Chapter Four

Express Flight

It hadn't been easy to tell Severus that Dumbledore wanted to see him. He had scowled, asked how much trouble did she get in, and she indicated over her head. Sighing, he climbed the stairs.

That was the last time she had gotten to see him until the day before the students arrived. Dumbledore had assigned him to work with Sirius concerning evacuation strategies for the new families, so he was away from the school most of the time. Jennifer was asked to report to Minerva once her personal paperwork was done and her supplies requisitioned, and Jennifer found herself helping Minerva finish up the class schedules and file administrative paperwork. Jennifer found she didn't really mind the extra work… some of it was rather fascinating… but she quickly discovered how much effort it took to organize classes, games, practices, staff shifts, security shifts, and file new student information. Minerva had done most of the hard-core work in July when the letters were sent out, so most of the scheduling work dealt with the students who hadn't attended the year before and had decided to return.

"I know we really weren't missing all that many students, but it felt empty to me. It'll be good to see some of those faces back," Minerva said, flipping through the pages. "That reminds me, did you find time to finish the aptitude tests for Defense for those wanting to try and test out last year?"

"Yes, Minerva. They're here and all filed, second through sixth."

"Good, all ready for tomorrow at last," she smiled, glancing over the tests. "Hm, but I still need the paperwork from Severus and Pomona."

"I can go down and check on that, Minerva," Jennifer offered, perhaps too quickly. Minerva eyed Jennifer thoughtfully, well aware that Jennifer hadn't seen Severus since he had gotten back that morning.

"Oh, very well, Jennifer, but try not to dally too long. There are a couple of other things to finish up and I know that you have to meet the train early tomorrow. And please bring up copies of his lesson plans too; he hasn't turned those in yet, either."

Jennifer agreed readily, already backing out of the office. Minerva shook her head and smiled thinly as the girl swept out the door. After taking a quick glance at her watch, Jennifer hurried down to the dungeons. The office door was open and she peered in to find Severus tiredly huddled over his paperwork.

"Still speaking to me?" Jennifer asked meekly. He gestured at the door and she closed it behind her, sitting on the corner of his desk. "Minerva sent me down for the tests and your syllabi… ouch, you're still working on those, aren't you? Can't you just update last years?"

"We changed books," Severus muttered. "Once it gets a little later, I'll take a dose. I'll be able to get it done tonight."

"You're not supposed to take those if you're already tired, and I can see that you are," Jennifer chided him. "I'm going to go pick up Pomona's and I'll be right back to help you with the tests."

"What have they got you doing, anyhow?" he asked, looking up.

"Administrative paperwork," she said, making a face. He grimaced as well.

"I don't envy you. I take it you had time to get your own work done, however."

"Last week. Sometimes it pays not to go by the book," she grinned at him. He scowled at her in annoyance, but she could tell that he didn't really blame her for what happened. Even so, Jennifer felt extremely guilty about the entire thing.

Promising she'd be right back, she ran her errand and then reported to Minerva, explaining the situation. Minerva quickly let her go and asked her to remind him that they had to at least be in by noon. Jennifer went back his office, offering to set up the aptitude tests, which Severus hadn't even started on. As she began to sort through old finals, there was a knock on the door, and Minerva came in with a tray of coffee and sandwiches.

"Well, I see that you have your work cut out for you, Severus. Jennifer, don't forget you have to meet the train in London tomorrow. Don't stay up too late," Minerva advised on her way out, knowing perfectly well that Jennifer wasn't going to listen.

It was, in fact, nearly two in the morning before they began making copies, and Severus finally found the time to glance over Jennifer's work as she counted and stacked the tests into neat piles.

"Very thorough and well written, Jennifer, although I don't think anyone could ever mistake it for one of my tests," Severus commented.

"We could change the handwriting to yours if you like," Jennifer joked.

"No, we can spare them that. I meant that you seem to test more about properties and I about formulas," Severus said, stifling a yawn. "But they will do nicely for what they're intended for."

"Well, it's definitely much too late for us to delve into a discussion on potion teaching theories in any case. Come on, I'll walk you upstairs. You look exhausted," Jennifer insisted.

"So how long are you on special tasks?" Severus asked as they left the office.

"Until Dumbledore says otherwise," Jennifer sighed. Severus winced.

"That usually means someone wanted you fired and he had to stick his neck out for you," he said.

"Is that the voice of experience talking?" Jennifer grinned at him. His lip twitched.

"We all make mistakes," he said as they started up the stairs.

"How much time do you have left for covering up for mine?" Jennifer asked.

"Two more weeks to go," Severus grumbled. "And I have a feeling I'll end up spending most of it with Sirius Black. I have the growing suspicion it's all an elaborate plot by Dumbledore to force us to make amends, but it's not working. I think I despise him more than ever."

Jennifer, who had a hard time believing that, chuckled to herself as she followed him up the stairs.

The first September morning was chilly and damp, and a light fog drifted around the station. Jennifer yawned as she slipped onto the deserted platform. It was two hours before the train was scheduled to leave and there was little movement. Leaning against a pillar half-obscured in the fog, Jennifer noticed a man watching her carefully and she wondered if that was the wizard she was supposed to meet. As she walked nearer, she missed a step when she realized what he was. It wasn't every day one met a werewolf, let alone on the platform to the Hogwarts' Express.

Remus Lupin was a fairly good-looking man, but his features had been sapped over time with his illness; a strange gray tone to his light brown hair and his hazy blue eyes. His robes were torn, but Jennifer had the feeling it was more out of resignation to his condition rather than being unconsciously aware of their tattered state. As she approached, a wan smile came across his face and he glanced at her hands.

"You must be Professor Craw," he said when she drew near, offering his hand. As she shook it, he stopped to admire her ring. "Yes, you definitely are. Dumbledore told me you'd be wearing a Dragonheart diamond. How unusual… and something that can't be duplicated," he added. "I'm Remus Lupin. I believe you were expecting me."

"Yes, and call me Jennifer," she smiled. "I am pleased to meet you at last. Harry speaks of you often."

"Does he?" Remus said, amused.

"You were his favorite Defense teacher, you know," Jennifer nodded with a smile. "Not that he'd say that in front of me, of course."

"I hear that they have a splendid Defense teacher now, one that can calm the most savage of creatures," he said with a wickedly playful smile.

"Hey, that's not a nice way of talking about Severus," Jennifer scolded him with a grin.

"I did not say I was talking about Severus," he chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Whatever gave you that idea? Come, let's get settled so we can talk," he said. He chose a compartment near the front, helping himself to some coffee from the engineer's car and bringing her one as well.

"I'm not quite sure why the Headmaster wanted extra security for the train this year, but I know better than to argue with Albus Dumbledore. Still, there is an unusual guest who will be coming on board that I should probably make you aware of: Dumbledore's goddaughter, Anna Hughes from America. She's actually been here before but Dumbledore has been keeping it quiet. Audi and I were two of the few who knew about her. You see, she's a squib, or at least, that's what everyone thought until a few years ago," he said looking thoughtful. "All of the sudden strange things began to happen to her, such as Apparating without meaning to and that sort of thing."

"How old is the girl?" Jennifer asked.

"Older than you, I think, by a few years, so not so young as all that. But she hasn't had much exposure to our world except for stumbling into it, so Dumbledore asked that we treat her with kid gloves. He is bringing her here to protect her. I think he's worried about what she's capable of doing coming into magic ability so late."

"But I thought that was impossible. I mean, once you've reached a certain age…"

"Usually, yes," Remus nodded. "But there are exceptions to every rule, especially in our world."

"True enough," Jennifer nodded slowly. "In fact, it seems as if Dumbledore likes to surround himself with exceptions to rules," she said thoughtfully. He smiled at her broadly.

"Oh, you've noticed that too, have you? Well, from one exceptional person to another, it is nice working with you," he said, tipping his coffee cup towards her and taking a drink.

The students began to trickle in one at a time until it became a steady stream, and soon the station was filled with the sounds of students yelling, parents nagging, and squawking, hooting, squeaking, meowing, croaking familiars. Jennifer peered out of the train in time to see Corey and his mother appear and she hopped down to meet them, waving at other students as they greeted her on her way.

"Professor Craw! Look, Mum, it's the professor again!" Corey pointed her out as Jennifer swam through the crowd, giving them a warm smile.

"Good morning, Freda, Corey, oh, and you too, Cheshire," Jennifer said, rubbing the striped cat through his cage. "I see you found it all right."

"Not too hard if you know what to look for," Freda assured her as they walked towards the baggage car.

"Professor Craw! What are you doing here?" Hermione called out. Ron and Ginny waved, followed by Molly Weasley who was accompanying them.

"Oh, I just thought I'd come along for the ride," she told them with a laugh, helping Freda with Corey's bags.

"Now, you mind the professors, Corey, and mind what your father and I told you before we left. Professor Craw, let us know if you have any problems with him," Freda said with a stern smile.

"Don't worry, Freda. We'll take good care of him," Jennifer promised. As they were saying their goodbyes, Jennifer heard a strange roaring sound followed by a loud screech and turned to see a motorcycle sliding to a stop. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she went over to Harry and Sirius.

"You didn't actually take that thing down the platform, did you?" Jennifer asked, hands on her hips as Sirius and Harry took off their helmets.

"Why not? It's a Muggle vehicle," Sirius grinned. "Don't worry Jennifer, I made sure no one noticed us. You know Muggles ignore the platform anyhow."

"Have you seen Ginny and Ron?" Harry asked Jennifer.

"They were at baggage a moment ago, so they're probably on the train by now," Jennifer said. "Where's your stuff?"

"We dropped it off earlier," Sirius explained. "Go on, Harry, I'll see you later this week. Jennifer, can I talk to you a moment? Where's Remus?"

"On board, why? Is something wrong?" Jennifer asked, seeing a flash in his eyes that always meant trouble for someone. Jennifer's face fell as she read that look.

"Oh, no, Pettigrew? But how? How could he have escaped?" Jennifer asked. Sirius nodded and they stepped on, slipping into the compartment with Remus and shutting the door. "So?"

"Several of the guards were tortured and then compelled to go in and bring him out… at least, that's what they think happened… the guards didn't survive long enough to confirm that," Sirius said grimly.

"Pettigrew?" Remus asked, sitting up suddenly. Sirius nodded to him.

"Now that Harry is safely here with you two, Severus and I are going to go after him," Sirius explained, getting up.

"Going after him?" Jennifer repeated worriedly. "He's probably back with Voldemort by now. You know what you might be walking into…"

"Jennifer, suffice it to say that right now we think he's more of a risk to the school than Voldemort," Sirius said in a low voice, turning towards the door. "And don't worry about Severus. I'll be with him," he said before he left.

"Oh. Gee. That makes me feel a lot better." Jennifer muttered with a scowl.

"The train should be leaving soon. Let's see if our special passenger has come on board," Remus suggested and they wandered out of the compartment. As they walked between cars, Jennifer noticed Audi standing on the platform so Jennifer stood at the edge to wave at her.

"Audi! Welcome back!" Jennifer called out. The old woman spotted her with a grin, hopping up to the side of the train just as it blew the whistle.

"There you are, Jen-girl, missed me, did you? Miss the free time at least, eh? Make friends with Anna now, treat her like a sister! I'll be over for tea with Dumbledore in a few days, so I'll see you at Hogwarts!" Audi shouted, waving as the train began to pull out. "Contact me at the Ministry if you need me!"

"Yes, Audi!" Jennifer shouted in return and waved. She stepped back inside the car, glancing in the compartments as she walked past them and stopping every now and then to talk to the students who were busy chatting about their summers.

"Professor Craw!" Jennifer peered in to one of the compartments to see Corey sitting with two other first year students and a second-year girl.

"Hello, Julie," Jennifer smiled at the girl. "What's up, Corey?"

"Julie just bought us chocolate frogs, and they have cards in them! Doug got a Snape card, and Julie says they never work. I said you could get the picture to show, but Doug and Taylor don't believe it, Professor Craw. Please?" Corey asked with a grin. Sighing and shaking her head at the boy, she put her hand out.

"Oh, all right, but let's not make a habit out of this," Jennifer said in a low voice as Doug Brim handed her the card. "The last thing I want is for everyone in the school to start bringing me these dratted things to make sure there's a picture there." The students gathered around as she gazed at the card. It was not long after that Severus stepped into view, squinting at the students surrounding her with suspicion.

"Does he look that mean in person?" Taylor Brittle asked.

"He's not mean, not really," Corey said. Jennifer looked at him in surprise.

"Don't ever let him hear you say that," Jennifer warned Corey, who grinned back.

"Do we really have to have Potions all seven years?" Julie asked her pleadingly.

"I would definitely recommend it," Jennifer said. "If you're lucky, you might even pass it without blowing up the lab this year," she teased, handing the card back. The picture stormed out of view.

"There he goes again," Doug said with a sigh. "Well, at least I almost have a complete set, now."

"Professor, I didn't put soap chips in the ingredients. The Slytherin boys did. He didn't believe me, but you do, don't you?" Julie asked pleadingly.

"Do I believe you? Yes. Do I butt in when it's not my class? No. You know that by now. Besides, it's a whole new year, the points will be clean, and you can give it a better go so that won't lose quite so many points this time," Jennifer winked.

"When you're outnumbered five Slytherin to one it's not easy, Professor Craw," Julie sighed. "But of course I'll do my best."

Remus tugged on Jennifer's shoulder and pointed down to the last passenger car. Jennifer nodded and went towards it, waving at students as she passed.

"Try it," Jennifer heard Ron say before she got there. "Oh come on, just try this one, it looks safe enough."

"They're not going to try to jump away or anything?" a woman's voice asked.

"No, no, they just might taste bad is all. Come on, you might get lucky," Ron said.

"Harry, why don't you go first?" Ginny's voice said.

"All right, I'll go first," said Harry.

Jennifer peered in to see a circle of Bertie Botts beans on the floor, each one a different color. Sitting on one side of the room was Ron and Hermione, Ron's arm nonchalantly stretched on the seat behind Hermione's back. On the other bench sat Harry Potter with Ginny Weasley sitting on one side and an older woman on the other, who was watching the ritual with apparent fascination. Jennifer had little doubt that this was Anna Hughes.

The woman was wearing a rather Mugglish-looking skirt and jumper, her light brown hair tossed into a haphazard tail with strands hanging lose all about as if it had recently been cut short and was being left to grow out now. A thoughtful expression was in her stormy grey eyes, and Jennifer couldn't help feeling a strange connection; as if she had seen that look a hundred times before somewhere else and just couldn't place it. She must have been fairly tall as well, for even sitting down she looked taller than Ginny and Hermione.

Harry picked up the bean in front of him, taking a cautious nibble before making a face.

"I'm out. I'm definitely out," he said, grimacing in disgust. "Your turn, Ginny."

"Watch, she'll take the pink one again, she always does," Ron said, looking across at his sister.

"That's because there are less bad things it can be," she explained, picking it up. Taking a test of it, she then popped it in her mouth triumphantly. "Strawberry, I'm still in. Who's next?"

"Hi guys!" Jennifer said as she stepped in the doorway, ignoring Ron's quick retrieval of his arm from behind Hermione. "Playing roulette, eh?"

"You want in?" Harry asked with a grin. Jennifer grinned back, looking over the available colors and picked purple, watching Anna's face thoughtfully. Anna was no longer looking curious, but rather was viewing Jennifer with alarm and suspicion. Jennifer wondered about that as she bit into the bean.

"Prune. I don't like them, but I can eat it," Jennifer decided, and did. "Who's your new friend?"

"Professor, this is Anna Hughes, she's a friend of Dumbledore's," Harry explained. "Anna Hughes, this is Professor Craw, a good friend of ours and Dumbledore's." Jennifer chuckled.

"Well, that was quite an introduction. It's always good to know what Dumbledore thinks of a person though, isn't it?" Jennifer winked at Harry before turning back to Anna's wary look. Jennifer glanced her thoughtfully a moment. "So, you've met before?"

"Oh, yes, last year when she…" Harry paused when Hermione cleared her throat loudly. Jennifer glanced over at Hermione.

"Ah, you've been to Hogwarts before? I didn't hear about that one," Jennifer said, rather annoyed. "And I'm supposed to know about all the guests."

"It was a rather unexpected visit," Ron offered.

"What they mean is, I sort of stumbled in there by mistake," Anna said, still keeping her eyes on the professor. Jennifer grinned at her.

"Well, maybe you got there by accident, Anna, but I guarantee you that nobody gets to Hogwarts by mistake." Jennifer heard someone behind her and made room in the doorway.

"Hello Anna, remember me?" Remus said with a smile.

"Oh, hi, Remus!" Anna smiled, a bit relieved. "For a moment there I wondered if I got on the right train."

"No, this is the right one," he said, smiling at the others.

"Hello, Remus! What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I just came along for the trip, Harry," Remus smiled. "We should be getting back to our compartment, Professor," he suggested to Jennifer.

"Nice meeting you, Anna," Jennifer said. "See you later, guys," she waved to the rest as they walked back.

"Well?" Remus asked when they finally slipped into the front.

"Well, she's no Muggle," Jennifer said with a shrug. "Just don't ask me what she is, because I don't have any idea. Do you?"

"I haven't ever seen her really do anything. I've only heard that she Apparates in strange places…"

"Just a minute. She was able to Apparate into Hogwarts?" Jennifer asked blankly. "That shouldn't be possible."

"I don't know how she did it. I only heard about it when someone had to take her home. Nearly everyone was at Malfoy's trial at that time. Anyhow, at that point Dumbledore apparently thought she would be safer taking her back home. But now it seems he has changed his mind," Remus explained.

"Audi wrote me just after she left and said that her that house got ransacked," Jennifer said thoughtfully. "She lives close by where Anna used to live, doesn't she?"

"From what I gathered from Dumbledore was that Audi moved there because of the Anna," he nodded.

"Now I know why she was so interested in the Muggle postman," Jennifer laughed. "And here I just thought she was being a gossip. I should have known better."

Suddenly Remus tilted his head to the side and put a hand on his seat.

"Are we slowing down?" he asked.

Jennifer and Remus quickly got up, making their way into the engine. Inside, a pair of Dwarven mechanics, the conductor, and the engineer were looking towards the rail ahead with trepidation.

"What's going on?" Remus asked as Jennifer gazed out the window. A chill went down her back as the train to circle towards the bridge, for there was no bridge there. To either side of the track appeared to be a dark blotch that stretched out before the chasm, gathering at the very edge of the track and trailing out towards their direction.

"Stop the train!" the conductor yelled frantically.

"No! No, you can't!" Jennifer yelled as the darkness grew near. "It's a trap, you can't stop! Those are Death Eaters!"

"Then we're dead either way," one of the Dwarves said grimly.

"Not if I can help it," Remus snapped, pushing a large ear on the wall. "Now here this! This is an emergency… this is NOT a drill. Everyone capable of casting the Levitation spell concentrate on the train and do so on the count of three. This is NOT a drill, second year and up had better have their wands out." Jennifer took out her wand and looked at Remus expectantly. "One…" Remus said raising his wand and looking down the corridor, "Two…." Pointed his wand to the floor. Jennifer did the same. "THREE!"

Suddenly Jennifer felt the train underneath her rock, nearly throwing her off her feet, but momentum kept the train going forward. She heard a noise in the back of the train and noticed one of the cars had begun to sink down. Jennifer ran back to the section as it wobbled back and forth, getting tossed around as if on the deck of a ship during a hurricane. The moment she made it to the car, she added her spell's strength to those inside and managed to pull it back up before the train broke in two.

"Any Prefects around?" Jennifer yelled, receiving a couple of responses. "This car is mostly first years, come give me a hand! Be careful!" They stumbled in, gritting their teeth at the cross section but managing to cross safely. The height stabilized, and Jennifer was able to once again make her way to the front.

"Remus, I don't know how long the students are going to keep this up," Jennifer said as they cleared the bridge.

"The whole way, Jennifer. If we don't…." Remus' voice trailed off as he glanced down at the blackness standing on the other edge. "The good part of all of this is that we're going record speed; apparently the combined will power is also moving us forward faster as well."

"How in constellations are we going to get down in one piece?" Jennifer asked.

"I admit I haven't figured that part out yet," Remus said reluctantly. "The lake, perhaps?"

"They don't learn water breathing until fourth year, and it doesn't last long," Jennifer pointed out.

"If we get that close, we'll have help."

"True, but I still don't think we can risk it," Jennifer said. There's that cornfield on the other side of the tracks, isn't there? I think I have an idea and it's a first year spell," Jennifer said.

No one would ever forget that ride. Arms were aching, minds were tired, and wills were weakening before the train finally neared its destination. Jennifer hopped from car to car, relieving some of the over extended students when she could, organizing breaks, and discussing their plans with the Head Students and Prefects.

"Just make sure everyone knows what to do," Jennifer said. "It has to be together and it has to be quick, our lives depend on it."

In the back car, Anna seemed to have fainted, and Ginny sat beside her to make sure she was all right. But Ron and Harry were more than capable of keeping that end up, and Jennifer decided it was best to leave them to their own devices for now. Hermione was in the car in front of them, trying to hold it in place and giving the other prefects a chance to rest. Three cars further up, Corey had his hands spread out, his eyes closed in concentration while Julie rested her wand arm as long as she could spare before joining him. Jennifer heard Remus calling her to the front, her legs creaking from walking on the wobbly surface.

"We're nearing the school, but I'm certain they're not expecting us this early," Remus said. He looked positively exhausted but was still holding on, helping the engineer control the direction of the train.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll figure out we're here real quick," Jennifer said grimly, speaking into the ear. "All right guys, this is it. You all are the best magic students in the world, so if anyone can do it, you guys can. On the count of three, just like you did before." She watched the field head up, and waited for a signal from the engineer to start. "One… two... THREE!"

"CALDUS CALLUM!"

It was September, and below them the field was brimming with growing corn, waiting to be harvested, shucked, and enjoyed by many. But alas, a blight would come to the field that the students would later dub the train blight, but others would just know simply as the biggest popcorn explosion ever to be seen anywhere.

As the students turned their focus to the field, the train began to sink while Jennifer, Remus, and the engineers worked to slow to the descent. In seconds they found themselves crashing into the exploding field, sliding into the kernels and knocking everyone to the floor as the train at last came to a complete stop. For a moment, there was silence. Jennifer sat up and looked around, and then suddenly from down the length of the train she heard a growing cheer that fed through the compartments like rolling thunder. With unmistakable incredulity, Jennifer hugged Remus, crying tears of relief. He hugged her back then helped her to her feet so they could go and check on the students.

"Prefects, report!" Jennifer called out as they went along. There was a broken arm here or there, and several bumps and bruises, and many were just bone tired but all alive at least. Remus stopped to help a student with a hurt leg as Jennifer went on, making sure there weren't any more serious injuries. Anna had awoken, but she looked exhausted. Before she could ask about her, Jennifer felt Remus touching her arm, a look of alarm on his face.

"Do you smell that?" he asked. She blinked at him.

"All I smell is popcorn. How could you possibly smell anything else?"

"I smell a rat," he said with such certainty that she pulled out her wand.

"Hermione, make sure no one leaves the train without a professor and send an owl to the school. I seriously doubt anyone could have missed us, but do it just the same," Jennifer said.

"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, hurrying into another compartment for an owl as Jennifer and Remus ran out into the field.