Chapter Seventy-Eight
The Party at Parra
For a while it had been too close to call, and most of the Owls felt for certain that TJ would win the pin again this year, even after losing all of those points and getting in trouble for 'rescuing students without permission' during the circus incident. But in the end, it was Harvey who stood long enough to get his Owl pin, his very first, he thought with a smile.
"Congratulations, Harvey!" TJ said warmly.
"Just how did you manage to pull ahead? Did you meet your last weight goal?" Kai asked with a grin.
"It wasn't that," Harvey said. "I had a life goal in there that I thought I'd never accomplish. I got invited to go to Quidditch Training Camp this summer," he explained, and everyone congratulated him enthusiastically. "I guess Mr. Carnegie said something to Professor Craw about it."
"And when Professor Craw knows about it, things tend to get done," Amy said with a grin.
"Exactly," Harvey said with a grin. "Although I am a bit nervous about it all."
"Don't worry about it, Harvey," Apollo said, getting the hint immediately. "Let's set up a place to meet up and I'll take you over, show you around, and introduce you to people."
"Thanks, Apollo, that'd be great," he said with a smile, sitting down. "So what is everyone else doing this summer?"
"Hanging out at my aunt's house," Eben shrugged.
"Working on getting moved back into Baker Street," Jay said distractedly. "And then heading off to attend some party and spend a couple of weeks at the summer cottage."
"I can't wait to see it myself, it sounds amazing," Hadrian said.
"So you're going too?" Summer asked.
"I sure am. Professor Snape just bought it recently," Hadrian explained.
"Yes, it's somewhere called Port du Sorcière or something like that... it's a small wizard resort on the south shore of France with some wizard holiday properties with private docks and the like," Charles explained. "We're all meeting there for an open house and a joint birthday party for Quintin, Alicia, Aurelius, Andrew, and Alex."
"Yeah, Professor Craw's making Professor Andrew and Laura wait to go on honeymoon til afterwards, since they have to wait for the end of school anyway, she told them, 'What's two more days?'" Viorica explained.
"I'm not sure I'd be willing to hold off my honeymoon because a relative wanted to throw a party," Apollo said.
"I suppose if it had been any other relative asking, that'd be true," Viorica said. "But it's sort of become a family rule; there's just no arguing with grandmother. No matter what excuse you come up with, it isn't going to work. She always wins."
Severus, who had originally been planning on a very intimate sort of holiday for their first visit, found Jennifer planning a very large party indeed.
"You said there was quite a bit of land, did you not? We can easily bring tents for everyone who wants to stay over. You did say there was enough room in the cottage for the six of us? The boys plus Hadrian?" Jennifer wanted to know, attempting to get hints despite the fact that Severus had his thoughts blocked off again.
"Yes, there's plenty of room," Severus said with a sigh. "Really, after just having a wedding three days ago and just getting back, did you really have to plan such an elaborate party for our first venture to Parra?"
"Is that the name of the property?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"There's a path with arch trellises leading to the cottage with grape vines growing on them. I thought the name was quite appropriate," Severus reasoned.
"In other words, you named it," Jennifer chuckled at him. "Well! I rather like the idea of a Mediterranean garden. I should start a lovely pot garden with cooking herbs too if there's room."
"Yes, I believe there is," Severus agreed.
"I wonder if Alicia is bringing the painting? I do want everyone to see it, and she did say she'd have the final touches done this week," Jennifer mused. "I think I'll ask her to bring it."
"Let's just not pack the whole house for this trip, though, Jennifer, considering we just got done unpacking from school. You'll find that the cottage is well stocked; in fact, I enlisted Sirius and Zoe to help me prepare it for our arrival."
"You really do like to overplan everything, don't you? I am quite certain that I could have handled decorating a holiday cottage all by myself," Jennifer scolded him, then stepped out of their bedroom and into the living room. Jay was watching the telly with the same dark look he'd been wearing for days.
"Corey?" Jennifer said, talking to the tree painting above the mantle. "Could you please ask Alicia if she had time to finish up on the painting? I'd really like to show it off at the party at the summer cottage."
"I'll find out, Mom," the painting said, and then Jennifer turned her attention to Jay.
"Have you finished packing for our holiday, Jay?" Jennifer asked him.
"Yes, I packed it all," he sighed. "But I think this whole party idea is stupid."
"You really do use that word a lot, Jay. It's not a very nice word. Can you come up with a better one?" Jennifer asked him. Jay sighed and got up, getting in his book bag for his thesaurus and looking it up.
"How about asinine?" Jay suggested.
"Jay! Goodness, we really are going to have to work on your manners, aren't we?" Jennifer said sternly.
"Why are we having a party considering what happened two weeks ago?" he demanded. "Since when do we have a big family outing this time of year? Typically we do it near the end of summer, not at the beginning."
"Yes, I know, we've always done it around Corey's birthday," Jennifer replied, sitting down for a moment. "But I had been thinking about moving it for some time, because you see, most of the birthdays and anniversaries in this family are at the end of May or the beginning of June because we tend to plan things around the start of summer. So, the beginning of summer makes a lot more sense for this sort of party... and it's not really the first time we've done this, it's simply been a while," Jennifer said. "But after everything this family has been through, and with Severus wanting to show off the new property, I thought everyone could do with a bit of cheering up."
"Sometimes people don't want cheering up," Jay grumbled.
"Why, Janus! You sounded just like your grandfather," Jennifer said, looking distant. "My, how that takes me back... when was it that he said that? And it was because of your mother. Oh, yes. I remember now," Jennifer said, thinking back. "It was right after Xavier got in a fight with a goblin and the goblin ended up dying... he broke up with Alex right after, deciding that he didn't want to get her caught up with his family's feud with the goblins. Since it was her first boyfriend, Alexandria took that breakup very hard and she grew quite depressed, so much so that it was effecting her schoolwork quite dramatically," she explained. "When I attempted to make her feel better, your grandfather said exactly the same thing. I was rather cross with him about it, but was right in the end. He put her in detention for a week, and at the end of it he gave her an impossible problem to solve. And the reason he did it was to teacher that no matter how much control we think we have over our lives, there are always times when things happen that we can't control, or change, no matter how badly we want it to. And in those times, we have to learn how to make the best of our situation and adapt, to forge a new path for ourselves, and learn to walk away from a blocked path," she said, smiling softly at him despite the fact that he was pretending to be more interested in the telly. "Do you know, that ended up being a very important lesson for Alex... not only because of the lesson itself, but because that was the moment she had learned to respect him as a teacher as well as a father. It was a real turning point in their relationship, as a matter of fact. And on that note, I think I want to talk to your grandfather for a moment. Do me a favor and make certain that Quintin and Rus are ready to go too. Then, as long as you're fully ready to go, you can watch more telly until it's time to leave."
"Yes, Grandmother," Jay said, making his way up the front stairs while Jennifer went back to the bedroom.
"That took a bit. Did Alicia take some convincing?" Severus asked, double-checking his emergency list against the contents of his Chest Cloak.
"Oh, no, it wasn't about that," Jennifer said. "I stopped to talk to Jay, because he was in the living room watching television."
"He's going to completely ruin his eyesight watching as much of it as he does," Severus replied.
"I think it's just a coping thing for him," Jennifer decided. "Severus, do you happen to remember the Final Problem?"
"Of course," Severus said.
"No... I don't mean the Sherlock Holmes one," Jennifer said, Severus glancing at her questioningly as he closed his chest. He pulled some familiar cages out of the closet. "Jay said something that reminded me of how Alex behaved after she broke up with Xavier in school because of that fight with the goblin."
"Oh, yes... when they kidnapped her to read that map... the year Earham Singh taught Transfiguration," Severus mused.
"Yes, that year. You put her in detention for not getting her homework done and made her come in for extra defense work every day until you gave her an impossible problem... involving Grendel or something," Jennifer said. "To teach her that there's not always a solution to every problem and you can't control every situation."
"Oh yes. I remember," Severus said, handing her Radiance's cage.
"Me too," Jennifer replied thoughtfully. "I wonder if Alex remembers?"
As she left to head up towards the attic, Severus pondered that question, wondering if Jennifer didn't have a point. It was, after all, Alex's job to do the impossible; the fact that she was incapable of doing so when it mattered to her personally must have been even more of a shock than it seemed on the surface. And in the same token, it had probably hit Jay in the same way; after seeing his mother and grandfather pull off the impossible time and again, he must have deeply resented the fact that neither of them had been capable of saving his father.
The five of them Portkeyed onto the boat to find it already moored to a newly stained and sealed dock with lush trees curled around to lend to the privacy of the beautiful garden. A small dock house looked out onto the ocean, and glancing in the windows, it looked as if it was separated into two spaces with one half being a storage and equipment room, while the half facing the water seemed to be a sun room with cushioned benches. There was very little beach; it was rocky and built up to protect against the tides. What little there was of it was narrow, and a low brick wall ran to either side of the path, sectioning the rocks off from a beautiful terraced lawn. Arch lattices ran along the cobbled path broken up with sets of steps leading up the terrace, and just as the land began to level out, Jennifer finally stopped and stared.
"That is your idea of a summer cottage?" Jennifer said flatly, staring at the enormous gabled villa.
"I may have downplayed it just a tad," Severus replied unconcernedly.
"A tad? Severus!" Jennifer laughed at him in complete disbelief. "If the outside is any indication, this is bigger than our townhouse. I'd go so far as to say that the porch alone is bigger than our entire back yard."
"Perhaps... by a tad," Severus said again.
"All of the sudden, I no longer trust your definition of what a 'tad' is," Jennifer said.
"Are we the first ones here?" Rus wondered.
"Not likely, since your Aunt Anna and Uncle Sirius said they were coming early. If you run through that white picket gate over there, it will lead you to the front gardens, where they're setting up for the party."
"Can I go too?" Quintin asked.
"Yes, stay with your nephews," Jennifer said. Rus and Quintin ran ahead, calling and coaxing Jay until he reluctantly walked after them.
"So what do you think?" Severus said quietly.
"I haven't seen enough to know yet," Jennifer pointed out.
"First impressions do count for something," Severus replied. Jennifer smiled and glanced down the terraced hill towards the docks.
"I very much like the view... and all of the greenery," Jennifer decided. "Shall we follow the boys or go inside next?"
"Inside, even if only for a moment," Severus said, Jennifer glancing at him as they stepped onto the wooden porch. "I had originally hoped to show you around the place when it was just the two of us," he admitted.
"I understand, Severus," Jennifer said with a smile. "But right now, it's very important that we stay close to Jay and Rus this summer so they know they can depend on us."
"Yes, I know," Severus said, walking slowly through the spacious open main floor to the door on the other side.
Jennifer took the time to appreciate the large windows and the gorgeous reddish wooden floors and open floor plan. It had an enormous kitchen with two large wooden tables with cushioned benches on the left, while chairs and couches lined the walls next to two-story windows to the right. In between the windows, a large central fireplace heated or cooled the space as needed. In the very center of the space, a pair of beautiful wooden staircases stretched up to reach the floor above, with a railed corridor that ran the length of the building so that those coming our of the rooms or out of the corridors could peer out the windows or down into the living area below.
"How many bedrooms are there?" Jennifer asked, craning her neck to try to see past the rails.
"Enough," Severus replied.
"Severus Snape, I swear, if you don't let down those walls of yours and let me read you proper, I will get even with you for frustrating me," Jennifer scolded him.
But Severus simply smiled thinly and opened the door so that she could step out onto the terrace of the villa, which looked out onto the lawn where her family was unfolding tables and setting up groups of chairs to sit around. There was a children's wooden castle and climbing set well away from the brick barbecue, where Sirius stood, enviously testing it out. On the lawn on the way to the wooden castle, a croquet set had been laid out, and Albus and Minerva were in the process of beating Laura and Andrew at a game. Bael was watching them play, attempting to learn it as they played through. Near the chairs and the tables, a pen had been set up, and Zoe, Lucky, and Dale were taking care of babes in baby chairs while busily setting up the toddler area for more to come.
"Severus, I know you told me this property came with 'a bit of land,' but how much exactly?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, do you see that gazebo in the distance near the bridge over the brook?" Severus inquired.
"Yes," Jennifer said.
"And beyond that, do you see the greenhouse near the vegetable patch, and next to that, a tall green wall?' Severus asked.
"Sort of," Jennifer admitted.
"Oh. Well, that's the tennis court. The gate to the road is just beyond that," Severus explained.
"Exactly how much did you pay for this property again?" Jennifer squinted at him suspiciously.
"Do you really want to know?" Severus inquired.
"I'm not sure I do, considering that I don't think we can afford it," Jennifer admitted.
"Even if we only had to pay the taxes on it?" Severus asked, and Jennifer frowned again.
"Now I'm quite confused," Jennifer admitted.
"Then I suppose I should explain that I bought it from Lunette. I paid ten galleons for it. Do you think I overpaid?" he inquired.
Jennifer stopped in her tracks and then noticed Lunette sitting with Rosmerta and sipping a cool, lime-twisted drink. She ran over to Lunette and gave her such a hug and a beaming smile that Lunette immediately laughed.
"Severus! Did you tell on me?" Lunette asked.
"Some of it. I didn't tell her all of it. Do give me credit," Severus replied.
"He's been blocking me and trickling in information since we got here and it's driving me quite mad with frustration," Jennifer informed her.
"Well, you see, I used to own this whole cove," Lunette Vallid explained. "Long term investment property. The sorceress reference in the name? That's me... this was a steep rugged outcrop before I got hold of it. It was too expensive for Muggles to build out so they hadn't done anything with it. It was an ideal location for a wizard holiday village, though, so I threw some money into it... especially this land parcel. I needed a place to get away from the office where no one would find me and there was little chance of anyone 'wandering by' to pester me. When I caught Severus thinking of finding a holiday property somewhere with a dock big enough to handle his boat and several visiting boats, I pulled him aside and offered it to him... and the rest of the surrounding timeshare properties so that you wouldn't have to worry about taxes... it'll pay for itself."
"Surrounding properties! We don't know anything about managing that sort of thing, Severus, nor do we have the time for that!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"I already made a deal to take care of that, actually, with someone who does know how to manage real estate. I traded the next lot over to Sirius rent free in exchange for the help," he replied. It was Anna's turn to blink, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.
"Sirius! You didn't tell me we had a property too!" Anna called out.
"Aw, did you guys ruin the surprise already?" Sirius complained, hooking the iron spatula to the side of the grill and stepping over. "I wasn't going to tell her about that, yet! We haven't had time to clean it up," he informed them, then looked over at Anna. "Our holiday lot isn't as big as this one, and it needs a bit of repairs here and there, especially the docks, not that we have a boat yet, anyway..."
"Yet?" Anna repeated.
"Padfoot, I'd be glad to hook you up with a good one before we leave. I know all about boats now," Remus offered. He had been sitting in a chair close to the grill so he could talk to Sirius and still pay attention to everyone wandering in to the main seating area at the same time.
"Thanks, Moony. Well, since you know now, remind me and I'll show you around after the party... I have every intention of building a barbecue based on this one here, by the way. Hey, how come they get the choice lot, anyway? Anna's been working for you forever, that should account for something!" Sirius protested half-heartedly.
"Because you inherited a mansion and they've worked their way up from scraps. I know they're hardly destitute any more, but I have a substantial portion of my will going to Jennifer, and since I'm in the middle of downsizing, I decided to give some of hers early," Lunette said bluntly. Jennifer stared at her.
"Yeah. Okay," Sirius pouted. Then he mimicked one of Jack's tantrums by stomping over to the grill, muttering about how 'Severus always gets the best stuff.'
"He really has reverted back to his younger self this year, hasn't he?" Severus commented.
"Well, not entirely, but I can't tell you how relieved and grateful I am that both the mask and the shadow is gone from him," Anna said with a warm smile. "Who knew all this time what Sirius really needed was a pilgrimage to set him on the right path again?"
"Sometimes path changes are like that. You can trudge down a path for a very long time before you suddenly realize that you're going the wrong way and need to make a hard right to get out of it," Lunette agreed. "I think one of the first things I do when I get to the other side is go visit Aepheri and thank her for that. I'll lay flowers on your behalf as well, Anna."
"Why, are you heading back there soon?" Jennifer asked.
"The last letter I got from my grandfather said he was anxious to see me again," Lunette said. "I had been debating going back for a while, actually. I figured that'd be a good thing to do after I retire to legal consultant status. I've already given the New York practice over to Liberty, and I'm organically downsizing the San Fran office by not replacing employees when they leave; those that remain will be hired by my partner when I close that branch down, so... things are progressing. I've left myself a comfortable sum and investments here so that when I come back, I won't have to ever need to work again if I don't want to, and although I would have liked more time to have tied up a few strings, I picked up one of those brochures from Toby during the wedding and am planning on making good on it. I learned after storming over there that he's going to be gone an extensive amount of time this next trip, and I really didn't want to wait five years before having another opportunity."
"Five years? He's going to be gone that long?" Laura asked after they had walked up from the croquet set. "It's going to be that long before you could come back even if you wanted to, Dad?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Albus said, taking the croquet mallet that she had in her hand to put them away. "If anyone needs to come back earlier than Mr. Toby, I do know how to navigate the portal. Even Minerva is getting better at going solo, and she'll be coming back early as well."
"Yes, I still have the school board to think about. But if you want to come with me, it can only be one at a time. I can't manage more that that," Minerva warned.
"I believe I can handle three. So if anything comes up and someone does need to get back before the month and feast days are over, don't feel as if you have to be stranded," Albus added.
"Thank you, Albus, but considering we're going to be setting up a household, I'd imagine any visits are going to be at least a month away," Remus said, but then smiled at his daughter. "But I'm not worried, Laura, nor should you be. You've just married into the best family in the world, and you're going to be doing your own fair share of setting up house while I'm gone, and working out all of the ups and downs that comes with learning to live with each other. I don't know if you've been warned yet, but 'happily ever after' comes with a fair share of bumps and bruises along the way."
"Oh, Jennifer and Severus have been warning me plenty," Laura agreed with a smile.
"Hey Moony, did you actually just call the Snapes the 'best family in the world'? Who are you?" Sirius asked him. "Seriously, would you ever have even thought such vile words would have slipped out of your mouth when we were teenagers... and actually meant it?"
"Oh, hell no," Remus agreed, looking back over his shoulder with a chuckle before looking over at Jennifer, who was smiling softly. "It took quite the beauty to tame that beast, didn't it?"
"He's not only tamed, he's been brought to heel," Sirius said.
"Well, you would know," Severus immediately retorted.
"Alright, you two, that's enough," Anna said sternly.
"Yes, dear," Sirius said in such a tone that everyone broke out into chuckles.
Jay walked over from the climbing area and slumped down in a chair near the center of the adults as if wanting everyone to know that he was in a bad mood.
"Do you want a drink, Jay?" Anna asked.
"No, thanks," he mumbled, only looking up when Alex came out of the villa and walked down to them.
"Here you are, I should have known it'd be outside!" Alex said, going over to give Jay a hug. He made no effort in returning it. "I had a look about the house first, this place is huge! The whole lot is huge! Is that a tennis court down there?"
"It's just a single court, but recently resurfaced... I hope..." Lunette added, glancing at Sirius.
"Yep! I got it done," Sirius confirmed. "It does rain a bit here, but I put a magic sealant in the mix that should help the problem from now on."
"As if my mother wasn't spoiled enough as it is!" Alex exclaimed.
"Hey, it was put there for my use. It was there already," Lunette defended.
"Oh, do you play?" Jennifer asked brightly.
"Sure, one of my husbands taught me... let's see," Lunette said, thinking back. "Oh, yes, it was Daniel, Liberty's great grandfather."
"The stock broker," Jennifer said. "The one with the nightclub."
"You got it," Lunette confirmed. "I gave that to Liberty, of course."
"Is she going to run the Order while you're gone as well?" Jennifer asked.
"See how little you know when you skip meetings?" Lunette teased.
"Sorry, I've been a bit busy," Jennifer protested. "So who's the new president?"
"Hermione Weasley," Lunette announced, and got sounds of appreciation and approval from everyone around her. "By the way, Severus, she's going to need some Fridays off..."
"It's no trouble," Severus assured her. "In fact, during the last board meeting, I proposed adding more administrative positions to accommodate for our growing staff and attendance, specifically to take some of the pressure off of Hermione and Jennifer. We'll be assigning Jennifer a security assistant, and Hermione will be getting a budgeting assistant and a head of advisors, so that she only has to worry about scheduling, school correspondence, and helping me, of course."
"Yes, and that split in responsibilities is long, long overdue," Minerva added in support.
"I've always marveled how the two of you managed to handle all of that by yourselves, Minerva and Albus, especially during a major crisis when everything was crashing around our heads. Even so, the work always got done," Severus said.
"It wasn't easy, and I am greatly in favor of the school spreading out the workload," Albus agreed with a smile.
"Right now, the board is being very accommodating when it comes to increasing the staff to adapt to the larger student body. Of course, with more tuitions coming in, there is also a larger budget, so now is the perfect time to fix this problem," Severus continued. "Hermione is capable of contributing so much more to education and society outside of Hogwarts, and I'm going to make sure she has the time to take advantage of those opportunities when they come up... including taking over the Order of Libris."
"How appropriate... Hermione is taking over the Book Club," Anna grinned.
"Yes, I'm sure it'll become a second home to her... or a third one," Severus corrected.
"Is Hermione coming today as well, Severus?" Albus asked.
"No, they're busy packing things from their old house. Since they're moving to Hogsmeade this summer, they wanted to get started straight away," Severus explained. "The Ministry is pressing Ron to get a newspaper set up as quickly as possible, so he's not going to be much help, although I hear that Joanie came down from Polaris to give her an extra pair of hands. I can tell you that Hermione is very much looking forward to living close to the school; they're moving to that new subdivision and she'll be just a tunnel away from any emergency, one way or the other."
"It'll be nice to have a newspaper again too," Laura admitted, sitting down. "As much as I understand Danny's decision to shut the Oracle down immediately after she inherited it, it's rough not having anything local. And with a newspaper, I can go to any news article I like and ignore the stuff I don't want to know about, instead of getting news off the wireless where I'm at the mercy of whatever it is they want to talk about."
"Did they ever decide on a name for the newspaper, Father?" Andrew asked.
"Oh yes," Severus said, glancing up. "They'll be calling it The Daily Prophet." Everyone made sounds of approval at that. "Danny sold him back the rights of the name, trademark, and all of that for a sickle, and even threw in the printing press and all of the original printer drawers and contents for good measure. Once they've finished constructing their newspaper office, it'll all be transferred there, and until then, they're going to borrow the Oracle's old press to provide some newsstand copies. From what Hermione's told me, Ron is not keen on the press... but they're making do. The first ones should be out by the end of the week."
"I hope our wedding makes the first copy," Andrew said.
"Well, it might, but from what Hermione was telling me, she was having a very hard time talking him out of starting with the headline, 'Harry Potter Releases Circus from Evil Curse!' or something to that effect."
"That is completely unfair!" Jennifer said, laughing. "Harry told me he did that at your instruction, after getting a note for him to bring the Sword and wait in the wood until you could lead him down there to finish it."
"Yes, well, stop telling everyone that part, Jennifer," Severus chided her. "I would be perfectly happy if Harry took the fall for this one. That way, we can have a nice quiet summer and leave him to have to dodge fame again. Besides, he likes it more than I do."
"I dare you to say that to his face," Sirius said.
"Does that mean you disagree with me?" Severus challenged him.
"Well, no, I agree with you, but I still dare you to say it to his face," Sirius replied.
"Hey!"
Everyone looked towards the gate where Thomas Craw had just stepped in, putting Autumn down just so he could stand there with his hands on his hips.
"You could have left someone at the docks, or put up a sign on where we were supposed to go! How were we to know which of these properties were yours?" Thomas asked critically. Fleur shook her head at him with a smile. Edgar ran ahead, encouraging Anthos, Autumn, and Abby to run to catch up. Dale quickly sprang into action, helping out by grabbing them up and tossing them in the play area.
"I would think the boats would give it away," Severus replied. "I'm sure you know ours by now..."
"My boat," Jennifer scowled at him.
"Jennifer's boat," Severus corrected, Thomas rolling his eyes as he made his way over.
Maurice, Ambrose, and Beth gave them a wave as they began walking over, and were soon followed behind by Garvan, Natalie, Delia, and Mike. Jennifer took time to hug the children, then talked Delia into letting her hold Wendy to get to know her better. Not long after, Uncle Augustus and Hadrian arrived, followed behind by Aurelius and his family.
"Did you have any trouble finding us, Uncle Augustus?" Severus inquired.
"Certainly not. Considering the name burned onto the docks, it was quite obvious," Augustus said.
"You mean the name Parra?" Jennifer asked.
"That was Severus' idea," Vallid said before anyone gave her a hard time about it.
"Obviously," Augustus agreed, sitting down. "He did it because of the docks."
"Parra Docks. Severus, that's terrible," Remus informed him, and several others groaned as they caught on.
"Villa Parra is a rather common name for holiday retreat, so I didn't even think twice about it until now," Jennifer said sheepishly.
"Can Hadrian and I go for a walk? I want to explore, this place is huge!" Viorica asked.
"Help your mother with the twins and walk Justice over to that play castle first," Aurelius informed her, then he stepped over to where the adults were sitting. "Aunt Anna, Lindsay and Conner brought the party food, and they said to tell you're they're in the kitchen. Mitch and John followed them in to 'see if they could help', but honestly, I think Mitch was just curious to see the kitchen in this place."
"My tarts are inside? That won't do at all! I must rescue them at once!" Laura declared.
"And who will rescue them from you, I wonder?" Carol teased her.
"Someone tell somebody to bring out the burgers," Sirius said, going back over to poke at the coals. It wasn't long after that when Willowbys began to appear, and Corey, after successfully dragging Rose away from the gardens, finally coaxed her into a chair.
"Ah, that's nice! This place is huge!" Rose said. "And look, the entire family is here, and it's not in the least bit crowded at all!"
"I prefer the Craw Mansion," Thomas said firmly, more than a little worried that the family would decide to stop holding family gatherings there.
"Just one start of the summer party, Father, that's all I ask," Jennifer said with a smile, picking up the thought. "Besides, not everyone is here, are they? I haven't seen Leu, Diana, or Alicia's family yet."
"Leu and Diana were checking out the pool, and the Pythers were inside putting up those security paintings you wanted, Dad," Corey said.
"Well, I hope they brought our anniversary painting too. I really wanted to show everyone," Jennifer said. "Wait, what pool?"
"Back side of the house, Mom, behind that high brick wall over there," Corey pointed out.
"Built in hot tub as well," Lunette said.
"Yes, I have it covered over because of all the kids running about," Anna said. "Sirius also charmed all of the doors to the pool area so that none of the kids can open them unless there's an adult out there already."
"Wow. The only thing this place lacks for is a golf course," Aurelius commented.
"Yeah... the golf course is communal," Lunette said apologetically, while Aurelius was still staring at her. "Across the road, only nine holes and you have to bring your own balls... but it is tenants only, which are all wizard families, so charmed balls are okay; I recommend getting the type that return to your bucket when you tap on it for the driving range."
"Mum, can I borrow this place during some of the weekends you're not using it?" Aurelius asked, and pretty soon everyone else was chiming in as well.
"Yes, fine! I'll install a secretary painting to handle scheduling! But don't anyone dare show up on this property unexpectedly! Handle it through the painting, thank you," Severus said firmly. Jennifer pursed her lips slightly.
"Oh? Just what are you planning to use this property for, brother?" Anna inquired snidely.
"I'm glad that she was the one who said that," Ginger said.
"Well, it isn't as if everyone else wasn't thinking it!" Aurelius said, causing most of them to snigger.
"Yes, thank you. You mind your own business, and I'll mind mine," Severus said, then began suggesting everyone help get set up for lunch.
As trays came out and they attempted to set up the tables so that everyone could easily get to everything as they got their plates, there was a soft pop and they looked around to see Toby standing there with Ashley on his arm.
"Goodness, I hope we aren't late," Toby said.
"No, you're just in time, we're just getting set up," Lunette informed him with a smile.
"My! Isn't this lovely!" Ashley said.
"We didn't need to bring any gifts, did we?" Toby inquired.
"No, being present for the party is the present, so gifts are completely nonobligatory," Jennifer said happily. "I am hoping to start a new tradition! To have this party every year for everyone's birthdays and anniversaries, since most of the ones in this family happen around this time of year."
"For the record, it is my birthday," Aurelius said, and got a round of almost taunting congratulations for that.
"Hang on a minute! That's not fair!" Alicia suddenly complained, putting her hands on her hips and even stamping her foot just like she did when she was little. "That might be alright for everyone else, but that means I'm the only one that'll have to wait an extra month!"
"Hey, you're not the only one!" Zack pointed out.
"Maybe we should revolt and throw our own three way birthday party," Zoe teased.
"Well, we could, but could we afford a posh pad like this to have them in?" Zack asked, then they held up their hands.
"We want to schedule a weekend in April!" the twins both said, and everyone laughed at that, Jennifer agreeing that might be arranged. John, Mitch, Lindsay, and Conner came out with the last of the food trays, and things were chaotic for a moment as they tried to arrange things.
"Alright, alright! Parents with very young children, come make their plates first, then line the other children up," Jennifer told them. "Meanwhile, let's get everyone else some drinks!" She walked over to Jay, who was still slumped in the chair as he had been the entire time. "Jay, would you like to help me with some drinks while you wait for your turn?" she asked him.
"No, I'll just wait," Jay said evenly.
"I'll help, Mum," Alex volunteered and came over. Conner glanced between them but didn't say anything. Sitting across from him, Aurelius couldn't help but notice Conner's quick assessment. Aurelius had seen Alex do that with Jay countless times before, and it was definitely nothing new, but it certainly wasn't likely to help the situation.
"Help me with the girls, Rel," Ginger said, and Aurelius went over to the table.
As he went over, he happened to get close enough to catch Toby and Severus talking.
"Very well, I will tell you, but if she asks, you didn't hear it from me," Toby said, lowering his voice a bit. "Because as I understand it, Viviane decided, under the circumstances, that the best thing to do would be to deport the Glaistig and her foukefaeri back to Tir Na Nog, so she dropped them through the portal into the Labyrinth of Mona. Considering that we've since plugged all of the holes that allowed her to come back to this world after we banished her there the first time, I doubt she'll find another easy way back," he assured Severus. "Not only that, but the Glaistig is well aware that she's going to have to really book it out of the Northern Faelands as quickly as possible, because technically it's against the king's law for her to have children outside of her own race. It's considered a cruelty, especially when it's voluntary and the mother is aware that it compromises the health of the child."
"Yes, Bael was telling us about that," Severus said, glancing up to see Bael had walked up behind them. "Although I can't help but feel a bit sorry for your world having to get stuck with her again considering all of the trouble she causes regardless of which side she's on."
"Fair enough, Severus, but the terms of her original banishment was quite clear; she had no business being over here in the first place. And with the demons gone, she'll find few allies on the other side," Toby replied, glancing at Lunette.
"I'll do my part and warn my grandfather about her, just in case she tries to make a plea for clemency there," Lunette said. "He's got his hands full trying to restore those fallowed lands. He certainly doesn't need that sort of headache right now."
"Nobody does," Toby agreed. "I think it's more than likely that she'll attempt to lose herself in the Forest of the Sidhe again, but even there, she will have more enemies than friends. All the same, us 'part timers' should keep on our toes while we're in the Forest and an open ear out of any rumors of her passing."
"Since we're going to be spending most of our time either in the Thornwoods or along its shores, we'll definitely keep an ear out," Remus said.
"Good, and please get word to me if you hear of anything concerning," Toby said.
"We will," Remus promised.
"Are you really sure that moving to the Otherworld is going to be safer?" Laura said skeptically. Remus smiled at her.
"There is strength in numbers, and we'll be far from alone. We've made many friends there," Remus assured her.
"Well, your friends and family here are going to miss you three," Sirius said, putting another plate of burgers on the table.
"What, just them? Not me?" Lunette protested.
"Of course we're going to miss you! We're going to miss all of you!" Jennifer replied, then glanced over to where the children were now lingering much closer to the chairs. "Alright! It's your turn! Come line up," she told them, watching as they began to form a line. "And Quintin, don't you dare start with the cake. I want to see a plate with plenty of green things on it too, if you please!"
"Watch out, Mum, the last time I said that, Mickey wished the cake green," Alicia said.
"Was it matcha?" Laura asked with interest.
"No, it didn't taste green. It just looked it," Alicia said.
"Alicia, you did bring that painting with you, didn't you?" Jennifer asked.
"She's been dithering over it all day," Severus informed Alicia.
"I wasn't dithering. I was simply wondering about it," Jennifer said.
"After we eat, Mum... Dawn, the grape picking can wait, go eat real food," Alicia said.
"Grapes are real food," Dawn said. "But some of these are really sour!"
"They're supposed to be. Next time ask," Alicia said. Jennifer smiled at that, walking over to Jay.
"You should come on over and line up, Jay, it's your turn to get some food," Jennifer suggested.
"I don't want to," Jay said.
"Mum, maybe you should just..."
"Alex, maybe you should let her handle this," Corey interrupted firmly.
"Why Alex, I haven't seen you in ages! Come sit beside me and have some tea," Toby suggested, and Alex found herself sitting beside him with a teacup in her hand.
"You know, I happened to be standing over there just now to help pick out things for the toddlers, and I happened to see several foods over there that are your personal favorites," Jennifer informed Jay. "So I think it'd be in your best interest to go over with the rest of the children and students so you can take advantage of going first. That way, you can get what you want before the adults get over there and we start running out of things. I might even look the other way long enough for you to snag one of the treacle tarts before Laura tweaks them all," Jennifer said.
"I'm not hungry," Jay said stubbornly.
"Now, don't you think I know better than that?" Jennifer asked. "Do you want me to ask your brother to get you a plate? I'm sure he knows what you like as well."
"What I really want is for you to stop trying to make me feel better," Jay replied.
"I haven't been trying to make you feel better, Jay. I'm just making sure that you eat," Jennifer pointed out. "So if you want me to stop troubling you, you're going to have to at pick out at least one sensible thing to put on your plate and finish it. If you do, perhaps we can do something fun afterwards. We could go scrounge up some rackets for tennis if you'd like. Or you can stay and help me make ice cream to go with the cake. What do you think?"
"What do I think? You already know what I think! Why are you asking me?" Jay snapped at her.
"Because sometimes it's best to tell me in your own words so that you can understand what you're thinking too," Jennifer said. "Especially right now, Jay, when what you're thinking about is focused on what you don't understand. Because you don't understand why your family is having a party at all."
"You're right! I don't understand!" Jay admitted angrily. "How can anyone be celebrating anything, birthdays, anniversaries, it's all just some silly excuse to have a party!"
"Well, they are excuses, yes, but not an excuse to have a party, exactly," Jennifer replied with a smile. "They are excuses to celebrate family, Jay. That's what this is really all about... celebrating our families and being grateful for being together."
"But we're not all together!" Jay snapped. "My father is gone! We'll never be 'all together' again! Don't you feel even a little bit sorry? Don't you feel guilty about surviving somehow... about everyone surviving! You survived, Andrew survived... everyone survived but my father!"
"I know it feels that way, but as John, Ginger, Owain, and everyone else that had to sort that grave lot can tell you, he was far from the only one that died, and you are not the only person who lost a loved one because of what happened," Jennifer explained. "Some of us had close calls and could have died as well."
"You could have, but you didn't! You have all this power to do all these amazing things and save yourself and everyone else! How come you couldn't save my father?" Jay snapped.
"I was in no position to help anyone in that moment, Jay, I was a bit caught up by the circus myself at that point," Jennifer pointed out.
"Fine, but that doesn't excuse anyone else!" Jay shouted, turning on the rest of the adults. "Why didn't any of you save my father? You, mother, supposedly one of the best Minister of Mysteries there ever was, let yourself be passed out on the floor," he said viciously. Toby put an arm around Alex gently. "You were stuck in a tree. Again. You're always conveniently stuck in a tree whenever anyone needs you for something real!" he yelled at Toby, missing the pained expression that crossed his face. "And you, Grandfather, you saved the universe twice, and yet you couldn't save my father? What about all that time stuff you do? How come you couldn't do it this time? Same with Dumbledore... he ran up in time to save Andrew and everybody else, just not my father. And Grandfather Craw never even showed up at the circus at all, because he got stuck babysitting us Hogwarts students and running to the hospital and never even stepped foot on the grounds until the next day. Why is it with all the power and magic and everything everyone here has that nobody could save the person that mattered the most to me. You let me down!" he shouted, angry tears in his eyes.
"There it is," Conner said softly. Jennifer smiled softly at Conner and nodded gently. Then she stepped up in front of Jay, pretending to ignore the range of emotions she had picked up from the others after Jay's rant.
"Jay, let me tell you something about my mother, Alice," Jennifer said. "When I was just starting out on my own, teaching at Beauxbatons, my mother went missing. No one knew what had happened to her, and I spent months hoping for the best, despite knowing she was probably lost to me. And then I came to Hogwarts, and learned after I got here that she had died in a horrible, horrible way," Jennifer explained. "I loved her. I loved her so much, I would have done everything I could to save her, just as your grandfather would have done anything he could have to save her," she said, looking over at Thomas, who looked quite stricken. "But we couldn't stop it. We loved her, and we would have done everything in our power to stop it, but it wasn't enough," Jennifer explained, taking him by the shoulder and walking him over to Toby. "I think it's safe to say after what we just heard that you've guessed who Mr. Toby is by now," Jennifer conjectured.
"A possibility," Toby agreed.
"Toby once had a best friend," Jennifer told Jay. "He was his best friend in all the world, and he cared for him more than anything. He would have done anything in his power to save that friend, but he couldn't. As much as he wanted things to have been different, he didn't have the power," she explained, and Toby nodded somberly at that. She skipped over Alex, walking him over to Sirius. "Your uncle also lost his best friends... his best friends in all the world. He would have done anything he could to have prevented it, and as much as he blamed himself for it, he couldn't. If he had the power he would have, but he couldn't. And Anna, also lost her best friends; Lindsay's parents," she added for good measure, glancing up at Lindsay. "Anna would have done everything in her power to save them if she could, but she couldn't. As for Albus Dumbledore and your grandfather..." Jennifer continued, glancing at both of them as they walked around the circle. "They cared for each and every student they had at Hogwarts and did their best to protect them all. They both would do everything in their power to prevent any student from coming to harm, and both of them had times when they couldn't," she explained. Albus and Severus both nodded somberly at that. "Aurelius lost his godmother and mentor, and as much as he still wishes he could have done something, he couldn't have, no matter how badly he wanted to." Sparing Lunette and some of the others who were also bracing for her to say something, she walked Jay over to his mother.
"Your mother just lost someone she cared about most in all of the world," Jennifer said. "She would have done everything in her power to have saved him if she could have... even at the expense of herself. But she couldn't. She didn't have the power," Jennifer explained.
Jay burst into tears, going over to hug his mother, who burst into tears of her own. Jennifer let out a soft sigh followed by a slight relieved smile, then went over to Severus, knowing he would be feeling it too. She sat down beside him, unsurprised when he offered her an arm.
"Well done, Jennifer," Severus said softly.
"Well done, indeed," Albus agreed.
"Just a bit of caring and understanding, really," Jennifer replied. "If there's one thing I learned from this year, it's that even a little bit of caring can go a long way."
"And kindness," John added for good measure.
"Yes, and kindness too," Jennifer agreed with a smile, watching as Alex walked Jay over to the line and stood with him until he found something to eat.
After everyone had eaten, some of the children staying over were interested in finding out where they were sleeping, and Alicia volunteered to get them settled, promising to bring the painting back with her.
"Can I let Ebony out? He's been stuck in his cage all day!" Quintin complained.
"Yes, alright, but wait until you have a proper place for his cage so he'll know where to go back to," Jennifer said.
"Alicia, could you let Radiance and Rasputin out as well? But don't let Descartes out anywhere except down in the wine cellar," Severus warned. "I haven't trained him to the area yet, and I don't want to run the risk him getting out."
"Sure thing. Hadrian, did you want to go up too?" Alicia asked.
"I wouldn't mind seeing my room myself about now," Augustus ventured.
"Wait! That's not fair! Everyone else is getting to see the villa when I haven't seen anything but a glimpse of the main floor!" Jennifer protested.
"Yes, alright. I suppose now would be as good of a time as a tour as any," Severus agreed, getting up.
"Good, then I don't have to lug that painting out here," Alicia said, taking the others inside.
"I'll go let the other kids know and we can work out who's staying to supervise out here and who's going in," Sirius said
"I can stay here and watch the kids, that way I don't have to get up," Rose said with a chuckle.
"I'll stay too, especially if they're planning to let Ebony out," Anna said.
"I don't suppose there's any sort of nursery inside for cranky babies?" Lucky asked hopefully.
"Yes, there might be, and a playroom as well," Severus confirmed, which was enough to get many of them in the house. Pretty soon nearly everyone was wandering about, and Severus heard more than one of his children on the upper story landing arguing about which weekends to try to monopolize it over the summer.
"This place is technically your mother's and mine, you know," Severus called up from the main floor, and they grimaced sheepishly at him from the railing. "So stop calling 'dibs'! We own all of the dibs!"
"Dad, can we stay over tonight?" Aurelius asked hopefully. "One of these suites with the double bedrooms would be perfect."
"Yes, fine! We're already going to have company enough so it's not like you're ruining a romantic getaway, is it?" Severus replied in a tone that indicated that would have been his first choice.
"Is there really that much room up there?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"It's no country house," Sirius said. "But it's pretty big. As long as everyone does what Aurelius did and get the kids to share rooms, you can house pretty much everyone who wants to stay over."
"Alright, Jennifer. I saw that look," Lunette said, coming up behind her and putting an arm around her. "Don't even bother to protest, because it won't work. Especially since it's already been worth it to see everyone's faces, glowing like Christmas morning!" she pointed out, chuckling after hearing Aurelius ask Pyther to take him back to get his clubs.
"Does that mean we need to get to Japan on our own?" Andrew called upstairs at Pyther. "Kyoto, remember? Father may not be getting a romantic getaway, but we sure as hell are."
"Oh no, are you two going already?" Jennifer asked.
"Already? We've been waiting three days for this!" Andrew protested, and Laura came over with a grin.
"I won't bother telling you to enjoy yourselves, since you have every intention of it whether I mention it or not," Severus said.
"You got that right," Laura chuckled. "I'll bring you back all sorts of matcha flavored items to try during our next Cursed by Ravenclaws chat."
"You're still planning to do that?" Andrew frowned at her.
"Oh yes. I'm sure I'll need to," Laura said with a grin.
"Hang on! Nobody's going anywhere after all the fuss I've gotten from Mum about that new painting!" Alicia complained, managing to somehow carry the very large frame down on her own while Mickey set up an easel for her to set it on.
Curiously, everyone gathered around the living room, waiting until everyone was settled before finally lifting off the cloth to show a portrait with both Severus and Jennifer sitting side by side in the library of the Craw Mansion. Currently, the Severus had a thin yet tired smile, while Jennifer's was quite enigmatic, despite having her glasses low on her nose. Everyone made sounds of appreciation, and congratulated Alicia for her work.
"Brilliantly done... strange choice of location though, isn't it?" Sirius said.
"Well, I started it over the Christmas holidays, and things got so crazy after that, we just kept the sessions in the Craw library for safety reasons, because it was one of the few places in town that Francis felt was safe enough for me to go," Alicia explained.
"I like it, and I think it's appropriate to be in the Craw Mansion, especially if you're planning to keep this a family portrait and not hang it in Hogwarts," Thomas replied. "I still think you should keep it in Hogwarts, though, as long as the two of you are there."
"Yes, well, our Headmaster paintings cause enough mischief in Hogwarts as it is. I'm not sure the school needs two more, especially when these can speak when they need to. Either way, this one was truly made for our benefit," Severus explained, gazing at it. "We may not have aged much physically since those two were done... but think of everything that has happened since. After all, Albus badgered me into having the first painting done because he was in the process of setting me up as the new headmaster, not that I knew it at the time," he added, Albus nodding at that with a smile.
"This one, then, is special because it encompasses all of my years since I became Headmaster... all of the ups and downs... the pain, mistakes, and heartaches... and the eventual triumphs that came from experiencing them, as well as what lessons we learned from our mistakes. It encompasses the memories of all our children and their own aches and pains growing up, and their joys and losses, and not just ours. And it also includes everything Jennifer and I have accomplished... together... apart... the sacrifices we made for each other, and coming to a place of greater understanding and trust of each other. In some ways, I suppose a new portrait was long overdue. I very much like this painting, not only because Alicia has done a masterful job in capturing us now, but the fact that it shows just how far we've come in the last twelve years."
"Yes, it certainly does," Jennifer said with a smile. "I very much love it, just like I love you, Severus. Just like I love all of you."
"And we all love you too," Toby said so matter-of-factly that both the real Severus and the painting Severus glanced at Toby as if a bit wary of what the tinker was going to say next. "I must say, if I may, that you captured your mother decidedly well, Alicia. I wonder, for example, about that enigmatic look on her face this very moment... that secret smile. It's almost as if she knows something that we don't."
"Yes, well, doesn't she always?" Alicia said with a chuckle.
Suddenly there was a clamor, and everyone looked up to see Quintin, Justice, and Dawn leaning over the railing.
"Mum! I have an emergency!" Quintin informed her in a panic. "Ebony ran off again and I can't find him anywhere! Do you think he's lost?"
Everyone glanced around thoughtfully, then remembered that Rose and Anna were still outside. Then they looked at Jennifer and Severus, both wearing even expressions and privately hoping that the other one was going to volunteer to go upstairs and handle it.
"Ah! I recognize that smile now!" Toby said triumphantly, still looking at the painting. Albus nodded to Toby in agreement.
"What, already? You didn't hold out long at all, did you?" Thomas told Severus critically.
"I didn't even try, really. When I realized it was going to be a lost cause, I decided not to bother," Severus replied calmly, Jennifer slowly turning red.
"I told you they wouldn't wait!" Aurelius snorted. "Everyone in the first pool can pay me now."
As the rest of the party began to taunt them and Thomas threatened to go explain the birds and bees to Quintin, Laura tugged onto Andrew's sleeve insistently.
"Maybe this would be a good time to sneak out," Laura whispered to Andrew.
"The perfect time," Andrew agreed, and they quietly slipped out the back door.
End of The Heritage Series
A/N: Thanks for reading this last book in the Heritage Series! I hope you liked the finale! It was a series full of family and growing generations, and of course, the progression of Severus Snape becoming comfortable with his role as Headmaster of Hogwarts... not that all of the characters haven't grown in the process. I hope you enjoyed this very character driven series, and hope you plan to read the next series in the Jennifer Craw Books. As to that...
The next series, the Seeker Series, will be seven books long and will encompass Quintin's years at Hogwarts, which takes place over three and a half years after this book. Expect a lot of changes in those years! And with Quintin's personality... expect anything when he gets there!
The first chapter of the Seeker Series will go up (barring complications) on September 1st of this year. Since it's a new series, I allowed myself more of a break in between books, I hope you don't mind... also, I want to revise the Sentinel Series, which will take a lot of July to complete.
For edit updates, story updates, teasers, quotes and trivia, follow my twitter Doublequillmlp.
Teaser: While I'm not going to tell you the title yet (because I'm still debating if I'm keeping the working title or not at this point) I will say that the next book is a follow up to the Sentinel Series! (thus, the revision to make sure the typos are out if you need to reread them.). We'll learn more about the apprentices and the history of Hogwarts as believed in the JC universe. If you've ever wanted to find out more about the four Sentinels (Dusthorn, Craw, O'Laren, and Ravenclaw) you might want to stay tuned... as well as some very important discussions that will take place that are relevant to modern life. And you'll also get to meet the (accidental?) sibling.
Hope to see you then, and thanks for all the reviews!
~ 20 years long and still 10 books to go! Wish me luck. Doublequill.
