Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Ivory Skull

Jennifer handed her coffee to Severus and went to get the door, which was being pounded on frantically. As she opened the door, Ron nearly fell in, completely out of breath.

"What are you doing up? It's nearly midnight!" Jennifer exclaimed.

"Something's wrong," Ron gasped. "Harry's missing. He's still not back yet, so something must have happened to him."

"Woah! Woah, slow down, Ron. Back from where?" Jennifer demanded. Severus came up behind her, causing Ron to stop and stare.

"What are you doing here so late?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Ron! He's helping me set up OWLS. for next week. Now would you please tell me where Harry is?" Jennifer said impatiently.

"I think he went to talk to Thurspire. He sent an Owl Post to him earlier tonight. He was worried about the wand, but he left just after lights out and hasn't come back yet."

"All right, I'm coming. I'll be back later, Severus –"

"Oh, no you don't. You're not going anywhere without me," Severus snapped, handing her her cloak. "Besides, you don't even know where to look."

"And you're saying that you do?" Jennifer scowled at Severus. The look on his face made her stop and stare at him.

"Weasley, go tell McGonagall and Dumbledore what you know and let them know that Craw and I went after him. Come on, Jennifer, let's go find Potter. I told him not to meddle," he muttered, grabbing his own cloak as they headed out the door. "I guess I should have mentioned to you that he'd gotten into his head that somehow Voldemort had gotten the wand, but I hadn't thought he was going to act on it this quickly." Jennifer stopped short in a panic. "No, no, Voldemort doesn't have your wand. The Skull has it, Theo Camden," Severus said softly. "The death was a ruse to protect certain people who might have been called to testify at Malfoy's trial."

"You mean you've known who the Skull was all this time?" she asked in disbelief.

"Since Halloween. I was standing beside him when he went to distract the Death Eaters to save your neck," he snapped, "so I covered for him and didn't say anything. I hadn't known then that he had taken the wand. Since then, I've cornered Belle on several occasions about it only to learn that the Skull has it and seems to be capable of using it without ill effect; how, I'm not sure. He wants Voldemort dead, that is certain, and anyone else associated with him."

"And you think Harry's with them?"

"Quite sure. Thurspire is enough of a fool to lead him right to them," Severus muttered, rubbing his arm as it began to burn. He pushed up his sleeve momentarily and covered it again. "On second thought, perhaps you should wait here."

"No," Jennifer said. "I know where you're going, and you're not leaving me behind this time. I know what they'll do if they catch you. I need to go in any case to get the wand back. This time we're in it together or not at all." Jennifer looked unusually stubborn; making it plain she'd go on her own if he tried to stop her. He scowled at her for a moment then reluctantly nodded.

"All right. Stay with me then and follow my lead. This isn't a good time for one of your displays of defiance… that would likely get us both killed. Come on."

The fog over the Chalk Downs was incredibly thick, and they could barely make out the edge of the cemetery above them. Jennifer quickly donned her Night Shroud as Severus covered himself with chameleon dust and took her hand. Quietly they crept up the side of the hill, stepping carefully in an attempt not to dislodge any of the rubble below. Voldemort's followers had already assembled, gathered around in circles like ripples in a disturbed pool. The outermost rim was filled mainly of Dementors as well as other types of allied creatures; a couple of Giants, several Trolls, Harpies, a two-headed Ettin and a few Fear-deargs, among others. The inner rings were made of Death Eaters, and despite all of the recent losses, over five dozen were in attendance. There was, however, no sign of Potter or the Ivory Skull.

"He must have decided not to risk it," Jennifer whispered, but Severus squeezed her hand hard as a warning to be quiet. He guided her up towards the mausoleum, edging closer so they could hear.

"Perhaps they'll need a little persuasion, but I'm quite sure he's more than capable of taking care of that," Voldemort said, waving it off. "And even if he doesn't, everyone is moving into place, and if he has to be replaced, he can be. Our dear friend Sirius Black will soon learn just how hindering it can be to have a werewolf on his side. Any news on the wand?"

"We still haven't found the old woman yet. Her secret keeper returned to the States, and she hasn't contacted Malfoy's estate since the trial," a voice said. Jennifer thought it might have been Crabbe. "Camden's house was abandoned."

"Perhaps we should find a way to persuade her to come to us," Voldemort said with a thin smile. "Go back and find her town, Crabbe, and make sure you leave a few calling cards, hm?"

Jennifer had little doubt what Voldemort meant by a calling card. Audi's quiet Muggle farming community would suffer many unexplained deaths that night, and the corpses would mysteriously show up on her doorstep. She gritted her teeth at the thought of anyone willing to kill just to get someone's attention. He had to be stopped, and he had to be killed to stop him. But Voldemort never went anywhere without a small army to protect him, he was no fool. No one could get to him without taking out his followers. Perhaps that's what the Skull was doing, Jennifer thought. Was it such a bad thing? But despite well over a dozen dead by the skull's hand, there stood Voldemort with a number greater than he had had since his return. What was it going to take? Jennifer sighed silently, trying to focus her hearing back to the conversation at hand when she heard a chillingly familiar voice booming out a spell.

"Lumos solem!"

Sunlight poured into the circle, aimed at Voldemort and spreading out into the masses, lighting up the cemetery as if it were midday. As Voldemort and several of the Death Eaters and dark creatures behind him cried out in pain, others were quick to raise their wands, casting a Darkness Veil over the cemetery. Jennifer, standing in her Night Shroud quickly realized her own peril… the spell that had angered Voldemort had also revealed her standing in daylight behind her black silk shroud. As Voldemort ordered a pair of harpies to the top of the mausoleum, Dementors on their own accord flooded over to Jennifer, ignoring the master's orders to wait as they reached for their hoods.

"Expecto Patronum!" Severus' voice rang out in front of Jennifer, and a burst of light appeared, shooting out a wave of small birds that flew into the crowd of Dementors like an army of stars. Crying out in pain, several Dementors dispersed, but not before alerting everyone else to their presence. Jennifer, who had been thinking a split second before how she'd never seen a Patronus come out in a swarm like that, was forced to face a less pleasant reality as several Death Eaters approached with their wands out. A cold laughter rang out as the shroud fell off of her, and she grimaced to hear it.

"You might as well come out, Severus, we all know you are there now," Voldemort said. "Come, come, surely you do not fear your old friends. Have you come to confess and bring me this witch as a token of your loyalty? Ah, I suppose not, you were probably coming to spy again. It doesn't matter; the gesture would not have saved you anyhow.

"So nice of you to come, dear Jennifer, I have been hearing many interesting things about you. Bring her over to me. We are going to have a little chat," Voldemort continued with an unpleasant smile.

Severus appeared in front of Jennifer as he dusted off the power with one hand, his wand in the other and an unbending determination in his face.

"Jennifer, leave while you can," Severus hissed. Jennifer blinked at him.

"I'll do no such thing," she said flatly pulling out her own wand. "Tell your minions to back off, Voldemort."

"What, or you'll kill us all by casting one of the twelve deaths spells? Perhaps even the Forbidden Death spell, thought to be lost… but known by you, according to your testimony in court. I hardly believe you are capable of a spell of that in the spectrum of your own free will. You would no more kill me than you would kill the traitor beside you, let alone the dozens that are here. To think you could have killed me last year, but instead chose to pathetically break my wand and failed to bring my reign to an end. While I myself have killed countless times since then without hesitation, just as I can without hesitation chose to kill you right now."

"No," Severus said, blocking her from his view, "Kill me instead, and let Jennifer go." Jennifer's eyes grew wide, realizing what he was doing. She cried out loudly in protest and forced herself in front of Severus, clinging onto him.

"No, no, I won't let you! If you must take one of us, take me. Severus, please don't do this," Jennifer begged. Voldemort laughed again, his smile filled with hatred as well as humor.

"So, you'd think to thwart me with sacrifice? I hadn't realized you were so foolish, Jennifer, or you so sentimental, Severus. But your efforts are completely in vain. Severus' life has been condemned since the moment he betrayed me and has no claim to his own life to sacrifice. As for you, Jennifer, you're much more useful to me alive than dead. You may have failed against me, my dear, but you'll not fail with me. Mortify them."

Several Death Eaters moved at once, casting at each of them with a force Jennifer had never felt before. She collapsed instantly, not being able to feel her own body, locked inside her own mind with only darkness and the voices in her head.

Jennifer, how do you expect to get anywhere if you can't even cast a simple Light spell like that? Please try harder! We just can't afford to send you to a different school.

Keep up, Jen-girl! What's the matter with you? If this had been anyone else casting this spell right now you'd have been dead already. I didn't spend three years of my life getting you ready to have you falter on a curse like that. Do it over!

I'm through arguing with you over this. I want your word you'll not try anything that stupid again.

You were facing Voldemort and all you cast was gold touch?

Truth Seekers do not use their ability for personal vindication. They do not steal knowledge, and they don't make up lies and pass them off as the truth. But you are not a Truth Seeker. Your mother was, bless her spirit. But she is gone, leaving nothing behind but a child who tries to play people like a game.

No wait! He said that to protect me, Jennifer suddenly thought to herself, somewhat aware that she was clutching her head, even though she couldn't feel it, and Severus was only mad because he cares about me… and Mother… and Dad… and so I don't like killing people, how is that a failure?

"Impressive, Severus, very impressive," said a cold voice outside of her head. It sounded very close. " I had never thought you capable of fighting that spell. Not that it will save you, and it will definitely not save her. Disarm him and torture him as you like, just make sure you keep him alive. He will soon regret ever working against me. Come, Jennifer, it is time you embraced the darkness that you worked to master for so long. Stand and follow. Imperio. Do not bother to fight it, slave," he smiled thinly as Jennifer got up. "You know that it won't do any good. You have only your own failures to blame."

"A Craw never fails at anything!" a voice shouted. Jennifer knew the voice at once, but it didn't make sense that she had heard it. Or was it the voice in her head? It sounded so real. Voldemort had spun around, hissing at some of the Death Eaters to move towards it. "A Craw never succumbs to her enemies! A Craw never serves any will but her own! And a Craw never rests without vengeance!"

Suddenly there was complete and utter silence, the last words Jennifer had heard still ringing in her ears. No spell of defiance could have caused her to fight so strongly as she wanted to at that moment. The words and the voice behind them breached no argument, and Jennifer had always known when not to argue with that voice. Her doubts and failures were quickly pushed away and forgotten, knowing now that they weren't important. All that was important was the matter at hand. She was aware of her hands on her head again, and at last she could feel them as well as the sensation of intense pressure pushing around her.

Opening her eyes, she found herself standing in a gale of pale blue light, speeding like wind across the cemetery from behind her as Death Eaters and creatures fell around her feet, their hands covering their ears in apparent pain. Only Voldemort was standing, recoiling with pain and anger, casting a spell that blasted into the mausoleum, causing a pillar to fall and rattle the structure. The light and pressure stopped, and Jennifer was able to bring out her wand, her eyes focusing on the spot that Voldemort was aiming at. Then she saw them, appearing over the eaves… Audi Belle on one side, Harry Potter on the other, both of them with their wands pointed at Voldemort. Standing between them was the man who everyone else there knew as Theo Camden. But he could not have hidden his identity from her, even had she not been a Truth Seeker at all. There was no mistaking him.

"Dad?" she said, faltering when she couldn't hear her own voice. Audi pointed her wand at Jennifer and Jennifer felt her hearing return, her ears immediately filled with the sounds of moaning. "Dad, you're the Ivory Skull?"

"Stay alert, Jen-girl," Thomas Craw warned, "and back away from the pack. Grab your wand, Snape! Hurry, before the rest of his ilk come to! Get her back from there!"

Snape struggled to the his feet looking both stunned and annoyed, glaring at Craw as if seeing him for the first time. He summoned his wand over, turning to keep an eye on Voldemort as he stepped over to join Jennifer. But Voldemort was not watching them as they backed away. His eyes were staring with intense hatred at the three standing on the mausoleum.

"Ah, now it all comes clear. You never doubted that I was alive, did you, Thomas? And when I was able to return, you decided that if you faked your death it would protect your precious wife and daughter. Your wife, however, was a meddler, and couldn't keep her nose out of things when you had gone, so one of my more faithful servants had her disposed of. And that is when the deaths started, was it not? You always were weak and sentimental… of course, not as weak as she was."

"Crucio!" Thomas snarled, a strong red ray flashing down at Voldemort. Jennifer started to protest when something they had not anticipated happened. All of the Death Eaters who had been struggling to get up now fell again in pain. Beside her, Severus fell to his knees, gritting his teeth. Her stomach dropped as realization crept in, her face white as a sheet.

"No, no! Dad, stop, STOP! Look at them, they're all connected to him!" Jennifer begged. "You can't do this!"

Above, Thomas too was shaking with pain, reluctantly pulling back. He had enjoyed watching Voldemort writhe too much to acknowledge his own pain.

"Thomas, you can't do this, not now. We need to get out of here," Audi hissed.

"He must have cursed the Marks so that any spell used directly on him would reflect on anyone wearing them," Harry said. "You'll end up killing yourself and all the others if you do it!"

Down below, Jennifer helped Severus to his feet and glared at her father, trying to figure out what to do next.

"If you say this is going to complicate things, I'm going to hurt you," Jennifer muttered, putting an arm around Severus.

"Too late," Severus grunted. "Let's Apparate to them and try to get all of us out of here."

Thomas was still standing at the edge when they arrived, seething with anger.

"So this is how you protect yourself against disloyalty these days," Thomas called down, "or so you think. But you have effectively given me a way to kill all of my enemies at once without effort!"

"Would that you succeed, you would be taking yourself and dozens of other lives with you, including that traitor whom I assume is up there with you now!" Voldemort hissed.

"A fair price for what is gained; a world without you in it," Thomas shouted down, taking a defensive posture. "Sorry, Snape, would have like to have known you better."

"Quite all right. Let me lend you a hand," Severus said stepping forward his wand out.

"Expelliarmus!"

Thomas suddenly found himself getting blasted from behind, launching him off the mausoleum and down to the ground below. Jennifer quickly held out her left hand, pulling the cursed wand to her.

"Expelliarmus!" Beside her, another blast went off and Severus staggered back, his wand shooting out of his hand. Harry quickly picked it up, his face pale. "I hope I don't get expelled for that," he muttered.

Audi Belle dove down by Thomas' side, standing over him with her wand drawn, pointing it threateningly at the Death Eaters who had their wands aimed at them. Voldemort was laughing... a cold, hissing laugh that did nothing but fuel Jennifer's temper even more.

"Now we're going to do this my way," Jennifer snapped, taking a stand where her father was a moment before.

"Well done, Jennifer. It was quite a pleasure watching you deliver your father to me."

"Oh, I'm not done helping you yet, Voldemort. If those two idiots want to die along with you, fine, but they're not going without me. You want to learn the Forbidden Death Spell? I'll give you a first hand look at it!" Jennifer said, switching the wands so she had the cursed wand. "I'll even use the Mallus wand to do it."

"You couldn't kill anyone, Jennifer. You are too much of a coward to kill. You didn't even try to kill me last year when you actually had a chance." Voldemort snorted. "Let me remind you! Mortify!"

The beam hit Jennifer square on, but it didn't seem to do anything, her anger too intense for the curse to follow through. Snorting softly, she ignored it, and after deafening her father and Belle, cast the Shrieking Death below. The spell was intense as it wailed out from the wand, causing everyone to recoil again in its wake. Then, when the majority of Death Eaters were down, she began waving her wand in a circle in the air, watching Voldemort closely for any sign of retaliation. The fog and mist that had draped the downs was now spun like cotton candy above her head, turning black as pitch as it formed into a menacing cloud above her, growing bigger with every movement. Her hair flew back in a strange, phantom wind giving her an altogether different appearance than what Harry had ever seen. He shivered slightly, still keeping an eye on Snape. Whatever she was up to, he couldn't help but trust her plan over Snape's, and nervously watched her while still pointing his wand at the other teacher.

"Black death gather at my will,

Mist befoul and sickness kill,

Ascend with disease and taint the air,

For all must breathe and feel despair!

Epus!"

"Jen-girl, what are you doing?!" rasped Craw. "Harry, stop her!"

"Rodentox!"

"Don't just stand there, you fools, get her!" Voldemort ordered.

"Meritox! Ash! Pestilen! Ambien!"

"Jennifer?" Severus said in disbelief.

One word more, it was all it would take, to send seven plagues into the wind, and everyone there under the spell would have instantly been ripped asunder by the vessels of the seven as they raced in different directions to accomplish their deed. But Jennifer had never had any intention of finishing it. She switched to her other wand as calmly as if she had been teaching her class a new spell and flicked it towards the cloud, now as large as the entire cemetery, letting out an array of silver sparks that sprayed upon it.

"Familiarus pluvias," she cast, watching as the cloud brilliantly turned to white like a ray of hope over a forgotten land. Light poured over the cemetery, followed by a strange rumble of thunder.

It was not long before the first dog fell out of the cloud. Then a cat. Several rats… a flock of owls, and a ton of frogs, and then another cat, and another… raining like hail from a storm, immediately attacking the enemies of the caster when they reached the ground.

"Hedwig?" Harry called out in surprise, seeing his owl flapping over one of the Ettin's heads as Crookshanks bedeviled scratches all over the giant's legs. He saw Pigwidgeon swooping over a Death Eater, snatching away his wand, and others he didn't recognize from the school descending on other Death Eaters and doing the same. Ravens pecked at on the top of hooded heads as they tried to spell them off, and frogs jumped at them throwing the cemetery into chaos. Ratfly descended to Jennifer's shoulder as she knelt to one knee for cover. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a large lizard drop.

"Ratfly, go find Rasputin and take off his eye patch, there's a good boy," Jennifer grinned, nudging him off her shoulder. "That monitor basilisk should keep them busy for awhile." A colorful bird descended onto the mausoleum, squawking noisily. "Hello, Gideon, be careful, it's nuts down there. Harry, stay up here with Severus. I'm going to go see if I can get Dad up here before Audi and he discover the basilisk the hard way."

"I can tell it to leave off if you want," Harry suggested.

"Stay here and do as your told," Snape snarled, getting up. "And give me back my wand!"

"Go ahead and give it to him if you want to, Harry," Jennifer said as she hopped down. Reluctantly Harry held the wand out and Severus snatched it away, glaring at him.

Many of the Death Eaters had decided to Disapparate rather than be overwhelmed by animals. Others were covered in bite marks and scratches, trying every spell they could think of to try and get them off, often at the expense of losing their wands. Others stood totally petrified, and Jennifer calmly shoved one aside to get to where Belle and her father were.

"Are you all right, Dad?" Jennifer asked, pausing to block a spell that had been thrown at them. She countered easily but didn't bother to reciprocate, for the Death Eater had been surrounded by familiars. Even Hagrid's dog Fang was there, barking at Death Eaters for show and every now and then running behind the building for cover.

"How dare you ask me if I'm all right?" Thomas snarled hoarsely, wincing in pain. His head was bleeding on one side and Belle had tied one of his legs up.

"I love you too, Dad. Audi, can you get him out of here?" Jennifer asked, still trying to stay alert. Audi was busy casting entangling at the feet of the Ettin, causing him to fall. As Jennifer turned back towards them she noticed a dark cloudy mist descending behind them, and Jennifer dove to protect her father, covering him with her own body as the mist reformed.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort cast at them with a hissing voice.

But as Jennifer prepared for the worst, a burst of flames singed her back, causing her to cry out in pain. Belle quickly turned around and with snap reflexes cast daylight at the figure who was already backing away from the intense fire. The bright light seared towards him, blindingly strong in the dark surroundings. With a cry of intense pain and anger that was echoed by a handful of other Death Eaters, Voldemort Disapparated, soon followed by those few who still remained. Only the sound of the squawking, squeaking, hooting familiars was left, licking their wounds and looking annoyingly inquisitive.

Slowly Jennifer lifted herself up and turned around, wincing from her burns. Nestled behind her was newborn phoenix chick sitting in a pile of ashes. Realizing what must have happened, Jennifer inhaled loudly and carefully scooped up the chick, wrapping it protectively in her robe.

"I owe you one, Fawkes," Jennifer said quietly, kissing the chick on the head. "Didn't mean to call you, though. I must have gotten every familiar in the entire school."

"Well, I must say, that was the most familiars I've ever seen anyone pull out of a familiar rain," Belle said, a wave of relief in her own voice. "It was, at least, quite a show," she said. "You all right, Jen-girl? Let me take a look at your father."

Harry and Severus approached, Harry with Hedwig on his shoulder and Severus carrying Rasputin, the patch safely over the basilisk's good eye as he surveyed them through his yellow glass one.

"He's going to need medical attention soon. I think he hit his head pretty hard," Belle said as they leaned over him. He had lost consciousness after the flames had washed over them, and his bandages were already rippled with blood. Jennifer felt horrible. She knew he was going to be angry with her, and knew he had a right to be. Had she just caused what she had tried so desperately to keep him from doing? Was he going to die because of her?

Just then she felt a hand on her arm, and heard the chic in her lap trill happily. Looking up she saw Dumbledore gazing down at Thomas with concern. He did not, however, seem very surprised to see him.

"Poppy? Would you come over here, please?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore!" Poppy Pomfrey rushed over, and Jennifer was suddenly aware that most of the staff were present, rounding up familiars and putting the petrified onto stretchers. Poppy took one look at Thomas and shooed everyone else back. Jennifer stood slowly up, gritting her teeth, carefully cradling Fawkes and offering him to Dumbledore, who gently took him into his arm, smiling.

"Ah, now that explains what happened to your back," Dumbledore said softly, petting the chick. "You must have risked your life for at least one person tonight… why do I suspect it was more than that?"

"It's a long story, Professor," Jennifer sighed.

"Yes, I suspected that it would be. But it's late, and you are injured, and it can wait until the morning. Then all of us, yes that includes you too, Audi, are going to have a nice relaxing talk," he smiled pleasantly.