna sighed. "I'm leaving tomorrow anyhow."
  "Titiana, someone is watching you and it is more than likely whoever has been trying to get to you. The cabin is no longer safe, and I have every intention of voicing that opinion to Dumbledore," Severus said.
  "This is getting completely ridiculous," Anna said, her temperature starting to rise as she turned into the next room to throw he rest of her things together. "First, I had to come here early because Dumbledore thought someone might have found out I was "different." Then I wasn't allowed to go to anywhere without an escort, and Vallid won't let me go back to work because Psycho Willie is out and she's afraid he's after me again. And now I'm not even allowed to stay in the home everyone moved me to because it was 'safe?' Where am I headed to next, Azkaban?" She demanded.
  "Who's Psycho Willie?" Severus frowned at her, wondering why he hadn't heard that name before. At first Anna didn't look like she wanted to answer him, but finally sighed and gave in.
  "A non-magic serial killer I once profiled, in the States...a transient, originally from over here. He was into ritualistic killings, believing he could gain magic powers from their deaths. I guess he became fascinated with me when I interviewed to him while he was in jail, because about five years ago he was released 'by accident,' while he was on death row, he had the wrong paperwork or something.  It was about a year after Sirius got out when everyone was still looking for him, because I was in Britain when it happened. Somehow he managed to track me there, diverted my mail, I began getting odd calls...fortunately, my boyfriend at the time was with me and we were able to trap him. And then, after all of that, the government refused to send him back unless he was sent to a state without the death penalty. Well, Lunette says he somehow managed to get out again, and she thinks he may have found out where I was and headed here again."
  "Well.  No Muggle will be able to track you here or at the school, or even at our house. But you should have mentioned this before," Severus said with irritation. "I would like to look into this a bit more carefully if you don't mind."

  “Actually, I do,” Anna said, “You may be my brother, but I’d rather you not pry into my Muggle affairs, I like to keep some things as separate as possible, if you don’t mind.”

  “I see, so what you’re saying is I’m only your brother half the time,” Severus said with irritation.

  “Well you are my half-brother,” Anna said bluntly.  “My magic half.  What I do outside of it is my business, okay?”  She threw down the last bag.  Severus frowned but didn’t comment.  Perhaps it would be best if she believed that was the end of it, he mused, shrinking the bags.  But Severus had little true intention of staying out of the situation.

 

  Jennifer and Corey arrived late in the afternoon the next day, Jennifer tiredly sitting in the closest chair to the fireplace and propping her feet up while Corey announced their presence by yelling up the bookcase behind the stairs and down in the basement.  He barely stopped to shrug off of his coat and toss it on a barstool before asking her if she could send a note with Ratfly letting his sister know they were there.  Exhausted, feet swollen, Jennifer had little inclination to get back up, but finally relented and opened up the kitchen window, holding out her arm and concentrating.   Severus and Anna came up from the basement to find her still standing there a few minutes later.

  “I don’t get it,” Jennifer said finally, turning around.  “Ratfly didn’t return to Hogwarts at all yesterday.  I just assumed he’d be here, but he’s not answering.  He always answers.”  Severus frowned.  No, it couldn’t possibly be happening again.

  “It’s early, he’s probably just asleep somewhere,” he suggested carefully.

  “It’s all right, Mom, I’ll use Cheshire,” Corey said, “He just tends to dawdle a lot more.”

  “Like wizard like familiar,” Severus said, but Corey just grinned at his stern look before heading to his room to let Cheshire out of his cage.

  “I’ll put out some food, maybe the scent will wake him,” Jennifer decided.  She got out a bowl and they filled with cherries before she even got it to the window.  “You know, maybe we ought to think of getting a family owl, Severus, considering Ratfly is the only flyer we have.  It’s not fair for him to have to run all our notes, especially when we’re here at the cottage.”

  “Hm., my opinion of owls isn’t too high at the moment, although you do have a point.”
  “I don’t suppose you’d ever consider getting a telephone?”  Anna inquired.  Severus and Jennifer gave her a dirty look.  “I’ll take that as a no,” she sighed and shook her head.  “I think I’ll go upstairs and talk to Corey.  I bet he wouldn’t mind having a phone in here,” she added, opening the bookcase and heading up.

  “I can see that now, can’t you?  Muggles coming in here to put in phone lines in a house that doesn’t even have holes drilled in the wall for such things,” Jennifer grinned.

  “I can’t see it nor do I plan to try,” Severus said.

  “I bet she’s never had a traditional wizard Christmas before,” Jennifer said thoughtfully.  “Should be a lot of fun.  Come to think of it, I haven’t really had one, since the year my mother died,” Jennifer said, thinking back.

  “Nor I, since mine were killed,” Severus mused.  “But don’t go overboard, Jennifer.  I expect this will be a difficult Christmas for Corey.”

  “I know,” Jennifer said softly, nodding.  “And I had no intention of going ‘overboard.’  But then I suppose your idea of a good holiday is probably sitting in the basement with a new book, a batch of springerle and no one around to pester you,” Jennifer teased.

  “Well, no one else but you,” Severus corrected, pulling her closer to him and giving her a gentle kiss.

  With a bit of help from Anna and Corey (Severus wisely decided the best course of action would be to stay out of the way in the lab) the cottage was soon decked in fresh garlands and holly and ivy wreaths, spiced candles and bunches of rosemary and lots of sculpted quartz ornaments.   The morning of the twentieth when Anna awoke and came down the stairs the kitchen was already warm and smelling of breads and pies while Jennifer sat idly at the bar on a pillow-seated stool and read out of cookbook called Do-it-Yourself Cooking Recipes for Witches.

  “Wow, you must have been busy, it smells gorgeous in here!”  Anna said with surprise.   In fact, as late as they stayed up decorating the night before she was surprised that Jennifer was up that early.

  “Who me?  No, I just got up, actually.  But I’m glad you’re up.  Do you want to go to Dagda’s Market with me?  We can let the boys sleep and get out of the house for a bit.  I still have a ton to do before tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?  What’s going on tomorrow?”  Anna asked curiously.

  “Winter solstice of course, first day of Yule,” Jennifer said.  “That’s when we traditionally trim the tree and light the log, and just about anybody drops in from then until Christmas you know.  So, it’s best to get all the baking done today so we’ll be ready.  Mercy’s been cooking all morning, but I think I’m going to do a bit myself   Just need to pick up a few things.  Dagda’s is going to be a madhouse today, but we really have no choice.   So, are you game?”

  “Anything to get out of the house!”  Anna agreed, soon heading back to her room to get ready.  A moment later she was back downstairs with a strange expression on her face, as if something had occurred to her that hadn’t before.  “Who’s Mercy?”

  “Mercy?  She’s my Head House Elf, of course,” Jennifer said, trying to button up her coat.  Sighing she gave up and went for her cloak instead, glancing at the stony look on Anna’s face.  “Yes, Anna, of course we have House Elves.  How could I possibly keep up with these two without them?   They came with the house.”

  “Came with the house?”  Anna repeated.  Jennifer sighed softly, knowing from her expression that she must have had some talks with Hermione on the subject.  It really wasn’t that surprising, Jennifer supposed, Americans did away with them years ago.

  “Why don’t you sit down a minute, Anna, you look a little pale,” Jennifer said, studying Anna’s face thoughtfully. “You don’t like House Elves at all, do you?”

  “No…yes…I mean, I like them, but I don’t like the concept of how they’re being abused and taken advantage of!” Anna spluttered, her temperature rising as Jennifer tried to calm her down.

  “Now now, calm down,” Jennifer said, sounding slightly amused.  “Look, how about I tell you a bit of history before we head out, maybe it‘ll clear some things up.  See, it all started hundreds of years ago when the faerie folk began to fade out of this world.  Some left, some died off naturally, others were destroyed by mankind who at the time were little more than warring conquers.  Because of that a lot of land was destroyed and burned, and woodlands turned to grasslands, and the elves, which once lived among the animals in the forest, turned to domestic animals for survival, ‘borrowing’ milk and grain and such and in return helping the farmers they borrowed from without being seen.  But soon there came a terrible famine that left humans starving as well, and the lords taxed the people heavily with food to feed armies when they had none for themselves.  But the cost to us was incomparable to what had happened to the elves.  In fact, the famine nearly wiped them out, and they might have been if it hadn’t been for this one lone cobbler and his wife who took a great many of them in.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Anna said, staring at Jennifer in disbelief.  “You mean the Elves and the Shoemaker is a real story, and it actually started all this?”  Jennifer suddenly looked amused.

  “You mean the Muggles know about that?  And you said they don’t have House Elves.”

  “Well, they don’t,” Anna insisted.  “And I don’t see how after centuries all of you could take advantage of something that happened so long ago.”

  “Who’s taking advantage?  They need food and shelter and like to housekeep, we provide it for them and they help us maintain a household.  You know, a lot of species in nature work together to help each other survive, symbiotic and all that. How is this any different?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Because they can’t get out of it if they don’t want to!”  Anna said, drumming her fingers on the bar.

  “Mercy, can you come out for a moment?”  Jennifer said, shaking her head at Anna as an elderly House Elf wearing a dress made of doilies and safety pins suddenly appeared on the bar.  “Mercy, would you like for me to release you?”  The Elf’s eyes went wide.

  “Did Mercy do something wrong?”

  “No, no, I mean, is there anywhere else you’d like to be, or do?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Oh, no, Mistress!  You have been good to Mercy, please do not send Mercy away,” the Elf said, fretting to herself.

  “There, you see?”  Jennifer said.  Anna sighed.

  “If you had to work for only food and shelter, would you?” Anna challenger her.

  “Yes,” Jennifer said.  Anna drummed her fingers, knowing she would.

  “Well, what if you had to, oh, work in a mine half a mile down, or had Lucius Malfoy as a boss?”  Anna said.

  “Of course not, I wouldn’t do it,” Jennifer said.

  “Aha, there’s the flaw in your thinking, because they don’t have that option.”

  “Well, mine do.  In fact, I even suggested they come to Hogwarts while we were there, and eight of them even accepted,” Jennifer said, feeling irritatingly as if she were on trial.  “Mercy’s daughter Francie loves going back and forth, they can come and go as they like.”

  “Mercy, what were things like before Jennifer came?”  Anna asked.

  “Not very good, Mistresses.  Mercy and others were left alone and forgotten, and had to fend for ourselves.  It is something we’re not proud of, Mistress, but can do if we have to.  But no one came to feed us, and we stayed loyal to our cottage, only did work sometimes over the fence,” Mercy admitted.

  “But that means you were abandoned, why did you all stay?”  Jennifer intervened suddenly.

  “Abandoned?”  Anna asked.

  “If they aren’t provided food and shelter, they’re considered abandoned, anyone could come along and offer and they could leave without fear of harm or dishonor,” Jennifer explained impatiently.  Anna grew thoughtful.

  “Yes, but you came, Mistress, and Mercy and others stayed.  Mercy and others really likes Mistress Snape, and don’t want to leave,” she said emphatically.

  “Don’t you worry, Mercy, I would never abandon you, you’re the best House Elf a person could have, and I certainly wouldn’t let any of you go before Christmas.  I’m going to go buy the log at Dagda’s, so I want you to send the boys to pick it up later and put it on the porch, all right?”

  “Yes Mistress, thank you!  May I go back to work now?” she asked dithering slightly.

  “Of course!”  Jennifer said, turning to Anna as the Elf disappeared.  “There now, you see?  That’s all settled.  They’re happy here.  If they weren’t, I’d let them go in an instant.”

  “You’d run a house with no Elves?”  Anna inquired.

  “Of course not!  I’d just get ones that were happy here,” Jennifer said, stepping into the fireplace.  Anna shook her head, having a feeling she wasn’t going to win this argument…at least, not yet.  Anna Apparated to her and found herself in a bustling market.

   The Dagda Marketplace was centered in a large warehouse run by several different wizard farming families, sectioned off in different booths and vendors.  Barrels and crates lined the floors filled with goods for sale while House Elves, wizards and witches bustled by as they combed the marketplace for the best deals or the freshest quality.  Jennifer loved it there…in the states where she grew up the local wizard grocery had been completely modernized, and if she never saw another can of pumpkin or packaged dehydrated herbs it would quite suit her.  And although such things, unfortunately, existed in Britain too, on a friend’s advice she had decided to try out Dagda’s, and had never looked back.  Right now it was packed with even more people than usual as they tried to get their last minute items before Yule. 

  Anna soon learned that people tended to get out of Jennifer’s way when she came through, some of them smiling nervously and others greeting her warmly by name, and just as Anna began to get used to her surroundings Jennifer was almost done.  She bought a rather peculiar collection of fresh fruit for Ratfly, hoping to lure him home with his favorite treats, and a rather large bottle of anise.  Finally they headed for the far corner of the market where several tree farmers sat peddling across from a tiny Goblin standing in front of the tallest pile of the largest fire logs Anna had ever seen.  The smallest one was slightly bigger than her forearm, and the larger ones were five times that.   Young children climbed precariously over the pile of Yule Logs to find the best one as one by one they were chosen with the same precision as choosing the right Halloween pumpkin.

  “Well, Anna, I don’t think Severus would approve of me getting on that thing in my condition, why don’t you pick us out a good one?”  Jennifer winked at her.  Before Anna knew it she was climbing on the pile, looking for one despite the fact she didn’t think there was any way they’d get it in that small hearth.  All the time she walked along the pile, she could have sworn she could hear the logs whispering, “pick me! Pick me!  Not that one, it’s too green!  I am not!  He’s too moldy!  Come over here, you don’t want those puny things!”  At last she found one near the bottom and the Goblin looked none too pleased about the fact when she pointed it out.  Jennifer, noticing the reaction picked that moment to shake her pouch and suddenly they had the Goblin’s full attention and he somehow managed to wrestle the huge log out without toppling the precarious pile.  Jennifer quickly paid them and it was set aside with their name on it.

  “One more stop, Anna, I think you’ll like this one,” Jennifer grinned.  “I have to go to Myrkinbrek to pay for Corey’s broom so it gets delivered on time.”

  “But I thought you both weren’t getting him a broom because of the Forest thing, at least, that’s what Severus said…”

  “I know what Severus said,” Jennifer whispered, stuffing her bags in her cloak.  “But I think the boy deserves the benefit of the doubt, especially at Christmas.  After all, he has turned his marks around and he really does mean well.  Besides, what’s Severus going to do when it shows up on Christmas morning, take it away?  Even he’s not that cold.  Besides, even if he wanted to, Goblins offer no refunds,” Jennifer winked, getting out her floo powder.

  It was hours before they finally returned again, and Jennifer found Severus pacing the living room when they appeared, Anna’s arms filled with bags and boxes while Jennifer was conspicuously carrying nothing.

  “And just where have you two been?  I was half tempted to come look for you…”

  “Calm down, Severus, I just went to the store and I took Anna Christmas shopping.”

  “Where to, the North Pole?  You might have been there and back by now,” he snapped.

  “No, to Myrkinbrek’s, now will you calm down?  Nothing happened…well, other than the fact your sister spent too much money and my miniaturization spell fizzled,” Jennifer chuckled.

  “And if you would have run into trouble and your spells had been down?”  He asked, tapping his fingers against his folded arms in annoyance.

  “Relax, I took my cloak,” Jennifer said.  “Don’t be such an old scrooge, we’re quite capable of taking care of ourselves.  Any sign of Ratfly?”

  “Hm, no and Hedwig is late,” Severus muttered.  “I knew this exchange would never work.”

  “Nonsense, Severus, the Secret exchange worked fine last summer.  It’s no more normal for Hedwig to be late as it is for Ratfly to disappear.  Something is terribly wrong here,” Jennifer brooded.  Just then there was a loud *thud* noise outside, and Severus swept to the door and opened it with his wand out, only to relax and put it back again. 

  Jennifer and Anna appeared by his side and Corey’s head popped out from behind the bookcase with curiosity. 

  “Oh, it’s only our Yule Log,” Jennifer laughed with relief.  “Look at us, all jumpy as if expecting something’s going to go wrong.  Well, it’s obvious the House Elves are dependable at least.”  Corey frowned slightly and slipped back behind the bookcase.

  “Jennifer, why don’t we send one of the more trustworthy ones over to find Harry and make sure there’s nothing odd about this delay,” Severus suggested.  “Perhaps we are overreacting, but then again, I’d feel better if we knew for certain.”

  It was quite late that night before they heard back from Harry.  As Anna volunteered to help Jennifer finish up the baking Corey was enlisted to help Severus down in the lab, locking the door behind them.

  “As if there were any danger of me going down there,” Jennifer snorted softly, trying to rub some of the flour off her face and only succeeding in making it worse.  “I hate being underground.  If I wasn’t on the cliff side so I had a bit of window I imagine I’d go insane down there at work.  Are you about done with the gingerbread men?”

  “Yep, all ready to go in,” Anna said.

  “Okay, we need to stop what we’re doing when it’s time for them to come out, if we don’t get them in the ice box straight away, well, I’m sure you’ll know what will happen,” Jennifer said, nodding knowingly.  Anna looked at her for a long moment.  “Trust me, the last thing we want is an army of runaway gingerbread men loose in the house.  Especially since our insurance doesn‘t cover cookie invasions.”   Anna groaned softly.

  “I should have guessed,” she muttered.  There was a knock at the door, and Anna got up to answer it as Jennifer slid the cookies in.  It was Harry, and he was cradling something in his arms that looked like an exhausted bat.

  “Special delivery, one pooped fruit bat, anybody want to sign for this?”  Harry said cheerfully, causing Jennifer to rush over.

  “Ratfly!  Ratfly my poor bat!  Harry where did you find him?”  Jennifer said, taking him into her arms, knocking on the basement door.

  “He made it to my house last night, didn’t have anything on him but was exhausted so I let him sleep.  I sent a note with Hedwig, but apparently she didn’t make it?” Harry asked as he stepped in.

  “We haven’t gotten any post since we came here, except for some notes from Essie that Cheshire delivers,” Jennifer said.  “Not even a Christmas card.”

  “Then you’re missing a lot of mail, including several from Dumbledore and Sirius for you, Anna, and some cards and an invitation to a party at the Mansion on Christmas Eve,” Harry said.    Just then there was a knocking noise in the oven that grew louder and louder.  “Don’t tell me you’re baking those blasted cookies too,” Harry said, and then grabbed some mitts he saw on the counter.  Jennifer gingerly put Ratfly down in her room and hurried back in as Anna began to back away from the oven.

  “Anna open the ice box and stand behind the door!”  Jennifer yelled.  Not knowing quite what to expect she did as she was told as Jennifer opened the oven and pulled the tray out as gingerbread men attempted to escape as she batted them back in.  Just as she slid in on the shelf one managed to escape before the door was shut, and Harry dove for it just before it made its way out the back door, and managing to hold onto the wriggling cookie and throwing it in the ice box helping them hold the door shut as they tried to get out.

  “How long do we have to do this?”  Anna shouted.

  “Just until they cool down a moment,” Jennifer assured her just as another wave of pounding hit the icebox door.  Finally it began to subside some and Harry turned around, his back to the box door as he looked in his mitt.

  “Afraid I broke that last one, Jennifer, I have a leg here,” Harry admitted.

  “Oh well, one out of two dozen isn’t bad,” Jennifer grinned.

  “Pretty tasty too,” Harry added after chomping on the warm cookie.  Anna, on the other hand, suddenly lost all of her appetite for gingerbread.

 

 

 
Chapter Twenty-One

Yule at the Broom Closet

 

      The Winter Solstice arrived dry and very cold, but a warm glow spread through the cottage as the Log, which seemed to fit in the hearth perfectly despite its outward appearance, suddenly broke into a steady flame with the flick of Severus’ wand.  Corey had the honor of dragging the tree in (although he cheated a little to get it in the door,) setting it in the far corner to keep it from getting knocked by opening and shutting bookcases.   Severus then made himself scarce as Jennifer and Anna tried to coax Corey into helping, but the boy really wasn’t in the mood to celebrate anything and soon wandered out the door with Cheshire to take a walk. 

   At the ice covered stone wall that separated the sheep farm from the bluff he stopped and sat upon it, and Cheshire went ahead, leaping through the snow as if attempting to touch it as little as possible so not to get wet.  He sat there quietly for a long time before Cheshire came bounding back with Essie not far behind.  She ran up and immediately hugged him, and he returned it stiffly as she buried her face in his shoulder crying softly.

  “I don’t want Christmas to come,” she said at last, and he sighed and patted her on the back.

  “I know, it’s all right.  I feel the same way,” he said, cleaning off an area of the wall and helping her up next to him.

  “I can’t stay long, I’m supposed to be helping bake but I told them I needed to go out to the barn,” she explained.  “What have you been doing?”

  “Oh, Mom and Aunt Anna are decorating and Dad went out to stock up on Solstice mistletoe.  But all I can think about is the last Christmas we were all together. Remember when Charlie nailed ice-skating blades to his new boots? Boy, Mum was sure mad.”
  “Father would always put a Christmas bell around the youngest lamb, we could always hear it ringing when we went to church,” Essie said.
  “We always had new wool mittens and coats from Mum. Last year I even got that game player I wanted...I haven’t been able to play with it since it happened.” Corey said. “Dumbledore didn’t tell me until after Christmas, you know, hoping to soften the blow I think. But I keep feeling guilty how much fun I was having, not even knowing they were gone.” Essie leaned on him comfortingly.
  “Aunt Rebecca is trying not to think about it, she hasn’t even mentioned it,” Essie said after a moment. “But she keeps trying to do things Mum used to do, trying to make things right, somehow. Her plum pudding isn’t anything as good as Mum’s though.”
  “Mom and Dad haven’t mentioned it either,” Corey said. “And Mom’s doing the same, doing everything she can to make everything perfect. I wonder if she’s read from me yet that I really wish it’d all just go away,” he sighed, hopping off the wall. “I brought this for you,” he said, handing her a gingerbread girl.
  “She winked at me!” Essie said with amazement. “Is she alive?”
  “No, no, it’s just something in the mix. It’s safe, I’ve had two myself,” Corey insisted. “Just make sure Aunt Rebecca doesn’t see it.” Cheshire suddenly began to paw at Essie’s shoe. “You’d better get going.” As Essie headed over the field, Corey watched her carefully to make sure he got home all right before heading back himself.
  The small cottage was bustling with visitors from that evening on, but Corey made himself scarce whenever possible, retreating to his room at the first opportunity. Severus was hardly less in a hurry to head to the basement, so Jennifer and Anna soon found themselves entertaining everyone as the men disappeared the moment there was a knock at the door. 

  Sirius came over often and he and Anna took walks along the bluff, while Jennifer spent time in her room, working on last minute touches on one of her Christmas projects.  This was far from the close family Christmas that Jennifer had imagined, and as it came closer to Christmas Jennifer couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps she wasn’t doing the wrong thing by leaving Corey alone with the building grief apparent on his face.

  Early on Christmas Eve, Harry came over to take Anna to Black Mansion for their Christmas party and drop off some presents for under the tree.  Anna came down in a lovely ivory dress, the rose jewelry she had gotten from Sirius, and a white coat that Jennifer had never seen before.  Glancing at Harry’s face and then back to Anna’s, Jennifer privately wondered if Anna had any guess what Sirius had planned for that evening.  She was also quite glad that she and Severus had decided to stay home, and not just because he and Sirius did not get along.  There were just some things that her husband didn’t need to know right away.

  “I don’t know what Sirius got for Severus this year, but whatever it is, I claim no responsibility for it,” Harry said.  “You sure you don’t want to go, Jennifer?  How about you, Corey?  I can have him back before it gets too late.”

  “No thanks, not tonight,” Corey said quietly from where he sat by the fireplace.  “Have fun, Aunt Anna, Happy Christmas, Harry.”

  “Happy Christmas, you two.  Don’t let Severus stay down in that lab all night,” Harry said.

  “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t,” Jennifer promised, showing the two out, smiling warmly at Anna.  “Have fun, stay out as late as you want, I’ll cover for you,” she grinned with a wink.

  “I would have anyhow,” Anna admitted before the two of them stepped off the porch and Apparated.

  “Well!  Now that that’s done, I guess it’s just the three of us,” Jennifer said cheerfully before sitting slowly down in the chair next to Corey’s drumming her fingers on her slightly bulging stomach.  “So anything special you want to do tonight?  I was thinking perhaps we could try and coax Severus out of the lab and perhaps go do something you want to do.”

  “Anything?”  Corey asked thoughtfully.

  “Sure, even if it’s a Muggle thing, name it, I’m game,” Jennifer grinned.  Anything to get him out of this mood.

  “Well, first what I’d really like to do is check in and make sure Essie is all right,” Corey said slowly, and Jennifer nodded understandingly.  “Then, if it’s all right, can…can we go see my brother and my parents?”  Jennifer gazed as Corey for a long time before smiling softly at him.

  “Yes, of course, Corey,” she said.  “Why don’t you go tell your Dad and ask him to finish up and then get some Muggle clothes on?  Make sure you dress warm, perhaps we can walk and enjoy the lights and on the way.”

    Jennifer quickly rummaged through her clothes to find a passable dress that Minerva had altered to fit her and turned her cloak into a long dark coat.  By the time Severus had come up she and Corey were ready, so he quickly put on a disguise spell and put on his glasses and the three of them walked out into the chill night.  Electric Christmas lights had always fascinated Jennifer, and it wasn’t long before the reached the top of the path that they saw houses inundated with hooks and wires and glowing glass lights of every size and color.  They walked quietly towards the local church with Corey leading the way, listening to the soft sound of carolers knocking on doors and laughter ringing out of the houses.

  At last they turned into the graveyard and over to where they were buried, their graves already filled with candles and flowers.  They added wreaths of holly and ivy to each one and Jennifer and Severus stood back a bit, his arm comfortingly around her as they stood in the darkness as flakes of snow began to drift downwards. 

  Corey sighed softly, feeling a numbness not caused by the cold as he stood there, waving his hand as he knelt so the candles flickered to life.

  “Well, Mum, you’ll be proud to know I’m actually applying myself this year.  Second best in my class, and all that.  Well, really, I’m the best but some things come first, you know.  Father, the farm’s doing really well this year, Uncle Mark really knows his business, Essie says she thinks they’ll have a good year.  Aunt Rebecca’s pretty strict with her, I know you’ll like that, Mum, but then Essie was always the white sheep of the family.  Don’t be mad at Aunt Rebecca about me, okay, Father?  I’m really happy where I’m at, and the more I think about it, the more I think it’s for the best only…well, I think Essie would like to go to Hogwarts too.  And I think it might be in her, she’s just a late bloomer is all.  Charlie, you’ll never guess but I’m playing a sport now.  Oh, well, it’s not football, but I think it’s just up your alley.  If you haven’t seen me play, well, you should come and watch sometime.  I think you’d like Quidditch, really.  I sure wish you were here,” he added softly, shaking his head.   “But there’s some things even a real wizard can’t do, let alone a kid like me.  Not that I wouldn‘t have tried.”  Corey got up then, suddenly overcome with grief, choking back his tears.  “Goodbye, Mum, Father, Charlie.  I’m going to go see if I can’t light a candle for you,” he said, heading back over to Jennifer and Severus, who took quick turns over a moment joining Corey.

  It was getting late, Jennifer knew, as people began to head towards the church, their soft chatter echoing through the cemetery on the cold air.   Jennifer still couldn’t help but be slightly surprised when Corey said he wanted to go in, and looked over at Severus expectantly to see him gaze at her a moment, before nodding expressionlessly.  Double-checking each other to make sure they looked Muggle enough the three of them walked in, grateful for the warmth as they slipped quietly in a back pew. 

  Jennifer had never been in a Muggle church before nor would she have gone in for anyone else.  Severus had been but once a very long time ago, but felt no less awkward than she.  He had distinctly been aware from the moment the entered how many eyes had fallen on Corey and then on the two of them, most of them smiling softly at him as they noticed his gaze.  The most surprised was that of Rebecca Hunt, who stared at them for a long while with an almost bewildered expression.  What were they doing here?  They didn’t belong…it was so unbelievably obvious just by looking at them, huddling almost protectively around Corey like fish out of water.  But Corey didn’t look like a fish out of water.  Corey had the look of one who had just come home from a long journey, and with furtive attention and enthusiasm which he had never had when his parents where there, he stood and sang out with the choir in a loud soprano as Jennifer and Severus’ eyes grew wide in complete surprise.  Jennifer quickly realized that there was a lot about Corey’s Muggle life that she had never asked about because of his parent’s death, and suddenly found herself wishing she had, especially on the second verse of Silent Night when they realized that Corey was singing completely by himself and everyone’s eyes were on them.

  Jennifer, who was wishing she were anywhere else but there, suddenly noticed Dumbledore standing in Muggle form towards the front, smiling proudly at them.  She relaxed slightly, wondering what he was doing there, but suddenly was distracted as everyone knelt again and had to try and focus her attention to what was going on.  If they ever had to do this again she swore she was going to have to wear kneepads.

    Jennifer and Severus slipped out near the end and waited for Corey, receiving warm greetings as they came, including the pastor who came to shake their hand before taking his place by the door.

  “I want to thank you both for bringing Corey.  We have missed him here.  He’s always been a breath of fresh air in this church,” he said just as Corey came around the corner, smiling softly as he went to join them.  “Please feel free to come back any time, you are always welcome here,” he smiled at them.   “And Corey, it was good to hear your voice again, do come see us more often.”

  “Thank you Pastor, I’ll try to,” Corey said, looking back at Jennifer, who nodded to him with a smile as they walked out.

  “Let’s wait to say hello to Mr. Door before we leave,” Jennifer suggested.

  “I’d like to see Essie too,” Corey said, and Jennifer and Severus exchanged glances.  “After all, it is Christmas.”  They didn’t have to wait long before Dumbledore came out, walking over to them with a smile.

  “Happy Christmas Severus, Jennifer, Corey.”

  “Good Evening, Sir.  I’m rather surprised to see you here, do you come often?”  Severus asked him, raising an eyebrow.

  “Oh, on occasion, to check up on things, and I daresay you couldn’t be half as surprised as I was to see you there,” Dumbledore said with amusement.

  “Corey wanted to come,” Jennifer explained, watching to boy as he wandered off to talk to someone he knew.  “He needed to come,” she corrected herself thoughtfully.  Dumbledore smiled at them, then turned his attention back to Corey.  Rebecca and Mark Hunter had just come out, followed by Essie, who rushed passed them and over to her brother before they could stop her.  But before anyone else could react the Pastor was over there beside her putting a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder and saying something to her that made her pause.  Although she stopped trying to break them up, it didn’t take a Truth-seeker to see that she wasn’t happy about it.  But it was at that time that Jennifer noticed something else.

  “Pastor Pachem knows what we are,” she said softly, regarding him carefully.

  “Ah, yes, he is a good friend of mine,” Dumbledore nodded with a smile.  “I would trust him with my life.”  Jennifer and Severus both peered quizzically at him then back at the priest with a new level of respect.

   They left soon after, and Corey, although tired, seemed happier than he had been for several days.  Jennifer only wished that she could say the same about Severus when they got near the cottage and saw Sirius and Anna kissing on the porch. 

  “Whoa, now that’s intense!”  Corey commented while Jennifer was busy getting a firm grip around Severus’ arm.   Sirius and Anna turned around in surprise, Sirius nodding and smiling to them casually.

  “Sorry, we thought you’d all be asleep by now,” Sirius said.

  “And that gives you the right to make a public display of yourselves on my doorstep at this hour?”  Severus snapped, taking out and glancing at his watch.  Jennifer touched Severus’ hand gently.

  “Severus, it’s Christmas,” Jennifer said in protest.

  “The party did run a bit long, I admit, but we came straight here.  What in the world are you three doing out so late, though, was there trouble?”  Sirius asked.

  “We went to church,” Corey said.  “Can I stay up until the owls deliver since it’s already past midnight anyhow?” 

  “I beg your pardon, Corey, what did you say, you went where?”  Sirius said with shock across his face.

  “Mom and Dad took me to my old church, and I got to see my sister with Aunt Rebecca there and everything,” Corey said again.  “So can I stay up?”

  “No, you can’t, in fact, why don’t you go on up to bed now?”  Jennifer suggested, opening the door.

  “No, wait, let me get this right, Severus went to Church?  And it was a Muggle Church on top of it?”  Sirius said, and seeing his annoyed expression burst into roaring laughter.  “I can’t wait to tell this to Lupin, he’s going to flip.  Oh I wish I could have seen that!”    Quickly deciding that perhaps he’d better leave before Jennifer or Anna got upset, Sirius gave Anna another quick kiss and Disapparated before Severus could get his hands around his throat. 

 

  Bright and perhaps much too early Jennifer was awakened by the excited shouting of a twelve year old boy.  A quivery feeling was going through her stomach and she put her hand on it with a sigh.  Well, if the kids were awake, perhaps she should be too.  She chuckled to herself, sitting up.   That was when she noticed that Severus was gone as well, and pulled on her robe and went out into the kitchen to see him standing there tapping, his fingers and looking at her accusingly.  Blinking at what she saw in his face, she peered into the living room and broke into a bright red blush when she noticed there was not one, but two brooms beside the tree.   Apparently, Severus must have changed his mind about getting Corey a broom, and they both ended up ordering one.  Jennifer glanced up guiltily at Severus who was glancing back at her rather sheepishly.

  “I don’t believe it!  Two brooms!  And both CS Nighthawks!  Are both of these mine?”  Corey asked in awe, grabbing one and clutching it protectively. 

  “Of course not,” Severus said, shaking her head at him, “One of the brooms is…is your Aunt Anna’s, obviously,” he improvised.  Anna, who had just stepped out of the bookcase looking half asleep suddenly became wide awake.  “And she’d better appreciate it, those cost more than twice what I paid for your mother’s old broom.” 

  Anna, who had already had bad experiences riding a broom, wondered what in the world came over Severus to get her a broom.  Jennifer smiled and shrugged at her, giggling nervously.  But something against the wall suddenly caught her eye and Jennifer forgot all about the mix-up.  It was a very familiar red high-backed chair set against the wall, a trailing ribbon holding onto a folded note, but she already knew whom it was from.

  A replica for your sitting room to help you relax through the months ahead. ~ A. Dumbledore.

  Jennifer sank down into the chair contentedly and looked as if she had no intentions of ever getting up again.  Within moments the others were searching through the presents as well, and colored paper was fed onto the log.

  Jennifer, already content with her chair, also got a very lovely set of crystal potion bottles from Corey and Severus who had filled them with balms and lotions they had made for her swollen feet and aches and pains.  Minerva had sent her a wand kit, and Pomona couldn’t resist but give her the book, Exotic Herbs and How to Make Them Get Along, and Sagittari had sent her a parcel of home-made baklava.   But her favorite gift other than the chair was a small ornate music box made of carved wood and pearl with a tiny dark-cloaked prince kneeling to kiss an auburn-haired sleeping beauty.  Tucked inside was a small note which read:  You are forever my sleeping beauty although a Prince I‘ll never be…of course if you fancy toads I may be able to arrange that… Severus

  Jennifer gazed over at his serene face to exchange a private smile as he looked up from one of the many books he had received, wearing his Chest cloak that she had repaired for him, adding a heat proof Charm to it to go along with the flame proof one… “For the next time he wanted to go Dragon Tickling,” she had teased.  She also gave an emerald and onyx basilisk-shaped cloak pin, and along with that nearly everyone else had given him books ranging from Experimentations with the Magical Properties of Minerals by N. Flammel (from Dumbledore) to The Count of Monte Cristo (From Anna).  Even Sirius gave him books, not that Severus really appreciated getting a copy of Miss Manners, nor the inscription on A Christmas Carol that said, “To the man who makes Scrooge look like Mary Poppins.”

  “You should have seen what he was going to get him before I stopped him,” Anna grimaced when she and Jennifer spoke of it later.  “I told him if he didn’t get Severus a reasonable gift this year I was going to strangle him.”  Anna, it seemed, got mostly clothes from her friends and family from the States and seemed quite elated with that.  But she also adored the music box that Severus had given her of a Unicorn in a copse of trees, and the ornate Puzzlebox that Jennifer had given her.  Dumbledore had given both Anna and Corey Pensieves, and Severus soon found himself demonstrating to them how to use it.

  Corey couldn’t believe he finally managed to get a Christmas with no books or clothes in it.  Instead it was filled with tons of gadgets, cards, and lab equipment.  Several different people gave him broom kits, enough to last him a lifetime in fact, but Corey couldn’t help but start to get restless an hour later and finally asked if he could go to the Broom Park to try it out.  Anna too, had quickly gotten dressed in her new clothes and wanting to head to Harry’s house, and before Jennifer could blink they were out the door and up the chimney.

  “Well!  So much for family Christmas!” Jennifer exclaimed, then chuckled softly and shook her head, leaning back in her chair.  But Severus didn’t seem a bit displeased by the turn of events.  Instead he put down his books and went over to his wife offering a hand up as she looked thoughtfully up into his revealing eyes.

  “Yes, it looks as if I’ll get the Christmas I wanted after all,” he said, his face expressionless despite his intense gaze, knowing full well she could read exactly what he had in mind.  Jennifer smiled lovingly as she accepted his hand and stood, while he gathered her new crystal potion set and led her out of the room.

 

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty Two

Caveat Intus Draconis

 

  Harry had rented a small country house near the Burrow, and that Christmas it was bustling with people…Sirius, Lupin, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, Hermione and Neville to name a few made appearances around the buffet table (put together by Ginny and Molly Weasley) or sitting on the rug, or on a chair, or on a chair-arm in the fireplace-lit living room.

  Somehow through the commotion Ginny somehow managed to spot Anna as she came in the door waving the back of her hand at her frantically.  Laughing at her Anna took her hand to look at her ring as Harry walked up to them, looking slightly smug.

  “So you two are going to tie the knot too?  I’m starting to think weddings are contagious around here,” Anna joked, admiring the gold diamond cluster ring. “It’s very lovely!”

  “I bought ours the same time Sirius bought yours,” Harry grinned. 

  “Well, I haven’t seen it yet,” Ginny said insistently, and Anna showed her the marquis diamond engagement ring.  The white gold ring was carved with curling rose vines, inlaid with tiny diamond chips.  “I’m so glad you both are getting married too!  Of course, you’ll be married long before us.  We’re waiting until I’m out of Healer’s School,” Ginny said.

  “Oh, I don’t even want to think of naming a date yet,” Anna admitted.  She had every intention of including both her Muggle and Wizard family and friends, but hadn’t quite figured out they were going to manage that.  “I haven’t even told my brother yet.”

  “Well, you’d better not wait too long, Anna.  I know he’s not going to be happy now, but if you let it slide…”

  “I’ve only kept it quiet today for Jennifer and Corey’s sake.  She noticed last night, I could tell by the look she gave me.  But you know how Severus is.  I’ll tell him first thing tomorrow,” Anna decided, playing with her ring thoughtfully.

  “Perhaps I had better be there,” Harry decided.  He was quite sure no one was looking forward to that moment.  “I need to talk to Severus about the owl situation anyhow.”

  “I have a feeling he won’t be in the mood to talk about anything,” Ginny said. 

 

    Jennifer awoke the next day feeling wonderful and got up early to give some special attention to Ratfly.  The lazy bat was more than happy to be pampered, as he laid on Jennifer’s lap and ate berries, the baby kicking and scooting away from where he was at.

  “Ratfly, I believe you just got snubbed,” Jennifer chuckled softly, petting the bat lovingly.  “I wish you could tell me where you’ve been,” she sighed.  “It’s not like you to go off like that.  What, did you feel ignored?  I suppose I have been preoccupied lately.”  But the bat appeared anything but abused, stretching out contentedly now that he was full.  “Maybe I’ll take you to Sagittari when I go for my appointment.  Perhaps he’ll have some ideas,” she said.  Severus stepped in from their room looking at her curiously.

  “Oh, is that who you are talking to?  I thought Anna might have gotten up,” he said.

  “Anna’s not here.  There was a post inside the window from Hedwig saying she spent the night there.  Oh, come now, Severus don’t look like that.  She’s as safe with Harry than just about anywhere.  I’m just glad we actually got post for a change…that reminds me there’s one from Dumbledore for you on the counter,” Jennifer said, getting up despite Ratfly’s protests and depositing him upside down on his perch.  Severus quickly turned his attention to the letter and Jennifer sat down beside him, waiting patiently.

  “Hm, apparently Dumbledore will be attending a special board meeting tonight, he and Chairman Dalance want to try and press the new requirements through, including mandatory Muggle Studies.  That’s not going to sit well with many of the students’ families,” Severus grunted.

  “Especially the Snake year students,” Jennifer agreed, earning a dirty look from her husband.

  “Must you call them that?”  Severus scowled.

  “Sorry,” Jennifer grinned sheepishly. “But still, I know you’ll end up taking most of the heat.  I wonder why he’s so intent on rushing this through mid-term?  Not like this couldn’t have waited until the end of the year itinerary meeting.”

  “I’m sure he has his reasons,” Severus said, waving his hand dismissively.  He learned a long time ago not to bother to question why Dumbledore did anything.  “He also says they’ve had some trouble getting a hold of Rolanda, apparently she didn’t arrive at her sister’s on time last week.”

  “What?” Jennifer said, sitting up in surprise. “That’s not like her!  I hope nothing’s happened to her.”

  “Well, I think perhaps I’ll head to Hogwarts for awhile today and see if I can’t find out anything,” Severus decided, heading down to the lab.  The sound of thunder alerted them that they weren’t the only ones awake in the cottage.

  “I need to go to Hogwarts too to see Sagittari,” Jennifer reminded Severus as she stood at the top of the basement stairs.  “What am I going to do with Corey?”  She asked, just as the bookcase opened and Corey peeked out. 

  “Is this a good time to ask if I can spend the night at Doug’s house?”  Corey grinned.  Just then the front door opened and Anna and Harry walked in.

 

  Sirius was pacing Dumbledore’s Study as the Headmaster quietly tried to go through his notes for the meeting.

  “You know, this isn’t going to work.  She’s going to tell him and he’s going to blow and I’m just going to have to kill him.  I know what it’s coming down to, it’s what it’s always come down to all these years,” Sirius said, not missing a beat to his movement.  Dumbledore’s stern eyes flicked up at him, sighed, then looked back down again, shaking his head.  “He’s not going to listen, he’s probably going to accuse me of falling for his sister just to spite him, and then he’ll try to pull a spell and I’ll just have to defend myself and in the process make Jennifer a widow, and Anna will lose her only brother.  No, no, I can’t do this, maybe I should just call the whole thing off.” 

  “Honestly, Sirius, you’re not going to be able to get away from this that easily.  But if you don’t mind my saying so, I’d appreciate it if you both tried to be civil right now, I don’t have time for this.  I have a missing Professor on my hands, not to mention missing owls, and I need you both not to be at each other’s throats right now,” Dumbledore said.

  “Well he started it, ever since the Tomb…”

  “Sirius, you are behaving just like him.”  Sirius turned and scowled at Dumbledore. 

  “Nonsense, I don’t act anything like him!” he snapped and started pacing again.  Dumbledore sighed.   Just then a pounding rattled the door and Dumbledore removed his spectacles in resignation as he waved the door open and Severus stormed through, followed by Harry, Anna, and Jennifer.  Severus pulled up short when he spotted Sirius, everything he had been about to say to Dumbledore completely draining away as he walked closer to Sirius who had put his hand on his belt in case he needed to get to his wand.

  “Let me make this perfectly clear to you once and for all, Black.  I do not approve of this relationship, I have never approved of it, and if you so much as touch my sister again you’ll wish you never had,” he snarled.  Sirius rolled his eyes, walked over to Anna and kissed her, and Jennifer and Harry jumped over to Severus, Harry holding his wand arm back and Jennifer standing in front of him pleading with him to calm down.

  “I told you we should have eloped,” Sirius told Anna, keeping a steady on Severus.

  “Severus, this has gone on long enough, don’t you think?  I love Sirius and I want to marry him, and nothing you’re going to say or do is going to stop it, so why can’t you just accept it?  I don’t want to have to lose my brother over this when it took us so long to finally see each other again, but I’m going to be with him whether you like it or not,” Anna snapped, standing in front of Sirius.

  “Don’t you see what he’s doing, he’s just using you to get to me!”  Severus snarled causing Sirius to roll his eyes and give everyone his “I told you so,” look.  “He wants nothing more to separate us I’m sure it’d please him to no end knowing he got you to hate me.”

  “Good lord, Severus, I don’t want her to hate you and I am not using her to get to you!”  Sirius shouted at him.  “I’d still want to marry her no matter who she was related to, in fact, at this point I wish she were related to anyone else but you!  You’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side ever since we were kids.  Grow up already!”

  “ENOUGH!”  Everyone froze at the sound of Dumbledore’s voice as he stood up, a furious glint in his eyes.  “I am quite tired of babysitting the both of you as I am sure Anna, Jennifer and Harry are.  I will not tolerate either of you jeopardizing the sanctity or safety of this school or each other any longer.  You shall now leave my presence.  You shall not seek out or be in my presence until the two of you have resolved your differences no matter how long that may be, nor may you act on behalf of the school in any way until you have done so…Jennifer if it they haven’t done so before school resumes, I may need to ask you to fill in for Defense for awhile…in the meantime I suggest the two of you go somewhere where you can cool off,” Dumbledore said, raising his wand and muttering a word no one could quite make out.  Sirius and Severus disappeared, leaving the other three turning wide-eyed towards Dumbledore.  The Headmaster put his glasses back on and sat down calmly again as the others exchanged glances, not knowing quite what to say.  “Now that the two of them are on ice, perhaps the three of you can help me try to track Rolanda.  Especially you, Jennifer…she left here in falcon form days ago, and that apparently was the last time she was seen.”

  “Of course, Professor, I’ll get right on it.  And perhaps Ratfly could give us a clue to where the owls are going now that he’s back.  I’m taking him down to Sagittari’s with me,” Jennifer said.

  “Professor, you don’t think that whatever is effecting the owls might have effected Rolanda once she turned into aviary form, do you?”  Harry asked.

  “Yes, Harry, I am beginning to suspect just that, and if that’s so, perhaps we should find a way to warn those who have that talent that there may be some danger in doing so,” Dumbledore said.

  “I’ll talk to Ron about it,” Harry nodded to him.

  “Do you mind if I ask where Sirius and Severus went?”  Anna asked.

  “They’re in the kitchen’s ice room at the moment, but try not to worry about them.  I promise I will keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t get into any trouble.   In the meantime, Anna, I have something else I would like to speak with you about since you haven’t been getting mail recently, I have a feeling you may not have gotten my job proposal yet.”  Anna blinked and looked over at Dumbledore’s enigmatic smile with curiosity.

 

  After the abrupt relocation, Severus, momentarily speechless by what had just happened, wrapped his cloak around him and sat down on a set of crates, not even looking at his fellow inmate.  Sirius was hardly any more talkative, turning into his other form and sitting on some cardboard on the other side of the ice room.

  “That’s your solution to everything isn’t it,” Severus muttered after a long silence. “Everything starts to go wrong with you and you turn Fido.”  The dog growled at him and leapt back into his Human form.

  “We wouldn’t even be in this mess if you hadn’t come storming into Dumbledore’s office in a rampage!”  Sirius said.

  “If you would have left my sister out of this, it never would have happened to begin with.”

  “Your sister was never in it!  How many times do I have to tell you that?  Why does everything that happens have to be against you personally, what’s wrong don’t you think someone might have fallen for your sister on her own merits?”

  “Of course they would, just not you,” Severus growled, and Sirius threw up his arms, pacing the floor.

  “You’re really impossible, you know that?   I have done everything in my power to try and get along with you and you’ve done nothing but fought it!”

  “Spare me.  You hate me as much as I hate you, and the only reason I never blasted you where you stood was Dumbledore deemed fit to ‘need’ you,” Severus said icily.   “Especially after keeping me from saving Jennifer at the Tomb!”

  “What?”  Sirius said in surprise.  “I stopped you from getting yourself killed trying to go in after her!  The Tomb would have collapsed on you and Jennifer would have awoke to find you dead!”

  “No!  I would have gotten to them somehow, I could have saved her and Harry from what they went through!”  Severus insisted, his eyes flashing furiously.  “You had no right to stop me from getting to her when she needed me most!”  So that was it, Sirius thought with disbelief.  All this time he had been angry at Sirius for keeping him from going in when Severus thought she was dead.

  “Well you have no right to try and stop me from getting to Anna when she needs me!”  Sirius snapped back. 

  “She only thinks she needs you because you’ve led her to believe that.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these attempts weren’t caused by you trying to get her to be more dependant on you!” 

  “You can’t honestly believe that!  You really think that the only reason I’m doing this is to get even with you?  You just can’t bring yourself to actually believe that your sister might be destined for someone you see as an enemy.  Fine, if that’s what you truly believe then just kill me and get it over with!   At least I won’t have to put up with your snide comments anymore, but don’t blame me if your sister never speaks to you again,” Sirius said, putting his wand on the floor and standing there expectantly.  “Well?  What are you waiting for?  You want me dead that badly, do it!”  Severus stood and squinted at him for a long moment with a calculating look on his face.  Finally he frowned and leaned back, folding his hands together.

  “I can not kill you.”

  “What was that?  Pardon?”  Sirius said, gesturing exaggeratedly, “Do I hear a note of reluctance?  Has the taste of revenge gotten too bitter?  Or is it Jennifer’s morality that holds you back?  What’s wrong, Severus, are you so used to milking defeat that actually achieving such a victory would sour it?”

  “No,” Severus said coldly, his eyes flickering with hatred.  “I mean I quite literally can not kill you.  I already tried once and it nearly cost me my life as well as my soul,” he snarled.  “Thanks to you, I nearly lost both, if it hadn’t been for Dumbledore, I would have.”  Sirius stared at Severus with both alarm and confusion.  Reluctantly Severus began to tell him a tale that he had only told to two others before him.

  

  His mother’s family had been an old wizarding family from the Balkans and Russia of high repute spanning back generations, his father of course a Snape, whose family spanned most of Western Europe had also a distinguished line originating from the Roman age.  They were a purist family of modest fortune, and it did not surprise them when their only son began to show signs of ability at an early age, as well as a brilliant mind.  His mother was a cold woman with strict ideals, and had every intention of raising him the same and teach him to be proud of his heritage.  Suddenly, unexpectedly, she had gotten ill and died when he was five, leaving the boy stunned and heartbroken.  It was not long before Octavius remarried, but the young boy still reeling from his mother’s death and struck with glorified memories of her being there was not prepared to welcome a stepmother, especially not this one.  Even at his young age, he knew what a mudblood was, and not only did he hate his stepmother, but he could not see to forgive his father for doing such a thing let alone marrying anyone so soon after her death.  As he grew older, the feelings of resent strengthened, although soon he found there was one consolation to the interminable changes his life had gone through…and that was his sister.  From the moment he saw her, how helpless she was, he felt a familiarity with his younger sibling that he didn’t understand.  If there were anything peculiar about her as a child he was unaware of it, nor even aware of the soft conversations held between her mother and father about the girl.  As it was, he would never truly find out.   It was late in his eleventh year when he was accepted at Hogwarts…his father was especially proud of the boy, who himself was rather cocky about the upcoming term, sure he would quickly rise to the head of the class and impress every Professor there.   But things weren’t as easy as he thought they would be, and although he rose to the top student in most of his classes (Amanda Lark, a Muggle Gryffindor girl had scored better in Transfiguration and Charms,) he soon found that few of his classmates wished to have anything to do with the arrogant boy, and the upper classmen only wanted to use him to further their own gain, often finding himself doing their homework and other favors to gain more powerful friends among them.  Lucius was one of them, and often listened to Severus talk about his home life.  That was when Lucius introduced him to some friends of his who were curious about his thoughts on his father and stepmother as well.  Perhaps he had been too indiscrete…his parents had never said anything about anyone meaning them any harm, however, so he had little reason, he thought, not to exchange post addresses with his newfound friends.  But it was not long after he had come home from the holidays that his stepmother suddenly came into the living room where he and Anna had been playing with a frightened look on her face, trying to usher them into the chimney.  In slow motion he could recall the cowled man with the wand that came in behind his father who looked unusually frail and pallid.  They were pleading for their lives, afraid…but it was no use.  From where Severus stood holding his sister next to him he heard the cold voice of the executioner as he called out a curse that ate away at their skin as they scream in excruciating pain as the spell slowly disintegrated them.  Fear, anger, and horror rose into Severus then at what he had just witnessed…the feelings inside them so welled up and so sharp that he felt them build, his attention all focused on the man who he had just seen murder his father and stepmother.  He Wished then, with all his heart, that the man would die before he had time to turn on the two of them.  Suddenly he felt all of his energy suddenly burst away from him, and the man began to scream in pain as well, dropping too his knees with his wand out towards them as he screamed, suddenly dropping the wand and collapsing in the floor in front of the children.  Severus and Anna stood there clutching one another in grief, the shock too great to even comprehend the magnitude of what had been done.  They were still standing there when Dumbledore found them several hours later.

  What happened after was little more than a blur…his sister moving to live with her Muggle grandparents while Dumbledore took him on as a ward, the attempts to hush what had occurred that day, and what he had done…but although the facts were protected, rumors abounded…that they were not killed because Severus was cursed in some way…that Severus himself had killed them, and some believing they had killed themselves upon finding out their daughter had been a squib…Severus soon learn learned to turn off the rubbish, and in fact, began turning off every influence in his life, shutting everyone out.  Only Dumbledore seemed to manage to get through to them, but even their ties were strained.  He was afraid…very afraid of both himself and of anyone getting hurt because of him.  And he was not ready to share that with anyone, and perhaps would never have, had the fear not turned to anger because of a hatred he had developed with some of the students particularly fond of spreading the rumors about them, and their Slytherin friend Pettigrew, who seemed only to encourage them.  There was little reason to talk of it.  Sirius knew as well as Severus what had happened then and how it escalated, and Sirius had already guessed how Severus finally decided to get revenge, by following his “friends” from his first year to become a Death Eater.  Little did he know that his first mission would be his undoing…to purify his blood he had to kill someone, and Voldemort thought perhaps it would only be fit that he kill one of those that caused his turmoil…Severus would go and kill Sirius Black, in a way that would leave no trace on the wand, so he could use Dumbledore’s young ward to spy for him.

  Severus didn’t even know if he could do it…now that he was older and his magic was trained, the wish magic of his youth had dwindled as it did in every trained wizard.  He had hesitated at first, but Voldemort had suggested he could always go after his sister instead, and bring back proof of her death…the threat had been enough…perhaps if he were older Severus may have realized that there would have been no way Voldemort would have found her on his own…and Severus was more naïve than he would have liked to have believed.   But when he finally followed Sirius alone as he left the mansion and let the anger build of everything that had happened, something went very, very wrong.

 

  “That night when you felt you were followed…the same night when the Potter’s decided that their work against the Death Eaters were getting too dangerous and chose to hide their whereabouts was the night I was supposed to have ascended to a full Death Eater from your death…but as I felt the magic build and leave me, it suddenly backfired, and my body was racked with the energy of my own fears, hatred, my cursed existence…”  Severus said, his eyes focused on his ring, unwilling to look up.  “I long wished after that that I had died from the attempt, to save me the ordeals that happened next.  For although Dumbledore somehow managed to find and save me my destiny was sealed.  The curse I had laid upon myself was in the very fabric of my existence, and I knew I had to return to Voldemort and complete what I had started, regardless of the tortures that I knew awaited me.  So, strangely enough, did Dumbledore know it, but he gave me an option to do what I had to do, but for the right reasons.”  Severus finished, transforming a crate into a cot and lying down.  “But things would have been a lot easier had you just died like you were supposed to.   I could have done without being turned into a popsicle.”  Sirius, who had listening thoughtfully and somberly to the story suddenly shot him an annoyed look.

  “So now it’s my fault for not dying on top of whatever crazy list you’ve got going against me?” Sirius asked, folding his arms.  “Sorry to inconvenience you by living.  You know, I‘m the one who should be a bit upset here.  I just found out you tried to kill me!”

  “It was you or my sister.  I hated you.  Tell me if you can if you wouldn’t have done the same,” Severus scowled.

  “I would have killed myself before I would have done either if it was in the name of Lord Voldemort!”  Sirius snarled.  Severus glared at him for a long time.

  “I, however, did not have that option at that point,” Severus said, pulling a blanket out of his cloak.

  “Oh, and why is that?”  Sirius said with irritation, folding his arms.

  “That, is another story,” Severus said simply, turning his back to him and closing his eyes.

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Three

Courses of Action

 

 

  After Jennifer’s glowing checkup, Ratfly had his, and Jennifer, Anna and Harry waited impatiently as the Centaur took a syrupy potion and spoke with the bat for a while before coming back out to the main room.

  “Well, he’s in good health although quite overweight for a bat his age.  What exactly have you been feeding him?”  Sagittari inquired.

  “Whatever he wants, usually,” Jennifer admitted, “but never mind that, did you find out anything about where he was?”

  “He doesn’t seem to remember, only that he left the bounds of Hogwarts, heard someone calling him, then didn’t remember anything after that until Harry brought him home,” Sagittari said.  “Ratfly says for some reason he couldn’t get all the way back, as if there were a barricade stopping him.”

  “Someone calling him?  Voice or sensation?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Sensation I believe, although I couldn’t say for sure, it’s all the same to a bat familiar…you know how they retune their hearing to pick up their masters’ impulses,” Sagittari said.

 “I’ve come to rely on that over the years,” Jennifer admitted.  “But he was close to the school when it happened?”

  “Yes, and if I would hazard a guess, I would think that perhaps the “calling” he heard had been going on the whole time, only the protections around the castle might have prevented it, especially if it were caused by a curse or spell.”

  “Then if Rolanda was affected by it too, it probably would have hit her right outside the bounds of the school,” Anna put in.

  “Quite possible…but normally a spell that effects a certain type of creature usually doesn’t effect an Animagus because their level of higher consciousness.  It would have to be quite a power wizard indeed who could manage to keep control over that,” Sagittari said, shaking his head.

  “Still, she’s gone, and if she were in her right mind she’d have come back in an instant,” Jennifer sighed.  Harry looked thoughtful.

  “Not necessarily,” Harry said.  “Ratfly couldn’t get all the way back, instead he came to me…your Secret Keeper.  What if for some reason the curse on him kept him from being able to home in on you, since he was under someone else’s influence instead of his own?”  He asked.

  “Well, theoretically it’s possible, I guess, if he didn’t know where we were…he might not have known we had gone home, and was trying to look for me by ear, so to speak,” Jennifer said.

  “If Rolanda had a curse on her, she might have tried to get back to Hogwarts but it wouldn’t have let her back in,” Harry said.

  “Well, then, what are we waiting for?  Let’s go around the outside of the boundaries and see if we can find her!”

  That was of course easier said then done, for the boundaries extended out far beyond the castle.  Leaving Hedwig and Ratfly at Sagittari’s for fear they might be effected again, they began to work their way around from the forest side, pausing every time they heard a flutter of wings to see what kind of bird it was.  Jennifer couldn’t remember ever seeing so many birds before in the Forest.  Many of them were owls, gazing down at them with such intelligent eyes that Jennifer were sure they were familiars or members of the Hogwart’s Post Fleet.  Finally they left the woods with not a sign of a falcon anywhere, feeling slightly frustrated as they rounded the far edge of the lake and across the tracks towards the station.  As they approached, Anna suddenly titled her head as if listening to something and stepped in front of them, walking up towards the stationhouse and looking up expectantly towards the roof.  Harry and Jennifer followed close behind, following her eyes, until all three of them stopped, spotting the falcon on the eaves.

  “It’s her!”  Jennifer confirmed with a nod.  “Rolanda!  Come down and change form, please!  We can help!”  The falcon’s yellow eyes stared unblinkingly at Jennifer, and Jennifer suddenly wondered at the murkiness of the gaze.  “I don’t think she’s aware of what she’s doing,” she said, taking out her wand.

  “There’s no point trying to dispel her.  If the influence is on her it’ll probably go right back on her the moment we try,” Harry said.

  “I’d rather use a potion on her anyhow,” Jennifer admitted. “You know how harsh an anti-curse can be if they’ve been under a charm for this long.  We need to catch her.”  As if suspecting what they were up to, Rolanda suddenly took flight, and the three of them struggled to keep their eyes on her in the increasing darkness.  But Anna did not miss a step, and Jennifer and Harry soon found themselves running behind her, suddenly stopping short when they saw the falcon go into the remains of a gutted cottage on the edge of the Forest, suddenly diving down out of sight. 

  “She went into the old Death Eater tunnels,” Anna said, glancing back at the other two.  Jennifer’s face had turned completely pasty as she stared down at where the bird had went, and Harry looked over at her, a haunted expression on his face.

  “Jennifer, perhaps you had better stay up here,” Harry suggested.

  “You don’t want to go down there any more than I do,” Jennifer said.  “I’m going.  Anna -”

  “Going,” Anna said with such conviction that Jennifer stopped what she was started to say and nodded.  Harry went first then Anna and then Jennifer; Jennifer pausing long enough to make sure the trap door (already off its hinges) was nailed to the floor before preceding down the stairs. 

  “Which way?” Harry wondered, staring into the darkness.  Anna pointed unhesitatingly down the front corridor and began to walk down it.  Taking a deep breath of air, Jennifer tapped her wisp light to life, trying not to recall her first time down here when Pettigrew had tried to capture her.  That had been a trap as well, as she was sure this probably was.  Her wand seemed warm in her hand, ready for any call to use as the three of them headed further down.  Suddenly Anna turned, and then again, and Harry asked her to pause a moment, bringing out a sheet of parchment.  “I should have thought of this before,” he said, taking out a quill and setting them both down, taking out his wand.  “Cartographus Animus!”  The paper and quill began to float and take notes on their area, trailing behind them.  “Alright, continue.”

  “That’s a pretty neat spell,” Jennifer said.  “What book is that in?”

  “You’ll have to ask Sirius when he gets out of the cooler.  I learned it from him,” Harry grinned.  Jennifer felt her head pounding again as they got further and further in, fighting off the dizzying feeling, knowing it was probably fear induced rather than air quality.  She attempted to concentrate on where they were going and glancing now and then at the map’s work, making sure they weren’t going in circles.  Suddenly Anna stopped in a four-way passage, looking back at them.  “I don’t feel her anymore.”

  “Odd,” Harry said, turning to pick up the map.  Just then there was a loud rumble and Jennifer felt her heart leap in her throat.  Before she could turn and bolt down the way they came, Harry grabbed her, pointing down at the map.  “Don’t bother, look,” he said, pointing at the map, “it is sealed.”  Jennifer stared at it for a long while, trying to keep calm.  Was it just her, or was it starting to get warm in here?

  “Can you Apparate?”  Jennifer asked.  Anna looked thoughtful then shook her head.  Jennifer quickly sat down as her head began to swim.  

  “Look, look.  We’re far away from the way we came in, but we know Rolanda got out.  There has to be another exit,” Harry pointed out shakily, sounding as if he were trying to reason as much with himself as to the other two.  “She’s trying to show us something, I’m sure of it.  We need to keep going,” he said, helping Jennifer back up.  “Come on, the sooner we get going the sooner we can get out of here.”

  Harry then took the lead, following one of the paths for awhile before pausing and turning around, wanting to try the other paths.  As they turned down the second corridor they began to hear the sound of squawking, screeching, singing birds that got louder as they progressed.

  “Be careful, the walls here aren’t like the rest of the cavern, “ Anna pointed out suddenly.  Jennifer glanced up at the ceiling and wished she hadn’t.  Instead of the smooth walls of before it was only packed dirt, trails of roots jetting out from above.

  “I’d say it was burrowed instead of made by magic by some large animal, definitely not one of the Death Eater’s tunnels,” Harry agreed.  “Apparently someone’s been using it since it was abandoned.”

  “And for no good, obviously,” Jennifer nodded, pushing ahead.  “We must be under the Forest somewhere, there’s so many trees…” Just then a small patch of light could be seen ahead. 

  “Wait, let me take a look,” Harry said as they neared a small hole, covered in vines.   Loose dirt rained down on them as he worked his way up scrambling up to look out on a familiar glen.  Grimly he scurried all the way out, uncovering the vine blanketed hole and reached down to give Jennifer a hand, Anna scrambling up close behind, her face losing color dramatically as she saw where they were.

  They were no more than ten yards away from Anna’s Forest cabin.

  “I suggest you girls head to the castle for the night,” Harry said.  “I’m going to go catch up with Vallid and let her know what’s going on.”

  “No need to bring Lunette into this,” Anna said quickly.  “Don’t you think she has enough to deal with, with the Willie case?”  Jennifer looked at Anna searchingly.

  “All the same, I think she ought to know,” Harry decided.  “It might have a connection with something I’ve been working on.  Jennifer, I trust you’ll tell Dumbledore about this?”

  “As soon as he gets back from London,” Jennifer agreed.  “I hope the board meeting doesn’t last all night.”

  “I hope the boys aren’t in there all night,” Anna said slightly annoyed.  “But they probably will be.”

 

 

 

 Early the next morning, Dumbledore walked into the cooler to see Severus and Sirius had been busy.  Many of the crates had been transformed into furniture, and they had somehow managed to talk a House Elf into bringing them a warm breakfast tray and were playing with a deck of cards.  Sirius had been in the middle of telling Severus something of his encounters with Icarus when he had come in, waving to Dumbledore as if in no hurry to go anywhere else.  The Headmaster sighed softly and shook his head and a smile crept across his face.

  “I see you have made yourselves comfortable,” Dumbledore said.

  “We improvised, thank you,” Severus said, not looking at him.  “I trust since you are here we’re allowed to come out now?” 

  “Actually, you could have left at any time,” Dumbledore said with amusement.  “The door was never locked.  Did neither of you think of checking?”  Sirius and Severus grimaced at each other.  “Or were you two busy fighting?”

  “For a lot of it,” Severus admitted.

  “We ran out of things to fight about,” Sirius said, putting down a card.  Severus picked it up and laid down his hand.

  “Gin.”  Severus said calmly.  Sirius stared at him.

 “You cheated.”

  “I most certainly did not.”

  “Oh come on now, that’s the second game in a row.”

  “Well, don’t blame me if you throw away cards without logically thinking about what I am picking up.  You should have been able to discern my hand by now.”

  “This isn’t about logic!  It’s a game!  It’s supposed to be fun!”

  “I thought we were only doing this to pass the time?  Besides, I thought the point of playing a game was to win,” Severus said.

  “Oh, dear,” said Dumbledore.  “I’d like to have my cooler back to working order as soon as possible if you don’t mind,” he sighed before walking back out.  Severus and Sirius scowled at each other.

  “Next time bring your own cards,” Sirius said.

 

  Severus and Sirius walked into Dumbledore’s study to find Harry, Jennifer, and Anna there talking to Minerva.  Anna, who had been pacing the floor, glanced up at the two men as they entered and Sirius smiled warmly at her.

  “Sorry if we kept anyone waiting,” Sirius said.  But Jennifer didn’t miss the other apology hidden in his eyes, directed at Anna.

  “Well, I assume if you have both emerged you’ve finally come to some sort of terms?”  Minerva asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “More or less,” Severus said evenly, his gaze falling on his wife, unsurprised to see her studying his face carefully.  Jennifer smiled softly at him then having some idea now what had occurred, sighing silently in relief.  He had been carrying that guilt too long…much too long, but somehow the weight of it had lifted overnight, and Jennifer could see that coming closer to terms with Sirius had brought Severus closer to terms with himself.

  “Dumbledore should be in momentarily.  He went to meet Vallid at the gate,” Minerva said.

  “How did the meeting go last night, Professor?”  Harry asked.

  “Oh, very well,” Minerva smiled, “But I expect Dumbledore will want to fill you in with the details,” just then she paused and glanced at the door as Dumbledore and Vallid entered, both of them making eye contact and smiling at everyone in the room as they did.

  “Ah, good, I’m so glad to have everyone here.  And so civil,” Dumbledore added, his eyes twinkling with mischief.  Sirius and Severus ignored the remark.  “Well, I suppose everyone is probably curious about the board meeting,” he continued, sitting down behind his desk.  “It went splendidly well, even if we did have a surprise guest,” he said, looking slightly amused.  “Doctor Weathering decided to join us yesterday evening.”

  “Doctor Weathering?” Jennifer repeated, suddenly feeling her temperature rise.

  “He was there, on behalf of concerned parents and himself of course, to suggest that perhaps it’d be advisable to replace our dear Potions master until such time she’s fit to teach.  Now, now, calm down, it’s all right Jennifer, Severus,” he calmly assured them.  “The protest did not last long…I had already taken the precaution of getting a statement from Sagittari and summarily had them dismissed.”

  “Well, it did also help that one of the board members, Caitlin Shea was eight months along,” Minerva couldn’t help to add.

  “It didn’t improve his case much, no,” Dumbledore agreed with a twinkle in his eyes.  “I think, Jennifer, it is safe to say that you won’t have to worry about that protest anymore.  I think between both myself, Sagittari and the head of the board’s confidence in you we have our bases covered.”  Jennifer nodded and leaned back in her chair, while Severus couldn’t help but drum his fingers with slight irritation that anyone would have attempted such a thing in the first place.  “But now onto more important news…the new curriculum for next year has been approved to include a requirement for all students beginning with Fourth years to have at least one year of Muggle courses.  And, I’ve also been given permission to hire an instructor for the extended curriculum so that our third years with extra time may go ahead and pick up part of the course this year if they would like.  Anna, if you’re still interested in the position?”  Jennifer and Severus looked over at Anna with surprise, but Harry, Sirius, and Minerva were grinning broadly.  Who better to teach the course than someone who lived most of her life as a Muggle?   Anna stopped pacing and nodded.

     “I’d be more than happy to,” she agreed.  “And it’ll give me something to do while everyone feels I should be under house arrest,” Anna muttered.

  “Good, Minerva will help you get settled after we’re done here, then, and I’m sure Sirius and Severus will see to having your things moved,” Dumbledore said with a smile.  “Welcome to the staff, Anna, I certainly can think of no one better suited to teaching this course than you.  No one else has had the same experiences as you adjusting to life here, and I’m quite sure that experience will help you make for an enlightening and interesting class.”

  Anna smiled back at him and thanked him, not totally convinced that the position hadn’t been just Dumbledore’s way of getting her safely in Hogwarts.  Still, there was little doubt there was a great need for many of the students to become more tolerant of the non-magic world, and even the Muggle born could use some help adjusting to their new environment, and Anna felt she could compose a course that could do both at the same time.  One thing was certain; Muggle Studies was no longer going to be a pushover when she got through with it.  Jennifer, who had been watching Anna, suddenly chuckled to herself.  Wait until the students learned there was another Snape on board.

  “Now, about Rolanda,” Dumbledore said, turning serious.  “I believe I agree that she was trying to get back to us yesterday, or to at least warn us about the tunnels.”

  “Tunnels?”  Sirius asked.

  “The Death Eater tunnels near the Forest border,” Harry explained.  “Something or someone managed to connect them under the Forest as far as the cabin.  Only it didn’t look as if it were magically made,” he added, glancing at Vallid, who nodded thoughtfully at him.  Sirius and Severus exchanged glances, their faces both losing color.

  “Well, it is high time they were filled in, I think, permanently,” Sirius said.  Dumbledore nodded to him.

  “I tend to agree.  If you can manage a thorough exploration of the area to make sure we didn’t miss anything and see to that, Sirius, I’d be grateful.”

  “Gladly,” Sirius nodded.

  “As for Rolanda, I believe if she was able to gain control enough to get this far, she may possibly be able to do it again.  Minerva, I’d like to arrange a constant patrol just outside the grounds, perhaps we can somehow manage to find her and bring her safely in,” Dumbledore said.  Jennifer glanced back quickly at Severus for a moment, meeting his gaze and nod.

  “Sir, it’ll be easier to spot her if a Truth-seeker’s there, Severus and I can stay and help with that once we go pick up Corey,” Jennifer said.

  “That would be quite helpful, Jennifer, thank you.  Now all we need to come up with is a plan for if she does not return,” the Headmaster said, folding his hands together.

  “I think I can help there,” Harry put in.  “Perhaps we should try to get some birds caught on purpose.”  Everyone looked over at him curiously.  “I’m thinking we could tag them with items that the Ministry could be able to track…I’m sure Minister Brown would have some ideas on what we could use…and then let them loose in the area, or perhaps delivering post to one of the places that seems to be affected.  If it works we may be able to track the cause to its source.”

  “Well, we had best all get to work, then,” Dumbledore said.  “Good luck to you all.”

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Flight

 

  Severus checked the stirrups for the tenth time in five minutes, and Jennifer’s patience finally began to run out, folding her arms and tapping her foot as Ruby moved her head to peer back over at the Wizard.

  “Are you quite finished?  Goodness, Severus, if you have that saddle on any tighter I wouldn’t blame Ruby for kicking you.  I’m not going to fall off.  And I am wearing my barrette,” Jennifer protested.  At the reminder he went over to tug on her barrette earning an exclamation from his wife, who loosened it slightly.

  “I’m not going to let you go along if you keep this up.  You’re not going to take any unnecessary chances,” Severus said firmly.

  “Severus, please, you’re being totally unreasonable,” Jennifer clucked at him.  “I thought you said you trusted me to take care of myself,” she said, somehow managing to work passed him and up on her Pegasus.

  “I do, normally, but things are different now,” Severus said grumpily, getting on Babe.

  “I love you too,” Jennifer grinned at him, as she took hold of the reins and coaxing Ruby up.  Severus and Babe lifted off close behind and came up beside them as they rose above the castle, winding around the parapets on their way towards the lake.  The large pale sun helped warm an otherwise icebound day, the snow taking on a glassy sheen as bits of it began to melt under the brilliant light.

  Jennifer saw no signs of birds of any kind as they slowed around the train station, and she couldn’t help but wonder at that.  Usually on any given day Hogwarts Owls used to hang about the rooftops and lounge about, but today the emptiness seemed almost alarming, even that early in the afternoon she would have expected to see one or two.  If that hadn’t been odd enough, the same was true directly over the forest, not a bird in sight.  It became pretty apparent as they headed towards the mountainside of the grounds that their chances of find Rolanda this way were going to be next to none, at least right then.  Leading the way, Severus veered Babe around the Leeside of the mountain, Jennifer following close behind.  But Ruby wasn’t responding well to the reins, and Jennifer found herself wondering at the sudden reluctance.  She hadn’t had trouble with Ruby since Hagrid first taught her how to ride four years ago.  What could be bothering her?  Just as Jennifer began trying to coax her with words, Ruby neighed in protest, pulling up completely and hovering, turning her head left and right erratically.   Severus spun Babe around to try to help, but just as he made the turn Babe suddenly began to struggle and kick the air erratically as if trying to throw him off his back.  Jennifer called out his name worriedly, but barely had time to react as her own mount suddenly launched higher into the air, making Jennifer cling to the reins, desperately wrapping them around her wrists as Ruby suddenly went into a dive as if heading straight towards the mountain.  Crying out in surprise Jennifer tried to hunch down in the saddle as low as she could as Ruby did a barrel-roll, leaving Jennifer momentarily off the seat of the saddle as she came back around at a speed that Jennifer hadn’t even realized Ruby was capable of.  Barking out orders and pleading with her to stop as they went into another spin, Jennifer instinctively closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.  But Ruby wasn’t about to crash.  Instead, she soared into a zigzag motion, heading directly towards a large dark cloud towards the horizon.  As Jennifer braved another look she noticed that something was very odd about that cloud, but it didn’t take long to figure out what it was.  The cloud was not a cloud at all, but a swarm.  Birds and winged beasts of nearly every sort she could think of, coatls and flying cats, owls, bats, ravens, and even a baby dragon all soared around her, swooping around her head unnervingly close.  Then Ruby suddenly dove again until she passed below the cloud and Jennifer realized they were in a small wooded area in low-lying hills.  Here, the air was still of movement although the noise of squawking and screeching above was nearly deafening as they landed in a small glen, all the birds keeping their distance above.  But Jennifer couldn’t help but be aware that every time one flew overhead it looked directly at her, and Jennifer suddenly wondered if there was any way of truly finding Rolanda in this mess.

  Slowly she dismounted, and Ruby suddenly took the sky, and Jennifer gazed warily around as she suddenly realized there was someone else near.  Standing a few yards away was a man wearing the oddest cloak she had ever seen.  It appeared to be made of dragonwing webbing, and covered with collection of feathers and wings, each one of different type arranged to form a colorful, almost gaudy pattern.  A hood was pulled over the man’s head and she could not clearly see his face, and Jennifer cautiously tried to slip her hand in her cloak to pull out a phial.  A sparrow suddenly broke off from the group and swooped at her hand, causing her to pull it back.

  “Ah, it’s you!   Yes, it really is, you look like your mother, except the hair,” the cloaked figure said in almost a wistful tone.  “Have you come to help me, then?”

  “Help you?”  Jennifer repeated in surprise.  “What are you talking about?  Who are you?  Remove your hood!”
  “Ah, you do not know me, perhaps, but you will, yes you will.  After all, you owe me your life,” the man cackled in a way that caused a chill down Jennifer’s spine.  “If it wasn’t for me you’d be dead by now, yes long dead, and our common enemy would have been long victorious.”

  “Common enemy?”  Jennifer said, glancing up warily at the birds.  Somehow she needed to find a way to get his hood down without setting them off.

  “Yes, the Wizard Lucius Malfoy,” he hissed, and Jennifer focused back in on him.  “He wanted you dead once.  I imagine he does still.  He would want me dead too, I think, if he knew I was here,” the figure cackled again, and then nodded.  “You will help me get even with him, as a partial payment for what you owe me.  And you will help bring me the Light, yes, and I will reward you handsomely.”

  “I don’t know who you are, but I decide what I owe and to whom.  Anyone capable of such abominable acts as trying to control the flyers for their own gain is not someone I call a friend,” Jennifer said defiantly.  He broke into laughter.

  “You wish to be my enemy as well?”  The man asked, but his voice sounded no less pleased at the prospect as he took a step forward.  “Know this then, Alice’s daughter, that this gift of mine came from your own mother’s hand,” he said, a mocking smile peeking below the hood.  “But if an enemy of mine you wish to be, then I shall take back what you owe me, your life!”  He said, flinging up his arms.  A burst of light resembling sunlight came pouring out as the cloak opened, and Jennifer noticed a change in the tone of the flyers overhead, as if they suddenly grew angry, their eyes flashing as they looked down at her.  Quickly she pulled out her wand and pointed at him, cursing slightly when the spell she had intoned fizzled out.  “You know, I’ve never killed a witch with child before,” he admitted excitedly.  “It’ll be an honor harvesting your powers after your demise.” 

  “Touch her and it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” a familiar voice snarled above the birds’ calls.  Jennifer looked over to see Severus standing over his broom with his wand pointed at the cloaked man, his face both furious and calm at the same time.

  “You again,” the man snarled.  “How dare you threaten me?  Do you think your magic can possibly stop me?  Well think again!  This will be the last time you thwart me!” 

  “Stupefy!”   Severus began to cast, but just then a volley of birds came around him, one of them snatching his wand out of his hand just as the spell went off, missing the target and hitting one of the hippogriffs above, which fell helplessly to the ground.

  “Severus!”  Jennifer quickly took out a bottle and threw it towards the figure, who twisted one of the rings on his hand and Disapperated with a *pop*!  The phial broke and Sleepsand poured into the air as several birds that had dove into the area suddenly dropped off into the dust.   In response the cloud of birds above suddenly came pouring down, the noise getting louder and louder to a deafening level.  As Jennifer was scrambling for another phial, a hand came around her waist from behind and she found herself getting pulled onto a broom.

  “Hang on!  Put that thing down!  We’re getting out of here,” Severus snapped.  Jennifer threw the phial and another puff of smoke hit as it released a petrifying gas into the air and another wave of birds hit the ground.  “I didn’t mean like that!”  Severus yelled, pulling his hood up and pushing the broom forward, trying almost fruitlessly to keep the angry birds from attacking his face.  Jennifer clinging onto Severus on the back of the broom suddenly noticed something happening below.  The cloaked figure, standing at the edge of the glen, was being attacked almost mercilessly by a long falcon, who was diving at him angrily as if trying to get him to stop the attack.

  “Severus!  Severus wait, it’s Rolanda!”

  “Where?  I can’t tell anything in this mess!”  He said, leaning back to try and look to where she was pointing.

  “Right there, right by the bastard trying to kill us!”  Jennifer shouted.  Without responding Severus suddenly dove straight down, and ignoring Jennifer’s surprised wail as he twisting around in a tight curve straight towards the cloaked figure.  The man suddenly looked up in surprise, the light dimming from beneath the cloak as he did so, diving to the ground as Severus passed, snatching the falcon right out of the sky.  Quickly handing the falcon to Jennifer, Severus darted in between the trees at such a rapid pace that Jennifer couldn’t bear watching anymore, burying her face in his back with one arm around him and one around the struggling bird.  Her stomach was churning before they finally lifted back out of the trees, only to break into an even faster speed and a steep climb as he pointed the broom towards the silhouette of the mountains.

  “Jennifer!  Look behind us and see what managed to follow!”  Severus yelled, not taking his eyes off the approaching mountains.  Jennifer shuddered then took a quick look back.

  “There’s still some behind us,” she answered.

  “Just birds?”  Severus asked, “Nothing bigger?”  Jennifer then realized why Severus had taken to the trees.  There was no way the hippogriffs or other large flyers could have followed them into that. 

  “Just birds,” Jennifer agreed, and then realized that the falcon had stopped struggling.  “It’s all right, Rolanda, we’re almost home,” she said, peering over Severus’ shoulder just in time to see him begin to skirt between a narrow gap between two mountains.  Feeling her heart leap in her throat Jennifer gritted her teeth and closed her eyes again.  For several long seconds she found herself counting her thumping heartbeats until she felt them going to a dive.  Braving a look she felt a sudden relief as she saw they were near the castle, although coming uncomfortably close to the wall.   Severus pulled up easily on the broom until they slowed down, landing behind the parapet under the Owlery.  The moment their feet touched, Jennifer scrambled off and lay down, the falcon hopping over and sitting tiredly on the parapet.

   “I never, and I mean never, want to get on another broom for as long as I live,” Jennifer stated.

  “Was that just criticism for my flying?”  Severus wanted to know, wiping blood off his face with a cloth from his pocket.  “I’d like to have seen you do any better.  And another thing, that’s the last time I let you talk me into taking the Pegasi on patrol.  From now on, we’ll walk.”  Jennifer turned and grinned at his serious face and nodded.

   “We’d better get Rolanda down to the hospital ward,” Jennifer said as Severus helped her up.

  “And us,” Severus agreed, wiping her bloody cheek with the cloth.

  “We should probably drop Dumbledore a note saying we found her,” Jennifer said.

  “How?”  Severus asked, pausing a moment before opening the door into the tower.  “I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to see right now is a bird.”  The falcon squawked enthusiastically and bobbed its head, almost as if agreeing with them.

 

  Dumbledore was not long in hearing that Rolanda had indeed been rescued, and it was not long after she had managed to turn back into her human form and Severus and Jennifer were patched up that he made his way down to the hospital ward.

  “You know you probably could have made a good Seeker in your day, Severus,” Rolanda was saying cheerfully.  “Too bad you got kicked off the team.  You’ve turned into an excellent flyer.”  Severus nodded suspiciously at the complements, but Jennifer smiled softly, knowing that being nice to him was Rolanda’s attempt at a thank you. 

  “You got kicked off the team?”  Jennifer inquired.  “You never even told me you were on it.”

  “Briefly,” Severus said in a tone that let Jennifer know he really didn’t want to talk about it.

  “He got into a magic fight in the middle of the game with a player from the Gryffindor team, who got kicked off too, by the way,” Rolanda told Jennifer.

  “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, yes,” Rolanda said amused.  “But don’t worry, Severus, I doubt Sirius still holds that against you.”

  “Oh dear, let’s not start that again,” Dumbledore said as he walked into the ward, smiling at Poppy.  “How are they?”

  “They’ll live,” Poppy winked at him.  “I’d like to keep Rolanda here for another day or two to make sure she’s completely recovered from the charm.”

  “Poppy!  I’m fine, don’t do this to me, you know I hate standing still!”  Rolanda said with a scowl.

  “Now, now, Rolanda, you’ve been through a very trying ordeal, it’ll do you good to relax for a day or two before classes resume,” Dumbledore said, sitting beside her bed.  “I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am that you are back safe and sound.”

  “Thanks, Professor, I only wish I could remember some of what happened while I was in falcon form,” Rolanda said.  “Right now, all I remember is leaving and then coming back to find myself riding on a broom with these two.”  Dumbledore looked thoughtful a moment.

  “Give it some time,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile and a pat on the arm.  “Just promise me you won’t try to change form again until we get to the bottom of all this.”

  “Oh, you can definitely count on that,” Rolanda grinned.

  “So, what about you two, what did you find out?”

  “We found out he can control Pegasi and other large flyers,” Severus said dryly.

  “I didn’t get much from him, he had his face covered the entire time, wearing a cloak made up of many different types of feathers,” Jennifer said.  “That cloak seems to be what’s controlling them.  And another thing, he said he knew my mother,” she said.  A momentary look of concern crossed Dumbledore’s face but he quickly hid it.  “But I’ve never heard his voice before.  He said the cloak came from her, but I don’t see how that could be.  I wish his face hadn’t been covered,” Jennifer sighed.

  “Jennifer, have you ever seen your mother with such a cloak?”  Dumbledore asked.

  “No, I think I would have remembered it,” Jennifer said.  “I certainly don’t think if she had such a thing she’d give it away.”

  “Most decidedly not,” Dumbledore agreed.  “For if I am not mistaken, there was a legend surrounding a cloak such as what you described being made, not long before this very school was formed.  It was a gift presented by Salazar to one of Ravenclaw’s apprentices when he became a full wizard…it had been thought to have been buried with him at the time of his death.”

  “Oh, no,” Jennifer groaned as realization set in.  “That could mean only one thing.”

  “Yes,” Dumbledore said with a nod.  “The cloak belonged to Icarus.”

  “A cloak of feathers, how appropriate,” Severus said dryly.  “Icarus had his wings.”

  “We had better clip them soon,” Rolanda said tiredly, “Before anyone else gets burnt.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lorcan

 

   Anna’s new rooms at Hogwarts were quite comfortable and just four floors up the back stairs.  Her office, however, was quite another story.  It had long been used for a storage room and McGonagall hadn’t found the time to move it all to another room.  Rather than sit in a room half-full with crates, Anna took her books to the library, still hoping to get all of her syllabi filed in time.  It was already New Year’s, and after a late night at Harry’s she was hardly ready for the work, but still, it had to be done.  With precious time left before the students arrived, Anna had full intention of taking advantage of the quiet room.  After about a half an hour of working alone in the room she looked up to see Hermione enter with Jennifer close on her heels.

  “I know I’ve seen reference to it, I remember reading about it,” Hermione insisted as they walked passed Anna.

  “Well, I couldn’t find it anywhere, you sure you didn’t misfile it?”  Jennifer asked.  Hermione gave Jennifer that look.  “Sorry.”  The two women headed down one of the back rows and Anna found herself tapping her fingers, wondering what they were up to.  A minute later they reappeared, Hermione with a couple of books in hand, putting them down on the table next to Anna, flipping through pages.

  “Here we are,” Hermione said sitting down.  “’The Cloak of Icarus, also known as the Avian Cloak, was said to have been created by Salazar Slytherin and Leon Thames, who later became the first Master of Beasts at Hogwarts.  It was made of various types of feathers and wings, and was thought to have tremendous power over all creatures that were a part of it.  However, the existence of this cloak has never been proven, for all record of it ceased with the death of Icarus Ravenclaw, the supposed owner of the cloak.’”

  “Nothing we haven’t already figured out there,” Jennifer sighed.

  “Well, Hogwarts, A History never gets into much detail over things like that,” Hermione said, carefully opening a tome called Magical Inventions of the Eleventh Century.  “This one might though, let me see if I can’t find the reference.”

  “Why don’t you just go ask Mad Ick about it?”  Anna asked.

  “Have you ever trying speaking to that sourpuss?”  Jennifer asked.  “I’d rather spend a day locked in the bathroom with Moaning Myrtle.”  Hermione stifled a chuckle.

  “That is rather harsh, don’t you think?”

  “Hermione, the ghost will not leave me alone.  If it wasn’t for my father, I’d make it a point never to go in that place,” Jennifer said, with a sigh.  “But I suppose if he shows up during my visit, I’ll speak to him about it.  Maybe he has some idea of how we can dismantle it.”

  “Dismantle a cloak?  Funny,” Hermione said.

  “No pun intended,” Jennifer said, shaking her head at the librarian’s amused expression. 

  “So what did the man look like, could you tell any features at all?”  Anna asked, having completely forgotten about what she was doing.

  “I’d know his voice if I heard it again,” Jennifer said, “or his laugh.  It didn’t sound altogether sane.”

  “Anyone who thinks they can get away with diverting post and kidnapping Professors can’t be considered sane,” Hermione said, scanning the book. 

  “I really don’t think he knew that Rolanda was anything but another falcon,” Jennifer said thoughtfully.  “He probably didn’t realize the cloak was capable of such a thing.”

  “That’s not all he didn’t realize.  Ron says the Ministry has been hearing reports from the Muggle world about strange bird activity.  Either he’s really sloppy or he just doesn’t care,” Hermione said.

  “Well in that case, it should be easy to track his whereabouts, shouldn’t it?”  Jennifer said.  “I should have known he’d move after we got away from there.  But I don’t think he’s gone too far.”

  “No, he’s not gone too far,” Anna said distantly.  “That wouldn’t fit the stalking pattern he’s previously exhibited.”

  “Anna, what is it?”  Jennifer said, suddenly focusing in on the woman curiously.  She had a strange expression on her face, as if two worlds suddenly collided.

  “What are the chances of two men that match the same basic behaviors in the same area and stalking the same person at the same time?”  Anna asked as if to herself.

  “Well, I’m no profiler, but if I would have a guess, I’d think the chances are pretty low.  Of course there’s always the possibility of a copy cat,” Hermione said.

  “No, a copy cat criminal has a different reason for actually carrying it out than the original,” Anna explained, stacking up her books.  “Do you think we can go to my flat without an armed escort?”

  “I’m game if you are,” Jennifer said, picking her cloak up from her seat.

  “Never fear, I’ll pose as the armed escort,” Hermione said.  “But what’s the occasion?”

  “I want to show Jennifer something,” Anna explained as they walked over to the fireplace.  “I just hope my suspicions aren’t right.”

  Anna’s flat was downtown above a small florist shop; a very neat well-laid out apartment with a separate bedroom and a living room with a window that looked out to the street.  Jennifer peered curiously at the stereo sound system and other gadgets poking a red button and flailing when a loud music began to play.  Anna rolled her eyes and turned it off while Hermione was trying quite hard not to laugh.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s ok, just, don’t touch anything you don’t recognize,” Anna said with a sigh, opening up a cabinet with small black rectangles in it, reading the labels.  “I have a taped interview of a serial killer I was following in the States.  In fact,” she added, taking the video out, “He’s what got me started on criminal cases in the first place.  I was working on abuse cases up until then, but a friend asked me to look into it.”

  “Is this the same one you were trying to track that had escaped recently?”  Jennifer asked.

  “Yes, only no one can explain just how he got out.  It happened just before Halloween while I was over there helping Vallid with Audi’s hearing.”  Anna pushed the tape in another black box and lights popped on.

  “Oh, it’s that television thing with the photos that talk at you but they never answer back, isn’t it?”  Jennifer said, trying to see around Anna.  She was pushing a button and making the picture blurry and fast, stopping it every now and then.

  “No, televisions are only one way.  You can see them but they can’t see you,” Hermione tried to explain

  “Then how do they know we’re there?”

  “Here we are,” Anna said, moving away so they can see.  A man, dark haired and pale was sitting behind a damaged wooden table, his shoulders hunched and his eyes shifting a bit restlessly.  Anna paused it a moment.

  “That’s Lorcan Dougal.  Actually, back then we called him Psycho Willie, one of a number of aliases,” Anna explained.

  “Strange, I can’t read his face,” Jennifer murmured.  “I can usually read Muggles clearer than they can themselves, but I see no truth at all in him.”

  “Probably because he’s insane.  Something stemming from when he was young, I think, and obsessed with the occult…well, you’ll see what I mean,” Anna said, releasing the pause. 

 

  Lorcan glanced at his hands, and at each rune and symbol he had meticulously scratched in them with his sharp, tooth-bitten nails.  He felt quite un-whole without his rings…only one, magically enhanced so no other Muggle could see them, still remained.  As he waited he began to etch on the table, unconcerned who may be watching.  At last the door opened and his eyes glistened as he recognized the figure standing there.  Anna stood before him in a Muggle suit.  Her hair was much longer than Jennifer ever remembered seeing it and tossed in a loose tail.  Anna’s eyes were colder and more calculating than she had ever known them to be as well, but Jennifer could easily tell from her face that it was a wall, a strength hidden behind professionalism, she mused, in truth she was terrified of him.

  “I wondered when you’d come out of hiding, Essence, I knew it would not be long before you came to see me,” Lorcan said in a lilting, almost taunting voice.  A chill went down Jennifer’s spine.  “You went too far for me to follow, but I know where you were, I know what you did, I can taste it,” he said licking his lips.  “You were somewhere few others could go.”

  “I am not here to discuss what I was doing in Britain, Willie, I’m here to find out why you were there,” Anna said.

  “Perhaps I was there to tour the Tower,” Lorcan said thinly.  “Or perhaps I was there to find out what you were doing.  You know, they don’t want you,” he added, staring over at her.  “They don’t want you to exist at all.”

  “Who, Willie?”  Anna sighed, trying to keep a stony expression.

  “You are the essence of what they believe they can control.  But they can’t, you are light…intangible, and they can’t grasp it, it only slips through their hands,” he said wistfully, holding up a hand then looking over at her.  “Only I know how, and I will, next time…” he smiled with unwavering certainly.  “Next time I walk out of here, I shall harvest that light, and with that no one will be able to contain me again,” he finished in a fervent whisper, staring at Anna unblinkingly until she at last glanced over to two men in suits behind her.

  “Maybe we should try again when he’s had more time in here,” Anna told them in a low voice as she stepped closer to the camera.  “We’re not going to get anywhere while he’s still reveling in the deaths he caused.”

  “Well, it was worth a shot,” one of the men said.  “We’ll arrange for another time for you to see him, perhaps after the psychiatrist gets through with him,” he suggested, as the three stepped out of the room.

 

  Anna turned off the tape and glanced at Jennifer, the lack of color in the Witch’s face causing her to sigh and sit down.

  “It was him, wasn’t it?  The man you met in the Forest,” Anna asked.

  “I just don’t understand it.  I mean, this man can’t possibly be a Muggle, right?”  Jennifer said uncertainly.  “I mean, he can’t be!   Look at all the powerful items he had…”

  “Anyone can use an item, Jennifer, you of all people know that,” Hermione said.  “That’s why we have so many strict laws on them.”

  “I know, but these aren’t ordinary items!  That cloak is one of the most power item I’ve heard of, next to the Staff of Eyre and the Stone, of course.  And he had a ton of rings, one of them let him Apparate, and several others that seemed familiar, protection rings…”

  “Apparation rings were outlawed years ago for being too dangerous…and what use would a real wizard have for them anyhow?”  Hermione asked.

  “Not everyone can Apparate.  I couldn’t when I came to Hogwarts,” Jennifer protested.  “And what about what he said about Anna?  He knew.  Somehow he knew that she was different.  And if I’m not mistaken that happened long before you came to Hogwarts, right?”  She asked, looking at Anna for confirmation.

  “He got out a few years before I came, the summer after Sirius Black got out, because I was in London researching that at the time it happened,” Anna explained.  “Somehow, no one’s sure how exactly, his paperwork got altered and he was released when he shouldn’t have been.  He somehow figured out where I was and tracked me down, but we managed to catch him.  Of course they wouldn’t let him be extradited back in a state with the death penalty,” Anna added, “and so here  we are, doing the same thing, trying to track him down.”

  “Only he has magic items now,” Hermione said.

  “If he was a Wizard, it’d explain how he got out both times, wouldn’t it?”  Jennifer suggested.  Anna turned and looked steadily at Jennifer, her patience wearing thin.

  “A real wizard wouldn’t torture and kill innocent women to try and harvest their witch’s powers, would they?” she asked.  Jennifer grew quiet.  “Right now you can’t use magic either but you can lob potions and use items and get along fair enough.”

  “At least you know how to use them properly,” Hermione added.  “I’d imagine Lorcan doesn’t, and that makes him even more dangerous.  What I want to know is, how did he get them all?  And who’s helping him get them, he can’t possibly be getting them on his own.”

  “That’s the real mystery,” Anna agreed.

  “Lorcan said my mother gave him the cloak, but that doesn’t make any sense,” Jennifer said,  “Especially now if…” Jennifer stopped, her heart getting stuck in her throat.  She took out some floo powder and stepped into the fireplace before either of the other women could get out a word.

   Within moments she was at the Hogwarts station and taking the strides around the lake and into the side door slipping down into her office without a second thought.  Shuffling through her files she took out the coroner’s report that Minerva had given her after her mother’s death and stared at the bottom line that read; All indications confirm the death was from physical trauma instead of magical.   Angry tears streamed down her face as she read the ritualistic and inhuman tortures she endured before she finally crumpled it and dropped it.  She’d always known Malfoy would have never killed with his own hand.  She had always known how great of a length he went through to destroy anyone who got in his way.  But if she had ever doubted before he was any less evil than Pettigrew or Voldemort it ceased at that moment.  She turned and entered the fireplace, watching each one get farther and farther away until jumped into one all alone and stepped out of an old shack upon a lonely shore.  An old skiff man was there, peering quizzically at her as she came out and silently got on the boat.  He shrugged as he took the Sickles and ferried her out to sea, the tiny craft riding over the waves as if they weren’t there.  It was not long before the dark and haunted image of Azkaban appeared, looking like a craggy rock in the middle of the ocean.

  She quickly stepped back out and asked him to wait, then headed inside, ignoring the front desk and striding all the way down to the second quarter guard station without even attempting to stop and have anyone check her things.  None of them tried to stop her…they only looked up at her in concern at the expression on her face and let her pass.   But as she neared the station, Boltin, who had been sitting with the other guard and eating his dinner had suddenly stood up straight as she approached, looked at her in surprise.

  “I need to see Icarus.  If you want to protest to the Warden go ahead, but let me in on your way.”  Jennifer said evenly.

  “Put my things in the icebox, Dev, I’ll think I’ll be a moment,” Boltin said, quickly getting out the keys, muttering ward dispels as he went to let her in.  “I’m not quite sure where he’d be right now, why don’t I let you visit your father until I track him down?”

  “I am really not sure I want to see him right now,” Jennifer said.

  “All the same, it’ll be easier to track the old phantom down by myself,” Boltin said, leading her to the visiting room.  Within moments after he left, Boltin brought Thomas in then left them alone.

  “Back again already?  I take it this isn’t a normal social visit…definitely not at this hour,” Craw said, regarding her thoughtfully.

  “No,” Jennifer said, finding herself pacing the floor.  “No, I just got an unpleasant wake up call.  Dad, have you ever heard the name Lorcan Dougal?”

  “Lorcan Dougal?”  Thomas repeated thoughtfully.  “I’ve heard the name Dougal, there used to be an old Wizarding family by that name, once a pretty big name, but they finally all died out,” he sighed.  “Much like the Craws.”  Jennifer paused thoughtfully.

  “There was a Wizard Dougal family?”

  “Yes, at one time, but the last one, Lexar I think it was, and his wife ended up killing themselves.  Sad, really,” Craw mused.

  “Ah yes, such things are always sad,” a voice said, “Except, it seems, when it’s me, then it’s intolerable.”

  “Icarus, stop moping and get out here!”  Jennifer demanded.

  “Are you going to let your daughter talk to me like that?  Did you teach her no manners at all?”  The ghost asked, his disembodied voice fading slightly as if moving towards Thomas.

  “Icarus please, I doubt she came all the way out here to yell at you.”  Thomas sighed.

  “I bet you that she did.”

  “Icarus, someone has your cloak.  Someone who really shouldn’t have it.”

  “Ah…I see, so once again you actually do need my help, and once again you expect me to take your tongue abuse in return for it?”

  “Oh, come on, Ick, this isn’t about me, other lives are at stake here!”

  “Ah yes, it’s never about you, it’s always someone else.  You know, you really oughtn’t try to manipulate ghosts that way, you’ll find we have little sense of any guilt except the one that put us this way in the first place,” Icarus said, appearing on her father’s side of the magic field.

  “A Muggle got a hold of it…a dangerous Muggle named Lorcan Dougal…”

  “A dangerous Muggle?  Is that an oxymoron?”

  “Father, please.  Icarus, have you any idea what might have happened to the cloak after you died?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” Icarus said calmly, floating through to her side.  “I gave it to Rowena Ravenclaw the morning before my family and I died.  I believed it safer in her hands then anyone else’s.”

  “And she might have passed it down for safe keeping through her line?”  Jennifer prompted.  Thomas stared at her, realization creeping in.

  “Quite possible, especially if she didn’t feel it was safe to keep at the school for whatever reason,” Icarus said.  “Those were turbulent times, Jennifer.  There were times when we were not sure within the first few years if the school would survive.  Sometimes I think it was a miracle that it did.”

  “Was it kept in any special container or anything?”

  “Well, you don’t think I’d keep anything like that lying about, do you?  But I wasn’t about to lose it…it was one of the most powerful items father made, and it was made, I’d like to believe, for good intentions.  You see, I had this horrible fear of heights…I had fallen off a Hippogriff when I was very, very young I was told, but being a wizard I always felt growing up as if I were missing something…Oh, sorry, forgot who I was talking to, I suppose you’re not interested,” Icarus said, waving it away.  Jennifer - who had become interested in spite of herself - pretended not to be.  “Mother had a special chest made for the cloak…after I became older and got married I really didn’t use it that much.  I’d only use the cloak to call the birds down, and befriended them on my own.  After awhile I just didn’t need the cloak anymore.”

  “Then why did you keep it afterwards?  Didn’t you realize how potentially dangerous that cloak could be in the wrong hands?”  Jennifer asked.  Icarus looked as if her were sighing.

  “I kept it for sentimental reasons, I told you.  My father made it,” Icarus said glumly.

  “This from the man who murdered his father!”  Jennifer shouted at him.

  “That doesn’t mean I didn’t love him,” Icarus said bitterly.  Jennifer stopped short and forgot what she was going to say.  “But I suppose in your perfect life you wouldn’t understand that.”  Jennifer clenched her fists, trying to calm herself.

  “If my life were perfect, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.  That cloak would have been destroyed…”

  “And we may never have known exactly who killed your mother,” Icarus interrupted.

  “Lorcan might have been the axe man, but we all know very well who the real murderer is,” Jennifer said, turning around and walking out of the room.  Icarus watched her go thoughtfully before looking over at Thomas.

  “Your daughter takes a great deal off of you,” Icarus said, his eyes unusually focused.

  “Yes,” Thomas said, nodding grimly.  “I only hope she isn’t planning to do what I want to do right now.”

  “Don’t worry, Thomas, I’ll make sure she doesn’t get into trouble,” Icarus said just as Boltin came in with another guard to take the old wizard back to his cell.

 

Chapter Twenty-Six

Fateful Decisions

 

  It wasn’t long after classes resumed again that Corey’s work began to slip.  He couldn’t help it…what was going on in the outside world was far too interesting, and as usual, all the other students expected him to know what was going on, and were always pestering him for the latest news.

  “Dumbledore’s got Professors Craw and Flitwick working on devices for all the owls that counteract the Cloak’s magic until they catch him,” Corey told the group that had gathered after lunch.  “Pretty soon all the castle’s owls will have one and then we’ll be able to get regular post again.  Of course, Ratfly was one of the first to get one, so I’ve been able to mail my sister at least,” Corey admitted.  He couldn’t help but brag a little.

  “Professor Craw’s pretty broken up about the Pegasi not being back yet.  And Nelson told me that the twins got stuck helping Doctor Sagittari going around the grounds to look for them yesterday.”

  “Is it true the Muggle police are looking for him too?” Diana asked.

  “Oh sure, they were looking for him before it came out he had the cloak.  Aunt Anna…I mean, Madame Hughes that is, says she’s been after him for years, sacrificing people to try and steal magic from them, he’s absolutely balmy.”

  “But he can’t possibly get into Hogwarts, right?” Diana asked worriedly.  Doug put a protective arm around her.

  “If You-know-who couldn’t get in here, no old balmy can.  But don’t worry, if anything happens, I’ll protect you,” he assured her.  Taylor rolled his eyes.

  “I’m going to tell Gail you put your hand on me,” Diana said, and Doug quickly removed it.

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry too much.  Dumbledore has Harry Potter himself working with Professors Craw and Snape on tracking Lorcan down, and Madam Hughes is still helping the Ministry and the Muggles trying to find him too,” Corey explained.  “Oh, he might get by the Ministry, but there’s no way he’s going to get past Dumbledore’s staff.”  All the students nodded sagely in agreement at that.  That was when Corey heard his name called and saw Professor McGonagall heading up the corridor.  The crowd around him suddenly became scarce as she came near, a disapproving look on her face.

  “Mr. Willowby!  One moment, if you please!  This is your free period, is it not?”  She asked, in a voice that made Corey wonder if that was a crime in itself.

  “Well, sort of, I was on my way to Quidditch practice.”

  “I believe it would be in your best interests if they did without you this afternoon, then,” she said with a stern look on his face.  He didn’t dare look away.  “I just got looking through your ‘essay’ on the finer points of Substance to Liquid Transfiguration, and I think it’s my duty to inform you that a paragraph made up of two sentences is NOT an essay.”

  “Well, there really isn’t much to it.  I mean, there’s not all that much one can really say about it, is there?  I did put the bit in there that we can’t change animals to liquids…”

  “Mr. Willowby, putting in a line saying, ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can not make it a drink’ might have seemed quite amusing to you at the time but I can assure you, not only am I not amused, but I am certain that neither of your parents will be very amused either.  Now, unless you wish me to take it up with them, I suggest you march right up to my office and make a valiant attempt at repairing this, or Gryffindor may be forced to lose their best Beater,” she said, pointing at the stairs down the hall.  Corey looked at her stern face for a moment before breaking into a grin.

  “Do you really think I’m good?”

  “Up to my office!   And I do mean NOW, Mr. Willowby!”  McGonagall said in an exasperated voice.  Corey saluted her, taking the paper she had thrust at him and marched by her.  She shook her head and began to follow him up, but was soon distracted by Professor Archibald who had stopped her a moment to ask her something.

  Knowing better than to press his luck any further, Corey headed up to her office to find the door slightly open and went in, looking for a place to sit down.  As he found a corner he couldn’t help but glance over at her desk, peering at the list of names there.  It was the rescheduling list, Corey realized, for the new Muggle classes.  Corey smirked at that, remembering the reaction from Casper and some of the other Slytherins when they found out.  It was almost like sweet revenge seeing the purists have to take it, while they struggled, the Muggle born would get an easy class.  Well, there’d be trouble for sure if he was caught snooping at her desk, Corey thought, and turned to look for another place to write.  But the only other surface seemed to be an ornate wooden pedestal where sat a very large Book and a Quill sitting in a red crystal inkwell.  Well, perhaps she wouldn’t mind if he moved it, he thought.  But before he could act on that, the Quill suddenly floated out of the inkwell.  Worried that he triggered something Corey stepped back, blurting out an apology as Book open, its pages flipping quickly to the back and began to write with ceremonious flourish.  Glancing at the door to see if anyone was coming, he took a step forward to get close enough to read what the Quill was writing.  It appeared to be a name;  Mandria Leiber Shea.  After adding it to the bottom of the list, the Quill fanned the ink gently, turning duller in color as it dried, then returned to the inkwell.  Corey bit his lip thoughtfully.  Making up his mind he quickly shut the door and went back over to the book flipping through the pages.  All of them were filled with names, two columns on each page.  He had flipped through a dozen or so before he began to recognize them, then suddenly stopped.  For there on the very bottom of the twelfth page from the back, written in the same ink and with what appeared to be more flourishing detail than the others, was his own name.  His heart was beating as he scanned the others, recognizing nearly all of them now…even Danny’s name was here.  Realizing what this must be, he excited turned back to the tenth page, scanning it furiously.  With every line his heart sank further and further until his eyes began to burn.

  “This isn’t right,” he told himself, shaking his head.  “It’s not right at all.  I refuse to believe it, it has to be there!”  He stared at the book for a long time in disbelief, his heart beating rapidly.  He knew he shouldn’t.  He was quite positive he shouldn’t.  He also knew if he was going to do it it’d have to be quick or he would be caught for sure.  Grabbing the Quill out of the well, he carefully wrote a name at the bottom of the page, trying to keep his hand from shaking.  Waving the ink frantically and praying it’d dry in time, Corey strained to listening to the sounds outside as he tried to cover up what he did, putting the Quill back in the ink and slamming the book shut, grabbing his paper and looking frantically about for somewhere to sit and finally collapsing to the floor and spreading out his crumpled paper just as McGonagall opened the door, blinking at where he was.

  “Mr. Willowby, what are you doing?”

  “My essay,” Corey said, gulping slightly.  “I…I couldn’t find anywhere to write, and your desk was full.”

  “Haven’t you learned anything in the year and a half you’ve been in my class?”  Professor McGonagall asked, her lip twitching slightly.  She took out her wand and sifted a finger through her candy dish, pulling out a piece and dropping it off the floor.  “Taffy to table,” she intoned, concentrating on the candy it suddenly stretched out into a small table, its wrapper neatly covering the surface in plastic.  “Honestly, I swear I have to do everything around here,” she muttered as he sheepishly pulled a stool over.  Putting away her wand with a sigh she went back to her desk to update her schedule changes, wondering and not for the first time if she was ever going to survive having Corey another five years.  Corey, on the other hand, couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to ever survive the year, especially after what he had just done.

  But his guilt had subsided by the end of the week, spending Saturday finishing up the last of his detentions by helping Jennifer seal the charmed talon bands that she and Filius had made.  The sealant was a strange, wispy liquid that evaporated when Corey lowered the mesh basket holding the bands into the cauldron.  He then took them out and hung them on a rack and did the next batch, while his adopted mother gave them one last check before sending them up to the Owlery.

  “Do you think Sagittari would mind if we invited Danny this week?”

  “I’m sure not.  I was wondering when you were going to ask her,” Jennifer smiled tiredly, leaning back and propping her feet on an overturned cauldron with a sigh of relief.  Even with her voluminous black Hogwarts robes her condition was getting all the more obvious, and reflected in her rosy cheeks and tired expression as well.

  “Actually Doug asked her,” Corey admitted.

  “I thought he was going after Diane this week?”

  “Nah, she gave him the cold shoulder because he’s been studying with Gail and they’re good friends,” Corey explained.

  “Ah yes,” Jennifer said, chuckling softly.  “It’s nice to know that some things never change around here, no matter what crisis is going on at the moment.”

  “Can I go to practice now?  We’re all done, right?”  Corey asked.

  “I think you Gryffindors are insane practicing in this weather, but as you please, I suppose.  You got your homework done, right?”

   “Mom!”  Corey said with exasperation, but Jennifer noted that he wouldn’t look directly at her.

  “Well, you had better have it done by Monday if you expect to use your own broom when the season reopens.  You know what your Dad said was going to happen if he got one more bad report,” she reminded him.  “Come on, I’ll walk you out, I need to head to Sagittari’s now anyhow.”

  It was still cold and icy, and Jennifer couldn’t help but yearn for the first thaw as cold of a year as it had been.  Fog still clung around the outer grounds near the Forest, but the chimney smoke from the Groundskeeper’s hut seemed warm and inviting. 

  As usual, Jennifer had reported early for her cooking lesson and had gotten stuck kneading dough…something in the past she had always left to the House Elves, but she now found relaxing.  But for some reason today she was feeling restless, and spent more time talking to Sagittari than actually cooking, the Centaur easily picking up the slack, strangely graceful around the kitchen despite his size.

  It was not long before there was a knock on the door and Jennifer opened it to see Ron and Harry standing there with a couple bags and ushered them in.  Harry went over to help unpack, while Ron put his down on the counter, knowing better than to get in the way, heading over to the table.

  “You’ll never guess where I spent my morning.  Really, you won’t guess,” Ron said.  Jennifer looked over at him.

  “Why were you at the Malfoy mansion?”  Jennifer asked.  Ron grimaced.

  “I knew I should have covered my face.  Anyhow, it seems that Malfoy has been robbed…by a flock of birds,” Ron said, watching Jennifer’s expression change and nodding.  “Somehow they managed to get past his defense and steal several books, and left behind a ring broken in half.  Nobody could get out of Lucius what it meant, they need a Truth-seeker and Audi’s back in the States, so they’re sending for Vallid to go down there…”

  “Well why didn’t you say so?  I’ll go down there,” Jennifer said standing up quickly.  She blinked a moment at the slight dizzy spell and reminded herself not to jump up like that again.  Harry moved over to steady her.

  “Well, actually, Jennifer, Dad didn’t want to bother you considering who it was and all.  You know, the restraining order…” Ron pointed out.

  “This is official business though,” Jennifer said.

  “Maybe you’d better stay here and relax, Jennifer.  Let Vallid take care of it,” Harry suggested calmly.  “This isn’t the time to deal with him…”

  “I’m going,” Jennifer said firmly, taking out some powder.  “If it wasn’t for Malfoy and Lorcan, my mother would still be alive.  And I’m not going to be able to find out anything more about that Cloak by sitting here making pita.”  Harry sighed.

  “Fine, I’m going too.  What about you, Ron?”

  “I’d better stay here and wait for Hermione,” Ron said.

  “Be careful, Jennifer,” Sagittari said, “Remember your limitations.”

  “We’ll be back shortly,” Harry said, the two of them heading out the door.  “Shall we head to your office or walk to the station?”

  “The train station,” Jennifer said so fervently that Harry gave her a knowing smile and shook his head.  “He’d only try to stop me.”

  “Well, personally I think he’d have a point,” Harry told her.  “Which is why I’m going with you, because I know it’s no use trying to stop you any more than it would be to stop me.”

  Jennifer followed Harry to the Gatehouse to find several guards and Ministry officers hanging about there, looking over curiously at them as they arrived and moving respectfully out of the way.

  “Has Counselor Vallid arrived?”

  “No, sir, I’m not sure they’ve located her as yet.  Minister Weasley and Ederick Thurspire are up at the mansion if you want an escort up,” one of the officers said.

  “It’d probably be wise that Jennifer had an escort in any case considering the circumstances,” Harry agreed.  “Shall we go then?”

  Jennifer found herself walking on a long stone-paved pathway leading up to a wide three-level mansion.  On either side lay a carefully tended long uniformly cut, filled with topiaries (which Jennifer had little doubt was apart of the Malfoy security system.)  The entire front lawn was immaculate and precise, and Jennifer wondered if moss would even dare attempt grow between the bricks lest they be immediately uprooted by an army of overzealous House Elves.  But despite the luxurious detail of the structure, the gold gargoyles that sat below the pillars of the porch and the finely sculpted serpentine arches, it seemed cold and distant and made Jennifer suddenly long for the sanctity of her tiny Broom Closet and its haphazard yard of trailing vines.  The door opened almost immediately and one of the maids let them in to the front parlor where Arthur and Ederick were with several of Arthur’s staff.  That was when Lucius Malfoy happened to look up from where he was standing next to Arthur, his face immediately changing to one of fury.

  “You!  How dare you come here!  Arthur, I want her arrested at once for violating the restraining order!  I demand she be removed from this property!”  Lucius snarled, his fists clenching to control a sudden urge to grab his wand.  Arthur, whose eyes had widened dramatically upon seeing Jennifer standing there, glanced over at Harry with a questioning look on his face.

  “Jennifer volunteered to help out with the investigation in an official capacity, and since Vallid hasn’t been in contact yet, I thought it might speed things up a little,” Harry said calmly.

  “Oh, well then, if it’s official business, we can’t really stop her from doing her job,” Arthur said.

  “Her job is to teach potions, Weasley, not to mettle in investigations.  Need I remind you yet again that she has no license to practice Truth-seeking and whatever she finds out can’t be used in court?  As for her teaching job itself, from what I hear that too leaves much to be desired, dabbling in items instead of strictly potions, not to mention spending almost an entire week trying to bias every student of Hogwarts against my son’s first business enterprise as some feeble attempt at revenge against me,” he snarled.  Harry put a hand on Jennifer’s shoulder and Arthur took a few steps over, watching her carefully; the anger apparent in the spark in her eyes.

  “It’s standard procedure to test ingredients at the first of the year, Malfoy, regardless of whether or not I showed which test was from which shop.  Considering all the tests were done by the students themselves, I don’t see how you can blame me for your son’s shop’s substandard ingredients,” Jennifer retorted.  “I have nothing against Draco and never have.  If he had stuff I could use at reasonable prices I’d go there, but he doesn’t.  As for this being none of my business, I think considering it is very closely linked to my mother’s death, I am making it a point to be my business.  I want to know how Lorcan got out of prison, Malfoy, and how he ended up with all those items, especially the Cloak.”  She said, daring him to look away.  He smiled thinly, his eyes filed with hatred.

  “Go to hell, Jennifer.”

  “You first.” She said evenly back, but Harry didn’t miss her knuckles whitening.

  “Is that a challenge?”  Malfoy said, his voice suddenly turning mocking.  “A wizard’s duel, perhaps?  I’ll release my rights of prosecution if you will.”  Several people barked out Jennifer’s name at once.

   “Jennifer, I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’m going to let you do this…not now.  Step back,” Harry said firmly, standing in front of her.

  “Jennifer, if you release rights I can’t help you, you know that.   He’s not worth it, hon,” Arthur said quietly.

  “Malfoy, I never liked you and I always knew you were a cad, but challenging a pregnant Witch to a duel is hitting a new low,” Ederick said.

  “Who was challenging who, Thurspire?  If she wants to risk the little Snape spawn it’s her decision, don’t you think?”

  “I would tend to disagree,” a voice said from the door.  Severus stepped in and moved over to Jennifer’s side, his eyes fixed on Malfoy the entire time.  Dumbledore, who had come in just behind him, gazed at Jennifer with a thoughtful expression.  “If you truly wish confrontation, Malfoy, I’ll be more than happy to arrange it.  That is, if you truly wish a battle on equal terms which for some reason I sincerely doubt.”

  “I have no qualms with you, Snape…only with your wife.  After all, I too left the services of the Dark Lord before the end…” Malfoy said cautiously.

  “Only because you realized he was going to lose, and if you think anyone here actually believes your version of the story you are even more foolhardy than I believed you to be,” Severus said, his eyes flashing.  “If you challenge Jennifer, you challenge me.”

  “And the school,” Dumbledore put in.

  “And her friends,” Harry added.

  “And, to some extent the Ministry, for everything she’s done for us in the past,” Arthur agreed.  “Don’t you think it’d be much more agreeable for all of us if you just cooperate?  After all, we came here to help you find your missing items, not to confront you.”

  “In that case, I don’t want your help.  Allow that insane squib to keep terrifying everyone and launching this entire region into chaos!  At least I’ll have the benefit of knowing that your days as Minister are numbered…I’m quite sure the council will not be willing to put up with another five years of incompetence,” Lucius snarled at Arthur.  But Arthur just snorted at him.

  “Hexes and spells, Malfoy.  Whatever you’re thinking of pulling, please don’t bother.  I doubt anyone is going to listen to you now that we’ve all seen your true colors,” Arthur smiled.  “And no mound of money is going to buy back your respect.  Come on, boys, you heard the man, let’s get out of this creepy old mausoleum.”

  “And get that woman out of my sight, before I press charges for breaking her restraining order!”  Lucius demanded, earning another challenging glare from Severus.  Lucius ignored him, looking directly at Jennifer.  “The next time you try and cross this doorway again, one of us will not be leaving.”

  “Then it won’t be you, because I assure you, she won’t be alone,” Severus said icily, gently but firmly walking Jennifer back to the door.   Harry paused a moment, having noticed that Dumbledore had not moved yet.  The Headmaster was looking at Malfoy with an expression that Harry seldom saw and hoped never to be at the receiving end of.

  “Since it is obvious that you wish to set boundaries, I would like to set one of my own.  Stay out of my school.”

  “Oh come, now, Dumbledore, you’re not the board, and I have the right to come and watch my –“

  “No, I am not the board, Lucius.  But so long as I am Headmaster of the school, you are not welcome.  And if you ever attempt to disobey that wish, I can promise that you will get more of a challenge than what you would be willing to bargain for,” he said, his eyes flickering dangerously.  Malfoy grew quiet, contemplating how should he respond to that if at all, and not really willing to ask his servants to show Dumbledore out.  But after a moment, Dumbledore turned himself around and glanced over at Harry, his eyes now back to their normal calm blue.  The two of them walked out then, the door shutting silently behind them.

  “I never thought Malfoy would have backed down like that, you sure put him in his place that time,” Harry said as they walked to the gate.

  “For now,” Dumbledore said, looking of into the distance until he noticed Harry watching him expectantly. “Now if only you and Jennifer learned how to do that so I didn’t have to come and rescue the two of you,” Dumbledore said in a lighter tone.

  “I wonder if Jennifer found the information she was looking for?”  Harry wondered, looking ahead to where Severus and Jennifer were disappearing into the gatehouse.

  “I know I did,” Dumbledore said.

 

 

 

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Misunderstandings

 

  Jennifer woke up early the next morning, rolling off the couch in her sitting room and flipping teacups over with a sigh.  To say he’d been upset had been an understatement; of course, it probably wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand if she hadn’t made that quip about his temper or some of the other rather regrettable comments she had made.  In the light of the morning it all seemed pretty stupid now.  So taking tea tray with her she shuffled through the bedroom and knocked on the door of his sitting room.  She waited a long time, knocking softly again, wondering if he was going to open it at all.  Just as she was thinking about turning around and heading back, the door opened, and Severus peered at her with a cautious, almost defensive look in his eyes.

  “Are you going to let me in?  Your coffee is getting cold,” Jennifer said.

  “As long as you don’t try shying it at me,” he muttered softly and stepped out of the way.  Jennifer sighed and stepped in.

  “Please don’t start, Severus.  Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I was going, but I didn’t think…”

  “Precisely, you didn’t think.”  Severus interrupted.  Jennifer sat the tray down.

  “Look, I am trying to be civil here, is it really necessary for us to fight over this anymore?  Do you deny that you would have tried to stop me had I went and told you what I was planning?”

  “Tell me this, Jennifer, if Harry hadn’t gone with you and Dumbledore and I wouldn’t have shown up, would you have backed down?”  Severus asked, tapping his fingers impatiently as he waited for an answer.

  “I don’t know,” Jennifer admitted.  “Probably, but that isn’t the point.”

  “No, the point is when there is a problem you never come to me.”

  “Only because I know you always try to talk me out of going and leave me behind.”

  “I let you go on patrol with me after my instincts told me not to, and look where that got us,” he muttered.

  “I knew you were going to bring that up again!”  Jennifer sighed, turning around.  “Fine, don’t accept my apology.  I’m going to have breakfast in the staff room,” she told him, slamming the door behind her.

  The way to the staff room seemed to get longer by the day, and if Jennifer hadn’t gotten into the habit of counting the staircases she would have sworn they had grown.  It was still early, especially for a Sunday, but surprisingly Rolanda was already up and comfortably seated at the table with mug and roll when she came in.

  “Well, hi there, Jennifer, you’re the last person I’d expected to see down here this early.  Going to visit your Dad today then?”  She asked with a cheerful smile.

  “No, not this week,” Jennifer said slowly sitting down.  “I’m not sure what I’m doing yet.  I’ve a lot on my mind.  What are you doing up?”

  “Quidditch game today, remember?”

  “In this weather?  I’d have thought you’d have postponed it a week, it’s supposed to warm up then,” Jennifer said wistfully.

  “Quidditch never gets postponed, Jennifer you know that,” Rolanda chided her.  “You look pretty down.  Is it about Malfoy?  I heard you had words yesterday.  I heard Dumbledore had words with him too,” she grinned.  “I have express permission to kick him out if he ever comes up to the gate again.  That must have been quite an afternoon.”

  “Yes, as long as you don’t count what came afterwards.  Severus wasn’t too happy about me not telling him beforehand where I was going,” Jennifer admitted.

  “Good lord, Jennifer, is he your husband or your father?  I’d have told him off.”

  “Yes, I did,” Jennifer sighed.

  “Bravo!” Rolanda said, looking pleased.

  “But then, I ended up sleeping in my sitting room.  I hope he’s not mad at me for too long…”

  “Wait, wait, wait.  You can’t give up that easily, Jennifer, you got to make him come to you,” Rolanda advised.

  “Now, now, dearies, I don’t think that would be wise right now at all,” said Sibyl.  Jennifer and Rolanda looked up to see her standing at the door, her piercing eyes looking knowingly at Jennifer.

  “Well, I better go prepare the equipment, never know when we need an extra Bludger…or something,” Rolanda said, getting up and giving Jennifer a pat on the back as she quickly made her way out of the room.  “Don’t let him bully you, Jennifer.  You’re carrying his child after all, don’t take him back until he begs,” she winked as she left.

  Jennifer shook her head at the door.  She knew her husband a bit better than that.  Sibyl, who thought she did as well, tsked loudly and pulled the door closed.

  “This is it, you know.”

  “Sibyl, please, not right now,” Jennifer sighed, grabbing a croissant and sitting down.  “Severus is just upset because he doesn’t think I trust him, and I don’t suppose I blame him between you and everything else going on.”

  “Me?”  Sibyl said surprised.

  “Yes, you and those silly predictions of yours,” Jennifer said in annoyance.

  “Ah, but I do believe, yes I do recall you saying that it was a lot of nonsense.  Of course, that was before he did go on a trip, and Malfoy tried to take your money, and your pregnancy…”

  “Sibyl, I could have predicted anything you had about what occurred after that reading myself beforehand…well, except maybe the trip…but let’s be realistic here, if he made an unexpected trip to the store you’d have said that counted.”

  “I most certainly would not have,” Sibyl said indignantly.  Jennifer glanced at her doubtfully, pouring her coffee.

  “Besides, I’m a Truth-seeker, he knows he couldn’t get away with anything if he wanted to, and I certainly don’t think he would want to, he’s not the type.”

  “My dear, he’s a man, and men have this annoying habit of believing they can get away with anything, regardless of whether they can or not.”  Sibyl said, patting her on the shoulder.

  “Oh, come on, Sibyl, you haven’t even been married.”

  “So you’ll take the advice from a single mother over someone who has correctly foretold your future?”  Sibyl asked evenly.

  “Sibyl!”  Jennifer barked.  Minerva walked in just then, smiling at them as she poured herself some tea.

  “Good morning, and might I say you both are up earlier than usual.”

  “I awoke from my sleep feeling I was needed downstairs, and so I was!”  Sibyl smiled.

  “Oh, were you?”  Minerva said, sitting at the end of the table.  Neither Jennifer nor Sibyl missed the doubtful tone in her voice.

  “Well, I think I’m going to be needed up in my tower soon, I saw myself going to the game today,” Sibyl said, sounding surprised of herself.  “So I guess I shall!  Take care, Jennifer, don’t forget to keep a close eye on…things,” she nodding knowingly as she left.  Jennifer rolled her eyes and shook her head, just as much at herself as at Sibyl.  Minerva, who had been carefully watching her the entire time, got up and came over to sit beside her, studying her thoughtfully.

  “I see Sibyl is still hounding you, rather fervently, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  “Well, you know Sibyl,” Jennifer shrugged, sipping her coffee.

  “Yes I do, and I also know Jennifer,” she said, a half smile appearing on her serious face.  “She believes what she says, and sees it as truth, so now she has you dithering over her predictions.”  Jennifer blinked.

  “I am NOT dithering,” Jennifer said indignantly.  “And I know she believes herself, and the cards and such are hardly higher arts.  And she’s just making lucky guesses, else just fitting in what happens to her predictions.”

  “Just so, of course,” Minerva agreed, coddling her tea and watching Jennifer steadily from over the rim.  “So, since they are just nonsense, and as you say, you have no stock in them, what exactly has she predicted that she keeps troubling you about?   Are you going to die soon?”  Jennifer snorted.  “No, I suppose not.  Perhaps someone you know?”

  “Really, Minerva, it’s nothing.  Forget it.”

  “Something to do with Severus?”  Jennifer glanced in her coffee.

  “It’s utter Sibyl silliness, Minerva, it really is.  I had a slight little disagreement with Severus last night and she’s trying to blow it all out of proportion and I just don’t need it right now.”

  “Ah, so she predicted something bad would happen to your relationship, did she?” Minerva asked, but quickly discerned from Jennifer’s immediate grimace that that’s what it was.  “And since she’s hounding you and not Severus, I assume it’s he that causes it in some way.  Oh, Jennifer, surely you can’t honestly believe that.”

  “No, of course not…at least I don’t think so.   I mean, we’re fated…magically linked.  Of course, that’s no guarantee things will work out, but still, I’ve never been happier.  But has he?  I mean, I know she usually can’t even predict the score off a Quidditch game, but what if for once she’s right?”  Jennifer said as Minerva took her hand.

  “Jennifer, I truly think you have nothing to worry about.  After he graduated, I doubt he even looked twice at a woman until he met you, always too preoccupied with his own problems.  You brought him out of that, you walked him out of that nightmare, and Severus is not likely to forget it,” Minerva said firmly.  “Do you know, I remember a time not long ago, when a young Defense teacher came here and gave her unquestioning trust and loyalty in one very puzzled Potions master,” Minerva chuckled softly, thinking back.  “So perhaps the question is, what happened to change that?”

  “I grew up,” Jennifer shrugged, picking at her roll.  “It’s not like he ever trusted me like that in return.”

  “I disagree, I believe he did in his own way,” Minerva said.  “And I think you know that.”

  “I suppose,” Jennifer sighed.  “It’s just, ever since the Tomb I’ve come to realize just how easy it would be to lose everything that matters to me,” she admitted.  “I’d just like to feel, well, safe again.”  Minerva’s smile grew, both kind and sad at the same time.

  “You know, I do believe I’m going to miss the naïve, trusting, charging-into-everything-head-first Jennifer,” she said.  “But I think, especially once you find a way to get your self-confidence back, I will truly like the Jennifer you’re becoming now even more.”  Minerva got up then and pushed in her chair.  “My advise to you…and I promise it’s probably the most sound advice you’ve heard all morning…is to sit down and have a long talk with Severus.  I think you’ll find he’s wondering what happened to the old Jennifer too and wondering if he’s to blame for it.”

  “But what if he doesn’t like the new Jennifer?”  Jennifer asked, propping her head up in her hand.

  “Do you like the new Severus?”  Minerva asked, her eyes sparkling.

  “Well, yes, but it’s not like he’s all that different to me, he’s just…more Severus than he used to allow himself to be.  I can see changes in him every day, and honestly I seem to love him more every day too,” Jennifer said.

  “Talk with him,” Minerva said, “Goodness, girl, you’ve finally gotten him to open up, it’s about time you give him the same courtesy.  He can’t read minds like you can, you know.”  With that, the Deputy Headmaster left the room, leaving the younger woman with plenty to think about.

 

  After spending the morning with Filius banding the rest of the owls, Jennifer got bundled up for the game and headed out to the field from the Gryffindor side, hoping to meet up with Harry, Sirius and Anna.  But as she was coming to the edge of the stands, she spotted Severus standing near the Ravenclaw gate.  But it was the red-haired woman he was speaking to that gave her a second pause.  Immediately wondering who she was, Jennifer doubled back behind the stands to come up the other side so she could get a closer look.

  The woman was smiling and chatting merrily, her thick titian hair piled on her head with a cheerful, rosy face and large blue eyes.  She was not as slender as Jennifer; rather curvy in fact, and Jennifer couldn’t help wonder why she’d never seen her before.  

  “Aye, it sounds truly lovely indeed, Professor,” the woman said.  “Your offer is quite enticing, and I’m sure I can suit your needs perfectly, if you’d like to work something out.”

  “I’m sure we can,” Severus said amiably.  “Actually, I’ve been looking for awhile now, and you are the first Witch I’ve spoken with who hasn’t been intimidated by the proposal.”  The woman laughed.

  “There isn’t much that does intimidate me, Professor.  I have a feeling we are going to get along very well together.”  The woman paused as Jennifer walked closer and smiled at her.  Jennifer, hands thrust in her pockets to hide the fact they were clenched and trying to keep herself in check, smiled warmly at her, then at her husband, attempting to read his face.

  “Jennifer?”  Severus began, a questioning look in his tone noticing her tension.  “Jennifer, I’d like you to meet Carol Finn from Kilarney.  Carol, my wife, Professor Jennifer Craw.”  Jennifer shook her hand gently, but with not much feeling.  “Jennifer, Carol is a primary tutor wanting to move into the area and is interested in the nanny position.”

  “Yes, your husband has made quite an impression on me, to say the least,” she smiled.

  “She’s also willing to tutor Corey while he’s home as well,” Severus added.

  “I’m fluent in Gaelic and French and can teach both, and I’m sure with Corey’s natural ability with memory I can teach him both as well.  He’s a delightful boy, by the way.  He was just over here a moment ago, insisting on the Professor hiring me on the spot,” Carol laughed.  “But then, I know you should talk things over first,” she smiled.  “You know where to reach me when you make up your mind.”

  “Of course,” Severus nodded.  “We’ll be in touch.”

  “Then I shall go find a seat!  Thank you again.  Nice meeting you, Professor Craw.”

  “Mrs. Snape,” Jennifer heard herself correct.

  “Mrs. Snape then,” Carol smiled with a nod, heading up into the Ravenclaw stands.  Severus turned to his wife with a hand on his hip and a puzzled expression on his face.

  “Care to explain to me what that was all about?”  Severus snapped.

  “I thought we’d decided we were going to engage the nanny together?” Jennifer snapped back.

  “You weren’t here when we were introduced, and it was too opportunistic to pass up.  You know how difficult it’s going to be to find a nanny to help raise so many children and follow our list of restrictions.  She appears to be perfect for the job.”

  “Too opportunistic and too perfect,” Jennifer said in annoyance.  “What in the world would someone like her want to be a nanny for?”

  “Why would anyone want to be a nanny, I have no idea.  What do you mean, someone like her?  Did you see anything wrong when you looked at her?”  Severus asked.

  “Well, no,” Jennifer admitted.  “And well, she seems very nice…too nice, and intelligent, not to mention gorgeous.”

  “She was?”  Severus mused, cranking her head towards the stands, then shrugged.  “I don’t see what that has to do with whether or not she can be a good nanny or not.  What makes you so suspicious of her?”

  “I just don’t want her in my house,” Jennifer said, slightly flustered.

  “Fine!  But don’t blame me when we get to August and haven’t found anyone else,” Severus said with irritation.  Jennifer opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped herself, deciding rather to walk away, heading over to the Gryffindor stands. 

  Severus, now completely convinced that pregnancy had made Jennifer a basket case, shook his head and watched her go until she had stepped into the crowd near where Harry was sitting.  He didn’t turn around until he heard Minerva’s voice call his name.

 

  Ravenclaw hadn’t had a chance against Gryffindor, and very few people (except perhaps the Ravenclaw house) were much surprised when the game ended fairly quickly.  Corey especially was losing his stiffness in the air, easily catching and batting out the Bludgers with grace and ease.  And as usual Ginny proved unstoppable, and safely caught the Snitch but a half an hour into the game.

  “I need to speak to you about yesterday, there’s something we found at the Ministry I think you should see,” Harry said as they got up.  “I need to go see Ginny first though.”

  “All right, I’ll meet you there in a bit, then,” Jennifer said, glancing around.  She finally spotted Severus standing over by the team talking to Corey.  Taking a long breath she went over to them, congratulating Corey with a hug before letting him head off with his housemates.  Severus, who had stepped away from the group a moment before, regarded her thoughtfully as she approached.  “I need to go to the Ministry with Harry, I think it’s about Lorcan,” she told him.

  “Very well.  I’d like to tag along, if you don’t mind,” Severus said calmly. 

  “I’ll go get our cloaks and meet you in my office then,” Jennifer said, turning and heading inside.  It wasn’t long before Severus was able to get away from the Pitch, accepting his cloak from her, and pausing to look at her.  Jennifer glanced up at him and suddenly found herself lost in the intense emotion in his black eyes.

  “When we get back, perhaps we could head up to the Perch and talk for awhile,” he suggested.   Jennifer smiled softly.

  “I’d like that.  I can’t remember the last time we walked along the parapets together,” Jennifer said.

  “Do you remember the time I told you that you would never be rid of me?”  Severus asked softly.

  “Of course I remember, it was the first night you actually had the nerve to tell me you loved me.”  Severus blinked.

  “Well, it wasn’t about nerve,” he said, slightly defensive.  “More that I never felt I needed to with you being a Truth-seeker.  However, I realized that day that sometimes self-doubt can get in the way and you don’t always believe what you see.”  Jennifer looked down; feeling embarrassed, but Severus tapped her chin up lightly. “And I want you to understand without a shadow of a doubt that you have even less of a chance of getting rid of me now than ever before, and not just because of the child, either.”

  “Minerva told you,” Jennifer said, feeling embarrassed.

  “I should have known something was up after that last line of questioning after I got back from the States,” he said with an almost exasperated expression on his face, shaking his head slightly at her.  “Do you think I would get so irritated at these escapades of yours if I didn’t care?”

  “I’ve been acting like a complete fool lately, haven’t I,” Jennifer said, turning away again and wiping a tear off her cheek.

  “Yes, well, we all have our moments, lord knows I’ve had my fair share lately,” Severus said, helping her on with her cloak and kissing her lovingly.  “Now, let’s be off, the sooner we get going the sooner we can get back.”  Jennifer smiled and nodded, stepping into the fireplace.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Cloak of Icarus

 

  Severus arrived at the Ministry with Jennifer on his arm, the two of them looking around to see Harry by the reception desk, smiling at them as they approached.

  “There you are, thought you might have gotten held up.  I bribed the Goblin in archives to stay open late, there’s something I want you to see,” Harry said.  Jennifer had been down in the archives once before a few years ago, grimacing slightly remembering it was in the basement, with a large security door to protect against people from removing official papers from the musty room.  But when the three of them arrived, Sirius was standing holding the door back with his arms over his chest, while the Goblin was scowling at him and threatening to do unpleasant things to his entrails if anything was stolen.

  “Take it up with Minister Weasley, Durphbag, Harry asked him before we came down here if we could prop the door.”

  “Might I remind you some of these records predate the Ministry, and therefore as keeper of the records I am my own boss.  If anything disappears, I am holding all of you, and the Minister responsible.”

  “Fine, you do that,” Harry said, heading over to a filing cabinet, Jennifer following close behind.

  “So you’re a doorstop now?  Moving up in the world, I see,” Severus couldn’t help but remark.

  “You’re more than welcome to take over if you want.  I’d have used a chair but everything in this archives is bolted down,” Sirius chuckled.

  “Where’s Anna?”  Severus asked.

  “She went to get her file on Lorcan, thought it might have been helpful, said she left it in her room.”

  “Here it is,” Harry said from across the room.  They had pulled out the door of the filing cabinet, stretching the entire length of the room as they searched through it, and Jennifer looked over to see what it was.  “Lorcan Dougal, born 1969, assumed dead from accidental drowning in 1980.”

  “Wait a minute, what’s he doing in the magic family archives?  You don’t mean he was actually related to the Dougals my father spoke of?”  Jennifer said in surprise.

  “I wondered if you had picked that last bit up or not,” Harry said.  “Yesterday when Malfoy was kicking us out, he referred to Lorcan as a squib.  Don’t you see?  That’s how Lorcan knows so much about our world, that’s why he’s gone insane trying to become magical.  Strange too how he “died” at eleven, just when he would have been entering secondary school.”

  “Anna said that there were signs he’d been abused as a child…he claimed that his parents turned against him, abandoned him,” Sirius said.  “And now we know it was all because he was born a Muggle in a purist wizard family.”

  “Then it’s possible that’s how Lucius knew about him,” Jennifer said thoughtfully,  “Somehow he knew him from his family and found out where he was and let him out.”

  “Well, perhaps the first time he got out, yes,” Harry nodded.  “We know whoever orchestrated the first release must have had a bit of influence to get the records changed to look like an accident.  And we know last time the chest was seen, which probably held the Cloak, was in France at the same time your mother and Lorcan and Malfoy was.  Trouble is, it couldn’t have been Malfoy the last time,” Harry said, earning a puzzled look from Jennifer.

  “Malfoy was still in Azkaban at the time Lorcan got out, and everything that came or went on from him was screened.   But the most curious event was the one before Lorcan got out, when someone used an item on Anna that cursed her into Cosmic Sleep.  Not only are there no ties to either of them, but the fact is, whoever did it I don’t think truly meant to hurt Anna.  It appeared to be set up almost as a test, rather than an attempt to actually cause harm.  The same can be said of the attempt on your father’s life; Jennifer whoever did it seemed to set up as a test, for you.  Also, I am really not convinced that Malfoy was certain that Lorcan had the cloak.  Vallid believed it was the chest that Malfoy was after from the Craw vault.  Anna thinks that it might be Fudge.  After all, he was the one who sent the chest to France.”

  “In that case, why didn’t he just steal it then?”  Jennifer asked.

 “I don’t know, Jennifer.  Honestly, I haven’t seen the man since he came back.  He’s completely locked himself off from everyone else, like he’s afraid of something, or someone,” Harry said.  Severus nodded curtly at Harry.

  “Yes, I tried to speak with him myself.  He refuses to see or speak with anyone, and especially anyone remotely involved with the Voldemort mess,” Severus said.  “I don’t know, I doubt a man afraid of his own shadow would be willing to help loose someone criminally insane.”

  “Did you learn anything yesterday from Lucius, Jennifer?”
  “He’s afraid of him,” Jennifer said, “Lorcan, I mean.  Partially because Lorcan has the cloak.  Lucius knew about the cloak’s existence all along,” she growled.  “If I read him correctly he had asked for the chest as proof as mother’s death, but Lorcan told him it was gone.  He must have taken it then, somehow got my mother to open it before he killed her.”  Severus gently put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Now’s not the time to deal with Malfoy, Jennifer.  It will come,” he said in a low voice.

  “Sirius?  What’s wrong?”  Harry said suddenly, and the other two looked over at him.  His face had gone white as a sheet and his eyes had an almost haunted look in them.

  “Something’s wrong with Anna, I’m sure of it.  She should have been back by now,” Sirius said.

  “You’re right, I can see it in your face,” Jennifer said with a frown, stepping closer to him as his worried eyes looked over to her.  “She’s trapped somewhere.”

  “What?  But I thought she was just going to Hogwarts!”  Severus snapped immediately alarmed.

  “No, her exact words were she was going to her room,” Harry said.  “She could have meant her apartment.”

  “Damn it, she knows better than to go somewhere like that without taking someone with her!”  Sirius said.

  “Sounds familiar,” Severus muttered.  “Well, don’t just stand there, let’s go find her.  I knew I should have gotten a watch for her too when she came back last year.”   The four of them dashed out of the office and up the stairs, leaving the goblin to scowl at his open cabinets, slamming the door closed behind them.

  “I think Lorcan has her,” Sirius said.  “If so, she’s in terrible danger.”

  “He’s probably also called his feather friends to help guard,” Harry said.  “Maybe it’s time then to fight fire with fire.  Jennifer, call Ratfly and get him to round up the Hogwart’s Owls, any of them with bands.  Sirius, run up and let Arthur and Brown know what’s going on and get them to do the same.  I’ll release Hedwig to try and track down where he is then she can lead us there on brooms.”

  “Brooms?  Now, wait a minute…”

  “Jennifer, you should probably head back to the school,” Harry cut off her protest.  “You’re in no condition to do any of this right now.  Your fight is with Malfoy, not Lorcan.”

  “You really don’t think I’m just going to sit at home and wait, do you?”  Jennifer said.  “You’re going to need all the help you can get fighting off that Cloak.  You need an items expert, and I’m it.”

  “Come on, we don’t have time for this, Jennifer, Anna’s life is at stake, just do as your told for once!”  Sirius snapped.

  “If Severus says I should stay, I’ll stay.”  Jennifer said as they paused in the hallway.  Severus blinked at her thoughtfully, then nodded.

  “I think you should stay,” Severus said.

  “Fine, I’ll stay,” Jennifer said flatly, sitting down near the reception desk.  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the Owls are there.”

  “Thanks, Jennifer,” Harry said, with a nod, heading down the hall, Sirius close behind.  But as Jennifer propped her head up in one hand and watched the go, Severus suddenly stopped a few yards away, breathing a heavy sigh; his shoulders and head slumping slightly before he spun around, an irritated look on his face.

  “Come on.”

  “What?”

  “Come on, no time to argue, we can ride double, just promise me you’ll return to the castle if we’re separated,” Severus said.

  “Deal,” Jennifer grinned, slowly getting back up.  The two of them then hurried down the hall to catch up with the others.

 

  They had been waiting for her when she arrived.  Birds of every kind fluttered through the apartment, somehow managing to have gotten a window open, several of them immediately startling as she Apparated in.  Realizing her immediate danger, she had planned to grab her files and go, but it had been too late.  As she turned to grab the papers and leave something hit the back of her foot and a blinding light surged around her.

  Anna rubbed at her eyes, squinting and attempting to get used to the light.  She appeared to be inside something, she suddenly realized, trapped like a genie in a bottle.  As the light around her subsided into a white haze, she realized she was in some sort of globe.  A shadow went over her and she saw a distorted hand came down and felt herself lifted up and a gigantic, bloodshot eye appeared.

  “At last, at last I have you, the carrier of faerie light, the Essence I have sought for so many years.  Did I not say when we first met that I would possess you?”  Lorcan said, his voice echoing strangely through the globe.  “I knew they could not protect you forever, not that they didn’t try, oh yes, they tried, when I sent the ring to drain your will, and they dared try to stop me…I almost had them then, but alas, the servant I chose was too weak.”

  “You sent the dragon?”

  “Yes, it was I, but unfortunately dragons are difficult to control in numbers else perhaps I would have gotten you sooner.  But now, I have at last acquired enough power to defeat even the greatest wizards in the world,” he laughed. “Soon they will all pay for what they’ve done!  And they will all see what it is like to go without magic!”  The light suddenly blinked around Anna, and she realized they were outside somewhere, but where she could not tell.  The blurry blue sky was darkening as if clouds were gathering, and the white haze also took on a dimmer look.  Long spears of shadow moved across the globe, a strange, oblong reflection of them, and Lorcan began to chant something she didn’t understand.

 

  Jennifer pushed Severus’ cloak out of the way so she could spot Hedwig, flying in front of them.  They had gone quite a ways to the southwest, and Jennifer couldn’t help but get the feeling that that was terribly significant somehow.   But when she saw the cloud of birds that had gathered above the downs past Amesbury her heart sunk.

  “What in blazes does he think he’s doing?”  Jennifer said aghast.

  “I’m sure we’ll find out in a moment,” Severus said, shooting the broom ahead of Hedwig.  Sirius and Harry also jumped forward, for there was no doubt where he was now.  “Land here, he’s going to see us soon enough on the ground, let alone in the air,” he barked at the others, heading down.

  “We’ll see about that,” Harry said as he quickly dismounted and pulled out a cloak from under his regular one.  Taking his lead, Sirius put his broom and way and changed shape into a dog.  Rummaging in their cloaks, Severus and Jennifer pulled out Chameleon Powder and dusted themselves with it generously. 

  “Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain this time,” Severus’ voice muttered as he began to blend into the background.  Jennifer found his hand then and the two of them crept forward, just behind the dog, which padded quietly over towards Stonehenge.

  The birds above dove in a crazed pattern, their squawking and shrieking growing ever louder as they approached.   There, standing in the center of the inner circle was Lorcan, a book in one hand and a shining globe in the other, muttering an incantation from the pages that glowed with every word, the Cloak flapping with power from the energy coming from the words.

  But before they could react or even get closer, a figure Apparated just outside the ring, wand out and ready, pointing directly at Lorcan.  It was Cornelius Fudge.

  “Give me the girl, Lorcan!” He called, trying to keep his wand steady on him.  “If you don’t hand me the Globe and the Tome now, I will kill you where you stand!”  Lorcan turned and began to laugh.

  “You have no power to hurt me, wizard, not here.  And soon, not anywhere!  The magic that leaked into this world and poisoned it with its evil shall now cease forever!  And no one can stop it now!”  Lorcan raised his arm and a bright ray of sunlight again appeared from beneath the cloak.  The birds overhead suddenly dove towards Fudge and he rolled to the ground, covering his head as they came at him.

  “We have to do something to help Fudge!”  Jennifer said. 

  “We have more to worry about than just Fudge,” Severus snapped.  “He’s trying to open a gate to unleash the ancient magics.  If they collide with ours, magic as we know it will cease to exist!”

  “But unleashing that sort of power would disintegrate him!  And anything he’s holding!”  Harry said from somewhere beside them.

 

  “Nobody use their wand!  The incantation is already active and the result might be catastrophic,” Severus ordered.

  “Then what are we going to do?”  Jennifer asked.  Sirius, who had been laying back listening suddenly burst into a run before anyone could stop him and into the center of the ring, launching himself at Lorcan and closing his jaw around the globe in his hand, growling and trying to wrench it away.

  “Sirius!  Be careful, for god’s sakes don’t drop it!”  Jennifer’s voice cried out as she ran forward, her footsteps appearing in the snow. 

  “Get away!  Get away, beast!  Help me!  Help me, my friends!”  Lorcan cried out, and the flyers stopped diving at Fudge turning their attention to the dog.  But Sirius wasn’t about to let go of the globe and a struggle ensued, causing Lorcan to drop the tome.  Pages turned erratically and a burst of light streaked out with every passing page.  As Jennifer went to make a dash for it, she saw a large shadow above her and froze where she stood as a large hippogriff passed closely overhead.  Suddenly its talons stretched out and grabbed a hold of Sirius who yapped loudly in surprise, but it was too late…the hippogriff carried him away as Lorcan wrenched back his bloodied hand and the precious globe within it.  He heard voices around him crying out Sirius’ name, instantly aware and angered by the invisible presences trying to stop him.

  “How dare you…try…to…stop…me.   You will die for your insolence, and it will be far from painless,” he hissed, licking the blood off his hand, his lips turning as red as his eyes as he raised up his arms, calling all of his minions at once as the blinding light beneath the cloak grew stronger than ever before.  “Find them!  Find them and destroy them all!”  His voice cried out in a frenzied fury.  The rest of the cloud above them came down, diving in every direction as Jennifer knelt in attempt to get lower to the ground.  But the snow had touched her robes now, and as the chameleon dust began to wear thin parts of her began to reappear, making her an easy target.  Hands suddenly came up around her and she looked up to see Severus and Harry standing there, Severus with a potion in hand, launching it towards Lorcan.  But again the flyers were too many and a large dark creature flew in front of the bottle, taking the full brunt of the Sleeping Potion.

 “Ruby!”  Jennifer said in anguish as the Pegasus stumbled and fell to the ground at the base of one of the monoliths.  Severus grabbed her arm and the three of them took refuge behind a pair of broken stones, he and Harry holding their cloaks out like a shield.

  “Kill them!”  Lorcan ordered, the light going even brighter.  Snow began to melt at his feet as a wave of heat followed.  But just as they were blinding by the light, so were many of the birds, veering away to keep from crashing, their shrieking cries pitiful as they attempted to follow out their order.

  “Something is wrong,” Jennifer said.

  “Oh, now there’s the understatement of the year,” Harry said, trying to get his sight to readjust.

  “No, I mean with the cloak, something’s not right, it shouldn’t be getting so hot,” Jennifer said.  Suddenly a pair of wings hit Severus shoulder and he was about to fling it away, when he suddenly recognized it.

  “Ratfly’s here, help must be on the way,” he told them.

  “Look!”  Harry called out and the three of them looked up.  Above the brilliant figure of Lorcan, the three of them spotted a bird that seemed at the moment even more dazzling than the cloak as it dove down through the cloud of flyers that flew out of its path like peasants before a king.  It was then the Fawkes reached down and plucked the globe from his hands.  As if that had been a signal, the birds suddenly began to fight among themselves, filling the sky with a battle like no one had ever seen before.  Lorcan turned his attention to the skies, crying out orders to them to destroy the

Phoenix at all cost.  He spread out the cloak to the fullest, the stark sunlight suddenly growing even brighter and hotter than before.

  “Lorcan, stop!  The Cloak is overloading!”  Jennifer called out, but the man, obsessed with his newfound power and bent on destruction, either did not hear her or did not wish to hear her.

  “We need to get out of here,” Harry said, “Quick, grab the Tome and let’s retreat!”

  “I don’t see it,” Severus said, “It’s not where it was laying!”

  “Where’s Fudge?”  Jennifer asked at the same time. 
  “No time, get down!”  Harry suddenly said.

  “Destroy them!  Destroy them all!  We must prevail, we must prevail!”  Lorcan cried out.

  But suddenly his cry turned into excruciating pain, as the heat suddenly turned unbearable, so hot that it melted the cloak and released its power in a sudden burst that spread over the area like a bomb.  Suddenly the noise stopped, and Harry glanced up, looking up at the sky.  The birds that had been fighting a moment before were suddenly dispersing, while a fleet of owls wearing sparkling talon bands alighted on the monoliths and around the three figures, looking expectantly at them.

   “It’s all right, I think he’s gone now, and the cloak with him,” Harry said as Jennifer and Severus looked up.  “I only hope Sirius is all right.”

  “We will go look for him,” Severus said, helping Jennifer up and pushing her hair gently back from her burnt face.  “You had best find Dumbledore and help them figure out how to get Anna out of there safe and sound.”  Jennifer nodded slowly.

  “Of course,” she said softly.  “To think, what he might have done, to all of us, and for what?”

  “Sometimes pain can drive people to do things they wouldn’t normally do,” Severus said in such a tone that Jennifer gazed at him, nodding understandingly at what she read in his face.

 

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A Glorious Spring

 

    Anna couldn’t wait to get back to teaching, especially after the several days of fussing that Poppy had given her after she had gotten out of the Confinement Globe.  It was now in the hands of the Ministry, who were trying to find out who the original owner was.  They were also looking for Fudge, who had seemed to have disappeared again, along with the strange Tome that Lorcan had stolen.  Lucius, as usual, refused to be cooperative, but Dumbledore and Vallid seemed mutually pleased that Lorcan was gone for good.  And Anna, surrounded by friends, regaining her freedom to travel again, couldn’t agree more, even though she knew just as Dumbledore knew that there were many more hurdles on the horizon for her and her training.

  It wasn’t long after she had awoken that Severus and Harry had returned, faces and hands burned, and along with them Sirius, looking unkempt but otherwise no worse for the wear with his close call with the hippogriff.

  “He was flying me to the ocean, to drop me, I’m sure,” Sirius had told her, sitting by the bed.  “But then all the sudden he was able to shake off the charm.  Buckbeak was quite upset about the whole thing, but I was finally able to calm him down.  As I was riding him back I ran into these two on their brooms and they told me what happened.  I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re safe.”  Sirius said, gazing lovingly, leaning down to kiss her.

  “Really, must you do that in public?  I’m still having trouble swallowing the fact you’re engaged to her.  I really don’t think I have the stomach to witness it,” Severus complained, looking disgusted.

  “Get over it and get used to it,” Anna grinned at her brother, grabbing Sirius and kissing him.  Grimacing as if in pain, Severus quickly retreated into the next room where Jennifer sat with Dumbledore having her burns treated.  Harry chuckled softly to himself and followed.

  “You need not have worried, Jennifer,” Dumbledore said.  “The cloak didn’t have a Phoenix feather at all, so Fawkes was never in any danger, even if he didn’t have a band.  As for what happened, from what you’ve described it sounds as if the cloak itself was made from ancient magic and not regular magic, drawing off the sun itself to harvest its magical energy all these years.  So, when he tried to unseal the ancient magic, the power began to grow more than the cloak itself could handle.  And so, in a way, he overextended his wings and they melted in the sun.”  Severus scowled slightly at the reference, but didn’t comment.

  “I suppose I should feel relieved,” Jennifer said.  “And I can’t say there wasn’t a moment after I found out what he did that I didn’t want him dead.  But oddly enough, when it happened, and the way that it did, I felt myself wishing I could have prevented it somehow.”  Dumbledore smiled softly and patted her hand, getting up.  Harry followed him out, waving at Jennifer and Severus as he did so.

  “Well, Harry, that was quite an ending to your ‘year off,’” Dumbledore commented, a slightly amused look in his eye.

  “Yes, sir.  You know, I think I might have to take another year off, so I can recover from this year off,” Harry said, the two of them chuckling quietly as they left the hospital ward.

 

  After continuous threats of broom loss, Corey’s marks slowly improved during the last part of the year, until they finally fell in line right behind Danny’s, whose had never faltered at all.  Jennifer had over the last month taken to teaching sitting down, even during labs, and seldom left the first or second floor except to turn it at night.  Even still, she was as strict in class as ever, and never lost a beat, especially when the Snake year students attempted to purposefully make stink bombs to get out of class early.  Equipped with her fume mask and gloves, she made them sit through the entire double class with the stench, deducting enough points from them to make them quite nervous that they might have just lost their leading edge.  If it hadn’t been for Danny’s unbelievable skill in academics and on the broom, they’d have been sunk in points for sure.  But Danny had a way of picking up points rather than losing them, and there was little hope of anyone doing anything to upset their lead.

  But now, the year was coming to an end, and it was review time again.  Corey, getting jabbed for the fifth time by Doug to wake up during the potion review, suddenly noticed Jennifer grimace in pain, shifting in her chair and faltering a bit in her speech, rubbing her back slightly, before turning the page to go over the chapter on Slime-based Solutions.  But it wasn’t any longer than it took Corey’s eyes to get heavy-lidded again that she paused again.  Corey blinked and squinted at the clock and back at her again.    She stared at the book for a moment, the class unusually silent as if waiting for something, when she snapped the book closed, looking at her class.  She then got out her watch and looked at it.

  “Corey, would you go up to Professor Snape’s office and ask him down please?  Danny, would you see if you can find Professor McGonagall as well?”

  “It’s time, isn’t it?”  Corey said, trying to remain calm.

  “I haven’t exactly done this before, but I’d think that’s a good guess,” Jennifer winced.  “The rest of you start reading the chapters on your review sheet.  And stop staring!  Goodness, I doubt I’m going to have the baby here,” she said, slightly annoyed by the sudden tension in the room.  “You’d think he or she would have had the courtesy to wait until after finals,” Jennifer muttered, as the two students headed out of the room.

 

  The clopping of hooves could be heard as Sagittari entered and headed up the stairs as students came out of their second classes, the news spreading like wildfire.  Severus Snape, who had stayed to finish the Potion class reviews suddenly burst up the stairs from the dungeon and students and teachers alike scurried out of his way as he headed up the two at a time, gathering behind him and talking excitedly. 

  Upstairs, Minerva tapped her fingers distractedly as she attempted to cover finals, every now and then glancing over at the Book on the pedestal, expectantly.  Corey decided that some things took priority over sitting through his History class review and took to pacing just outside the medical ward, as curious students stopped to talk to him to hear the news.  After he had been there awhile, Dumbledore came to join him, pacing in the opposite direction like two guards at the door, taking turns looking at the clock.

  At last a sound erupted that made both Corey and Dumbledore stop in their tracks, and Dumbledore turned and smiled at Corey who was gazing at the door expectantly.

  “Sounds like the baby has his father’s lungs,” Corey quipped with a silly grin.

  “Or hers,” Dumbledore corrected.  “Wait here, let me see if I can’t get Madam Pomfrey’s attention long enough to find out which.”  He said.  Corey stood there, rocking back and forth on his shoes.   Then, after one of the longest minutes ever, a huge wreath of pink carnations appeared on the door.  In fact, even as he whooped with delight, he noticed a large garland of pink roses also appear around the door, snaking along the walls and around the doors and racing down the stairs, twisting themselves around the banisters along the way.  Suddenly the entire school began to erupt in a cheer, while Corey couldn’t help but be a bit chagrined.

   “Dang it, now I won’t have the luxury of telling anybody first,” he grinned, as students began to head up the stairs and started pelting with questions he had no answer to.

  “Excuse me, excuse me please!”  Corey and the students looked up to see Professor McGonagall working her way through the crowd, carrying a large Book that Corey immediately recognized.   She smiled enigmatically at their obvious question but ignored it, slipping in the door to where Dumbledore and Poppy were standing talking.

  “Yes of course she’s fine, they both are, of course.  I warned Severus at the beginning she’d probably be early,” Poppy said.

  “It’s quite all right, I’m sure we’ll manage, we always do,” Dumbledore smiled.  “Someone had better fetch her godfather and give him the news as well.”

  “In a moment, Dumbledore,” Minerva nodded.  “I have to show them this first.”

  “Yes, of course,” Dumbledore smiled brightly.  “Might I see?”  As they were peering in the book the door to the back room opened and Sagittari came out, smiling. 

  “All right, you may go in now, but just family and senior staff until tomorrow.”

  “Quite right, just as long as I count as senior staff,” Dumbledore teased, and went in, Minerva right behind.

  Jennifer was sitting up, smiling tiredly and waving them in while Severus sat quiet rather awkwardly holding the pink-blanketed bundle in his arms, gazing at her with an uncertain expression on his face.

  “I think you are going to have quite a young witch there on your hands, Jennifer,” Dumbledore said teasingly.  “She isn’t even a day old yet and she already has her father stupefied.”  

  “I have something to show you,” Minerva said with a smile, opening the book to the back and putting it on Jennifer’s lap.   Jennifer smiled happily as she read the name Alexandria Selezin Snape, proudly turning it around so Severus could see.

  “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Severus told his daughter, gently patting down her coppery hair and handing her to Dumbledore.

  “She couldn’t have picked a better family if she tried,” Dumbledore assured him with a smile.  “Welcome to Hogwarts, little Alexandria.  I’m sure I’ll be seeing you here again someday.”

  “Of that you can be sure of,” Severus said, kissing his wife’s hand.

  “I guess Sibyl was right after all,” Jennifer said mischievously.  “You did have another woman enter your life.”

  “So I did,” Severus mused.  “Let’s just keep that our little secret, alright?”  Jennifer and Minerva chuckled knowingly as they welcomed Corey in, and Dumbledore handed Alex over to her big brother.

  “Welcome to the family, little sister,” Corey told her with a smile.  “I can’t wait to see what adventures life has in store for you.”

 

End of Book 1 Series 2