Thirty-Five

Intervention

Severus had spent so much time at the interviews that evening that he had barely gotten to the music store before it closed. Still, it was a triumph after having had tried for several days, and was glad to get the errand done. Finally he used his castle key to return his office. Jennifer was sitting behind his desk, glancing up when she heard him land.

"It's about time you got back. I need you to approve a detention," Jennifer said.

"Good evening," Severus said in a low, calm voice, having no intention of being rushed. "Why didn't you approve it yourself? You do have that right as acting Headmaster, you know."

"Because it's for Chuck and Leu. They were fighting outside the library, and Chuck even pulled a wand," Jennifer explained.

"What? I thought we finally broke Chuck of his detention pattern," Severus scowled.

"Yes, well, that's before Amy Weasley entered the picture. Since they've gotten older, she seems to delight to pitting them against each other. Apparently Chuck wasn't happy that Amy decided to study with Leu for the mid exams, including Herbology. What's more is I think she did it on purpose, really, to rile Chuck up. From what I've read from her..."
"Oh no, please no. Don't start me on student gossip and drama right now. I've had an exhausting day, and what started it is neither here nor there when both of them should have the discipline not to fight in the hall regardless of the reason," Severus protested. Jennifer sighed.

"Fair enough, Severus, but don't be surprised if it happens again. Especially since I think she's leading Leu on just to make Chuck jealous. She likes his reaction to it..."

"Hold it, Jennifer, there's a Flame coming in," Severus told her, grateful for the interruption. Unfortunately, his was relief was short-lived. "It looks like it's Alex."

"Really? Perhaps I should go, then?" Jennifer asked, but walked over to the fireplace curiously.

Alex's Flame gained more detail and she focused on them.

"Good, you're both here," Alex said. "We need to call the family net on Laura. She got sacked earlier and nobody has figured out where she went yet. Aurelius is out looking for her, but considering she could be anywhere and how well she can camouflage in her Cu Sith form, it may take some time."

"Sacked? What happened?" Jennifer asked in alarm.

"The short answer is that she cast a death spell at someone who she was just supposed to bring in for questioning and who didn't really pose much of a threat to her. I think the details of the incident can wait until after we find her, though. Do you know if Remus has any locating devices on her?" Alex asked.

"No, I do not believe he has. Her parents have this odd notion about privacy being more important than safety. But never mind that, what about Alicia?"

"She's setting up an exhibit in New York this week, but I can call her in if you think Laura would be silly enough to hide somewhere where there's a painting," Alex said.

"Laura has no reason to think that anyone in our family would come after her right now, and she shouldn't be left alone for too long. Have Alicia find out where she is, then have her notify me," Severus said. Jennifer let out a soft but audible sigh. "Have everyone else on standby in case I need backup."

"Will do," Alex agreed, and the Flame snuffed out.

Severus glanced sideways at Jennifer, who was obviously brooding.

"You know this can't be helped," Severus murmured quietly.

"We go on winter holiday next week, I expect this rescue is going to run into that," Jennifer grumbled.

"I expect so," Severus replied, kissing her forehead in apology. "It wasn't as if this wasn't expected. When is the next full moon?"

"Just before Solstice," Jennifer informed him.

"Hey, Dad?" Severus and Jennifer looked up to see the portrait of Corey in Dumbledore's frame. "Alicia says she's at the Ninety. She says you'd probably remember where that is," Corey's portrait reported.

"Yes, I do," Severus said. "And that being the case, I think I know who should fetch her."

Laura sat at the far end of the bar, putting her cloak on the seat next to her to keep herself from being bothered. Despite the attempt, it wasn't long after her tankard was refilled that someone came up beside her and moved it. Laura looked over with a frown, a bit surprised when she saw who it was.

"I'll take a virgin Elf Cocoa and some Reindeer Chips," Lindsay told the bartender as she sat down. "Hello, Laura! Fancy meeting you here. Don't worry, those chips aren't as bad as they sound..."

"What are you doing here?" Laura asked flatly.

"Oh, I come up here all the time," Lindsay improvised.

"You don't drink," Laura pointed out.

"Well, not except for the ceremonial sip at Coven's Night or toasts to good health or things like that," Lindsay agreed. "But the chips are good, and it'll be big enough to share. Do you want to share?"

"It's your comfort food, not mine," Laura said evenly.

"Well maybe, but you look like you need it more," Lindsay ventured.

"What are you really doing here? Did my father send you after me?" Laura asked, squinting.

"No, I don't think he even knows about it yet," Lindsay answered quietly. "Uncle Severus sent me, actually. He figured you could use a friend."

"I'd rather be alone really," Laura said, wondering if Harry was the one who told Severus. How much would he have told him?

"Well, how about a compromise? I'll just sit here quietly and have my drink and chips. At the same time, I can make sure nobody else bothers you," Lindsay suggested. "Another plate, please," she added when the bartender dropped off her order. "You should try some, though, even if they did go a bit thin on the gravy."

"Gravy?" Laura repeated dubiously. "On chips?"

"It's better than it sounds too," Lindsay explained.

The two of them sat quietly for a while, until Laura found herself staring at the clean plate in front of her rather than her tankard. Resignedly, she scooped up a few of the chips and put it on the plate, nibbling at one.

"So what are you planning to do next?" Lindsay asked, encouraged my Laura's response.

"Go home, I guess," Laura shrugged.

"That's all right with me. I know, we'll have a sleepover, just like when we were at Hogwarts. I'll can take the couch... and I'll make breakfast," Lindsay said brightly. Laura stared at her. Lindsay smiled back.

"You're not going to let me talk you out of it, are you?" Laura asked bluntly.

"Nope," Lindsay agreed.

Sighing, Laura went back to her tankard.

Back at the castle, Severus had been dozing in his office chair when he heard a mirror chime. Standing to try and wake himself up, he opened the pocket mirror to see a heavily shadowed Aurelius.

"Yes?" Severus said. "Where are you?"

"Outside of Laura's place," Aurelius reported. "It looks like Lindsay followed her home, so I think she's in for the night."

"Perhaps, although there is always a possibility she may attempt to slip out," Severus mused.

"We could have the paintings watching for that," Aurelius suggested.

"True, but you wouldn't know which way she went," Severus pointed out.

"Normally, I'd agree with you... a vigilant watch is the best way, Father. But the fact of the matter is I really can't spare the time since I have to help cover shifts as well as interview the Grimshaw Gang. On top of that, the department is down an Auror now. I can always check on Laura in the morning."

"Then we'll use familiars," Severus decided. "Leave Achilles there, and I'll send one of the castle owls over so that he can go home. I'll make certain that Sirius knows to come early tomorrow."

"Right," Aurelius said, fading as the mirror was shut.

Severus quickly wrote and sent out half a dozen Owl Posts, skipping stairs so that he could quickly send them off and get back to his personal study.

He winced when he saw that Jennifer was there, using the table to put the finishing touches on her tests, knowing her reaction was likely to be unfavorable. Well, it was best to get it over with, he decided.

"Don't worry, I need not go out again tonight. Aurelius and Sirius have the matter in hand," Severus said, putting away his cloak.

"I wasn't particularly worried," Jennifer said in a curt, irritated tone.

"It may end up affecting our holiday plans, however," Severus added reluctantly.

"Yes, thank you, I've figured that part out on my own," Jennifer said.

"And I believe I'll be attending the Blacks' Christmas party, since it's quite likely that is where Laura will be this year. Care to go? After all, Sirius will likely sober this year..."

"I'd rather not. And I'd rather think Sirius' behavior is likely to be worse at Christmas rather than better. When he's drinking, it creates a barrier to his darker thoughts, and they're not so clear to me," Jennifer explained.

"Not as clear to him, either, which is how he got himself into that predicament," Severus said.

"Yes, I know," Jennifer said, growing thoughtful. "When I first met him, his time at Azkaban was deeply buried, and his walls against it was as thick as a fortress. But they're not as thick anymore; they've been chipped away so much that there are large gaps straight inside. It makes it difficult for me at times, especially when he's in dark mood."

"Yes, I understand how that would be a problem," Severus agreed, going over to his music stand to get out the new bow rosin he had bought so that he could scrape it down. "But those gaps that have grown over time are a good thing. It shows his progress over the years, despite his attempts to cover them with alcohol. It never did cover them completely."

"Well, he's on the right path now and I'm so glad about that, but I rather think it'd be a bad idea for me to go to that party this year. Besides, I talked to Minerva today and she said that she got a Teledim. Dumbledore is on his way back for the holidays, and he's bring Bael with him so that he can meet Aubrey Lynn. But the Black Mansion might be a bit much for Bael what with the Lupins staying there as well, so I thought we might offer an alternative for him," Jennifer suggested.

"Yes, of course, I'd hardly object to that, would I?" Severus said.

"Yes, so you don't have to worry about us canceling that getaway we had been planning, since we wouldn't have been able to go with Bael here, anyway," Jennifer said, not looking up from her paper. Severus sighed.

"Yes, well, I am sorry, and I will make it up to you..."

"Yes, you've been saying that. All year so far," Jennifer pointed out, but then out let out another sigh. "I'm sorry, I know it can't be helped. But with me doing all this research, filling in for you, and carting Quintin from one place and the next without having you here to even vent to, it gets to be a bit much sometimes, especially now that we can't even expect much of a holiday this year. I suppose I'm being selfish."

"Oh, nonsense," Severus said, sitting down on the couch and offering an arm. Jennifer leaned into him, still holding onto a test key she had been working on. "I know things haven't been easy on you this year. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for me to make it up to you."

"Well, you aren't all that busy right now, are you?" Jennifer asked flirtatiously.

"Obviously not," Severus murmured back.

"Good," Jennifer said brightly. "Then you can finish these tests for me, can't you? I'm going back to the lab to prep for class." Blinking with surprise, Severus found his lap full of paperwork. As he moved to try to straighten the pile of tests and prevent it from falling to the floor, Jennifer whisked out the door.

"She set me up," Severus murmured to himself. "And I fell right in. I really must be overworked," he realized. Resignedly, he began sorting through the tests to put them in a more logical order.

Laura woke up to Lindsay's snoring in the next room, wondering if she should put a pillow over her head like she had when they were students. Most of the time, her days at Hogwarts seemed quite long ago, but Lindsay's presence brought them back full force. She missed her time at school, she realized, especially her time in the Order of the Owls. She found herself wondering how the others were doing... Lucky... Ambrose... Delia. It was more peaceful then, and yet not without its tragedies, she reminded herself, thoughtfully looking at a statue of a centaur girl she had found in a gift shop somewhere. It barely even looked like a real centaur at all, but Laura couldn't help but think of Lyra anytime she looked at it.

Laura sighed when she realized she had been standing numbly in the middle of the living room for some time, so she slowly moved to the kitchen to fill the kettle. It was then that she looked out the window and noticed that there was a dog curled up on her porch, sleeping. She frowned at him, recognizing Padfoot immediately. What was he even doing here? Had he heard about her getting sacked as well? Perhaps he had heard the circumstances of it, and now was attempting to create a barrier to keep her from getting arrested for casting a death spell, she conjectured, knowing that he had done that sort of thing in the past. Had Harry even mentioned to anyone why she got sacked? As she turned to put the kettle on the stove, she heard a friendly bark. Peering back out the window, she frowned when she saw Aurelius was in front of the house. He said something she couldn't quite make out to Padfoot before stepping onto the porch. Laura groaned. Aurelius was just about the last person she wanted to see that morning. There was a soft knock... soft enough that Laura thought about just pretending that she wasn't awake yet. But apparently Lindsay was a light sleeper, and she sprung off the couch to open the door.

"Good morning, Rel! How are you today? A bit chilly, isn't it?" Lindsay greeted warmly, letting him in. "How is Justice?"

"Well, I haven't gotten any panicked Owls in the last twenty-four hours, so I'm sure he's fine," Aurelius said dryly. "Is Laura awake?"

"In the kitchen," Laura admitted with a sigh. Aurelius glanced at Lindsay.

"I just woke up," Lindsay declared.

"Obviously," Aurelius said.

"I think I'll go brush my hair," Lindsay decided, scrambling off to the bathroom to get out of the way. Aurelius stepped over to the kitchen, leaning against the archway.

"This cottage is almost identical to the one my brother used to rent," Aurelius commented.

"I don't think you're here to make small talk," Laura said curtly. "And if you are, you could do better, since you've mentioned that before."

"You could always invite me to breakfast so I'll have more reason to make small talk. What are we having?" Aurelius asked, looking in the fridge. "Never mind. I'll have Lindsay pick us all up something instead."

"Why don't you ask that dog out on the porch?" Laura asked irritably.

"What dog?" Aurelius asked. Laura looked outside and sure enough, Padfoot was gone.

"What's going on? Why was he here at all if he wasn't planning to come in?" Laura asked.

"Lindsay?" Aurelius called out, Lindsay immediately peeking out from behind a doorway. "Think you could go find us some breakfast?"

"Sure, Rel! I'll be off straight away. What do you want me to get?" Lindsay asked.

"I'm sure you can come up with something," Aurelius said with a shrug.

"Well, alright, but be patient with me. It takes me a long time deciding when it comes to food," Lindsay warned. She threw her hair in a pony tail as she hurriedly grabbed her coat and slipped out the side door.

"She said that for your benefit, Aurelius. Lindsay always has a sausage roll in the morning," Laura said. "She only said that because she knew you wanted to talk to me alone."

"There's no reason for you to be on edge, Laura. I'm not here to arrest you or anything," Aurelius assured her.

"What makes you think I'm on edge?" Laura challenged him.

"Because you keep stating the obvious," Aurelius replied. Laura frowned.

"Oh," Laura said, using the excuse of getting out cups and saucers to keep her back to him. "So there's no charges, then?"

"I highly doubt it," Aurelius confirmed. "Harry had me interview the Grimshaws before he even wrote up the wand report, and then he made certain that both Craw and Malfoy saw the charges before even bringing up the fact that you 'may have overreacted a bit'."

"A bit?" Laura repeated in disbelief. "I wanted him dead. If Farynor hadn't been there to check up on me, I would have murdered him."

"Yes, you would have," Aurelius agreed.

"I lost it, Rel. I totally lost all restraint on a guy we were just bringing in for questioning. And I wouldn't have regretted it if I had done it! There! Now, don't you think I ought to be arrested for that?" Laura said.

"Probably, but then again, I have a long list of incidents when I probably should have been arrested for trying to kill someone too," Aurelius admitted.

"Maybe, but I bet they were more of a danger. I'm sure it wasn't a drunkard that was just to be brought in for questioning."

"In my case, it was always a certain sniveling coward, and if I ever lose it and take his ass out, I won't regret it either," Aurelius said with a snort. Laura looked back at him searchingly. "I was always stopped by someone any time I got to that point... usually Harry. He was always there looking out for me, making sure I never went too far."

"So I just had the bad luck of him not being there to stop me, then?" Laura said angrily.

"As far as I'm concerned, the fact that Farynor sacrificed an incarnation to stop it was, in essence, Harry stopping you," Aurelius said. "You're lucky that Harry is the head of the department. Anyone else would have come down on you a lot harder for what happened than he did."

"Including you?" Laura challenged him.

"I would have had no way to stop you," Aurelius pointed out quietly, and Laura become even more somber. "And to be perfectly honest, Harry probably should have let you go months ago." Laura's neck snapped up and she stared at him in surprised anger. "Laura, you haven't been fit to be an acting Auror since you got back from the Otherworld, therapy or no therapy. You're not even close to being on the mend from what happened to you over there..."

"I'd rather not talk about that," Laura said in a loud firm voice, turning away from him again.

"On top of that, you were already getting burnt out on the job even before you went to the Otherworld. In fact, you hated the job," Aurelius reminded her. "You've hated it the whole time, ever since the first time you went out for a capture and had to stare down the face of a Muggle killer. The only reason you stayed on so long is because of the guilt you felt, and thinking that the job might not get done without your help, since Harry was so short handed. Well, that is no reason to keep any job, and more to the point, that is no reason to keep this job. So the fact of the matter is, for your sake and the department's sake, keeping you on for long was a mistake and Harry should have sacked you a long time ago." Laura spun around to face him.

"How can you say that to me? Don't you have any heart? You were my partner!" Laura shouted at him as tears began streaming down her face, her fists clenched in anger.

"I am saying it because it is the truth," Aurelius said evenly. "And I'd rather you come to terms with it now than spend too much time brooding about what went wrong. It was always wrong! Harry knows it, and it's because he knows that he shares the blame for this is why he's shouldering the responsibility for what happened. It won't even appear on your record. He's telling everyone you resigned."

"He what?" Laura exclaimed. She stopped crying out of surprise.

"Yeah, so do you mind signing this?" Aurelius said calmly, holding out piece of Ministry department resignation form. "It's better if you do. If your record stays clean, it'll be much easier for you to get a new job."

"Enough, Rel! It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet since I was sacked-"

"Resigned," Aurelius corrected, holding the form in front of her face.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Laura said.

"I'm a Snape," Aurelius pointed out. "It's best to just do what I say. It's less messy that way."

"Every time I see you like this, I can see why Ginger keeps saying she's cursed with Snapes," Laura retorted. She took the form, signed it, and handed it back. Aurelius checked it over.

"Have I dotted all my i's?" Laura snapped in annoyance.

"Not only that, but your signature is strong... it's not shaky at all," Aurelius commented, flipping it back over to show her. "You may not consciously think you were ready to go, but I think deep down, part of you knows that you are ready." Laura glared at him. "There it is... a flicker of honesty in your eyes. You really did know."

"I hate you," Laura said fiercely.

"No, you don't," Aurelius replied. "Sorry, I know you want me to leave, but I'm not going to just yet. Breakfast, remember? I haven't slept for a day and a half, and I really need the calories if I'm going to turn this paperwork in before I head home. Besides, you don't really want to be alone right now, do you?"

"No, but why does it feel like I have no choice in the matter?" Laura asked, squinting suspiciously.

"Because you don't, obviously," Aurelius said with a soft chuckle. "And I personally want to say, I understand how that feels and I am sorry for that, but I had nothing to do with it."

"Nothing to do with what?" Laura asked.

"Nothing I'm going to tell you about," Aurelius replied with a shrug. Laura made a face, pondering what she could ask that wasn't going to be rebuffed.

"You're probably just better off just changing the subject," Aurelius advised, then looked towards the window. "I think I saw some people on the porch just now."

"Some?" she said, glancing out the window, while Aurelius walked to the door. There had barely been a knock when Aurelius opened it. Much to Laura's surprise, it was Ambrose, Lucky, Dale and Lindsay.

"What in the world?" Laura asked.

"I invited them to breakfast!" Lindsay explained cheerfully. "I brought sausage rolls!"

"I've got bagels," Lucky said.

"Bacon butties," declared Ambrose.

"Coffee, cocoa, and grapefruit," added Dale.

"Grapefruit?" Aurelius said skeptically.

"Yeah, he's on another diet," Lucky said, rolling her eyes.

"I do children's charities at Christmas every year. They expect me to keep looking like a teenager," Dale said.

"Well, you can give it up, because you look older than Aurelius now," Lindsay teased.

"Hey! Be nice," Lucky said, putting her bag on the coffee table. "Better move those books, Laura, you'll have old Boulderdash showing up to yell at you about how books and food don't mix." Ambrose, Dale, and Lindsay laughed at that.

"Well, you're the one that put the food there," Laura chided her. "But I'll put the books away just to be safe. I don't think I need any more guests."

"Yeah. Good luck with that," Lucky snorted.

"Lucky," Aurelius warned sternly.

"Let's get some plates," Dale interrupted. The four of them scrambled for dishes, while Aurelius simply rolled his eyes and helped himself to one of the bacon sandwiches.

"There are even books in the kitchen. Why are there books in the kitchen?" Lucky called out.

"Cookbooks?" Ambrose suggested.

"Nah. This one is entitled, 'The Who's Who of Dark Creatures: Extinct or Not?'" Lucky read.

"Hey! That's mine!" Aurelius realized.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot I borrowed it," Laura admitted. "I guess I don't need it any more."

"It's not very up to date anyways. It still lists Beansidh as extinct," Ambrose explained from the living room.

"That's okay, I have notes of all of those changes in the margins," Aurelius said.

"Oh, stars! Can you imagine what Boulderdash's reaction would be to that?" Lindsay said.

"'Book graffiti!'" Dale and Lucky said at once, trying to imitate the goblin's voice.

"Well, yeah, he does have a point," Laura admitted with a grin, taking the book from Lucky only to pass it Aurelius. "Sorry if it's late."

"It's alright, it's not like I had a date card in it," Aurelius said.

"It's just as well that it didn't, especially when it comes to Hogwarts date cards. The ones at the library in Whitebridge just have a day listed," Ambrose said. "Only Hogwarts has the ones that count down the hour, minute and second that you reach your doom... and then counting up of how much time you've passed it if you're late."

"Oh, yeah, I remember those now," Laura said.

"Do you remember the time Greg March had that book out that was 24 days, 30 hours and 15 seconds late? I thought that Boulderdash was going to faint," Lindsay chuckled.

"Didn't he have double detentions for that?" Laura asked.

"Yeah, a professor was waiting for the copy, but I don't remember who," Lindsay explained.

"Considering how mad he was, it was probably Professor Weasley," Lucky said. They were too busy chuckling over that to notice when Aurelius slipped out. Stepping onto the porch, he opened his mirror, waiting a moment.

"Plan A is progressing according to plan. Do you mind if I go to bed now?" Aurelius complained to the mirror. Getting a quick answer, Aurelius nodded and closed the mirror, popping to the Ministry to drop off the resignation.