Chapter Seven

Class Reaction

Lucky ate quickly, throwing everything on her toast and eating it in several large bites so she could be one of the first students in the class, picking out a table in the center of the room. The smell of coffee wafted in the air, and Lucky looked over to see pair of steaming pots and a tray of pastries on a table near the back. Jennifer was busy copying something from their book onto the blackboard and didn't seem to notice her.

"I thought the Professor said that was against the rules now," Lucky said.

"No, he said it was 'highly discouraged,'" Jennifer said briskly, "Although that's hardly student business. Help yourself, Lucky."

"Ok by me," Lucky shrugged, getting a cup of coffee and sitting back down. When Jennifer moved, Lucky furrowed her brow at the formula. It took up half the blackboard.

Ambrose came in along with a mob of other students, quickly taking a seat beside Lucky.

"Help yourself to the back table if you like, then get settled wherever. Don't forget whomever you're sitting with will end up being your lab partner, so choose wisely," Jennifer said, glancing over the book one more time. "Don't bother getting your kits out, I'm not sure we'll have time to get into them today, double or not, because we're going to be getting into dissecting complex potion formulas."

"No review?" Delia asked curiously.

"If you need a review to keep up, I'm afraid you'll have to do it on your own time. I have a tight schedule this year," Jennifer said apologetically. "I'll be handing out last years outline along with your study sheets before you go, as well as a list of twenty five ingredients, their properties, basic uses, and general quality concerns for each. You'll be expected to memorize those and we'll have a test on them at the beginning of each class from now on." Lucky grimaced at the thought of all that memorization. Why couldn't they learn something more practical? "Everyone get out your notebooks, now, and for your sake, I'd go for pencils and stay away from the ink, this is going to be messy. This," she said, tapping her chalk against the blackboard, "Is alchemist notation. It's what alchemists use to alter existing potions or design new ones. By writing it out this way, we can make an educated guess on whether the potion will blow up the lab or not before we get to the experimentation phase of the project. Only after the formula is perfected is it then written in the classic recipe form you're used to seeing in potion books. These formulas are not written specifically in chronological order, but in order of significance, so we're going to start with learning basic symbols and learning how to find specific steps."

Lucky carefully followed Jennifer's direction, quickly seeing it as something that could be read as a type of mathematical formula, adding the parenthesis, brackets, circles and boxes to the main ingredients and asterisks, number signs, pentacles, and other function symbols to the minor ingredients, time and temperature specifications. They were getting to the end of the one on the board when Lucky finally looked around and noticed the vacant expressions on all the other student's faces. Even Ambrose, who seemed to have copied Jennifer's instruction correctly, seemed to be decidedly lost, and when the bell finally rang, everyone seemed extremely relieved.

"That was without a doubt the lonnnnngest class I've ever been in!" Ambrose declared when they walked out the door. "Did any of that have the slightest bit to do with potions at all?"

"Since when did they start teaching non-laymen potions in second year?" Delia grumbled.

"This isn't anything like what was taught last year," Connie assured her. "I have one of my cousin's second year potion books, and it mostly concentrated on learning how to test potions for impurities and a continuation of topical potions that we started first years. This book is horrific!"

"It did seem pretty advanced," Lucky admitted.

"Well, I'm going to write my father tonight and complain about them," Delia declared.

"Me too," Connie agreed.

"My Mum already complained," Ambrose said. Lucky fell into silence, feeling uncomfortable all the sudden. She was glad when they finally parted their ways for the next class.

When Jennifer arrived at dinner that night, the Great Hall was unusually quiet, and the students visibly glum. She sighed and went over to Hermione, who was already standing by her chair.

"This is awful," Jennifer said. "No, really, it's been years since I've seen student morale this low."

"The staff morale isn't exactly high either," Anna put in.

"What have you got to complain about? They didn't change your books," Jennifer said in annoyance.

"By the time most of the students got to my class, they weren't in the mood to do anything," Anna said.

"Nobody could stay on their brooms in my afternoon class," Danyelle put in from where she was sitting. "Let's face it, it's affecting everyone."

"And after only one day," Jennifer said, folding her arms. "Frankly, Hermione, I really don't know how long we can possibly do this."

"We'll all get used to it," Hermione said in a low voice.

"God, I hope not," Sally Scribe said, walking up to them. "This is horrendous. The board can't possibly expect us to keep up with this."

"That's just what the board is hoping we can't do, Sally, they're hoping we'll give in," Hermione said. "They want us to admit that Ambrose Bailey can't handle it and send him back to primary."

"We can't possibly send him back after learning a year of magic already, it'd be insane," Jennifer said.

"Perhaps they're hoping he'll flunk out so they can just banish him from magic," Danyelle said. "And I for one don't want to see that."

"Me either," Sally said resignedly, cleaning her glasses. "But I can't help sympathizing with what the students must be going through."

"Wait a minute, guys, is it really necessary to put the whole school through this for one student?" Anna asked. "We could always set him back and set him up with some sort of after school tutor or something to keep up with magic until he's of the right age."

"I understand what you're saying, Anna, but ultimately this really is about more than just one student," Hermione said. "This is about the fact that half the board would rather make life difficult for the school instead of actually helping us. They're there as a check and balance to make sure that we're keeping our standards up educationally and keeping up the books and staying even economically. They're not supposed to be there to bully us whenever they feel like it."

"Precisely." They looked up to see Severus standing behind them. Jennifer moved to take her seat on the other side of him. "You all were warned beforehand that this was likely to be rough. However, we will persist."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to teach," Sally said curtly. Jennifer cringed visibly, although Severus simply gave Sally a fixed stare.

"Any time you would like to switch places, let me know," Severus said curtly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this over with. I need to finish helping Mr. Carnegie get the containment and quarantine rooms ready before Mr. Pyther arrives."

As they sat down and got settled, Jennifer stared at her plate in disbelief then sighed contentedly when a dish of chocolate ice cream smothered in fudge and a plate of baklava appeared. Beside her, Pomona had a complex salad topped with bits of truffle, while Hermione had a hearty bowl of chicken soup and a yogurt parfait, and Anna with macaroni and cheese and a slice of pizza.

"Comfort food!" Andrew laughed, looking over the bangers and mash with a sizable side order of pumpkin butter sandwiches. He glanced at the students tables, noting Lindsay with a big plate of chips and Lucky already working on a tamale.

"I definitely needed this," Jennifer said, unsurprised to see her husband ending up with kippers on toast and a large plate of springerle. "Who's idea was this?" she asked innocently, already having guessed the answer.

"It could have been anyone," Severus answered noncommittally.

"Wasn't me, but I'm not complaining," Hermione said, "and neither are the students…probably for the first time today."

"It's always been the little things that matter," Andrew said. "They'll weather this all right."

"I never believed otherwise," Severus said expressionlessly, biting into a biscuit.

"Professor, there is something I need to speak to you about after dinner," Hermione said.

"Oh? Can't you just speak to me now, you know how much I have to do tonight."

"Not really, it's a staff issue," Hermione said quietly. Severus glanced over at her and noticed that Danny, Andrew, and some of the others were exchanging knowing looks behind her. He glanced the other direction to see everyone immediately becoming concerned with their food.

"You may as well tell me, considering from the looks of it everyone else already knows something I don't," Severus said.

"I had to call in a substitute today," Hermione said.

"A substitute? On the first day of classes?" Severus said, staring at her.

"Don't worry, Essie was happy to do it, in fact, she did say she'd come in as often as we need…"

"Essie?" Severus repeated, his expression changed. "Icarus."

"He still refuses to come out…" she began, but Severus had immediately gotten up.

"Well, he's gone too far this time. I happen to know it's in his contract that he's not allowed to let his brooding spells interfere with his work," Severus seethed.

"Professor, he's still a ghost…"

"Being dead is no excuse! I still expect my staff to perform their duties in due course," Severus said, striding out the back door. The rest of the staff stared after him as the door came slamming shut.

"Professor Weasley, might I say for the record that if I die on the job I'd like to retire?" Pomona said. Anna smirked at her.

"I'd better go along. Jennifer, watch things here?" Hermione said, getting up.

"All right, but I want to hear your side of how it turns out once its over," Jennifer said, and Hermione nodded to her before hurrying out after him.

Zacchius Black, tired of arguing and hoarse from talking, had been sitting on the floor of the Divination tower with his back to the office door, lightly dozing when he heard the sound of footsteps outside. His eyes grew wide when he saw the expression on the Snape's face as he stormed in and quickly scrambled to his feet and out of the way.

"Open by order of the Headmaster," Severus snapped, and the door immediately unlocked itself and opened. He strode in, looking around a room in complete disarray…papers everywhere and the ghost nowhere in sight. "Icarus, I demand you come out at once. If you do not come out at once, I will dismiss you from your position and then personally have your remains taken back to Azkaban and make certain all my successors know never to allow you back here again!"

"Oh dry up," the voice of Icarus said from all around him. "I happen to know that I will be here doing this job long after you finally give it up, which is saying a lot since you'll be at this so long that several dozen generations of students will grow up not knowing just how much of an ass you can be."

"You know quite well those sorts of memory predictions of yours don't work with me, Ravenclaw," Severus snapped. "Fine, if you want to play hard ball, I'll take that to be a resignation. Hermione? Issue a stop payment on Ick's personal trust funds," he ordered. Zack turned around, surprised to see Hermione standing there. "Zack, if you'll accompany me to the vaults, I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible…"

"Oh, all right, all right!" Icarus said, reluctantly materializing in front of him. "Really, Severus, the older you get, the more you act like Jennifer."

"I would stop now if I were you," Severus warned him, eyes flashing angrily.

"I respond no better to threats than you do. I'm hardly a petrified vampire you can bully about. I swear, you're as bad as the board," Icarus said testily. "And whether you like it or not, you need me here as much as the school needs you here, regardless of how much you want to throw me out and regardless of how much you want to leave." Hermione blinked at that, looking at Severus curiously. Severus glared at the ghost, fuming. "So let's just drop the threats now, shall we? I was not feeling up to teaching so I took a sick day. Why can't I take a sick day every now and then? I have rights too, you know, ghost or not."

"This was the first day of the term and you were hardly sick!" Severus snapped. "The first day of class sets the tone for the entire year, and the fact that you simply discounted it and let a substitute take over does not encourage me."

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I've had an awfully bad day…"

"I have an entire staff who has just had an 'awfully bad day,'" Severus snapped. "I expect you to remember that summer is over and there's no more room for this sulking nonsense regardless of what danger you believe we're in, and you will return to your classes in the morning. Furthermore, from now on if you plan on using a 'sick day' you need to clear it with me and give Hermione more sufficient notice!"

"Does the living give sufficient notice when they're sick?" Icarus asked, but with a lot less fire than before. "Very well, Headmaster. I hope I didn't inconvenience you too much for losing a day in a course most students simply take to get a free high mark in."

"Most are not all," Severus said with a frown. "And I had better not have a reason to come back up here by the end of the year, Ravenclaw."

"Hm," Ick said thoughtfully, but didn't say anything else until Severus and Hermione had left. "Have some tea, Mr. Black?"

"So now you're cordial," Zack said irritably, randomly picking up papers from the path that blocked his way to Ick's desk. "Maybe you wouldn't have even been in this position if you had agreed to speak with me in the first place."

"It wasn't you I wanted to talk to," Icarus explained calmly, ignoring Zack's irritated look. "Boy, if you really want to get better at this job you're going to have to learn that you can't out-wait a ghost, they have a lot longer than you do. But I suppose you're wondering what's been bothering me, that's what you do, is it?"

"I came here to listen, Icarus," Zacchius said, watching as the teapot poured out and took a cup.

"Well that in itself is a refreshing change around here, isn't it?" Ick said bitterly.

Jennifer clutched the canvas covered frame in her hands; for after she had climbed to the ninth floor and into the room set up to the contain the wandering most portraits, she suddenly didn't feel like giving it up. Francis was busy working on mounts, brackets and easels when she came in, but looked up sympathetically when he saw her reluctance.

"Here they are, Mr. Pyther," Severus said, coming up behind her with another frame. "I've also brought John to help you set up." The Irishman fell in behind them with a painting of his own, smiling warily at Francis.

"Thank you," Francis said gratefully, taking the portrait from Severus first, hanging it high on the wall before gently uncovering it. The portrait of Jennifer gazed back at them with a deep frown, glancing at their faces.

"It's almost as if she's trying to read us," Severus mused.

"Attempting to figure out what's going on, I'd imagine. We'd best get the other one up on the wall before she gets into trouble," Pyther chuckled softly.

"What if one of the other paintings brought in is already infected?" Jennifer asked, knuckles white against the curves of the frame.

"I'll put them side by side so they don't have to travel far," Francis promised.

"They tend to wander when they get bored…"

"Precisely why we're taking this precaution, Jennifer," Severus reminded her. Reluctantly, Jennifer gave up the portrait to Francis' gentle hands, watching anxiously as he slipped it into place on the wall and uncovered it. The Severus portrait, it seemed, had been waiting impatiently for the cover to be lifted so that he would have light to read his book, but it wasn't long at all before the Jennifer portrait wandered over and he was forced to put his book down to comfort her.

"There, now, all is well," Francis smiled, taking the painting from John and setting it on the easel.

"Don't you dare uncover that one," Severus said quickly.

"Certainly not. I don't want to hear from him right now any more than you do," Francis assured him, tucking the canvas around the Merlin portrait snugly. He turned back around to see that Jennifer's worried expression hadn't changed, still gazing up on the wall. "Come, now, Jennifer, they'll be alright. It's a portrait, what does it matter when you have the real thing? I can always make another."

"Not like that one," Jennifer said quietly.

"What she means to say is that I'm not the same man I was then," Severus said bluntly. "I was still teaching and had a lot of things left to look forward to and fight for in my life at that point. For Jennifer's sake, I hope he has enough sense to stay put," he added, frowning at his portrait.

"If any painting in this entire school has the sense and logic to do so it's yours, Professor," Francis reassured him. Severus thought about it for a moment.

"True enough," he decided at last. "Come along, Jennifer, there's a handful more I need to personally escort in here before we turn in."

"Professor?" John suddenly walked over to him, taking some nail brads out of his mouth before leaning over to him. "You aren't really going to leave me alone in here with that? You know he's…"

"An artist? Frightening, isn't he?" Severus murmured back. "Surely someone who's climbed the Eiffel Tower from the outside and had as many narrow escapes as you can handle one pacifist vampire. If he does bother you, just throw up your hands and say, 'boo,'" he advised. John stared at him. "Well, it's always worked for me," Severus shrugged, excusing himself from them and leading Jennifer out.