Chapter Eighteen
Deceptive Appearances
Jennifer paused to listen as they stepped out of the room, and then walked towards the main stairwell, glancing around. Anna moved past her and up the staircase.
"Where are you going?" Jennifer asked in surprise.
"It's this way," Anna shrugged. "Just don't ask me how I know."
"All right, up it is then," Jennifer said, glancing every now and then at her watch as they climbed the stairs. It wasn't long before Jennifer started to wonder about their direction until at last it was so obvious there could be no mistake about it. "It seems to be coming from Dumbledore's study. In fact, I know it is. But that's impossible," she said as they passed a Phoenix painting. "No curse is strong enough to get through my Puzzlebox, let alone the study. Let's go in. Dumbledore said he'd leave it open in case you wanted to talk to him later."
Anna followed warily behind her, cautious of the foreboding feeling that penetrated the area. Where was Dumbledore? She would have thought he'd have been around if something had gotten in his study.
Jennifer spotted her Puzzlebox sitting in the open glass case right away, eyeing it thoughtfully just as her name was called again. The whisper was loud enough to send a shock down her back, making her wince in pain.
"It's coming from that box, I'm sure of it." Anna said with a nod.
"Well, as long as it's in the box, I don't think it can harm anything," Jennifer answered but couldn't help but be a bit worried. She'd never known anything to be able to communicate through the box before. "I wonder where Dumbledore is?"
"You're not going to open it, are you?"
"Not without a spotter, no," Jennifer said. "Something must have triggered one of the cursed items in there, or it could be as simple as the fact it's Halloween. Dad said none of the items in there would hurt me but the painting of Mallus Craw, and I'm not willing to take the chance it's the painting. Let's go find Severus."
As Jennifer turned around, she jumped back in surprise and Anna did the same. Severus had somehow managed to creep up and had been standing directly behind them. He smirked, looking between them.
"Sorry," he said, not sounding the least bit sorry. "You'll find that happens a lot in this office. What's going on? The ghosts were telling me they were hearing a strange voice in here."
"It's one of the items we brought from the vault. Somehow it's managing to get through the protections in the cabinet and the box," Jennifer said.
"It keeps calling her name, and her face gets strange every time it does," Anna explained. "But it hasn't said anything in awhile. Whatever it is, it's very evil, I have no doubt of that." Severus squinted thoughtfully, studying Jennifer's face for a moment.
"Well, since all of those items are connected directly to her family, it's quite possible that if any of them had intelligence or any real power, it might have found a way to use her as a conduit of some kind…" just then, Jennifer heard her name again, and another shudder went through her. Severus' face went from thoughtfulness to concern as he noticed the same darkness cross over her that Anna had. "Yes, I do believe that's what we're seeing."
"Then waiting would be a bad idea," Jennifer said. "That would just give whichever item is doing this more time to grow. We need to find it now and nullify it."
"Agreed." Severus said, glancing at Anna. "Anna, you had better stand out of the way, over there, perhaps, by the door. If anything goes wrong, find Minerva. Considering Dumbledore isn't in here with such oddities going on and Fawkes is gone as well, he's probably not in the castle at the moment."
"Should we move the box somewhere else?" Jennifer asked, feeling a bit awkward being in Dumbledore's study with him not being there.
"No, this is probably the safest place to do this," Severus said, taking out his wand as Jennifer got the box out and sat it down on the floor, flipping the complicated set of locks to open it.
She then paused to put on her gloves and reached in, feeling a powerful jolt up her hand as she came into contact with the painting, passing through the magic-tempered fabric that covered it as if it weren't even there. Wincing in pain, she pulled her hand out, took a step back and used her wand to float the tiny painting out. It quickly returned to its original size, the cover still clinging over it.
"It's definitely the painting," Jennifer said, rubbing her hand.
"Yes, the presence I've been feeling is coming from there," Anna agreed. The three of them stared at it, reluctant to go near it.
"We really don't have a choice but to deal with this. You should probably look the other way, Anna, just to be safe," Jennifer advised at last. Anna pretended to look away as Jennifer turned to Severus. He nodded to her, and she carefully uncovered the portrait of Mallus Craw. The painting had the same wary, suspicious expression she had seen the first time she had seen it, but his face seemed even sterner than before and somehow more menacing.
"So. This is my descendant," Mallus Craw said in a voice that sounded very familiar to Jennifer. She was certain she had heard it many, many times before, but never so clearly. "By her own admission, the last Craw. You should be honored, dear grandchild. You are the first of tainted blood to have looked upon me and lived to tell of it. And yet, your father did cleanse your blood, didn't he? Not for the honor of the family, but for acceptance into the fold of an enemy's ranks."
"Paintings should be seen and not heard," Jennifer said, trying to concentrate on the series of identification spells she had hovering around the painting. "Typical ghost paint medium, Severus, but look at the encryption on the frame. It's more like a mirror curse than a painting curse," Jennifer commented, taking a cautious step closer to get a better look. Mallus squinted at her, frowning thinly.
"I am much more than a painting, child, and much more than a curse. I have the ability to unleash powers in you that you are not even aware that you have, and teach you secrets about the Craw legacy that even your father doesn't know. Secrets I took to my grave."
"All right then," Jennifer paused, looking at the painting doubtfully. "Where's Salazar's Tomb?"
"Jennifer, don't talk to it, just work. Remember what your father said," Severus warned her, tapping his wand impatiently as he watched.
"That should be no big secret to you if your father actually passed down what belonged to you. My wand will lead you there," Mallus said, glancing at Jennifer's hand, squinting. Jennifer sighed softly.
"I should have guessed," she muttered then turned back to deciphering the markings. The first set seemed to be some sort of entrapment, she frowned thoughtfully. Could it be that this was actually the soul of Mallus Craw trapped inside the painting?
"Where is my wand?" Mallus asked, his face dark and threatening. It suddenly didn't look like a painting. The brush strokes had cleared away and Jennifer realized that the entire painting had been caked upon the surface of a mirror.
"Jennifer, move back from the painting!" Anna shouted.
"Possession Curse!" Jennifer said in realization as she saw a dark mist come out of the picture and she saw two flashes of light above her.
She felt a sudden jerk and then the sensation of being dragged by a strong force towards the surface of the mirror. After a moment of disorientation, she found herself looking out from the painting as she heard the sound of items smacking up against the surface. It was the Ravenclaw wand and her Dragonheart diamond ring, rejecting the spirit that had taken her place. There was another flash of light as Severus cast a spell at her…or rather her body, and it collapsed. Anna stood in shock, looking between Jennifer's fallen form and the painting.
"And that, class, is why you always have a spotter," Jennifer's voice said, the portrait of Mallus Craw smiling weakly. "Everything okay out there?"
"He's asleep," Severus nodded.
"You're stuck in a painting and you're asking us if everything is okay?" Anna stared at her.
"Actually, it's a mirror disguised to look like a painting. I should have realized it from the beginning," Jennifer explained. "I think it's safe to take the paint off, Severus. I think it was put there just to disguise the fact that Mallus' ghost was hiding in the mirror." Severus muttered a spell and the paint slowly began to slide away, mingling with the other colors and making a strange, distorted image before finally melting away, leaving a clear view of Jennifer's image in the surface of the mirror. "That's better, now I can see. How do I look?"
"Like someone who just got framed," Severus said dryly.
"Severus, I think I liked you better before you developed a sense of humor," Jennifer teased him.
"Would you both stop joking around?" Anna said in frustration of not being able to do anything. "I may not know much about this sort of thing, but I know this is serious! Whatever is in her body is definitely evil, and I think leaving it in there too long is a bad idea."
"We know, Anna, calm down and let me think," Jennifer said.
"I think I can go in there and get her out," Anna said, looking thoughtfully at the mirror.
"No! Titiana don't, your magic doesn't work the same as ours. If that mirror breaks and Jennifer's spirit has nowhere else to go, it'll kill her," Severus said fervently. "And don't touch the body either. I'm not quite sure what would happen if you did."
"A typical reversal counterspell isn't going to work I don't think, because Mallus somehow had an outside link to me. If we tried to reverse it, the link would bounce the spell back. We're going to have to find a way to separate the link so that I arrive a few seconds after he's already left," Jennifer said, glancing over her body, then back at Severus. "My mirror… it's in my right robe pocket. We can try to triangulate so I get transferred in there first. Then once we get him back in his mirror, we need to find a way to hold him there until we can banish him."
"All right. A reflective capture, mirror banishment, and then counter the capture," Severus said, kneeling down and getting the mirror.
"Right. And if the banishment doesn't work… you know the separation death, right?" Jennifer asked. Severus looked startled, but then nodded.
"Wait, what is that? What are you planning to do?" Anna asked. Severus glanced up at her, doing a double take. A strange white glow had started to appear around her, and he took a step back.
"You're glowing," he told her accusingly. "What are you trying to do?"
"I'm not trying to do anything except find out what's going on! What's with the glowing sword?" Anna asked, looking to one side of her, noticing something in the study she hadn't before.
Severus, who didn't see anything of the sort, suddenly had his attention drawn back to the mirror, which was beginning to cloud behind Jennifer. Anna looked back over, and she stared at the dark cloud growing behind her, sensing an intense evil. Shapes began to appear in it, and Anna began to notice faces forming. "Get her out of there, get her out of there!" Anna shrieked.
Quickly rushing over, Severus began to chant a spell that Jennifer recognized at once as a medium spell. His face grew dark and he seemed to fall into a trance as he held his hand out towards the surface of the mirror. Thinking this was a very bad idea but faced with little choice, Jennifer reached out and touched his hand, immediately feeling pulled out of the mirror then violently tossed back onto the floor as Severus fell backwards, shaking his head slightly in disorientation as Jennifer's thoughts mingled with his own.
Overwhelmed with emotions, they were barely aware of Anna's sudden dive towards the mirror, walking inside it as if there was no barrier at all. Suddenly there was a flash of bright color as a brilliant red bird appeared from inside the Sorting Hat, rushing up to the mirror. Fawkes grabbed a hold of Anna with his claws, managing to pull her back out just as the mirror shattered, covering Anna and the Phoenix with shards of glass.
Severus and Jennifer, both in Severus' body, scrambled to their feet to make a dash over to Anna, soon realizing that they were not the only ones awake. Mallus in Jennifer's form had also gotten to his feet and was staring angrily at the broken mirror. When he turned to face them, Jennifer noticed her dagger… the family dagger, in Mallus' hand.
"Fools, you think breaking the mirror is going to stop me? You have only released my power, and now a new generation will witness my wrath!" Mallus exclaimed. Tendrils of darkness appeared out of the air, binding Severus' hands and making him drop his wand. A black aura appeared around Jennifer's form as he threw the dagger at Severus' heart.
But just before it struck, the dagger suddenly halted in mid-air and clattered to the ground. As Mallus took a step forward to stare at it, Severus-Jennifer and Anna turned in surprise as the chair at Dumbledore's desk swung around revealing that the Headmaster had returned. Dumblestore stood up, taking his wand out.
"I see that Jennifer has an uninvited guest. I think it's time Mallus Craw found out what happens when someone wears out his welcome in this castle," Dumbledore said.
It was then that several things seemed to happen at once. The dark tendrils faded into nothingness, and the dark aura around Jennifer's form began to waver. Tiny strands of light as thin as spider webs appeared out from a strange white haze. The beams of light seemed to connect every person in the room, each one a different color... several of them were tied to the broken mirror as well.
Suddenly a rumble similar to thunder shook the room and one of the lines snapped. Dumbledore then turned and cast a beam of light that enveloped Jennifer's form. As her body fell lifelessly to the ground, something began to raise out of it… a dark, horrifying shape that shrieked in outrage. But the powerful light brightened blindingly, completely enveloping the hideous ghost until the shrieking faded into silence. The blaring light then was snuffed out like the flame of a candle and the room returned to normal.
Fawkes, who had been protectively hovering around Anna, rubbed his head against her a moment before hopping back up on his perch, looking tired. Anna was still sitting where she had when the mirror shattered. Her cuts were healed even though her dress was still tattered and torn and she was watching Dumbledore with a dazed expression on her face. Dumbledore quickly walked over to Severus, looking at him over the rim of his glasses.
"Now, this is probably going to hurt," Dumbledore warned gently. He raised his hand to Severus' chest, holding his fingers curled except for one which he held out like a perch. "Come, Jennifer, you cannot stay there. You have work to do, and much more life to live." At the mere touch of Dumbledore's hand, Jennifer felt herself being pulled away. She panicked, not wanting to go. "No no, none of that," Dumbledore said, gently coercing her out.
She found herself flapping her wings in the shape of a dove, sitting on Dumbledore's hand and feeling very disoriented and alone. She immediately missed hearing Severus' thoughts, no matter how confusing it was at the time, and she couldn't help missing the closeness. She cooed pitiably while Dumbledore reassured her it'd be all right, kneeling down by Jennifer's form. He held onto on of the body's hands, looking thoughtful. At last he smiled and held the dove to her chest until it disappeared, the light around the body fading.
Jennifer slowly opened her eyes to see Dumbledore above her, watching her intently.
"There, that's better. Nice to see you back where you belong, Jennifer," he smiled, getting up and going over to Anna to help her up. "Are you all right, Anna? Here, come sit in a chair, you've had a long day. Come to think of it, we all have, haven't we? It's not every day I have to banish evil spirits invading my study."
"Our apologies, Professor, we weren't expecting things to get quite so out of hand," Severus said quietly, helping Jennifer up. Jennifer became aware that his hand was trembling and gazed up at Severus thoughtfully, seeing the same loss that she had experienced in his eyes.
"It's quite all right. These things happen from time to time," Dumbledore said, picking up the Puzzlebox lying on the ground and sifting through it cautiously.
"These things happen?" Anna repeated, sounding angry. Everyone looked over at her at the same time. "What kind of world is this, where 'these things happen?'" she demanded, standing up. "People getting framed by murdering rats, who then turn into dogs, paintings that talk but are really evil ghosts in mirrors? Glowing swords and crying birds? I'm out of here before someone hands me a bottle labeled 'Drink me!'"
Anna Disapparated. Jennifer's jaw dropped. She'd never seen anyone Disapparate out of the study before. She glanced over at Dumbledore curiously, but he appeared to be concerned rather than surprised.
"So, it seems that my day isn't quite over after all," he said resignedly. "I will go talk to her. I have a good idea where she went. Severus, would you walk Jennifer to her room before you head back to your patrols? She's definitely going to need her rest, and," he added, making certain he had eye contact with Severus, "it is very important that Jennifer has time alone tonight so that she can be Jennifer." Severus nodded slowly and glanced back over at Jennifer, who followed him out the door. Taking one last look in the Puzzlebox to reassure himself there weren't any other possessed items lurking within, Dumbledore closed it up and put it back on his shelf before going after Anna.
Severus and Jennifer spent the better half of their lunches the following week testing the other items, separating some of the more harmless cursed ones into a pile for Defense classes.
"Well, at least I won't have to pay any visits to Knockturn for a while for class items," Jennifer said glumly as she added a cursed quill into the pile. "But I can't possibly believe that the only clue to the Tomb would have been in the wand." Severus, who was looking over one of the books, nodded to her.
"I agree, but you know as well as I do how much is left in that vault. This is bound to take some time," he said. There was a knock at the office door and they looked up to see Minerva standing there.
"Still at it, I see?" Minerva said with a sympathetic smile. "Severus, you're with Anna tonight?"
"Yes, I'm loaning her some books on basic herbology."
"Good, that sounds promising. Jennifer, you're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, aren't you?" Minerva asked.
"I have to meet Rosmerta about the festival," Jennifer nodded.
"Well, Dumbledore would like you to take Anna along with you. I'm sure she'll enjoy getting out of the cabin after all the company she's been getting this week," Minerva said, slightly amused.
Jennifer understood exactly what that meant. Dumbledore had called for a "safety net" around Anna, something that was normally reserved for staff during unusually trying times. In fact, Jennifer recalled that it had been used on her once, although at the time she hadn't realized it. It usually involved keeping the person busy, guarded by many eyes, and plenty of open ears to listen until whatever it was that was the problem until it got worked out. The best part about this time, however, was that Jennifer wasn't on the receiving end.
Severus had looked up from the book with a frown, and Jennifer already knew what was coming before he even said it.
"Are you sure it's a good idea for them to go Hogsmeade right now?" he asked.
"Severus, it's wasn't my idea, it was Dumbledore's, so I expect it was good enough," Minerva said sternly. "Besides, I'm sure Jennifer can more than handle any trouble they might encounter." Severus then decided wisely to say nothing, but Jennifer took one look at his face and stood up, throwing her stuff back in the Puzzlebox.
"I have a meeting with Hermione in the morning. I can pick her up around noon if she wants to go," Jennifer said, ignoring the questioning expression on Severus' face.
"Good, I was just heading over there so I will invite her for you," Minerva said with a smile.
"Great! Mind if I walk down the hall with you? It might be too dangerous for me to walk to my classroom alone. I might run into a fly and not be able to defend myself," Jennifer muttered, following Minerva out. Minerva chuckled.
"Now, Jennifer, I understand how you feel but you have to admit, you've had quite a few close calls over the years."
"I've also saved several others from close calls," Jennifer pointed out. "Besides, I'm the Defense teacher. Getting nearly killed once or more a year is part of the job description." Minerva laughed as they walked out into the hall. Behind them, Severus leaned against the door, drumming his fingers with a frown on his face.
Anna, as it turned out, had decided to come to the newspaper meeting in the morning and was already going over the copy with Hermione when Jennifer arrived. As they chatted over the changes, Jennifer suggested that next paper they do a feature on some of the things planned for the festival. Once she explained that she was going to Hogsmeade and might have an approved list later in the week, Hermione became interested, and found an opportunity to ask if they'd pick up some things for her. Jennifer quickly refused, citing she'd get pinned for favoritism for sure, but Anna, who didn't have such worries, offered to do it.
Hermione quickly excused herself and came back accompanied by Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who all had their lists and coin pouches. Jennifer, seeing she wasn't about to get any more work done, reminded Hermione to get the final copy in to Minerva by Wednesday, and waited for Anna to sort everything out so they could head to town.
"Honeydukes, Honeydukes, Honeydukes, and Honeydukes," Anna read, flipping through the papers just after they got there. Jennifer chuckled at that. "I take it from the lists that's the local candy shop. I see chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts on here."
"Yes, but we have to meet Rosmerta first. We'll go there next. Honeydukes is one of the best magic candy stores there is, but nobody passes the Broomsticks without going in," Jennifer said as if it were a sin to even think about it.
As they headed towards the pub, Jennifer was vaguely aware of people stopping to look at them, whispering to each other. Jennifer had long felt she was under intense scrutiny… since the moment she was first made a teacher, in fact. But at the Three Broomsticks everyone smiled at them as they came in and Jennifer immediately felt the coldness lift as they walked towards the back tables. Her eyes searched the room, finally making eye contact with one of the waitresses and held up two fingers then one and then an open hand, and the waitresses waved to show she understood.
"It's always busy in here. It really is one of the best places to relax and you can always learn what's going on here…what's really going on, I mean," Jennifer explained as they took a table.
"Jennifer! Hello!" Jennifer and Anna looked up into Rosmerta's warm, ageless smile. She was carrying a tray of drinks, which she set on the table. "Butterbeers on the house, since we're working together today. Who is this? I've met you before, I'm quite certain," Rosmerta said, smiling at Anna.
"You might have, this is Anna Hughes, but you might have heard of her as Titiana. She's Severus' sister," Jennifer said. Rosmerta's face brightened.
"I should have guessed! I heard you had returned home! Goodness, I haven't seen you since you could barely see over the table. You look so much like your mother too, except perhaps for the eyes, there's a bit of your father's bedevilment there, no mistake about it," Rosmerta winked. "I'm Rosmerta, of course. Feel free to drop in any time and visit! I would love to get to know you, and I'm a good listener."
"She doesn't miss much, either," Jennifer grinned and nodded to Anna. "I trust Rosmerta completely. If you ever need someone outside of the school to talk to, this is a great place to come."
"You flatter me, even if you are right," Rosmerta grinned. "I have a list for you with who I'd recommend inviting to the festival, and I want to say I love this idea of yours, Jennifer, it was the perfect solution."
"As long as you're happy, the students are happy, and Dumbledore's happy," Jennifer chuckled glancing over it. "Oh, good, glad Honeydukes is on the list, I think there'd be a revolt if there wasn't."
"Oh, my yes. Honeydukes has been allies of the school for years and years," Rosmerta assured her. "All of these have. You'll not get any trouble from any of them. In fact, the school will probably be much better off with some of them around for a few days. Not that I expect any trouble, but with You-know-who about, you never know. Pity what happened to the train, though. I hear everything will be worked out by spring?"
"Yes, the plans have all been worked out, it's just a matter of having enough time to enchant and fix it all. One thing's for sure, no one will ever be able to get that close to sabotaging the train ever again," Jennifer said, taking a sip of the Butterbeer. Rosmerta looked at her thoughtfully.
"We can't protect everything, no matter how hard we try, and hindsight is always so much clearer than foresight. But I can tell you one thing, and that is that there's still much darkness ahead of us to get through, and it's closing in even as we speak," Rosmerta said.
"We've all made it this far," Jennifer said.
"Just because we still have all of our pieces, doesn't mean we're winning the chess game," Rosmerta said, looking steadily at Jennifer. Jennifer nodded and Rosmerta smiled, tapping the shop list again. "Stick with the list, now. And tell Albus not to be a stranger around here, eh?" she winked, getting up. "Nice seeing you, Anna." Jennifer turned back to Anna, who was looking thoughtful, swiveling her mug around.
Honeydukes was unusually slow without the school around, so the two women found they had the run of the shop with plenty of room to look around and explore. Jennifer ended up helping with Anna's list, being able to point out where everything was, as well as pick up a bag of cauldron licorice for Severus and some frogs for herself. They then hit the joke shop (which Anna couldn't help but picking up some extras of some of the student's requests for herself), and the divination shop, which Anna seemed particularly interested in. Jennifer entered a little more cautiously, wondering why it had been left off the invitation list. A gypsy-clad woman was at the desk, smiling thoughtfully at them as they came in, and Anna went over to the crystal counter.
"We've got shops similar to this one on the other side, believe it or not," Anna told Jennifer. "I guess some forms of magic still coexist in both?"
"Well, there's always been a lot of debate if some of this is true magic or not," Jennifer muttered in Anna's ear. "But who wants to take a chance? I'm sure all of us have a good luck charm or two. Like those little potion bottles over there; they're supposed to bring good luck to a relationship. They were really a popular fad last year."
But Anna didn't really seem interested in the bottles. Instead, her eyes were transfixed on a large, circular blue-green gem that was being displayed on a golden three-legged stand beneath a glass counter lined with purple velvet.
"That is our finest aura stone in the shop, the Serpent's Eye," the gypsy woman explained when Anna asked about it. "We bought it off a collector who found it deep beneath the ocean near the Isle of Man. It radiates very soothing, peaceful magic, and can protect you from evil presences while you sleep." Jennifer glanced over at it, totally nonplussed.
"It's a nicely cut aura stone, Anna. It's a gem where magic essence has rubbed off on it, but it doesn't really do anything."
"Aura stones are meant to be absorbed, they are passive tools to heighten your meditations by adding subtle resonance to the air around you," the woman explained, ignoring Jennifer. "I sense some powerful disturbances in you. I am sure this would be perfect to ease your mind. And very reasonable; fifteen galleons for this precious jewel."
"Fifteen galleons? You have got to be kidding. For that rock?" Jennifer said in disbelief even as Anna began counting out the galleons and handing them over.
"I like it, so I'm buying it. Besides, why does everything have to do something? I've tons of jewelry that doesn't do anything but look nice. That's what jewelry is supposed to be for," Anna said, watching as the woman carefully wrapped up the stone and put it in a tight package. "Thanks!" Jennifer shook her head as the two of them walked out, and Anna couldn't help but get a bit irritated. "Come on, Jennifer. You can't tell me you don't own something that doesn't 'do' anything. What about all those chains you have on? How about your engagement ring?"
"This ring is probably worth more than everything else I own combined, it's a Dragonheart diamond," Jennifer said. "They're legendary, you know. I can always tell what Severus is feeling by the colors I see when I look at it." Jennifer glanced at it now, frowning slightly at the yellowish grey color that usually meant he was worried about something. Anna glanced at Jennifer but didn't say anything. "You know what the watch does, and the other two chains are my bank key and, well, one of those potion bottles," Jennifer admitted sheepishly. "But I certainly didn't pay fifteen galleons for it."
Suddenly Jennifer stopped short in the middle of the street, the color washing from her face. Anna looked at her curiously, and then followed her gaze up the road to where she saw Sirius and Remus speaking with Severus, who was walking up to them from a different direction.
But Jennifer must have seen something Anna had not because she had quickly bolted a few steps ahead, pulling out her wand and intoning, "Stupefy!"
The Severus figure blasted backwards as Sirius and Remus drew their wands and turned towards her, completely surprised to see Jennifer standing there.
"Watch out, it's Pettigrew!" Jennifer yelled. Remus immediately turned around, taking a few steps over to where Jennifer had blasted him, but no there was no sign of him.
"Jennifer, get Anna out of here, we'll find him," Sirius said, glancing up the hill and back at Remus. Upon the hill was an old shack, that long been barricaded by spells and barriers. But for some reason, right now it lay unprotected, and Jennifer suddenly began to feel a heavy sense of dread and recognized the source at once.
"Dementors, and a lot of them. I'm not sure the town can handle it," Jennifer said worriedly. "We need to warn them!" Jennifer raced back behind a couple of the shops, Anna shouting at her to hold up as she tried to follow.
Anna sensed something as well…a hunger…an overpowering hunger of fear and despair that lashed out towards them like a veil of death and hopelessness. And then she felt a strange anger growing in her, an anger she couldn't quite explain, until she found herself stopping cold as a group of four black shapes veered down towards them from a large group coming out of the shack on the hill.
"Expecto Patronum!" Jennifer called out and pointed as one of them neared her. A great white Unicorn leaped out of her wand, charging down the black-cloaked form. But the others had gathered around her even as he wailed in pain, removing their hoods intent on destroying their sworn enemy.
Without even thinking, Anna rushed to Jennifer's side as a bright light began glowing about her, surging over Jennifer as well as herself. Suddenly, she unleashed a powerful burst of energy, lashing out at the Dementors with undeniable force and destroying the Dementors within a single instant, obliterating them into nothingness. Jennifer had instinctively covered her eyes from the blinding light, staggering back slightly as she tried to refocus. Beside her, Anna sank to her knees, looking exhausted and dazed.
"That was incredible. Can all Aethermages do stuff like that? Never mind, no time. I can feel more of them, lots more," Jennifer said, getting up. "I'm going to go help."
"Wait, I'm exhausted, and I'm not sure what I just did," Anna said, trying to stand up. "We can't possibly take on more!"
"Ha, I've taken on an entire army of Dementors before, I can handle them," Jennifer said resolutely. "Well, I admit, I was able to ride a Unicorn at the time so that helped, but I'm certainly not going to let them overrun this town."
"Overrun the town?" Anna said. "No, can't let them do that. Let me help…"
"Anna, you don't even look like you can stand up let alone do whatever it is you just did again! Why don't you go to the Brooms? You'll be safer there," Jennifer insisted, glancing back up the hill. There was a flash of light, and Jennifer heard the irritated cry of a Dementor and a dog barking. "I have to go!" she said, turning back around towards Anna to plead with her to leave. However, whatever she had been planning to say to convince her to go fell dead on her lips when she looked around. Standing before her, looking straight at her was a white-horned Unicorn. "Holy stars above! Anna? You're an Animagus? And you're a Unicorn?" Jennifer flailed in surprise. "How can you possibly know how to do that?"
I don't know. I've done it before, but never mind that now, what am I supposed to do? Jennifer heard in her mind, coming from the pleading black eyes of the Unicorn. Taking a deep breath and feeling extremely awkward but determined to see it through, Jennifer leapt on her back, grabbing onto her mane as she had learned to do on that fateful ride two years ago. You're pulling my hair!
"Work with me here, I know you're new at this and I wasn't exactly planning to do this again myself," Jennifer said, trying to stay on besides Anna's restless hoofing. "Come on, let's go after those Dementors! Just keep your head down and charge," Jennifer said, leaning forward as Anna took off at an unsteady gallop along the side of the hill. It was then that they spotted the main fray beginning to descend upon Remus, the Patronus spells flying as he tried to hold them off and the dog quickly turned back into Sirius to try and help him.
Anna charged forward as a spell fired above her head, and the hill was suddenly filled with Unicorns, some made of spirit from the tip of Jennifer's wand, and one real as Dementors disintegrated from one piercing blow of her horn. Jennifer began to feel a sudden kinship, much like what she had felt when she had ridden Keki. Although not so intimate in thought or emotion as it had been then, Jennifer and Anna soon found they could easily direct each other, surrounding up the Dementors as they appeared, destroying what they could and chasing the others away. Jennifer then rode up to Sirius and Remus, their wands still out and ready for anything.
"Where's Pettigrew?" Jennifer asked when they came into range.
"Still around somewhere, I think," Remus said, "We chased him up here when the wave of Dementors hit us."
"Where's Anna, is she safe?" Sirius asked. Jennifer grinned mischievously.
"Why, are you worried about her?" she teased him.
"Jennifer, we just faced off a dozen Dementors, I'm not in the mood to play games. Where is she?" Sirius snapped irritably.
"Right here," Jennifer said calmly, hopping down. "And you both would probably have been dog chow if it hadn't been for us, so we at least deserve a thank you."
It was then that a strange look came over Sirius' face, one of incredulous wonder and disbelief, staring at Anna as she returned to her normal form. Jennifer realized she had seen an echo of that look directed towards her long ago when she led the Unicorns to battle against the Dementors. Now Jennifer understood as he did what he had been looking for, just as sure as he had found it. It was the same look that she had once seen on Severus the first time they danced, when he finally admitted to himself that she was the one he wanted to be with.
"Thank you, especially for the warning, Jennifer. He would have killed us both then and there if you hadn't spotted him," Remus said, bringing Jennifer out of her memories. "But now he's gotten away again."
"You sure he's not inside?" Jennifer asked.
"Wait a minute, Jennifer, don't forget what happened the last time we tried to follow Pettigrew into a place like that," Remus said. "Let's not get stuck in another trap."
"We can't just let him go," Jennifer said, "Especially with that Polyjuice potion on him. Who knows what kind of mischief he's going to try and get into? How in the heck did he get the components to make that?"
"I'd like to know the same thing, same as for the other potions he acquired," Remus agreed. "This one would imply it's coming from inside the school." Jennifer and Remus exchanged worried glances. Anna, ignoring the unnerving look that Sirius was giving her, glanced towards the forest on the far side of the hill.
"There are more Dementors down there," she said, then immediately started that way. Jennifer quickly followed as did Remus, and Sirius returned to dog form and hurried to run slightly ahead of Anna. After they had gotten a few feet in, Sirius stopped and growled, bristling. Five more Dementors appeared, and wands were quickly brandished as Jennifer and Remus cast their Patronuses at two of them. It was then that Remus and Sirius became witnesses to what Jennifer had already experienced just a few moments before as Anna ran forward, a bright, blinding glow forming around her as she neared the Dementors. They tried to flee as the light began to overtake them, but it was too late, the burst dissipated them into oblivion.
"How…" Remus started in amazement, before catching himself, "…effective." But suddenly Sirius leaped forward and back into his human form just in time to catch Anna as she collapsed from exhaustion.
"Ugh! I forgot, she did this last time too," Jennifer said flustered, heading over to her as Sirius laid her down. "It's my fault, I was so surprised when you changed shape…"
"I didn't feel this bad as a Unicorn. At least…I had more control over attacking them then," Anna said wearily. Remus and Sirius glanced at each other.
"You'd better return to your other form until we can get you back," Remus suggested. "The edge of the forest isn't far from here, you'll be safe once we get there. They don't dare go in there any more."
"What about Pettigrew?" Jennifer asked.
"I'll go find him," Sirius said, changing into dog form and running off before Remus could stop him. Remus sighed softly and shook his head.
"So much for our order to stay together. Come on, let's get you back," Remus insisted. Anna slowly changed back into a Unicorn. Remus led the way, with Anna and Jennifer not far behind as they climbed the tree-lined hills that marked the eastern border of the forest that lay between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. It was just as they were getting ready to crest the first hill that suddenly Anna neighed and took a few steps back.
"What is it, Anna? What's wrong?" Jennifer asked
Evil, something evil, must go back, Anna thought, and then bolted towards town.
"Wait! Wait, not so fast!" Jennifer said, and then flailed in exasperation. "Oh, great stars, what now?" Remus sighed, looking just as exasperated.
"We go after her. It's not like we have much choice in the matter, is it?" Remus said, turning around. "I think I can see a quicker way back down, come on."
The two of them rushed down the side, following a rocky slope where stone had once been quarried, causing it to be clear of trees and brush that would have slowed them down. Perhaps they should have been a bit more wary, considering it made them more easily spotted. It had not occurred to them how vulnerable they were until they reached the bottom of the hill. Leaning against a tree with arms folded was a visage of Severus Snape that obviously wasn't him.
"Why, if it isn't Jennifer Craw, what a pleasant surprise. Going out of your way to make me notice you, again, aren't you? Knocking me off my feet, rushing to defeat my servants, and still being able to ride a Unicorn after all this time, quite amazing! But then, you always were in a category all by yourself, " Pettigrew said glibly, ignoring the wands pointed at him. "Hello again, Moony. Aren't you and Padfoot ever going to give up chasing me? It's pointless, you know."
"We're not going to stop until you're dead," Remus snarled.
"Fine, kill me then. As you can see, I've no wand out. I'm sure few will miss me, except perhaps those I serve. What are you waiting for?" he asked, a strange smile playing on his face.
"Turn away, Jennifer," Remus said insistently, his eyes never leaving the polymorphed Pettigrew. Jennifer gazed over at him thoughtfully. Apparently, Remus didn't want her to see him kill even the semblance of her fiancé, afraid of how she'd view it afterwards. But Jennifer knew that Pettigrew was toying with them, and there was no fear of them in his face.
"Don't do it, Remus, back up," Jennifer hissed softly, looking back over at Pettigrew to try and discern what the wizard had in mind.
"You have nothing to fear, pet. I have no intention of harming you. Unfortunately, dear Moony is going to find himself dead by the hands of Severus Snape, who caught him trying to steal his fiancée… who also seemed to mysteriously disappear after the incident. Pity, that," Pettigrew smirked and dropped something out of his hand.
A puff of deep purple smoke exploded into the air by their feet, and it didn't take long for Jennifer to figure out what it was when she heard a pained cry beside her.
"Howling powder!" Jennifer screamed in dismay. The nasty mix of pollens had an immediate adrenaline effect, inducing an immediate change in Remus into his werewolf form.
"Don't worry, he won't live long enough to feel much pain," Pettigrew's voice assured her from the fog. "He has to be in this form for this concoction to work but I trust it'll be fairly instantaneous."
"Mist repel!" Jennifer called out, a breeze drifting upwards to try to clear away the smoke. It was just as Remus was getting up from his transformation that Jennifer saw a phial being thrown. Crying out with alarm, she pointed at it with her wand and stopped it in its tracks, tossing it into the woods a fair distance away where it exploded.
The werewolf lunged and took a fearsome strike at Pettigrew. Jennifer backed up, fumbling in her pockets until she found the phial she was looking for. She heard an outraged roar and looked up to see Pettigrew holding the monster's arm with his silver hand, clenching it with unnatural force.
"Accidio!" Jennifer intoned, casting a weaken spell that enveloped Pettigrew in a green sickly light.
The werewolf grabbed a hold of him, struggling to get his other claw free. In a bone-snapping, lightning fast move, Remus jaws bit just above Pettigrew's arm, causing him to cry out in excruciating pain. Jennifer, filled with horror at the sight of the attack, found herself paralyzed. She closed her eyes to try and shield herself from the scene, knowing that she should be doing something, anything, even running would be better than witnessing it. It was only after the screaming stopped that she became alert again, opening her eyes to see the werewolf hunched over the ground, slightly confused at the loss of its Disapparated prey. He looked up as if noticing her for the first time, and Jennifer forced herself into action. She threw the phial directly at the ground, smashing it against the rocks as a heavy layer of sand rained from it.
Jennifer dove out of range, afraid of getting caught in the wake of the powder. It was then that she heard a loud thud as the werewolf hit the ground, falling into the dust. With any luck, he was asleep and was going to stay that way for a while.
Jennifer turned over on her back, allowing herself to take a breath, gather her thoughts, and rub her eyes. She knew it had been Pettigrew, she knew it. Why couldn't she get the picture of Severus being attacked out of her mind? In fact, she realized that was why she hadn't tried to harm him herself. That's why she had been willing, undeniably willing, just to stand back and let Remus, probably barely even aware of what he was doing, to try and finish him off. Was it really Severus' image that had held her back? Or was it the same thing that always held her back, she wondered. In any case, she found herself feeling guilty for allowing it to go the way it did, and now Pettigrew… Pettigrew was going to be even more dangerous than ever before.
"Jennifer?" Jennifer heard her name called and someone approaching but didn't bother getting up, her eyes blinking from staring up at the sun as she tried to focus in on him. "Good god! Remus! Jennifer, are you all right?" Sirius asked.
"I'm fine. Don't touch him, Sirius, he's covered in sleep exhalant and it's extremely potent. You'll end up falling asleep too. Don't worry about the blood, it's not his. It's Pettigrew's," Jennifer explained with her eyes still closed.
"Where is he?"
"He fled after he got bit," Jennifer sighed. Sirius stopped cold and stared at her. She nodded soberly. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to just lay here for a minute and keep myself from thinking too hard about that." Sirius slumped to the ground, watching Remus sleep and staring at the pool of blood underneath him.
"Maybe he won't survive? It looks like he got hurt pretty bad," Sirius said hopefully.
"I don't know how bad it was. I couldn't bring myself to watch," Jennifer admitted quietly. "But the disease will probably take him before he dies, unfortunately." She rolled over on her side to look at them, oblivious to the rocky ground beneath her. "He was going to kill Remus and try to frame Severus for it," Jennifer said softly, shaking her head. "Some people never learn."
"Good thing you happened by when you did. We would not have realized it until it was too late," Sirius said. "You know, I bet he was planning to take me on, and Moony was a backup plan. No one would even blink if they woke up one morning to hear that Severus Snape murdered me. Not like he didn't have a motive."
"Like?" Jennifer said, quickly sitting up to try and get a look at his face. But Sirius quickly got up.
"We'd better get him under cover. How long do we have before he changes back?" Sirius asked.
"Not too long being induced by magic instead of the moon. He should sleep longer than than his condition lasts if Severus' powder holds, which I'm sure now it will," Jennifer said, watching Remus.
"Anna is with Madame Rosmerta, who gave her something to make her feel better. Why don't I go get her and we'll take Remus to my place, then I'll take you guys home. Will you be all right here?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, I doubt he'll be coming back any time soon," Jennifer nodded. "Er, and Sirius…"
"Hm?"
"Let's not mention this to Severus right away," Jennifer suggested. The last thing she needed to hear right now was another conversation about how he shouldn't ever let her go anywhere without him.
"Let's see, Wormtail trying to be him, his own sister changing into a Unicorn and blasting Dementors with fiancée in tow, his fiancée having to face Wormtail and an enraged werewolf by herself… no, he's definitely not hearing about this one from me," Sirius said. "In fact, I have every intention of being very, very far away when he finds out," he chuckled and then went to get Anna.