Fifty-Two

Gibbous

Mike and Beth sat side by side in the spacious kitchens of the Craw Mansion while Mary Malfoy Potter used an earring gun first on Beth, who took it in stride, then on Mike, who cringed in pain and looked quite annoyed about the whole thing. Still, they weren't the only ones with new earrings; Mike couldn't help but notice that Mary had a second stud in her left ear as well.

"There, all done! Keep them nice and clean and don't take them out for a few weeks," Mary instructed.

"Take them out? Don't ever take them out!" Thomas Craw snapped, handing Mary a coin pouch. "Thanks for the house call, Mary."

"Not a problem, Minister Craw," Mary said. "But I'd better be getting back to help Cedric make more of these studs."

"You're excused," Thomas said.

"Thank you, Mary! Let me show you out," Fleur said more cordially, walking her to the back door.

"This is dumb. I don't see why I needed one of the damned things. I don't have any children and I'm not planning on it anytime soon," Mike complained.

"I am," Beth said calmly.

"Exactly why I went ahead and had yours done too," Thomas said, giving her an affectionate pat. "Mike, as per Harry, all Aurors must have a temporal earring while in the department, no exceptions, and Draco has asked all ministers, department heads, and senior staff to get them as soon as they're available. Just be glad to already have gotten it over with. As I understand it, these studs take some time to make, so a lot of officers are going to be waiting a while." He glanced at the wall clock. "I need to head back to work."

"And just when am I going to be allowed to head back to work?" Mike asked irritably.

"As soon as we're certain that all of the flag boards are fixed," Thomas replied. "Hopefully, I can give you an update at dinner. I'm meeting Jen-girl the moment I get back to the Ministry to see how that's going."

"See you when you get back, Thomas," Beth said. Thomas nodded to them, grabbing his Ministry key and disappearing.

Mike immediately got to his feet and strode down the hall. Beth watched him leave, but then decided to follow him to the ballroom rather than leave him by himself. Mats had been put down to protect the polished marble floors so that the room could be used for defense forms, and Mike had wasted no time in starting a vigorous routine.

Beth peered in the room and leaned up against the door, watching as Mike attempted to burn off some of his temper.

"You're still angry at Grandfather for refusing Ministry help, aren't you?" Beth asked at last.

"He's a fool to think his security is enough to hold up under the circumstances, any more than Father's security held up at home," Mike fumed. "And he's also a fool if he thinks that Don won't hurt them if he has a chance."

"Grandfather has always tried to give all of us the benefit of the doubt," Beth said.

"So did Father, and now he's gone. Father, at least, had the benefit of magic, not that it helped since he was taken by surprise. But Mother doesn't even have magic, and there is no way that grandfather could defend himself against Don if he came after them. He's letting his pride get in his way. It's a stupid thing to risk one's life for!" Mike snapped, losing his concentration to the point where he had to start over. "I also think it's perfectly clear that Don no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt. He'd turn on any of us. What he did to Delia proves that." Mike stopped short and his shoulders slumped in resignation, rubbing his temples.

"I tried to send her an Owl, but she sent mine back too," Beth said quietly. "So I decided to write Ambrose instead. He's going to go over there and try to talk to her."

"Well, hopefully he can get through to her. She could use a friend right now, and a better one than I was," Mike said, staring at his fist. "I can't believe I yelled at her like that." Beth nodded gently in understanding.

"Give her time, I'm sure she'll forgive you for that," Beth assured him.

"I don't care if she forgives me or not, as long as she forgives herself. It wasn't her fault," Mike said angrily.

"Of course not," Beth said.

Without another word, Mike tentatively started his forms again while Beth watched silently until it was time to get cleaned up for dinner.

Ambrose knocked on the door of the Potter residence, belatedly wondering if anyone would even be home that time of the afternoon. The door popped open, and Ambrose found a wand in front of his nose, and a white glow around him.

"Oh, hello, Ambrose," Sirius said, putting away his wand.

"I'm me," Ambrose said flatly.

"Yes, I noticed that. What do you want?" Sirius asked. "Harry's not in."

"Actually, I came to see Delia," Ambrose said.

"Oh. Well, I suppose you can try," Sirius decided, letting him inside.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Ambrose asked.

"Guard dog," Sirius replied. "Ginny doesn't come home until after Quidditch practice is over at the castle and Harry expects to be at the Ministry until late. Why don't you wait in the study and I'll see if I can't coax her down... it's just in there."

"Okay," Ambrose said, going into a small room with a desk and a few chairs, a bookshelf, a Phoenix stand, and a case that was mostly filled with school mementos, like Gryffindor flags, goggles, and a Snitch in a velvet box.

"Right in here. I'll have some tea brought in," Ambrose heard Sirius say. Delia stepped in, looking a bit uncomfortable as if a bit worried about what he was going to say.

"Hello, Ambrose. What are you doing here?" Delia asked quietly.

"Visiting," Ambrose explained. "I found something in the shop I thought you might like," he went on, holding out a wrapped box.

"Oh, um... thanks," Delia said, sitting down and unwrapping it. She stared at it a moment, then gently took out the set of chimes.

"Do you know what they are?" Ambrose asked.

"Michael has one of these. He calls it the Chimes of Aepheri, but I don't know anything else about them," Delia admitted.

"Aepheri is a benevolent spirit that lives on a hill above Tir Danaan in Tir Na Nog," Ambrose explained. "She protects the area, and sometimes she gives advice to the pilgrims that travel there to see her. There are chimes on the hill that move with her presence... these little ones are charmed to move at the exact same time. It's quite relaxing."

"That's right. Didn't Professor Snape use it to get a message home when he got stuck there?" Delia remembered.

"Yes," Ambrose chuckled. "But mainly these were made to give the Fae a peace of mind when they were away from home, as well as to help chase away bad dreams. When I saw it in the shop today, I thought of you, so I'd like you to have it."

"Thanks," she said again, studying it. "I wonder what sort of charms are on it that makes that even possible?"

"No clue," Ambrose chuckled. "Oh, look, the tea's here. Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead," Delia said quietly. "So how is... your family?" she asked after a moment.

"Fine as far as I know," Ambrose said, waiting for her to set the box on a table. Then he handed her a cup of tea. "Father said he should be back in a couple of months, and Mum's been busy between the daycare and helping Minerva with the shop."

"Oh," Delia said, and then sighed in resignation. "Well, that's all I got, Ambrose, I really don't know what you've been doing these days. I really don't know what to talk about and I really don't want to talk about me right now."

"That's okay, we don't have to talk if you don't want to," Ambrose said amiably, sitting down with his cup. Delia took a sip but then shrugged, really not liking the silence.

"What are you doing these days? Written any new articles?" Delia asked.

"A couple, but lately I've been too busy helping Beth and her team plan for the new museum to be doing anything else," Ambrose said.

"Oh, that's interesting," Delia decided. "Are you seeing anybody?"

"Yes, but it's complicated," Ambrose explained with an apologetic smile. "I can't really talk about it."

"Yeah. Okay. I understand about complicated," Delia said, then exhaled. "Oh boy, do I understand complicated."

Ambrose sensed she was ready to break down before she actually did. It gave him ample time to whisk away the cups, help her to her feet, and give her a hug before the tears actually began to fall.

"That's it, Delia, let it all out," Ambrose encouraged her quietly.

"I feel like such a fool," Delia sobbed. "I guess I've always had feelings for Mike, it's just that we've always been 'just friends'. So when Don showed up posing as Mike, I just thought maybe he felt the same way and had been hiding it all this time, and to be honest I went in more than a little willing. Maybe if I had been a little more suspicious of his behavior, I would have seen through it."

"And maybe it's a good thing that you hadn't," Ambrose said candidly. Delia lifted her head and stared at him. "If you had seen through it, do you really think it would have stopped him? I think if you had noticed, things would have been a lot worse. He definitely would have hurt you. He might have even killed you." Delia's face lost all color.

"You're right, Ambrose. You're right, he would have hurt me. Ambrose, I'm scared..."

"Nothing is going to happen to you while you're in this house," Ambrose assured her, putting his arm back around her. "And nobody's going to let anything happen to you again, trust me. You have a whole army of witches and wizards keeping an eye on you now." Delia nodded slowly. "Mike would probably be looking after you too, if he thought you would let him."

"Oh, no, don't try to talk me into speaking to him, because that is not happening," Delia said fervently, looking deflated again. "What a horrible, horrible way for him to find out I had that kind of feelings for him!"

"Yes, it was, but I can tell you without a doubt that it is no easier on him than it is on you," Ambrose told her. "I think he's in love with you too, Delia."

"No, I don't believe it. We've always been just friends," Delia said firmly, Ambrose meeting her gaze evenly. "Besides, I really don't want to believe it. It'd be much too terrible if it were true... so I'm very glad it isn't true." Ambrose nodded thoughtfully at that.

"Well, I suppose our tea is cold," Ambrose mentioned distractedly.

"That's all right," Delia said, finally sitting back down again. "I don't really want any tea right now anyhow."

"Oh. Maybe a biscuit then," Ambrose suggested, putting the cups on the tray when he heard the dog barking enthusiastically.

"What in the world is he doing out there?" Delia asked curiously.

"I think there was a knock on the door. I'll go check," Ambrose said, stepping out into the hallway and over to the front door, where Padfoot was still barking at it loudly.

"Dare I ask?" Ambrose asked, then peered out the peephole. "It's just Conner Donovan," he said with exasperation.

Ambrose attempted to open the door but immediately found out the door was chained and Padfoot stuck his muzzle out the crack of the door, growling menacingly. Conner sighed and took a large dog biscuit out of his pocket and shoved it in his mouth. Padfoot moved, trudging into the next room.

"You guys are weird," Ambrose declared, closing the door enough to get the chain off.

"Don't mind him. He's probably still sore that I had Anna and Zoe move their wine cellar off the premises," Conner explained, stepping in.

Suddenly, Sirius darted out from around the corner and hit him a with a spell, causing Conner to glow white for a moment.

"Okay, it's him," Sirius said, putting away his wand and picking up the uneaten half of the dog biscuit so he could finish it off.

"I'm me? That's great, I always worry about that. You wouldn't believe how often I ponder whether or not I'm me or not during the day," Conner said. "Where's Delia?"

"She's in Harry's study. We were having tea," Ambrose said.

"Accepting a visitor is a good sign. Did she open up at all?" Conner asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"Yes, I got her to cry it out for a while," Ambrose admitted. Conner blinked at that. "She's pretty scared, though."

"Ambrose, I think you have the touch. I don't suppose you'd want to be a psychiatrist? I could use a partner," Conner said, only half-joking.

"No thanks, I like writing. Besides, I think my father outshines me in that talent any day," Ambrose admitted. Conner laughed.

"I can definitely tell where you get it from. I'm going to go say hello," Conner said and went back to the study.

Jennifer and Alex were busy attempting to get the last of the flags on the board in her office when Thomas strode through the curtain of fog.

"It happened again. Someone cast that spell on several flags, and all of them were people either directly or indirectly connected to Equinox," Thomas said, striding over to the board. "Anything happen to the board in here?"

"No, no changes here. It seems to be working," Jennifer said.

"Yes, but maybe if they Erased it, they're about to make a move," Alex said, watching more intently.

"Possibly, and I can see how that will be temporarily to our advantage," Thomas decided. "But I think it's more important that we get the rest of those boards fixed as soon as possible. Jen-girl, now that we know for certain that stuff works, I need you to bring enough of it to cover the ones in all of the other departments that have them."

"But they don't know we have a way around it yet! Maybe we can find a way to nab them in the act now," Alex said. "At the very least, can't we wait until we capture Don Coventry first?"

"I agree with Alex. I think he's too dangerous to be out," Jennifer said, but Thomas pointed at the flags.

"This entire board is filled with people too dangerous to be out," Thomas snapped. "I understand where you're both coming from, especially considering I've practically adopted Beth and Mike. But we can't allow the security of the LE department or Auror department to be jeopardized any longer for one murderer among dozens. I want these fixed... tomorrow, if possible."

"Alright, Dad. I'll be back over here as soon as I can," Jennifer promised.

"Good," Thomas said, returning to his office while Jennifer took her key back to the castle.

Alex stood over the flag board and watched for another hour, but none of the flags she had colored as Equinox supporters were doing anything out of the ordinary. Finally she gave up, grabbing her cloak to head home. It was not long afterwards that Don Coventry's flag moved to a residence on the board. An hour later, it had moved back to the Portkey station.

Bright and early, Aurelius arrived at the Department of Family Services for Wizards to see Percy and Connie standing near a trolley with a large container of coffee, both with cups in their hands. Aurelius glanced at his watch.

"Nearly ready?" Aurelius asked.

"Good morning," Percy said calmly, refusing to be rushed. He'd been dealing with Draco and Thomas for too many years for Aurelius' impatience to really affect him. "Are you sure you want to do this today? I know how full your hands are at the moment. Considering the girl is safe at the school, it can wait a week."

"No, it can't. I'd have already gone over there sooner if I had been legally allowed to, and I'm not waiting no matter how inconvenient it is," Aurelius said firmly. "I only have the morning off before I get back to work, and if it's as bad as I think it is, I'm going to need time to go to the castle after we're done."

"Well, we're just about expected," Percy decided, glancing at his watch. "Have the file, Constance?"

Connie grabbed the folder and handed her father his cloak, and after putting it on, Percy took out his wand and used an illusion to make them look as if they were in Muggle clothing. "Technically, this is only a preliminary welfare check. It would take the agreement of all three of us; department head, social worker, and Auror, plus the Minister of Magic's signature, to force a protection conference at his stage."

"How about testimony from a licensed Truth Seeker?" Aurelius said.

"Well, it'll definitely speed up the proceedings if you find out something, but whatever you find out today will need to be put into a handwritten report that can be sent along with our reports," Percy explained. Aurelius sighed.

"Isn't there any way we can cut through all this bureaucracy?" Aurelius asked with frustration.

"Only if there's a situation where the child is in immediate harm, or if Draco decides to intervene for some reason," Percy explained, pulling out the address. "Very well, let's go," he said, leading them to the department's private portkey station and pulling Manchester off the wall.

The three of them soon found themselves in front of a rather expensive-looking detached brick house with a yard in the front with a meticulously pruned hedgerow. To Aurelius, the garden seemed rather stark, until he happened to glance at the houses on either side, which seemed to also have the same style of shrubbery. It was as if the neighborhood was having a contest as to which one of them could torture their plants the most.

"Here we are," Percy said, and attempted to use the knocker on the door. But the door knocker seemed to be glued down in some way, so he sighed and used the doorbell instead.

The door opened to a thin, dark-haired woman wearing a suit with slacks, her hair dangling out of her tail as if she hadn't had enough time to get that part together yet.

"Good morning! I suppose you're Secretary Weasley, whom I spoke with on the phone," she said.

"Yes, madame, that would be me. You did say nine?" Percy asked.

"Oh, yes, do come in. So sorry to ask you to come so early, but my husband and I have a shift that starts at one. I'm Doctor Bryant-Eddy, my husband just goes by Dr. Eddy," she explained as she let them in.

"This is Auror Snape, and this is Miss Weasley, from the Family Affairs department," Percy introduced.

"Well, I don't know what sort of title Auror is, but I'm guessing this young lady is a relative of yours," Bryant-Eddy said.

"Yes, my daughter, who is a trained psychologist and social worker for Family Affairs. Auror Snape is sort of like a plains clothes detective," Percy explained.

"Please, it's this way to the parlor," she said, leading them in to where a man stood, wearing similar clothing. "My husband, Dr. Eddy, head of R&D at our biopharmaceuticals company. This is Secretary Weasley, Miss Weasley, and Detective Snape," she introduced.

"Ah yes. My wife tells me you wanted to speak with us about our daughter. Has she been causing trouble at school?" Eddy asked.

"Not at all, Dr. Eddy. From what I understand, she's a very bright student, and is especially gifted at Potions," Percy said.

"Potions?" Eddy repeated in confusion.

"Don't you remember, John, the school she's going to has a magic school theme to get the students more excited about the curriculum. That's how we convinced her to go to a boarding school in the first place," Bryant-Eddy reminded him. Percy and Connie blinked in surprise.

"Oh, yes, I forgot about that... but please do us a favor and call them by real subject names when you're referring to them. I hope that school doesn't go too far with that theme of theirs, considering we just spent an entire year having to convince her that magic doesn't exist. I really don't want a repeat of it," Dr. Eddy said.

"Where exactly do you think she's going to school at?" Percy asked flatly.

"Hogwarts School of Science and Arts...I think I have the address here," Eddy said, handing him a card. Percy sighed.

"This is the shell address we give to students so that their Muggle relatives can contact them when they're at school. It's not a real address; it's where we divert the post," Percy attempted to explain. "She's a second year student, now. Hasn't she ever tried showing you any of the magic she's been learning?"

"Technically, she's not allowed to," Connie murmured.

"I think under the circumstances, she's justified," Percy replied quietly.

"Yes, yes, she showed us some silly magic tricks and even burned a whole in the carpet doing it, but we soon sorted that out," Eddy said impatiently, ignoring the whispering. "I know she's got an odd fascination with illusions, and being in a house filled with science gadgets and chemical sets gave her a bit of license, but she won't be doing it again. It took a firm hand, but being scientists ourselves, we gave her every test we could think of to show her that she's no different than anyone else. It's hard to argue with the scientific method, and even then she tried, until I told her I'd remove her from that school of hers if she tried again. Haven't had a bit of trouble out of her since. But if she has started any of that nonsense at school, I want to know about it so I can take care of the matter for you."

"Can I show them a magic trick?" Aurelius inquired.

"Thank you for your time, we'll be in touch," Percy said quickly, grabbing Aurelius' sleeve and pulling him around. "I really don't think BELA would enjoy cleaning up after a Snape on the loose in a Muggle house."

"I can be thorough," Aurelius decided. Connie got on the other side of him, the two of them leading him outside. Percy waited until he was past the hedgerow out of view before he finally let himself react, pulling his hair back with his hands.

"Oh, God, it's been years since I've seen a denial case this bad! And they weren't scientists!" Percy exclaimed.

"I've never seen it," Connie admitted. "What sort of tests were they talking about?"

"Blood tests, saliva, fingernails, DNA samples, EKG's, MRI's, you name it, they tried it," Aurelius said. "And after using them as confirmation that magic didn't exist to themselves, they kept using them to try and convince Viorica that it didn't."

"No doubt about it. We need to get her out of there, Dad," Connie said.

"I'll speak to Draco about it myself so we can expedite this," Percy decided.

"Is it safe for me to discuss this with Father and Danyelle then?" Aurelius asked. Percy turned to him in shock.

"Viorica is a Slytherin?" Percy gawked. "How could the Hat have put that child into Slytherin?"

"Since she got her letter, Viorica managed to convince her parents that she was going to a 'magic-themed private school', got to Diagon Alley on her own, navigated Gringotts, got her own wand and supplies, and then kept everything hidden when it became obvious they were never going to accept it," Aurelius pointed out. "If she hadn't been ambitious, cunning, and resourceful, she probably wouldn't have made it to Hogwarts at all."