A/N Yay, back in order :P Here we go!

Chapter Forty-Five

Substitutes, Surprises, and Sushi

Remus was still thinking about it the next morning when he went to Jennifer's lab to get his first potion of the week. In fact, he was so absorbed in it that he belatedly noticed that Jennifer was scrutinizing his expression intently as she stood there with a vile-smelling mug in her hand.

"Thank you... sorry," Remus added, accepting the mug.

"Did you really go to Ick for a reading?" she asked dubiously.

"I went to ask him about my potions," Remus admitted. Jennifer frowned at him disapprovingly. "He gave me a reading instead."

"I see. Well, at least he's respecting my boundaries then," Jennifer replied, going to her desk. "I'm writing up a quiz on Dark Fae defense that you can give to your students on Monday, that way you can tell who was actually paying attention in my classes."

"Did you see any of the vision I saw just now when you were studying me?" Remus questioned, unwilling to change the subject. Jennifer nodded. "What do you make of it?"

"Oh, well, I don't understand much of what was going on around the carousel, but the ending of it was rather interesting," Jennifer decided.

"In what way?"

"The children didn't really approach the carousel, they simply watched from a distance," Jennifer said.

"All but one," Remus said.

"Yes, but that child was returned. She was in the mix with all of the rest of them," Jennifer said.

"Are you certain?" Remus said, studying her thoughtfully.

"I may not be able to understand all of what you go through from month to month, nor do I understand why there was a fight or why the carousel seemed to go backwards for a split second after that smoke bomb... in fact, I barely knew that it happened. I was too busy watching the child, afraid she would get on the carousel... but as the smoke retreated, there she was, back with the children. I think that's probably a good sign, really, that all of the children are safe. And I expect that probably represents all of the children in this castle," Jennifer conjectured.

"Yes, except one gets too close for a while..." Remus said.

"And is pulled back," Jennifer reminded him.

"But which child was that? And what was the smoke that interrupted the vision?" Remus asked.

"Who knows? Honestly, I don't think it's worth dwelling over. Even if it comes to pass, it's not likely to happen in any way that you might expect," Jennifer said. "I think it's important to take it as a warning, and that we all need to watch out for nosy students getting too close to our experiments. But take heart in the fact that things seemed to come all right at the end."

"Except that I was still stuck on the carousel," Remus brooded. Jennifer dipped her quill in ink and pondered it thoughtfully.

"Perhaps you did it yourself. Perhaps you did it for a reason," Jennifer theorized.

"What possible reason could that be?" Remus said cynically.

"To keep others from getting on it, I suppose," Jennifer replied with a shrug.

Remus sat back and thought about it, attempting to take his mind off of the taste of the potion in his hand.

"Maybe you have a point," Remus said at last. Jennifer looked up, smiling gently at him with understanding.

"Don't worry, Remus. We are going to do everything we can to help. That's why we're doing this, after all," Jennifer reassured him. Remus nodded silently, drinking down the rest of his potion.

Thursday came a lot sooner than Laura had wanted it to. The crash course that Jennifer had been giving her in how the Potion Lab was set up, security, her notes, the students projects, and their lists of names... it all seemed to get blurred after awhile. Laura stared at the names. The seventh years during her first class were not likely to be a problem, she mused, but the next class was a double with first years.

"Now, there's nothing to worry about. You've helped with Auror Club all year, after all. You will probably know one or two of the students in every class," Jennifer reminded her.

"True, but there's a difference between teaching a club where the students want to be there and teaching Potions," Laura pointed out.

"Now, I'll be just up the stairs if something goes wrong, don't forget, and if you have too bad of a day, I may be able to talk Professor Disparte into coming early and taking over my morning classes tomorrow since he has to teach in there the rest of the day anyway," Jennifer suggested. "Just relax and have fun with it." Laura looked at her dubiously. "I remember when you used to want to teach when you were in school. Now you're getting your chance."

"Well, I was expecting a bit more training than this first," Laura complained.

"If Severus isn't worried about it, I'm not. Besides, no amount of training can compare you for the very first time you take over a classroom," Jennifer admitted with a chuckle.

"For some reason, I really don't find that encouraging," Laura admitted, taking her notes home to study.

She woke up especially early on Thursday and glanced at the family portrait: a white wolf, a black wolf, and a Cu Sith stared back at her. Sighing, Laura got dressed in the dark and had left for Hogwarts at dawn. The lab was already open, and the breakfast cart had already been filled. Was Jennifer up already, she wondered? But the door to her office was closed. She walked over to the painting of Glen Witolf.

"Is anyone in there yet?" Laura asked nervously.

"No, not yet. Do you remember the password? Or do you need a hint?" Glen asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Romulus and Remus," Laura recited wryly.

"If you need any more help, ask the Rogue," Glen suggested, the door unlocking and opening slightly.

"Thanks, that's a good idea," Laura said, pulling the door open and stepping in long enough to light lanterns and grab attendance lists. She glanced at the seventh-year list and realized she did know a great many of them, whether from the Auror Club or the Owls. In fact, she even remembered the day that they were sorted; it was so very strange a rhyme, and she remembered hearing later that the reason it was so strange was because they were born the year that Ciardoth had warped the stars. They had been allowed to choose their own houses, and in a way, determine their own destinies while in the school.

Maurice and Garvan came in first, with Cain and Hinge behind them. Natalie and Emily followed behind them, then came Paula and Kim. Most of the stragglers she didn't know by name, but at least she knew half the class fairly well, and not only that, they weren't likely to need much help at their level. In fact, once she gave them their study packets for the NEWT and assigned the reading, Maurice helped her check their labwork, so there wasn't all that much for her to do. Still, she knew she had first years next, and that would likely prove to be more challenging.

It was a Gryffindor-Ravenclaw class, and sure enough, she did know two of the students; Lucy and Amber, both in the Auror club. In fact, they seemed to be partners and in the front row; probably some of the best students there. In the back row sat a couple of Gryffindors that somehow reminded her of Dale Chance and Bobby March during their first year... likely the cut-ups of the class, along with a pair of Ravenclaw girls that looked less than enthusiastic. They seemed quite relieved to have a substitute that day; likely, neither of them had their homework done, Laura concluded with a soft smile. Laura also noticed that the breakfast cart had been cleaned between classes by one of the industrious Trade Elves, who left only a pitcher of water in its place; clearly the influence of the Headmaster was at work.

"Good morning, everyone! We're going to have a lab on your homework from yesterday, so Professor Craw has given me a quiz to hand out," Laura said, unsurprised when several people grimaced, including the two girls in the back row. "Before we start, please write down your homework for next week, written on the board there. If we have time after the lab today, since this is a double, you can spend any leftover time working on that," she suggested. Nobody was happy about that suggestion, not even Amber and Lucy, who were probably used to leaving early.

Laura handed the quizzes to the back row first, and then up to the front, thinking to give the back row a couple of minutes head start... not that it mattered much at the end. Amber and Lucy turned theirs in in record time, and Laura handed them their lab assignments in exchange. Laura looked them over with interest, not surprised that they both had a perfect score. It was probably because they had to work ahead so that they could make testers for Auror Club, and those were typically taught in second year.

The next two were perfect as well, but after that she began to get those that missed one or two, and that continued until the back row, where one of the boys got a perfect score and the other barely got any right; the two girls in the back missed the most of all. By then, Amber and Lucy had sorted and chopped up the components and were checking to make sure they needed a cold cauldron before they began adding things together.

The chatter picked up after the last quiz had been turned in; Jennifer, it seemed, already had them well trained to keep it down until everyone was ready for labs, and then the partners could talk as they liked. But the fervent whispers from the two girls in the back made Laura believe there was a lot more gossip than consulting each other's work. Well, she was sure it'd show up in their scores, Laura decided.

"Madame Lupin, we're ready for the dried moly petal," Amber said.

"Go ahead and get it when you're ready," Laura said. Amber went to the bins with a small measuring container, several other students following behind.

Burners began to be lit and their small cauldrons set upon them as the different groups put the last of the components in and got them simmering, glancing at their times and putting notes in their logs. Some belatedly realized their kits were out of an ingredient at the last minute and had to go to the bins again, signing out what they took and how much on a scroll that Professor Craw kept there for that purpose.

There was so much movement as they worked already that when students started gasping in surprise, it didn't register that anything was amiss. That was when half the class started jumping out of their seats. One of the potions in the back row was bubbling over... no... it was more than that. It looked like it was almost erupting with bubbles! Exclamations came from the excited students as several of them scrambled away. There was such a commotion coming from the students that Laura found herself in a panic about what to do.

Taking out her wand out of her sleeve, Laura cast at the Freeze Frame, and everything grew still. In fact, it was so still that she could almost hear her heart as it pounded in her chest. She saw a shadow in the doorway and looked up to see the headmaster leaning against it thoughtfully.

"Trouble?" Severus asked.

"No. Maybe," Laura blurted out, feeling more than a little foolish. "One of the potions boiled over and was out of control."

Severus glanced over at the student desk completely covered in bubbles. It was to the point that the foam was oozing off the sides, some of the falling drips frozen mid-air from the Freeze Frame. Then he assessed the rest of the class, who the students were, and where they were standing.

"This is a first year class," Severus observed. "Although this one is a bit more dramatic than the typical boil-over, cauldrons boiling over are quite common in the first three years of Potions, especially in first year classes. Because of that fact, all lab experiments in those years are tailored so that even if they do go dramatically wrong, none of them are likely to cause any harm to the students if they get out of hand."

"Really? Well, what about that potion Dale messed up?" Laura snapped, her anger partially covering up her embarrassment. Severus gazed at her thoughtfully.

"That's right, you were in that classroom, weren't you?" Severus recalled. "Yes, well, obviously, that year was a one time exception. But I can see why you decided to err on the side of caution after experiencing that," he decided. "Now, lets evaluate the situation, shall we?"

Laura stood there uncomfortably while Severus walked around, stopping in front of the two girls who weren't retreating. One was Lucy, who was in the middle of jumping over the table to try and get to the potion. Amber was standing just behind Lucy and her wand was pointed at the potion and her mouth partially open.

"What was Amber casting?" Severus asked.

"Casting?" Laura repeated, looking at the two girls thoughtfully.

"She is most definitely in the process of casting something," Severus said, stepping around to the other side of them. "Whose potion was it that failed, exactly?"

"Oh, um, those two girls there... April and Millie," Laura said.

"Isn't it interesting that despite the explosion of bubbles around the potion that neither of their uniforms have a single splatter of bubbles or liquid on them? Let's step back and see what happens," Severus suggested, getting out his wand and casting a spell around Lucy before stepping over to the Freeze Frame.

Laura stepped over beside him, and Severus pointed his wand at the Freeze Frame, melting the icy cracks that had appeared on its surface. Instantly the room went from silent to overwhelmingly loud with exclamations. Lucy, her forward momentum halted by the spell, nearly tumbled off the desk she had been trying to climb over and would have had Severus not put a spell on her that simply floated her up and back out of the way. But at the same time, Amber's focus on her objective kept her from even noticing that anything strange had occurred.

"Expelliaro!" Amber cast, pointing her wand at the air around the cauldron. Immediately, the flame on the burner went out and the bubbles collapsed as the air vacated the area around the potion. A moment later, she pulled back her hand, leaving the potion mostly inert with only the puddle of bubbles on the desk and floor left. Severus sighed, waiting patiently for students to notice him. The ones that did began scrambling to their seats. Disoriented, Amber finally looked around.

"Grandfather!" she exclaimed out of complete surprise.

"Headmaster Snape," Severus corrected her. "Please come off the desk, it is not your podium, Miss Willowby. Desks are for potions, not your feet. Do you have any idea how many contaminants are on the bottom of an average shoe?"

"Sorry... yes, Headmaster," Amber said, getting down.

"Keep standing, thank you. Now, tell me exactly where you learned that spell?" Severus asked critically.

"My father uses it sometimes in the lab when a burner gets knocked over," Amber explained.

"That spell is highly restricted, Miss Willowby, and not one any first year ought to be casting," Severus said sternly.

"Really? I didn't know that. See, Mum once told us at dinner that Aunt Alex used it against Ciardoth when she was a first year..."

"Thank you, family history is not getting you out of this one, Miss Willowby, I'll see you after class. And you, Miss Grant, exactly what were you intending to do, charging towards an out of control cauldron like that?" Severus asked, gazing at Lucy.

"I was going to try and take it off the burner," Lucy explained. "We were making disenchantment potions, which means that any hex or wrong component more than likely would have negated any ill effects it would have caused by being thrown in. I'm sure it would been safe to intervene."

"Miss Grant, 'more than likely' is not the same thing as certain. It was a gamble that may have caused you injury, so I'll see you after class as well," Severus said.

"Yes, Headmaster," Lucy said glumly.

"Now, let's have a look at that potion, shall we?" Severus suggested, walking over and inspecting the mixture cautiously. But it didn't take long before he came to a conclusion. "Sodium bicarbonate and citric acid... common Muggle antacid tablet." Laura barely stopped herself from groaning. "Madame Lupin, I believe you probably already know that this sort of tablet tends to leave an unmistakable residue, especially when kept in one's pocket. Simply having the class turn out their pockets will more and clear up the matter who is responsible for this. Isn't that correct, Miss Adams?" April grimaced and stepped over with a sigh.

"Yes, and I'm afraid I accidentally dropped one of my tablets into our potion when I was leaning over it. Sorry for the mess," April said.

"Accidentally?" Laura repeated in disbelief. "That wasn't an accident. You intentionally did that because you knew you weren't going to get good marks on it."

"Do you have proof of this?" Severus asked Laura calmly.

"Even if their quiz scores weren't proof enough by themselves, I do know the reason those tablets have citric acid as well as bicarbonate is to make them fizz up in water. If you were planning to use it, without permission of your instructor, I might add, you would have had a glass of water on your table, which you don't," Laura pointed out.

"Oh," April said, sitting down and looking ruefully over at Millie, who was also grimacing.

"You girls need to stay over during lunch and clean up this mess. And then I want you to look up those answers to the quiz and then redo that lab," Laura told the girls irritably.

"Well, I believe you have this in hand now, Madame Lupin," Severus observed.

"Headmaster Snape, our potion is done simmering," Amber announced, and Severus glanced behind him at the two girls.

"Yes, we're just bottling it now, Headmaster," Lucy agreed, testing the bottle to make sure it was sterile.

"Fine. Label your work, and the two of you can come along with me," Severus said. Amber grinned and swiftly cleaned up while Severus waited by the door.

"The rest of you go back to your work. Did anyone have their potions spoiled by the delay?" Laura asked, attempting to concentrate on the other students while April and Millie ruefully began to clean.

Lucy was a little nervous that the two of them were about to get a lecture from the headmaster, but Amber didn't seem to be worried at all as the two of them stepped into the corridor and then up the back stairs.

"So who else is coming to lunch, Grandfather?" Amber asked as they went up the stairs.

"Lunch?" Lucy repeated in surprise.

"Of course, silly, you didn't really think you were in trouble, did you?" Amber said.

"Although it's true that you need to be more cautious," Severus told Lucy sternly, "both of you."

"Yes, I know, but I can't stop being a Willowby," Amber said daringly.

"That is all the more reason to be cautious. Not less," Severus frowned at her. "However, you did react appropriately in this instance, although I could offer you one or two less controversial spells to have cast instead of the one you chose."

"What's controversial about it?" Lucy asked curiously.

"You can use it to kill people. It's called the Life Deprivation Curse," Amber informed her. "Put it around someone's head, and if they don't know a non-verbal version of the counterspell, they're dead in no time." Lucy stared at her.

"You're pretty scary," Lucy told her.

"Thanks!" Amber said cheerfully.

"That'll do, thank you," Severus said, pausing at the dragon statue.

"How did we get up here so fast?" Lucy wondered.

"Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru," Severus spoke, and the statue shifted. Severus led them up the spiral stairs.

"Come along, girls, make yourselves at home, but don't sit in the high-backed chair," Severus said. Lucy was too busy staring at everything to sit anywhere, her eyes settling on all the paintings on the wall.

"So Grandmother is coming?" Amber asked.

"Yes, she's the one who asked me to invite Miss Grant today. I have been told by Professor Craw that you've been wanting to meet Professor Bael, Miss Grant, but that you already had Defense this week."

"I did want to see him, but how did you know that?" Lucy asked. Severus and Amber glanced at her, waiting for it to sink in. "Oh, it's Professor Craw. I suppose I had been thinking about it lately," Lucy admitted sheepishly. "You see, I think I may have met him before."

"How could you have met him before?" Amber asked curiously. "He's just arrived from the Otherworld, you know."

"Yes, I know, but he's been here before, hasn't he? Someone told me he's the only Elf from the Otherworld that has ever traveled here in recent history," Lucy explained.

"Intentionally, yes," Severus confirmed. "Although some may have gotten through by accident one of the times that the portals between world were damaged in the past."

"I'm pretty sure the Elf I met got through intentionally," Lucy decided.

"Well, there are still a few minutes left in their class, but we will soon find out. Amber, why don't you get Lucy and yourself drinks while I get the trays for the coffee table," Severus said. "Lucy, feel free to look around, there's no need to crane your neck about."

"Thanks," Lucy said sheepishly and got up again, appreciative to get a chance to get a better look to all of the wondrous devices and artifacts on the shelves and in the cases. A few minutes later, she could hear Professor's Craw's voice. Craw opened the one of the study doors, peering in and then grinning to see the girls were there.

"Professor Craw, really, this is hardly a peep show," Severus said critically.

"I was just seeing if everyone is here," Jennifer said and opened the door. "Come on in, Bael!"

"Yes, do come in, Bael," Severus said.

"Lady Jennifer has said there is some sort of surprise in store for me," Bael said, stepping in.

"Then you have a very valid reason to be cautious," Severus decided. Jennifer sticking her tongue out at him. "Professor Craw, not in front of the students."

"She's quite worked up," Bael chuckled, glancing at the two girls and then settling on Lucy, standing by the shelves. She grinned.

"I was right. It is you," Lucy said, Bael gazing at her curiously.

"I know I've seen you somewhere before..." Bael agreed.

"Professor Bael, this is Miss Lucy Grant," Severus introduced.

"Lucy?" Bael blinked, then brightened dramatically. "Lucy! It is you!" He said, running over to hug her and it was enthusiastically returned. "Severus, this was the little girl from the bus! She helped me get on the right bus to get to the train!"

"I take it you found it," Lucy grinned.

"Yes, but I got on the wrong train," Bael chuckled. "Still, I did get to London safely, thank you! I'm so glad you're here at Hogwarts."

"I am as well," Severus said, gazing at Lucy. "Now I understand why Jennifer was so insistent. We are indebted to you for helping Bael get here safely that day."

"It's nothing," Lucy said, blushing at the intention. "I like to help when I can."

"She's also a very good student. She's at the top of all of her classes," Jennifer added.

"I'm already sold on the girl, you need not keep piling it on. Let's have lunch, shall we?" Severus said.

Down in the Potion Lab, Laura had been resigned to tea and sandwiches for her lunch as she watched the two girls go through their books to find the answers to the test questions.

"You two didn't even crack your potions books open all week, did you?" Laura asked flatly.

"No," Millie admitted. "We had a history research paper due today, so we concentrated on that."

"Really? I thought Scribe did research papers twice a year, December and April," Laura said.

"Well, we got them done in December, but she made several people in class redo them, including us," Millie explained. "She didn't think we had enough sources listed."

"And she thought they were too short," April added.

"You should have asked Librarian Boulderdash to help you when you came up short," Laura said. "He's always good for recommending another source or two when you're in a pinch."

"I don't suppose we can go to you instead?" April asked. "We're starting our second research paper next week."

"Sure," Laura said with a shrug. "You two aren't scared of Boulderdash, are you?"

"No," April said defensively. "It's just that he's so grumpy." Laura rolled her eyes.

"Get back to work, will you? I do have another class after lunch," she warned them, and the two of them got back to their work.

The two girls finished less than five minutes before the first of the fourth years came in for the next class, so Laura had to quickly switch gears and scramble for the right notes and the right attendance list without much of a break. When the last of the students of the day finally left, Laura lowered her arms and head on the desk, not even looking up when she heard Jennifer step into the room. "Rough day, was it?" Jennifer asked sympathetically.

"I don't think I'm cut out to be a teacher," Laura said, her voice muffled by one of her arms.

"Oh, nonsense. Everyone has a rough first day," Jennifer said, walking towards her office door. "On my first day, there was a fight in my Defense class. And the most embarrassing part of that was the fact that Severus came in to help me put the class in order while I was dealing with the trouble-making students."

"That sounds familiar," Laura said ruefully.

"Maybe you'll have a better day tomorrow," Jennifer said encouragingly. Laura looked up.

"Tomorrow? I thought Disparte was taking your classes tomorrow," Laura said flatly.

"Well, Severus thought about having him step in, but by lunchtime, he changed his mind," Jennifer explained. "To be perfectly candid, I believe Severus wants you to teach tomorrow so this experience doesn't make you lose your nerve."

"Too late," Laura grumbled.

"Don't be silly," Jennifer chided her. "Let me go make the potion for your father and deliver it to the farmhouse, then you should come have dinner with me."

"He won't approve of me staying this close to the castle after sunset," Laura said.

"We'll go elsewhere then," Jennifer said unconcernedly. "And I can have the Rogue let Lindsay and Severus know where we're going, so you don't have to concern yourself with that either."

"Oh. All right," Laura agreed. She followed Jennifer into her office, helping her pull ingredients off the shelves for the potions. "Do you have anywhere in mind already?"

"I was thinking we could go to the Enchanted Spoon," Jennifer said.

"Enchanted Spoon? Isn't that the new gourmet restaurant at Coventry Suites?" Laura said.

"Yes. Have you been there? It just opened a few months ago," Jennifer said.

"No, I thought it was reservation only, and while I was an Auror, there was no way that was happening. Wait, how are we going to get in there without a reservation? They're booked days in advance," Laura noted.

"Not to worry! I have connections," Jennifer said mischievously, then turned her attention to the potion at hand. "And you'll find the concept behind this restaurant quite clever."

Laura wasn't sure she was in the mood to go to a fancy restaurant, and she wasn't sure that she was appropriately dressed, until Jennifer assured her that their school robes would do. Reluctantly she followed behind, while Jennifer seemed a lot more enthusiastic. They popped into the hotel lobby and walked over to the front of restaurant where a snooty-looking host stood, daring anyone to have the audacity to bother him without a reservation.

"Good evening! Professor Craw plus one," Jennifer said brightly.

"Of course. Right this way," the host said without even checking his list, leading them over to a private table in the back. It even had a curtain, but Jennifer ignored it, sitting down on one of the seats that was much more comfortable than they looked. "Your waiter will be right with you," he informed them, then walked back to the front.

"That was easy. Did you already plan on coming here or something?" Laura asked.

"Lift up the table cloth a little and look underneath," Jennifer suggested.

Curious but feeling a little silly, Laura shifted pulled up the cloth and immediately noticed that deep lines had been burnt into the expensive wood... a ward of some kind.

"Is that your father's mark?" Laura realized at last.

"Yes. This is the Craw table," Jennifer grinned. "This table is always open for any family member who wants to come visit, so I don't have to worry about a reservation. This restaurant was part of the renovations done to the hotel, but my father has strict standards on security and giving him this table was the only way that Fleur and Beth could convince him to try it. Not only that, but I helped with the concept of this restaurant. We'll be eating for free tonight," she winked.

"What do you mean by helping him with the concept?" Laura asked curiously.

"You'll see," Jennifer promised. "In fact, I think our spoons are coming right now."

The waiter came over with a tray. On it was a spoon rest with two silvery spoons, which he presented to them. Jennifer took the one closest to her.

"Watch, Laura, just turn it over and put it in your mouth like this," she demonstrated, putting the spoon in her mouth. The handle of her spoon broke out in several very bright colors, maintaining them when she set it back in the spoon rest. Curiously, Laura did the same, glancing at the handle of her spoon thoughtfully, since it had a very different color pattern than Jennifer's had. Copying Jennifer, she put it in back on the spoon rest.

"Thank you. I'll be right back with your drinks," the waiter said, walking off.

"What? Wait, we didn't order drinks yet," Laura said in surprise.

"They'll pick drinks that pair with our food," Jennifer explained. "You see, those spoons were our food orders. The spoons are enchanted to read our personal tastes and what we're in the mood for, even if we're not sure of it ourselves," she added with amusement. "The staff can match the different colors to come up with the menu items that match up the closest. How they high or low the colors appear on the handle also help determine serving order."

"Wow, that's awesome," Laura said, impressed.

"Isn't it? I helped with the spoon design, actually... it was Maurice's idea," Jennifer explained.

"Really?" Laura asked curiously.

"See, the Craws are notoriously picky eaters," Jennifer said. "I'm probably the worst, but Maurice and Father are picky eaters as well. Beth wanted to make sure that we'd all be willing to eat here, since none of use were particularly fond of the old restaurant. So, Maurice came up with this idea over the summer. He and Cain worked together to invent it, and then I helped them work out all the kinks and get the licensing and patent sorted so that Beth could use it."

"But how accurate are they?" Laura wondered.

"We'll soon find out," Jennifer teased, the waiter stepping over to put a glass of white wine in front of her and a cup of gyokuro tea in front of Laura. She took a sip to confirm it was what she thought it was.

"Okay, I'm sold already," Laura decided.

"Can I have a cup of that tea as well? Now I'm curious," Jennifer admitted with a grin.

"Of course."

"What are you drinking?"

"Assyrtiko."

"I've never had that."

"I see where this is going. We're going to need sharing plates," Jennifer grinned. "And another glass."

"Of course, Professor. I'll be right back," the waiter promised and soon brought back the other drinks and plates.

Both of them, it seemed, were in the mood for fish, but they had taken vastly different paths on how it was served. Jennifer's courses involved baked fish and raw oysters, and Laura had steamed fish and sushi. They traded some Greek pickled vegetables for Japanese ones and swapped all of their sides. Before long, the table was so filled with small plates that it looked like a meal for six instead of two.

When Jennifer got back to the castle, Quintin had already been put to bed. Severus was sitting in the study doing paperwork, as well as preparing for the next school board meeting.

"Oh, am I that late?" Jennifer wondered, seeing the nursery door closed.

"A bit late for a school night, but not so late as all of that," Severus replied. "Did she gain some confidence back?"

"Oh, well, she seemed to have, but honestly we were talking more about the food than anything else. She taught me some basics on using chopsticks and some etiquette with them, and we were sharing plates. It was all rather fun really..."

"Perhaps we should have chosen some other activity for the two of you, so that you spend it talking rather than eating," Severus said flatly. "She is too much like you. Did you learn anything at all?"

"Well, I do know she's having doubts about wanting to teach, but I think that's more to do with being in the Potion Lab than anything else. She may have aced her classes, but that doesn't mean Potions was ever her favorite," Jennifer replied.

"Yes, I noticed that as well, actually. She seemed more than a little nervous that something disastrous was going to happen, and I had forgotten she was present during the lab explosion. It was probably the very worst subject I could have had her substitute in," Severus admitted. "But no matter, she'll do better tomorrow since both of your classes are later years."

"True enough," Jennifer agreed. "Although I should warn you about something. Remus went to Icarus for a reading, and from what I saw, we're going to have trouble next full moon. Something is going to happen that may put a student's life in danger." Severus frowned.

"What are the specifics of the vision? Are you sure you're not jumping to conclusions?" he asked.

"I don't know the specifics, Severus, I was reading directly off of Remus."

"So his own assumptions may have been mixed into that already then... book, make an appointment to speak at Icarus tomorrow, the usual time," Severus said, the quill immediately doing so. "I'll speak to him about the matter myself. If Remus received some sort of warning, I'd like to hear the whole of it."