Chapter Eleven
Validity
Anna glanced at the clock and shrugged when she managed to beat Severus to the Headmaster's Study for dinner, deciding to set up for them while she waited. Finally he came out of his sitting room.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to make certain that the Sentinel Painting got back," Severus explained.
"I'm surprised you even let that painting out of sight for that long," Anna admitted.
"It wouldn't have been the first time that painting was out of the castle, and it really wasn't out for very long either time today," Severus assured her. "Besides, I know perfectly well that Corey and the others sneak out of the painting to do the Rogue's work regardless of where the frame is these days. Give me one more moment," he said. Then he pushed a hidden latch on the fireplace, revealing an empty security box. He went behind the curtain and came back out with the Cauldron, setting it inside the security box and sliding it back in place. Then he put the unlit fireplace back the way it was.
"So what was she doing with all of that stuff, anyway? And was it legal?" Anna added for good measure.
"She was making a point to her American students that magical items aren't always manufactured junk that gets shipped in a box within a box within a box," Severus explained. "I think she was afraid that if she didn't pull out all of the stops from the start of the year, she'd be fighting it all term."
"She probably has a point," Anna admitted.
"As for legalities, Otto signed off on it provided that the items were escorted, which they were, and Lunette handled customs regulations on the other end. In fact, Lunette seems to have put most of her work on hold so that she can help Jennifer out as much as she can. They're even having a Coven Night this weekend with a few of the other teachers there."
"A Coven Night with Lunette? That sounds like a lot of fun," Anna admitted with a grin.
"So how was Arcadia doing when you checked on her?" Severus asked. "Was she keeping up with the potions that she needed to make for student prescriptions and the medical wing's order?"
"Not even close," Anna replied. "So I swung by the stable and mentioned it to Sagittari. He's going to try to turn in the last of his syllabi tonight and help her get caught up tomorrow."
"Armando, could you ask Andrew if he's interested in helping Sagittari look after the animals for a couple of days so he can help Arcadia with the potions order?" Severus requested. "Perhaps he could get Leu to help him as well if he's bored."
"Leu has been spending every waking moment with Noah, Severus," Armando said.
"Fine, then Andrew can ask both of them," Severus replied. "I'm certain that Sagittari will help her get back on track, and she'll be done on time. The first day of school can't come soon enough in some respects. Leu needs the distraction, and to be perfectly honest, so do I."
"Make that three of us," Anna said. Severus grimaced.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. What right have I to bemoan my situation when Jennifer has been busy asking me to send her everything from butter tablets to pink porridge on a daily basis," Severus replied.
"Maybe it's just as well that Sirius can't. He'd probably want me to send him a bottle of Jack Daniels," Anna admitted.
"I doubt they're even out of the portal yet," Severus replied. "I'm certain that Dumbledore will send us a Teledim once everyone has arrived."
"I'm sure he will," Anna said with a sigh. "So what do I have left to do on security? I did all of the initial checks, including tunnels, backgrounds and passages, and I made sure the security around the Forest perimeter stays the same as it is on lockdown even when the rest of the school isn't."
"Then all that is left is to make certain that the lake, boathouse, and station are checked and ready for the train. Ask Sagittari if he's already checked over the coaches, although knowing him, he's probably already done so," Severus advised.
"No problem," Anna said, grabbing something to eat. They were still eating when Rose walked in.
"Oh, sorry, I'm interrupting, aren't I?" Rose said. "Sorry I'm late, but it's been hectic because Corey assumed the Hogwarts order was the same and he wasn't expecting the potion list to be so heavy in healing components this year."
"He should have known better. He was informed well in advance who was teaching Potions this year," Severus said critically. "Welcome back, late or not. Tea?"
"Thanks," Rose said, accepting a cup. "I am so glad to be back. I am tired of hearing Destiny complain about not being able to join Quidditch tryouts again this year and could I please inform you that she is mature enough to handle it even if her birthday is in June."
"She knows the rules, and it's about physical maturity not mental maturity," Severus replied.
"Yes, I keep telling her that," Rose said.
"It's your own fault for letting that school pressure you into letting her skip second year," Severus told her critically.
"But she was so advanced compared to the other students, Severus. Even last year she was top of all of her classes, and that's after Hogsmeade skipped her a year. She was just using second year to get into trouble and she wasn't getting anything out of it," Rose explained. "I'm surprised they haven't come to you about attempting to skip Quintin a year yet, considering how far advanced he is..."
"I don't care how far 'advanced' they think he is, I'm not going to play to the trend," Severus said firmly. "I want him to take each year at the proper time so that he can stay with his classmates through to Hogwarts. I don't want him to constantly stick out from the crowd..."
"Uh, Brother dear, your son lives in a castle," Anna reminded him bluntly. "He's going to stick out from the crowd no matter what you do."
"Yeah, I'm with her on that," Rose agreed. "And considering Quintin is related to Pyther, they'll likely stick him in Mrs. Thorn's class. She's always quick to recommend students that need advanced, especially if she has trouble controlling them."
"I am certain that Quintin will be just as well behaved this year as he was last year," Severus reassured them.
"Famous last words," Anna quipped, and Rose grinned at her in support.
Jennifer wasted no time getting in touch with Lunette to find out what sort of licenses she would need to train Truman. Within two days, she had the proper licensing, the parents' signatures, and finally Wind's own signature at the bottom.
"They were really very good about it, actually. His parents are loving, caring people with two other children, and they simply want what is best for him," Jennifer explained to Wind. "They knew he was 'psychic' as they called it; apparently his mother's grandmother had some talent as well, but they really didn't know how to stop the fights or the outbursts when he read something that he didn't understand. They were quick to sign the paper," she explained. "We can meet for lunch once a week so I can teach him the basics."
"Yes, but what will happen after you're gone, Jennifer?" Wind asked with concern.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I have a good friend who'll be more than willing to find him a trainer at that point. He won't be left alone again," Jennifer assured him. But then she sighed. "I have no doubt he'll have some rough years ahead of him trying to cope with it, though, especially these first few years before he's had a chance to build some confidence." Wind smiled at that.
"You know, I happen to have some experience with another student who had the exact same problem," Wind admitted.
"Gee, I wonder who you're thinking of," Jennifer said with a chuckle. "Well, I gave him his own mirror, and once he's far enough along in his training that it won't hamper his growth, he can get a pair of spectacles like these that'll help him block out unwanted thoughts."
"It sounds like you have the matter well in hand, then. And how are things going in your class other than this one student, Jennifer?" he asked.
"Well, so far the students seem to like it, and I've won a lot of them over. But I'm not so sure it'll be so easy to win over all of their parents to my teaching style," Jennifer admitted.
"Or the school board," Wind agreed with a chuckle. "Don't worry, Jennifer. That's my concern. Keep up the good work."
"Thanks," Jennifer said with a smile. She walked out the door and put away the permission slip, glad to have it done. Wind put a hand to his head, attempting to knead the stress away.
"Those damned Masons," he said to himself. He shook his head and attempted not to think about it, asking Brenda to send them a form letter with instructions on how to lodge a complaint.
"I'm pretty sure this is the place," Jennifer said with amusement. Kay, Gretchen, and Lavender craned their neck up at a tall narrow building that had squeezed between a corner deli and a noisy nightclub with a tuxedo wearing bouncer. In between was a building with long steps and large windows that showcased what looked like library bookshelves. Above the double doors was a large elaborate sign that read, "The Witches' Book Club."
"What are we doing here?" Kay asked, a bit stunned.
"I don't think we're here to read," Gretchen decided.
"That definitely wouldn't make sense for Coven Night, would it?" Lavender agreed.
"Yes, but I've heard of this place. It's the headquarters for the Order of Libris," Kay explained, following Jennifer up the stairs. "It's for intellectual witches of a really high standard. Most witches need to have multiple degrees or be at the top of their field to have a chance of getting in here."
"Are you a member, Jennifer?" Lavender asked.
"Well, no, but I have connections," Jennifer explained, banging the knocker on the door. A speakeasy style window slid open and a pair of eyes looked out suspiciously. "Jennifer Craw, party of four," Jennifer said clearly.
The door creaked loudly as they entered and then slammed abruptly. In front of them stood a witch wearing a hat and a full-length black veil that covered her from the tip of her hat all the way down to the bottom ruffle of her lace dress.
"Walk this way," she said. She led them down the hallway past doors that were enticingly ajar, leaving only a tiny crack open which they could barely make out anything except for a row of books.
At first the sounds in the hallway were muffled, but as they walked the long purple-carpeted corridor past a grand staircase, they could hear faint music. It seemed almost ghostly unless one concentrated on it long enough; and then a person could easily conclude that it was probably music coming from the club next door. Kay frowned in disappointment. That wasn't so mysterious, she thought, despite the creepy feel thanks to the dim paper lanterns that lit the hallway. Suddenly the veiled witch turned directly behind the stairs and opened a dark and sinister doorway that creaked open very much in the same way the front door had.
"That way," the veiled witch instructed.
Jennifer led the way, with Lavender finding herself being turned into an anchor since Gretchen and Kay were both clutching one of her arms.
"Come now, are you full grown witches, or aren't you?" Lavender scolded them softly, following Jennifer into the shadows of a dark narrow corridor.
Jennifer found herself following a soft warm glow she had noticed in front of her, along with the sound of music, the smell of rye, and a hint of tobacco, and within ten steps found herself stepping into a Dark Witches' tavern with a fair number of patrons inside. A piano, bass, and trumpet trio played a rendition of, "This Hag Sings the Blues," while behind the bar, a woman in a tux with short blonde hair and pointed ears mixed the drinks, putting them on trays that floated to the appropriate tables.
"This place is nice," Lavender said with obvious approval.
"Yes, but did you see the labels behind the bar?" Gretchen pointed out anxiously. "It's all Dark Brews."
"Don't worry, I can make recommendations if need be," Jennifer grinned at them. "Speaking of which, does anyone need a drink to contribute to the brew tonight?" she asked.
"I brought Hexen Rauchbier," Gretchen said.
"I have a beer too. Old Salem Smoked Witches' Malt," Lavender replied with a smirk.
"What a name! I just brought a Milwaukee Bludger Beer," Kay admitted.
"Two artisan beers... and one in a can," Lavender teased. Kay stuck her tongue out at her.
"Well, I usually go with a Coke, but I'm in the mood for something a bit riskier tonight. Besides, our good hostess promised to put us up if we needed it," Jennifer said, and went to the bar.
"I need an Irish Wake the Dead, please... and I'm Jennifer Craw, we're meeting Her Honor tonight," she explained.
"Oh, no problem! Let me get your drink first," the barwitch said, pulling down the Wailing Inis and adding something else that made it smoke for a minute.
"Just how strong is that thing?" Lavender wanted to know.
"I'll just put a drop of it in," Jennifer reassured her. The barwitch laughed.
"You bring this thing back there, she's going to make you pour the whole thing in," the barwitch warned, pouring the mixture over ice. Despite the ice, the swirling green and orange drink still had a trail of smoke drifting from it. "Now, just go inside that bead curtain over there, take your shoes off, and then walk through the door," she explained.
"Thanks, how much?" Jennifer asked.
"No problem, she's got it," the barwitch winked. Jennifer nodded in understanding, turning and walking around the bar until she saw the red bead-curtained doorway.
"She was cute," Lavender commented.
"Hey, you're dating," Gretchen shook a finger at her.
"Yeah, yeah," Lav said with a grin. They stepped through the door and took off their shoes as instructed, putting them in a shoe rack.
Jennifer reached for the knob of the next door, and her hand went through it.
"Oh, we very literally go through this door," Jennifer chuckled and went in, finding herself walking on tatami mats as they stepped into a very large circular room. Jennifer walked on the mats curiously until they got closer to the center where a pentagram was drawn on the floor. At each point there was a low cushioned stool, and there was a circular table with a cauldron at the center.
"Good evening, ladies!" Lunette greeted them warmly as she stepped into the candlelight from the opposite side of the room. "Have any trouble finding the place?" she asked mischievously.
"Yes, but getting here was half the fun!" Kay said enthusiastically. Lunette laughed.
"I like her already. Who do we have here, Jennifer?"
"This is Kay Sinclair, Magical Creatures and Veterinary Science," Jennifer began. "Lavender Carmody, Potions, and Gretchen Becker, Herbology."
"Oh, Zoe's friend," Lunette recalled.
"Yes," Gretchen agreed.
"Fellow witches, this is Lunette Vallid," Jennifer introduced.
"Guilty as charged," Lunette replied with a smile.
"Oh. That explains a lot," Gretchen admitted.
"HOLY SH-"
"You know, Kay, I really don't think that's holy... unless you're a dung beetle... nor is what else you're thinking about saying, either," Lunette added for good measure.
"I think I need a drink after this surprise," Lavender decided, choosing a spot. "But now coming here makes a lot more sense! This is the order you started, isn't it?"
"Yes, a very long time ago. I started it because back then Witches weren't really allowed to have their own orders, per se, just Covens, which was considered a more ritualistic gathering rather than a meeting of minds," Lunette explained. "So, I formed an Order just to spite them and filled it with all of the best witch thinkers of the time."
"So in other words, you made it to stick it to the man," Kay said, making a fist.
"I like her. Can we keep her?" Lunette chuckled. "Come sit down everyone, let's start this thing. Did everyone bring a drink?"
"Yes everyone has one; three beers and just a drop of an Irish Wake the Dead," Jennifer explained mischievously.
"A drop? Throw the whole thing in, Jennifer, or we'll end up with zombies," Lunette protested.
"If I throw the whole thing in, I'll pose for the zombie," Jennifer assured her, but Lunette took the drink out of her hand and tossed it in.
"I'd like to say something as we contribute to this brew," Lunette said. "Although we have not yet formed the brew and taken our first sip, I must ask all of you to keep my presence a secret from everyone... consider it as sacred as the conversation we may have tonight. Although it's not really a secret to those who personally know Jennifer that we are close, I ask that you keep everyone at Whitebridge from knowing that fact if it's at all possible."
"Why is that?" Kay asked curiously. "I agree, of course, if that's what you want. I'm just curious."
"Yes, I am as well, actually," Lavender agreed.
"Brew first," Lunette suggested, tapping the cauldron.
"To heritage," Lavender said, pouring in the Salem.
"The same," Gretchen said, pouring her German beer in.
"To modern convenience," Kay said wickedly, turning the aluminum can over and waiting for it to empty into the Cauldron. Lunette looked amused at that and got out an ornate wooden case. She opened it, pulling out a small Peryton leather canteen.
"This is something entirely special to me," Lunette said, carefully taking off the cap. "It's wine from my grandfather's table, filled with toil, hardship, desperation, defiance, and unflappable resilience and adaptability. It is from a small colony of condemned Fae that holed themselves up in the Demonlands of Tir Na Nog and lived to tell the tale. Therefore, I add this to represent the good that can come out of a Dark heritage." Jennifer smiled at that, watching as Lunette poured in a glassful and put the rest back in the box.
"In a way, that's rather why I chose what I did too," Jennifer admitted. "The cocktail is based on Wailing Inis, which has been a family staple for many years now because of the Beansidhe reference and our family's original Irish roots. Besides, it's high end and good quality," she added with a shrug.
"That pickiness is just as much your family heritage as anything else, Jennifer," Lunette teased. "Who'll stir and pour out?"
"One of you two, surely, since you picked the place and Jennifer's the one that seems to be cooking something up," Lavender replied. Lunette looked amused at that.
"I'll stir if she's already cooking," Lunette decided, stirring the Brew until it was one color. Jennifer then passed the glasses around, noticing that each one took only a tentative sip. "Oh, come now, no wimpy drinking. I'll put you up here if you have too much," Lunette assured them.
"So you were saying? About why we're keeping it a secret?" Lavender suggested.
"It's simpler than you might think, actually," Lunette replied, taking a healthy sip. "Everyone in magical society has heard of me in some fashion, and I don't want it to get in the way of Jennifer's year away from home. That said, I know her well enough to know that she's bound to get into trouble now and then if she doesn't have someone to turn to that knows how to work the system over here," she added with amusement. "So, I'm here to serve as her backup and her adviser... and for once I get to do it without having to use any proxies, which is a rather nice change. Don't you think so, apprentice?" she teased.
"Apprentice?" Kay asked curiously.
"You see, Lunette was actually the Dark Sentinel before I was," Jennifer explained. "She's been my mentor for a very long time."
"As far as I'm concerned, Jennifer, that apprenticeship started the moment you walked away from that swearing in ceremony to become a Truth Seeker," Lunette admitted. "The very same day we met for the first time."
"Okay, I'll be the first to admit I'm confused," Lavender said. "I could have sworn I read somewhere that you, Lunette, were the very first Truth Seeker."
"Only because I'm the one who started the program," Lunette said with amusement. "I started it in 1910, when things were starting to really heat up in Europe, as well as here in the U.S.. After McKinley was shot by an anarchist, there was a big move to put a stop to corruption and to try to get a handle on all of the espionage going on. They formed the FBI, and we formed what was then the Wizard Investigations Bureau," she explained. "And guess who they decided to call on first when they were looking for agents?"
"Those who were natural born with Legilimency," Kay concluded.
"Actually we natural telepaths came first; Wizards developed the Legilimency skill after exploiting us," Lunette corrected. "That's why we typically call mind sensitives Truth Seekers, since it's more accurate than being called 'natural in Legilimens.' Legilimency is simply attempting to mimic our skill, it doesn't duplicate it," she explained. "But back in that time period, everyone was on edge, paranoid, suspecting one another of being Marxist spies. So, as you can imagine, we started getting a lot of unwanted attention for the wrong reasons," Lunette said, her voice growing quiet. "Many were ostracized, or jailed without cause, just for being under suspicion of passing on information. Many sensitives went underground, or they had to go to great lengths to hide their mental abilities. There were even rewards so that they could drag sensitives in to be interrogated. And when they did, they used an older version of Veritaserum which was quite toxic, although I doubt they realized just how toxic at the time," Lunette said for good measure. "Well, I was working a desk job in law enforcement at that point, and it didn't take them long to catch up to me. They gave me an ultimatum: I would join their new Investigations Team or be locked up in prison for being a traitor. I told them I'd agree as long as they allowed me to develop the training system for members of the Investigations team with my ability; when they agreed, I developed the Truth Seeking program. I intentionally put the emphasis on the passive skill set that came with that ability. I trained them to gather information, discern the truth, and how to see through disguises and Animagus forms. I also advocated for a Truth Seeker's place not only in Investigations, but as court experts. That's when I took up law and began working to reform the wizard court system. Partially, I did it to elevate us out of the position of being just another government tool, so that wizards would see us as a valuable asset to our society. But I also did it to protect myself and other Truth Seekers from a government and justice system which I frankly didn't trust, especially after what they had done to us."
"I have always suspected that the negative parts of the ability were left out more because of self-preservation rather than morality," Jennifer admitted, Lunette nodding at her with a smile. "And most Truth Seekers sought jobs in law enforcement and in the justice system not only because it was a natural use of their talents, but also as a means of protecting themselves from possible persecution because of that talent."
"Yes, and a great many of them also signed that paper and took that Truth Seeker oath for the exact same reason; not because they truly wanted to serve the courts as a Truth Seeker in any form, but as a means of protecting themselves when they got into trouble," Lunette said. "Until you came along, Jennifer, who had every reason of swearing that oath just to protect yourself from your enemies. You chose to walk away because you were not prepared to swear an oath that you knew that you couldn't keep."
"Well, I heard Albus walked away from it too," Jennifer said.
"Yes, but Albus walked away for different reasons, Jennifer. He never had any formal training like you did because it didn't exist back when he first developed his skills, and he knew first hand about the oppression and the reasons behind why I developed the Truth Seeking program. He never intended to sign the oath from the start. He went to take the test because Voldemort was on a rampage against other mind sensitives. Albus suspected that Voldemort might be using the Truth Seeker program to get a list of targets, so he wanted to see what all was involved in the process and to make certain that no one on the Truth Seeker committee was a Death Eater plant. That's how we became friends, actually. I barely knew him before that event, and I took offense to his poking around," Lunette admitted with amusement. "But you stepped away because of your growing commitment to Severus, despite knowing the risks, and despite knowing that it meant you couldn't legally point the finger at the man who ordered your mother to be tortured to death. You stepped away and took the hard path, and over time, you've earned your society's respect without the paperwork."
"Never mind the fact that man nearly destroyed my entire family because I didn't sign that paper," Jennifer pointed out with a pained expression. "And it put four of my children through something that still haunts them to this day."
"I know, Jennifer," Lunette assured her with a serious expression. "But even after everything it took to put that man down, it doesn't change the fact that you made the right decision that day. Now drink up, everyone's staring at us."
Jennifer blinked and looked at the other three women, who were indeed staring at them and listening to the conversation with keen interest.
"I am so sorry! That was really lopsided and personal, wasn't it?" Jennifer said, flustered.
"No, we get it. It translated to: the blood runs deep between the two of you," Kay said.
"Well, I found hearing the history of Truth Seeking from its creator extremely fascinating," Lavender said enthusiastically. Gretchen, however, seemed quite glassy eyed and somber as she sipped her brew.
"What's wrong, Gretch?" Kay asked, seeing her reaction.
"Oh, sorry. It's just that I went to Hogwarts when the wizard they referred to was finally killed," Gretchen explained quietly. "I remember Jennifer's appearance after her father saved her from him. It wasn't just hard on her children. It was hard on the rest of the students as well. She was everyone's favorite teacher." Jennifer grasped Gretchen's hand.
"At the time, I thought I was saving everyone so much anguish by not telling anyone he was torturing me. I was completely convinced that I was suffering alone," Jennifer explained, exasperated with herself.
"Jennifer was avoiding her friends, me especially, knowing I'd be onto her," Lunette added, sipping the brew. "She even had the gall to have one of my competitors handle the first will and testament she ever wrote." Jennifer cringed at that.
"You have my current one now, though," Jennifer reminded her,
"Gee, thanks," Lunette said with a chuckle.
"So, I suppose this event you're speaking of has something to do with why you still look so young, doesn't it, Jennifer?" Lavender conjectured.
"One of reasons at any rate," Jennifer admitted with a grin. "Actually, it's not really a secret any longer. I do have several doses of the Elixir of Life in me. A couple from being nearly tortured death, plus an assassination attempt, besides other things."
"Jennifer likes to push her luck all the way to betting her last chip to try and win the pot," Lunette said dryly. "If it wasn't for her extensive network of family and friends, she'd have died a long time ago."
"True, Lunette, but I'm no where near as reckless now as I was when I was younger," Jennifer assured her. "I'm not going to get into any life and death situations while I'm teaching at Whitebridge at any rate." Lunette blinked at her.
"I wish you hadn't said that," Lunette said flatly, Jennifer laughing at her.
"Well, now that we're finally on the subject of Whitebridge, what's the deal, Jennifer?" Lavender asked. "Not only with that display on Monday bringing all of those rare magical items to school, but what's up with the fact that you're not giving them much in the way of homework, and the fact that it's obvious that you and Wind are conspiring something."
"True," Jennifer said with a nod. "You see, Wind is very tired of teachers at his school not being allowed to teach and are only allowed to drill students on tests."
"Hear hear! I totally agree. It has gotten out of control," Kay said readily.
"I definitely agree, especially since any sort of test they put in front of us simply can't keep up with today's potion standards. It'll be several years before they add your research to the test, Jennifer. If I didn't have to worry about those silly test scores, I could adapt my classes as needed," Lavender said.
"I see some merits in having them memorize herbal properties and their alchemist names," Gretchen prefaced. "But sitting them behind a Wizardnet screen and having them stare at drawings to identify a leaf instead of sending them out to the garden is just plain silly!"
"Do you know, I also feel like advanced classes are really suffering from it too," Kay said. "I noticed that since we've been doing this 'performance check' system, students going into Veterinary Science seem to have forgotten lot of their advanced Magical Creatures course. I spend a lot more time refreshing their memories because they don't seem to be retaining as much."
"Of course not, Kay, because they're not really learning from the experience. They're only learning how to cram for a test," Jennifer said. "Once the testing is over, it's all forgotten again."
"The system is only helping the system... and at the expense of students," Gretchen said with a sigh.
"And at the expense of teachers," Lavender added. "You know how many teachers Wind has to replace every year. Oh, the Healer's School has a good rate of retaining their Professors, but this test system for secondary years burns out teachers fast. Many that leave Whitebridge give up teaching altogether and go into fields that pay more and have a lot less stress."
"Well, then, maybe we just shouldn't teach to test anymore. Maybe we should just teach to teach and say to hell with the test standards," Gretchen replied.
"But if the scores dip too low on those tests, we might get fired," Kay pointed out.
"By who? Wind's not going to fire us for that," Lavender assured her.
"But the board might put pressure on him to fire us for not fulfilling our contracts or something..." Kay pointed out worriedly.
"Let me see a copy of that contract," Lunette suggested. "I bet you there is nothing in it that says anything about performance being tied to any tests. And if any of you do get fired for attempting to do your jobs," she said, pausing to flip all three of them a business card, "let me know. And Jennifer, if you talk more teachers into this mutiny and there's trouble, also let me know. I'll make sure nobody gets fired over this."
"In that case, what other teachers do you suppose would be interested in a little insurrection?" Jennifer asked with a smile, and the three girls immediately began listing names.