A/N Happy Summer! Welcome to book Nineteen in the Jennifer Craw Series. For those of you just seeing these for the first time, the series starts with Jennifer Craw and the Phoenix Wand, and concentrates mainly on the development of Original Characters living in the Harry Potter Universe, so if you're not a big fan of the original character thing, you probably won't get much past book three in the series. However, you'll also find as time goes by the series and plot twists are generally speaking more complex, so I hope you'll continue on with Jennifer and Severus and all the trials and tribulations that come with being a Snape...
For those of you returning, welcome back! This should be a fun story to write and to read, at least I hope so, filled with exploring new worlds (quite literally) and getting back to a Jennifer-Severus heavy plot line. Despite this, I hope to leave plenty of opportunities for the Order of the Owls especially to develop, and I hope you like the twists. The theme of the story is that you just can't plan for everything, and although I have a feeling you will guess early on some of the twists in the story well before the characters do, I hope to leave some surprises as well despite a storyline which (despite outward appearances) should turn out to be nothing short of a classic adventure romance. To my longtime readers, thanks for coming back, and I hope you won't be disappointed with this light, comical addition to the JC Series. Thanks again, talk to you soon. JCWriter.
Jennifer Craw and the Winds of the Otherworld
Chapter One
A Change of Scenery
Severus Snape was many things, but adventurous was not one of them. He made a point never to go out of his way thrill-seeking; if anything, he already had more than enough 'thrill' to last a person a lifetime. In truth, he would have very much liked it if the rest of the world would simply leave him the hell alone, despite the fact he knew that it would never happen. For he was also a realist, and between his job as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and a family that was a hundred times more adventurous than he was, there would never be a dull year. All he could hope for was a quiet summer, and for the first week or so aboard the Wizard's Temptation, he was succeeding in that goal quite splendidly. He had no idea that peace would be very short-lived and that he was about to have one of the biggest adventures of his life.
There was an audible splash in the water. Severus looked up from his pipe to see a boy's hand appear off the side of the boat, dropping a handful of unidentifiable objects covered in barnacles along with some smaller green pieces that were obviously coin-shaped.
"I thought you said you were going to fish," Severus called out.
A moment later, a second hand came up and deposited a very large fish on the deck of the boat. Severus heard another splash as the boy retreated. He then heard a creaking door behind him and glanced up to see Jennifer peering out the door, her green eyes betraying her exasperation.
"Severus? Oh no, don't tell me you're smoking again…" Jennifer said.
"I beg your pardon, but do you know how long it's been since I've polished my pipes let alone used one?" Severus said defensively. "After all I'm on vacation as well, as little of it as I get…"
"I don't mind you smoking as long as it doesn't affect anyone else, Severus, but I don't want you smoking around Leu," Jennifer scolded him as she cleaned up his side table.
"He's not staying up here long enough to be bothered by it," Severus said. "You know, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to buy that diving permit for him, Jennifer. He might get the wrong idea…"
"Severus, you're the one who said that it's important for Leu to make his own decisions for a while, even if that decision does involve something he used to do when he had to earn his keep. I don't see anything wrong with him wanting to dive; he might even pull up something interesting… like another monkey paw," Jennifer said mischievously.
"Very funny," Severus said sarcastically.
"Is that a mackerel flopping on my deck? Really, Severus! You could have put it in some water or ice or something," Jennifer said with renewed exasperation.
But as Jennifer attempted to pass around Severus to fetch it, Severus pulled her onto his lap, putting down his pipe but otherwise ignoring all her other protests.
"How about you stop worrying about the fish and the pipe and try to relax and enjoy your vacation for a change?" Severus suggested in a low voice.
"I am enjoying my vacation, Severus," Jennifer protested softly. "And you are supposed to be watching Leu,"
"Kipper is down there with him, Jennifer, and the other two are surveying the area for potential dangers. It's almost as if we have the boat to ourselves," Severus murmured.
Just then his eyes flicked up and saw a grey-haired boy with his arms propped up on the deck, watching them curiously. Gasping in surprise at being caught, he quickly dropped back down into the water with a big splash.
"Not even close, Severus," Jennifer chuckled at him, getting up. "Perhaps it's time you coaxed him out of the water for awhile. You can coax me after he goes to bed tonight," she added flirtatiously before taking the fish back to the tank near the nets. "Any suggestions for lunch?"
"Just nothing with oranges. You really got carried away at that citrus market, you know," Severus said before she slipped back inside. He reluctantly got out of the chair, pulling a long cord dangling at one end of the boat.
A minute later he heard a splash and peered over the side to see their Merrow deckhand Kipper scampering up the ladder with Leu not far behind him.
"I heard a funny clacking noise just now," Leu said as Severus helped him climb up onto the deck.
"It's the Merrow Bell. It's there to let them know they're needed back on the ship… and you should heed it as well," Severus said. "Time to come out for a rest, Llewellyn, we'll be eating before long… and I suggest you clean up that mess on the deck before someone trips over that debris."
"You'll be more impressed once I get my discoveries cleaned up," Leu said. "Some of these are solid gold, including that dinner plate there. I think I have some silver too, but I'm not sure. After it's cleaned up, then I'll know."
"It can wait until later," Severus said firmly. After making a quick sweep with his wand to make certain that none of the items were magical, Severus handed Leu a pail to put all his discoveries into. "Right now you should go to your cabin and clean yourself up before it's time to eat."
"Are you going to teach me chess after lunch?" Leu asked.
"I did say so this morning, didn't I? Now stop stalling and go change," Severus said.
"All right," Leu said, taking his bucket in with him.
Severus went over to the galley area where Kelpie was busy making up some radish roses for garnish. Sitting at the table, Jennifer was valiantly attempting to make one of her own.
"I've never met anyone else who likes to torture food like you do," Severus declared.
"Well all right, so I need a bit more practice," Jennifer said in a defensive tone. "By the way, you just missed Alicia. She popped in just long enough to deliver the morning post."
"Anything interesting?" Severus asked.
"Mainly just the paper; there's an article in the Daily Prophet about Harry taking year off," Jennifer said.
"What? I would rather Ron had waited. I haven't even had a chance to mention his appointment to the board of governors yet," Severus said with a frown, going over to get the paper.
"They definitely know now," Jennifer said. Severus groaned when he saw it made the front page: Auror Potter Makes Triumphant Return to Hogwarts!
"I'd be tempted to strangle Ron if I didn't know that Harry has probably beaten me to it by now," Severus said.
"Well, it's not like the board can object, Severus. They'd make front page news just as fast if they tried to veto Harry's appointment to Defense teacher now," Jennifer said.
"I was hoping that now that he's older and thirty years away from that Voldemort mess that he wasn't going to cause quite the fanaticism as when he was a student in my school," Severus said with open annoyance.
"Well, he's much more famous now than he was then, isn't he?" Jennifer said. "But look on the bright side, Severus. Perhaps with Harry teaching, the media will be focused on him and give our family a break for a change," she said with a chuckle.
"Joy," Severus said without enthusiasm. "I see there's a letter from the Order of Merlin in the mix."
"Yes, I got one too… it's just a reminder of our next meeting, really."
"Since when do they have to remind us about the summer meeting when they've been holding it on solstice of late?" Severus said.
"I got the impression from the way it was written that they wanted to make sure that as many people as possible could attend this one," Jennifer said. "What's so important about this meeting, Severus? You're a representative, surely you've heard something."
"No, but then I haven't gone out of my way to contact anyone, either. In fact, if I was wise, I'd probably stop opening my post right now so I'm not constantly reminded that there is an outside world," Severus said.
"I totally agree," Jennifer said supportively. "But you do have one more marked 'urgent' in there somewhere."
"Those are the ones I should probably be avoiding the most," Severus said flatly. But after a moment he reluctantly fished it out of the pile, recognizing the handwriting at once. "It seems this one is from Toby."
"Really? Oh, you'd better see what he wants then," Jennifer said with such concern that Severus gave her a dirty look.
"So much for wisely setting it aside," Severus said dryly then opened it, frowning in apparent bewilderment.
"Well?" Jennifer asked impatiently, drying off her hands and sitting down.
"'Dear Severus, this is just a reminder that the Order of Merlin will be meeting soon and you promised to attend. Be there or be square.' What the devil do you suppose that means? 'P.S. don't forget you promised to attend and to help me if you could. I trust you will be good to your word. Sincerely, Toby the Tinker (among other things.)'" Severus said. "Can't that old man leave me alone even on vacation? I knew I shouldn't have opened it."
"We have a few more days before we have to worry about that meeting, Severus," Jennifer said.
"And it'll be here before we know it," Severus said briskly.
"Then I expect you had better enjoy the time off while it lasts," Jennifer said, ignoring his grumpy demeanor. "Why don't you go check on Leu, Severus? He hasn't peeked out here in ten minutes, that's rather unusual for him."
"True enough, but perhaps we should start thinking up some way to curb that curiosity of his before it gets him into trouble," Severus mused.
"Right now everything going on in his life is new to him, so of course he's going to be curious. He's trying to adjust," Jennifer said. "He just wants to know us better, Severus."
"I suppose, but I really hope he doesn't make a habit of it," Severus said, getting up. "How long before lunch?"
"Just a few minutes, Severus. We're having a salad and sandwiches," Jennifer said, turning her attention back to what she was doing.
"It suppose that sounds safe enough, although I've never had tortured radishes before," Severus said expressionlessly, ignoring the look Jennifer threw in his direction as he slipped down the narrow hallway and peered in one of the guest cabins.
The room was neat as a pin except for the desk where Leu was working at, dipping the pieces in a pan of murky liquid and using a rough towel and a toothbrush on them.
"Is that an acid bath of some kind?" Severus asked.
"Yes, the Merrows made it up for me when I told them that I was planning to clean what I found. Do you want to see?" Leu asked, and Severus came in, careful to raise the ceiling with his wand before entering. Eagerly, Leu handed him over a few of the coins he had been working on, and Severus glanced over them thoughtfully.
"You've done a fair job cleaning them up, although I may know one or two spells that might help you get the rest of that off," Severus said thoughtfully.
"Some of these silver pieces will be harder to clean, but I'm hopeful I can get that plate done quickly," Leu said, carefully slipping the plate in the bath with a gloved hand.
"And what do you plan to do with them then?" Severus asked.
"Give them to you, of course," Leu said. "Some of these gold ones are worth fifty galleons if not more, you know, and that plate easily a hundred and maybe more if it has a good maker's mark on it. It'll pay back the diving permits with plenty to spare."
"Llewellyn, you need not worry about that. We're family now," Severus said.
"But I just want to make sure I'm doing my part," Leu said seriously.
"Yes, but are you certain it's your own part you are doing?" Severus said.
"What do you mean?" Leu asked with a frown.
"Everyone in a family has different responsibilities, just as people need to do different jobs to make a company work," Severus explained. "Jennifer and my part is providing a safe and secure home as well as gathering the resources the family needs to maintain itself. In a way, you are attempting to do our part and not your own."
"Then what's my part?" Leu asked.
"Well, for the moment your part consists of learning new routines; more specifically learning some self discipline through your summer reading, practical discipline through the stances and block forms I've started you on, and beginning to learn and practice the basic family rules," Severus said.
"But learning those things just benefits me. That's not contributing," Leu said.
"On the contrary, your attention to those things makes it easier for Jennifer and myself to do our jobs," Severus said.
"I do want to make things easier," Leu said. "But I'd rather pull my own weight."
"Growing up is difficult enough work without adding any other burdens to it," Severus said. "We'll talk more about this later, perhaps during our chess game, but for now it's time to come in and eat. As for your acquisitions, why don't we open up a bank account for you when we get back home for that? I've always kept a trust vault for my children until they're of an age or position to need it, although I must admit yours will be the first time any of them actually had anything to contribute," Severus said as he led them out.
"I like contributing," Leu said with a bit more enthusiasm. "I like to help, really. Isn't there anything else I can do?"
"You could get the drinks if you like," Jennifer suggested.
Leu immediately went over to the small icebox to fill glasses, while over his head Jennifer gave Severus a private smile, nodding in agreement to his unspoken thought. It was going to take lots and time of patience before Leu truly felt a real part of the family. Still, it wasn't the first time that the two of them had to deal with a disconnected child, and Severus was quite sure that it would at the very least be a walk in the park compare to what they had gone through with Lucky. Instinctively, Severus pulled out his watch, despite the fact he knew before he looked at it that it would read, "Elsewhere."
"I'm sure she's having a lovely time, Severus," Jennifer said when she saw his expression. Curiously Leu looked between them, but when he noticed the sandwiches had been put on the table, he quickly finished his task.
Lucky stretched out on a beach chair looking out onto the Seven Seas Lagoon, soaking in some sun with a contented sigh. It was a great time to stretch out all her aches and pains from all the walking they had been doing in the theme parks, and despite the silliness with participating in the parade and getting stopped by fans (although even she had to admit it made the time waiting in lines go faster), Lucky and Dale, along with the rest of the band and their families, were having a splendid time at Disney World.
But it was in that moment that Lucky felt the most content, lying back and watching the boats and jet skis go by with only a feigned attempt at figuring out which one Dale was on. The rooms they had were posh and more than adequate, and the concierge service was always at their beckon call.
This was how it should be, Lucky decided, leaning back and closing her eyes for a moment. She was imaging herself out of Hogwarts and out of college and well onto her way of making her mark on Wall Street, the primary investor in so many companies that she would have to hire private secretaries to keep track of all the ones she was chairman of. She'd have a park side penthouse with a pool on the roof in a building high enough to get away from the smog below and softening the sound of the streets below. All of her vacations would be like this then; free of all cares for money and concerns other than remembering to put on her sunshield potion and having a good time. And, of course, no one would know who she was, for nobody in America really cared if you had a billion dollars or not as long as you stayed out of the computer industry. Therefore, she could have her cake and eat it too, she reasoned; a life in complete anonymity despite the fact she secretly owned half of Manhattan…
Lucky heard a sound and made the mistake of opening her eyes, reality setting back in through several pairs of curious eyes of girls about her age watching her where they sat a few chairs away. It was a reminder that her vacation wasn't entirely free, and she sat up in recognition of that fact and resignation to the inevitable when one of the older girls got brave enough to come over.
"Excuse me, but we were wondering… are you Lucky Snape?" the blonde girl asked.
"Yeah," Lucky said guardedly.
"Do you mind some company?" she asked. Lucky shrugged.
"It's okay," Lucky said when the girl didn't react to the shrug right away, and all the sudden found herself surrounded.
"I'm Dana, and this is Karen and Sue," the first girl said. "We saw you in the parade yesterday, I think. So you're here with Dale because of the tour?"
"Yeah, I'm going on the first night," Lucky said. "It might be fun. I've never been to one before."
"Wow, really?" said Karen. "I try to go every chance I get!"
"Or every chance we can talk our parents into it," Sue said. "That's why we're here this weekend."
"So is Dale really the same in person as he is on stage and interviews?" Dana asked.
"I dunno, how is he then?" Lucky shrugged.
"He's the clean-cut, good boy of the group," Dana said. "Is he in real life?"
"Maybe. I don't know the rest of the guys well enough to say," Lucky shrugged.
"Is he nice? Does he treat you well? Is he good in bed?" Karen asked. Lucky blinked.
"What? What do you take me for, anyhow? I'm not that type of girl, and neither is he… that type of guy, I mean," Lucky sputtered out, feeling her cheeks burning. "Which paper is saying stuff this time?"
"None that we know of," Dana said. "But we're also not naïve. We know what sort of thing goes on backstage with popular bands these days, and I know you can't have been dating this long without something going on."
"You have it all wrong. None of the guys are even allowed to have any girls backstage at all. Dale's mother would kill them," Lucky said.
"Dale's mother?" Sue asked curiously.
"Their agent, and the last person you ever want to get mad," Lucky explained. "Although my father runs a close second."
"What do your parents do for a living?" Karen asked.
"They're teachers at the private school we go to," Lucky said. "And they watch us like a hawk."
"What's the point of going to a private school if you can't at least get away from your parents?" Dana asked, sounding much more sympathetic to Lucky's situation.
"Eh, they won't follow me to college," Lucky said with a shrug.
"Are you going to be a senior this year too?" Karen asked.
"No… junior," Lucky said.
"Man, then I don't envy you if Dale does decide to go to college then," Karen said, shaking her head. "There is sure to be dozens of sorority girls who are going to be willing to do anything to make him forget you're even in the picture, and they're going to have a whole year to work on him."
"She's right there, I'm afraid," Dana said seriously. "Honestly, as famous as he is, I'd start doing what I can to sink my claws into him this year, if I were you."
"And hold on for dear life," Karen agreed with a soft chuckle.
"Hey, you want to play volleyball or something? There's four of us so we could play two on two," Sue suggested. Lucky pondered it a moment, glancing out at the lake before finally shrugging.
"Yeah, okay," Lucky said. She found herself walking over to the snack bar with the girls to get drinks first, grateful that they immediately changed the subject to their own lives and bragging about their own families and leaving the subject alone in favor of trying to get in Lucky's good graces.
The girl's efforts paid off in the middle of the second game when Dale came up from the docks and went over to the nets, completely unsurprised to find Lucky there.
But as Lucky served off, Sue froze in surprise and terror to see Dale standing on the sidelines watching with the game interest. The ball sailed passed her untouched, and Karen called out her name in exasperation until she happened to notice Dale as well. Rolling her eyes, Lucky turned around and put a hand on her hip.
"Are you throwing off my game again?" Lucky complained.
"Sorry, Lucky," Dale said, sliding his hand around her waist and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hello girls! Good game there, sorry I interrupted it."
The three girls began to talk at once but none of them seemed to be saying anything and quickly quieted down.
"That's Dana, Karen, and Sue. They're all hanging out at the hotel today because they're going to the concert tonight," Lucky said.
"Oh really? Who's playing?" Dale asked.
"I don't know this guy," Lucky protested with such a straight face that the girls couldn't help but grin.
"Well I'd love to stay and chat, but my free time for the day is about over and if I don't eat within the next hour, I won't get to eat at all tonight," Dale said.
"Hey, we're going to do Epcot tomorrow if you wanna come and hang out," Lucky offered.
"Great! We still have one day left on our passes," Karen said.
"Good, maybe you can help me box famous-boy in so nobody bugs us in ride lines," Lucky said. The girls laughed at that and chatted excitedly as Dale and Lucky managed to slip away.
"So you managed to make some friends while trying to get some 'quiet time' I see," Dale teased lightly.
"It wasn't my idea. Besides, I wouldn't call them friends. They're concert groupies," Lucky said.
"What?" Dale said, wondering about the tone in her voice.
"Yeah, I think they were trying to get backstage passes or somethin'," Lucky said. "Think your mother would mind?"
"Mind? She'd kill me," Dale said and gave her a questioning smile, wondering what she was up to. "You sure you want to hang with them tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Lucky decided. "They're not so bad. Maybe they'll learn somethin'. Like that we're human, and not just names in the paper."
"I'm all for that," Dale chuckled. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving and I've got a long night tonight, what with the official announcement this is the band's final tour and all. Just think, Lucky. By the time school starts, it'll all be over. We can even have a traditional Christmas this year… with plenty of time to hit the books, of course."
"Yeah, we gotta start thinking of college… you know, maybe you ought to think of applying to an all boy school. There will be less distractions that way," Lucky suggested.
"The only distraction I want is the flutter of owls at my window from poor Jagger and the Hogwarts Owls trying to keep up with our mail that first year. And I'm not going to pick a school that's going to keep me from seeing you, am I?" Dale said.
"No, that probably wouldn't be healthy," Lucky said, sounding much more reassured.
"No, probably not," Dale chuckled, putting his arm around her as they walked back inside.
Despite Dale's reservations, the next day turned out to be a success for everyone; the girls who got plenty of photos and candid shots, but they also turned into a great shield from the crowds and helped mitigate how many times they got stopped and how long they had to spend when it did happen. It was obvious to Dale that shield helped Lucky relax for the first time that trip and couldn't help being grateful, surprising himself when they exchanged addresses and emails at the end of the day with promises to share each others vacation photos.
But all too soon their last day at the parks was over. Despite how tired he was, Dale pulled himself out of bed early the next morning, knowing that soon they would all be packing for the bus trip to Atlanta while Lucky would be going back home to a summer promised to be full of studying. Still, he couldn't help envy her considering what his summer was going to be like, but he was very sorry to see her go when Jennifer came to pick her up the next morning. He quickly pulled Lucky away to have a few quiet words with her away from where Myrine and Jennifer were having cups of coffee at one of the tables.
"She was no trouble, Jennifer, no trouble at all, although perhaps she did get a bit frustrated with the parade Grand Marshal thing and the hands-in-cement thing at the Studios," Myrine admitted with a chuckle. "You know, that first concert really did feel like a goodbye. Dale is ready to move on to other things, and it couldn't happen soon enough as far as Lucky's concerned. But I think she's right. It's time for the public to move on to the next greatest thing and leave these kids to sort out where to go from here. If they're smart and invest wisely, they really shouldn't have to worry about money for a long time to come… but I doubt most of the band members will."
"How does Bert feel about it?" Jennifer asked.
"Oh, since that nasty business with him being publicly fired by his own son, he's gone out of his way to stay out of it," Myrine said. "He came down for a couple of days at the beginning just to visit, but as much as he and Dale tried, the situation was quite uncomfortable between them so Bert decided to return to LA to check on some of our clients there. I think… well, once Dale gets a little older and out in the real world a bit, he'll come to understand his father isn't the bad guy he's made him out to be, but it's going to take time. Until then, I really think both of them will be on their best behavior around each other hoping that their relationship will get better but not knowing quite how to fix it. And that more than anything is why I personally am glad that Second Chance is breaking up, because I'm sick of the constant tension. Speaking of tension, there is something else I should probably mention."
"Oh?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Yes, the tension between Dale and your daughter, actually. It's been growing quite steadily from what I've seen. In fact, I've had a devil of a time this summer keeping them at a responsible distance," Myrine said in a lowered voice. "You may want to have a little talk with your daughter before they get back to school this year before things escalate any further between them."
"Ah, lovely. I think I'll wait until Severus has gone back to work for that chat, he's been paranoid enough about her and her relationship with Dale already. He's so afraid that she's going to get hurt," Jennifer admitted.
"No, I can't say that I blame him. Don't worry, Jennifer, I plan to do my fair share of talking to Dale as well, although I don't know how much good it'll do," Myrine admitted.
"Well, Dale has always been one of my most responsible students from day one, and I know for certain he'd never do anything to hurt her. We'll simply have to talk to them and then trust they'll make the right decisions," Jennifer reasoned.
"I don't know, love can be a pretty strong drug at times," Myrine said with a thin smile.
"I suppose that's what we get for encouraging them to get together then," Jennifer said with a sigh. Nodding to acknowledge that, Myrine tipped her coffee cup towards Jennifer before taking a sip.