Chapter Twenty-One

Tidings of Comfort

Jennifer still felt frustrated and tired, but the fog in her head was beginning to slowly lift. She glanced around the library to get her bearings, finally recognizing it. Her arms were aching from being held so tight, but she didn't feel like killing the stone rat anymore even though she still wished he were dead. In fact, she was starting to feel extremely depressed, recalling all of the things that had happened and angry with herself for not being able to fight it. Slowly Severus released her hands, but kept his arms protectively around her just in case it hadn't completely worn off yet. She wondered if he had any idea of how close she had come to leaving with Wormtail and what he might have thought if she had. Tears streamed down her cheeks, gently being brushed away by Severus.

"We need to get you out of here," he said softly. "Can you walk with me?" Jennifer nodded slowly. Keeping an arm around her shoulders and the other holding one of her hands, he glanced over where Filius and several of the other professors were standing by the pile of books. "When Dumbledore comes, let him know that I went to take Professor Craw to her room."

"What curse did she get hit with? Anything I can do?" Filius asked.

"Mortification Curse… more than once, I believe, from her behavior. I'll take care of it," Severus insisted, walking her to the door.

"It'll be all right, Jennifer, there's nothing that can keep you down for long," Filius smiled at her as they walked by.

"Of course he's right, you were clever enough to find a way to defeat an army of Dementors, after all," Aurora Sinistra added.

"You put your heart in everything you do and say, Jennifer, and have more courage than just about anyone else I know," Rolanda said warmly. Rolanda nudged Filch, who was standing beside her just inside the library door.

"Anybody who can think of makin' a student clean floors while 'is ex House Elf supervises is all right in my book," Filch offered. Rolanda frowned at him, but smiled when Jennifer glanced towards them.

"Let's take the back stairs before we run into anyone else who wants to make you feel better," Severus muttered.

Jennifer, who was feeling numb, was grateful for his presence as he walked her to her suite. Severus lit all the lights when they came in, making it perhaps brighter than Jennifer liked, leading her to the sofa and setting her wand on the table. "How are you feeling? Any better?" he asked, making her look at him. It was evident from the misery in her eyes that she wasn't.

"I'm sorry," Jennifer said, "I couldn't… he just… I couldn't fight…" Severus quickly put a hand to her lips.

"I don't suppose I've ever told you how beautiful I think you are," he said solemnly, pushing her hair of her face.

"You're only saying that because you know complements help with the after effects of the Mortification Curse," Jennifer said with a frown.

"Well, it may give me a reason to say it right at this moment, but I'm not one to throw complements out that aren't warranted," he said seriously. "If you want those, we can always call in your friend, Sirius."

"I'm not interested in Sirius, Severus. I never have been," Jennifer said, wanting to kick herself for allowing Sirius to let people think otherwise. "He's kind and generous and a good friend, but he's just not right for me."

"Then may I add that I think you are very intelligent and have good common sense," he smirked softly, but Jennifer looked thoughtful.

"About Halloween… you're right, what I did was stupid…" Severus moved his hand to block her words again but she caught his hand holding onto it. "It's not the spell talking, Severus. I was afraid and very angry, but at myself, not you. I couldn't bear the thought of me putting you in danger anymore, of you leaving because of a damn Mark call, and just not coming back if they found out. More and more people were figuring it out all the time… so when you said you didn't want me to interfere any more I decided that you were right, and maybe this whole thing wasn't a good idea. But I still love you, I always will. I just wanted you to know that." Jennifer felt miserable again, and embarrassed, brushing angrily at her tears and wishing she were somewhere else.

"Look me in the eyes, Jennifer," Severus said, gently but firmly, moving her hands out of the way and pulling up her chin. "I want you to see truth the way I see it. I knew perfectly well why you did what you did. But the only true failure, out of all those imagined failures that are swimming through your head right now, is that you failed to get rid of me. I'm not that easy to get rid of, no matter how hard you try. So long as I have even the slightest hint that you still love me, you will not be rid of me. And frankly, even if you didn't love me anymore, I'd probably still love you whether you wanted me to or not." Jennifer stared at him with her mouth open in astonishment.

"I can't believe you actually said it. You've never said you loved me out loud before," she stammered.

"There are a lot of things I've been meaning to say for a while but haven't. I suppose now is as good a time as any to start. You need to stop beating yourself because you don't think you're strong enough, or brave enough, or fast enough. And I know I've told you that before, but I think it's more evident now than ever. That doesn't mean you have to fight this on your own. You don't need to be alone to be in control over your life." Severus said, grasping her hand firmly.

"Neither do you," Jennifer said, returning his gaze. Severus blinked in surprise, gazing at her for a long time.

"Neither do I," he said at last, kissing the top of her hand. Just then there was a knock at the door, and Severus told her just to relax and answered it himself. It was Dumbledore, carrying a tray.

"I'm sorry I took so long getting here," he said. He sounded calm enough, but Jennifer noticed the tired strain in his voice as he made his way in. "I brought you both something from Poppy, and some hot chocolate as well," he said, setting the tray down on the table and sitting in a chair beside her. "Do you feel like talking about it yet? It's all right if you don't," he added.

"I can talk about it now," she heard herself say, and quickly found that she could. She stayed away from the details of the Mortification Curse itself, but did give an account of what Wormtail had said to her. Severus took over from where he came in, giving Jennifer time to lean back in his arm and listen.

"What we don't really know is how he got in here in the first place," Severus said.

"I suspect in the same way that he planned to get out," Dumbledore said. "He probably had someone under the Imperius curse and commanded them to bring him in. I will try and determine who that was, but I have a feeling it was an unwilling victim. It would seem from what he said, Jennifer, that he was most definitely in here to find you personally, but you totally outsmarted him. I have to admit, it was splendid work."

"What do you mean, I outsmarted him? I couldn't do anything…" she started, her voice cracking. Severus tightened his arm around her shoulder while Dumbledore took her hand, smiling gently.

"Yes, you, Jennifer. It was you who was able to track him, and then backtrack into the library. You chose the library because of the safety device, but also I think because you knew it was a place that you could be found because it was on the watch; the watch that you made for Severus so that he could find you in an emergency. And then, when Hermione found out about you and Severus, you happened to mention that watch, I would guess, a bit of extra information that helped Harry decide what to do when you, rightly, went to follow Pettigrew so that he wouldn't have been able to hide in the school and catch us unawares. Furthermore, you also decided to come to me to get permission to teach your students the Defiance countercurse, which also came in handy to break you from the curse you were under… although poor Severus ended up taking a beating from what I hear…"

"It's nothing," Severus grunted.

"The point is that Pettigrew did not succeed and was captured, and that is just as much because of the choices you made as it was Severus' and Harry's. So don't you dare try to add that to whatever list of personal defeats you have going. With a little more time, I think I could discount the rest of that list as well, but I think I'll leave that for you and Severus to work out on your own," Dumbledore said, getting up. "There are some heart's ease balm decanters here and a potent Sleeping Potion for you, Jennifer, and a mild bruise and ache potion for you, Severus. I need to go back down and explain to Arthur what happened. Good night."

Severus walked over to show Dumbledore out, leaving Jennifer alone with her thoughts for a moment. She wasn't really depressed now, but still slightly numb. She reached for the hot chocolate, letting the steam waft over her and calm her senses. Severus returned and reached for the decanters, pouring the liquid into two small bowls that had been on the tray. A soft light came from the liquid, reflecting out of the bowl like tiny prisms, accompanied by a fresh, sweet aroma that reminded Jennifer of springtime, and a very peaceful sound like wind chimes in a gentle breeze. The heart's ease balm had a very soothing, calming effect, designed to put anyone near it at ease. Severus slipped into the next room and put it beside her bed. He took off his cloak and threw it over the mirror in her bedroom before making his way back to her side, taking a moment to drink down his potion.

"I didn't really kick you that hard, did I?" Jennifer said apologetically. She hadn't had any control over her anger at that point, and she knew her strength would have been pretty tough to handle.

"The bites were worse," he glared, showing her the marks on his arm. She blushed, trying to say she was sorry, but he stopped her, kissing her gently. "You should get some rest," he said quietly. "Take your potion and get some sleep. You'll feel much better in the morning."

"Bah, you're always bossing me around, and I already feel better," Jennifer grumped teasingly, letting him kiss her good night before he left to let her sleep.

Arthur was delighted to see Jennifer when she arrived in Dumbledore's Study the next morning. Ederick wasn't. In fact, he was giving her such a suspicious look that Jennifer was wondering what he thought she'd done now.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. Good morning, Arthur," Jennifer said, smiling warmly. "And, what is that doing here?"

"Now, now, Jennifer, let's be polite," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. He had a feeling she still hadn't quite forgiven Ederick Thurspire for accusing her of being a Dark witch last year. After what had happened at Hagrid's, she really thought he was a bit off his rocker. "Ederick was just about to explain why he wanted Sirius arrested last evening."

"Oh, this should be good," Jennifer said, standing beside Dumbledore's desk so she could see his face clearly.

"Well, I had been following a suspect… a different one I mean… who was acting altogether suspicious and who I had been following in an attempt to uncover the Ivory Skull," he explained. "I had hoped this person would have led me to the Skull. I was quite sure she was involved. Then yesterday an informant happened to see her meet up with Sirius Black in the woods. He was demanding the wand from her, very forcefully so. My informant then had to slip away quickly to avoid being detected. Just as he left, we received a trace at the Ministry that the wand had been used several times in the Dark Forest. I know for a fact that my suspect had already returned to the residence she was staying at before that occurrence."

"The wand was used?" Jennifer said worriedly, looking over at Arthur, who nodded.

"Who was the suspect?" Dumbledore asked. Arthur nodded to Ederick who looked rather uncomfortable. Ederick didn't want another of his theories sliced to bits, and he was pretty sure about this one.

"Er… Madame Audacious Belle. From the United States," he admitted. Jennifer exchanged glances with Dumbledore.

"Who was the informant?" Dumbledore asked.

"Someone that has been working with us from the Department of Mysteries," Ederick said. He glanced at Arthur for permission to continue, and he nodded. "Theo Camden."

"Whoever used that wand, it was not Sirius Black, although I believe it probably happened as you say it did. I had sent Sirius on an errand for me to see if he couldn't get the wand from Madame Belle," Dumbledore said. Ederick stood up quickly. "However, if he had gotten it, it would have come straight to me."

"You mean to tell me that you knew Audacious Belle stole the wand?" he gawked.

"Audi Belle is most definitely involved with the Ivory Skull in some capacity, but what she is doing and why, I'm not quite sure," Dumbledore said, frowning. "She won't talk to me, and that in itself, I think, is a bad sign. She has been a good friend, and not one I'd believe would have sold herself to such a cause. In any case, she's also a licensed Truth Seeker, and the evidence would have to be surmountable to catch her."

"That is why we were only following her, not questioning her. I was hoping to catch the Skull and her together."

Just then there was a quick knock at the door and Jennifer glanced up to see Sirius Black enter the room. He was cheerful enough, but it seemed to Jennifer that he must not have gotten much sleep. He greeted Arthur and Dumbledore warmly, nodded to Ederick, then kissed Jennifer's hand and stood beside her.

"Sirius, this is Ederick Thurspire from the Law Enforcement's Department of Investigations, whom I'm sure you've heard of."

"Only the name," Sirius said coldly. Jennifer looked up at Sirius in surprise. She'd never seen him quite so defensive before.

"Sirius, did anyone attempt to use Jennifer's wand on you last night?" Dumbledore asked. Sirius blinked and looked over at him in surprise.

"Someone tried to use Jennifer's wand?" he asked with a frown.

"Just after Audi left you last night, so it would seem."

"I went straight to Hagrid's after she left. I didn't see anyone," Sirius said.

"Wait a minute," Ederick said angrily, squinting at Jennifer. "That means that Sirius was there when my men got there. And you stalled for him so he could get away. Don't you know that's –"

"School security policy," Jennifer interrupted. "No student, staff or extension thereof, shall be allowed to be taken off the grounds of Hogwarts for any reason including questioning or incarceration without the accompaniment or permission in person from the Headmaster."

"Yes, and I wrote that policy," said Dumbledore.

"And I signed it," added Arthur Weasley. "The Ministry is nothing but supportive of the school's efforts to maintain security in these trying times."

"I've always wanted extended family," Sirius said, putting an arm around Jennifer's shoulder, smiling. Jennifer gazed at him blankly.

"Sirius, you are a good friend, and I'd trust you with my life. But if you don't move your arm this very instant, you're going to wish you were just a cockroach again." Sirius blinked and moved it, muttering an apology.

"Now, Jennifer, that's enough. We need to figure out who has your wand," Dumbledore reminded her.

"Well, whoever it is should be easy to spot now," Jennifer sighed. "If Mallus Craw's wand has been used, the wand already has control over them. And if they have any strength in Dark magic at all…" Jennifer shook her head. "I should never have kept that wand all these years."

"Well, I think if the wand does have control over someone, there is only one person who can get the wand back safely now, and that's you, Jennifer," Dumbledore said. "So I want you and Severus to do what you can to track down and recover that wand, then it needs to be destroyed."

"Yes, sir, I know," Jennifer nodded.

"Very well, then, that's that. Arthur, how is your new prisoner doing?"

"Still stiff as a rock," Arthur said cheerfully. Dumbledore didn't seem too displeased by that. "We'll have to release him from the spell soon, of course. He may have some important information that we might get out of him."

"I rather doubt that," Dumbledore admitted. "I do not think he would be trusted enough to earn much confidence. He has been too long festering over his crimes to be willing to cooperate in any case. Be that as it may, I would like to be there when he is released from that spell."

"Of course, Professor," Arthur said. "Take your time. Perhaps keeping him under the spell will keep him out of trouble for a while."