Chapter Nineteen

Out of Sorts

"What do you mean you don't get dressed up for Halloween?" Jeremy asked. "I could have sworn that Professor Black said we were going to. Besides, I was hoping to go as a government conspirator this year. I even made a tin foil hat and everything."

"Please don't say the word, 'hat,'" Quintin explained grumpily.

"Are you still mad at that Hat? Hey, that's kind of funny when you think about it. It's like the mad hatter," Jeremy said.

"Yes, well, we don't usually use the word 'mad' to mean 'angry' like you do," Quintin informed him, stabbing at his eggs.

"Yeah, I know. I can't help it," Jeremy said. "It's not like there aren't some things that you do that I don't get either. Like eating beans with eggs... now that is weird... just not as weird as having a fight with a Hat. What are you fighting about again?"

"Nothing I can talk about. It's just that he was keeping things from me, and I don't like it when people keep things from me," Quintin said.

"I don't keep things from you," Jeremy offered.

"Yes, I know. Thanks," Quintin said.

"Did you want to practice Quidditch today?" he asked. "After all, it is a weekend, and our first game is next month, you know."

"Yes, I should easily have time to practice," Quintin said. "Besides, I finished my research on O'Laren and I promised my father I wouldn't get started on Dusthorn until after Halloween."

"It's a shame Halloween is on a Monday this year. I would have liked to go home," Jeremy complained.

"There's still Thanksgiving," Quintin reminded him, then looked up when he saw that Professor Weasley was walking up in front of the professor's table.

"Good morning, everyone! I'm so glad to see so many here," Professor Weasley said. "As you may have already heard, the Spectral Ball is going to be a ticketed event to help raise funds for the new house. Students will still be allowed in free, of course, but since we're going to be charging this year, there will be some upgrades to this year's activities. In fact, it's going to be a mask-free fancy dress," she explained, hearing enthusiasm from around the room. "Everyone who is planning on going, please meet in your house rooms so that we might transfigure some costumes for the evening. If you miss it for some reason, don't worry; we'll also have people at the door in case you're not dressed yet. Pass the news along! A note will be on the board about it later this afternoon," she informed them. The students started chatting excitedly.

"So I guess that means we have to wear our dress robes for this thing?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"No," Quintin chuckled at him. "Fancy dress means like you were talking about earlier. A costume party."

"Oh! Then that mask-free thing makes more sense," Jeremy said. "It's because your mother's doing security, right?"

"Probably," Quintin agreed. "Although really, Truth Seekers can see through disguises for the most part, but it's still hard to tell what someone's up to if you can't see their face."

"Really? Can you see through disguises?" Jeremy asked.

"No, not yet. I haven't had enough training yet," Quintin said. "Rus can, though."

"What can I do?" the two of them looked up to see that Rus had walked over to their table.

"See through disguises," Quintin explained.

"Oh, that. Sometimes. I can tell if an animal is an animal or an Animagus all of the time, though. Don't worry, you'll get there soon too," Rus told Quintin, who smiled at that. "Anyway, can you both come to the Owl Room for lunch? We're going to run a booth at the Spectral Ball and we need last minute ideas and volunteers."

"I have a date," Quintin declared.

"Me too!" Jeremy said. Quintin and Rus squinted at him. "Or at least, I will have before Halloween!"

"Fine, I'll cut you a break, but you still have to show up to help set up the booth, so come to the meeting at lunch," Rus said.

"Yeah, sure," Jeremy said, and Rus walked off.

"We'd better go Quidditch practice while we can," Quintin suggested. Jeremy immediately agreed, and the two of them went outside.

Jennifer watched practice for a while, checking in with Laura on the Pitch before wandering back inside and going upstairs for lunch. Severus was working alone in his office but the nursery door was slightly open, and she noticed that the Hat was gone.

"Is Sir Hat having a play date today?" Jennifer inquired with a smile.

"I thought Serendipity could keep him preoccupied. He's been driving me absolutely mad lately," Severus complained. "Every time I get settled, the damned thing will 'humph' for no reason. At first, I thought it was anomaly, but then he kept doing it at random times and I couldn't get a thing done until I gave him to Seren. Exactly what did you do to that silly Hat that last research session that got him so out of sorts? No pun intended," he added when he saw her amusement.

"I'll talk to him, Severus. I'll bring Seren in for lunch in ten minutes so that you can finish up," Jennifer promised, then stepped into the nursery.

She paused and leaned against the door with a smile, glad they hadn't noticed her right away. Seren had made full use of the wooden table by the window, bringing out every toy plate and saucer she could find and lining up her stuffies with Duckie taking the seat of honor by her side. Across from her sat the Sorting Hat, prattling on about the tea and cakes and making up reasons to explain away some of the absurd ingredients she was using, such as why there was a rubber frog in his cup. Jennifer smiled even wider then, for even though she had seen them play like this dozens of times before, she saw it in a new light and with new understanding. In fact, she decided to cut back through to fetch her camera, making Severus peer at her curiously as she did so. She closed the door behind herself and Severus shrugged, attempting to finish up.

Inside, the camera flash went off and the Sorting Hat peered at Jennifer quizzically.

"Is there room for one more?" Jennifer asked as Seren looked around. Excitedly, she dumped her stuffed hippogriff on the floor to make room, and Jennifer took a moment to put the hippogriff back on its shelf before sitting down. "My, what an unusual tea you have there, Sir Hat," Jennifer said with a warm smile.

"She was out of lemon," Sir Hat explained.

"You're so good with children," Jennifer said appreciatively, accepting the cup before too much of the water spilled out.

"Thank you, I'd like to think so. They grow up too fast," Sir Hat said.

"Was that a general statement, or is that the reason why you've been grumpy?" Jennifer inquired.

"He still refuses to talk to me. He says I lied to him and he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore," Sir Hat said.

"There's no reason to worry, Sir Hat. I'm sure it's just a mood because he was so surprised. I'll talk to him for you if you like. He always goes to the library for a couple of hours after Tennis Club to study," Jennifer promised.

"I want to play with Hat," Seren said, a little afraid her mother was going to take him away again.

"I did say I'd play with her all day," Sir Hat informed Jennifer.

"Yes, alright. As far as I'm concerned, it's up to you, but do let me know if you get tired of playing with her or you need a break and want to be rescued," Jennifer replied.

"And do what? Sit on the shelf and watch Severus do paperwork and eat too much licorice?" Sir Hat asked. "It isn't like I'm missing anything important."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Jennifer inquired.

"Because any time there's a true crisis in this castle, Seren is whisked off to a relative, and I'm set back down on the shelf where I can watch and pay attention anyway," Sir Hat pointed out.

"Fair enough," Jennifer chuckled. "But don't be concerned when Seren goes to my father's house on Halloween, he's hosting a children's party for the family to get them out of the castle during the Spectral Ball."

"I don't suppose there's any chance of my ever going to the Spectral Ball? Or are Hats not allowed?" Sir Hat asked. "I hear it's Fancy Dress; surely I could get a costume as well."

"You are really going to make Severus incredibly suspicious," Jennifer warned him.

"It was just a thought. It's been years since I've gone to a real ball. The closest thing I've ever gotten was during the occasions where Quintin had a ball when we were playing Dutiful Princes. I just thought it'd be nice to throw my hat into the ring," Sir Hat said.

"Why is it that I feel like I'm going to be inundated with hat puns for the rest of the year?" Jennifer said with exasperation. "I'll think about it, Sir Hat. Come, Seren, we should go have lunch. Don't worry, you can play with Sir Hat when we're done eating. We'll be right back, Sir Hat."

"I'll just make sure Duckie doesn't go anywhere," the Hat said.

"Stay, Duckie!" Seren said, pointing at the plushie before they went to lunch.

It took several hours before Severus successfully managed to get Duckie unstuck from the chair.


It was easy to tell where Quintin was sitting, because many of his classmates were huddled around him, including some of the girls with the pipe dream that Quintin was going to change his mind and take a living date to the Spectral Ball instead of a ghost. He had told them many times that he wasn't going to disappoint his friend, but they persisted, despite his attempt at making up for it by promising to take turns studying with them. So, it was a great relief when his mother came over, inviting him to study in the Research Library for a while. Jennifer glanced around to make sure the room was empty before closing the door and walking him over to the table.

"I know you want to get along with all of your friends," Jennifer began, knowing that Quintin had already picked up part of what she had been thinking. "But there is such a thing as being too accommodating, and I worry that you're going to fall into that pattern just to avoid conflicts."

"The world has enough conflict without me adding to it, Mum. I just don't want to hurt their feelings," Quintin explained.

"Yes, but sometimes it can't be helped, no matter how hard you try," Jennifer replied, sitting down at the table. "I can tell you that Sir Hat's feelings are very much hurt at the moment."

"Sir Hat?" Quintin repeated without enthusiasm. "You're really calling him by his game name?"

"I'm doing it to keep myself from tripping up, to be perfectly honest. It's a name that suits him even knowing the truth, so I'm not tempted to call him something else," Jennifer explained softly. Quintin sighed. "He really is upset that you didn't take it well."

"Mum, he lied to me. He was my closest childhood friend, and he didn't tell me anything!" Quintin said.

"Lying and not telling you everything are two different things, Quintin," Jennifer replied.

"Not to me," Quintin said stubbornly. Jennifer smiled softly.

"I know. I once felt the same way myself," Jennifer admitted. "And I understand you feeling hurt by it, but he never meant to hurt you. Sometimes you hurt someone's feelings even if you don't mean to. But Sir Hat has very important reasons to keep his secret hidden, and I'm certain he was just waiting for a time when you were old enough to understand that. He knew that your plan to break from tradition and start a new house would garner some attention, and as it was, Aurelius and your Aunt Anna had already figured it out. I'm sure he always wanted you to learn the truth someday, but when you have a secret, timing can be very important. It's also not easy to keep a secret from someone you care about, but that doesn't mean we love them any less. In fact, sometimes we keep secrets from those we care about because we love them."

"Do you keep secrets from Father?" Quintin asked, squinting.

"Yes, I am keeping Sir Hat a secret from your father," Jennifer confirmed.

"Why?" Quintin asked.

"Because it would affect your father's ability to do his job if he knew the truth, and to protect him if things go wrong and Sir Hat's plans are exposed. I don't want him caught up in the middle of it. It would harm not only your father, but it might harm the school as well," Jennifer explained. "Surely your aunt and brother have already explained that to you."

"Yes, but it's still alarming that you keep secrets from Father. Does he keep secrets from you too?" Quintin asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm quite sure he does," Jennifer said with amusement. "After all, he can't exactly hide the fact he has secrets from me, because he has to cloud his thoughts over. Sometimes he'll even turn around if I catch him completely off his guard."

"If I ever get married, I plan to tell my wife everything," Quintin decided. Jennifer smiled softly.

"I understand. I'd love it if I could tell Severus everything too, and I'm sure he feels exactly the same way," Jennifer said. "But there are different kinds of secrets, Quintin. Some are there to protect people, like sort of secret that your brother Aurelius keeps, and the sort your father and I keep. But some secrets are very toxic; damaging, or destructive... and those sorts of secrets I would never keep from your father... well, not anymore," she added ruefully. "We all make mistakes when it comes to keeping secrets that we shouldn't."

"How do you tell the difference?" Quintin asked.

"Well... there are times when it is hard to tell the difference, and even times we tell ourselves we're keeping a secret to protect people when we're really not. But most of the time... the vast majority of the time... a part of you will know if it's wrong to keep it, and you might even realize it from the start. If you feel uncomfortable, guilty, or constantly wonder if it's wrong, it probably is," Jennifer said. "But while there are more bad secrets than good secrets, there are good secrets. And your father and I trust one another enough to know that any secrets I have are there to protect him and any secrets he has are there to protect me. And eventually, the time will come when we don't have to keep a secret and we'll tell the other. When we do, there's usually very little doubt at all why that secret was kept in the first place. Maybe you can apply that to your own situation," Jennifer suggested with a smile.

The next morning, Quintin shuffled into his father's office ten minutes and thirty seconds before breakfast.

"Good morning. I see you're early again," Severus said thoughtfully. "Did you need to discuss something before I woke your sister up?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow the Sorting Hat before breakfast," Quintin admitted.

"Oh. Well, I doubt you'll manage to get in much trouble in the little time we have left before breakfast. Then again, with you, I never know," Severus said distractedly, putting the finishing touches on an upcoming test.

Shrugging it off, Quintin pulled the Hat off the shelf and went back to his room, shutting the door and putting it on his head.

I thought you said you weren't ever going to speak to me again.

"Well, I'm still upset that you kept it from me for so long," Quintin replied. "Because I thought we were better friends than that. I thought we knew everything about each other. But I really don't like fighting with my friends, so how about we just promise not to keep secrets after this? You aren't hiding anything else, are you?"

Well, there is a lot I haven't told you, but it isn't because I'm keeping secrets so much that I know a great many things and they simply haven't come up yet. My goal right now is to help you with your research for a house name, so you can find out things out for yourself.

"I see. Well, I guess that's good enough, as long as you don't keep things from me any more," Quintin said.

You do have to keep my identity a secret from Jeremy and your other friends, though. You promised your brother, the Hat reminded him. How do you feel about that?

"I don't know how I feel about it. I don't like it, but I don't break promises either," Quintin admitted. "So are we friends again?"

We have always been friends, the Hat assured him, and Quintin walked back over to the study. His mother had gotten up and was sitting in her favorite chair with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Ah, there you are! Together again!" Jennifer said with a warm smile.

"Yes, we made up," Quintin said.

"Is that why that silly Hat was constantly harrumphing yesterday?" Severus said with exasperation. "I should have had this test completely finished by now."

"We're sorry, Father," Quintin said sincerely, putting the Sorting Hat on the shelf.

"I just had a fun thought," Jennifer said. She was wearing an enigmatic smile that made Severus wonder if she actually 'just had' the thought or if she was simply waiting for an opportunity. "Why don't you use the Sorting Hat as part of your costume? You can go as the Mad Hatter or something," she said wickedly.

"That's what Jeremy thought I ought to go as," Quintin said.

"Do you really think for a moment that I'd let that Hat go down there into a room full of people?" Severus asked critically.

"I go into a room full of people every year," the Sorting Hat said.

"You know perfectly well what I meant. Jennifer, it's a priceless artifact that can't be replaced," Severus said.

"Thank you," said the Hat.

"I understand why you have reservations about this, Severus, but I simply can't ignore the fact that the Sorting Hat would be stuck in this room with nothing to do and without even a baby to entertain him, while we go downstairs dancing. It isn't fair, and I feel bad for him," Jennifer argued. Severus stared at her. "After all, Severus, the Spectral Ball allows for ghosts and paintings to attend, and you yourself have admitted that the Sorting Hat has at least the sentience of a painting, so he's being unfairly excluded simply because he's a Hat. Well, we don't believe excluding people in this school, so he's allowed to go if he likes. No more nonsense! The Sorting Hat may go."

"Thank you, Jennifer," the Sorting Hat said, ignoring the fact that the Headmaster was drumming his fingers and staring fixedly at his defiant wife.

"Mr. Snape," the Headmaster said, looking over at Quintin. "You will surrender the Sorting Hat to me before the obligatory Pie Fight so that I may stow him out of harm's way."

"Yes, Professor," Quintin added solemnly.

"And Professor Craw... you owe me," Snape added sternly.

"Yes, Professor," Jennifer said with a beguiling smile, and then went to get Seren up for breakfast.