Chapter Thirty-One
Jennifer Confidential
That next weekend, Lunette, Rosemary, and Jennifer, who brought along Lavender, Kay, and Gretchen for good measure, stepped into Lab One in the Order of Libris. Rosemary and the Whitebridge teachers were still staring and exploring the lab when Lunette walked up to her.
"Jennifer, I have every intention of being one of your backup assistants, but it's on one condition... that you don't list me on your research," Lunette said firmly. "And don't give me lines that it wouldn't be honest, either. You have twenty years on me when it comes to memory research, and we both know what'd happen if my name was anywhere on the thing, especially when the press gets a hold of it. You and Severus... especially Severus... made a lot of sacrifices this year to get you to Whitebridge, and I don't want to see them go for nothing."
"Perhaps a thank you for your patronage note at the end?" Jennifer negotiated.
"Fine, provided I'm not the only name on there," Lunette said sternly.
"Deal," Jennifer said with a smile, then looked over at her friends. Rosemary was the first to step over to them.
"This is a big step up from Lab Five; I have had opportunity to borrow it on occasion," Rosemary explained. "So this is the Platinum level lab?"
"No, that's Lab Two. This lab is reserved for myself or certain research projects I choose to sponsor," Lunette said. "And considering what we went through when Jennifer went missing all those years ago, I personally would love to see a solution for the problem."
"I think some in context reintroductions are in order," Jennifer decided with a smile. "Lunette, Rosemary was one of my very first mentors. She and Wind were the ones that helped me get through school and kept pushing me so that I would graduate."
"Oh, really?" Lunette said, her eyes lighting with new respect. "So, you're one of the teachers that taught Jennifer how to control her Dark Magic?"
"Actually, Wind was the one who taught her discipline," Rosemary admitted. "My part in it was teaching her how to channel her frustration with magic into things she was good at, like Potions and Items, and I tutored her on the weekends to get her through her other classes."
"She also helped keep from getting expelled a time or two," Jennifer added.
"Oh well, there's a reason for that," Rosemary said sheepishly, glancing at Lunette. Lunette's gaze was quite fixed on Rosemary now. "In fact, I'm surprised I was able to keep the reason from you so long, Jen-girl. I was sure you would see through it."
"Do you mean about you marrying a Mason? Because I knew about that, honestly," Jennifer admitted.
"But you never asked why I went with my maiden name, or why nobody talked about him," Rosemary said.
"Well, no, it wasn't my place to ask such things. And I kept getting the strong feeling that you were afraid that I would ask questions like that, so I didn't," Jennifer explained. "I was terrified you'd abandon me if I had pried into something you didn't want me to."
"Oh, Jennifer! That never would have happened," Rosemary assured her with a smile. "But I can explain all of that simply enough now... Henry Mason wasn't a wizard. He was born without magic." Lav gasped.
"Mom, the NDA," Lavender reminded her sharply.
"Yes, I know, but it isn't as if these two fine Truth Seekers couldn't have found that out," Rosemary pointed out.
"And what about these two?" Lav pointed out, pointing at Gretchen and Kay.
"We're in your Coven," Kay reminded her.
"Six is a very strange Coven," Gretchen said.
"I'm not here at the moment," Lunette informed Gretchen.
"So one of the reasons I was able to stay in school..." Jennifer said slowly.
"Was because I threatened to expose the family secret, yeppers," Rosemary confessed with a grin.
"Jennifer, do finish your in context reintroduction," Lunette suggested.
"Oh," Jennifer said, still obviously dazed by her teacher's sudden confession. "Rosemary, this is Lunette Vallid, also one my mentors. She has been since not long after I started teaching Hogwarts, really, as well as my family' counselor."
"Nice upgrade," Rosemary said with amusement.
"Not at all," Lunette protested with a smile. "For the most part, I've been having to mentor long distance, except in a crisis. You had the advantage of being hands-on. This is the first year ever that I've had the opportunity to try the hands-on approach," she explained with a wink. "Although she did have someone who mentored her during her earlier years of teaching at Hogwarts, didn't you, Jennifer?"
"Yes, Minerva McGonagall," Jennifer agreed. "She helped me become a better teacher."
"Great Merlin! Just how many mentors do you have, anyway?" Kay asked with exasperation.
"Jennifer is very high maintenance," Lunette said so matter-of-factly that Jennifer turned bright red. "And all of us mentors have been there to help her in very different ways. Wind and Rosemary helped get her through school and became her ideals in what made a good teacher. Minerva not only helped Jennifer become a better professor, but she also took the role as a surrogate mother when Jennifer lost hers," Lunette went on, Jennifer nodding at that. "Albus Dumbledore stepped in to help her with self esteem, self expression, and learning the value of perspective. Audacious Belle mentored her in her Truth Seeking ability, and also taught her that sometimes it was all right to break the rules when you needed to stand up for what you believe in. And I'm here to make sure that Jennifer reaches her full potential, both in her duties as Sentinel of Dark Magic, but also as a witch in general... as well as to be her ultimate safety net when she screws up. And let me tell you, when she screws up, it's stellar."
"Yes, thank you very much," Jennifer said, growing even redder.
"Some things never change," Rosemary teased.
"You're no help," Jennifer told her, sticking out her tongue.
"Alright, now that we know each other better, how about we get started, Jennifer?" Lunette suggested.
"Yes, we probably should," Jennifer said, taking off her cloak and unbuttoning the pocket to ease the Pensieve out. Lunette helpfully pulled a small table to the center of the room so that Jennifer could put it down. "This Pensieve has a collection of memories of the events surrounding my recovery from the Obliviation Curse," she explained, and the others gathered around curiously. "The first half contains memories from Keki's Grove... that is the part where you'll see the Unicorns. It is the combination of three memories... well, four, in a way... including mine, my husband's, and my son Aurelius, who was under the influence of his Unicorn, Pali," she explained. "The second half is what happened when the Unicorns teleported me away and reconnected me with my memories. I actually haven't shown anyone those before. Some of them are kind of intimate," Jennifer admitted.
"All memories are," Lunette pointed out. "Don't worry, Jennifer, we're all trusted friends here. But do you mind if I get my granddaughter here as well so we're a better number for a Coven anyway?"
"Yes, alright," Jennifer said, and Lunette stepped out, coming back not five minutes later with Liberty.
"That was quick," Kay noted.
"I was piddling around in the lab next door. Just in case you needed me," Liberty explained.
"Liberty here agreed to be one of Jennifer's back up spotters when she's working with cursed items," Lunette explained to the other girls. "I think it's only fair that she sit in on this part too... we're under Coven rules, Liberty."
"Does that mean we get to drink after?" Liberty asked brightly.
Thinking that she was the one that might need a drink after this, Jennifer got her wand out as they gathered around the Pensieve, tapping it. As the Pensieve began to clear showing her moving through the brush towards the Grove, the witches followed Jennifer's lead and touched the surface.
A light sparkle randomly flickered as they stepped closer to Keki's Grove... a sign, Jennifer knew, of the faint presence of Pali's memories reflected from Aurelius. Just in front of him was Jennifer, looking around both dazed and yet at the same time studying her surroundings as if trying hard to remember where she was.
The Jennifer watching the memory grimaced ever so slightly, realizing that she had put on a bit of weight in the last ten years. Standing next to her, Lunette rolled her eyes and nudged her knowingly.
"Let's try to be objective," she reminded Jennifer softly.
As the Jennifer in the dream stepped into the clearing, she stopped and frowned suddenly, gazing at the ground in front of her. Pali nudged her with his nose, making her move closer to the center of the Grove. She then looked up, and the observers followed her gaze over to where Severus walked out of the woods. He was dressed in high collared black robes and his hair was shorter, and his expression was determined.
"Severus? What are you doing here?" Jennifer asked with a confused expression.
"Helping him help you," Severus said calmly.
"I don't need your help," Aurelius said acidly, getting off of Pali's back, keeping a hand on his side.
"You only think you don't. A part of Keki's Horn was used on me, so without me your wand is useless," Severus replied.
"What's going on?" Jennifer asked.
"The Unicorns think that Keki's Horn might unlock your memories, Jennifer. Aurelius, ask the Unicorns how to restore the Horn from the missing parts."
"Wait a minute," Aurelius said angrily, glaring at his father. "They just told me about this, so how do you know about it? And for how long?"
"From Andrew about ten minutes ago, now are we going to attempt this or not?" Severus said impatiently.
Pali neighed loudly and backed away from Aurelius, and the Unicorns formed a circle around them looking rather odd as some of them had to step halfway through some of the trees to manage it.
The observers had to quickly step further into the circle. None of them felt comfortable getting too close to the Unicorns, despite the fact that they all knew it was merely an illusion.
"He said to make a triangle between you, the Horn, and my wand with Mum in the middle, and they'll do the rest," Aurelius told his father, picking a spot to stand as he got out his wand.
The younger Jennifer stepped in the center and watched nervously as Severus than took a step to the side, his eyes focused on where he estimated the Horn was buried to try and triangulate where the three of them were standing. Once they were in position, the Unicorns were lowering their horns at Jennifer.
As the horns of the Unicorns began to glow, a high-pitched sound emanated from the build-up of magic. Finally they all cast at once causing a bright light to develop, first lighting the three pieces of the horn and then growing so bright that everyone had to look away, including the observing witches. When they looked back with shielded eyes, they saw Aurelius and Severus shielding theirs as well. Suddenly the light vanished, and young Jennifer along with it.
Severus blinked and lowered his arm, staring at the spot where Jennifer had been.
"Where is she?" Severus demanded, looking at Aurelius then over at Pali. "Where did she go?"
"She's in the caverns below us, Father," Aurelius said distantly, barely aware of Severus' look of alarm when he turned to face him. "It's all up to her, now."
"Exactly what do you mean by that?" Severus asked him, but Aurelius had returned to Pali's side.
"We must wait. It's up to her now," Aurelius repeated.
Severus watched as the circle of Unicorns dispersed, shying away from the path and making their way over to the far side of the Grove, well behind Pali. It was then that Severus heard footsteps, and he realized that was the cause of their sudden shyness.
"Severus?"
Severus looked up as Albus Dumbledore arrived with Alexandria and Andrew, who were fixated on Aurelius and the Unicorns.
"Stay back here, please," Dumbledore told the children.
"Why are they here?" Severus asked.
"I thought under the circumstances it would be better if the family was together. Corey will be bringing Alicia momentarily as well." Severus was about to comment, but Alex stepped up before he could.
"Is Aurelius going to be all right?" Alex asked, frowning at the way Aurelius was behaving.
"Never mind that, where's Mum?" Andrew asked.
"After the Unicorns joined the three pieces of the Horn together, they teleported her away," Severus replied, unable to hide his concern completely. "Aurelius and Pali said that she's been teleported to the caverns below, but I pray that they're wrong. I thought those were all filled in when the Grove created," he added with agitation, gazing at Dumbledore.
"The caverns that made up that Tomb were vast, Severus, and the Dreadbiter only added to them. We may have filled in all close to the surface, but I highly doubt they got them all," Dumbledore admitted.
"But why would they have teleported her down there?" Alexandria asked. "Surely the Unicorns would never do anything to hurt her, not after everything she's done for them."
"No, they wouldn't," Andrew assured his sister.
"I agree, they wouldn't have done it without reason. Perhaps they're using it as some sort of conduit. Maybe the process of restoring her memories is not an instantaneous process and it is something she needs to work through gradually and it requires solitude or a confined space in which to do it in," Dumbledore conjectured.
"That would explain why Aurelius keeps saying it is up to her. But Jennifer does not do well in confined spaces, as you know perfectly well," Severus said, gritting his teeth. But Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a firm smile.
"Have faith in her, Severus. And have faith in your son as well," he added, glancing at Aurelius and Pali and back again. "We must be patient, and trust that they know what they are doing. Now is the time to simply wait and see what happens next. At this point, it is the best thing to do, you know, since we have little control over the matter any longer."
"That doesn't mean it's easy," Severus snapped.
"Goodness, no one ever said that faith and trust were easy, Severus," Dumbledore said, then looked up as Corey came up the path with Alicia. Andrew and Alex ran over to her, and they began to whisper to Alicia and Corey to tell them what had happened so far.
Kay threw her hands up when they all started talking quietly to pass the time.
"So what happened to you?" she asked with frustration.
"Yes, alright, we can move on," Jennifer said, raising her wand. "Sorry, but I was a little curious. I really hadn't seen that conversation between Severus and Albus before," she explained and tapped her wand, the scene fading.
At first, they felt as if they were simply stuck waiting for the memory change and standing in the darkness for no reason. But as their eyes adjusted, they realized there was dim light around them, and a few seconds later, it was the level of bright moonlight, and they soon found themselves following young Jennifer through a tight, twisted cavern with lots of turns, T's, and dead-ends.
"This is more like a maze than a cavern," Rosemary commented quietly.
"Yes, very much so," Jennifer said, eagerly following herself into the early memory of her mother.
It was so strange to see it now, watching as her mother brushed her hair, and realizing she was only a year older than Quintin at that point. That night her mother had to coax her to bed had been less than a week before they fled on a broom, Jennifer recalled, and three months later, her father was teaching her Dark Magic. It was astounding to think of... her father feeling so forced to pass on such a thing at that age. Quintin was now busy having adventures and exploring who he was a person, and although he was being taught defense forms and learning defense rules as all of the Snape children had done, the idea of adding such a burden to a child that age seemed so astounding now. Still, she never resented the lessons, she mused thoughtfully. Perhaps it was because at the time she didn't understand that it was so extraordinary. All she knew was that she got to spend a lot of quality time with her father.
Of course, it hadn't all been fun and games, she thought, as they followed the memory of him desensitizing her against the Imperius Curse. At ten years old, she was beginning to get her own opinions on things, and her father's recent worries about sending her to school had caused him to push her ahead, so desperate to keep her safe. Jennifer found herself gazing more at her father than her young self or her memory self, hoping to get even a vague impression of what he was thinking. Mostly, he was concentrating on the thought that this was for Jennifer's own good. It was an intentional blind, Jennifer realized suddenly, to protect her young self from the fears that were at the heart of it; a simple thought to protect her from the complicated reasons as to why she was in so much danger. But that desensitization... so hated by her younger self that it had made her move on to a happier memory... had saved her life on more than one occasion, Jennifer remembered. Perhaps she should thank him for it, she thought, then turned her attention back to her memory self as she stumbled into Whitebridge.
As the memory led them into the bright, colorful garden, Jennifer heard Rosemary, Lav, Kay and Gretchen all make a sound of both relief and even an 'aww' or two as Jennifer came out of the bushes, chuckling softly at her pale, thin frame and an expression so serious that she looked to be a much older child. Wind Elk was in traditional Cherokee clothing rather than the Whitebridge robes as he wore now, but still with his medicine pouch and braids mixed into his silvery grey hair. He spoke gently to her to get her to respond, while she seemed to dramatize every response in a way that Jennifer suddenly realized it was a great deal like Alex used to do at that age. She chuckled silently to herself at that, smiling as they spoke of her future career and the idea of going into teaching. Almost too soon, the memory Jennifer was back in the corner again. But by now, her expressions had begun to change. She seemed more thoughtful as she went over the memories she had acquired so far, until she spotted the image of Keki in front of her and she hurried to follow.
Eager now, the observing Jennifer hurried along with the younger Jennifer, impatiently getting in front of her companions as she knew what memories they were about to hit next.
"Left, Jennifer."
"My left or your left?"
"Your other left," Severus sighed.
They were standing in a very large basement. Half of it was taken up with lab equipment, but a large portion of the floor was clear enough for a dance lesson.
The real Jennifer sighed softly as she glanced around the old basement to the Broom Closet with a smile. It was during that first summer she had rented the place, not long after they had begun seeing each other, and Severus was quite determined to get her dancing by summer's end.
"Pay attention, there will be time enough to gaze around after you learn how to stay off my feet," he said sternly.
"Oh, but they're such very nice feet," Jennifer teased.
"Yes, and I'd like to keep them in one piece. Step back a bit more," he advised.
"And how exactly do you expect me to do that when you're holding me so tight?" she asked him, gazing into his eyes.
"Yes, well that's the challenge, isn't it?" he said, making no attempts at letting her go. "Besides, it seems you're getting the hang of it now."
"I'm cheating," Jennifer admitted. "I can read from your eyes what your next move will be."
"Oh, you can, can you?" Severus said, his expression changing slightly. Smiling lovingly in response, Jennifer leaned in even closer so he could kiss her.
The real Jennifer and young Jennifer came out of the corridor with the exact same smile on their face, and if they hadn't been wearing different outfits at that moment, it would have been really difficult for the others to tell them apart as they jointly went down another corridor. But as they got to the end and Keki was standing near a corridor filled with a violet mist, the expressions were starkly different; the memory Jennifer looked quite worried, while the real Jennifer was smiling knowingly.
"Why, are they terrible?" Jennifer asked worriedly, peering into the violet mist.
Impatiently Keki nudged her in with her muzzle, and reluctantly Jennifer looked back, hesitating. Suddenly Jennifer wrapped her arms around the Unicorn's neck, tears in her eyes. The two of them began to glow softly for a moment, and slowly the light around Jennifer became stronger and the Unicorn's light less so before it finally faded away.
Keki suddenly reared, nearly getting her horn caught on the ceiling as she did and Jennifer found herself having to back up trying not to upset her any more. Seeing that she wasn't moving, Keki charged her. Terrified, Jennifer fled into the corridor, leaving the Unicorn in the corridor. The observing Jennifer hurried after her, so eager to relive the moment that she had rediscovered her married life that she practically forgot there were others even there.
Kay and Gretchen, feeling more than a little awkward at finding themselves standing in Severus and Jennifer's bedroom with the couple lying in bed together, decided simultaneously to watch the rest from outside, while the others simply kept a respectful distance, watching the two Jennifers at the side of the bed reliving a short, intimate conversation they were having. The first part of the conversation, it seemed, had no spoken words at all. Jennifer was simply staring at him intently, but what she was picking up in that moment, only Jennifer and Lunette could hazard a guess.
"Have I told you recently how beautiful I think you are?" Severus asked.
"Quite often, in the heat of the moment," Jennifer answered coyly.
"Does that make it any less of a fact when you look into my eyes?" he murmured, shifting casually so that the blankets conveniently fell away from her.
"No," Jennifer admitted softly, "although I do think you sometimes take advantage of it so that you don't have say everything."
"Use to my advantage, yes, take advantage of, no," he corrected, putting his arm around her waist. "Rather difficult to take advantage of someone when one finds himself at the complete mercy of someone's beckon call."
"Did someone need something?" a meek voice asked out of thin air.
"No!" Jennifer and Severus barked, and then Jennifer broke out into a giggle.
"The next order of business is getting this room sound proofed," Severus decided. "Well, maybe not the very next order of business," he added with a sinister smile.
"Just be careful not to use the 'm' word this time," Jennifer said with an evil grin.
"Oh, I was planning to see how close I can get you to saying it," Severus said wickedly, kissing her.
As the mist came up around the memory and young Jennifer exited, there was a protest from both Rosemary and Liberty, who apparently had wanted to see more of it. The real Jennifer, suddenly aware of them once more, blushed bright red and apologized profusely, having completely forgotten they were there.
"Any more of those?" Rosemary asked with interest.
"Er, no, the rest are about the family... I think," Jennifer said as they walked on.
"Good, I was about to suggest a break for cold showers," Liberty said.
They all walked in to witness the chaos of the couple spending summer at home with four young children, a teenager, and a Tigge nursemaid, yet somehow managing to steal a quick moment to taunt each other in the middle of the insanity. Both Jennifers chuckled at witnessing that, but as the memory Jennifer went on, the observing Jennifer looked up.
"We're just about at the end now," Jennifer explained to the others, leading them back out. "The last thing she'll see before she comes out will when she... I rather... was Obliviated by Amadeus Longbottom. Shall we go ahead and jump out?" she asked.
"No," Lunette said, he expression suddenly turning dark and unreadable. "I'll see it through until the end. But anyone who wants to jump out, feel free."
"I think I'll stay," Rosemary decided.
"Me too," Lav said.
"Same," Liberty said. Jennifer frowned at that.
"Jennifer," Lunette said, and she glanced over. "It's okay. Go ahead out and check on the other two."
"Yes, alright," Jennifer said, deciding she didn't need much convincing.
Soon she was standing on the outside of the bowl, blinking and shaking off some stiffness next to Kay and Gretchen. But while the two of them peered into the last scene curiously, Jennifer decided to get herself a cup of coffee, coming back over and then smiling to see herself back on the surface with her family, excitedly proving to all of them that she had all of her memories back.
A moment later, the Pensieve faded, and the rest of the witches put away their wands, stretching and looking thoughtful.
"So what happened to him, anyway? The wizard that did that, I mean," Lavender asked.
"You don't want to know," Lunette said darkly. Lavender glanced at Jennifer, who gazed into her coffee for a moment before finally sighing.
"That bad, Gran?" Liberty asked curiously.
"He was out in two years," Jennifer explained quietly, and the room became uncomfortably quiet. Finally Lav cleared her throat.
"Here's a thought. Why don't we go to the Reading Room and discuss our findings over a drink?" Lav suggested.
"Not a bad suggestion, but I have a private room we can use," Lunette offered, putting away her wand. "Pick up your Pensieve, Jennifer, and I'll lead you guys over there."
"Alright," Jennifer said, putting her cup in the sink and putting the Pensive in her cloak, following the other witches out of the room.
Lunette's private dining room was close enough to the Reading Room that they could hear the muffled sounds of jazz music coming from the band, loud enough to be heard but soft enough to easily have a conversation without raising one's voice. A long round table was surrounded by a red-cushioned booth that rather reminded Jennifer of the Enchanted Spoon, and there was a stained glass hanging lamp that cast a red light over the room.
Lav looked up with interest when the tuxedo-wearing barwitch with the short blonde hair they had met before came in with a tray of drinks, smiling at them warmly as she dropped off a tray of witch crafted beers.
"Thanks, Kenzie," Lunette said, the girl giving her a smile and then nodded at her guests before leaving. "I know some of you have to work tomorrow, so I decided to go with something light."
"Good idea," Jennifer agreed, taking a sip.
"So, does anyone have any useful observations?" Lunette asked. "And by that I mean, something you observed that might help Jennifer's memory research," she added when she noted how many of the girls were thinking of commenting or asking about something that had happened in the maze that they wanted more details on instead.
"Yes, I have a few, actually," Rosemary said. Lunette nodded to her, and Rosemary took out a small memo pad. "I thought this bit was interesting... after Jennifer was transported off, Professor Dumbledore mentioned using the caverns as a conduit of some sort. And then we find out from the other memory that it was like a maze inside rather than what one might think of as a typical cavern structure."
"Yes, it was really strange, actually," Jennifer agreed, looking thoughtful. "It's true that the sides of the maze resembled the caverns of the Tomb... only one with a very linear pattern. Despite all of the turns and apparent dead-ends, it always led me from my earliest memories to my later ones, and on top of that, I really never felt enclosed at all," she admitted thoughtfully.
"No, Jennifer. That's because the maze itself was actually your mind, and the part where the memories themselves are kept," Lunette replied. "I have a feeling, while I have no doubt that the Unicorns did transport you into an open spot in that maze, that you were in some sort of stasis rather than actually traveling anywhere, while your mind was busy working its way through the task at hand. The cavern was simply somewhere convenient; it was near Keki's horn and yet dark, quiet, and safe, with no distractions or sounds to interrupt the process of unlocking those memories."
"Yes, that would make sense to me," Jennifer agreed.
"I also think it's interesting how all of the earliest memories that we witnessed all involved a teacher that Jennifer was close to," Lunette added.
"Yes, I have that written down as well... and each of the more vivid memories were one on one with Jennifer," Rosemary noted. "Mother, Father, Wind, and Severus."
"Wait, I know that first memory of Severus we picked up was his teaching her how to dance," Lavender said. "But surely that doesn't really count as a teacher, does it?"
"Actually, Lav, Severus was indeed one of my mentors," Jennifer admitted with a smile. "When I got that job at Hogwarts, I was young, inexperienced, and quite alone, believing that both of my parents were already gone from the world," she explained. "And despite all of the stories I had heard about what was going on in Britain, I really had very little idea of what I was walking into. So, Severus stepped in and taught me there was a lot more to Defense than just having skill with a wand and the knowledge of all Dark spells at my disposal," she explained. "He taught me how to keep my cards folded, so to speak, and how to be more subtle. How to always find an exit, and how to prioritize what's important. He also helped my teaching a little," Jennifer added for good measure, her smile a bit sheepish on that point. Rosemary chuckled at that.
"So you fell for one of your mentors... really, I shouldn't be surprised about that part," Rosemary decided.
"Like I said, Jennifer is very high maintenance," Lunette said.
"If by that you mean that I wouldn't be standing here without any of the people who have helped me over the years, I wholeheartedly agree," Jennifer smiled.
"Yes, yes, but back to the subject at hand," Rosemary said, tapping her small notebook. "All of those teacher encounters happened before you finally caught up with the Unicorn. There was some sort of exchange between you."
"Indeed there was," Jennifer agreed. "That was the point where it felt as if Keki gave me the piece of me that was missing back."
"But why then?" Rosemary asked intently.
"Well, because she couldn't follow me past the point Severus and I... well..."
"No, no, I don't mean it like that. I mean, why wasn't it sooner?" Rosemary asked. "It seems to me that from all of the encounters you had before that point, you were already starting to recover and regain your memories before you even got your missing piece back."
"I'm sure that encounter was at least partially a symbolic exchange, Rosemary," Lunette said, but looked thoughtful.
"Maybe, but I did truly feel something during that exchange," Jennifer insisted. "I got a piece of myself back, and in the process lost some bravery."
"Bravery? No, you have that in spades, Jennifer. If you gained anything from being bonded to that Unicorn that you lacked, it wasn't bravery. It was probably confidence," Rosemary replied. "That's the real reason you balked at that door; you lost your confidence. But fortunately, once Keki chased you in there, you didn't need Keki's help anymore. Severus has been keeping your confidence propped up ever since."
Jennifer slowly grew redder, and redder, and redder.
"Rosemary Carmody, I am nothing short of impressed," Lunette said, tipping her beer mug. "You really have Jennifer's nature down to a T."
"Confidence has been a problem with Jennifer since her first year of school, really," Rosemary said with a shrug. "She was bullied physically, verbally, and unfortunately, telepathically once they figured out how to use her talents against her," Rosemary said somberly. "Of course, if she had more self confidence from the start and wasn't wearing her heart on a sleeve before she got there, it might have made a little difference."
"Yes, but consider what traumas she had been through before that point," Lunette reminded her.
"Yes, I know," Rosemary sighed.
"What happened to the idea of keeping the topic to the subject at hand?" Jennifer protested.
"I think we are, actually," Rosemary said firmly. "You see, while I think getting that missing piece of you helped speed the process up, it's obvious now that you were regaining your memories before that point. And that is important, Jennifer, because it shows that while the Unicorns used Keki's horn to create a connection with you to heal you, it wasn't the missing piece that created the bridge for you, it was something else, and that is very good news," she explained with a smile. "Since the part that can't be duplicated wasn't the true catalyst, it increases the chances that we can find a solution to the problem."
"She's right," Lunette agreed with a thin smile, glancing at Jennifer. "All we need is time, hard work, and a little bit of confidence," she added with a wink.
"Don't worry, she's got us to help her with that last part," Kay said resolutely.
"Well, you sure as hell don't need more confidence," Lav teased Kay, the others quickly agreeing to that point, giving Jennifer the time she needed to recover.