Chapter Three

Homecoming

As they walked out of the building, Jennifer couldn't help but think about how she was going to explain her refusal back at home. It would have been one thing if she didn't pass, but to have turned it down? What was she going to tell the Ministry? She was vaguely aware of Audi's encouraging voice, but it was all starting to sink in how many people had been counting on her. Had she made a mistake? After they passed the security checkpoint, they Apparated back to Audi's house. Jennifer plopped down in the chair by the fireplace. She ignited it with her wand, a brooding look on her face.

"Jennifer, you don't think because you aren't certified that you didn't do well, do you?" Audi asked, frowning at Jennifer. "There's no shame in walking away. You did do the right thing."

"Maybe I did. I'm not quite sure now," Jennifer sighed. "What am I going to say when I get back home? How am I going tell them I'm not certified, and why?"

"Perhaps you won't need to say much," Audi suggested. "I have a feeling it's not going to be as bad as you're thinking, Jen-girl. You worry way too much about such things! I'm going upstairs to get you something to cheer you up. Try not to beat yourself too badly in the meantime," she said, heading up.

Jennifer looked into the fire, angry with herself. She didn't like admitting failing at anything. Was walking away failing, though? So many people were hoping for her success. Of course, she was just a teacher, and she really didn't want to be anything else. She had just known how helpful it would have been against Voldemort and his followers, with a certified Truth Seeker witness at hand. Perhaps with her there, what happened with the trials the first time around wouldn't happen again… but now, she wouldn't be able to do any of that. She shook her head, angry with herself.

"Here Jennifer, this will help," Audi said cheerfully, coming back over to her and sticking a smoking cup in front of her nose. "I have it on very good authority that this will relax your nerves and make you feel better. Come on, drink up, you won't be disappointed!"

Jennifer took it with a sigh, if only to humor Audi. Taking a quick sip, she then looked up at Audi wide-eyed while her mentor cackled with glee at the expression, quickly heading towards the front door.

"Audi, you old hag! Where do you think you're going? I know this potion, where did you get it? You definitely didn't make this, and how is it that it's still warm?" Jennifer demanded.

"Perhaps because it works best when it's freshly prepared. But of course, you already know that," said a calm low voice behind her. "And don't you dare turn around until you've finished it. I didn't bring my kit here just so you can waste it."

Jennifer quickly drank down the rest of the sedative, watching Audi making quick excuses that she had to go to the barn and feed her pets before closing the door. Putting down the cup, Jennifer turned around to see Severus Snape leaning on the wall near the staircase, watching her thoughtfully.

He looked a bit out of his element, Jennifer thought, realizing how rarely she'd seen him off the school grounds. His sallow skin, sharp features, and shoulder-length black hair looked even more startling than normal around the warm, country surroundings. It was his dark eyes, she realized, that always seemed to hold her attention the most. Right now they were studying her as if trying to anticipate how she was going to react to him being there.

"So! What are you doing here?" she asked, trying not to sound awkward. He stood and walked up to her, glancing at a stone he kept in his pocket to see if anyone was listening. Jennifer had long gotten used to his paranoia over such things. Severus had always had good reason to be overcautious.

"Dumbledore suggested that it might be a good idea if I accompanied you back to the school. Since I wasn't able to get out here over the summer, he thought you might have been… wanting to see me," he said stiffly, gazing at her for confirmation.

Jennifer blinked at him for a moment. What, was he that convinced that a few months might change her mind about how she felt for him?

She had quickly fallen for the serious, temperamental wizard last year when she took the position at Hogwarts, soon finding herself pulled into a web of danger, taking risks that she probably never would have taken on her own. For Severus had been masking as a Death Eater, and she had found herself posing as his servant, hoping to convince them that she was one of them as well. But several things had come about that disproved her loyalty, and the Death Eaters quickly labeled her as a serious enemy. Thanks to the guile of Lucius Malfoy, she had fallen into a trap that could have, should have, taken her life.

Severus, long worried over her safety, had planned ahead for such an occurrence and found way to counter it, by casting Cosmic Sleep, the 'Sleeping Beauty' curse. Were it ever to come out who had cast the spell, Severus, still posing as a Death Eater, would be in more danger than ever before. They were also forced to hide their growing feelings for each other out of the public eye, hoping to buy a little more time so that that they and their allies could rid the world of Voldemort and his followers forever.

But now they were alone, so Jennifer didn't see much harm in leaning up and giving him a quick kiss. Severus returned it willingly, putting his arm so tightly around her that it was almost as if it was there to prevent her from escaping. Jennifer chuckled quietly, smiling up at him as he tried to toss his hair out of the way so that he could get a good look at her.

"What, you don't think that I could have possibly forgotten about you? Even though you didn't write me much. Twice all summer, as a matter of fact," Jennifer said, tapping her foot.

"I thought they might have gotten intercepted, so I decided to keep it as brief as possible," he said, his serious expression unchanging.

"If I'd known that was the problem, I'd have given you a lock of hair to make Witchlock paper," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I should have thought to ask before you left. That definitely wouldn't be something that I'd let you risk sending by post," he agreed in a low voice.

Suddenly he stepped back and folded his arms, glancing towards the door. Audi reentered, humming loudly. She pushed a kettle and a cauldron over the fire then walked upstairs without a word, only taking a moment to glance at them from the corner of her eye as she passed. Severus scowled as he watched her walk out of view then turned back to Jennifer.

"She knows, doesn't she? Jennifer, I know we talked about this," he said, alarmed.

"I didn't have to tell her anything, Severus. She is a Truth Seeker, remember? You try living with a Truth Seeker for a while and see how much you can keep secret," Jennifer snapped. Severus stared at her for such a long time that she was sure she had missed something.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a fixed gaze. Jennifer blinked at him and then blushed.

"Uh, I didn't mean… what I meant was… that is… would you like some tea?" Jennifer blurted out helplessly.

"Nice save," Severus smirked. "You had better sit down and let me handle that. I'm sure the sedative is going to catch up with you soon."

"I'll get it!" called Audi loudly, walking down the stairs. In fact, she was being so loud that Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Here's that list you wanted, Professor Snape. Do let me know if it's of any interest. I could use a good lead right now." Audi handed him a list of names, then went back over to the fireplace, serving up some tea and brew while peering back every now and then to look at Severus' face. He was frowning at the list and looking concerned. "I was telling him about my case when I ran into him at lunch," she explained to Jennifer, "so I wrote up a victim list."

"I recognize a few of these," Severus confirmed. "Old Death Eaters or their servants. No one I've seen lately, however. And you say this one was a servant for Malfoy?" Audi nodded.

"Found a few indirect links to him. One-time deposits and such. Look, I don't know much about the man except the fact Jennifer knows he had something to do with her mother's death. You think he could be doing this?" Audi asked.

"Possibly. I haven't heard anything about these disappearances, but then I haven't been in Malfoy's trusted book lately, either. Malfoy is famous for working indirectly, however. I can try to find out," he said, looking at the list again.

"I think I will take that job Malfoy offered," Audi said, scratching her chin. "It might be risky, but maybe it'll give me the leverage to get to the bottom of this. Besides, an old lady like me doesn't have too much to lose," she said cheerfully. Severus looked thoughtfully over at Jennifer, who had quietly fallen asleep with her head on the table. "As for you two, I think you both have everything to lose, and I suggest you don't take any more chances than necessary," she winked, getting up to put Jennifer to bed.

Just as the sun set the next evening, the coach arrived and Jennifer and Severus were on their way back to the school. Severus used the time to get Jennifer caught up on everything that happened while she had been gone. Apparently, early on that summer, Ollivander's Wands had been robbed. Jennifer was not really surprised. Harry Potter had broken Voldemort's old wand with a little help from Jennifer, and not all wands worked well for all people. The place had completely been torn apart, boxes and wands everywhere, and it had been lucky that no one had been in there at the time. Voldemort had also started increasing his raids on local Muggles and half-bloods, and Dumbledore had put out warnings to all of his students and parents, setting up an emergency system, just in case.

"That was in part what Sirius and I was working on this summer. The first two weeks were spent tracking down old acquaintances, finding out where their loyalties were, and gathering as many as we trusted into the fold. It's safe to say we had different ideas on who we thought were trustworthy," Severus added with disgust, "but Dumbledore seemed satisfied enough."

"Bah, I wish I could have been included. I could have helped out." Jennifer frowned.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be involved all too quickly in sorting them out once we arrive. Personally, I think you were better off someplace out of the way," Severus admitted.

"So you didn't miss me," she baited.

"Oh come now, you know better than that," he scowled. "Although to be perfectly honest, it was rather nice not having to look at my watch every five seconds to make sure you weren't in some sort of trouble."

"Ha, if I were in trouble here, you wouldn't have known it anyhow," she pointed out.

Jennifer had given him a custom made watch for Christmas last year that not only told the time, but also told him where she was in school, with a hand that could point to anywhere from "office" to "class" to "Hagrid's" or even to "Mortal Peril." For months, Severus' watch had been stuck maddeningly on "Elsewhere," and despite what he said to the contrary, had often glanced at it over the course of the summer.

The sky was beginning to lighten just as they began to break the lower edge of the clouds, and Severus peered out the window.

"It looks as if we're almost there," he said, a slight tinge of regret in his voice, glancing over at Jennifer who was very happy to be coming home. "It was nice having you to myself for awhile. I'm not quite sure how often we'll be able to meet without raising too much suspicion. We'll have to play it by ear," he said, frowning.

"Well, you'll always know where I'll be, so I'm sure we can work it out," Jennifer smiled at him. She took out the letter opener she kept in her pocket, transmuted it into a pair of scissors, quickly snipped off a lock of auburn hair and handed it to him. Gingerly he put it in an empty phial and stowed it away just as the coach pulled up to the field.

Jennifer could hardly wait to get the door open, popping out the moment the carriage was down and rushing to give Hagrid a big hug.

'Welcome back, Professor Craw! How was the States? Did ya 'ave a good trip back?" Hagrid asked.

"Fine! The trip home was good, even if I was stuck with Mr. Personality."

"I heard that," said Severus venomously as he stepped out, glancing momentarily at the time. "Any later and we'd have been seen for sure."

"Hallo, Professor Snape, sir. Professor Craw, I'll get yer bags. I know where they go. Professor Dumbledore wants to see ya both in his office, straight away, he said."

"Alright, Hagrid, I'll see you later then," Jennifer said.

"Come t' dinner if ya can, ta catch up?' Hagrid invited.

"Sounds great, Hagrid. I'll send Ratfly if I can't make it," she smiled.

Jennifer's bat, Ratfly, had been taking it easy all summer, and was, in fact, getting a bit lazy, not even stretching a wing when Hagrid took his cage out of the coach. She was quite sure getting back to school would cure the fruit bat of that though, and hopefully he would get back in shape.

It was still two weeks until term officially began, and the halls were eerily quiet. Jennifer was too busy enjoying walking down the halls and waving to the pictures on the stairs to let the silence get to her. At last they reached Dumbledore's study, and Jennifer went in, Severus close behind. Dumbledore stood with a smile and went straight over to Jennifer.

"Welcome back, Jennifer. We have all missed you," Albus Dumbledore said with a smile. His eyes twinkled behind his spectacles, his silver beard and hair covering over much of his maroon robes. "I just wanted to be the first to say that I have gotten two letters on your behalf last evening, and I would like you to know how proud I am of your decision concerning your certification." Jennifer blinked at him with surprise.

"But… I don't understand."

"I read your statement as to why. It was very well thought out. And, in some ways, it is close to what my own reasons were when I decided not to take the vow so many years ago." Dumbledore said. Jennifer could almost hear a row of pieces fall into place inside her head as things began to make sense. He too had some natural Legilimens ability.

"Yes, but… I mean, you're Albus Dumbledore, it's not like you need certification. No one would doubt your integrity now," Jennifer insisted.

"That is precisely the point, Jennifer. You don't need to take a vow or have a piece of paper for people to believe or respect you. And the sooner it is that you figure out what it means to be Jennifer Craw, the better," he smiled. "Now that that little issue is covered, let's talk about what is on the agenda for this year."