Chapter Eleven

Anna

The Minister of Magic made quick eye contact with Jennifer, giving her a reassuring smile. There was something else there too, some stress and strain, she thought, as he worried about covering up what happened in the square. Apparently the Ministry had already gotten word that a spell had been cast in a Muggle crowd. Jennifer sighed, wondering what the fine would be this time…wondering what the board would say. She couldn't believe how quickly things had gotten out of control out there. Arthur was dressed in a nice business suit and wore a badge, somewhat similar to what some of the others were wearing around the station. An officer came up and he introduced himself as Lt. Weasley, and asked to speak to the sergeant. A moment later, Sgt. Brommel came out, spoke with him for a few moments, and then they walked over to the desk.

"All right, Miss Craw, Lt. Weasley here is going to see you back. We're very sorry about the inconvenience," he added, offering his hand. Jennifer shook it with a smile and he excused himself.

"Well, it seems everything's all worked out," Mr. Willowby said, getting up. "I think I'll say hello to some of the boys before I head to the pub now that you're safe and sound, Professor."

"We can't even begin to thank you enough for looking after Professor Craw, Mr. Willowby," Arthur said, offering his hand. Charles shook it with a smile.

"Not at all. I'd do the same for anyone, let alone a neighbor," Charles assured him, then turned back to Jennifer. "Tell Corey I said hi when you get back, Professor, and ask him to write."

"I will," Jennifer promised, and the farmer walked over to the break room. "That is, if I still have a job?" she said, peering quizzically at Arthur.

"As far as I'm concerned, this was our fault, not yours, Jennifer," Arthur said fervently, "Although I must say you sure can make for a nasty mess to clean up after. Follow me," he said, going over to what reminded Jennifer of a Door Lift. They got in the elevator, and he waited for the door to close before taking her in hand, grabbing the port key in his pocket.

They appeared in the entrance hall of the Ministry building, and Jennifer heard herself exhaling with immense relief at being back in an office that made sense. The receptionist looked up and waved as they entered, while a couple others stood around looking amused at their clothing.

"Has Dumbledore arrived yet, Penelope?" Arthur asked the receptionist.

"No, Minister Weasley."

"Well, send him on back then. I need to speak with Professor Craw a moment. Let me know when Thurspire gets back too," he added as they passed by. They turned into a long hallway and Jennifer looked around curiously, never having been this far into the Ministry before. At the end of the hallway was a heavy, polished oak door with a handle carved to look like a dragon tail. Arthur let Jennifer into the office, getting a heads up from the secretary, who, Jennifer suddenly realized, was a faun, wearing a tailored coat and a kilt, partially covering his goat legs. He had a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles on his brown locks just below small pointed horns, giving him a most scholarly look.

"Chester, send Dumbledore in when he arrives and hold all messages, visitors, and so forth for a few minutes."

"But sir, Mrs. Weasley was on the shells earlier. She wants to know how late you'll be working."

"I have no idea," Arthur grunted. "Tell her not to wait up if she shells again." He opened up another door and Jennifer was instantly amazed. The office's ceiling reached three stories in height, with one side of it fixed with rails and ladders and tons of books. The opposite wall displayed several maps, and as Jennifer looked closer, she could notice that things were moving on all of them, tiny flags, pins and words adjusted themselves as they moved along them, and Jennifer couldn't help but go over to take a better look at the bigger one of the isles.

"That's the tracer map. There are several more just like it in other offices," he explained, closing the door and heading over to his desk. The desk sat in front of long windows that took up the length of the third wall, looking out into the city. The perspective from the windows seemed to be from high up, although Jennifer knew she had not climbed any stairs. She suddenly realized that the door to the office was actually not a normal door at all, but rather a type of portal. Unwanted guests were probably taken to a different floor altogether, or perhaps out into the street. Jennifer sat down, looking at Mr. Weasley.

In many ways, the desk looked much bigger than the man himself; a red-headed, older, fatherly man, who much preferred the comfort of his cozy, cluttered home as opposed to the splendor of his regal office. At the same time, Jennifer knew that his laid back appearance was deceiving, for the new Minister was probably the most trustworthy wizard to have gained that position in generations. Jennifer at least, could think of no one better for the job.

At Arthur's request, Jennifer gave a full account of all the events, going back over them in detail when he asked. He especially wanted detail of what spell she cast, when, and who was around at the time. He was most interested (and concerned) about the fumble spell, nodding sharply as she explained what happened.

"I don't understand why they said 'freeze' like that, but by the time I figured out it wasn't meant as anything but a word, it was too late. I was going to Obliviate him, but there were just too many people around. Then I was going to just Disapparate, but that's when I got hit with the earth bind."

"Did you see the wizard who did it?" Arthur asked, rubbing his temples thoughtfully.

"Yes, but you're not going to believe who it was," Jennifer said, causing him to stop and raise an eyebrow at her. "It was Cornelius Fudge. I'm quite sure it was." Arthur stared at her.

"That's impossible."

"Impossible or no, it was Fudge. He looked straight at me."

"It must have been an imposter."

"It wasn't. I've been trained to see through such disguises," Jennifer insisted. "I don't know why he was there, or why he did what he did, but he was there." Arthur looked at her thoughtfully.

"Jennifer, if you say he was there, then I must believe he was there. But the man has been missing for two years. It's strange that he'd appear out of nowhere. Not to mention casting a spell in the middle of Muggles like that? It's just not like him," Arthur explained.

Just then there was a soft knock and Dumbledore entered, Arthur getting up to greet him. Jennifer stood as well, looking at his face carefully. Dumbledore turned to her and smiled slightly.

"Ah, there is my wayward professor. Good afternoon, Arthur," he said, walking over to the desk, "I see you have matters well in hand."

"I'm not so sure of that, Dumbledore. Jennifer just told me that she saw Cornelius Fudge during that mess down there."

"Yes, I'm quite sure she did," Dumbledore said, sitting down calmly. "In fact, he tried to kill her." It was Jennifer's turn to be surprised, looking around at the Headmaster in complete bewilderment. "He tried twice, as a matter of fact. When the spell didn't take the first time, he compelled the agent next to her to shoot her. Fortunately, that agent still had the effects of the Fumble spell on him and ended up shooting his foot instead."

"The Fudge I knew would never do anything like that! What reason would he have to kill Professor Craw? Fudge didn't even know her," Arthur protested.

"The Fudge you knew doesn't exist anymore, Arthur. I'd say it's safe to say he is long gone. He had already begun to stray down the wrong path even before he left… he was a good man, once. But whatever has happened since he fled has changed him, and I fear it's a change that can never be reversed. I'm afraid, however, that I cannot offer you any concrete evidence on what he did in front of that crowd today," Dumbledore said somberly.

"Damn. I hate it when you tell me what really happened when I can't do anything about it," Arthur grumbled.

"You need to know, Arthur. I have a feeling this will not be the last time we see Cornelius Fudge, and we need to be prepared for when he officially 'reappears.'"

"But why would Fudge want me dead in the first place?" Jennifer asked with exasperation. The last thing she needed right now was someone else wanting her dead.

"For that, I think we can look at the last person who we know was taking orders from when he left," Dumbledore said. Jennifer and Arthur looked at each other, and answered at once.

"Lucius Malfoy," they said with a sigh.

As Jennifer and Dumbledore left the office and walked down the hallway, Jennifer finally got the nerve to ask Dumbledore the question that had been bugging her.

"Professor Dumbledore, just how did you know that Fudge tried to kill me? I didn't notice him casting any spell at me but Earthbind," she asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"Anna told me," he said. "More or less, at any rate. She told me what she experienced and I was able to discern from that what had happened and who was involved."

"But Anna had left with Sirius before that. I sent her with him on his motorcycle to get her to safety," Jennifer said.

"Well, yes, but part of her didn't go. Part of her was worried about you. You see, Jennifer, the spell had 'no effect' on you because the spell, in essence, never made it to you. Instead, it hit an energy barrier; in some ways, much like the magic barriers you're used to dealing with at Azkaban, where some things and people can pass through and some cannot."

"Is that what happened in the caverns with Harry? The glow was this energy barrier?" Jennifer asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes… the glow and even the barrier itself is actually a side effect of two differing magics trying to occupy the same space. In this case, spirit magic, or Fae magic, or Wild magic... whichever you prefer to call it... was clashing with focused magic, which is what we as wizards and witches use."

"So what you're saying is that instead of being able to use magic, she is magic? Like Unicorns, or Centaurs, or Faerie? And if she's able to be there in spirit form…I guess that'd make her an Aethermage." Jennifer's voice faded in disbelief. Aethermages were a type of witch or wizard that had the ability to manipulate energy into different forms, transfiguration at its purist level. They could even project their own spirit energy out of their own bodies, it was said. But there hadn't been any Aethermages for a very long time, not for nearly two hundred years.

"Do you know why Aethermages are so rare, Jennifer?" Dumbledore asked as they Apparated to the Dark Forest, walking towards the cabin. Jennifer shook her head. "It's because there is a very special set of circumstances that needs to happen for it to occur. You have to have Faerie blood in you, obviously; else that type of magic couldn't stay in you too long. You couldn't have been taught any formal magic growing up, because being taught formal magic would drown the ability out, except perhaps providing you with an extra boost of power in times of need. And something must happen to trigger this type of instinctual magic to awaken it and bring it to the surface.

"All three of these events happened to Anna. When her parents died, and it had been determined that she showed no signs of magical ability, her mother's parents took her in to raise her as a Muggle, not wanting to expose her to the magic which they blamed for her mother's death. Her father's side of the family was of old magic blood, and as such, probably had several different lines with Fae blood in them. Her mother's family had even greater ties to Fae blood, but it had not surfaced for some years. But there is one piece of the puzzle I do not know, although I have some suspicions; I do not know what caused the magic to awaken so suddenly about five years ago. If it is tied to Voldemort's return or some other event, I cannot say. Perhaps that is a question only she can answer. Now that you know, I think you can see why I have decided to bring her here, so she can have a chance to explore these newly found talents of hers and learn to use them without endangering herself or others in the process."

"Professor, Anna mentioned she had a brother to me once. What happened to him? He didn't go with the Muggles, I take it?" Jennifer asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"No, indeed. You see, he had already started Hogwarts by then. He was a very, very talented boy but very troubled, as you can imagine, by the death of his father and his stepmother, and his future had many twists and turns in it. But you know, that's a story I won't tell you, I think. Others can do that better than I can," he said, walking up to the cabin and knocking on the door. He paused to smile at the dog lying by the door. "Threw you out again, did she?" Dumbledore asked. The dog put a paw over his eyes, and Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle. Just then the door popped open.

"Jennifer! You're all right!" Anna said with relief, letting them in. "I was real worried about you after that wizard tried to kill you. How did they find you?"

"Actually, a student's Muggle father found me," Jennifer said. "He saved my life, too. Those Muggle vehicles are dangerous, aren't they? Anyhow, he made me turn myself in."

"What? You mean you got arrested?" Anna said, blinking at her.

"Well, it wasn't as bad as all that. They just called someone…the Ministry I guess, because the Minister of Magic came and got me, then Dumbledore brought me home."

"How much trouble did you get into?" Anna whispered to her.

"None as of yet," Dumbledore said warningly, "but I had better not hear of anything like this happening again. I've already spoken to Anna about dragging you off like that, Jennifer, but if she tries to do it again, you may use any means necessary to stop it." Jennifer grinned at him, hearing the teasing tone in the last statement.

"My only regret is not acquiring the formula for that black bubbly drink." Jennifer said, pulling the packages out of her pocket and setting them down on the floor, making them turn into their normal size.

"It's called Coca-Cola," Anna said with a grin. "And nobody but the company that makes it knows the formula, it's a secret."

"How come every time I find a formula I like it's always a secret?" Jennifer asked, hands on her hips.

"Well, I think I should let you two talk for a little while longer," Dumbledore said, glancing at the packages. "I will take this package to Minerva and let your fiancée know that you're safe. Oh, and feel free to take tomorrow off of extra duties, Jennifer. You've had enough excitement for one weekend, and I think, if I'm not mistaken, there's still more excitement to come," he smiled. "Good night," he said, and stepped out the door.

"I wonder what he meant by that?" Anna asked.

"Don't bother asking. Dumbledore is always saying stuff like that," Jennifer said, fishing out her new book. "I hope this turns out better than the last one. I thought Sydney was an idiot for throwing his life away like that."

"The entire book is about sacrifice when faced with adversity, really." Anna said.

"And the moral is, men… and this is true in this world too… seem to be willing to make a martyr out of themselves over the stupidest things." Jennifer said. "Girls. Integrity. Killing massive amounts of people in the name of justice."

"Huh?" Anna said, giving the other woman a strange look.

"I think you had to be there for the last one," Jennifer chuckled softly. "My father nearly killed himself and my fiancée along with dozens of others just so he could destroy one man. But I wouldn't let him. Every time I visit Dad reminds me about it, though," she scowled. "I'm just not willing to lose everyone I care about just to see one wizard dead, even if that wizard happens to be Voldemort."

Anna had taken the black box out. Turning it over and using a tiny screwdriver she had bought to open the back of it, she popped the strange cylinders in it.

"What's your fiancée like?" Anna asked.

"Very tall, dark, and as someone once put it, distinguished looking," Jennifer said with a grin. "Very, very intelligent, stoic yet caring, thoughtful…" Jennifer continued, looking off in the distance. "It's a pity all of the students hate him," she added, making Anna look at her curiously.

"The students hate him?"

"They can't stand him," Jennifer grinned. Just then a blaring sound came out of the box and Jennifer jumped back two feet, staring at it. "Oh, it's that thing from the shop you said was music."

"It is music," Anna said shaking your head. "What do you listen to?"

"Oh, well, not much. Filius Flitwick has a really neat enchanted instrument band he brings out for holidays and special occasions, though. They're really good." Anna shook her head at her.

"And they say I have a sheltered life? You need to get out more, Jennifer."

"Easy for you to say. You have no idea just how many people want me dead right now," Jennifer sighed. "And I guess if today's any example, I'm not even safe from that in your world. By the way, thanks for whatever it was you did today."

"I didn't do that much... at least… well, it's not anything I can really control," Anna said with a sigh. "When I feel someone in danger, sometimes something happens inside of me and I just… go to them. Dumbledore is trying to help me learn how to control it, though."

"Aether magic is not easy to control, they say." Jennifer agreed.

"Is that what it's called?" Anna said thoughtfully. "Any books on it here?"

"Maybe. We can always look," Jennifer nodded. Anna was busy unwrapping the flat boxes for a moment, then stopped, putting them down.

"I wonder if this Fudge man killed my brother," she said suddenly, going over to the bookshelf.

"Fudge wasn't always bad. From what I understand, he fought against Voldemort for many years." Jennifer explained.

"Well, I keep getting the feeling I've met him before," Anna insisted. "Perhaps even the first time I found myself in the Alley several years back. I had just turned off a street and saw him, or someone that looked a lot like him, go into an unmarked building. I wanted to figure out what it was all about, so I followed, and ended up in a bar, the Leaky Cauldron. That's when I met Harry, too… he was staying there."

"Harry stayed at the Leaky Cauldron?" Jennifer said blankly.

"Yes, it was when Sirius Black first broke out of jail. He said everyone was worried about him, so he was staying there. He seemed happy but sort of lonely, so we talked often. But he left and I was called home. I left for a couple of years and came back to look up some family history and such. I didn't meet Dumbledore again until last year, though, that's when I stumbled into Hogwarts."

Jennifer suddenly realized why Anna was having so much trouble making the transition between the Sirius she heard about and the real one. When she left, he had been a convicted killer, and coming back several years later to find out he was acquitted and Harry's godfather was probably a bit much, especially considering that the Muggles apparently were never told that he was acquitted. It was little wonder then why Sirius kept to dog form when Dumbledore asked him to keep an eye on her. She probably disliked Sirius even more than she disliked dogs.

"I wasn't here when Sirius first got out. I was trying to get into Beauxbatons as a junior instructor back then. I'm also not sure if Fudge was okay at that point or not," Jennifer said. "By the time I started teaching at Hogwarts, things had already gone downhill in the Ministry and Fudge was already involved in things he shouldn't have been," Jennifer said, walking over to where Anna stood by her bookshelf. She was holding a children's book with a beautifully illustrated cover that had gotten tattered and torn over the years.

"That's very pretty," Jennifer commented.

The girl in the blue dress on the cover probably looked an awful lot like Anna probably had at eight or nine. The girl in the illustration leaned over to delicately touch the surface of a mirror, looking through to the colorful world beyond it.

"My brother gave this book to me as a birthday present when I was really young and he still visited sometimes. It was really hard growing up having my only brother going to school over here when I was stuck in the U.S.. As a young girl, I often imagined what my brother might be like…and the fact that my older brother could have been in a world like this really isn't that much of a surprise, to be honest, although it's still quite different than I imagined. I guess that's what the inscription meant too, I just didn't realize it at the time," she said, handing it over to Jennifer. "I don't believe in killing people, Jennifer, not at all. But at the same time, I hope never to find out who killed my brother. I might be tempted to try and do something about it."

Jennifer delicately handled the book, opening the cover. Suddenly she felt like the world was starting to spin and she sat down on the floor, staring at it in disbelief. Now it all began to make sense. Her tall appearance, that familiar haunted look in her eyes…Treat her like a sister, Audi had said. And how blasted impossible to argue with she was! But she was so fair, and so…Muggle. And yet, now the pieces of the puzzle had come together at last.

"Anna… Titiana… your brother is not dead," Jennifer whispered, reading the inscription over and over again:

To Titiana- Many Happy Returns;

May you some day find a way behind the looking glass.

-Faithfully, Your Brother –

Severus

"What do you mean my brother is not dead? You know him? What's wrong with you, you're pale as a ghost! My brother is alive?!" Anna asked, raising her voice as Jennifer nodded numbly, still in shock. "Well, where is he? I want to see him!" she demanded, shaking Jennifer roughly. Why hadn't Dumbledore told anyone? Why hadn't he even told Severus she was here? But there was no way that Jennifer was about to keep this from Severus any longer.

"You want to see him right now?" Jennifer asked slowly.

"Right now!" Anna agreed.

Jennifer got up with a nod, looked at her watch, and then Disapparated, leaving Anna blinking in frustration and wondering where she went. But Jennifer didn't waste any time once she passed the gates. Still clutching the book, she hurried into the school and down the stairs to his office not even bothering to knock. Severus looked up with surprise from behind his desk, Minerva sitting to the side of the room with a notepad, where she was taking some notes out of one of Severus' rarer potion books.

"…be a lot easier if you'd just let me borr…" Minerva had been saying, but the look on her face changed when Jennifer came in. She knew why Jennifer had come.

"Jennifer! What's wrong?" Severus said. "What happened? And why are you wearing those horrendous clothes?" Without a word Jennifer walked up to the desk and put the book in front of him, watching the shock register on his face as well. "Just how…where… did you get this?" he asked, staring inside the cover.

"She's here," Jennifer said. "She's been here. Minerva, why didn't you tell us?"

"Now, Jennifer, please calm down. Dumbledore wanted it to come out on its own so Anna would have time to adjust to this environment. She wasn't ready," Minerva explained calmly.

"Well, you both didn't have to let her keep thinking that her brother was dead!" Jennifer said, obviously upset, turning to Severus. "She wants to see you, if you're up to it."

"Borrow the tome if you want," Severus snapped at Minerva, following Jennifer out the door. Minerva watched them go before taking the tome that she'd been copying from, extinguishing the candles and lanterns with a flick of the wrist, and stepping out of the office.

Jennifer spent the walk to the cabin explaining to Severus everything that had occurred since she'd first of Anna, even giving a detailed account of what had happened that day and what Dumbledore had told her afterwards. Severus nodded expressionlessly, listening without interrupting as he tried to sort all of it out in his mind.