A/N Have a good winter holiday, for what it's worth. We'll celebrate more on New Years, I think. ~DQ
Chapter Thirty
Timing
When Laura peeked into Jennifer's office that weekend, she saw her father and Sirius Black were sitting next to the fireplace, while Jennifer and Ivano were busy at her unkempt desk. They were apparently going over a formula scroll and debating on which action to take on the problem at hand. She knocked on the back of the door.
"Hullo? Am I interrupting?" she asked, causing Sirius and her father to look up at her.
"Oh, lovely, you're here! No, of course you're not, come on in," Jennifer said enthusiastically.
"Aurelius told me you wanted to see me before the Auror's Club," Laura prompted.
"Yes, we need a blood sample from you to check something concerning your father. Ivano, do be a dear and get the test kit."
"Of course," he said immediately, handing Jennifer the scroll.
"No problem," Laura said with a shrug, walking closer to the sofa. Sirius had a spanner in the hand he had thrown over the sofa. Her father was sitting in a chair with his potion mug, taking his normal dose. "That smells better than normal," she commented.
"It doesn't taste as good as it smells, but it is better than it was," Remus decided. "The Headmaster has been attempting to redeem himself for past deeds by offering them suggestions on how to improve the taste without altering the formula's integrity."
"Redeem himself for past deeds? Is he succeeding?" Laura asked with a grin.
"Somewhat, but it'll take more than this," Remus decided.
"A lot more, if you ask me," Sirius put in.
"And just what are you doing here?" Laura asked. Sirius showed her the spanner.
"I'm fixing the hook on the Potion Vault door. Can't you tell?" Sirius replied lazily.
"Alright. But why are you doing that?" she asked curiously.
"Come, now, don't interrogate Uncle Padfoot like that. He's not a suspect of a crime that I know of," Remus chided her lightly. Sirius laughed at him. "Sirius is filling in for Uncle John for a couple of weeks while he's off on vacation," he explained. "He's finally paid off his debt to Severus so he's doing a bit of celebrating."
"He's paid the debt off? Is he even coming back?" Laura asked incredulously.
"Of course he's coming back. Hogwarts would be lost without him," Jennifer protested. "Laura, come sit down so we can take a blood sample, then you can head back to wherever Aurelius is having the club at today."
"The club will be out on the football pitch. We're going to be showing them different spells and methods of foe and dark magic detection," Laura explained, sitting down and letting Ivano bind her arm to take blood.
"Really?" Remus said with interest. "I'd rather like to go to that. There might be some Auror techniques discussed that would be beneficial teaching in my regular defense classes."
"You can go after you finish that, Remus," Jennifer decided. "We're going to be busy analyzing this and arguing potency theory for the next step at least until lunch."
"That's the real reason you want to go to the pitch, isn't it? You want to escape this room," Sirius teased him.
"Don't you have a door hook to fix?" Remus retorted.
"Yes, I suppose I better get on it. Especially since I need to go back to John's office to check his duty board. That way, I can find a reason to follow you guys outside to the Pitch," Sirius added mischievously, getting up. Laura rolled her eyes, then frowned at the phials of blood they were pulling from her arm.
"Just how many of those do you need?" she complained.
"Shh, stay still just a moment longer," Ivano coaxed, filling a fourth phial. "There we go! All done."
"Just why did you need those again?" Laura asked.
"Your father's blood has some very unique werewolf traits, and we want to see if your blood has any of those traits naturally," Ivano explained. "We are testing your heritage markers, since we can't possibly get a clean reading from your father since he was infected."
"Oh. But wouldn't my mother's heritage traits interfere throw that off?" Laura asked.
"Carol has already been here, actually," Jennifer explained. "We're going to cross-test all three of your blood samples looking for magical traits, and we're sending half these to Ginger who is going to follow up with some Muggle testing as well... that reminds me, I could use saliva swab while we're at it." Laura sighed and did as she was asked, but was rather glad when she was released to go back outside.
"I'll walk with you," her father said. She waited for him to get up, the two of them climbing the stairs and then walking down the hallway towards the doors near the Quidditch Pitch. He seemed energetic today, she mused. But the moon was waxing, and it had just past the second quarter. The full moon would happen before she returned next week. "So how have things been at work, Laura? Found any leads on the missing wizards?"
"Actually, we haven't been working on that much, except for welfare checks on some of the families affected. Harry told us that the Mysteries ministry has taken over the majority of the case, so we've been concentrating on other things, mostly recaptures. I hate recaptures... you never know what you're flying into. It'd be nice if the LE department would stop losing track of them or at least keep them from getting parole so that we don't have to clean up after them," Laura grumbled. Remus chuckled softly at that.
"Everyone has their jobs to do, and all jobs are important. I have a feeling that Minister Craw shares your sentiment, but he is also a firm advocate of giving wizards a second chance when they've had a misstep," Remus replied.
"A lot of them really don't deserve a second chance," Laura muttered venomously. Remus didn't reply right away, thinking about how sharp and cutting her words seemed. It was so different than the girl who had left home to make her way in the world... but not so different than some of his old friends who had survived the Dark Terrors.
"I understand why you may feel that way," Remus said at last, not speaking again until they got to the doors. Laura frowned at his silence and his haunted expression, but decided it was probably in her best interests to stay quiet herself. She was feeling awkward when the silence lasted until the two of them arrived at the football pitch. The pitch had already started filling up with club members. Remus took a seat in the front row and Laura joined Aurelius, helping him form the club into exercise rows to practice sparring forms.
Back in the dungeon, Jennifer and Ivano got to work setting up test phials into three trays of twelve phials and dropping blood samples in each one. Despite the chaos of the room, the samples were carefully labeled and double-checked to prevent cross contamination, then timed for results. Both of them took independent notes to make certain they didn't influence each others observations.
Hovering around the room in his incorporeal state, Icarus Ravenclaw watched for quite a while, peering over their shoulders at their notes.
"Done," Ivano said at last, finishing his last note on his parchment.
"Just a moment," Jennifer said, glancing at her last phial before making a note. "All right, I am done as well. My goodness, that was taxing."
"Your coffee or mine?" Ivano asked teasingly.
"Mine will do, but thank you," Jennifer chuckled, wincing as she stood up straight. She walked over to her breakfast cart, pulling it over to the table in the sitting area. "Let me set this up, then we'll switch notes. I will say that Laura's general magical traits seem to be much closer to her father's than to her mother's."
"Yes, I concur," Ivano agreed immediately, following her over to the sitting area. He glanced up at the portrait of Severus Snape. The portrait was squinting at him suspiciously. Of course, the portrait always looked at him like that. Wondering if the portrait reported Ivano's every movements to the Headmaster, Ivano wisely opted for the chair when Jennifer sat on the couch.
"Here we are! I'll feel better in a moment," Jennifer said, taking a sip of her coffee and helping herself to some goat's cheese and crackers. "There, now let's see if we agree on all of these."
Ivano exchanged notes with Jennifer and they studied them carefully. Although she put in a few observations she didn't and he put in a few details that she hadn't picked up on, the notes made all of the same key points. So far, Laura had all the hallmarks of a normal yet talented witch, with no signs of werewolf heritage whatsoever.
After that, the two of them prepared the microscope slides, Jennifer opting for the Muggle microscope while Ivano took the modified position.
"Nothing," Ivano reported after a moment. "The slide correlates what we already know, and no sign of any traits associated with having a werewolf in her lineage. What of the other one? Anything unusual?"
"Nothing," Jennifer replied, looking up with a sigh before grabbing a quill to update her notes. "I guess we'll have to wait for Ginger's report now, but so far, it doesn't look as if there's any hidden werewolf heritage in Remus' line."
"It's quite the puzzle," Ivano agreed. "I still wonder if that other potion he took isn't somehow the cause of his blood being closer to the natural-born. It is, after all, the only difference that we know of, other than his young age at the time."
"Severus should have those half-wolf samples when he gets back this weekend, and then I'll have to do full moon observations by myself this week. Either way, we're not likely to get any farther with it this weekend," Jennifer concluded.
"Yes, I suppose," Ivano said. "Perhaps an early lunch?" he suggested.
As the two of them began to carefully put away their research, Icarus floated out of the room, glancing at the rainy sky thoughtfully before wandering through the castle, pondering the research so far and yet feeling there was somewhere he ought to be other than the library. In fact, the feeling grew until he finally found himself wandering to the back courtyard. He paused and looked around, until he noticed that the Elf Willow was in a strange position near the wall next to the greenhouse. It was only then that it registered that it was raining lightly. He floated over, unsurprised to see the brown-cloaked figure leaning on the wall, the Elf Willow helpfully stretching its branches out to help protect the figure from the rain. He looked up when Icarus materialized as he approached the wall.
"The tree is giving your presence away, you know," Icarus said.
"It came over here on its own. I can't really control it," the figure said. "And I can hardly come near this castle except on weekends, can I?"
"Yes, well, what are you doing here?" Icarus asked.
"It's about Nicholas Flammel. Are you aware that his notes are missing?" the figure asked.
"What? No, they're not. Severus has them," Icarus said. "In fact, I asked to borrow them for some research."
"I'm afraid you are remembering what happened out of order, Ick. He hasn't gotten them yet," the cloaked figure explained. "But it is very important he finds it. I believe they're in the wrong hands at the moment."
"I could have sworn that I had already confronted him about it. Just after I had gotten done studying Jennifer's research on the potion she and that new fellow's been working on," Icarus said, more than a little worried that he had said the wrong thing to Severus at the wrong time.
"And where did you just come from just now?" the Deuce asked.
"Oh! Well, I just came from watching them working on research. They were doing samples and playing with those microscopes of theirs," Icarus explained. "Wait, could it be now that I'm remembering?"
"When he gets back to the castle on Monday, you might want to make an appointment to speak to him about it," the Deuce suggested. "It's important that he get a hold of those notes so that everything's happening when it's supposed to happen."
"Um... yes, of course," Icarus said distractedly. "I think I'll do that right now."
"Thanks, Icarus," the figure said, giving the tree trunk a pat over the wall before dashing into the Dark Forest. Icarus stared at the tree, more than a little bewildered. Then he floated over to the nursery window and inside the Headmaster's office, immediately opening his journal and peering at it, flipping back to the Monday before. No, there was no entry from him, and he had written it in his own hand, he was sure. At least the month was right. Perhaps he had mis-remembered the date, he mused, writing himself in for Monday. Well, at least he was certain of one thing; Severus was going to get those notes at some point, for he remembered that part clearly, even if he did have his dates confused.
That Monday morning, Severus did seem mildly surprised at what Icarus wanted to speak about, immediately puzzling over the problem. His reaction was reassuring; Icarus remembered this, he thought to himself.
"Don't worry, Icarus, I'll make sure those notes are found, no matter who has them. I'll go to Alexandria about it. If anyone can find out where they are, she can," Severus replied, just as Icarus had expected.
"Thank you, Severus. I knew you would handle it," Icarus said with a relieved smile.
"I'll give you an update about it by the end of the year," Severus promised. "You'd best get back to your classes."
"Thank you, but I have some books to pick up at the library first," Icarus said, floating through the floor. Sure enough, There were books set aside with his name on it just as he had expected, and the titles he had recalled before. Nodding to himself, Icarus checked out his books and went about his way, forgetting his earlier concern.
Back in his office, Severus was indeed puzzling over a problem, but it was not the one that Icarus thought he was puzzling over. Had Icarus simply made a mistake? Or was something else going on? For some reason, Severus had the strange feeling that Icarus' memories had been manipulated somehow; and more than just because of his feigned ignorance and his decision to erase that entry in his journal.
Was it something that he personally would do at a later date that would cause Icarus to make such a mistake? Or was another hand in this? Under normal circumstances, Severus would suspect that Merlin had meddled in it in some way... but Merlin was in the Otherworld. He was too busy helping the kingdoms clean up the Darkened Lands and rooting out stray demons to even be paying attention to anything that was happening in this world. But if someone else had meddled, to what purpose? It had sped up the investigation by a week... no, perhaps more than that, for it helped Severus to piece together the who and why as well. Was it a matter of speeding the matter up? Perhaps there was a hidden urgency here that required delicate timing, an urgency that Severus was yet to be aware of. There was a possibility... a very likely possibility... that the situation called for him being at the right place and at the right time.
"Armando, I need to see Hermione in this office the moment she gets in," Severus told the portrait, checking the time as he stood. "And if I'm not in here, she should wait. I'm going to get Quintin downstairs and talk to Ashley about something, then I'll be up here to discuss schedule conflicts that may come up this week."
"Concerning Professor Lupin, sir?" Armando inquired.
"No, that's the least of our troubles right now," Severus said, going into the nursery.
Severus wasted little time after that getting everything he wanted in place in case he had to leave the school at a short notice, including modifying his class plans, meetings with several staff members, and Owls to Harry and Alex... especially Alex, asking her to inform him the moment that Arnold Jeffers' flag indicated that he was out of the country again.
Severus was quite sure that was the sign he was looking for now, and he was just as certain that Arnold probably didn't know everything about what was going on. Still, Arnold was likely to find out the truth as persistent as he was, and with any luck, Severus could take advantage of that event. Hopefully Carnegie would be back before then so that he wasn't going into situation blind; but even if he wasn't, Severus knew now that he would have to make his move immediately after Arnold made his.
That Wednesday morning, Severus was helping Jennifer in the lab, putting the finishing touches on Sirius Black's potion while Jennifer was in the midst of making one for Remus Lupin. Right on time Sirius came in, looking between them.
"Good morning," Sirius said cheerfully. "I see you have a helper today. Or is he sitting detention?" he added mischievously.
"No, he's been very good lately," Jennifer replied with a chuckle.
"That may change if this conversation keeps up. I have your therapy potion ready, Sirius, it just needs a moment to cool," Severus said, pouring the potion into a cup. "Have you experienced any side effects?"
"I had shakes the first couple of days, but that was it. I'd say the only complaint I have is I haven't been sleeping well. Anna says I keep waking up with nightmares but I don't remember them" Sirius said.
"Yes, she said something about that to me, come to think of it," Severus admitted. "What have you tried so far, Jennifer?"
"Heartsease, but it doesn't seem strong enough to dull it completely," Jennifer said. "Are you sure you won't talk to Conner about the nightmares?"
"First off, I don't do shrinks. And secondly, I can't talk to him about nightmares that I don't even remember," Sirius pointed out. "And third, we all know why the nightmares are there and no amount of counseling is going to make my imprisonment go away."
"I know how you feel, Sirius, trust me. I know what it's like to have a bad psychiatrist," Jennifer said dryly. "But I also can't give you a Sleeping Potion because it'll interfere with your therapy potion."
"Perhaps we can try Subtle Slumber," Severus suggested. "My altered formula shouldn't interfere with the therapy, and perhaps the combination will dull the night terrors."
"What? Why wouldn't it interfere? Wait, did you take the Sleep Sand out?" Jennifer asked suspiciously, Severus immediately pushing up her glasses and tsking at her fierce gaze.
"Ah ah ah. If you keep with this line of questioning Aurelius will be barging in here in a moment," Severus warned her.
"You still haven't told her what's in it?" Sirius chuckled, then downed his potion.
"Every alchemist has their own secrets to keep. I have two," Severus replied.
"I don't keep any alchemy secrets from you," Jennifer protested.
"True, but are you ready to divulge all of the details of some of your experiments with items over the years? Or perhaps divulge what you've been adding to your cursed items collection of late?" Severus challenged her.
"That's different. It's not alchemy," Jennifer said, but suddenly seemed much more interested in the small cauldron in front of her than she had a moment before. Sirius quickly stifled a chuckle.
"So what's the plan for tonight, anyway?" Sirius asked.
"Standard observation, tonight, Sirius, with regular dosages," Severus explained. "The only thing that's changed with the formula is cosmetic, but we still have to run it through normal testing just in case there's an unexpected change in potency."
"Is he just heading to the Dark Forest for the night then? Or back to the basement?" Sirius asked.
"Forest. He doesn't seem concerned about the changes," Jennifer said.
"Good, I'd rather be running out there than stuck in that vault," Sirius admitted with a chuckle, then glanced at the fireplace. "Hey, there's a message coming through."
"Is there? Well, I can't leave the cauldron now, this is almost finished," Jennifer said.
"I'll answer it," Severus said, stepping in front of the flame to see Alex's face appear. "It looks as if the Flame is for me anyway."
"Right you are," the fiery Alex said, glancing around to see who was there. "The person you were following on the flag board made his move. He's just left the country."
"Any word from my partner?" Severus asked.
"No, he's overdue, but that simply could mean he's investigating something interesting. It's not unusual," she explained.
"Fine. If you hear from him, let him know I'm on my way," Severus said.
"Good luck," Alex said, the fire snuffing out.
"It couldn't have waited until the weekend, could it have?" Jennifer said with exasperation.
"I had a feeling that it wouldn't, that's why I made all of those contingency plans," Severus said. "Sirius don't forget about sweeping the fireplaces."
"It's on my list," Sirius said, the two of them watching him go. Turning off the potion, Jennifer glanced at her watch to see that Severus' hand pointed to the hospital wing – daycare room, more than likely – and then a moment later to Elsewhere. "He can't stay out of anything these days, can he?" Sirius commented as much to break the silence as for any other reason. "The old man would be proud."
