Chapter Eleven
Vallidations
When Alicia had gotten back to the research center and suggested the idea of getting a flat in town, Jacob wouldn't hear anything of it.
"I'm not going to let you be inconvenienced by something that wasn't your fault to begin with," he had told her. "You are better off being here so you'll have fair warning before the magnetic storms, and I'm not going to let it interrupt your studies any more than I will mine. I'll get over it," he added quietly. "Work…is the best thing for me. For both of us, I think. Besides, I'd rather not be alone right now…not that I expect you stay because of that. I'd much rather you stay because you wanted to. I've rather had my fill of folks pretending they want to be somewhere when they don't."
"She may try to make trouble if I stay, Jacob…"
"Do you want to stay or not?" Jacob asked seriously.
"Yes, but…"
"No buts," he said firmly. "Want to help me with some readings? I'm afraid that business earlier got me off track."
"Sure, why not?" Alicia said in resignation, and the two quickly fell back into their work habits.
In some ways, it had gotten easier without Zoë's constant interruptions during the day or her complaints during the evenings, although Alicia did find herself almost missing it from time to time. Jacob often grew unusually quiet and thoughtful, gazing off in no particular direction before pulling himself back to his work.
It was a couple of 'mornings' later as they were preparing for the next storm that Jacob's raven flew in with a note on the beak, fussing in front of Jacob until he looked up from his desk to take it.
"Ah, lovely, official mail from America," Jacob said dourly. "She didn't waste much time, did she?"
"She's a pro at this now," Alicia said dryly, sliding another finished canvas to one side. "Break for breakfast?"
"Might as well," Jacob said with a sigh, fussing with the seal as he worked his way out of his labyrinth of equipment.
"I'll start a fresh pot of coffee then," Alicia said, stretching a bit as she went to the kitchen.
"Well! This is rather odd. Not exactly what I was expecting," Jacob said. "It's from a wizard divorce lawyer named Ratherton wanting to know if I had representation, and if not he'd supply it pro bono."
"Ratherton? Never heard the name," Alicia said thoughtfully.
"I definitely don't know it, or how anyone short of the three of us even know what happened the other day…" Alicia groaned softly. "Do you suppose it's someone who knows Zoë somehow?"
"I have a feeling it's more likely it's someone who knows my father," Alicia admitted, fishing through the frozen dinners and pulling a couple out. "It'd be just like him to pull some strings in something like this! I told him how Zoë tried to get me mixed up in it."
Jacob looked up from the note with a look of concern.
"And just what does he think happened here?"
"Nothing," Alicia assured him, handing him one of the trays. "In fact, he was the one that convinced me to come back."
"Oh," Jacob said, wandering over to the fireplace and sitting his tray down, still looking at the tray thoughtfully. "Do you think I should take the offer?" Alicia shrugged.
"That's up to you, isn't it? Really, I don't have any right to get involved in that decision."
"Well, I certainly don't want to feel obligated if your father did send him…"
"If he did, it was to try and protect me," Alicia admitted. "The question is, can you afford to hire someone who can go up against one of Zoë's Hollywood lawyers?"
"You know I can't," Jacob sighed. "Do you suppose she'd actually try and take the research station?" Alicia pretended not to hear him, pouring their coffee instead. "I know, I know, you don't want to take sides, and I don't blame you. We've put you in a rough position, and I've no right to ask you to give me advise on it. Although, I should warn you that if I do decide to take the offer, he wants to have both of us interviewed by a court Truth Seeker to stand witness."
Alicia stood up abruptly, nearly spilling her coffee all over her shirt in the process.
"Do they give a name? What's the name?" she demanded.
"There isn't one," Jacob said, surprised by her reaction.
"Where's the lawyer from?" Alicia said, putting down her coffee and food and wiping on her hands on her shirt, grabbing the note out of his hand, reading the address in the letterhead. "Take the offer."
"Hey! Whatever happened to you wanting to stay…"
"Don't argue, trust me and take the offer!" Alicia said.
"Sounds like good, solid advice to me," said a familiar voice, and Alicia ran over to the entrance just in time to see Lunette Vallid pulling herself in and standing up. "Sorry, no doorbell. No door for that matter. Nice place. Can I come in?" Laughing outright, Alicia ran over to her and hugged her.
It was the night of the lab accident when Lunette finally got around to calling at Hogwarts, and after taking a very long look at the castle as she walked around the lake, she wondered if she oughtn't have called ahead. But inside things seemed relatively peaceful; and when she got to the stairs, she saw that she wasn't coming entirely unexpected. As she climbed, she took a break now and again to glance at the paintings…several she remembered passing didn't seem to be there, and the paintings all seemed unusually tense, making her wish that she could read them as well as she could people. She started up again, but paused when she saw a familiar face on a different landing waiting for a stair change, talking to one of the ghosts.
"Good evening, Lunette," Zack said with a smile. Janus bowed cordially.
"Good evening, Zack, working some overtime, eh?" Lunette said.
"With this castle it's a wonder I get any sleep at all," he chuckled.
"Well, don't go too far, I need to talk to you too," she warned him, continuing up the stairs so they would change behind her.
"I won't," Zack promised with a wave, turning back to Janus.
She was nearing the tenth floor before she paused again, blinking in surprise when she saw just below her Francis Pyther walking with a covered painting, cutting over to another corridor on the same floor before quickly falling out of sight again. Wondering what to make of it, Lunette's Truth Seeker nature to want to know everything got the better of her, and she found herself rushing up the last five floors to find the door to the spiral staircase open and beckoning. Slightly out of breath, she walked into the Headmaster's Study and saw him working at his desk, not in any hurry to look up.
"I hope I'm not intruding," Lunette said.
"It was only a matter of time. Everyone else on the planet seems to have been in and out of this castle today," Severus said calmly, waving her to a chair. "Tea?"
"Thanks," she said, grabbing a cup off the tray before sitting down. "I just thought you'd like to know that I just turned in evidence for a particular divorce proceeding, and even though, of course, I can't comment on the evidence, I figured you might be interested to know that I think you did the right thing in requesting it."
"If I thought otherwise, I wouldn't have done it," Severus said. Lunette grinned with amusement.
"In fact, I think it's safe to say that your daughter may be finally realizing you might have her best interests at heart after all although…well, Severus, you can't blame me for wondering…what in the name of Hades is Francis Pyther doing here?"
"Emergency with the paintings, his presence here is unavoidable; he's been going back and forth between here and his studio. It's not an attempt to stall further if that's what you are thinking," Severus said.
"Never mind what I'm thinking, care to tell me why you're avoiding my gaze?" Lunette asked, drumming her fingers against her cup impatiently, but he still wouldn't look up. "Or at least why Jennifer stopped answering my letters? She only does that when she's particularly troubled about something she doesn't want to tell me about. The girl doesn't feel she can lie to me even in print," Lunette chuckled softly. "If she knew how often I had to do that in my profession she'd probably be surprised. Does it have to do with the damage to the castle? No, that just happened, didn't it?"
"Lunette, whatever happened to common legilimens etiquette? I do have some right to privacy," Severus said irritably. "What do I owe you for your services?"
"What, for a couple of interviews with people actually not trying to withhold the truth?" Lunette said, waving it off. "It was nothing, Severus, Zoë needed a wake-up call and helping Alicia out of that silliness was a pleasure. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, you're all as good as family."
"Probably a very unwise move…considering the rate my family is growing, it'll soon be a full time job to keep them out of trouble. Come to think of it, it already is," Severus said. Lunette chuckled.
"I know the feeling. I have so many great grandchildren now I can't keep their names and ages straight anymore," she admitted. "But really, if you want to pay me back, all you have to do is answer one little question with your chin off the desk so I don't die of curiosity."
"No," Severus said.
"Fine," Lunette said, putting down her cup. "You're right, Severus, you are entitled to your privacy after all. I was going to stop by and say hello to Zack and Pyther while I'm here, but I think I'll track down Jennifer first."
"Feel free, but don't be surprised when you have trouble finding her. Some of the paintings have been moved for security reasons, and as you may have noticed on your way in here, her office isn't exactly in the same location either," Severus said calmly.
"No need for all of that," Lunette said with an enigmatic smile, getting up and walking past him to the back. "The door behind these curtains goes to your sitting room, does it not? So if she happens to be in the next room, a simple knock will probably do it…"
"Fine, you win," Severus said with obvious irritation in his voice as Lunette returned to her seat, the smile never leaving her face as she gracefully sat back down again. "Although I swear at times your methods verge on blackmail and coercion."
"I'm a gracious winner, Severus, but I always win," Lunette said, her smile widening slightly.
"What's the question, Lunette?" Severus asked, looking up in resignation.
"What's troubling you?" Lunette asked, the smile still fixed.
"What isn't troubling me?" Severus answered in irritation. Lunette stared at his face for the split second he allowed it and whistled low as he looked down again.
"Boy, you are a mess," Lunette said before she could catch herself. Severus glared at her. "Nice occlumens attempt, by the way, but I saw enough. How old are you again, Severus?"
"Get out," Severus advised her.
"Oh, that's much too young to be pulling a mid-life, Severus, considering how long you're likely to be at this…but that's part of the trouble, isn't it?" Lunette mused. Severus stood then, pointing at the doors that burst open.
"Out of my office!" he ordered.
"Didn't you ever warn him about this sort of thing?" Lunette asked, turning on the painting of Dumbledore who simply shrugged and smiled sadly. "Mute oil. Hate the stuff. You should have staff done with normal ghost paint…I'm going, I'm going!" Lunette said, getting up as Severus made a move for his wand.
"And no bugging Jennifer!" he snarled.
"Oh no, Severus, a deal is a deal, but I do still want to see Pyther and Zack so I'll show myself out," she said, walking over to the doors. She closed one of them then went back for the other, pausing a moment to smile sympathetically at him. "Take care of yourself, Severus. And feel free to Owl me anytime you need me…or even if you don't for that matter," she added before closing the door.
Lunette exhaled then, shaking her head knowing full well that he was probably still standing there glaring at the door. She stepped down the spiral stairs and down the corridor, wondering if she remembered which floor she had seen Pyther on. It was then that she belatedly remembered that Severus did have some control over the stairs, and could very well make it difficult for her to visit Pyther if he had a mind to stop it. But would he have reason? As she pondered that, she was somewhat relieved to find that the stairs had settled to different positions that they had been before, and floors that had been skipped now had clear landings.
She took one of these, looking around until she noticed Dumbledore slipping into a field of lavender, pointing her in a direction. Nodding to him she took it, watching the paintings until he appeared again, leading her to a set of reinforced doors. She was busy deciding whether or not to try to knock on the metal doors or try to push them open when someone began to leave, the dusty haired man stopping short when he saw her.
"Counselor?" he asked warily.
"Hello, Carnegie," Lunette said, quite amused by what he saw on his face. "No, you're not in any trouble and I'm not here for you. I'm actually looking for Mr. Pyther."
"Ah! Of course!" he said, and then paused. "Does the Headmaster know you're here?"
"Oh yes! And he's not happy about seeing me either," she said wryly, stepping in when he moved away from the door.
But even though she saw Pyther right away in the back of the large room, she couldn't help but pause to look at the paintings dominating the walls, many of them crowding in a pair of the closer frames to get a better look at her. As she walked a few of them followed curiously, while some wandered into their own frames or to other paintings with scenery. She was about ready to look away when she noticed the familiar figures of Jennifer and Severus in their best clothes looking out over a parapet with Jennifer's arm wrapped around his, his other hand gently touching hers as they looked off into the distance.
"That's one of their favorite places in the castle," Francis said out of the blue, and Lunette looked over to see Francis standing beside her, smiling. "That particular scene really didn't need to be in here, but I was hoping it'd settle their portraits a bit. They tend to get restless when they feel restricted."
"Hm, like subject like portrait I suppose," Lunette said, shaking her head with a smile.
"Yes, very true," Francis agreed. "It's good to see you, Lunette! How have you been?"
"Same old, same old," Lunette grinned. "And you?"
"Busy," Francis admitted.
"And exhausted," Lunette said knowingly.
"I get a batnap now and again, but the eight hour comings and goings has completely ruined any consistency I had in studio hours," Francis chuckled.
"Well, make up your mind, where would you rather be?" Lunette asked with amusement.
"Both, really," Francis admitted. "I'm very concerned with what's happening to the paintings here and the danger to the school, but at the same time, I'd rather be home."
"Well, I have to admit, it does put a damper on the chance of meeting her again casually when you're spending every Greenwich night stuck in this room with that thing on the wall," Lunette said, nodding to the paradox painting.
"It keeps the paintings in here from wandering out of the room, it's as simple as that, and so far, I think it's helped," Francis assured her. "Instead of groups of four or five paintings at once, we're catching them one at a time."
"But it's still happening," Lunette said, scanning his face.
"Yes, but it has slowed down," Francis said.
"Hm. I've never heard of anything like this before," Lunette said. "Maybe we should call an early order of Merlin meeting and get some more heads in on this."
"I think the Headmaster is concerned about people finding out how widespread the problem is, what with so many paintings tied with security and all. But I'm working on it," Francis assured her.
"Apparently so," Lunette nodded. "But I still think it's ironic that you've been here when I've been just outside of Polaris Town all day."
"Is everything well there?" Francis asked quietly.
"Perfectly," Lunette smiled. "At least it is now that I did a bit of meddling," she added mischievously. "Let's just say if Zoë tries to blame the marriage breaking up on Jacob and Alicia it's not going to get very far. Maybe she'll finally wise up and stop trying to manipulate people after this."
"So there was nothing to that?" Francis prompted, and Lunette gazed at him thoughtfully.
"You knew very well there was nothing to that, Pyther," Lunette said. "But I am wondering why part of you was hoping that it was true." Pyther sighed softly, walking back over to the painting he was working on. But Lunette followed behind, leaning against the wall to keep in view of his face.
"Jacob Greencastle is a very kind man, Lunette," he said quietly, dusting the frame. "He's young, enthusiastic, supportive, and most importantly, full of life," Pyther said. "I wouldn't mind losing her to someone like that, if you can call it losing something you never had to begin with. Then I can finally be released from it and go on with my life."
"Yes, well, I hate to break this to you, Pyther, but real love can't be released like that," Lunette said with a sympathetic smile.
"I never meant to imply I was ever in love with her," Pyther said. Lunette blinked at him, wondering if he had forgotten whom he was talking to. "It is only that things had gotten out of hand. It was a childhood crush that I allowed myself to get flattered by, and I have no excuse for my actions in the matter. Severus was right. I deserved what I got, and now I just wish it'd go away."
"Don't tell me you've been feeding yourself the line for eight years, Pyther," Lunette said, putting a hand to her forehead a moment. "It may have been a crush on Alicia's part when this whole thing started, but it was what Severus saw in your eyes that scared the daylights out of him. No offense meant."
"I didn't do anything," Francis said irritably.
"Then why did you just say Severus was right and you deserved what you got?" Lunette pointed out.
"It was a mental…setback, that's all," Francis said quietly.
"No, what Severus is having now is a mental setback," Lunette said with amusement. "Although at the moment I'm not sure which of you is worse off. Francis, you know very well you can't lie to me, although it's obvious you've been attempting to lie to yourself. You may have not been love with her at the time, but you were in the process of falling in love," she said. He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "Well, if you weren't, I'd wonder what else it could have been, and I'm sure the other alternatives to what it might have been should worry you even more. But damn it all, Francis, I rely on truth, and I can't help someone who doesn't even know what the truth is on the inside. The only logical course of action would be for you to find out for sure. It's time you stopped hiding behind that paradox painting and talked to her."
"Do you see that portrait of Jennifer?" Francis said, gazing up to where the two figures had come back into Severus' sitting room. "I painted that years before that girl was born. I began teaching Alicia before she was even in Hogwarts. I am six hundred years her elder…"
"You are twenty-three and act like it, especially at the moment. You may have the memories knowledge of all that time in between, but you personally haven't changed any more than I have in the last hundred years. In the meantime, the world moves by so fast you barely have time to blink. Static age is a curse, not a blessing."
"Yes," Pyther agreed.
"Did you know I got remarried a few years back?" Lunette said, out of the blue. Pyther gazed at her curiously. "Doctor I met when Jennifer got kidnapped and sent to New York. Jeff wasn't exactly young for a Muggle even when we met…always did have a weakness for Muggles. Doubt we'll have more than another dozen or so years together."
"But why put yourself through that, knowing what it's going to be like when he's gone?"
"Because I love him, why else? We hit it off from the moment we first met," Lunette said with a smile. "And I loved Frank, and all the children and grandchildren that are his legacy."
"I can't have that," Pyther reminded her.
"Ah, but you have something I've never had. An option," Lunette pointed out seriously. "I can't very well stop being half-fae, disowning my parents wouldn't help. Not that I'm suggesting you take that other route. Only you know what's best for you…that is, of course, providing that you have some sort of clue what exactly it is that you do want, and frankly, I don't think you should wait too much longer before you try and figure it out."
"And just how do you suggest I do that? I can't very well just go up to the door and ask her to tea," Francis said.
"No, that wouldn't work, they don't have a door," Lunette agreed, and Francis frowned at her in confusion. "You're an artist, Francis. Be creative," she smiled. "Now, I really have to dash. I need to go explain to Zacchius why I'm taking sides against his sister before things start hitting the fan, though I dare think he'll be supportive. And good luck in both your endeavors," she said, looking up at the walls one more time before shaking her head. "You're gonna need it."
