Chapter Seventy-Seven

Brighter Days

Not long after the circus had been shut down, Toby's Trinkets had moved back to its old location, and the tree retreated back from whence it came. For the first time in a long time, Toby was finally able to step out of his shop and take in a deep breath of air. Tattered remnants of old flyers still littered the ground and in the wind, and he was more than a little curious to take a look at the hillside below where the winery was to see what sort of damage had been done.

Half of the circus troupe... the ones that hadn't been arrested... were still busy packing up the circus so they could leave, having been delayed by countless interviews and a lengthy investigation into Mirage's dastardly curses and countless deaths. The only member of his managerial staff that had survived, Hammerbite, had been jointly arrested by both the Ministry and the Bank. He had been charged with two lifetime sentences; the first to be served in Goblin Prison, and the other lifetime... if he had another one... with the Ministry. Quite a number of Mirage's supporters in the circus proper had been arrested for everything from murder to kidnapping, as well being held for some for old crimes they had committed before joining the circus to keep from getting caught.

Some wizards assumed that everyone in the circus had been arrested and the circus had been disbanded. Because of that, Tolliver, Belinda, Penwiggle and Cookie were often met with surprise any time they visited town for some last minute supplies.

The tents had been taken down, and all that was left now were the wagons. Some were still being packed, while others were being painted over and repurposed. The only wagon still in its original spot was the cook house, and it was serving only quick sandwiches and snacks rather than full meals.

At one of the picnic tables outside, Belinda and Pyther sat across from each other, drinking a cup of tea.

"I know it won't be easy, rebranding the circus and fixing its reputation," Belinda said. "We may end up spending the entire summer season in the U.S. We got hooked up with some cheap land in New Mexico... there's nobody for miles around, but Tolliver says it's got an old Portkey station in a ghost town nearby that can be brought back up to code. We're going to work on basic facilities to make it livable, and then we'll be ready to reorganize. It'll be a smaller, family style circus, where part of the ticket sales keep us maintained and the other part of will help charities in the towns that we visit."

"Oh? I quite like that idea," Pyther said with a smile.

"It was Tolliver and Penwiggle's idea... they're taking over management. We all got to vote, and we voted for Tolly at first, but he was worried about his down days, so they decided to team up. Of course, we're still out of a doctor and an accountant and who knows what else, so we're still trying to sort it out. On one hand, it's overwhelming," she admitted. "But at the same time, this may finally be my chance to have the circus I've always wanted... a circus that brings joy and happiness wherever it goes. Where everyone who works here wants to be here, and thinks it's the best job in the world!"

"Yes," Pyther agreed with a smile.

"Do you like the name Joy? I was thinking Joy would be a good name if I have a girl," Belinda added. "And maybe Keaton if it's a boy?"

"Belinda, it's up to you," Pyther reminded her. "Just contact me through the painting I gave you when you need me to sign any paperwork and so that I can set up the proper accounts for the child's trust, and make certain I'm listed as a second contact in case there's an emergency. I want you to know that the door is always open for contact if you need it, but if you want to do this fully on your own, I will support that too."

"Okay, good. Because that's kind of what I want... full custody, but voluntary visitation? What is that called? This is new to me," Belinda said sheepishly.

"This is all new to me too, but I do know a good counselor that will help us figure it out," Pyther said.

"Oh, good! I'm terrible with paperwork... unless I'm juggling it... literally, I mean," Belinda said.

"Well, who do we have here?" John asked, and the two of them looked up with a smile. "Belinda, brother, how's the form? Am I interrupting?"

"Actually, we've kinda gotten as far as we can go with the conversation without a counselor anyway," Belinda said with a grin. "Look at you, you look great! I'm so glad you're alright."

"Aye, better than ever," John said with a smile. "I heard you were moving out soon and wanted to say goodbye to a mate or two, including you, Belinda."

"I'm going to miss you too, John. I think I learned a lot from you... we all did," Belinda replied. "You know, there a lot of us here that had times this winter when we'd all but given up... on other people, and on ourselves. Your kindness meant a great deal to us."

"I'm glad to hear it," John said with a smile. "I'm going to say bye to Cookie, now. Take care, Belinda."

"You too," Belinda said with a smile.

John then went in the cookhouse, then spotted Tolly and Penwiggle at a table and went over.

"Mornin' Tolly and Mr. Penwiggle. Are you still going to the wedding, Tolly?" John asked.

"Wouldn't miss it," Tolly agreed with a smile.

"I'll see you there, then," John smiled. "Mr. Penwiggle, if I don't see you before you're off to America, it was nice meeting you."

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to stay? Nobody will try to kill you again," Penwiggle promised. John chuckled.

"Thank you kindly, but I'm back to being the Caretaker of Hogwarts where I belong, under the greatest Headmaster there ever has been. It may not sound glamorous, but it's the perfect job in the world for me," John said.

"I understand," Penwiggle said with a smile. John nodded and went over to Cookie.

"So what is your real name then, when it's at home?" John wondered.

"James Cook... and before you ask, I get seasick on boats," Cookie said. John chuckled. "I'll be hopping ahead using the Portkey line on the way over, even if I have to cook with a campfire for a month before my wagon gets here."

"Best of luck to you. Perhaps one day we'll meet again," John said.

"And until then, I'll miss your burnt toast and your terrible coffee..."

"Aye, aye," John said, attempting to cut him off with a protesting chuckle.

"And your whistlin' and your warm good mornings, no matter how Spanx treated you the night before," Cookie finished more sincerely. "You've left a lasting impact on this family that won't be forgotten anytime soon."

"Thanks a mil. Take care of yourself," John said with a smile.

He finally made his way out of the camp and down the road, waving at Toby the Tinker, who was still surveying the damage with a thoughtful expression.

It was at that point while Ashley was minding the shop that one of the Brown Cloaked Figures came in, and Ashley looked up curiously.

"He's not here at the moment," she explained. "He's gone for a walk."

"Yes, I know. Actually, it's you I want to see," Five explained, walking over to the brochure counter. Then he picked one out and paid for it.

"Are you going to Tir Na Nog? I take it that means he's going to be leaving soon," she said with a frown.

"Yes, he's planning on leaving after the Snape birthday party," Five explained, "and there's going to be a lot of people interested in going back with him, so that brochure counter is about to be very popular. And now that the shop's back, it's going to get busy in here as well, which is why I had to do this now, you see. This ticket is for you," he said, handing it to her.

"For me?" Ashley repeated.

"Consider it an anniversary present, not that he ever remembers it, but... you know how it is," Five said.

"This is for me? I can finally go too?" Ashley said with a glow in her smile, then she looked at it with surprise. "Why! This one is for a month plus travel time! 'Garden Tours included with purchase.'"

"That comment's not supposed to be taken literally, Ashley. What that means is the Gardener is going to be your tour guide," Five explained with a smile. Ashley held it to her chest in disbelief. Then she looked at it again.

"Are you sure he'll really let me go?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"He doesn't have a choice now. It's a binding contract," Five explained.

"But I might interrupt his work..."

"Ashley," Five chuckled, taking a hand a moment. "Your needs are important too. How much would it mean to you to see the other half of his life that you don't get to see?"

"It means a great deal. More than I can put into words," Ashley admitted. "Thank you, Quintin."

"You can thank me most by keeping it a secret as to how you found that brochure... even to Toby."

"Yes, of course. I can keep it a secret," Ashley promised.

"Thanks, Ashley, have fun, and goodbye," Five said with a smile.

"Oh, goodbye!" Ashley said, quickly putting it in her robe protectively.


Danny and Taylor were led to the Doorlift and stepped out into a high end suite in the Coven Suites, finding themselves admiring the posh sitting room they had stepped into.

"I've never been up here," Taylor admitted, glancing curiously at the gold potion kit on the bar.

"It's been a while for me," Danny said, glancing over as Lunette stepped in the room.

"Good morning, thanks for coming," Lunette said. "Tea?"

"Thanks," Danny said, and the two of them came over to the table. "So what sort of visit is this?"

"A legal one of sorts," Lunette explained. "See, I just finished tracking down Amadeus Longbottom's will yesterday. It was in Arnold Jeffers old files and he gladly handed it over to me so that he didn't have to deal with it."

"Is see. And we're in it somehow," Danny prompted.

"Yes, conditionally, but that isn't exactly the problem," Lunette said, pouring their tea and handing it to them. "Basically, the way the will is written, it states that all of his estate goes to his living children, unless none exist. In which case, the estate reverts back to the Malfoy estate, ignoring disinheritance. In other words, the estate would end up going fifty one percent to Draco, thirty-nine percent to you, and ten percent to Mary. I guess that's his way of posthumously apologizing to you three from weaseling in and stealing it from you in the first place."

"So he did still have a sliver of conscience after all. Who knew?" Taylor said dryly.

"You did say there was a problem. I take it that Amadeus has a secret love child stashed somewhere," Danny said.

"Yes, but he's not the one who stashed her," Lunette explained apologetically. "I did, with a protective custody so tight that J. Edgar Hoover would be impressed. But now that she's technically the heir, I am looking for parental guidance on this. Because not only is she still a minor, but if she's declared the sole heir, it'd be hard to hide her from the public eye. And considering all of the nasty stuff that is likely to start leaking out about Amadeus and what he's been up to now that he's dead... I really don't want her caught up in the middle of it." Danny and Taylor looked at each other. Then they looked at Lunette.

"Yes, of course it's Gloria," Lunette confirmed. "We've been hiding her from him since Aurelius tracked down the mother and found out just how abusive the relationship was."

"What happened to the mother?" Taylor asked.

"She's in protective custody in New York. More than likely, Aurelius has already informed her that Amadeus is dead. But she is well aware that the adoption is closed, and considering she's not in anyone's way, she doesn't need to be informed about this," Lunette explained.

"Yes, but who is she? Someone we know?" Taylor insisted.

"Well, no one you know, but someone you've met briefly, since she and her husband were at Lucky and Dale's wedding," Lunette admitted. "It's Jenni Ghent, Mark Ghent's wife."

"So... she had a kid with one of Jennifer's kidnappers... and then married the other one," Taylor said flatly.

"She's not exactly the brightest apple in the barrel," Lunette acknowledged. "But she's got a good heart despite her poor judgment, and she's actually had a positive effect on Mark."

"So... now what? What should we do about the will?" Danny asked.

"Well, as Gloria's legal guardians, there are two options, really," Lunette said. "You can accept the media circus that would come from the Malfoy Estate having a secret heir and all of the fallout that comes with it, or you could take my advice and disclaim her inheritance. That would make the will revert back to being split up between Draco, you, and Mary. Your family would obviously get a lot less of the share, but you'd be able to protect her identity from the public."

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with that," Danny said. "Hopefully she won't resent that decision when she's older."

"Well, once the taxes are paid, let's take the liquid assets and put it in a trust vault for her. It'll still be a nice nest egg for her if we give it a ten or fifteen year appreciation before she can withdraw on it," Taylor suggested. "As for the property and company issues... have fun sorting that out, Danny."

"I don't think it'll be as hard as you think once Draco understands the whole situation. We are going to tell my cousin the whole situation, right?" Danny asked Taylor.

"Yeah," Taylor agreed supportively. "But I also think we should tell Gloria now that the threat is gone. I know she's been struggling lately with who she is and wondering about where she came from, and I just don't feel I can keep this from her. I think we should still try to keep it a secret from everyone else, just not from her or from family."

"Perhaps you might include Aurelius in that discussion to insure it stays a secret. And... maybe me. Or Harry. Or all three, since we're all mixed up in this legally," Lunette explained.

"Yes, alright. We can meet up in my office at school," Danny suggested. "And as for Jenni Ghent, well, that should be Gloria's to decide, and in her own time." Lunette nodded to them with a smile.

It was later that very same day that Gloria got a message to meet her mother for lunch. At first she was afraid this was about her Transfiguration final... or worse... Potions. Not that scores were posted yet, of course, that wouldn't happen until the end of the week. But she was still quite nervous that one of her teachers might have accidentally let it slip just how rotten her scores were.

When she got into the office, she couldn't help but become wide eyed with surprise at the fact that Harry Potter and Lunette Vallid were there. Her parents she expected. Aurelius... well, he was still the assistant of Slytherin. How low did her finals have to be to get kicked out?

"No, Gloria, this isn't about your Transfiguration Final," Aurelius said after she had stood in the door for a moment.

Giggling sheepishly, she stepped inside, but was immediately made more nervous by the fact that everyone in the room seemed to be trying to make her more comfortable, giving her the good chair and offering cocoa and biscuits before finally settling down. Gloria listened thoughtfully as her parents told her who her birth parents were, explaining both truthfully and yet as carefully as they could that Amadeus had been her father, and that her birth mother was still alive and secretly living in New York.

But the more they talked and attempted to console her, the more her thoughts nagged her. Aurelius and Lunette exchanged looks with one another. Neither of them wanted to interrupt her parents or get in the way with how they were attempting to handle it. But at the same time, they couldn't help debating if they shouldn't say something...

Suddenly Gloria jumped up with such frustration that her parents immediately thought she was going to go into hysterics.

"TELL ME ABOUT MY COUSIN!" Gloria shouted at them at the top of her lungs. Danny, Taylor, and Harry stared at her in open surprise, while Aurelius and Lunette smiled, relieved that she had finally spoken up.

"I don't care that my Father was a horrible murderer, I've known he was a horrid person even before that stupid ball started telling me how bad he was. I knew I wasn't in protective custody all of my life for no reason, just how stupid do you think I am?" Gloria snapped at them. "I want to know about the wizard in my dream! The Gryffindor with the toad and something about a Remembral and all of that. He told me he was my Fairy God Cousin and he talked me out of going back to the circus when I was getting frustrated about not knowing who my parents were. But in the end, I was so focused on trying to figure out who he was, I honestly didn't care as much about who my father was anymore."

Still panting from her frustration, Gloria became aware of something that made her just as shocked as her parents seemed to be from what she had just said. Because sitting next to them, Harry Potter had tears down his cheeks, and his attempt at rubbing his eyes doing very little to hold back the emotion that had overtaken him. Gloria was stunned at seeing the famous Auror crying so openly, and it was a moment that would stick with her for the rest of her life.

"Yes, Gloria, even Aurors are allowed to cry sometimes," Aurelius said with a soft smile.

"Sorry... no, sorry..." Harry said, waving off the handkerchiefs and getting out his own. "That blow to the heart was just so out of the blue, I simply couldn't contain it. Give me a moment. No wait... here, Gloria," Harry said, shakily putting his hand in his pocket and getting out a small album, holding it out to her.

Gloria took it unsurely, but then began to eagerly go through it. Apparently, it was a bunch of old wedding pictures. Finally she paused and flipped back a page, getting a closer look.

"That's him! That's the man I saw!" Gloria said at last brightly. By that time, Harry had managed to pull himself together, and was smiling when she came back over with her finger on the photo.

"Yes, that's him. That's your cousin Neville. We graduated Hogwarts together," Harry explained. "He had a bit of a rough time in school starting out, but he was stellar by the end of it, especially in Herbology, which he majored in, and in Charms."

"Herbology and Charms! Just like me!" Gloria said excitedly.

Danny sighed with relief and looked up at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Neville, wherever you are," Danny murmured.

"To Neville," Taylor agreed, raising his cup, the others doing the same.

"Hey, would you like to hear a really funny story about the time Neville had to face a Boggart in Defense class?" Harry offered.

"Yeah," Gloria said with a grin, and everyone smiled softly as he retold the story.


For dinner, Danny went over to Draco's townhouse.

After dinner, the two of them stood in front of the Malfoy Mansion, staring at it.

"No, I insist. You take it," Draco said evenly.

"No thanks. You can have it. I'm good," Danny insisted.

"Well, one of us has to take it," Draco said. "Since Mary's percent is low, it'll be easier just to pay hers in liquid assets."

"Agreed. But really... it was your house growing up, so..."

"Why the craters do you think I don't want it?" Draco said.

The two of them stared at it again even as the light began to fade, leaving only the automatic security lights. Somehow, seeing it in the dark like that made it even less appealing.

"How about we burn it?" Draco suggested. "And turn it into a carpark."

"It's probably too magic polluted to be turned into a Muggle carpark, but I like the idea of leveling it anyway," Danny admitted. "How about this: You level the house, and I'll gut what's left of the Oracle," she suggested. Draco pondered it for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm good with that," he decided, and the two turned and faded as they went back to the townhouse to figure out how to dispense with the rest of it.


Mari carefully lifted the glass tank off her desk and carried it downstairs to the Common Room of Conspiracies. Several students were busy studying for the last of their final exams, while an equal number of students were just relaxing and talking over their summer plans having gotten the worst of their tests out of the way already. She brought the table over to where Eben sat, putting the finishing touches on his term paper for Professor Scribe.

"You still haven't turned that in yet?" Mari asked him.

"I have until five to turn it in... I just wanted to double-check and make sure I didn't miss any research sources. If I get a good score, I should finish near the top of my class," Eben explained. "I see you have your wooden cocoon. Did something change?"

"Yes, there are cracks in it now. I think it might open soon," Mari said. "I hope it doesn't turn into a wasp or something else horrid. I was a bit afraid that Polly would give me a hard time about it if it did, so I brought it down with me."

"I doubt it's going to turn into anything bad," Eben said.

"But Mr. Toby said he didn't know what it was. He said he just copied it out of a random tree," Mari pointed out.

"Look, if you're nervous about it, I'll sit and watch it with you. Just let me turn this in real quick, and I'll be right back," Eben said.

Mari sighed and sat down on the couch with the cage on her lap, picking it up every now and then to see if there was any progress. Finally Eben came back, making himself comfortable on a chair next to her.

"Any change yet?" Eben asked.

"Not really," Mari said. The two of them began to get really bored... worse, they became really hungry as all of the other Slytherin left for dinner, leaving the two of them in the common room by themselves. Finally, Mari sighed. "Maybe it's not going to hatch today after all. Maybe we should go to dinner."

"We might miss it if we do," Eben pointed out. "Besides, I think there are more cracks than there were before."

"Do you think so?" Mari said, lifting it up skeptically. "Maybe you're just imagining it."

"Here, let's sit on the floor so we have a better view of it. You want a chocolate frog?" he asked, pulling some candy out of his pocket.

"Better than nothing, I suppose," Mari said, as she put the cage on the table and the two of them repositioned themselves.

"I'll go raid the kitchen once it's hatched," Eben promised.

"You seem to be even more excited about it hatching than I am," Mari commented.

"Well, think of it this way," Eben said. "No matter what's in there, it'll be special, because nobody else I know has a carved figure that's hatched out of a cocoon before."

"I suppose it is pretty bizarre. I wonder what sort of spells are on this that makes that possible?" Mari asked.

"I have no idea in the slightest. You'd have to ask Professor Craw about that one," Eben said.

"I tried, actually," Mari admitted. "She just smiled and said that Mr. Toby had a special brand of magic and sometimes it was better to simply accept it at face value."

"Really? That doesn't sound much like her, does it? I thought she always wanted to know how everything worked," Eben said, getting out some Bertie Botts beans. "Is that another crack?"

Mari frowned at it.

"No, now stop saying that. If I keep looking, I swear it's never going to come out," Mari said.

"Well, if it doesn't, we've missed dinner for nothing. Bertie Botts?" Eben suggested, and Mari dipped her hand in with a sigh, getting another handful. "So how have you been doing on finals?"

"I'm within Father's standards, I suppose that's all that really matters," Mari said. Eben frowned at that. "After everything we've been through, I'd like a quiet summer."

"You know it's not too late to come with me and spend the summer at Aunt Blair's house. There will be a lot more to do there," Eben told her.

"And a party every weekend where we'll have to play dress up while our aunt mingles with the locals and parades us about, so that we can learn the finer points of using our talents to secure marriages that improve our status," Mari said critically.

"You really think Father doesn't want the same thing?" Eben challenged her. "Why do you think he lets us go over there? And personally, I'd rather do it her way than keep a pet wife like father does. Either way, like it or not, I think she's our best option this summer. Father would be a lot less likely to question your thoughts being hidden after a summer with Aunt Blair than he would be if we came home directly, you know. It's a lot less dangerous if he assumes our aunt's influences had something to do with it, and you know it. Besides, I don't like the idea of you spending the entire summer wandering the moors by yourself, even if the Hag Sisters are always nearby. You're safer with me near London," Eben said.

Mari frowned at that, glancing at the wooden cocoon again.

"Did you see the paper this morning?" she asked, and he nodded somberly at that. "Did you see that list of names of everyone they dug up on that circus back lot... and that list of others that went missing they now suspect had something to do with the circus?"

"Yes... although it looked liked most of them were already with the circus when they got here," Eben noted. "There were only a handful of locals caught up in that..."

"You sound just like Father... 'only a handful,' like half a dozen isn't much since so many of them were internal. It doesn't lessen any one of them, though, does it? And all of those locals who had become clowns, whether they joined voluntarily or were forced to... they'd have just found themselves buried in the next town. Now we have to live with the fact that it was our family who brought him here," Mari said. "Even after Father turned on them and realized how bad they were, he still pointed out in his last letter just how much our family benefited from the disruption, by 'breaking the Snape stronghold' as he puts it, and 'giving us ways to reposition our family in the country over the long term' and all of that," she said bitterly. "I wish you'd never made me face that nightmare, Eben. I'd have been better off if I hadn't found out about it."

"You don't really mean that," Eben said.

"We are pawns in Father's game whether I know the truth or not. The only difference now is that I hate being a pawn despite knowing I have no choice, where before I didn't mind it so much," Mari said.

"I don't believe that either," Eben admitted.

"You don't believe we're pawns?" Mari said. "Dispensable ones at that?"

"No, you're right about that part. I just don't think there was a time where you 'didn't mind' being a pawn. I believe that you have always hated your position, whether you wanted to acknowledge it or not," Eben said. "I know there's not much we can do about it, other than play duck and cover at Aunt Blair's, who at least is more tolerant as long as we go along with her social plans. Perhaps someday, we will find a way out. Who knows? Maybe Aunt Blair will hook one of us up with someone who'll give one of us enough clout we can stand up to Father. I don't mind the idea of marrying my way into more leverage if I have to."

"Yes, I know you don't, Eben, but I'd rather marry for love... if I could ever get anyone to look at me twice," Mari said irritably.

"It isn't your looks, if that's what you're worried about, Mari," Eben informed her. "It's the fact that you've always been father's mouthpiece that chases everyone away, you know."

"Well I'm not that now," Mari murmured. "Right now... I just don't know what I am. Or who I am. All I know is... I'm scared."

Eben leaned over and hugged her in understanding, hearing a strange noise behind him. He turned around, staring at the tank.

"Mari, look," Eben said, and Mari opened her eyes and frowned at the tank. Soon both of them had their noses to the glass; there was no denying it now... there were so many cracks in the wood that it began to look like a jagged jigsaw puzzle.

Suddenly it burst apart, and the two watched in amazement as the creature shook off its wings and flew into the air, its beautifully patterned, multi-colored wooden wings very much resembling a butterfly's wings despite flapping as quickly as a hummingbird's. Its body looked remarkably like a seahorse body but with tiny insect legs and a very dragon-like head, its bejeweled eyes looking between them curiously.

"Why, she's beautiful!" Mari said with delight. "What is it?"

"I don't know... a faerie creature of some kind. Hang on," Eben said, running over to a shelf filled with reference books and picking out one of the encyclopedia volumes, opening up a section on mythical fae creatures. "'They're called either Draigien Sidhe or Aethisdraig... Dragon Faerie, or in the second case, Dragonfly,' Eben read. "Fabled beast mentioned in many stories and texts first appearing after the Fae Invasions. While there's no evidence this Sidhe creature ever existed, some experts speculate that they may be a common race in Tir Na Nog based on their prevalence in stories.'"

"Really? That doesn't make sense. He must have lied to me then," Mari said.

"Who? Mr. Toby?" Eben asked.

"Yes, because he told me he copied that cocoon off of one he saw on a tree somewhere. How could he have done that unless he'd been..." Mari cut herself off, staring at the Dragon Faerie, who stared back at her. "Oh no! It can't be! Can it?" she asked.

"It would explain a lot," Eben admitted, staring at the book a moment more before closing it slowly. "Those accounts of him coming to look over the school when Professor Snape went to Tir Na Nog... and the fact that Snape's his apprentice and all of that..."

"Eben, what are we going to do?" Mari cut off. "This is nearly as bad as our other secret! We can't let father find out who he is, because I'm sure that'd be really bad! Are you sure your shields are going to be strong enough to protect that from him?"

"Did you need a bit of backup?" The two of them looked up to see Aurelius standing in the door with an even expression.

"Yes, please," Eben said immediately.

"You know you two are really lucky nobody else walked in here during the last part of that conversation, right?" Aurelius pointed out.

"Everyone else is at dinner," Mari explained.

"Yes, I know. Come on, let's go to my office so that you two can have dinner too," he suggested, earning a rare smile from the two Maxens as they got up. Mari gently reached over to get the Dragon Faerie to alight on her hand, helping her new wooden companion onto her shoulder as they followed him to his office.

Andrew walked into the Headmaster's Study during his conference time, so focused on being in the middle of final exams that he really didn't have a clue what his father wanted to see him about. He strode right into his office without bothering with a good afternoon.

"Let me finish this one line, Andrew, and I'll be with you," Severus said.

"So, is this about posting finals, or wedding stuff?" Andrew wanted to know. Severus glanced up from his work.

"Is there nothing else?" Severus inquired, finishing his train of thought and setting it aside.

"No, right now, that's all I have time for," Andrew said flatly.

"I admire your focus... and your good fortune," Severus said dryly, glancing at just how much work he had to do before the end of the year. "No, I simply wanted to say something about that altercation we had in the hall." Andrew stared at him, completely baffled. "Just before you took off after Laura and got yourself stuck in that Big Wheel for the trouble."

"Oh, yes. I guess that was pretty stupid, wasn't it? I should have listened to you," Andrew admitted.

"True, although I must admit that had anyone else gone in after her, we wouldn't have been able to save both passengers. But considering how long it had taken him to fill those carriages, you probably could have gone after her once the students were safe," Severus mused.

"You're right," Andrew said with a sigh. "I guess I owe you an apology, especially considering... well, I didn't know at the time... about where Mother was and what sort of pressure you were under."

"Yes, that is true as well, but be that as it may, I did go a step too far that night when you tested me, so I apologize," Severus said. Andrew stared at him, trying and failing to remember the if his father had apologized to him for anything before. "If it'll make you feel any better, I'll perform extra duties for starting a fight in the hall." Andrew snorted softly with a smile.

"Now, what sort of extra duties would you do?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure your mother will think of something. Anyway, that was all I wanted to say, so you can go back to your final wedding things now," Severus said, gesturing with his hand as if shooing him away.

"Thanks, Father," Andrew chuckled, heading back to class.


There had been a great deal of back and forth about who it was that was going to earn the privilege of conducting Laura and Andrew's ceremony. In the end, Albus Dumbledore won the honor, making Andrew promise to always ask Laura how she felt rather than assume he knew it, and making Laura promise to tell Andrew in very exact detail why she was angry with him.

Halbert stood by Andrew's side looking absolutely chuffed for his best friend, while both Lindsay and Ginger teamed up not only to support Laura but to stun and bring back Andrew if he attempted to make a last minute run for it. A round of chuckles after the kiss was enough to prompt Andrew to look up, completely unsurprised that his father had given in to Ginger's request and put flying pig illusions floating about the cathedral ceilings.

Even before Laura had thrown her bouquet, Andrew insisted on a dance, attempting to ignore the fact that his siblings had sabotaged that as well, starting with the Sleeping Beauty Waltz.

"I am going to get even with them," Andrew promised.

"Well, you'll have to do it before we leave for Japan in a few days," Laura said. "Because after that, you're mine."

"Planning to take advantage of me, are you?" Andrew said.

"Most definitely," Laura said.

"You know, that's the problem with most of those books you read. I mean all of those old classic romance novels," Andrew said. Laura squinted at the teasing tone in his voice as they danced.

"In what way?" she asked.

"Because all of those books end with a wedding," Andrew complained.

"Not always. Some of them end with a shocking break up," Laura pointed out.

"I know some do, but in the vast majority of them..."

"Because we all know you've read so many..."

"They end with a wedding," Andrew finished, not letting her get him off track. "Sometimes you're lucky to get a chapter of epilogue or something, but it's still not fair. If we were one of your romance books, we'd be at the end of the book. I'd hate that!"

"And why is that, exactly?" Laura asked.

"Because we never get to see the payoff!" Andrew complained. Laura rolled her eyes at that. "Instead of ending at the wedding, how about we start a revolution and make a new rule that books can't end until after the honeymoon?" he said with a wicked grin.

"Then they'd simply skip ahead and expect everyone to use their imaginations. Stop being difficult," Laura scolded him. "Besides, maybe there will be a sequel."

"Yeah, but even then, all the fun bits are skipped over. There are too many writers that are nothing but a big tease when it comes to stuff like that," Andrew complained.

"I guess it depends on the intended audience," Laura teased. "If you want more of that, try an adult bookstore."

"I got a better idea, how about we write our own lurid book? We'll write up the wedding night and honeymoon chapters for all of your favorite characters, using ours as a reference," Andrew suggested mischievously.

"Nah. Let's just keep it between us," Laura decided, kissing him again.

"You're no fun," Andrew told her, gently leading her across the floor. Sitting to one side, a large group of girls from every house sighed as they twirled by, wishing a day would come that they'd meet a guy that would look at them like that on the dance floor.

When the music stopped, Carol came over with a warm, proud smile.

"Look at you, so in love, when my mind remembers you both as babes," Carol said. "Laura, you still have your flowers in your hand. You should throw it to the envious lasses who are waitin' for the thing, and then afterwards, I'd like the two of you to come over to where your Da and Granda are sitting for a wee talk."

"Alright," Laura said with a smile. Laura then pointedly held it up in everyone's view, getting a great deal of encouraging cheers, especially from the younger crowd as she stepped up on the dais.

She wasted little time after that reciting the spell and throwing it hard to see how far back she could get. In fact, it sailed over most of the grasping girls and landed on Lunette's lap. She stared at it in horror.

"No. No, no, NOT HAPPENING!" Lunette screamed. "I'm not going through that again!" she told the offensive flowers before getting up and stomping on them over and over again while everyone stared at her fury in complete surprise. Then she stormed out of the room, the bouquet suddenly bursting into flames and turning into a pile of ashes.

"Okay, then," Laura said. Several of Lunette's friends looked sympathetically towards the doors she went out of.

"And everyone thought I had a bad attitude about marriage," Andrew said.

Laura simply grabbed his hand and pulled him over to where Carol, Remus, and Dorset were sitting. Tolly was also sitting at their table, smiling warmly at them as they came over.

"Here we are," Laura announced. Andrew, noticing there was only one chair left at the table, shrugged and didn't trouble himself with grabbing another, sitting down and pulling Laura on his lap instead.

"Oh, no. What have you gotten yourself into?" Dorset teased her.

"I can handle him, grandfather. If I couldn't, we'd never have gotten married," Laura said. Andrew smiled at her in exasperation but was in no hurry to correct her either. "So what did you want to talk to us about?"

"It's about Lupin Island, actually. We're giving it to you," Remus said. Laura frowned at that, while Andrew looked thoughtful.

"Aye, and I'm giving you the Waveskipper to go with it," Dorset said. "And Kelpie will be going to John and Mitch, it's better than dry docking them. I'll keep the Adventurer in the boat shed for times we come on holiday."

"Wait a minute... that means you've made up you're mind and you're going over there, aren't you?" Laura said with a frown, then looked at her grandfather. "Grandda, you're going over there too?"

"Aye, lass, that I am," Dorset confirmed. "I hear that many years have past since fishin' in the ocean has been a thing over there, and it's only just now beginning to come back in style, so there will be plenty to do. Professor Snape is going to offer employment to my Merrow crews, and we're planning to keep my docks and house here for when we come back to visit. And now that I know you took liberties with the Professor's formula, I don't have to worry about you turning old and grey before me."

"Yes, alright, don't rub it in," Laura said sheepishly, glancing at Andrew, who smiled at her. "I know that the Professor thinks I jumped the flare by using it on Andrew, but I was afraid the spell hadn't worked and I'd never cast it before. I didn't want to lose him, especially just before our wedding. But I am going to miss you when you go."

"Och yes, that reminds me of our other gift... the one that actually fits on the table over there," Carol said. "There's a Teledim to help keep in contact... oh, but you're going to have to give us a bit of time to get settled, so don't panic if it isn't right away."

"Okay. We'll talk about it more before you go," Laura said.

"Yes, fair enough," Carol said with a smile. "Oh, hello, John!" she said as John walked up.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, dear cousin, but Laura, your Uncle Mitch is gettin' a bit anxious about the cake thing..."

"Oh, well we mustn't keep Mitch waiting, must we," Laura said, and Andrew quickly helped her up, the two of them going over there.

Jennifer watched from her seat with interest as they wandered towards the cake, and Severus called her name a second time to get her attention.

"Hm?" Jennifer asked.

"I said this is all a bit much for the boys right now. Do you mind if I take them back upstairs?" Severus repeated.

"But I wanted cake!" Quintin complained.

"I tell you what. I'll have Francie send the three of you each a piece to your rooms, would you like that? Don't worry, Jay. I'll send over enough so that you can share with your roommates," Jennifer promised.

"Thanks," Jay said distractedly. He was at that stage... that stage where he was tired of how his friends treated him differently now. Jennifer smiled understandingly at him, remembering vividly how it was for Corey. Time and patience and treating him the same as the rest, that was the key.

"Thank you," Rus said. Jennifer had the feeling he meant more than just the cake, and glanced over at him. Thank you for taking care of us. Jennifer smiled back at him.

That is what we're here for, because we're family and we love you, she thought back.

"I love my family, and I love cake!" Quintin declared.

"Hopefully in that order," Severus replied.

It wasn't long before he was escorting the three of them out, dropping Jay off at Slytherin before taking the other two upstairs to where a set of bunkbeds had been thrown into Quintin's room. When Rus had moved in two days ago, there had been a quick argument for who was going to sleep where, but Severus quickly put that argument to a stop by telling Quintin he wasn't old enough for the top bunk.

"When I'm as old as Rus, I want to be on the top bunk!" Quintin declared.

"By then I'll be at Hogwarts in a house room," Rus pointed out. "There'd be no one to be on a bottom bunk, so there'd be no point."

"Yes, alright, go have your cake and punch at the table. Rus, did you get a summer reading list from your teacher before you left?" Severus asked.

"I don't have to do that yet, do I? Can't we wait until we're back at Baker Street... and after the family birthday party?" Rus asked hopefully.

"And after that, what will you think of next to try and kick it down the road?" Severus inquired.

"I don't know, but I'll think of something," Rus said with a grin. Quintin laughed, thinking Rus was quite funny.

"Come, now, surely there's something on there you can find that you'd like to read. Now go ahead and change out of your good clothes and have your cake. I'll be just next door if you need me," Severus told them, then stepped into the study.

"Hey, Severus," Caprica said with a yawn. "I got the last of the security changes you wanted made, and I'm ready for a nap whenever you want to send me. Or are we expecting trouble with one day of school left?"

"Only the trouble that comes when students learn they didn't do quite as well on their finals as they expected," Severus said, Caprica laughed softly at that. "But I think we'll manage. Thank you for your help, Caprica."

"That's what I'm here for!" she replied cheerfully.

"Goodnight, Caprica. See you next crisis. Rogue, if you'll do the honors?" Severus asked, and Caprica faded from view. Severus sat down at the desk and noticed a note from Boulderdash, and he curiously took a peek to see which student won the Owl pin.