Chapter Twenty-Four

Tidings of Darkness

Sirius Black paced the living room impatiently as Harry polished the handle of his new Skymaster broom. Harry had been at the cottage since last night when the pain from his scar forced him to admit something terrible was going on, determined to find out what. He kept seeing fire, and many people hurt, and not all in one place. Dumbledore, it seemed, was not in the castle. It wasn't long before he thought he'd better inform his godfather, and had found it quicker to head over there rather than to send Hedwig. Sirius then suggested that he stay, sending his colorful cockatoo out with messages. He read them quietly with a deepening frown. What it said he hadn't mentioned to Harry, which in itself was rather unusual, but did say that Dumbledore had also agreed that Harry should probably stay with Sirius for now.

There was a knock on the door and Sirius turned from his pacing to open it. It was Anna, who was quite upset. Sirius went outside to talk to her a moment before the two came in again, Sirius carrying what appeared to be a thin Muggle paper in his hand.

"How can they be expected to defend themselves when they don't even know what they're up against?" Anna demanded to know, looking angry. "You can't keep lying to them, they're just sitting ducks out there!"

"Anna, I have no control over what the Council does and doesn't tell the Muggles about us," Sirius replied, "and even if I did, you must realize there are a lot of consequences on both sides if we came out and told them the truth. Besides the fact most of them wouldn't believe it, the ones that do believe it would become dangerous. You know what came of Witch Hunts, Anna. Many innocent people got killed because they weren't able to get away from their "punishment" like we were. Do you really want that to happen again?"

"They are getting slaughtered out there!" Anna yelled, clenching her fists. "And if no one else does something about it, I will!"

"No, Anna, wait, don't do anything impulsive! You're going to get in serious trouble!" Sirius said, grabbing her hand.

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" Harry asked in a loud voice, hoping to be heard over their yelling.

"Several Muggle towns were attacked last night by wizards…" Anna told him

"Death Eaters," Sirius put in.

"Whatever, and they're trying to keep the truth from the Muggles about what happened!" Anna said.

"Can I see the paper?" Harry asked. Sirius hesitated a moment, then handed it over.

"Harry, I'm not supposed to be telling you about this yet. Dumbledore specifically asked me not to mention it to you or anybody else until he spoke with me again," Sirius admitted.

"Sirius, it's in the Times. People are going to find out," Anna said. Harry quickly read down the headline Cult Terrorizes Countryside Creating Christmas Nightmare, feeling terribly sick to his stomach. Dozens of families hurt, and several families murdered around five communities, hitting right after dinner on Christmas Eve when most were likely to be home. Each was hit within five minutes of each other by robed figures. The article even displayed contact information and a detailed description of the Dark Mark, so that anyone seeing it knew who to call. It was then that Harry caught a familiar town name on the list and frowned at it… Haven's Bluff. Professor Craw's town was one of those hit! Harry then had a curious feeling then, as if somehow they had thought she'd have been home that night, planning, perhaps, to trap her…

"Sirius, are all these towns where professors live? I know one of them is," Harry said, breaking up Sirius and Anna's argument. "These seem to be fairly well calculated. He was going after the professors, wasn't he, hoping to get them separately so he could take them out when they were separated from Dumbledore and the school. I'm sure that's what he was doing." Harry looked up worriedly. "None of them got hurt, did they?"

"I don't know, Harry," Sirius admitted soberly. "But let's respect Dumbledore's wishes and not mention it to anyone, even the professors." Harry glanced down at the paper again.

"This has to end. If this keeps up, we're just going to end up getting trapped for sure. We need to stop playing the defensive and try and launch our own attack," Harry said, looking up at them. "We're not going to get anywhere hiding, and it's obvious he's not going to let up this time."

"Harry, while I understand and partially agree with your sentiment…" Sirius stopped short and stared at Anna. Her skin had become like white marble, and her face was distant, and there was a faint glow around her. Suddenly she Disapparated and Sirius leapt up in surprise. "Stay here, Harry," he said and then Disapparated behind her.

Harry was not about to stay. His scar was not hurting at the moment, but he knew something was going on. Anna only seemed to glow in emergencies… rather like a Unicorn… as if their own Wild magic was acting as a ward. Besides, he had a brand new broom to try out, and Hogwarts was close enough that there should be little danger of him flying back.

As he lifted the broom over the mountains and towards the castle, he couldn't help but notice the dark clouds of smoke rising to the east. At first he thought that perhaps the Dark Forest was on fire, but as he got closer, he could clearly see that it was coming from beyond the hills. Veering around the castle, he coaxed the broom at a breakneck speed towards it, certain that was where Anna had gone.

The closer he got, the more he felt the strange tugging fear that he had come to recognize very well. It was the dreadful feeling of a great number of Dementors in one place. So many, in fact, that he almost turned back to warn the school and to get help. But just as something inside him seemed to be holding him back, there was another sort of force pulling him forward, as if coaxing him to continue. At last his urge to go on won out and he flew over the crest of the hill beyond to witness several things happening at once. A pair of two-headed Ettins stood in the streets trying to get inside one of the shops, standing above the carcasses of what might have been two giant fire hounds, now strangely grey and coal-like. A large group of wizards gathered along the hill to the Shrieking Shack where a great many of the Dementors had gathered, and others lurked in the woods just below it.

It was then that he noticed a brilliant flash of light in the distance. Harry was leaning over on his broom to pick up more speed when a powerful burst of energy and a loud, unbearable, wailing cry sent waves of pain through his ears. He toppled forward on his broom and crashed into the trees, nearly losing his glasses in the process. It was a sound and a sensation which he had never felt before, and yet... it seemed familiar nonetheless. It was as he was attempting to remember where he heard it before, that he saw a figure standing on the hillside, wispy and ghost-like. She was nearly as tall as a giant with a beautiful, horrifying face, her eyes reflecting pure anger and hatred as she opened her mouth.

Harry knew better than to try and take on a beansidhe alone, quickly conjuring a small dome around himself. In the protection of the Sonorous Shield, no outside sound could touch him, but the wave's effects he could readily see as it passed by him. He slid to the ground, wincing over his bruises acquired in his fall. The shield wouldn't follow him, he knew, so he was going to have to make a run for it. Taking a deep breath and hopping back on his broom, he cast the deafness spell on himself then flew out of the shield at a breakneck speed, trying not to look back as he went racing towards the spot he had seen the light earlier. When it flashed again, he had no doubt that the light was Anna was flew straight over to it. She was standing with Sirius on the outskirts of town, keeping the Dementors at bay. Sirius noticed him and started shouting at him, but Harry couldn't hear him. Remembering the deafness spell, Harry released himself from it.

"…before you get killed!" Sirius finished as Harry unstoppered his ears. Just then. a small pack of Dementors came up behind him, and Harry quickly cast his Patronus, the large white stag charging towards them and chasing them away, threatening to spear one straight through with his prongs.

There was a loud crash and the ground started shaking as the two Ettins, apparently in the middle of a brawl, suddenly fell onto the Divine Vision, crushing half the shop as they went tumbling to the ground, still fighting. Sirius asked what the crash was, and Harry told them.

"I hope they saw it coming in time to get out, of that shop" Sirius said as Anna began to chase after another group of Dementors. She was determined to destroy them all, certain that she would have the strength to keep fighting them even though they were now in a number like nothing she had seen before. But Harry was more concerned about the other evil that was in the direction they were going.

"No, wait, there's a banshee up there! You can't go up there, she'll kill you!" Harry warned them.

"You sure, Harry? Banshees went extinct over two hundred years ago! It's got to be something else," Sirius said with a frown.

"It is a banshee, trust me! Don't go up that hill. Professor Craw told us they used to be very territorial, and I think I already made her mad being up there all ready." Harry said.

"There are Dementors up there, I can feel it," Anna insisted.

"And there are still a ton over there," Sirius said, pointing towards the shack. "Come on, I say we trust Harry on this one and take care of the ones in town first, especially since they're the ones that pose the most threat. Anna, turn back into a Unicorn and stay with Harry, you can protect him better that way." Anna did as she was told, but Harry gave him a strange look. He could have easily stayed on the broom and out of the way, so how would he be safer with Anna? But the look that Sirius then passed him gave him the true answer; it wasn't Harry he was worried about. "Harry, stay with Anna, okay? Let's go see how things are going closer to town."

Along the base of the hill were a line of wizards fighting off the Dementors, and as they walked up they spotted Severus and Jennifer among them, dusty with plaster and with singed hair, red faces, and burned and frayed robes. Harry half expected both of them to start yelling and screaming about him being there, but apparently they were in no position to do either, for the Dementors were constantly on them. As they tried to hold them off, the other wizards and witches of the town joined in, casting their own Patronuses on them. Lowering her head, Anna began to charge them, feeling a deep satisfaction as she picked them off and watched them disintegrate while Harry cast his Patronus on some of the others that tried to get along side them.

Sirius made his way over to Severus and Jennifer, blasting a Dementor that had somehow managed to get close.

"Fancy meeting you here. What happened to you two?" Sirius said.

"Long story," Severus snapped, blasting another one with a spell. "We're going to be at this all night at this rate."

"Where are they all coming from? And why?" Jennifer asked in irritation. "Dementors, Ettins, and Fire Hounds, all working together?"

"Banshee," Sirius added. Severus and Jennifer stared at him for a moment and Sirius had to shout a warning as another of the vile creatures came up.

"Beansidhe? No, it can't be, they're extinct, and besides, Beansidhe wouldn't work with a group. They're solitary." Jennifer said.

"Harry says he saw a banshee up on one of the hills, Jennifer, that's not something he'd make up stories about," Sirius replied. Just then, they were hit with another wave of Dementors and were kept busy for some time. Several of the wizards had to retreat, gratefully accepting pieces off a plateful of chocolate brick that the Honeydukes manager had brought out.

"What's Potter doing here?" Severus snapped when they began gain ground.

"Don't knock it, right now we need all the wands we can get," Sirius defended quickly, "and I asked him to look after Anna."

By the time the last of the Dementors began to retreat, the fires caused by the hounds had all come to an end, leaving only ashen snow and cindered stores in their wake, including the smoldering remains of the Hog's Head. The Ettins had been chained in place where they had been fighting and had fallen asleep, their snores disturbing the approaching evening. The wind began to pick up, cold and wintry, cooling down the air heated by battle.

Jennifer stared at the lone shack as several of the others went in to make sure there were no more hiding inside. Wordlessly Severus followed behind her, but Sirius, now having a chance to look around, began to wonder where Harry and Anna were, for they were nowhere in sight. Turning into a dog, Sirius padded off to look for them.

Jennifer could sense a build up of fear around the place, and could understand why the Dementors seemed to be attracted by it. One thing was certain; she was getting quite tired of coming here to find it overrun. Why hadn't it been destroyed a long time ago? When she came to Hogsmeade the first time, a barrier had been placed around it, but it had since been taken down. As she turned to ask about it, she suddenly heard a howl and glanced over to see the moon beginning its ascent.

"Don't worry, he had his potion." Severus said quietly.

"Remus, yes. But what about Pettigrew? We have no idea where he is." Jennifer pointed out.

"I'm sure if he were around here he would have materialized before now," Severus said.

"Severus, we just took down a pair of rare fire hounds, a pair of two-headed Ettins, and who knows how many Dementors. You can be sure they didn't come here of their own accord. I can't believe the Death Eaters didn't have something to do with this."

"And yet, strangely enough, not one of them is in sight. I can't help wonder if this isn't some sort of diversion tactic to keep us from finding out where they really are." Severus said.

"Somehow I get the feeling there's a lot more to it than that," Jennifer said. "This is far from the first time the Dementors have been around here." There was a flash of light in the distance, and it didn't take long for Jennifer to realize it wasn't lightning. "Speaking of which, it looks like they found some more," she said grimly. "I thought things like this weren't supposed to happen on Christmas," she muttered.

"I'll be sure to mention that to Voldemort next time I see him," Severus said grimly back to her as they Apparated closer to where they had last seen the light.

They were at the base of the hills, standing just outside a thicket, their wands ready for any trouble. But Jennifer was suddenly aware of something else, something that she found herself straining to hear. It was a voice, an angry voice. Before she could focus in on it, several shapes appeared and Severus barked at her to wake up as three Dementors descended on them, and they quickly spelled them off.

"I am getting really sick of those things," Jennifer grumbled.

"You and I both. Let's move on. There can't be many left, and Titiana can't be too far," Severus said. But it wasn't two steps when Jennifer paused again, listening.

"Do you hear that?" Jennifer asked. Severus listened suspiciously for a while before he shook his head, glancing at her. She knew he thought she was getting a tad paranoid.

"All I hear is the wind."

"But it's not windy in here, not even a breeze," Jennifer pointed out. "Yet it seems to be getting louder. And there are words in it…" she said, pausing. "We shouldn't be on this hill. Something definitely doesn't want us up here."

"Well, we're certainly not leaving Titiana up here, especially with those two," Severus muttered, heading quickly forward, followed close behind by Jennifer. Suddenly the wail turned into a shriek, and Jennifer's heart leapt in her throat at the sound. There could be only one thing aside the Shrieking Death spell that could have made that noise. And unlike the spell, it was more than a shriek. Jennifer heard an odd, screaming tone in return, as if challenging the first. It made the shriek pause a moment, and Jennifer burst through the brush to finally see Sirius, Harry, and Anna as Harry cast the Sonorous Shield around them. The Beansidhe was much larger than she would have ever imagined, and much more powerful, making her aware that the wand and the spell itself had been a very poor reflection of the creature it was meant to imitate. She knew without a doubt she was in for a fight, and was quite certain she was the one who had to do it. She took a moment to point her wand at Severus and put the Sonorous Shield around him, watching his expression change as he yelled soundlessly at her.

The Beansidhe noticed the new arrivals and focused her attention on Jennifer, bursting into another wailing shriek. But Jennifer had already turned to face her and cast the Shrieking Death spell, meeting the wail with all the power she could muster. The deadly sound waves bent and split in different directions as they met each other, canceling out some of the ear-wrenching effects.

Be gone! Be gone! Only death awaits you! Jennifer somehow knew that was what she was saying, although she couldn't explain how she knew. It was an eerie sensation, one of deep foreboding, but Jennifer knew better than to let it get to her.

"Be gone yourself! You have no place here! Return to your own lands!" Jennifer shouted back. She noticed the waves of her spell changed as she spoke, and she realized that she had managed to get the message through to her.

This is my home. This is your place of death. Shall I call you to it now? It is not long in coming. You are doomed, daughter of Craw, blood of Ravenclaw. You hear me and understand me so death is your fate, the wailing proclaimed. The creature became even louder and the wail so much stronger that Jennifer began to realize that she couldn't hold it any longer. She was going to have to do something, and do it quickly. But then she felt an energy surrounding her, and the stress began to ease, helping her to think more clearly. With a quick motion, she risked casting the Resonius spell on herself, amplifying her voice, and then turned her full focuse on the Shrieking Death spell once more.

"I am a Craw and no slave to Fate! Depart or perish! Those who foretell death only bring about their own!" Jennifer shouted, her words amplifying the spell ten times what it had been before, the pulses breaking down the sound waves as the land trembled around them. The Beansidhe, no match for the extra burst of power, staggered back in surprise. She screeched in a different tone and fled up the hill, the screech continuing as it began to fade back into a sound resembling the howling wind.

Jennifer slid to her knees, attempting to ignore the words echoing in her head as she released the spells on herself and tried to catch her breath. Had she not taken a Wakeful Dose that morning she was pretty sure she'd have collapsed from the encounter, but as it was, although she was tired, she found that she was still fairly alert. Severus was soon by her side, asking if she was all right and helping her up. Beside them, Sirius was supporting Anna, who seemed to be just waking up from a dazed state. Harry was sitting on the other side of her, glancing at Jennifer concernedly.

"We need to get out of here just in case she comes back," Jennifer said, aware that her voice sounded shaky. "I doubt she will, but we shouldn't risk it. I don't think I can do that again any time soon. We need to warn Hogsmeade about her being up here."

"Let's go to the Brooms and see Rosmerta. I don't think it was hurt in the attack," Sirius suggested. Agreeing quickly, the five descended the hill.

The inn was filled with locals, some of them with bandages and burns, and most of them looking unusually somber as they spoke of that night's events. Rosmerta was busy speaking to Patrick Dougan and Ederick Thurspire from the Ministry.

Jennifer became irritated. Two deputies investigating an attack of this size? Didn't the Ministry care more than that? Jennifer walked straight up to the group followed closely behind by Severus. Sirius sighed softly, suggesting to Anna and Harry that they find empty table until they were done. Seeing the two coming forward, Rosmerta paused in her conversation long enough to greet them.

"Thank you for coming to our aid, Professors," Rosmerta said. "Had you not figured out how to defeat those hounds and the Ettins, we'd have lost most of the town, I believe."

"I will send the Magical Creatures Minister out here as soon as I can," Ederick assured Rosmerta. "And I will definitely add your comments to my report to Ministers Brown and Weasley."

"I want to know why neither of them are here right now," Jennifer snapped. "This town just had to defend itself against a small army of Dementors and not one of the real Ministers came to investigate. Especially when any time I point my wand at a person it seems like half a dozen Ministry guards show up to find out what I'm doing," she added in annoyance. Ederick turned to stare at her.

"It might interest you to know that this was not the only place that got attacked today, and considering that this is a wizard area, we knew that the town could hold its own. Over the past two nights, there have been nine different attacks, and this, by the way, is the only one where no one got killed." Ederick said.

"Probably because no one from the Ministry came to 'help.'" Severus suggested. Ederick glared at him.

"Alright, alright, I know this is a terrible situation but we really need to not let our tempers flare because of it," Rosmerta suggested firmly. "Professors, why don't you go over and join your friends? I'll be over in a minute."

"Yes, please let Anna know I'll be over to see her as well," Ederick said, "I need to speak with her about something." Jennifer and Severus glowered at him for a moment before heading over to the table where the others were sitting. Neither of them mentioned Ederick. Instead, they used the time to get caught up on what had been happening.

"The townsfolk had been trying to use water spells to fight off the fire hounds," Jennifer explained to Harry, Sirius, and Anna. "But what ended up happening was the water was turning the steam and people kept getting burnt. Ice turned to steam even faster, so that only made things worse. I knew the only way to stop them was to suffocate them with the Life Deprivation Curse, one of the death spells," Jennifer sighed. "I really didn't have much choice, they had to be stopped. That's when the Ettins got angry at me, but we ran into a building and they started hitting it to try and get at us. Ettins are resistant to spells, so at first, none of us inside knew what to do. But then Severus used a voice throwing potion on himself and went up to the second floor, and pretty soon, the managed to get the two Ettins fighting with each other. Once they had fallen, we were able to cast chains to anchor them down."

"Pity they fell on the Divine Vision," Severus smirked. "I wonder if Oman saw it coming?"

"Thurspire says this was only one of nine attacks that's happened the last two days. What exactly is it that they're trying to do anyhow?" Jennifer asked.

"To frighten people into submission," Sirius said grimly, "and to taunt their worst enemies and separate them in different directions so that they can pick them off."

"Yes, divide and conquer, as it were," Severus said with a grim nod. "And from what Thurspire said it seems to be working to some degree; the Ministry's resources are stretched. They're having a council meeting tomorrow, perhaps they'll finally listen to reason now that things have gotten totally out of control."

"Typical, politicians never want to do anything until it's too late," Anna muttered. She looked up to see Ederick stepping closer. Hesitating only momentarily, she smiled and excused herself, walking over to the bar with him. Harry and Jennifer couldn't help but notice that Sirius and Severus were both glaring at them.

"Oh come on, guys. I'm sure she has more sense than to actually like someone like that," Jennifer reassured them. Severus noticed Sirius watching her and squinted at him. Sirius matched the look mockingly.

"Ah, here you are," Rosmerta smiled at them tiredly, setting down a tray of drinks and sitting beside them. "The colored glass drink is for Anna, please don't get them mixed up. So what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"We ran into something on the hills near the edge of the forest, although you might not believe it," Jennifer warned her. "A Beansidhe." Jennifer had been expecting a shocked or surprised look, but it never came. Rather, it was a look of annoyance.

"Don't tell me all of this ruckus woke her up," Rosmerta said, shaking her head. "That's all we need right now."

"You knew there was a Banshee?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, she's been there ever since I can remember. Normally, she's asleep and not much of a problem, but she guards that side of the Dark Forest, and not much can pass by there without her knowing about it. She wasn't sent by Voldemort, that's for certain. You say you faced her? Quite impressive," Rosmerta commented.

"I'm a Craw," Jennifer shrugged, "and Anna, if I'm not mistaken, was shielding me for awhile there." Severus glanced over at Jennifer thoughtfully. "It allowed me to relax my defense enough so that I could concentrate on an attack."

"Very interesting," Rosmerta said, her eyes sparkling. "I'm glad you are all safe. But if you don't mind my saying so, I suggest that you should all think about heading home and getting some rest. We may have now entered a lull, but if I'm not mistaken, this is far from over. I'll let Anna know you're about ready to leave," she added. She got up with a warm smile and left the table.

"I'll make sure Anna and Harry get back to the castle, if you both want to go now," Sirius suggested. "I'm sure Minerva will want a report of the situation out here as soon as possible."

"I think that's a good idea," Jennifer said before Severus could say anything. "You know, I haven't even had time to give you your Christmas present yet, Severus. It's still in my room."

"I haven't had time to look at any of them," Severus shrugged it off.

"Well, that explains why you're still talking to me then," Sirius said cheerfully. Severus squinted at him.

Fawkes had already returned to his perch when Dumbledore arrived back at his study, a thin, weary smile appearing on his face as he entered, Minerva close behind him.

"There, Minerva, come see. Fawkes would not be here if Ember was still in distress. I'm sure that Jennifer and Severus are not far behind," Dumbledore assured her before sitting tiredly behind his desk, a sad, thoughtful expression on his face. "When they return, I think I should go ahead and speak with them. I would rather that they heard it from me."

"Oh, Albus," Minerva sighed, sitting down in exhaustion and grief. "What terrible times we live in! Jennifer knew them too, didn't she?"

"Yes, I believe so, the father at least, I'm quite sure of," Dumbledore nodded.

"She is going to take this hard," Minerva said.

"Of that I have little doubt, which is one of the reasons I think it should come from me." Dumbledore said. Fawkes stretched and looked over at Dumbledore. He opened a drawer to his desk, glancing inside of it and then shutting it.

"They're back, Minerva, heading to your office, I believe."

"I will go get them," said Minerva.

They had just stepped into the hallway when she caught up with the pair. They looked quite the worse for wear with their torn and ash-covered robes and smelling of smoke, but neither of them seemed to be aware of it. Without hesitation, they followed her back up to the Headmaster's Study, both of them relieved that Dumbledore was back in the school.

Jennifer couldn't help but notice that Minerva showed signs of strain as she walked ahead of them to the office, glancing around every now and then. All of the students had long been sent to their rooms and the hallways seemed hauntingly dead, somber, and dim, even though it really wasn't all that late.

It was when they entered the Headmaster's Study that Jennifer knew something was wrong. Dumbledore had pointedly asked Minerva to let Jennifer have the high backed chair, which had always made her feel more comfortable, and when she looked at his face, she found she couldn't read it at all. He seemed weary and sad, although he smiled at them gently when they entered, asking about what had occurred at Hogsmeade. Severus told most of it up to the point they met up with the Beansidhe (something Dumbledore seemed genuinely surprised about, especially on hearing that Rosmerta had known about it,) and Jennifer took over, explaining something of what she had heard from the creature. Dumbledore looked at her with deep concern when he heard of the prediction, as did Severus, whom she had not mentioned it to before.

"I'm sure she was just trying to scare me off the hill since she couldn't kill me," Jennifer said, shrugging it off. "I think it might have intimidated her that I understood her. But then, after owning that cursed wand as long as I had and being a Craw, it really didn't surprise me much when it happened."

"Yes, perhaps you are right," Dumbledore said quickly, hoping that was the explanation. "Even so, you should probably stay well away from that area if you can at all help it."

"Believe me, the last thing I want to run into right now is that Beansidhe again. I admit I had no idea how powerful they were. That one, at least, had a lot of power to command," Jennifer said, feeling tired just thinking about it.

"Professor, Rosmerta and Thurspire said that there had been several other attacks?" Severus prompted.

"Yes, there were," Dumbledore sighed, standing up and walking in front of his desk. "I myself had been called out of the castle last night because a pair of sirens and a large band of sea trolls had actually laid siege to Azkaban, more of a menace than a real threat," he assured Jennifer when she became alarmed. "But by the time Arthur and I had the sirens silenced and trolls dealt with, we learned that there had been a much more serious attack in London, inside and just outside of Diagon Alley. It was chaos by the time we got there, buildings ablaze, and terrified locals talking about a large group of Death Eaters ransacking the shops and the pub…fortunately, since most of the shops were closed for the holiday, not many inhabitants were in the Alley itself. Madame Malkin I hear was injured, but is recovering…I'm afraid that Pax Exeter wasn't as lucky," he said quietly, glancing up at Severus' stony face. "There wasn't much left of him or the apothecary once someone had gotten there. There had been some sort of explosion, no doubt on purpose," Dumbledore sighed. "Outside of the Alley, the casualties were higher. A pair of patrolling Muggle police officers and several shop owners in the area fell prey to them before members of the Ministry finally arrived. We quickly joined up with them, but the attackers had already begun to scatter; we did manage to capture several of them before they all Disapparated. They are being questioned at the Ministry right now, I believe."

"Poor Exeter, and those poor Muggles," Jennifer said with grief. She felt for their families, and to have such news on Christmas. She remembered her first Christmas after her mother disappeared. She had no one really close to her then, so she had stayed at Beauxbatons, spending most of her time buried in her potion lab, trying to shut the rest of the world out and her sorrow as well.

"They are still being questioned, yet you are here and not there," Severus said with a frown. "I know quite well they would have asked you to stay to hear the interviews, and I know you would have unless something was more pressing to attend to here."

"That is true, Severus," Dumbledore said, looking at him over the rim of his glasses before sitting down in front of Jennifer. "And you're right, of course. You see, last night, we nearly lost some of our own staff. Voldemort and his Death Eaters planned an elaborate attack on towns where he knew that a Hogwarts Professor had taken up residence. Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to find any of our houses, being Christmas Eve, he believed that most of the faculty would be home. So, if he attacked our towns, he believed that we would most certainly come out to defend them against the attack. Away from the school with so many followers on his side, he was hoping to take out as many of the staff as he could.

"After the first attack, I had a growing suspicion that something else was going on, so I went to the Accidental Magic Department to see what other strange reports had been turned in, and found there had been a series of Muggles in different towns across the country who had been complaining about men in black cloaks appearing and disappearing in an alarming fashion. Unfortunately, by the time I realized what Voldemort had been planning, it was too late.

"Just after dinner they struck hard, but we did not find out about it until well after they had hit the first town and had moved on to the next. The moment that word got back to me, I alerted the professors who had gone home of the situation, and I hurried over in hopes of catching them before another spell was cast. Had I not gotten to Pomona Sprout's house when I did, I think that Braxton would have taken a larger hit. But the Ministry had the majority of its forces there soon after I arrived, and we were able to at last stop the assault.

"The worst casualties," Dumbledore continued quietly, "were in the two towns that they had attacked before we had a chance to catch up with them. The first of which was hit mercilessly hard, and dozens of Muggle lives were lost, including members of a student's family, who happened to live so very close to the home that Voldemort was searching for." Jennifer's face lost all color as she stared at Dumbledore, hoping beyond all hope it wasn't where she thought. "Yes, Jennifer, it was Haven's Bluff. And I am here because tomorrow morning, I need to tell Corey that his father, mother, and brother have been killed."

Jennifer leaned back in the chair in shock, her mind wandering to when she had last seen them. Charles Willowby, Corey's father…he had been so kind to her, and had helped her when no one else could. He had been so wise and accepting, not anything like she'd have thought a Muggle to be like. Freda… who had been so determined to keep all of her children's feet on the ground, who wanted only for them all to have the best that she could offer, and who could always seem to keep a handle on Corey, no matter how rambunctious he could be. And Charles Jr., whom she barely knew, but had been just a boy, had always done more than his share of chores and work so that the other two could play.

"What about Essie?" Jennifer asked quietly, her voice trembling. She was aware that Severus had come over and was now leaning on the back of her chair, his stony expression unchanging.

"She had gone over to visit her Aunt for the evening, which is where she is staying at now. She's in shock, of course, but in no danger at the moment," Dumbledore told them.

"Sir, I would be willing to speak with Corey about this…"

"No, Severus, thank you," Dumbledore said, looking up at him, "Not this time. I know that Corey looks up to both of you and he's going to need your support. I would rather he not associate either of you with this moment. I will tell him. Try not to worry. You know how resilient Corey is, and with us to be here for him, I'm sure he'll pull through this." Severus sighed silently and nodded, Dumbledore watching him steadily. Was it truly a sigh of acceptance, or a sigh of relief? The events must certainly be bringing buried memories to the surface.

"Professor, I… if there's not anything else, I think I need some air," Jennifer said, drawing Dumbledore's attention back to her, still pale and obviously fighting off her own emotions again.

"I'll go with her," Severus said quickly.

"Very well. If you feel you need to get a hold of me, just drop a note, Jennifer, for any reason," Dumbledore assured her.

"Yes sir, thank you," Jennifer said, heading towards the door.

"And that goes double for you, Severus," Dumbledore said, almost chidingly. Severus bowed slightly, his expression barely changing before he followed Jennifer out. "What a pair those two have become," Dumbledore said, his eyes still looking thoughtfully at the door they had just left.