Thirty-Five
The Heart of the Problem
Jennifer finished getting Lucky settled in her sitting room for the evening before she slipped through to check on Severus. Frowning when he wasn't in his sitting room, she walked over and opened the study door, pulling back the curtain to see him standing near his desk, looking over the Map.
"Severus, really, it's Christmas Eve," Jennifer protested.
"What do you suppose Pyther is doing in the potion room?" Severus mused.
"Severus, he's in there a lot. He's been restoring the damaged paintings so we can get them out of there."
"Yes, I know, but we haven't had a new contamination in a while, and he should be more worried about getting ready to teach," Severus said, folding up the map.
"Honestly, it's Christmas Eve, he should be able to do what he likes with his time," Jennifer chuckled at him. "Besides, he's probably finishing that test painting so we can test your theory that we can transfer a potion through a compartment charmed painting."
"Which you don't think will work anyway," Severus said, putting it away.
"It's a stretch, Severus," Jennifer said with a sympathetic smile. "A compartment charmed painting works just like a Chest Cloak. If I put a smoke bomb in my pocket sure enough the chest would be smoking, but the pocket itself won't be."
"Yes, but if the painting goes through a interspatial dimension as a delivery, it would have to go through the painting's dimension before arriving at its actual destination…"
"Severus, it's Christmas…" Jennifer protested. Severus glanced at his watch.
"Presently, but it can wait until the morning," he decided before joining her in his sitting room. "Did you check on Fortuna's familiar?"
"Still in the box. I think," Jennifer said with an enigmatic smile.
"Yes, well, I hope you don't expect a positive response…"
"He'll grow on her," Jennifer insisted. "And I think they're a perfect match, don't you?"
"Perhaps," Severus said. "Familiars do tend to grow on one, and of course pick up some of the personality of their owners, some of their quirks…how old is Ratfly anyhow?" Jennifer blinked at the question.
"Well, I don't know, he was an adult when I got him…"
"Yes, and yet I know you've had him over thirty years," Severus mused. "I thought they only lived a maximum of thirty years, twenty is more common…"
"He's also a familiar, not an ordinary fruit bat," Jennifer protested.
"Yes, although it occurred to me earlier this evening that he doesn't seem to have aged much in the last eight or so years," Severus mused. Jennifer grew quiet, concentrating on getting ready for bed. "What was the first rule Dumbledore gave us upon giving up the Elixir recipe again? About its use on others short of ourselves?" Jennifer paused by her wardrobe door, not daring to turn and look at him.
"To be used on others only in extreme emergencies when no other method is possible," Jennifer murmured.
"And the second rule?" Severus inquired. Jennifer sighed.
"Natural aging should never be considered an emergency," she quoted, finally turning around. "But that's well enough for you, Severus, you have two familiars whose lifespan is such that Elixir or not they very well might outlive you."
"Rasputin has had many close calls, a long lifespan hardly protects me from losing either of them…"
"And yet I know you'd probably risk your life to save one of them," Jennifer said firmly, sitting on the bed. "Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing."
"Perhaps," Severus admitted in a low voice, snuffing the candles with a wave of the hand before lying down. "I can hardly blame you, and on the large scheme of things the lifespan of a fruit bat may not matter so much, but I wonder how we're going to fare against the greater moral questions ahead of us."
"Meaning?" Jennifer asked, slipping into bed beside him.
"Meaning, what are we going to do when Rose begins to truly outpace Corey in age? Or our other children, for that matter, when Aurelius is a stand still, except for what aging he's gotten from his job…"
"Or what about Alicia, when she grows old while Pyther stays the same?" Jennifer put in. Severus sighed, gazing at her thoughtfully as his eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight.
"I don't think they will ever get that far, Jennifer," Severus said quietly.
"Alicia knows that he's in love with her, Severus, really truly in love," Jennifer whispered. "She won't be willing to give that up now any more than I was with you."
"You tried," Severus reminded her.
"And he tried too, but I think he's starting to realize that he's not capable of staying away from her either," Jennifer said.
"Very well, so our morality issues are more complex than just the question of aging," Severus admitted.
"If only it was more clear what right and wrong actually was," Jennifer said. Severus, who had been thinking the same thing, simply kissed her and settled in but had trouble staying asleep.
So it happened that it was he who uncharacteristically found himself the first to rise on Christmas morning, opening the door of Jennifer's sitting room a crack to check on Lucky. She was still asleep on the sofa…snoring in fact…but somehow her intended present from Jennifer had escaped its box and had snuggled up on the girl's arm, leaving only a wrapped present full of lettuce and droppings. At least the rabbit seemed content, Severus thought with a smirk before carefully closing the door.
Turning and noticing Jennifer was fast asleep as well, he threw on his robes and went out the lower door of his sitting room to satisfy a hunch that had been gnawing on him all night, making his way down to the potion room. He glanced thoughtfully at the paintings left hanging in there, knowing it wouldn't have been removed. He glanced beside the door to see the painting of Pyther still in his place. But as he had suspected, Alica's portrait wasn't there. It was then he checked the painting closet, rolling aside several racks of potion ingredients before he figured out where Francis had hidden it. Mentally taking an image of exactly where it was and how it was covered, Severus carefully drew it out to view it.
That he had been working on it came to no surprise. That he had chosen to develop it into her current age was also something that Severus had expected. But Severus couldn't help but be a little concerned about just how far the painting had progressed…rather, just how far Pyther's feelings had progressed…so very, very evident from the subtle changes he had made to her face, to the extreme changes to he had made to the gown and the background, to the delicate way she was holding a freshly added sprig of mistletoe in her left hand. Had he been able to view it without bias, he would have come to the conclusion it was quickly turning into Pyther's best work. But as he carefully returned it to its place he felt troubled and heavy-hearted, reluctantly returning to their rooms knowing that Jennifer would easily discern what he was thinking about.
When he arrived, Lucky was staring suspiciously at the rabbit that had startled her awake, while Jennifer was busy setting up the tray for coffee.
"There you are," Jennifer said, gazing at him questioningly as she handed him a cup.
"You knew I wouldn't be far," Severus said calmly before gazing at Lucky and the rabbit. "Started without me, did you?"
"Wasn't my idea," Lucky said. "I woke up with that thing on my head."
"That simply means he likes you," Jennifer smiled.
"Or he meant to suffocate me," Lucky said dubiously. The rabbit was brimming over with cute. Too cute, Lucky decided, with a mostly cream colored coat except for a large irregular patch of brown on its butt, medium length but kind of floppy ears and black eyes that reeked of innocence, regardless of whether he was or not.
"Your first familiar was a rabbit, wasn't it, Jennifer?" Severus said casually when he noticed his wife furrowing her brows at the girl.
"My mother got me White as a companion because I wasn't able to have any friends or anything after we fled to America, not that I would have had time for such things," Jennifer said, "and of course to act as a familiar if I got into Whitebridge, knowing they only accepted light familiars there."
"What happened to him?" Lucky asked.
"Gave him to one of my old professors that helped me pass my teacher's exam before I headed to Beaubatons. Ratfly had been a graduation present from father, and I was asked to only bring one, and he was more practical, not to mention at the time I thought my father was dead so wanted to bring a reminder of him…ironic now, considering everything," Jennifer murmured, but shook herself out of it. "You'll have to be careful with him though. Rabbit familiars tend to hide very well, and moreover they seem to be able to get in and out of places you may not normally expect."
"Yes, now, who does that remind me of?" Severus mused. Lucky grinned.
"Eh, I guess I'll deal with it, even if it is a direct reference to my old name," Lucky said with a shrug, petting the rabbit more to appease Jennifer than out of any affection. "I just gotta figure out a name for a rabbit that ain't too cliché."
"Like White Rabbit?" Severus said, earning a dirty look from Jennifer.
"How about we go on to other gifts now," she suggested when it proved obvious he was going to be in a mood today.
Along with the rabbit, Lucky decided she made out fairly well. The Professor had given her a Wizard Chess set, and a great many of her other siblings and friends sent along books of number and logic puzzles, a large assortment of candy (apparently none of them had quite figured out which particular candy she favored yet) and one daring person sent a deck of cards on a tagless package. Lucky looked up with a pleading grin when she showed Severus the deck. He stared at it darkly.
"If I see one coin changing hands while you are in this castle, Fortuna, both you and whomever sent it will soon regret it showing up under that tree," Severus warned her sternly. Jennifer hid her smile, despite the fact she didn't think Lucky was going to be able to keep clean very long. "What is that over there?"
"Oh, I made a pile of stuff I can't use 'til the summer. Mostly video games Alex and Ben got me, and an MP3 player I got from Dale Chance."
"What is it?" Jennifer asked.
"You know, portable music, off the computer. From the note I think he's already put some stuff on it, but it don't work here. I already checked," Lucky said.
"I hope that wasn't expensive," Jennifer frowned.
"Nah, it was a cheap one," Lucky shrugged. "Still, it'll be nice to have when we get out of school."
"Yes, well, just remember your promise to fix that situation of yours in Defense or you won't be seeing much electric anything when we get home for the summer," Severus warned with a thin smile.
"Ya," Lucky said unenthusiastically. "How about we tackle some of yours?"
"You first, Jennifer," Severus suggested, offering her a box that would most likely prove to be either the new charm for her charm bracelet or another pair of earrings.
"But I've been dying to see what it is I got you, Severus," Jennifer said with a grin, pulling out the box. Severus gazed at her expressionlessly.
"You don't know?" he asked.
"Not a clue, but I trust Toby's judgment," Jennifer said with an enigmatic smile.
"Who is that Toby guy anyways?" Lucky asked.
"You'll refer to him as Mr. Toby, and he is simply a shop keeper with a nose for trouble," Severus said, but accepted the large box out of Jennifer's hands. As he loosened the ribbon, he found a small card and turned it over thoughtfully. "Another one of his bits of advice attached as usual. It says, 'For a Man who has Almost Everything; Perspective is Paramount.'"
"Heh, sounds like something you would use as a password somewhere," Lucky said. Jennifer quickly hid her grin when Severus squinted between them. "So what does it mean?"
"It means we see what's in the box," Jennifer prompted Severus impatiently.
Severus cautiously opened it, peering in, his expression changing to one of interest.
"It appears to be a globe," Severus said, putting the box on the floor so he could take it out.
"Really? You don't have one of those yet, do you? Perfect!" Jennifer beamed; watching as he carefully took it out.
Lucky scooted a bit closer to get a better look at it as well, for it was a bit larger than she had thought from the size of the box, around two feet in diameter with a very long curved gold arm holding it in place filled with tiny golden buttons and attached to a golden rectangular base where a rendition of Atlas supported the lower half of the sphere. The globe itself seemed to be made of enameled metal of some kind and highly detailed with several small holes placed around it so that the globe could be turned over or on its side if needed to see something properly. The holes, however, didn't really seem to mar anything, often disguised as o's in names or river borders or other features of the landscape, although something did seem strange.
"Jennifer, could you track down my reading glasses?" Severus asked. Jennifer smiled warmly at him before slipping into the bedroom.
"Some of the colors look faded on one side," Lucky said with a frown as she looked at it from both angles, wondering if it was the lighting in the room.
"Shadow, I believe," Severus said, glancing at his watch. "If I'm not mistaken, what you're seeing is a representation of where the sun is at the moment. The side with the sharper color is where it's currently shining. Most likely if the globe is left alone in proper position on its stand, it'll turn on its own during the day."
"What's with all the buttons in the arm?" Lucky asked. Severus, who was wondering the same thing, accepted his glasses from Jennifer, who came up behind him so she could see the globe better as well.
"Time periods, it seems, beginning with Permian, I think; Triassic, Jurassic and so forth, and then 10,000 BC, 5000, 1000, 0, 500, 1000, and then it goes by centuries until 1500 where it breaks up every fifty years and from 1900 every twenty-five years, with a few unlabeled buttons at the top," Severus said, then pushed the lowest button. A strange shift came over the globe like a set of shutters changing opposite directions, and Pangea could clearly be seen while Jennifer and Lucky ahhhed in appreciation before he picked one closer to their century and gazed on it with interest.
"Fantástico!" Lucky declared, gazing curiously at where country lines had been eschewed over time.
"I rather think he outdid himself this time," Jennifer agreed as Severus played with the unlabeled buttons but nothing happened.
"Reserved for later dates, I suppose. It most likely self-updates when needed," Severus decided.
"What's that lower lever for?" Lucky asked. Severus, who hadn't even noticed the small metal lever positioned under Atlas' front foot slipped it over towards the back and the globe changed again to reveal the night sky, causing Lucky and Jennifer to break out into another round of appreciation. Severus suddenly sighed in frustration, pushing the one marked 1000 B.C. and watched as the stars adjusted.
"Now why didn't he give me this nine or ten years ago when I could have used it to clear up that Ciardoth mess?" Severus complained.
"Perhaps he hadn't finished this yet, or thought that might have been too much interference," Jennifer suggested. "Even so, do you like it?"
"Decidedly," Severus said, still gazing at it. "Are you going to open one of yours or not?" The small box Jennifer had found had proved to be a new charm as she had suspected, but Severus was too busy playing with his globe to pay much attention to the conversation as Jennifer got out her mother's charm bracelet and pointed out each one to Lucky.
"Now I have a full set," Jennifer said happily when Severus finally put the globe aside, showing off her bracelet to him.
"Are you actually going to wear it, though?" Severus asked.
"Well, I will today, they're not likely to get into much trouble on Christmas, are they?" Jennifer said with a grin.
"You forget, Alicia will be in Hawaii today," Severus said. Jennifer pondered that.
"I definitely will leave it on then," she decided. Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. "Don't give me that, you're worried about them too," she whispered to him so that Lucky wouldn't hear, but she was busy breaking open her new chess set.
"You know I am. It is all this sitting and waiting knowing something terrible is going to happen that puts me off," Severus said, his expression growing dark a moment before glancing over at her intense gaze. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I slipped away for an hour?" Jennifer smiled in understanding.
"All right, Severus, we'll wait to have breakfast until you get back. And don't forget to thank him for the globe," Jennifer added.
"I might remember," Severus said as if debating whether or not he'd ever go so far as to thank Toby for anything. Jennifer only shook her head and chuckled at him, but when Lucky looked up questioningly as he left, Jennifer simply sat down beside her and helped her set up the chess board.
The door of Toby's shop simply wished everyone a good holiday, but Severus paid no attention to it, stepping in with only a moment's pause when he heard the jingle of a bell over his head.
"Temporary replacement for my owl," Toby explained with a chuckle from where he sat behind the counter. Two cups had already been laid out and Severus sighed, walking and sitting on the stool that had been left for him. "Did you like your gift?" Toby inquired.
"A very useful tool," Severus admitted.
"Even more useful, I'd say, once you find the hidden lever I put in as well, but I'm sure that's neither here nor there since I have a feeling that's not what you came here to talk about," Toby said, pouring them both a cup of coffee before sitting down himself. "I think you'll like this blend. I copied it off a rather quaint little café in New York at the recommendation of a friend," he said mischievously. "But how about you tell me what's bothering you to the point you'd come out on Christmas morning and at the risk of me saying 'I told you so,' which, by the way, I would never do to you, Severus."
"Thank you," Severus said dryly then grew quiet, taking a sip of the coffee and agreeing silently that it did remind him of Kingler's. But it took him a few more moments to figure out how to express what he wanted to say.
"Ever felt like you were watching a runaway train, knowing you can probably stall it by keeping it on the track but knowing that there was no way in hell you could keep it from crashing?" Severus said after a moment.
"Oh yes, I know that feeling well," Toby said somberly. "I watched it happen to my best friend."
"So you did," Severus said quietly, nodding. "Jennifer and I have been going through that lately, and yet it seems that despite the fact I want to stay away from it, the more I seem caught up in it."
"This rather goes back to the message I sent when I first arrived, Severus, of knowing when to mind your business and when to mind other's business," Toby said. "Have either of them actually come to you about their present situation yet?"
"No, but it's inevitable, Icarus is right about that," Severus said, folding his hands over his cup with a sigh. "Sooner or later they will realize it cannot go on like this, and they'll need to either find a way to live apart from each other or find someone willing to try and piece Pyther back together again. Alicia knows there's a method, she's mentioned it in my presence before on more than one occassion…I just don't think she realizes just how infinitesimal the chances are of it actually working."
"I take it that means you have been researching it, then," Toby said, sipping his drink somberly.
"Would you believe I've been looking into it on and off for over eight years?" Severus said, Toby smiling softly in response. "Not carefully, perhaps, more casually…debating the impending problem that was predicted to fall to me."
"Why, Severus, that's not like you at all," Toby tsked, but his smile never left.
"Merely anticipating the possibility that Pyther might come to me about it, that's hardly bowing to fate," Severus said.
"True enough," Toby nodded with a smile.
"Of course, I've been looking it over more carefully since the whole thing with the paintings began, knowing I'd need an expert in the field to look into it and knowing it was only a matter of time before the two of them crossed paths again as close as those paths had come to each other. The method itself is actually rather cut and dry, really; if the soul is intact, you use a combination of a complex countercurse that expels the vampirism state along with a spell that restores a corpse's bodily functions, similar to what's used in Healer schools use so they can train on working cadavers. But the timing must be precise; and even when the timing is correct the success rate is dismal. Nearly always it results in death. One in a hundred actually have been restored to life, if they've been inflicted less than two weeks, that is. None who have tried beyond those first few weeks have ever survived," Severus murmured. "And Pyther has six hundred years on them."
"That does sound grim," Toby nodded. "And yet you still considered it?"
"Well, something one of the countercurse specialists experimenting on it wrote rather intrigued me. His son was a vampire, but didn't survive the process. Going on two weeks, he had given into instinct, as it were, and by the wizard's admission had taken a few victims in that time…but the wizard had successfully restored another boy before that point, who hadn't taken any. Cruel irony at work, I suppose, since I imagine the first was the test subject for his son. But after it had happened, he made the hypothesis that since it works rather like on exorcism to free the soul from the unwanted curse, perhaps it was corruption of the soul rather than time that caused the vampires to expire, and the two week limit was more about when their willing food supply ran out or when starvation forced them to take drastic measures rather than how long the corpse had been preserved in such a manner. If that is truly the case, Pyther may even now fit into that one in a hundred category. Even so, those odds are daunting when so much is on the line."
"I imagine this is where I come in," Toby said. "You came ask if there is any way to improve the odds."
"Or find out if it's even worth trying to begin with," Severus said quietly.
"Worth it? I'd say that can be only determined by Pyther himself," Toby said. "But if you mean do I think that corruption plays a part in why it doesn't work, I would have to say yes, and I do think you're right that he may have a slight chance rather than none at all. In fact, I admit I did a bit of testing myself with a mirror I um…well, practically borrowed…from Viviane, and have confirmed that little nibble on your wife's neck didn't taint him either. How I envy the stiff," Toby added with a sigh. Severus glowered at him. "Yes, I know, to the point. I think you were on the right track when you asked Albus about how he was able to straighten out that mess you, Jennifer and your sister made out of the Mallus Craw mirror. Actually, both of the tracks you following concerning that mirror were right…the Pyther problem as well as your ideas about how dimensions in paintings work. Of course, that should hardly be surprising since those two problems are interconnected, but let's not get into that yet. This whole situation is complex enough as it is.
"The bottom line is that you may be able to improve the odds of saving Pyther, for it may well be that one of the problems with this countercurse method is that the soul moves on before it has time to adjust to the abrupt changes. There is way to latch the line between his body and soul to your own personal line, and in a way that will help stabilize his while the attempt is being made. But it is quite dangerous, Severus, for it would put you at great risk if something goes wrong. If the timing isn't right, or if his soul's cord snaps unexpectedly or somehow gets entangled with yours, it may very well cost both your lives," Toby said seriously. "In fact, I'd go as far to say your chances of surviving such an attempt would be no more or less than his own."
"How much of an improvement on the odds would it be if this was done?" Severus asked after a moment. Toby shrugged slightly.
"Considering it's never been tried, it's really hard to say, isn't it?" Toby said. "It'll depend on a lot of factors…the strength of his soul and yours, how much baggage he carries with him over the centuries, how badly he wants it, and if he can manage his fears or not. A sudden panic in the middle of it would be absolutely disastrous." Severus winced.
"You know that's easier said than done with whom we're speaking of," Severus said. Toby pondered it a moment as if he really couldn't make up his mind.
"He has more courage than you might believe, and definitely a lot more than he believes. I don't know if he ever told you, but he was Sorted into Gryffindor first. He fears death more than anything, Severus. In some ways I wonder if that's why his soul hung on like it did the day he was turned into a vampire. But I think his internal war with that fear will come to a head long before he would agree to something as drastic as this. And it's just as well, for if he doesn't work through it, it'd more then likely spell both your deaths. That part of the equation is something you can't fix directly, Severus, fear is quite personal, after all. Even still, if you give him the benefit of the doubt, just as you have by putting him in Defense, and I think he'll pull through for you."
"Yes, well, it sounds as if he'll have to pull through for the both of us, were this to come up." Severus said.
"Already made your mind, have you," Toby said with a thin smile.
"As you've already pointed out, it isn't really my choice to make other than what my own part would be, and that decision hasn't changed. Ultimately what happens is up to him," Severus said, pushing aside the coffee eagerly to look at the scroll. But Toby held it back.
"I am quite sure this has what you need for your research, Severus. Most of the runes in it will be familiar to you, and I may be nice and translate a couple more you may not have run into yet, but there is one condition," Toby said. Severus gazed warily at him.
"There's always a condition with you, isn't there?"
"Yes, well, in most cases, the same holds true in reverse, doesn't it?" Toby challenged him.
"Fine, what is it?" Severus asked with a sigh.
"Simply that you must not attempt this until Hermione is ready to come back and your regular staff is in place. I only ask that you wait until then, after that it should be fairly clear to you when to try it. No matter if he begs, Severus, and even if you think he is actually ready for it…it really is best for all concerned if you wait," Toby said firmly. Severus nodded slowly.
"Fine. Why?" Severus asked. Toby smiled again.
"Severus, you've been studying Ancient magic long enough to know that timing is everything. I'm not going to get into all the reasons, but one I can give you is just how negatively it would reflect on you and the school if one of your staff not only died on your watch but relatively speaking by your own hand. And considering that's one of the lesser reasons behind it, I suggest you simply accept the condition graciously, and prepare to thank me later for it," Toby said, holding it out.
"I don't know why I'd need to thank you for something I'm buying," Severus said, making a point of putting some coins in the jar then before taking it from his hand.
"Yes, well, if people are buying items then they're simply exercising their rights as a consumer to buy whatever they like. And since it's their choice on whether or not to buy something, I'm not directly interfering, you see," Toby explained mischievously.
"Someday when we have more time I really need to blast some holes in that twisted logic of yours," Severus said, putting away the scroll and getting up.
"Happy Christmas, Severus," Toby smiled. "Do try to enjoy it."
"Happy Christmas. Try to stay out of trouble," Severus advised. "If that's even possible."
"No, probably not," Toby admitted, before picking up his book again and finding his place.
Nestled between high cliffs on Oahu, out of the sight of both the Muggle locals and the prying tourists, the private wizard beach, Dragonhead Rock, was a lovely beach to spend any day of the year, even on Christmas. Jacob's parents, convinced before she arrived that 'a Snape' would be less than impressed with their simple thatch hut life style on one of the remote islands (they were both retired naturalists and a bit eccentric even in Alicia's broadened terms), had rented a beach house called the Hale Kahuna. The time difference made it easy for her to have arrived for a late Christmas Eve luau, staying up late enough that she had no trouble crashing afterwards. She awoke to a breeze flapping back the lace curtains in her room, bringing in the ocean kissed air.
This she could get used to, Alicia thought with a grin as she pulled herself out of bed, wondering about the local time and debating whether it was worth the bother resetting her watch for when she was only going to be there for the day. Even with staying up so long, it was a lot earlier than she had thought, knowing that no one else was likely to be up. But that left her an opportunity to get a better look at the beach since it had been dark when she arrived. Slipping on her beach clothes over her bathing suit, she found a pair of basic sandals laid out for her on the porch and contentedly stepped off into the sand. It was so very much like stepping into an entirely different world from her own; so very night and day from the one she had left back home…or rather, day and night. The sky was red and purple, and Alicia longed for a more easterly facing beach. But following the coast for a bit she found a section where the beach curved to meet the cliffs again and by following it around had a better view as the sun began to rise over the water.
If only she could have enjoyed it.
For her thoughts immediately went to Pyther…the kiss the night before…the viewing at the Louvre…and that moment after when he had pointed out a sunrise was nothing they could ever share. She thought about getting up from the rock she had positioned herself on to watch it, wondering if it was best to just walk away, when she heard the sound of footsteps on the rocks and looked over to see Jacob making his way over to her with a smile.
"I knew you'd be up early. These trips do play on one's internal clock, doesn't it?" Jacob said with a grin.
"Care to pull up a rock?" Alicia offered.
"Thank you, don't mind if I do," he said, sitting down next to her contentedly. "My, isn't that a sight for sore eyes after all those weeks of darkness! Lovely, isn't it?"
"Very," Alicia said distractedly.
"I'm half surprised you didn't bring your sketchbook out with you," Jacob teased.
"No, if I did I'd probably find myself sitting for hours. I don't want to spend my day here just sitting around," Alicia said.
"What? Like now?" Jacob grinned.
"Good point," Alicia said, taking one more look over at the sunrise before sliding off the rock. "Besides, I have a present for you, and it's not even a painting."
"Is that even allowed?" Jacob laughed, hopping down.
"I don't suppose your parents are going to be up this early?" Alicia asked.
"What, with all that pork and poi in them? Not likely, but that can soon be remedied," Jacob said mischievously and hurried up the beach, pausing only to kick off his shoes before running inside. "Wake up! Wake up! It's Christmas! Wake up! Santa's come! Santa's come!" he began shouting, jumping up and down on the wooden floors making as much noise as possible while Alicia stood in the doorway engulfed in laughter. After a moment he stopped, listened, and then turned around with a grin. "Okay, they're up."
"And probably half the guests back at the hotel across the beach too," Alicia said snidely, slipping off her sandals and stepping in. A moment later, Jacob's mother Satinka Greencastle stepped in, a little tired but wearing a warm smile.
"Aloha, Mele Kalikimaka," she greeted them, and Jacob gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Ditto," Alicia offered with a grin.
"Cheater!" Jacob tsked at her.
"It is so early! Haven't you outgrown that?" Satinka asked.
"Apparently he hasn't," Jacob's father, Newt, said as he walked in from the bedroom.
"Well, it's two hours later for me, and nearly half a world later for Alicia, so have some heart. She just got used to the time change going home and here I am throwing it for a loop again," Jacob grinned.
"I'm used to weird hours," Alicia said, waving it off.
"So are we, when our son is home," Satinka said dryly, but Jacob simply beamed in response. "Come, breakfast first, then presents. Jacob, you get the rice."
"Rice?" Alicia wondered.
"Don't worry, everything else is pretty normal," Jacob whispered to her. But Alicia doubted it when the four of them went into the kitchen and Newton was opening a square can of meat that made a very unpleasant sound when it slid out onto a plate. She then watched with some skepticism when he sliced it and threw it into a frying pan. Satinka brought out the eggs, but when she saw Alicia standing there frowning suspiciously at the entire cooking proceedings took a moment to show her how to use a French press to make coffee. In no time they had their cups and plates and brought them quite informally into the living room, Alicia skirting around the mystery meat for the eggs and rice.
"Oh, come on, Alicia, anyone who can handle eating raw walrus can try a bit of processed pork," Jacob teased her maliciously.
"She ate raw walrus? Did the walrus bite her back?" Newt wanted to know, and his son laughed in response.
"The seal meat I tried was better," Alicia admitted with a grin, but the admission only made Jacob point her to her plate again. Seeing that everyone was peering at her expectantly, Alicia sighed and took a bite, earning a round of applause after the others even after she set the plate aside after the fact in favor of the coffee while they began to distribute gifts.
Unlike Christmas at home, which was mostly gadgets, gizmos and fun stuff, the Greencastles presents seemed mostly home made or practical; from shell jewelry, to potted plants and shirts with many of their relatives in Ireland and Scotland sending along care packages of shortbread, jams, and whiskey. Alicia was glad she had gone for her mother's failsafe gifts of a basket of tea, gingerbread, biscuits and candy for Jacob's parents, for it was received with obvious appreciation. They, in turn, had given her a fanciful wooden Santa paddling a canoe, charmed so it would paddle itself in the water and even turn itself over if it got swept up in a wave and paddle to shore if it got too far out.
"This is great! I can't wait to see it," Alicia said.
"Oh, look! I found a very small one for Alicia! Is it from you, Jacob?" his mother asked brightly.
"No, that's not mine," Jacob said with bewilderment, ignoring his mother's obvious disappointment since it was obviously jewelry of some kind. "It has marks of some sort on it instead of a regular signature."
"How odd, I thought everyone decided just to leave my things under the tree until I got back home," Alicia said with a frown, then glanced at the tag. "Oh, that's my father's seal, and here's mother's too. They sign anything they send through the post with special symbols so we're sure it's from them instead of some imposter trying to curse us or something," she explained. Newt and Satinka exchanged curious glances at that, but watched with interest as she unwrapped it, gently opening the latch on the Tassels and Panning box to reveal a large heart pendant with a pale yellow stone on a gold chain.
"Ah, how lovely! Is it a topaz?" Satinka asked.
"Knowing my father's taste in jewelry, I'd say it's a canary diamond," Alicia said, carefully taking it out and looking under its velvet lining knowing there'd be a note. Jacob whistled low.
"Maybe I should have gone into teaching," he joked.
"I wouldn't. From what Andrew has been telling me, Father has invested more in the school than he's been paid since he took over as Headmaster," Alicia chuckled, then unfolded the note.
Alicia. The enclosed gift from your mother and myself has been enhanced with a protection and detection charm that you may find useful in the days ahead. One flash be wary; two flashes beware; three flashes; be gone. That is my advice, and I hope you will heed it.
P.S. This pendant does NOT contain any sort of family danger detectors or homing device charms on it. You are an adult now and I'm quite certain you know by now and when you can handle things and when to ask for help. At least, that's the theory behind not including one at any rate; that and the fact I'm sure you wouldn't wear it if it had. Happy Christmas S
"It has some sort of protection charm on it, but Father doesn't really say what it does," Alicia explained, looking thoughtful. "They don't often do that, normally they spell out what all charms are on any item they give us like this."
"Would it be so terrible just to trust them for a change?" Jacob said with a smile.
"Yes, actually," Alicia admitted, but put on the necklace anyway. "But I'd really rather not talk about my parents just now, if you don't mind."
"How about you open mine then?" Jacob suggested with a grin, holding out a present. His parents looked over intently, but suddenly lost interest when they realized it was too long and a bit too big for what they were hoping for. Alicia grinned nervously at him and opened it, revealing a long wooden box covered with detailed scrollwork.
"Oh, it's a new brush case! I've been needing one of these," Alicia said.
"I know it isn't a very big one, but I noticed some of your brushes were just every which way in your case and I figured it'd at least protect your better ones," Jacob said.
"Artists tend to be a bit disorganized," Alicia chuckled with a nod. "Thank you! Oh, you meanie, now I just know I'll end up getting my art kit out later to try and organize it, after I promised I wouldn't get near it! Open yours now, Jacob, so I can be tempted away from it!"
"Now you have me worried," he chuckled, accepting the square box from her.
"Just be careful when you open it. I packed it in a box smaller than it is so you wouldn't guess it," Alicia grinned. Carefully he untied the ribbon and peered in.
"Is it a paddle? What, did you stuff a canoe in there?" he joked then pulled up a broom with a flat, wide handle. "Ah, it's a surfing broom, I should have guessed," Jacob laughed.
"Like he'd ever use it," Newt snorted.
"Why not? I've got him on one before," Alicia grinned.
"What, really? We've been trying to get him on one ever since we moved here a few years ago," Satinka said in surprise.
"Yes, well, I saw Alicia do it, and she made it look easy," Jacob explained, gazing at it. "It's not, by the way…"
"You do fine out there, Jacob," Alicia protested.
"Well…I may be able to handle St. Trop okay, but have you seen the waves here?" he said dubiously. Alicia grinned and nodded.
"Let's go test it out," Alicia said grabbing his arm and pulling him up.
"Now?" he gaped.
"Go on, we'll come down to the beach in a bit," Satinka said before starting to straighten up the room.
"Oh, all right, but I hope I don't break anything important," Jacob said as Alicia pulled a regular racing broom out of her cloak and the two of them walked back onto the beach.
Since she was little, Alicia had felt as much control with a broom as she did with a brush; perhaps even more. The kids and teens who had come out to the beach to break in their new surfing brooms and witch boards and other enchanted gear watched curiously as Alicia tossed down her towel, stripped down to her swimsuit and walked towards the ocean.
"Are you really going to try surfing with a Quidditch broom?" one of the teens there asked. "You'll never stay on it. That expensive broom will be smashed into splinters."
"Not really. I do it all the time," Alicia said with a shrug.
"She does do it all the time," Jacob agreed with an enigmatic smile on his face, stopping at the shoreline.
"Aren't you coming?" Alicia frowned.
"I'll catch the next one, I promise," Jacob said with a grin.
"If not I'll just hex you in," Alicia warned him with a shrug before she climbed on her broom, hovering just above the waves.
Alicia's keen sense of perspective made it easy for her to fly with her toes bare touching the foamy peaks, finally rising higher to study the waves and the reef curling in the distance to see how they were breaking. Finally she saw something promising and skidded back down, putting her ankles up on the end of the broom handle before pushing off with her arms and leaping onto her feet, toes curled for balance and control, with only the very edge of the broom in the water to act like a rudder. As much power as mother nature had calling the enormous wave building around her, Alicia at the moment felt as if it were nothing compared to hers. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if she controlled the world around her, her life, and her destiny, pulling out of a barrel and soaring out ahead of the wave's energy as it broke behind her, a large crowd standing at the shoreline. It was that reason Jacob had wanted to stay behind that first run, watching the expressions on their faces as she pulled away as if she had tamed the ocean into doing her bidding.
"Who's that girl?" the boy who had tried to warn her going in asked when he finally gained control of his lower jaw.
"That's Alicia Snape…and she's with me," Jacob said with a smug grin before waltzing in after her, while the other boys began to talk among themselves.
It was well after noon before Jacob could convince her to break for lunch, but it wasn't longer than it took to grab a few kabobs from a stand and some drinks from where Jacob's parents were sitting before she wanted to go out again.
"Wait, wait, wait, at least let the food settle first," Jacob protested, pulling her over to where they had put down their towels. But the moment they sat down, they suddenly found a great many other towels being put by theirs. Alicia sighed. She knew getting out of the ocean was a mistake.
"Aloha," said one of the boys who had put his towel down near theirs. "Ever played Quidditch? Professionally, I mean?"
"Nope, just in school," Alicia shrugged.
"Which one?" asked a girl standing next to him, holding their brooms.
"Hogwarts," admitted reluctantly.
"So she is one of those Snapes after all?" asked another man coming up, a few years older than the boy and might have been his older brother. "Are you related to Severus Snape?"
"Never heard of him," Alicia said expressionlessly, ignoring the look Jacob was giving her.
"Oh, come on, you can't have gone to Hogwarts and not heard of him, so either you didn't go there or you have," he said.
"You have me there," Alicia agreed. "I'll let you figure out which," she said before fishing out her dark sunglasses and lying down to sunbathe, pretending they weren't there.
"She doesn't look like a Snape," the girl commented as she sat down.
"Thank God for small miracles," Alicia said emphatically. Jacob chuckled and shook his head.
"Doesn't really look like a Craw either, does she? I heard Snape's wife was supposed to be an auburn haired raving beauty," the older brother said, getting a beer out of the cooler he'd been lugging around and then sitting on it.
"No way, Tanker. I'm pretty sure those pics of her are doctored before they're released. PR and all that," the teen boy said.
"Either that or she's got more preservatives in her than a Twinkie," the girl said. Alicia suddenly sat up and took off her sunglasses.
"Uh oh," Jacob said in a low voice.
"Say whatever you like about Professor Snape. More than likely whatever you come up with, I'll agree with you. But if you insult my mother again, you are going to find yourself buried up to your neck in sand…with your feet straight down," she added, pointing to the ground and then pointing out towards the waves. "Somewhere out there. Probably out under one of the warning buoys by the reef," she added for good measure.
"Are you threatening us?" the boy sitting next to her said, standing up.
"Snapes don't threaten. And we only give one warning," Alicia said with a flash in her eyes.
"Woah, Alicia! Calm down!" Jacob said, quickly jumping between them. "I'm sure Judge Vallid doesn't need to be coming out here for a murder trial." Alicia thought about it a moment, still eyeing the girl with open dislike.
"How about assault with intent to cause brain damage?" Alicia said toyingly.
"How about we go for a walk so you can cool down?" Jacob said. "Somewhere more private."
"Is there such a place?" Alicia wondered, but pulled on her shorts and beach shirt, accepting Jacob's hand up.
"Isn't very nice, is she?" the older brother commented.
"Awfully rude," the girl agreed, Jacob firmly leading Alicia away.
"Like father like daughter," Alicia said curtly.
"Come on, Alicia," Jacob said with exasperation, leading her back over to the rocky side of the beach where they had watched the sunrise that morning.
Before long the two of them were climbing the rocks and then made their way up the cliff face until they had gotten halfway up on a mossy ledge, looking for hand and footholds that weren't there. Jacob sat down, gazing up at the ten feet above them and the thirty odd feet below them.
"Well! I suppose we are a little stuck, but at least it's private," Jacob offered.
"Nah, I'm never stuck," Alicia said with a shrug, sitting down beside him. "We can spider climb up or levitate down, just pick a direction."
"Do you really have your wand on you?" he chuckled with surprise and she nodded. "Where could you possibly put it?" Alicia shrugged and reached in her shirt, pulling on a small cord in the front of her bathing suit and pulling out a waterproof wand pouch.
"Well, it must be nice having extra storage space," he teased. "If I try to hide my wand in my bathing suit, I'd get snide comments."
"Yeah, my brothers don't wear that sort, they wear the baggy shorts variety, even though knowing Andrew he wouldn't mind the comments if they came from the right girl," Alicia grinned.
"Them too? Don't you Snapes ever let your guard down?" Jacob asked with exasperation.
"Can't afford to, really," Alicia sighed. "What you saw at the research center was mild compared to what we've been through. Perhaps if I had put my wand on me somehow instead of under my pillow that night I'd have been better off."
"I am really sorry about all of that," Jacob murmured.
"Oh, it wasn't your fault, you really had nothing to do with it," Alicia protested. "I brought it on myself in a lot of ways, and I am so glad you weren't hurt."
"Other than a little trauma and a bit of lost blood," Jacob said with a dry chuckle, conscientiously rubbing his neck. "But I did get to meet some interesting people out of it all! I mean, it isn't every day one gets to meet someone like Harry Potter!"
"Yes it is, I see him all the time," Alicia grinned.
"Yes, well, and of course I met his daughter Jamie and your brother as well…head of the Auror department in Britain, too!"
"The only reason my brother is head of the Aurors is because Minister Malfoy won't have anything to do with Harry," Alicia grinned. "My brother may be their direct link to my grandfather, but Harry is the one who really runs the show there, they just don't officially acknowledge it."
"Your grandfather, oh yes, that's right, LE Minister, vigilante during the Voldemort years…goodness, Alicia, your family is so dynamic it's like dating royalty," Jacob said with a grin.
"And we're just as dysfunctional," Alicia said dryly.
"Everyone thinks their family is dysfunctional. At least you weren't a product of the Peace Corps. They didn't even get married until we left Peru when I was five," Jacob chuckled. "I suppose they must seem rather odd to you."
"Eccentric, perhaps, but I'm used to that," Alicia said. "And, um, a little pushy…"
"Oh, yes, I know. They were that way about Zoë, too. They think it's time I settled down, and all. But if there's one thing your cousin taught me, it's that I need to be with someone who respects my work, and honestly, gives me the time to do it. But someone perhaps with their own passion and goals in life that I could root for in return," he added, gazing at her intently.
"So you mean me," Alicia said cautiously.
"Well, if you're willing to apply for the job," Jacob said mischievously. He then cautiously leaned over and kissed her; a very loving, caressing kiss. But it didn't take long to realize that Alicia was having some trouble returning it. In fact, even as a warm, sunny tingle spread through him, Alicia found that she felt nothing at all short of the physical act of kissing. Perhaps there would have been something had it not been for what had happened to her the evening before. But that memory suddenly blasted through her as she tried to compare them, causing her to waver, so when Jacob pulled back and looked into her eyes it was not difficult to tell something was wrong.
"Ah damn," he murmured softly, a sad smile appearing on his face. "No sparks."
"I'm sorry, Jacob…" Alicia began, but he put his hand on her lips.
"If it isn't there, it isn't there, Alicia," Jacob said. "It wasn't as if we didn't do our best to explore the possibility. We did work so well together…perhaps it was just too much for me, coming off a divorce like that and you…"
"And me," Alicia said, but didn't finish what she was going to say at first, pulling her legs to her chest and looking out to sea. "Do you know what I love? I love all these times we've spent together…here, and at St. Trop. I love standing in the cold watching the Aurora, I love waking up to your coffee and spending hours convincing each other it was time to take a break for a frozen dinner. I loved teaching you how to broom surf, and going out to eat watching you pick at your food and fuss over how much I was drinking."
"Yes, you love all that, but you don't love me," Jacob said softly, but still somehow managing a smile.
"It's been a wonderful escape," Alicia said with a nod, looking out to sea. "But that's where the problem is, because I've spent the last eight years trying to escape all the insanity that was my life. And I must say, my time at the research center and seeing you were some of the best escapes I've had so far, but it wouldn't be fair to either of us to continue when I've been doing it to get away from who I really am. Going home again these last few weeks really opened up my eyes to that. I'm a Snape, and it's about time I stopped trying to be something I'm not and learn how to live with myself again."
"And I suppose our friend the nocturnal artist whom I guess followed you home had nothing to do with that?" Jacob inquired. Alicia made a face.
"He didn't follow me home. He was already there," Alicia admitted in a low voice.
"He's always been there," Jacob said with a knowing smile. "Come on, we'd better be heading back so I can explain to my parents how I let another one get away."
"I really am sorry about all of this," Alicia said emphatically, knowing he was probably a lot more hurt than he was showing.
"It's all right, I'm used to it. Nice guys always finish last, you know," Jacob said with a chuckle. "Maybe I need to learn how to be mean or something."
"Don't you dare, I like you just the way you are," Alicia protested, getting out her wand. "We are still friends, right?"
"Always," Jacob said with a smile. "So, if you ever need a wizard weather specialist…hm, all right, how about you just visit me now and again?"
"Deal," Alicia said with a grin before levitating them back down to the shoreline.