Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Order of Libris
Lunette walked Jennifer to one of the back rooms, the lights turning on when they stepped in the room.
"Here we are, Jennifer, your own Secret Lab," Lunette said cheerfully as they both stepped past the door with a plaque that read: Research Lab One.
Jennifer wandered around the large room, impressed by everything from the giant windows looking out onto the city to the full scale Excelsior Lab, along with a number of specialized benches for working with both Items and Potions alike. It even came with both a Potion Oven and Forge, both nestled in one corner of the room. It was next to a fireplace with a blazing Icefire inside, present along with several other charms interwoven in the tiles and walls in that section of the room to keep the heat under control.
A multitude of climate-controlled shelves built into the walls housed components and materials, each one labeled with its contents and packed neatly out of view, making the lab look quite pristine, especially with its highly polished stainless steel tables, empty and ready for the next experiment to come along.
"This is awesome! Severus would love this place," Jennifer said in awe.
"Well, that's too bad, because Libris is witches only," Lunette said in amusement. "Speaking of which, I have something for you... your Library Card," she said, drawing out an etched platinum card about the size of a credit card, which had Jennifer's name on it.
"Library Card?" Jennifer repeated, taking it and looking at it.
"That's its nickname, anyway. It's your Order of Libris membership card," Lunette explained with amusement.
"Woah, hang on. I knew you were going to let me use the room as a favor so I could bring my cursed items over here, but I'm not qualified to be a member of the Order! You should know that better than anyone," Jennifer protested so fervently that Lunette rolled her eyes in total exasperation. "I don't have three degrees or three major accomplishments or any of the other qualifications that would get me in, and I certainly don't want in just because we're friends," Jennifer added, trying to hand it back.
"Really, Jennifer?" Lunette replied. Somehow, even her flat tone sounded exasperated, and her expression was reflecting the same thing. "You're minimizing just a little too much, don't you think?"
"No, I just don't think a common secondary school teacher fits in with the rest of the members of your order. I'd stick out like a sore thumb," Jennifer explained, still trying to get her to take the card. Lunette was gazing at her critically with her hands on her hips, when Jennifer picked up something else in her gaze. "And no, of course I'm not trying to insult your order, Lunette. I'm trying to preserve it. Any fame I've gotten has only come from hanging on to Severus' cloak over the years."
"You've got it backwards, Jennifer. Severus got where he is today attempting to keep up with you. Now, put that card away or I swear I'm going to blast you silly," Lunette said dangerously. Uncertain of whether Lunette would actually do that or not, Jennifer decided to err on the side of caution and reluctantly put the card away. "I've never seen such a crazy mix of vanity and low self-esteem in one person before. And what's worse, Whitebridge seems to be accentuating both of those aspects in you, Jennifer. I hope you get a handle on it."
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Jennifer admitted, causing Lunette to become even more exasperated to the point that she walked off to look in a mirror that was hanging up in a far corner of the room. "I do appreciate the use of the Lab, though, although now I'm going to need to find a spotter or two, since I can't get out any of the items I want to look at without one."
"The card allows you to bring up to four female guests into the Book Club, Jennifer. If you don't take it for any other reason, you should probably take it so you can bring spotters in here on days I'm not available," Lunette replied, still sounding annoyed.
"Oh. Well, I suppose you have a point," Jennifer decided.
"You know, considering how exclusive this order is, most witches are typically excited and elated to be invited in," Lunette pointed out irritably. "I've never met anyone so disinclined to have a Library Card."
"Thanks, Lunette," Jennifer said, despite the fact that Lunette could clearly see from Jennifer's expression that she only said it to placate her.
"I think I'm going to the bar for a drink," Lunette declared and walked out of the room. Sighing at that, Jennifer decided that she might as well familiarize herself with the lab while Lunette was attempting to cool off.
Jennifer returned to Whitebridge just after lunch, checking the time as she went up to her room. She was unsurprised to see that Professor Rogue was hanging in there, waiting for her to return from her visit to New York.
"Rogue, can you find out if Severus is busy? I need to contact him about something," she said. The painting looked thoughtful for a moment, and by the time she hung up her cloak and looked back over, he was signing again. "Thanks, Professor," Jennifer said and sat down at her desk, getting out her contact mirror.
"Hello, Severus," Jennifer said.
"Good evening... or afternoon, rather," he added, noting the amount of light in the room. "Did you need something?"
"Yes, I wanted to let you know that I put a list in my Chest Cloak of different Cursed Items I want to look at. I don't suppose you could put them in my Puzzle Box and then set it in my Chest Cloak sometime this week?" Jennifer inquired.
"I take it that means Lunette found you somewhere to work with them legally, then," Severus concluded.
"Yes, she's letting me use her personal research lab, one of half a dozen licensed labs located in the Order of Libris' headquarters in New York," Jennifer explained. "And speaking of which, can you put my star-embroidered robe in my chest as well? Apparently Libris meets once a month instead of every quarter like Merlin does, and Lunette wants me to go to the next meeting to introduce me to people."
"Libris?" Severus repeated in surprise.
"Yes, Lunette got me in, actually. Not that I'm all that comfortable with that fact, but when I protested, she got quite vexed with me. Actually, I think she's still quite vexed with me, since she knows I'm only going to humor her," Jennifer admitted. Severus sighed at her, immediately remembering how she behaved when she originally received her Golden Letter.
"Jennifer, being in Libris will ensure you have all of the resources you need to get that research done, not to mention access to a great number of experts in different fields who may be willing to aid you in your research," Severus pointed out. "Not only is it ideal for your research, it'll also add to your prestige."
"Yes, I care so much about that," Jennifer said sarcastically.
"Yes, I know perfectly well that you don't, although perhaps you should," Severus replied, Jennifer blinked at him in complete surprise.
"What are you saying? Did someone switch husbands on me while I wasn't looking? I didn't think you cared about such things either, Severus," Jennifer scolded.
"Then why are we putting ourselves through such a misery?" Severus asked with exasperation.
"You tell me! None of this was my idea," Jennifer reminded him. Severus put a hand to his head for a moment.
"I think it's a perspective problem. There can be little doubt that I felt the same way myself when I was a full time teacher," Severus decided thoughtfully. "What I'm speaking of isn't a selfish pursuit of furthering ones own fame, wealth, or ambitions, Jennifer. That would have been easy for you to achieve with all you have done over the years. Rather, I am speaking of the influence one acquires that will help you give back to the community, to make a better world than the one we've had to fight through, and to be in a position to help others to further their own goals and achievements as well. I believe before the year is out, you'll understand what I'm talking about, but for now, I have a suggestion for you. Take careful note of how Lunette chooses to use her own influence when you're around her. You may get some insight as to why it's important for you to achieve."
"Well, frankly, the only time I've seen her use her influence for anything has been to help me," Jennifer admitted, Severus smiling thinly at that. "But I really think she went too far this time, Severus. I don't really want to be in the order if I don't measure up to its standards."
"I see. You don't want to be in the order because you feel that your appointment is dishonest," Severus ventured.
"Exactly," Jennifer said with a sigh.
"So, in essence, you're accusing Lunette Vallid of doing something dishonest," Severus concluded. Jennifer blinked.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far... biased would be the better term," Jennifer protested.
"Very well then, you're saying that Lunette is the sort of person who has so little respect for her own order's ideology that she sees nothing wrong with letting someone unqualified into the fold," Severus said.
"I really wouldn't put it like that, either," Jennifer said flatly.
"So sentimental that she lets it cloud her judgment?" Severus suggested, and Jennifer cringed.
"All right, that's enough, Severus," Jennifer protested somberly. "I still don't think I belong in the order but... I can see now why she's so upset with me now," she admitted. "Especially considering everything she's done for me lately."
"Then I suggest the best course of action is to push your spectacles up on your nose and humor her, whether you feel like you're qualified to be there or not," Severus advised. "And as such, I'll make sure your robes get in the chest, along with your Puzzlebox."
"Thank you, Severus," Jennifer said. "See you Sunday."
"Yes, until then," Severus said. He broke off contact, shaking his head with exasperation before getting up to read to Quintin.
The Order of Libris met on the first Friday of the month, so it wasn't long before Jennifer found herself cleaning up her classroom for the day and getting dressed to go. She put on her best robes and had her hair back up in a fluffy gibson bun like she wore at Hogwarts, putting on a set of pearl earrings that Severus had given her not long after she had them pierced. Other than those and her temporal earring, she wore only her locket and her Dragonheart ring, deciding they were enough of a statement on their own.
Glancing at the time, she realized it was still quite early, but it was just as well. She preferred going early so that she could get a good feel of events like this, not to mention settle her nerves, since waiting around made her much more anxious. So, the moment she was ready, she took the Floating Gazebo down to the ground floor, and ended up running into Asher, who was on his way up.
"Oh, wow! Look at you! So elegant!" Asher exclaimed in surprise, making Jennifer chuckle.
"Thank you very much. I just hope my new order members are impressed as well," Jennifer said as she stepped out, running into Lav next.
"Have fun tonight, Jennifer! And good luck!" Lav told her.
"Thanks, I think I'll need it," Jennifer admitted, disappearing into the garden on her way to the Portkey room. Lav stepped over to Asher.
"Stop drooling! One of the students could see you," Lav scolded Asher as she stepped in the Gazebo.
Asher put his hand to his mouth, very glad when he realized that she didn't mean it literally. Then he quickly hopped into the Gazebo with her so that he could head up to Frank's room.
Jennifer stepped up to the Witches' Book Club and knocked, showing her card when the small window slid open. One of the doors opened and the Veiled Witch let her in.
"Welcome, Professor Craw," the Veiled Witch greeted her. "Most of the early guests are in the library getting drinks. Would you care to join them?"
"Lovely, thank you," Jennifer replied, and followed the witch past the first set of doors and over to the second set of doors, opening it so that she could step in.
The Library was as large as a ball room, but large bookshelves lined the walls on three sides, two stories tall. The other wall had narrow windows that matched the bookshelves in height and looked out into the street, and a cushioned bench that ran the length of the room underneath them. Several nooks with comfortable chairs and tables provided places for those waiting to gather in small groups. There were also chairs in the corners near the bookshelves, and Jennifer was fairly sure that on a normal day, there were probably similar arrangements of reading desks and chairs spaced throughout the center of the room as well. But right now, the center floor was cleared, and quite a number of witches were standing around in groups with glasses in their hands as a pair of witch waiters in black robes and black ties went around with a drink trays.
"Why, who is that?" someone asked.
Jennifer glanced in the direction she heard the voice and saw three women standing with drinks nearby had turned to look at her.
The one standing in the center was a tall witch wearing fine, tailored robes with a more simplistic American design; it was made to slim and perfect her figure with clever shaping and fabric choices, and there was little emphasis at all in embroidery or other ornate designs. The two witches to either side of her had similarly designed dresses... but had varied degrees of success when it came to achieving the dresses' main purpose.
"Is no one here to introduce you, child?" the tall woman asked. She had striking dark brown hair that curiously enough had little variation to its tone.
"Oh, I'm sure she's coming, I'm just a bit early, that's all," Jennifer explained.
She was feeling very conscientious now that she looked a great deal younger than most of the women present, despite the fact she was quite certain that most of them were fairly close to her age. One of the few exceptions was the witch to the right of the one who just spoke. She was the blonde witch who had the least amount of success using the dress to hide her weight, and she looked to be about Alex's age.
"Perhaps I should come to the rescue and give her a fair start," the tall witch in the middle decided. "I am Monica Romano, Doctor of Wizard Anthropology with a specialty of Wizard Evolution Theory, and I lecture at the Salem Institute. My companions are graduates of the Salem Institute as well, this is Carmen Fayburn, Magiherpotologist," she said, the blonde witch nodding to her with a smile, "and Eugenola Armstrong, Spell Research and Development, specializing in Charms and Enchantments," she finished, pointing to the woman on the left; the witch appeared closer to Jennifer's age, a brunette with a lock of grey hair running down the front as an accent.
"Everyone just calls me Genie. Hi," Eugenola said with a grin.
"I'm Jennifer Craw, Alchemist and Items Specialist. I graduated from and am currently teaching at Whitebridge this year," Jennifer said with a smile.
"Ah Whitebridge! Lovely gardens, quaint school," Monica replied, then looked thoughtful. "Craw... Craw... I'm sure I've heard that name before. What's your most recent work?"
"I led the team that made several breakthroughs on Lycanthropy therapy and prevention a year and a half ago," Jennifer said.
"Oh, I see! Yes, I suppose that would get you a membership this level," Monica decided. "I've heard about it, of course. I recall recently hearing something about the preventative dose still being in WDA testing. What company will be making it?"
"They're readily available to any alchemist with a license who bothers to subscribe to the Alchemists' Annual. I may technically own those formulas and share publishing rights on all the research with my team, but the formulas themselves are for anyone to use," Jennifer explained, the three witches staring at her in surprise.
"You mean you don't profit from it at all?" Monica asked, mystified.
"Only from writing the research articles, not from the formulas themselves. I don't believe in holding back research that is meant to benefit everyone," Jennifer explained. "If I gave a company exclusive rights over my formula, it would probably prevent a great deal of people from having access to it. And if even one person was inflicted with Lycanthropy solely because he or she didn't have access to the preventative dose we developed, I really don't think I could live with myself, to be perfectly honest. Medical research should benefit everyone, not the lucky few who have the means to pay for it."
"What a breath of fresh air! And I totally agree with you," Genie said enthusiastically.
"But how do you pay for the research itself? Government grants?" Monica asked curiously.
"Oh, the school picked up the bill, actually, with the school board's permission of course," Jennifer explained.
"Whitebridge?" Genie asked with interest.
"No, that research was done at Hogwarts," Jennifer replied.
"Oh, Professor Snape's school," Genie said.
"Yes, that's right," Jennifer agreed with a smile.
"I operate on educational grants sometimes so I know how that is," Genie explained. "But I get more commercial contracts than anything."
"You develop new charms for businesses? In what way?" Jennifer asked with genuine curiosity.
"Functionalizing! I come up with charms to make life easier for those working in the office, as well as charms that perform functions that would typically take an extra person to do," Genie explained cheerfully. "That way, companies need less employees to do the same jobs, which means that it greatly increases their profit margins."
"I see," Jennifer said with a smile.
"I operate on mostly government and educational grants too," Carmen said. "But fortunately, I've been able to supplement that with my Wizcast, so I'm doing really well overall."
"Wizcast?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Yes, it's called Tales of Scales. It's all about Magiherptology, of course... and not just dragons, either, although everyone wants to hear about dragons. I earn most of my wizcoins on those, but I also cover other magical serpents and reptiles... you know, basilisks, sea serpents, coatls, Dreadbiters, even magically bred species like Venowraiths and the like. I suppose you might not have even heard of some of those," Carmen said, realizing she was rambling.
"Oh, you'd be surprised," Jennifer said dryly.
"Anyway, since I appeared as a guest expert on Chrono Crew when they dug up that dragon graveyard, it's really helped my career quite a lot, and it got me in here," Carmen added with a grin.
"Chrono Crew, that sounds familiar..." Jennifer mused.
"It's that Wizard TV show where they go investigate areas where someone has detected weird magic readings underground, so they go in and dig it up to see what's there. And they only have three hours to do it in, because they don't want to disturb the local nonmagic populations," Carmen explained. "But sometimes they have specials and go to places that's already been explored and blocked off from the nonmagical world already, like that Dragon Graveyard, in hopes of finding new information for one reason or another. You should watch it sometime, a lot of the old episodes are on the Wiznet these days."
"I believe I shall," Jennifer said with a smile, sincerely curious about it now. "I don't suppose, being in the field you're in, if you happen to know Charlie Weasley at all?"
"Indeed I do! I've met him at conferences before. Do you know him?" Carmen said with surprise.
"Yes, I'm a friend of the family," Jennifer replied.
"How about that? Small world, isn't it?" Carmen said. Jennifer chuckled and nodded.
"We have a Weasley that's in the Order of Libris too," Genie ventured. "Hermione Weasley, but she never comes to meetings, except maybe once a year."
"That doesn't surprise me. Hermione is pretty busy," Jennifer said. "To be honest, I didn't even know that she was a member, but it makes perfect sense that she would be. She manages to knock out a new research paper practically every summer. I really don't know how she does it."
"Yes, I agree, especially considering she's married as well," Monica replied.
"I don't see how that has anything to do with it," Jennifer admitted.
"Simply that marriage can be such a time sink, that's all. It's hard to get any research done when someone has a husband at home expecting them to carry out 'women's duties' regardless of what profession they're in. It tends to stagnate one's career and ambitions, and no matter how successful a witch is, their husbands always manage to steal their thunder," Monica stated. "As much as we love to pretend that things are equal these days, everyone knows it's a bit of a farce. A witch with a family tends to make a lot more career sacrifices than a wizard does in the same position. If she hadn't been married, she probably would have been headmaster by now," Monica ventured.
"I sincerely doubt that. Nobody is about to move Severus Snape from that position," Jennifer said evenly.
"Well, maybe she'd have been a headmaster at a different school then, or in a more prestigious career altogether instead of just a school teacher," Monica suggested. Jennifer became thoughtful.
"You're assuming that she would even want that," Jennifer said after a moment.
"Likely not. As I already pointed out, marriage tends to weigh heavily on one's ambitions," Monica said. Then she saw how serious Jennifer's expression had gotten, then noticed the ring. "I don't suppose you've already been caught in the marriage trap?"
"I wouldn't call it a trap, but yes, I am married," Jennifer acknowledged.
"Oh really? And how long have you been stuck in teaching?" Monica inquired.
"I enjoy teaching. It's my chosen profession, actually," Jennifer said firmly.
"I have a difficult time believing that's the only ambition you've had, especially considering your level of expertise in Alchemy," Monica replied. "Surely there have been other fields you've wanted to go into at one point or another. Tell me honestly, how many of those ambitions died when you got married?"
"I wouldn't say they died, exactly, they simply changed," Jennifer replied uncomfortably.
"And what about your research? Has it not hindered progress on your research ambitions on occasions?" she asked.
"Yes, perhaps it has on occasion," Jennifer admitted. "But it's worth it, all the same."
"I see. To each their own, then, but I do believe I've made my point. That said, I commend you for getting this far! I admire anyone who has been able to rise from that sort of male dominance and are still able to accomplish such greatness," Monica said with a sincere smile. "But I am very glad I myself didn't make that mistake."
"Oh, me either!" Genie said emphatically.
"Genie had a close call once," Carmen confided to Jennifer. "She barely escaped."
"I was engaged to the dean of a college I worked for before I got put on at the Salem Institute," Genie explained. "But the closer we got to the wedding, the more he started going on about his ambitions and how he wanted me to cater to them. And then he told me that he didn't want me to go on any more Zoological Expeditions while I was working at the college. He told me to simply teach the students out of the book from then on. That was the last straw for me, because I realized that not only was he going to try lording over me at home, but he also had the last word on my research, and there was nothing I could do about it if he wanted to hold me back at work. So, I got out of there and in a hurry. Marriage is bad enough, but being married to someone who also has professional control over my career? That would have been even worse. It could totally stifle your research!"
"On the other hand, your partner might force you to take a sabbatical to work on your research whether you want to do so or not," Jennifer added dryly.
"Exactly!" Genie agreed. "In some ways that be would even worse, because that means they want to use that research for their benefit and the school's benefit instead of for yours."
"I wouldn't put it past any wizard to do something like that. Unfortunately, that's just the world we live in right now," Carmen agreed. "Wizards have the upper hand at everything."
"Which is exactly why the Order of Libris is so important," Monica concluded. "And as such, welcome, Jennifer."
"Yes, welcome! Are you coming to Green Candles after the meeting?" Genie asked cordially.
"Green Candles?" Jennifer inquired.
"That's the name of the club next door... Judge Vallid owns it as well," Carmen explained. "And meeting night is always Witches' night," she said with enthusiasm. "Most of the Order goes over there after the meeting. There are three sections; High Wick, Candle Body, and Low Wick. I always recommend the Body," she said. Monica rolled her eyes.
"I'll be in Low Wick," Monica said.
"I like all three," Genie admitted. "It just depends on what mood I'm in after the meeting."
"Well, we'll see. I suppose it'll depend on how late the meeting gets out," Jennifer said, then glanced at her watch. "Speaking of which, I wonder where she is?" Jennifer asked and looked around.
"Who?" Monica asked curiously, but then Jennifer smiled and became completely distracted by two familiar faces standing in the doorway. She quickly excused herself and went over.
"There she is! Exactly as I thought," Hermione said with exasperation.
"Hello, Mother. Do you know you're in the wrong room?" Alex informed her.
"What?" Jennifer asked with a laugh, hugging them both. "Alex, I didn't know you were in Libris as well."
"I'm in a bit of everything, actually, it comes with being a Minister," Alex explained. "Come on, we'll show where Platinum hangs out before meetings. It's this way."
"Did she say Platinum?" Monica asked with alarm when she left.
"Did she just call her Mother?" Carmen asked with the same surprise.
"How very intriguing," Genie replied, then got out her phone. "I think I'll look her up to see if I can find out more about her."
"Oh no. Are you really getting that thing out? You know how rude it is at social gatherings," Monica chided her with a scowl.
"Huh... well, other than a note about her work in the Alchemist Tincture, it seems that first mention of her on Wiggle is that she has a Hot Lava but Off Limits rating on the Wizard Companion's Master Date List," Genie replied. "Must be nice!"
"Disgusting," Monica said with distaste. "If I were her, I'd send them a Net-Owl and tell them to remove it immediately!"
"Oh, don't worry, Monica. You're in no danger of getting that kind of rating any more than I am," Carmen replied. Monica rewarded her with such an icy look that Carmen wisely decided to change the subject.
Out in the hallway, Hermione and Alex warned Jennifer to keep her voice down as they walked towards the back.
"What are the two of you even doing here?" Jennifer whispered to them.
"Severus told me you were going tonight and thought you might need a friend along," Hermione explained softly.
"Father sent me along too, saying that he thought you were having some doubts about even being here," Alex whispered back. "As if you didn't feel like you belonged."
"I suppose that is true. I am very much feeling like that," Jennifer admitted.
"Well, if I belong here, you certainly belong here," Hermione decided quietly.
"That goes double for me," Alex agreed.
"To be fair, Alex, you are third in charge of the Ministry, and Hermione, to her credit, is the most published professor on staff," Jennifer whispered quietly back. "What have I done, really?"
"I know what you've done. You've gotten Lunette's back up so far that Severus sent us to rescue you," Hermione said bluntly, taking her arm firmly before nodding to Alex, who did the same on the other side. Then the two of them forcefully escorted her into the Reading Room. Lunette watched the procession with a hand on her hip where she waited at a table near the bar.
"Oh, no! Don't tell me she's still at it! I thought that trip to the Silver Members' lounge would have helped cure her of that," Lunette said irritably.
"I knew it. You did do it on purpose," Hermione said as they deposited Jennifer on the chair.
"Yes, I was rather hoping she would learn something after seeing what the Silver level of the order looked like," Lunette admitted.
"Perhaps I did learn a bit," Jennifer replied, but Lunette didn't miss the fact that she had her spectacles all the way up.
"Not enough, apparently," Lunette said, putting down her drink. "Come on, we should probably go get settled. Since the meeting room is circular, we enter by member level, so generally Platinum goes in first, then Gold, then Silver," she explained, getting up.
"What determines the membership level?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Don't answer her," Lunette snapped, but Hermione was already replying.
"How accomplished you are, of course," Hermione informed her.
"Oh. Then why am I in Platinum?" Jennifer inquired.
"Jennifer, I swear if you say one more word before you're introduced, I'm challenging you to a Witch's Duel," Lunette snapped at her. "And I promise you that the outcome will not be pretty."
Jennifer quickly quieted down and didn't say another word, and Hermione and Alexandria decided to do the same when it was obvious that Lunette was not in the best of moods. Fortunately, it was almost time for the meeting now. It wasn't long before they were passing the beaded door, not stopping this time to take off their shoes. In fact, the tatami mats had all been put away, showing off the beautiful floors with different symbols associated with large covens placed in a spiral pattern on the floors.
Jennifer gathered with the rest nearest the center star and listened to Hermione and Alexandria chat to each other, mostly about their kids. Then the Gold level witches came in from a very different door than they had come in; the Silver, when they arrived, a different door still. Lunette gestured for Jennifer to step up beside her, and she took a scroll out of her sleeve.
"Good evening, everyone! We have a short joint meeting tonight, then you can go join your sections," Lunette told them. "Before we read the announcements, I do have one new Platinum member to welcome, Professor Jennifer Corsiva Craw Snape. Professor Craw is currently teaching Items at Whitebridge, and has tenure at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where she teaches Potions and Items, is third in administration, and has served as the school's Headmaster on occasion. She is also the current Sentinel of Dark Magic, responsible for part of Callum's seal, a member of the Order of Merlin, and is a licensed expert in Potions, Items, Defense, and an unlicensed expert in Truth Seeking," Lunette added with amusement. "Now, as is tradition, we'll go over the reading of accomplishments that earned her such consideration, in order of achievement. You might as well get comfortable," she warned as she rolled out a scroll long enough to get nearly everyone's attention. Even Alex and Jennifer looked rather surprised by it; Hermione simply smiled thinly at her.
"Led a Unicorn herd to defeat an army of Dementors and protect Hogwarts against a Death Eater attack," Lunette began. Jennifer blinked at her. So this wasn't just going to be about educational accomplishments? Shoulders slumping in resignation, Jennifer got into a more comfortable position. "Created a working countercurse to the Forbidden Death spell," Lunette continued. "Accompanied Harry Potter into Salazar's Tomb and participated in the final destruction of Voldemort and one of his minions. Developed the Pellet Potions that many of us use on a regular basis. Helped to uncover a plot to destroy the main portal to Tir Na Nog, which would have caused further damage to the already weakening portal. Saved Professor Severus Snape from what would have been a fatal encounter from a Dreadbiter Serpent. Managed to find Dagda's Cauldron, which had been missing for centuries, to help repair the Tir Na Nog main portal and bring about the return of Merlin, so that he could reestablish the Sentinels of Magic and restore them to their intended duties as portal guardians. Played a large part in the defeat of Ciardoth, including researching various items, and coming up with an attack that worked against her," she went on.
Suddenly Hermione and Alex grinned at her so broadly that Jennifer peeked over her glasses and made her smile; apparently, that particular point had been on both of their accomplishments as well.
"Created a potion based on a rare, ancient wine to free the Fomorions from slavery from Ciardoth. Defended the castle during the Ciardoth's Last Stand. Led a group of witches and wizards to stop a Demon invasion in Germany. Traveled to the Otherworld to rescue Severus Snape while he was on a mission to fix a discrepancy between our worlds that was causing creatures to fall through on both sides, and helped him complete his mission. Developed a dreaming potion for a memory loss therapy. And led a team of Lycanthropy experts to improve on Lycanthropy therapy techniques as well as develop a prevention potion to keep it from spreading.
"Well, that's the short list, at any rate," Lunette said cheerfully. "I left a bunch out, but you have to stop somewhere. To sum up, she's saved everyone's asses a time or two, and I dare think the universe wouldn't be here without her work, which is why I recommended her to go straight through into Platinum in the first place," Lunette explained. "Currently, she's working on research into more effective memory loss cures, as well as helping Dean Elk of Whitebridge take that school up a notch. So please welcome Professor Craw to the order, and let's give her our support in her endeavors," she finished.
Alex and Hermione were clapping loudly half a second before the rest of the order joined in and Jennifer finally gave everyone a thin, almost resigned smile before finally stepping back over between the two of them. The rest of the announcements involved other member's accomplishments over the month, from articles and books written to discoveries they made in their professions. It was actually quite interesting, and Jennifer rather wished she had thought to write them down. But after the announcements while they began to break up in separate groups, Jennifer became interested when both Alex and Hermione stepped up to Lunette and she handed them both a copy.
"Two please," Hermione said immediately.
"And one for Anna," Lunette acknowledged with amusement, handing her a second one.
"I wouldn't mind one myself," Jennifer admitted, and Lunette smiled and handed her a copy.
"Feeling better about this, are we?" Lunette asked her.
"Sort of," Jennifer said, and Lunette squinted at her again. "Well, after all, the majority of the accomplishments you listed weren't academic in any way."
"And just how many of those were done for the benefit of the school, Jennifer?" Lunette retorted.
"Nearly all of them," Hermione replied for her.
"Then it's academic," Lunette replied. "Besides, if you took off those dratted glasses once in a while, you'd have seen just how bowled over everyone was. So do me a favor and simply accept the honor graciously before I'm tempted to put something in your drink after the meeting," she threatened.
"What's next, then?" Jennifer said with a sigh that did nothing to dissuade Lunette's threat.
"We're going to head back with the rest of the Platinum members and see if anyone needs help with any projects they're working on," Hermione explained. "You ought to take advantage of it, Jennifer, if you need any assistants or anything. The order can help with that, and you can be sure the help you're getting out of here are all going to be witches, too."
"Lunette's already helping me, but there is at least one other person I want to ask, I just don't know if she's interested yet," Jennifer admitted.
"Don't stop at two. It never hurts to have a few extra assistants willing to come in just in case we're not available, Jennifer," Lunette said, leading them into a room with three walls of barrister bookshelves, and a fourth with a countertop with a coffee pot, sink, and a mini icebox, while in the center of the room on a heavy circular rug was a large round table with nineteen chairs. That was Jennifer realized just how few members of Platinum there were.
"Don't start," Lunette snapped at her when he saw Jennifer looking uncomfortable again. "I'm going to get her plastered tonight, I swear."
"Just don't turn her into a Christmas decoration," Hermione said.
"No, it's still too early for that... but it's tempting," Lunette said.
"What's got you worked up, Gran?" asked one of the other women in the room curiously. Jennifer gazed at her with interest.
"My apprentice can be quite difficult to handle at times," Lunette explained. "Jennifer, this is my granddaughter, Liberty Ward, she's from the Daniel's line, third husband."
"He was the stock broker, the one who owned the bar next door back when it was still a bar," Liberty added with a grin. "But I'm a lawyer like my Gran. It's nice to finally meet you, Jennifer!"
"It's nice to meet you too," Jennifer said enthusiastically. "Let me guess, this is one of the grandkids you used to buy Honeydukes candy for when you came to visit, Lunette."
"Sure was! Me and my two brothers, and several cousins too," Liberty replied.
"Yes, the cousins she's talking about are from the Hartman line; some great grands that are the same age as those three," Lunette said. "Fortunately, artisan chocolates are back in vogue in the states again, so I don't have to travel as far. The hardest part is simply keeping track of names and ages and making sure I don't miss anyone. My personal assistant helps keep track them, although to be honest, I only have one great that I even speak to on my first husband's line any longer, and that's to help him with genealogy questions. It's just so far removed now, you see, that's it's a bit rough to talk to them sometimes."
"I can only imagine," Jennifer replied.
"Yes, but enough of that! Let's sit down and see what everyone's working on and find out who needs what," Lunette said, sitting down, the others grabbing a drink and doing the same.
There were fifteen of them there that night, which Lunette called 'a fair number.' Having only half of them there at once, it seemed, was quite normal, and the only time Lunette managed to get them all there was in a dire emergency. After all, those in Platinum were the most dedicated to their individual causes out of all of the Order's members; and since Lunette and Liberty were the only ones who had the order at the top of their priority list, it was only natural that other things would take precedence. But despite that, there always seemed to be enough at once to help out those who needed the extra hands or input; whenever there wasn't, Lunette simply increased the members of Platinum to the next highest prime number; keeping with the old Coven tradition despite the fact that Lunette wasn't all that superstitious. A simple question from one of the doctors at the table as to how Jennifer got into memory research soon had Jennifer telling the whole tale of what happened to her from start to finish, and pretty soon everyone at the table was quite absorbed in the problem.
"It's a shame that what happened to cure you isn't something that can be easily duplicated," Dorothy Good said. Dorothy, Jennifer had come to find out, was an Assistant Dean at the Salem Institute, and a fellow Alchemist as well as an expert in purifying metals and minerals for magical use.
"You know... maybe it can be," Alexandria said seriously.
"Absolutely out of the question," Jennifer said immediately.
"Wait, what were you going to say? Jennifer, you're as bad as Gran is when it comes to answering too fast," Liberty protested, Lunette sticking her tongue out at her.
"Well, what I mean is I've ridden on a Unicorn as well, as has three of my siblings," Alex explained. "And the Centaurs presented us with their Horns when they died. I still have Esta's, and it's in one piece. And the Obliviation Curse is just restricted over here, not illegal."
"Alex, not only is what you're proposing highly dangerous, but the Unicorn Herd actively played a part in my restoration, and we are completely cut off from them right now, as you well know," Jennifer reminded her. "Even if we tried a controlled experiment, it could backfire, and I am certainly not willing to risk any of my family in the attempt of recreating it."
"Alright, well, perhaps we can figure out what part the Unicorn Herd played in the restoration. It might provide you with some clues," Alex conjectured. "We should go back and look at the event in a Pensieve or something... preferably from different points of view. I mean... you weren't thinking right at that point, and neither was my brother, so you might have missed something. Maybe we need Father's strand as well."
"You know, Jennifer, I'm on your side when it comes to turning down Alex's first proposal," Lunette put in. "It is too dangerous. However, I think that second idea of hers is a very good idea, especially if we can get those memory strands and some fresh eyes on it."
"Yes, alright, I'm willing to try at least," Jennifer agreed. "I'll talk to Severus about it Sunday."
"That sounds like a plan then," Lunette said, then they moved on to talk about someone else.
It didn't take long after entering the night club that Jennifer discovered that the room in the back called High Wick was a very blaringly noisy dance club. The long room in the center of the club, the Candle Body, featured a male strip show every hour. So it took less than a second after arriving for Jennifer to announce that she was staying in the tavern in the front of the club, known as Low Wick, and no amount of coaxing from the other Platinum members was going to move her from that location. As Lunette, Alex, and even Hermione went to the Body, and Liberty and some of the others followed the long hallway to High Wick, Jennifer recognized a friendly face sitting at the bar and went over to give Lucky a hug.
"Hey! I was hoping you'd find me here," Lucky said with a grin.
"What are you doing here?" Jennifer asked.
"Oh, I'm a bronze member," Lucky said explained. "We don't meet on the same night as the rest of the Order because there are a lot more of us, but we are allowed to come to Ladies' Night. So when Father mentioned to me that you were coming, I thought I'd come by and say hello. I was betting that you wouldn't get past this room."
"That was a very safe bet," Jennifer admitted with a chuckle, sitting down. Then she stared at all of the names on the drink list blankly. "What in the world are all of these?" she asked.
"They're all named after stock market indicators," Lucky explained, then looked up at the bartender. "Get her a Dragonfly Doji to try," Lucky suggested. "And another Inverted Hammer for me."
"That sounds like Lunette's drink. It isn't super strong, is it?" Jennifer asked warily.
"No, it's a bullish drink," Lucky explained. "It's kinda hard to explain all of these in one go, but the cocktails here are all stock market references that give people an idea which way the stock is going to move next. They're um... symbols that make predictions to show if you're going to make any money in the short term. All of the bullish indicators... the ones where the stock is getting ready to go up... are the lighter cocktails... you know, celebratory. The bearish indicators... the ones where you're going to lose your shirt unless you're shorting it... are much stronger... because you need a stiff drink after a down trade. A lot of the bearish drinks have dark wines and whiskeys in them, and typically more than one. So the Dragonfly Doji, which is about as strong as a margarita, is nowhere near as strong as a Gravestone Doji. And this Inverted Hammer," Lucky said, lifting up a drink that look dark on the bottom and light on the top, "is nowhere near as strong as a Shooting Star," she explained. "If you're not sure which is which, though, just ask the bartender or waitress, and they'll make sure you don't pick the wrong chart. If you come here often enough, you might even learn how to read a candle chart."
"Considering just how little I drink, I doubt that will ever happen," Jennifer chuckled, pausing to appreciate the beautiful iridescent colors of emerald green and ruby red that were swirling around in her glass. "Although I admit I have been drinking a lot more since I've been running around with Lunette."
"Eh, well, she's lonely," Lucky shrugged. "She's been that way since her last husband died."
"Yes, I've noticed that as well," Jennifer admitted quietly. "I suppose this isn't the room you normally hang out in, is it, Lucky?"
"Nah, when I'm here with Dale on regular nights, we're in High Wick, and when I'm here on Witches' Night with my Coven we're usually in the Candle Body," she grinned.
"I should have known. And how does Dale feel about that?" Jennifer inquired.
"He doesn't mind. He knows who I come home to, and he also thinks it makes me come home inspired," Lucky chuckled. Jennifer rolled her eyes at that. "Sure you don't want to go in there?" she taunted her mother, and Jennifer immediately shook her head in protest.
"I really don't need that sort of motivation," Jennifer said firmly.
"Suit yourself," Lucky said, keeping her company until Lunette came to collect them.