Chapter Twenty-Nine
Conflicts of Interest
As it came to pass, Jennifer didn't have to wait long before she found out what was bothering Minerva. The next evening after classes, Severus and Jennifer decided to spend dinner doing the potions inventory so they had time to start on the new Gauntlet. It wasn't long before Jennifer, sitting at her classroom desk looking over numbers, realized that they didn't match.
"Here we go again, every Monday it's the same thing. It has to be happening on Friday or over the weekend," Jennifer said. "This time the discrepancies so far are with bone powder, wisp oil, and slippetal," she said, looking up at him. "Does that sound familiar to you?"
"Sounds like the main components for Death Augury," he nodded then headed over to a different case, taking over to another container. ".5 kilos of moth wings. And we haven't used them in any class lately," he added, looking over at Jennifer expectantly.
"Down from .75. I don't think it's a coincidence, Severus. We'd better let Minerva know it's still going on. I don't suppose Corey would know?"
"No, they're not telling him much these days, and we kept him too busy this weekend for him to do his normal little spying. Not that I encourage him," Severus said quickly, "but we both know he does it. At least no one has gotten in my office in a while, although I hoped they would now that I can find out easily from Rasputin who's in there…"
"Maybe we could try to set up a convenient time for them to get in?" Jennifer suggested. Severus looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Not a bad idea. I think I'll try it on my Dabbler's class," Severus said, "Perhaps we will finally get to the bottom of this." A quick knock on the classroom door brought their attention forward to where Minerva stood. There was a strained look on her face that made Jennifer quickly put down the ledger and stand.
"Jennifer, would you please join Professor Dumbledore and Vice Chairman Balmweed in his study, they'd like to speak to you for a moment," Minerva said. Severus frowned.
"Balmweed? What is he doing here and why weren't we told? Jennifer is supposed to be on guest escort…"
"Under the circumstances, Dumbledore didn't think it was appropriate. Jennifer, I know I can't lie to you and you'll find out soon enough, but the reason Dumbledore has been absent lately is that he and the board have been at odds over a few matters, and some of them concern you," Minerva said.
"Why weren't we told about this before?" Severus demanded. Jennifer could almost feel the temperature in the room rise as his temper started to build. She walked over to Minerva, gently touching his arm as she passed.
"Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long," Jennifer sighed. "What with all that's been said in the paper, it was only a matter of time. And Dumbledore did say that next time I got into a mess with the board that he was going to let me deal with it, and I suppose it's time I did."
"Fine, but I'm going as well. I want to hear what's been going on," Severus said, scowling at Minerva, almost expecting her to say no.
"Very well, but let's get going, shall we? Stay calm, Jennifer, it'll be all right, you can be sure you have Dumbledore's and my support, and we will stand behind you no matter what," Minerva said as they headed up the stairs.
"I wish you'd stop saying that," Jennifer muttered. There was nothing reassuring about those words, and Jennifer had little doubt that this was just as serious as she was envisioning at the moment.
The Vice Chairman looked rather old in appearance, thanks to his thin blonde hair and small spectacles, but he was, in actuality, not much older than Severus. Simply designed silver robes made from expensive fabric draped to the floor around the red high-backed chair he was sitting in.
Jennifer couldn't help to note the unusual and alarming flash of fire in Dumbledore's eyes and she was immediately glad that it didn't seem to be directed towards her. Instead the gaze was centered on the Vice Chairman, who, to his credit, was doing a remarkable job of keeping it calm and composed. They both looked up as Minerva led the other two in the room, and the wizard blinked in surprise as his eyes fell on the breathtaking woman standing behind Minerva. This surely must be Jennifer Craw, but she was not what he had expected. Noticing Jennifer's eyes studying him, he suddenly remembered she was a Truth Seeker and quickly pulled himself together.
"Vice Chairman, this is Professor Jennifer Craw. Jennifer, this is Norman Balmweed, Vice Chairman of our Board of Magical Education, and a member of the First Order of Equinox," Minerva introduced, quickly stepping out of the way. So, he was a scholar of the old magics, Jennifer thought. Not quite as prestigious an order as Merlin, the order was still as old and was reputable.
"Ah, yes, my grandfather had been a member of your order, sir," Jennifer nodded calmly in greeting. "What can I do for you?"
"I am afraid I come to you to deliver this letter to you from the board," the Vice Chairman explained stiffly.
"Under deep protest of the current Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster," Dumbledore added.
"Yes, it's already noted, and I'm sorry, Headmaster, but we've already gone through all that," Balmweed said, handing her the letter. "It is a request from a majority of the members of the board for your resignation, Professor."
"What?" Severus snapped, charging forward from where he had been standing by the door. "That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard of! What grounds could you possibly find to try and railroad one of the best teachers in this school with?" he demanded, standing behind Jennifer trying to read the note.
"Excuse me, Professor, but this does not really concern you. I only asked to see Professor Craw," Balmweed said, trying to sound stern.
"I'll be damned if it doesn't. If it concerns her, it concerns me. Let me see that, Jennifer," Severus said, trying to get her to hand over the letter.
"Professor Dumbledore, please," Balmweed sighed.
"I must agree with Professor Snape, Vice Chairman, especially considering some of the charges it most certainly does concern him," Dumbledore said. "If I have to listen to him, so do you."
"Use of banned spells on school property," Jennifer began to read out loud. Guilty, she knew, but the times that she had used them were emergencies, and had been cleared of any charges. "Student endangerment?" she blinked, wondering if this didn't have to do with the cursed items. "Student bias," she felt her temperature start to rise. "Public perception and questionable reputation… indiscretion of personal relationships? I protest! This is ridiculous!" Jennifer said looking up hotly and letting Severus grab the note out of her hand. "We have gone completely out of our way to be discreet!"
"Sir, considering I spoke to both of them about this issue when it first presented itself, I must wholeheartedly agree with Jennifer," Minerva put in. "They have been nothing if not discreet, in fact no one was even aware they were involved until nearly a year after the fact, and only then so they could announce a formal engagement, which the entire staff supported their decision to do so. I do hope you're not basing this solely on that poltergeist incident, Mr. Balmweed, even a child knows they cause mischief just to amuse themselves."
"There were also several students who came forward and reported that they'd noticed Professor Craw going into Professor Snape's rooms after hours," Balmweed said sternly, looking at both of them this time.
"Considering that the students are forbidden to leave their dormitories at night, I'd wonder about the integrity of your sources if I were you," Severus snapped. "Furthermore, there are a lot of ongoing projects involving more than one professor that are done in sitting rooms after hours, such as tournament scheduling, newspaper work, joint test planning, and research, as I'm sure other professors in this school can attest to. As for what we do after that, it's no one else's business but our own." Jennifer rubbed her eyes a moment.
"I could not agree more," Dumbledore put in. "And may I add that not one student or parent has ever come to me having any concerns over the matter. I find it particularly odd that they would go to you before coming to me about it. Have you ever considered the students in question probably had some ulterior motives in mind?"
"Professor, even if the board had thrown this particular issue out, there still are all the others to consider. You cannot possibly think that the reputation of this school has gone undamaged from the reports of Professor Craw's questionable activities in the local paper. And the fact that the Ministry has waived a great deal of fines against Craw for misuse of magic this year does not mean those incidents still didn't exist. Especially the incidents blatantly revealing extreme magic ability in front of Muggles that reached the Muggle news, such as that incident in London, the incident with the boy, and the incident with the Plague dispel. I have yet to hear, considering the magnitude of the countercurse, why a cloak or veil of darkness had not been cast beforehand... or some warning at least that this would occur to the Ministry officers below. From what I understand, things were at least under control enough at that point that could have prevented the UFO and strange lights reports that were received the next day." Jennifer exchanged glances with Severus, who frowned slightly as he looked at her over the top of the letter. But as much as she knew he thought she should just not say anything, Jennifer knew she was already in too deep to dig herself out of, and she certainly wasn't going to lose her integrity along with it.
"To be perfectly honest, sir, there was a reason there was no warning, although, I'm sure it's not something anyone wants to hear," Jennifer admitted, glancing apologetically to Dumbledore, who nodded to her gently in support. "The reason there was no warning was because I didn't know that was going to happen myself. I had only just made up the spell a few minutes before I cast it." Balmweed's eyes when wide in astonishment and horror, glancing over at Dumbledore who was still regarding her but not looking a bit surprised. Jennifer no longer felt angry anymore, for even though a lot of the charges were unfounded, the few that were left were more than enough to give any board concern, and she well knew it.
"I knew what the risks were that I was taking, and I knew the consequences. I did it because it was what I had to do. I did so just like I cast a banned spell to save Ginny Weasley's life two years ago, and cast a banned spell to save myself and several others from Voldemort a year before, and cast on those fire hounds this year to keep them from destroying a town. So if it's a crime for me to do my job using what means I can to do so, then fine, I'm guilty.
"From the moment I first arrived here, I've gone out of my way to do what I had to do for this school, regardless of the consequences it had on myself. I even tried to give up my personal relationship at one point for it. For nearly three years, I've done everything in my power to keep everyone in this castle safe despite the risks and without regrets. And if my resignation is what happens to be best for Hogwarts, so be it." Jennifer tugged her sleeve and a wand fell into her hand, and she placed Ravenclaw's wand reverently in front of Dumbledore. "It's high time I returned this. Thank you sir for letting me borrow it, it was a great honor," Jennifer said, and turned to walk away.
"Jennifer, you can't possibly really mean to do this," Severus said standing in front of her, taking her by the shoulders. "Don't listen to that old windbag. They can't make you resign without a hearing, you know, they can only request it. We can fight it!"
"We have better things to do than fight among ourselves right now, Severus, we just can't afford it. Voldemort is still out there and the last thing we need is to start bickering," Jennifer said stubbornly, stepping away and turning back to Dumbledore. "Professor, if there is anything I can help you with or services I can offer in the future, you need but to ask, you can count on me to be there for you. I only ask that perhaps you'd consider Severus as my replacement because I think he'd be the best Defense teacher that Hogwarts has ever had, and that's my professional opinion," Jennifer said, before gazing coldly back at Balmweed. "If you'll excuse me, Vice Chairman, Professors, it seems I have some packing to do."
Jennifer quickly turned and walked out of the door, ignoring Severus protests as she walked out of the room and shut the door in his face. He angrily and helplessly turned back around. Minerva stood behind Dumbledore, looking into the distance at a loss for words. Dumbledore sat quietly behind his desk, the fire out of his eyes, gazing thoughtfully at Balmweed, who was busy wishing that the Chairman had been the one to come instead.
"Don't just sit there, Dumbledore, do something!" Severus snapped, glaring at Dumbledore. "Board or no board, she belongs here at the school. You can't let her give in to these fools that ignore real threats and take out imaginary ones on one of the few people actually trying to do something to stop it."
"Severus, this entire matter was hers to deal with; we all have to make our own decisions on how to handle certain things. I hold Jennifer in great respect, and that respect extends to the decisions she makes whether I agree with them in principle or not," Dumbledore said gently.
"So you're just going to let her go? Just like that? After everything she's done?" Severus asked, clenching his fists in anger. "Well, I'm not. And I'm appalled to witness a time when you and this school chose to turn your backs on one of your own," he snarled, bolting out the door and down the stairs. Dumbledore sighed softly and shook his head, glancing at Minerva.
Jennifer had already gotten to her room and was throwing a few things in her bag when Severus burst in looking more upset than Jennifer had known him to be in a long time.
"Just what do you think you're doing? You can't possibly leave now," Severus said, standing in front of her bureau so that she would look at him. "Can't you sense there's something wrong here? This is all a set up to get you out of the way and you're letting it happen, you must fight this!"
"I'm not going to argue with the board, Severus. Besides, they are right. I haven't exactly been the best Defense teacher in the world. In fact, I came in here with nothing more than a ton of book and spell knowledge and a bit of common sense. You had to teach me how to protect myself, remember? No, it's better this way, you're the one who really deserves the job, not me," Jennifer said.
"Well, I don't want it! Not this way," he said, studying her stoic face. "In fact, I am not sure I even want to stay with the school myself if they're capable of this idiocy."
"No, please," Jennifer said, stopping what she was doing and reaching for his arm. "Please stay," she said quietly but pleadingly. "As long as you're here, a part of me is still here, don't you see? I don't think I could bear both of us leaving. With you here, I'm sure there will come occasions when I can help out somehow. Besides, with me not teaching, we don't have to worry about going on a stupid schedule to have children now. I can stay home with the children and get a simple job unhexing items or something to pass the time."
"You wouldn't even agree to having children until you were reassured it wasn't going to affect your position at Hogwarts," Severus reminded her. "Don't you put on this brave act with me, Jennifer, I know better. Teaching means everything to you. Do not try to tell me otherwise!"
"No, Severus, you mean everything to me, never doubt that," Jennifer said, her eyes taking on a more sincere look. "I love teaching and I love this school, but really it's been the people here who have been what's important to me."
"At least stay until the end of the term and after the wedding. Perhaps somehow things will work out by then, or maybe we'll get lucky and someone will hang the editor of the Daily Prophet. You don't deserve this," he frowned.
"Well, I don't deserve you either, so it's a fair trade," Jennifer joked. "No, I don't think I could bear staying. But really, I want you to take the job, Severus, there should be some good out of all of this. Besides, this will give me plenty of time to get the Broom Closet furnished and the garden back to order before we get married."
"I know you're only putting on a front, Jennifer, and even if I didn't know it, the ring doesn't lie," Severus said, waving his fingers at her, reminding her of the Dragonheart diamond on his hand. "You hate this as much as I do, and don't think for one moment that I don't know it. Someone is trying to get rid of you, and if do I stay, the only reason why would be to find out who is behind it so we can expose them and get you reinstated. We've both worked too hard to get things the way they are for it to come crashing down now. You may be ready to give in, but I am not," he said, storming out of the room.
Jennifer sighed, throwing the rest of her clothes in a bag. Well, if he was going back up to Dumbledore, perhaps he could calm Severus down. She opened the window to let Ratfly out and took one last look around. Perhaps she shouldn't have, for the moment she did she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Brushing them away she headed out of the room, her room, taking a moment to touch the frame around Dewhurst a moment before shutting the door. It closed silently, now only looking like a large picture on the wall, showing no signs of anything else there. Perhaps that was like it would be for her as well, she thought, leaving with no signs of her ever being there. But deep down, she knew that at least was not true. At the very least, she still had the chocolate frogs card to prove that she had been here. Chuckling silently to herself, she took a deep breath, hoping to keep from being seen by going down the back stairs. How many times had she climbed them on the way down to her office, or to the Potion Lab below? Too many times to count, she thought. But now she only wished to get down them as quickly as she could so she didn't have time to think that this would be the last time she went down them.
It wasn't long after she stepped foot on the stairs that she encountered a problem. The stairs had quickly begun to spiral with every step downwards, and she found herself suddenly at the bottom of a different stair, gazing at the back of a gargoyle near an ornate Phoenix painting.
She glanced with a frown up the spiral stairs towards the double doors of the Headmaster's Study. What did he want? There was nothing else to talk about, what was done was done, she thought with frustration. The last thing she wanted was to see him right now, for she knew somehow she wouldn't be able to keep her emotions in check if she walked back in there. No, she needed to leave now if she were going to leave at all.
She hurriedly paced down the hall and back to the stairwell, racing down them two at a time. She nearly tripped when she hit the bottom. Recovering, she past painting again and sprinted down the hall as if trying to outrun the spell that called to her. But once again, the stairs curled, and she found herself looking at the painting, glaring at it in annoyance. Storming back over to the door in frustration, she suddenly stopped in surprise, for she no longer saw the railed hall that was normally outside the door. Instead, she saw the back stairs… exactly at the point she had left off of it. Fear suddenly gripped her, and she took a step back, leaning on the side of the door protectively.
So this is it, she thought. She knew if she continued, the spiral stair would not appear again. It had finally given up, and was allowing her to continue on her way out of the school forever. Jennifer stared at them, and then sat on the bottom step of the spiral steps, feeling numb. She knew the moment she walked out, there was no turning back, and she also knew at that point how badly she didn't wish to do that. What was she going to do now, she wondered, brushing the tears off her cheeks, and getting out her mirror. She couldn't bear leaving, but what would happen if she went up there and admitted it, after bravely attempting to keep the peace by going?
Feeling like a hypocrite, she opened her pocket mirror and gazed at it, unsurprised at the misery she saw lurking there. But underlying that, she thought she saw something else, although she wasn't sure she believed it. The woman staring back at her took on a determined look that said; you wouldn't feel like this if you didn't belong. Flipping it shut and jumping up, Jennifer quickly brushed off her face and ran up the spiral stairs, the double doors bursting open at the softest touch of her knuckles trying to knock upon them.
From behind his desk, Dumbledore looked up and smiled warmly at her, and Severus, who had been angrily pacing the floor stopped in his tracks to look at her in surprise.
"Ah, Jennifer, I am so glad to see you. I must say you had me worried there for a moment," Dumbledore said with such sincerity that Jennifer suddenly felt a wash of reassurance over her as if she had woken up from a bad dream.
"I think I had myself worried there for a moment too," Jennifer admitted quietly, taking a couple of steps into the room.
"Please sit down and make yourself comfortable. It's all right. Minerva has gone to escort the Vice Chairman out of our hair for now," Dumbledore said, smiling over at Severus. "There, you see? I told you there was nothing to worry about," he told him.
"Then why were you worried?" Severus asked curtly, coming to stand behind Jennifer's chair. Jennifer could tell that Severus was quite angry with Dumbledore, but Dumbledore seemed to take it in stride, ignoring the comment as he turned his attention to Jennifer.
"I suppose you must be wondering why I wanted to see you again before you left," Dumbledore continued calmly. "A few minutes ago, you asked me to let you know if there were anything you could do to assist me. Well, I do have a request in mind, that is, unless you already have solid plans about what you would like to do next?" he asked politely. Jennifer glanced up at Severus, who was too busy glaring suspiciously at Dumbledore to notice. Jennifer turned back to Dumbledore.
"Of course, Professor, I'll gladly do whatever I can to help, you know that," Jennifer said.
"Yes, I know that very well," Dumbledore smiled. "Perhaps I know better than nearly anyone just how trustworthy you are, although you might be surprised at the number of people who also know it. Including Chairman Dalance, a fellow Order of Merlin member of mine, who holds you in very high regard, as well as a couple of other board members, might I add. I say this because I want you to understand that this was by no means a unanimous vote, and although I myself disagree, I must say I believe you handled the situation with dignity and grace, and I entirely respect your decision."
"I still say it's time we vote for a new school board," Severus muttered.
"All in good time, Severus, right now we have other issues to attend to," Dumbledore reminded him, before turning his attention back to Jennifer. "Now, I want you to know that I plan to adopt several of the teaching concepts you have developed over the three years into the permanent agenda, your fear spell drills and 'out of the book' problem solving concepts have been quite effective, as well as the Gauntlet style testing for seventh year finals. It is definitely a more revealing way of testing just how well they learn defense than a paper test. I have every intention of having these ideas continued by someone who understands why they work and their importance, as well as add his own individual experience and style of teaching into mix. And I must admit I can think of no one who would be able to do that than Severus, and for a change, the board agrees with me. That is, if you want the job, Severus?" Jennifer looked back up at him and smiled at him encouragingly when she glanced at him.
"Very well, I accept, although it will perhaps be a hard act to follow," Severus nodded solemnly.
"Excellent. But that still leaves me with quite a number of positions to fill next year, especially with Hagrid leaving us, Irma retiring, and I will still need to find a History teacher as well. Of course, the board has granted me carte blanche to fill the positions as I see fit. History will not be too hard to fill; I have several in mind who might be interested already. However, now that Severus will be teaching Defense, finding another suitable Potions Master shall be a problem. Most with any skill in the physical arts don't go into teaching, as I'm sure you know. If it were easy to find an expert who could handle all the duties that falls under that title and still knew how to hold a class's attention I might have moved Severus years ago, despite the board's protests that he was a servant of Voldemort." Jennifer grinned in spite of herself. Well, that explained a lot. "However, I may actually be in luck this time, for I have just had word that one of the brightest Potion scholars from Whitebridge with a fantastic zeal for teaching and a glowing reference from her last employer just became available for the position." Jennifer suddenly sat up in surprise, staring at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes for confirmation to what he was thinking.
"But sir! What about the board?" Jennifer stammered, still not quite daring to believe that this ploy could work.
"Well, the board doesn't have to know who the incoming staff is until July, and I have a feeling that by then, if not much earlier, all of this nonsense in the paper will stop, your name will be cleared, and the board will be too busy eating their hats to notice," Dumbledore winked. "I've been in a similar position as what you are now in myself. Ask Severus if you don't believe me. But let me assure you, even if they haven't figured it out by then, I will do everything in my power to make sure you can stay here where you belong. That is, if you want the job?" Jennifer looked up at Severus questioningly, but he blinked at her in surprise.
"Don't look at me. It's your decision, and you'll have to put up with me either way. What do you want to do?" Severus asked her, his temper subdued.
"I want to stay," Jennifer said emphatically, turning back to Dumbledore with renewed hope. "I would be very honored to take that position, Professor."
"In that case, you had best unpack your things. I expect you to finish out your term as Defense; there's been too much doubling up teaching responsibilities around here as it is," Dumbledore said mischievously. "We still have a lot to do before the end of the year, finals to plan, an ingredient thief to find, and you still have to find time to finish those wedding invitations Minerva has been telling me aren't done yet. Goodness, are you going to make her do everything?" Jennifer blushed apologetically and got up, promising to get on them. "You both had better get some rest, we all have work to do."
"Professor, about what I was saying before she came in…" Severus began hesitantly. Dumbledore held up his hand.
"Forgotten already," Dumbledore assured him with an amused smile. Severus nodded to him then Jennifer glanced over to Severus looking between them thoughtfully as he escorted her to the door.
"What exactly did you say to him?" Jennifer asked as they headed down the stairs.
"Don't ask, don't look," Severus said in a low voice. Jennifer looked straight forward respectfully so that she couldn't see his face, but couldn't help but wonder just the same.
Harry looked between Ron and Hermione who were sitting across from him at lunch and not speaking to each other again. It was strange how they seemed to quibble over the littlest things, even when they agreed on the big things, a lot like Sirius and Anna, Harry thought, who finally broke down and admitted they liked each other after the wraith incident. But what Harry didn't approve of was the fact that this time he was apparently the reason they were fighting, and the last thing Harry wanted to do was get between them.
It was all on account of Ron winning the sparring tournament.
There had been no doubt from the start that Gryffindor would win the day, for six out of the seven year's final match had at least one Gryffindor in it. The fact that five of them had won was a cause for great celebration, for the amount of points awarded was enough to save the buried house from the worst point level in history and ten points ahead of Ravenclaw, who had been in third place. And that weekend, the last Quidditch game of the season and Gryffindor's last game, might even be enough to edge them towards second, and although they were in little danger of upsetting Slytherin's lead, it would at least save them the embarrassment of finishing last. With Draco out of the way in seventh year sparring, it wasn't surprising to most who came to watch that Harry and Ron would be up for the final match.
The question came as to how Ron won. He had fallen and began moaning in pain, enough to get Harry to step back and then lean down to make sure he was alright, but Ron had staged a ruse, knowing he'd do just that, and struck him with a spell before he could react. Down Harry went, and Ron jumped up triumphant as Snape declared him the winner, and Ron stood up smugly and waved before helping his friend to his feet. Several people had been unhappy with the result, and had even tried to turn to Craw, but she would hear none of it.
"You know quite well I'm not going to go against Snape's ruling," she told them, shaking her head. "They were in the middle of a contest, and Harry shouldn't have let his guard down. Knowing your opponent's weaknesses is a part of what sparring is all about. Maybe now you see why I say sometimes a friend can be a dangerous enemy."
Harry had taken it all in stride but Hermione did not, as well as a few other students that thought he got gypped out of the tournament. Perhaps it would have died down had Taylor and Dean not wrote a glowing article about the victories and Ron decided to help them and his ego by talking the whole story up. Hermione reacted by cutting the article into little more than a score tally, and the battle ensued.
"Come on, you two, don't you think this has gone on long enough?" Harry sighed. "Hermione, really, it's all right. Ron won fair and square. I'm not holding a grudge, you shouldn't either. It was a good match, and he got me by surprise."
"He tricked you into thinking he was hurt. There's nothing fair about that at all. I'm not about to encourage him to gloat to the world about it and show everyone just how much of a rotten sport he is," Hermione said.
"Oh, knock it off, Hermione. If you have such a rotten opinion of me, I guess I won't have much reason to come see you when school lets out." Harry and Ginny groaned and began to ignore them, covering their faces. They'd heard this conversation before.
"Are you two going to do this during the newspaper staff meeting today?" Dean asked, leaning over the table so they can see him. "Because if you are, I'm not going. I've got better things to do than hear you two go at it again."
"Blimey, would you all just grow up?" Corey called from even further down the table, in a voice so loud that a fair number of students from the tables beside them also looked up. "And they tell us we're wet behind the ears?" he said with exasperation, looking over at Doug, who was shaking his head towards the seventh year students disapprovingly.
"Look, this is the last issue of the paper this year," Hermione said looking at all of them seriously. "And until it's done, I'm still the editor. Ron, since you're not an unbiased party on the tournament article, you are not allowed to help Dean with it."
"I wasn't helping. I was just suggesting a little more flair, is all," Ron said indignantly.
"Not even suggestions! Now, Dean, you think you and Taylor can get together and finish that before tonight? And if Ron says one word to you before its done, you have my permission to clout him," Hermione said. Dean nodded, but looked dubious about the idea of 'clouting' Ron. "Ron, I want you to go to Quidditch practice with Harry and Ginny. Pummeler is going to announce if he's offering any contracts today, and I want us to write something up on it."
"Fine, but I'm only doing it so our last issue isn't a complete disaster," Ron said, pushing his plate aside. "I'm heading on out." Harry watched him walk out of the Great Hall before turning to Hermione again.
"You know, you really have been awfully hard on him lately," Harry told her. "Would it have hurt all that much to have congratulated him on his victory?"
"He tricked you into winning. Admit it Harry, you wouldn't have done that to him," Hermione said.
"No, but I'm not Ron. I don't expect him to be anyone else but himself, and you shouldn't either. You know, every time you get top honors, I never hear him tell you that you cheated to get it, and when Slytherin claimed you had gotten the editor position because of favoritism, he was quick to jump in and put them in their place. You may be the top student, Hermione, but you have a lot to learn about how to be supportive," Harry said as he got up, following Ginny out. Hermione sat there quietly for a moment, picking at her food with a sigh. Finally she reached down the table to get Dean's attention.
"Never mind, I'll do the article," she said. "You just work on Quidditch game highlights for tomorrow."
"Sure, whatever you say," Dean said, "I'll let Brittle know then." As the students began breaking from the table, Hermione went to the newsroom, hoping to get a jump on things before the last meeting.
Outside at the Quidditch Pitch, a crowd had begun to gather on the stands of differing houses, even though Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were done for the season. Ron climbed up a few rows and sat next to Justin as Harry and Ginny went to the field to practice.
"Is he here yet?" Ron asked.
"You mean Jasper? Not yet I don't think," Justin answered, trying to look calm. "He said he'd be here, though. Rumor has it he told McGonagall that he was thinking of hiring two positions from us, but I haven't heard which ones. Every person I've asked has said something different."
"Are you going to take it if you get it?" Ron asked him. Justin looked at him in surprise.
"Me? Why, you expect me to be offered one?" Justin asked.
"Oh, go on, Finch-Fletchley. Everyone knows you're the best Chaser we've had in two decades, you keep the Seekers watching the scoreboards any time you play. If I had money down, I'd put it on you and Harry as best odds," Ron said solemnly. Justin grinned nervously and looked at him.
"Well, I think you're right about Harry, at least," Justin said. "But as for me, would I take it? In a heartbeat," he admitted. "Sure beats the office job my father has in mind for me if I don't."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ron said. "Dad wants me to go in the Ministry."
"You mean you don't?" Justin chuckled.
"Not anymore, I have something else in mind," Ron admitted, looking out expectantly on the Quidditch Pitch. "Look, here he comes now. Maybe we ought to get down there." The two of them clambered off the stands and down to where everyone was gathering. The Gryffindor team hovered down on their brooms, Harry waving at the boys down below as Ron pushed his way to the front.
"Press, coming through! Excuse me, official newspaper business," Ron said, Justin right behind, both of them squirming up to the front where Jasper and Madame Hooch were standing.
"Goodness, news sure travels fast in this school, doesn't it?" Jasper chuckled, looking at the crowd. Madame Hooch smirked slightly at that but didn't say anything. As popular as Jasper was among the students, Jasper had inspired extreme dislike in the staff, even from those normally not of the character to dislike anyone. Even Flitwick had been stiffly polite to him the last game he came. Ron believed that the faculty was quietly glad that the Quidditch season was over just so they could be rid of him, and he was quite sure Jasper wouldn't be invited back again. "Well, I suppose I shan't keep you in suspense any longer, then. I must say it was a tough decision since there are so many fabulous Quidditch players in this school, but I finally decided on two extremely talented individuals to offer contracts to for team alternates. Once you've spent time as an alternate and you've toned up your skills, you will then, of course, be given a chance to play regular team, as I'm sure you all know. For the position of Chaser, I would like to offer a contract to Justin Finch-Fletchley." A roar went up in the crowd of congratulations and approvals, as Justin broke into a large grin. Ron scrambled for his camera and took a picture of him getting the contract and moving to stand by the recruiter's side. "And now, for the position of alternate Seeker…we don't give out many of these, so it's quite an honor to say the least," Jasper said. Ron sighed, glancing up at Harry along with the rest of the students. "Draco Malfoy!"
Ron's head suddenly whipped towards Jasper in total shock. Slytherin broke into a load ruckus as Draco sifted calmly out of the crowd with a triumphant smile on his face. The rest of the houses and Madame Hooch, who had been stone silent in surprise, suddenly picked up a slow applaud as Draco stepped up to shake his hand and receive the contract. Ron, burning with anger, nearly forgot to take the picture before taking a step back, looking at the other Gryffindors.
"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of! He hasn't caught but one Snitch all season!" Ron said to Seamus, who was shaking his head in disbelief.
"I had Harry pegged for sure. He's ten times the Seeker Malfoy is. What, is Jasper blind as a bat?" Seamus asked.
Harry, who had been hovering on a broom with the rest of the team landed next over to Ron, looking grim. Corey walked over to them, curious to hear what their opinions were about what just happened.
"You know I didn't want that contract, Ron, but do you think it'd sound unsportsmanlike for me to say this whole thing smells like rotten fish?" Harry asked, glaring over at Malfoy.
"I wonder how much money he had to pay for that contract anyhow? Probably more than it's worth," Seamus nodded.
"It'd be just like a Malfoy to bribe his way into whatever profession he wants," Ron growled. "He's done some low things in his day, but this has got to be one of the lowest." Corey looked thoughtfully at Malfoy a moment, then back at the others.
"You know, I have a hunch it wasn't coin he was trading for that contract," Corey remarked. "I have a hunch it was something even more valuable to the right people."
"Of course!" Harry realized. "Corey, you're brilliant. Don't you see, Ron? The potions Pettigrew was getting weren't directly from Malfoy. Pettigrew must have been getting them from Jasper somehow. Malfoy was making the potions for Jasper... that's why the components only disappeared on the weekends. Malfoy delivered the potions before the games, and that's why Malfoy kept doing it even after his denouncement of Voldemort. He wasn't doing it for his father at all. He was doing it to secure a Quidditch contract!" Harry concluded.
"Why, that rotten pig! I'm going to go have a few words with him," Ron said, handing his camera to Corey. "Here, watch this. I don't want it getting damaged." Corey took it gladly, watching with interest as Ron went back through the crowd.
"Knock him good for me too!" Corey said enthusiastically.
"Ron, wait a minute!" Harry called out to no avail. "We don't have any proof! I had better go after him," he told Seamus.
"I'd better go too," Seamus said. But Corey only waited long enough to see where they were going before running at full speed into the castle. Draco had just walked away from Jasper and had joined his friends when Ron caught up with him.
"He wants us to make an appointment with the team management within a couple of weeks. I'll have the family counselors look at the contract, but I'm sure it's all in order," Draco was telling them. "I can't wait to tell my personal trainers. They never thought I'd make it, but I always knew all that rubbish about Potter being the perfect Seeker would disappear the moment an unbiased eye took a look at us and saw who the real Quidditch talents are at this school. I mean, seriously... one spell fizzles on a baby, and all the sudden they expect him to grow up to become the greatest wizard of all time, rid the world of all evil, and still have time left over to be the best Seeker in history? What kind of stupidity is that?" Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to see Ron, staring at him expressionlessly.
"Mind if I have a word with you? I would like to write an article about the contracts in the newspaper," Ron said. Draco squinted at him suspiciously.
"Very well, ask away," Draco replied.
"Not here, it's too loud and we'll get interrupted," Ron said. "How about over near the Quidditch gate?"
"Fine. Crabbe, Longbottom, with me. Excuse me, everyone… press, you know," Draco said, walking with him over to the side of the Pitch. The gate that led inside the castle was slightly open, so Crabbe and Longbottom walked over, glancing inside to make sure no one was currently in the corridor before nodding to Draco. "All right, what would you like to ask? Where's your camera?"
"Well, first thing's first," Ron said, then he planted his fist in Malfoy's nose. Suddenly two other figures appeared behind Crabbe and Longbottom, twisting back their arms long enough to take their wands out of their hands. Malfoy pulled his, pointing it at Ron furiously.
"Go ahead, try and take a shot," Ron said watching him carefully as he took his own wand out. "You'll never land it. You were almost as bad at dueling as you were a Quidditch player. How did you pay Jasper off, Malfoy?" Ron asked. "It wasn't money this time, was it? I don't suppose you have any idea where those potions you gave to Jasper ended up, do you? Or did you suspect where they went, but you just didn't want to admit it?"
"You have the nerve to accuse me of bribery? Especially after the stunt you pulled to win the tournament? Do you know how much trouble you can get into for falsely accusing someone?" Malfoy asked. "You've gone too far this time, Weasley, and one way or another, I'm going to make sure you pay for it."
"Expelliarmus!" A booming voice called out from the gate. Both Ron's and Malfoy's wands went flying as the door burst open and Snape came out, Corey close behind. "Potter, Finnegan, let them go immediately! Mr. Willowby, I had better not hear one more click out of that camera, or I'm going to have words with you as well," Snape snapped, taking out a cloth and handing it to Malfoy for his nose, since it had started to bleed. "If you think just because the tournament is over it gives you the right to start altercations, you had better think again. Malfoy, didn't I warn you about what would happen if you got involved in something like this again?"
"I only pulled my wand to defend myself after he assaulted me! I haven't used it!" Draco protested. Snape looked expectantly at Ron.
"Professor Snape, Malfoy's been the student that's been stealing out of the lab and your office. He's been trading potions to Mr. Jasper so he could land a Quidditch contract," Ron said.
"You just don't want to admit I might actually have just more talent than your best friend, Weasley! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of! Besides, I've never stolen anything in my life, that's a concept for the poor. Not surprising you thought that up, is it, Weasley?" Malfoy sneered.
"Why you…"
Snape grabbed Ron by the cuff before he launched himself at Malfoy again.
"Need help?" Professor Craw asked as she hurried over from the gate, glancing at each of the faces in the group before looking over at Snape.
"It appears that Mr. Weasley has got it in his head that Draco is responsible for the missing ingredients in the office and the lab and has decided to take matters into his own hands," Snape explained, gazing critically at Ron.
"Here, Draco, let me see how bad that is," Craw said gently, taking the cloth way from Malfoy's nose. "Now, Draco, does Ron have any reason to be accusing you of such a thing?"
"None whatsoever! I did not steal anything," Draco said, emphasizing every word. Craw handed him back the cloth.
"Ron, do you have any proof that Draco took the ingredients?" Craw asked.
"No, Professor. But you're a Truth Seeker, surely you can see he's lying!" Ron replied, glaring at Malfoy.
"Draco, you had better go to the hospital wing, your nose has started to swell. Amadeus, Vincent, go with him…oh, and ten points each deducted for pulling your wands on another student," Craw said. Shooting one last warning glare at Ron, Malfoy and his friends headed inside through the gate. Snape let Ron go but told him to stay put, walking over to Craw, looking expectantly at her.
"Draco didn't steal any of the ingredients himself. He got everyone else to do it for him," Jennifer whispered, "and not just his best mates either. Even if there was a way to prove it without a confession, he's had several different students pilfer for him, including Corey and a few other first years, and if one of them stood up and accused him, it'd be their word against his."
"How conveniently Malfoy of him. Never mind, we have bigger fish to fry. I think it's time we had a talk with our dear friend Mars Jasper," Snape suggested. He turned to the three Gryffindors standing there. "Meet me at my office in ten minutes, Weasley, and you had better be there waiting. Potter, Finnegan, don't you have something better to do than sticking your nose into things that don't concern you?" Harry and Seamus glanced over at Ron with sympathetic looks before walking back to towards the rest of the Quidditch team.
They found Jasper standing at the Hogwarts gate speaking with Rolanda Hooch, who was nodding numbly as he chatted on about life traveling with a professional Quidditch team. He then spotted Severus and began making quick excuses for having to leave but Severus and Jennifer caught up with him.
"Mr. Jasper, if you have a moment, I have a question or two to ask you," Jennifer said. Rolanda watched curiously as Severus got between Jasper and the gate, his eyes flashing dangerously. "There has been some loose talk among the students that they thought you might have been accepting bribes in return for one of the Quidditch contracts given out today. There isn't any truth in that, is there?"
"Bribes? Ridiculous! I haven't taken one knut from these students! If you don't believe me, you can always check my bank records. You'll find there's nothing out of the ordinary there!" Jasper said defensively, looking a tad nervous.
"Well, apparently you had been getting paid in potions instead, specific potions, in fact, some of them with very hard to come by ingredients that would be easily traced if they were bought from an alchemist, but perhaps more easily missed in a place that deals in such ingredients every day," Jennifer continued, her voice hard and accusing as she studied him with a fixed stare.
"Let's just cut to the chase, shall we?" Severus cut in suddenly from behind him, making Jasper take a step to the side to look at him. "Just how long have you been working for Voldemort, Jasper?"
"V…Voldemort!" Jasper said in surprise, "What does You-know-who have to do with anything? I might have had a student run an errand or two for me, Professor, but I am no Death Eater, if that's what you're implying! I'm just a Quidditch scout! I'm not a traitor!" Jennifer looked at him thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side slightly as she studying his face.
"You were getting the potions as a favor to help pay off a gambling debt?" Jennifer asked, looking slightly puzzled.
"I… I never said I took any potions. And I don't have any on me, either. You can check my hotel room if you don't believe me…"
"We know where the potions finally ended up, Jasper, we just want to know how they got there," Severus snapped. "Who exactly is it that you owe that you're willing to risk your job to pay off?"
"I refuse to answer! This isn't an inquiry, and you're definitely no arbitrators!" he said.
"You're not going to believe this, Severus, because I'm not sure I do," Jennifer said, breaking her gaze. "But apparently he was handing them over to Ludo Bagman." Severus and Rolanda stared at Jennifer.
"You know I never really liked you, Jasper, but now that all of this has happened, I think it's safe to say that I really don't like you," Rolanda informed him.
"Hate, I think is the word," Severus said, taking him by the collar and walking him out the gate, tossing him on the turf outside. "I wouldn't be too surprised if you are brought up for an inquiry after this. Once we report this to Dumbledore, one thing is certain; you will never be allowed on this property again."
"Rolanda, lock him out, please?" Jennifer suggested.
"Gladly," Rolanda said, taking out her wand and waving it at the gate. The open area between the gate glowed a moment before returning to its invisible state. "So what's going to happen to Malfoy?"
"Depends if we can get him to trip up and say something we can nab him on," Jennifer said as they walked away from the gate.
"He won't trip up. He's a Malfoy. Look what it took to get his father in jail," Severus muttered.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't feel right about Draco getting in trouble for this anyhow if he was just doing it in hopes of getting that Quidditch contract," Rolanda admitted.
"Rolanda? How can you say such a thing?" Jennifer asked with surprise.
"Because of the fact that the staff was just as guilty as he was," Rolanda said. "Neither of you like Jasper, I don't like him, McGonagall hates him, and none of us trusted him, but we all gritted our teeth and tolerated him on the property even when he was being an ass because we wanted to make sure Finch-Fletchley got the shot he deserved. At least Malfoy didn't betray himself to get what he wanted," she added with a snort.
Jennifer looked over at her thoughtfully, unable to think of an answer. Well, at least Jasper was finally gone and the matter would soon be out of their hands. All that was left was to decide Ron's punishment, and Severus was going to handle that.