Chapter Sixteen

Time Well Bought

It was Hagrid who found her wandering through the Dark Forest as if she were taking a leisurely stroll in a garden. Shaking his head, he threw a cloak over her and led her out to a cheering crowd. Sirius Black knelt before her almost reverently, kissing her hand, and the Professors took turns shaking it.

"We're going to have to write another chapter about Hogwarts history about that one…"

"Professor Craw, you were magnificent!"

"Just the thing for a Defense instructor to pull, eh? Who else would have remembered the Unicorns power over the Dementors?"

"Who'd have thought we'd ever have Defense instructor who could actually ride one," Rolanda chuckled to herself.

"C'mon now, can' ya see th' poor girl's wiped out? It's nuthin a person does ev'ry day, let 'er be for now." Hagrid scolded them, guiding her past the excited people.

"Take her to her room, Hagrid, give her some chocolate, and please, no one disturb her," Dumbledore said. He looked very tired, and he was very worried about something. But before Jennifer could try to figure out what, Hagrid had her out of view. She was keenly aware that she was forgetting something, but what it was she couldn't fathom. She couldn't seem to concentrate at all, still lost in the emotion of what had happened.

At last Hagrid got her to her room. Then he quickly went upstairs to be met in the hallway by Minerva and Dumbledore who had just left a different suite, closing the door behind themselves.

"She's safe'n her room sir, a bit dazed. I didn' say a thin' to her, like ya asked. How is he?" Minerva and Dumbledore glanced at each other, and then Dumbledore sighed.

"I think he'll live, all things considering. Poppy is doing what she can," Dumbledore said as they went down the stairs.

Jennifer woke up to sunlight, stretching happily at her dream. Well, at the very least, last night banished her nightmares. Quickly she got dressed, spelled her hair into a neat French braid, and looked into the mirror. It was as she was staring at herself to get a glimpse at her own thoughts that she finally remembered what she had forgotten last night, looking instantly horrified.

"Oh no, Severus! He was still with them when it happened!" she exclaimed.

Angrier at herself than she had ever been before, she glanced at the clock on her way out the door. If all was well, he'd been in his office by now, she thought, or in the classroom sorting potions.

"He isn't going to be down there," she heard a voice say behind her, making her stop in her tracks.

"Dumbledore! Is he all right? What could I have been thinking?" Jennifer exclaimed in such a panic that he put an arm around her to quiet her as they walked down the hallway.

"Morning classes have been canceled, and most of the professors are still in bed. Not many of them slept much last night," he explained, guiding her to his study. "We had quite a cleanup to do, and we were able to capture a few Death Eaters… we did lose some of our friends, and they lost some of theirs as well. No, no, don't worry. We didn't lose anyone on our staff," he assured her and asked her to have a seat. "But we have lost some good men from the Ministry. Daniel Cummings was one, I believe you met him, the man who found the contracts." Jennifer nodded soberly. "And a good close friend, Tricie Dunn, she was quite a witch in her day," Dumbledore said, lost in thought.

"What about Severus? He's okay? Did they –" Dumbledore held up his hand, looking at her thoughtfully.

"Jennifer, when you were questioned by the Death Eaters, did you ever stop and think that Severus was to blame for your predicament?" Dumbledore asked. She looked at him in surprise.

"No, of course not. He had nothing to do with that. He'd never do anything that'd intentionally put me in danger."

"Then let me assure you that the same can be said of the events leading up to last night. It had been their actions that led to your decision, and as we all must in trying times, you did what you had to do. Voldemort had already been angered by the actions and failures of his servants. In fact, one of the Death Eaters that we had captured early on, Voldemort slew with his own wand rather than allow him to be captured. Severus had the misfortune to have a 'servant' who not only defied him, but also beat Voldemort to a humiliating stalemate. Your show of courage had the added backlash of making some of his most loyal servants think twice about their own loyalties, and that has enraged him.

"But as angry as he was at Severus, he was also aware that Severus was just as surprised at this turn of events as the rest of us… and I do mean all of us. And he knows that the best way he can get to Harry, you and I, is having someone on the inside to keep track of our movements. So, Severus' life was spared, but only just. He was not quite as weak as you were after your own encounter with them, and I think he'll bounce back rather quickly. He has before," Dumbledore added somberly. "This is far from over, Jennifer, but I think with continued effort, we'll be able to see through our goals and end this nightmare.

"That said, I cannot spare much more time to talk, because I need to go meet with the Ministry about their prisoners. One of them, you may be interested to know, is Goyle's father," he nodded at her understandingly when she winced.

"He's not exactly one of the brightest students in the class, but I have nothing against Gregory Goyle," she said. "I hate the thought of how many students are mixed up in this."

"I, for one, am thinking that if there's any possibility of more assaults like this happening, perhaps we need to prepare the students for being included in our plans," he said pensively. Startled, Jennifer looked towards him, reading his face and leaning back in her chair as she considered it.

Jennifer walked down the hall after the meeting, aware that everyone was staring at her and whispering. She frowned thoughtfully, wondering exactly what the students had heard. Even the staff beamed at her in the halls. Sighing in resignation, she turned up another stair to be met by Minerva going down. She too, was giving her an unusually proud smile.

"Good morning!" Minerva said cheerfully. "If you're going up to look for Professor Snape, don't look in his room. Madame Pomfrey wanted him to rest today but, well, you know how he is."

"Did he go down to his office?" Jennifer asked, stopping in her tracks.

"I'd look up on the parapets. You know where the door is... towards the Owlery, the door halfway up the staircase? Anyhow, there will be a special dinner tonight, so make sure you attend." Minerva said.

Climbing up the long spiral staircase, she at last saw the open door and stepped outside, finding herself immediately admiring the view of the grounds. She glanced to the side, spotting Severus leaning against the battlements and looking out on the grounds. She bit her lip as she walked over to him, trying not to cringe as she neared, for his hands and face were covered with marks. He noticed her then and was unusually thoughtful, seeing the expression on her face.

"I'm all right. Nothing that won't heal," he said. He glanced back out over the parapet. The lawn seemed a bit worse for the wear thanks to all of the creatures that Hagrid let loose, and the lake was much higher than usual. Still, Jennifer was a bit surprised that so little remained of last night's terror. "Are you all right?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes, but... I was very disoriented after last night…" she hesitated, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes," he finally answered. "This is going to complicate things."

"I am so sorry, but I wasn't thinking! I just…" Jennifer felt terrible, and it must have showed on her face because he nodded and looked away again.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Craw. We're fighting on the same side," he reminded her quietly. "You did what you had to. Not that I believe they could ever have gotten into Hogwarts had you not succeeded, but there definitely would have been an unpleasant siege and we might have lost some of those who were fighting outside the walls. In any event, Voldemort will now think twice before trying to do something that direct in the near future. He also lost a few of his most loyal servants; even with the Dementors now under his control, it will be a bit before he tries anything else. You have bought us some precious time. Of course, I'm also instructed to kill you at any given opportunity and to bring him the remains," Severus said dryly. "So, we're back to where we started, except for the fact that now they want you dead even more than they did when they only thought of you as a 'potential' threat. Now they know you are a real threat."

"Ah lovely. So all of that was for nothing," Jennifer said, leaning on the battlement. "Then again, if it hadn't been for the fact that I was questioned, I would never have thought of begging the Unicorns for help. Still, you probably would have a lot less headaches without me getting in the way constantly."

"No," Severus said, looking out over the side. "If you had been that much trouble, I would have disposed of you. Our pact, remember?"

"Well, I've decided that silly pact was all for naught, because there was no way I could have ever killed you, and I don't think you would have killed me," she challenged him. Severus squinted suspiciously at her accusing tone, then shrugged noncommittally, glancing out over the edge again.

"So, what's the plan now, Severus? Are we supposed to be enemies?" she asked with a sigh, leaning against the wall.

"Not necessarily," Severus said in a low voice. "Voldemort wants me to try to get on your good side again… to manipulate you and enchant you if I can. That way, it'll be easier to coax you from Dumbledore's protection range so that he can get you out of the way. Oh, and by the way, from now on, don't go anywhere alone outside of Hogwarts. If anyone ever asks you to go anywhere alone with them regardless of who they are, see me first. In fact, I want you to check with me whenever you need to go anywhere as a precaution. Being that this whole event seems to have propelled your fame to almost Harry Potter proportions, they know you're not going to be an easy target."

"I will, Severus," she said, but then grew thoughtful. "Did they think I was enchanted? Before?"

"Yes, Voldemort thought that made the most sense, considering how you answered the Mirror question."

"I told him what I saw in the Mirror?" she repeated and then blanched. Now that she knew what the Mirror did, the last thing in the world she wanted was for everyone to know what she saw in it. "Bleah. Did you have to tell him what you saw?"

"No, I broke the Mirror the moment I spoke in front of it. Fortunately, it never occurred to him at that point it was me, having broken it with the Resonius Tuner I put under my tongue."

Jennifer stared at him. "That was what that little round thing was? A magic dog whistle?"

"So to speak, but Dumbledore modified it to our purpose. He was sorry to let the Mirror go, but it was more trouble than it was worth anyhow, and we couldn't risk it betraying me when we saw what he was using it for."

"What exactly do you see looking into it, anyhow?" she asked, trying to get a glimpse of his face. Severus took a few steps towards the door, turning his back quickly to her as he did.

"It's getting cold, and it's almost lunch time. I need to stop by my office so I can rummage up something for these scars, then we can get something to eat," he said, opening the door for her expectantly.

"All right, Severus. I won't press," Jennifer said, slowly walking to the door. "Although you do hold me at a bit of a disadvantage."

"Not as much of one as you might believe, Craw," Severus scowled, nudging her out the door.