Chapter Thirteen
Genevieve remained sequestered in her room for the remainder of the break. Harry and Sirius tracked down Dobby in the kitchens hoping the elf could tell them if she was alright.
"Mrs. Carrington has been reading the scroll and helping her friend. She is a good friend to the sad vampire." Dobby refused to say more, and Rebecca was even more tightly lipped about the goings on in their room.
All considered, Harry was glad when vacation was over and classes resumed. Although it took nearly five hours to get his friends caught up to speed regarding the holidays events.
"So, do you think we're still giving our presentations today?" Ron asked.
"Probably, if not to Genevieve than may one of the other teachers." Harry answered.
"I hope it's not Snape." Ron shuddered to think, remembering the last time Snape had substituted defense against the dark arts and tried to fail everyone in the class.
Genevieve was there at the appointed hour, though she was quite distracted pouring over her own notes and translations from the scroll. But presentations went on as planned. Much to everyone's surprise Draco Malfoy volunteered to be first.
"To be honest, I've had to completely rewrite my speech since the holiday. I chose "Importance of family to survival" as my topic. I used to think that Family only consisted of pedigree charts and power. That to honor ones family was important above all other things. That no matter what my family was right and by following them I would survive. But that is not the case.
"I can no longer precisely define what a family is, or how it is supposed to work. They seem to be based more on love and togetherness than blood lines. Devotion as well as a sense of self-sacrifice seems to be the foundation on which the concept is built. That everyone is willing to maintain the family's well being while the family supports the individual efforts. It is important to survival because of the strengthening properties of groups. Mostly a family just cares what happens to its members."
Draco's speech was heart felt if not eloquent, met with a round of applause from his classmates. His ordeal over the holiday had touched him in a deep way, causing him to climb out of the darkness he had accepted and take a few blinking steps toward light. Still, he was unsure of what he was looking at and felt extremely vulnerable for the first time in his life.
Hermione had been right; Ron's topic did prove difficult as most books on the subject of magical places held conflicting views. So, he had compiled his own list. He surprised everyone by including the Burrow near the top of the list, but his reasoning was sound.
"The Burrow is one of the most magical places on earth for me. In our humble home I have found the strength to face each day and the lessons and encouragement, not to mention the people that make life worth living. From it and the heritage it represents I draw from deep wells of power that fuels my magic."
Ginny, after refuting several references that argued a wizard's true place was in positions of power concluded that it was actually anywhere there were people who cared for them.
Neville and Crystal combined their presentation since their topics were so similar. After a quick object lesson in which they sped up the growth of a seed they likened the natural process to learning and retaining magic. Should the ground or the person be unreceptive the seed would not grow. If neglected or unpracticed the plant grows wild or dies, as would magic. Even once the seed has matured if it is cut off from its source of nutrients it too will die. They ended with a spectacular show, in which their seed withered, rotted and disintegrated in a matter of minutes. When they finished and Genevieve awarded them full credit Neville got so excited he kissed Crystal on the cheek. Both of them blushed before returning to their seats, still holding hands.
Roger the Ravenclaw was next and true to the reputation of his house, he had a very well thought out presentation. Having chosen his own topic titled "The Law of Opposition" he explained that everything in the world has an opposite. Roger sited books of both magical and muggle origin, concentrating greatly on Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion. "Every action has and equal and opposite reaction." He drew diagrams on the chalk board explaining inertia, friction and forces that play their roles in motion. He spent that later part reciting notable opposites in the world. He listed black and white, male and female, good and evil, and magical objects that have opposites. A lighter and a puter outer. The mirror of Erised and a mirror of Daerd (Desire and Dread). It was his next statement that caught Genevieve's attention.
"The world maintains a delicate balance through careful utilization of opposites. In potions and other magical sciences opposites can be used to cancel each other out, creating antidotes for poisonous potions or rendering cursed objects inert." Genevieve knocked her chair to the floor she stood up so fast, then papers scattered around the room as she jumped over her desk to stand in front of Roger.
"Say that again."
"What?"
"Your last line, say it again."
"In potions and other magical sciences opposites can be used to cancel each other out, creating antidotes for poisons or rendering cursed objects inert." Roger repeated nervously. Genevieve was so happy she kissed Roger on the top of his head.
"Mr. Raven, you are a genius. Fifty points to Ravenclaw for, oh I don't know.brilliance." Every student stared at her confused. Genevieve had never awarded or taken house points before, and though her behavior was usually more casual than the other professors, kissing a student was bizarre even for her. She summoned the scattered papers into her bag with a wave of a hand and scribbled a note she placed on Hermione's desk.
"Interested in some extra credit Miss. Granger?" Hermione nodded. "Gather everything you can find on this subject in two days." She tapped the paper and then grabbed her broom leaning on the back wall. As she opened the window Draco stood up.
"Aren't you going to give the rest of us a chance for extra credit? It's only fair."
"Life isn't fair, nor would you want it to be." She paused for a moment and then gave in. "Alright. House elves have more magic in their little finger than an average wizard could get out of a wand. Find out why." She twirled her broom like a baton once, caught and mounted it in one fluid motion, then was out the window in a flash, leaving behind nine bewildered students.
*********************
"Did she say where she was going?" Sirius asked Harry when the trio had explained Genevieve's odd behavior.
"No, like I said she just kissed Roger, gave extra credit assignments and flew out the window" replied Harry. "I'm not sure I've ever seen a Ravenclaw completely lose the ability to reason. Roger left the classroom in a daze babbling about it."
"But she reacted to a phrase about opposites canceling each other out. What was the extra credit?"
"Why house elves are so powerful." Ron paraphrased.
"Except for me." Hermione offered. "She gave me a research assignment about" she dug through her bag for the parchment Genevieve had given her, "segregare a' victorium. She wrote it on a pass to the restricted section which makes me a little nervous."
"You'd better do as she asks. I'll tell Dumbledore and we'll see if we can get her back here before she tries to take on You-Know-Who all by herself. We'll gather all the teachers tomorrow night to hear what you've found out so far."
*********************
"Sorry Elden, but I can only stay the night." Genevieve sat in her own living room with her elderly friend sipping hot chocolate.
"I wish there was something more I could do to help." Elden offered.
"At the moment, knowing that all my friends here are in your capable hands is all I need." She smiled and turned her attention toward the swirls of foam and marshmallows floating in the dark liquid. "I just needed a few of my things and will be off tomorrow. Didn't want to risk a portkey again and that long in bird form really gets to me." She jerked her head to each side, cracking her neck, before focusing again on the chocolate.
"How is she?" Elden ventured.
"Veronica? I never thought it was possible for her to have a broken heart. She's coming home soon, it's just too painful for her to be there, running into that." Genevieve got angry just thinking about Snape, caught herself and calmed down. "He's not worth demeaning myself by swearing. Sure she probably should have told him about being a vampire, but he swore they were so in 'love' nothing could come between them, she thought it wouldn't matter. I don't want to get caught up in it anymore" Genevieve sighed, "there are other issues I need to think about now."
"How bad is it over there?" asked Elden.
"The Death Eaters aren't quite beating down the door, but almost."
"I got a letter from Rebecca yesterday. She told me what you did at the camp."
"And?" Genevieve asked, waiting for her mentors concerns.
"A little unorthodox," he smiled at her. "It took a lot of guts and I'm proud of you."
"You know just what to say to make me feel better Elden."
"Of course, that's what I do best." Elden said with a wink. "Let me know if you need anything before I go to bed." He walked across the room to the hall.
"Will do. Oh, Elden."
"Yes Vieve?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, my old friend." He smiled before retiring to his room leaving Genevieve alone with her chocolate and her thoughts.
Startled by a tap on the window, she scurried to open it. A large owl hopped in exhausted but presented its bundle before collapsing.
"I know how you feel." She told the bird, gently stroking it while breaking the Hogwarts seal on the letter it delivered. After reading though its contents with a deep sigh she collected her things to leave.
"Elden, I have to go back." Genevieve called through his bedroom door. Elden opened it wearing sky blue pajamas and matching nightcap.
"What right now?" By way of explanation she held up the letter so he could see the Hogwarts seal.
"A bit sooner than I would have wished, but I still have one more stop before returning to England."
************************
"Segregare a' victorium, Victory from Division or roughly translated divide and conquer is based on the fact that the body is made of more parts than just flesh and bone. In addition to a spirit there is a 'life essence' where the potential for longevity is stored. It acts like a timer, dictating how much time a person lives, barring an unnatural or premature death. You-Know-Who, probably tampered with his life essence in an effort achieve his seeming immortality. What I have found, is that there exists an extremely complicated spell and potion combination that can separate the body and spirit from the life essence then ensnare the later. The result is permanent and irrefutable death.
"I read that this is preferable to just an entrapment charms because those can be wielded by others to gain power, while whatever object used in this is perfectly harmless when handled. The greatest drawback is that it requires a willing sacrifice of someone with a similar or longer expected life span as the person being killed to counteract the evil. It has been used four times successfully in history but it takes a lot of planning and time to prepare."
Hermione got down from the make shift podium of stacked books that had been erected in a library study room. The assembly, consisting of those faculty and students trusted by Dumbledore, shifted in their seats realizing this was the closest they had to a workable plan for the destruction of Voldemort. But the dire consequences and demands on those carrying out the arrangement would be more than difficult.
Dumbledore wiped his half moon glasses on his robe before he stepped behind the podium to continue the briefing after Hermione's lecture.
"Sirius has sent for Genevieve to come back as soon as possible. In the mean time, we need to find a way to lure Voldemort to a specific place where Segregare a' victorium can be performed. I'm open to any suggestions.
Dumbledore continued when no-one was forthcoming. "We have most of the ingredients, baring a few rare liquids. Fortunately we have the instructions in their entirety as well as the best resources and people anywhere. Voldemort's actions so far seem despite, vengeful, and not entirely well planned. He's already lost his patience once at Christmas, attempting an impromptu attack on the castle, which was thwarted only because we were fortunate enough to have someone there at the right time and place. Perhaps we can force his hand to do it again, this time on our terms. I have full confidence that with proper organization and foresight, we will be victorious."
Dumbledore stepped down and opened the forum to anyone with an idea. They bantered back and forth for hours until flecks of thoughts came together to create a plausible approach.
***************************
Sirius had set up a network of charms to detect when a boggart was approaching the castle, so to be ready when Genevieve came. Nine o'clock Saturday night his preparation was rewarded when the arm band he was wearing gently vibrated. A quick scan of the night sky pinpointed her location as the largest white bird he'd ever seen glided toward the front doors, where he was waiting.
"You kissed a student!" Sirius accused Genevieve when she lumbered into the entrance hall.
"Hello, nice to see you too," said Genevieve sarcastically. "I was just overly excited. No harm done." She explained.
"No harm done. You've got a seventh year Ravenclaw with a serious crush on your hands. You don't see Professor McGonagall handing out kisses to her students who do well."
"If she were, they would line up to fail her course." Genevieve shot back.
Sirius stopped his inquisition to laugh at the mental image that conjured.
"So, did you get the owl Dumbledore and I sent while you were on your last tryst."
"Tryst, indeed. You make it sound like I was doing something less than appropriate."
"Well, you kiss a student and fly out the window. It doesn't give me too many clues to go on, so my imagination has to take over."
"Sirius Black, I am shocked." Though she really wasn't.
"Sure, but you changed the subject. Did you get the letter?"
"I'm here aren't I?"
"Good, because this plan is great."
"I can't wait to hear the details of this 'great plan', but alas I'll have to. I'm beat and going to bed" her monotone voice revealed just how tired she was.
"You can't leave now; I'm just getting to the good part." Sirius whined playfully.
"I just flew as an albatross half way around the globe. The only reason I'm not asleep already is those bloody birds can sleep while they fly. My arms hurt, I'm tired, and nothing you say can come between me and my armoire." As she pushed past him he held up a roll of parchment for her to see. She stopped dead, staring at the diagrams and words moving around the page. As it finished Genevieve put her hands up and vehemently protested. Deep breathing gave away her obvious frustration.
"No. You can not do that. I would not, could not with a fox or in a box, here or there. I will not do it."
"Seuss. I show you a plan that is going endanger the lives of everyone in this castle while either saving the world or handing it on a silver platter to You-Know-Who and the best quote you can come up with is from Dr. Seuss."
Sirius kept a straight face, but was inwardly shaking with laughter, while Genevieve shook with a completely different emotion.
"I'm going to walk down the hall and fall into the first dark enclosed space I find. You had better hope you aren't the first one to wake me in the morning because it may seriously impede your ability to have children." She was as good as her word for only three steps away she melted through the key hole of an antique treasure chest.
Sirius saw Dumbledore behind the pillar from where he had watched the whole exchange and together they walked up the stairs.
"How did it go?" Dumbledore asked.
"Don't worry, Genevieve wants You-Know-Who defeated. She'll agree to it later after a good nights sleep." Sirius slumped along with his hands in his pockets, still feeling bad for provoking Genevieve even though he knew it was the only way to get her to agree in the morning.
"Are you alright Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, picking up on this behavior.
"She is a smart woman, with a biting quick wit and a quote for every occasion."
"That she is. But.I thought she could do better than Seuss." Dumbledore laughed with his younger friend, a twinkle in his blue eyes temporarily melting years off his age.
Genevieve remained sequestered in her room for the remainder of the break. Harry and Sirius tracked down Dobby in the kitchens hoping the elf could tell them if she was alright.
"Mrs. Carrington has been reading the scroll and helping her friend. She is a good friend to the sad vampire." Dobby refused to say more, and Rebecca was even more tightly lipped about the goings on in their room.
All considered, Harry was glad when vacation was over and classes resumed. Although it took nearly five hours to get his friends caught up to speed regarding the holidays events.
"So, do you think we're still giving our presentations today?" Ron asked.
"Probably, if not to Genevieve than may one of the other teachers." Harry answered.
"I hope it's not Snape." Ron shuddered to think, remembering the last time Snape had substituted defense against the dark arts and tried to fail everyone in the class.
Genevieve was there at the appointed hour, though she was quite distracted pouring over her own notes and translations from the scroll. But presentations went on as planned. Much to everyone's surprise Draco Malfoy volunteered to be first.
"To be honest, I've had to completely rewrite my speech since the holiday. I chose "Importance of family to survival" as my topic. I used to think that Family only consisted of pedigree charts and power. That to honor ones family was important above all other things. That no matter what my family was right and by following them I would survive. But that is not the case.
"I can no longer precisely define what a family is, or how it is supposed to work. They seem to be based more on love and togetherness than blood lines. Devotion as well as a sense of self-sacrifice seems to be the foundation on which the concept is built. That everyone is willing to maintain the family's well being while the family supports the individual efforts. It is important to survival because of the strengthening properties of groups. Mostly a family just cares what happens to its members."
Draco's speech was heart felt if not eloquent, met with a round of applause from his classmates. His ordeal over the holiday had touched him in a deep way, causing him to climb out of the darkness he had accepted and take a few blinking steps toward light. Still, he was unsure of what he was looking at and felt extremely vulnerable for the first time in his life.
Hermione had been right; Ron's topic did prove difficult as most books on the subject of magical places held conflicting views. So, he had compiled his own list. He surprised everyone by including the Burrow near the top of the list, but his reasoning was sound.
"The Burrow is one of the most magical places on earth for me. In our humble home I have found the strength to face each day and the lessons and encouragement, not to mention the people that make life worth living. From it and the heritage it represents I draw from deep wells of power that fuels my magic."
Ginny, after refuting several references that argued a wizard's true place was in positions of power concluded that it was actually anywhere there were people who cared for them.
Neville and Crystal combined their presentation since their topics were so similar. After a quick object lesson in which they sped up the growth of a seed they likened the natural process to learning and retaining magic. Should the ground or the person be unreceptive the seed would not grow. If neglected or unpracticed the plant grows wild or dies, as would magic. Even once the seed has matured if it is cut off from its source of nutrients it too will die. They ended with a spectacular show, in which their seed withered, rotted and disintegrated in a matter of minutes. When they finished and Genevieve awarded them full credit Neville got so excited he kissed Crystal on the cheek. Both of them blushed before returning to their seats, still holding hands.
Roger the Ravenclaw was next and true to the reputation of his house, he had a very well thought out presentation. Having chosen his own topic titled "The Law of Opposition" he explained that everything in the world has an opposite. Roger sited books of both magical and muggle origin, concentrating greatly on Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion. "Every action has and equal and opposite reaction." He drew diagrams on the chalk board explaining inertia, friction and forces that play their roles in motion. He spent that later part reciting notable opposites in the world. He listed black and white, male and female, good and evil, and magical objects that have opposites. A lighter and a puter outer. The mirror of Erised and a mirror of Daerd (Desire and Dread). It was his next statement that caught Genevieve's attention.
"The world maintains a delicate balance through careful utilization of opposites. In potions and other magical sciences opposites can be used to cancel each other out, creating antidotes for poisonous potions or rendering cursed objects inert." Genevieve knocked her chair to the floor she stood up so fast, then papers scattered around the room as she jumped over her desk to stand in front of Roger.
"Say that again."
"What?"
"Your last line, say it again."
"In potions and other magical sciences opposites can be used to cancel each other out, creating antidotes for poisons or rendering cursed objects inert." Roger repeated nervously. Genevieve was so happy she kissed Roger on the top of his head.
"Mr. Raven, you are a genius. Fifty points to Ravenclaw for, oh I don't know.brilliance." Every student stared at her confused. Genevieve had never awarded or taken house points before, and though her behavior was usually more casual than the other professors, kissing a student was bizarre even for her. She summoned the scattered papers into her bag with a wave of a hand and scribbled a note she placed on Hermione's desk.
"Interested in some extra credit Miss. Granger?" Hermione nodded. "Gather everything you can find on this subject in two days." She tapped the paper and then grabbed her broom leaning on the back wall. As she opened the window Draco stood up.
"Aren't you going to give the rest of us a chance for extra credit? It's only fair."
"Life isn't fair, nor would you want it to be." She paused for a moment and then gave in. "Alright. House elves have more magic in their little finger than an average wizard could get out of a wand. Find out why." She twirled her broom like a baton once, caught and mounted it in one fluid motion, then was out the window in a flash, leaving behind nine bewildered students.
*********************
"Did she say where she was going?" Sirius asked Harry when the trio had explained Genevieve's odd behavior.
"No, like I said she just kissed Roger, gave extra credit assignments and flew out the window" replied Harry. "I'm not sure I've ever seen a Ravenclaw completely lose the ability to reason. Roger left the classroom in a daze babbling about it."
"But she reacted to a phrase about opposites canceling each other out. What was the extra credit?"
"Why house elves are so powerful." Ron paraphrased.
"Except for me." Hermione offered. "She gave me a research assignment about" she dug through her bag for the parchment Genevieve had given her, "segregare a' victorium. She wrote it on a pass to the restricted section which makes me a little nervous."
"You'd better do as she asks. I'll tell Dumbledore and we'll see if we can get her back here before she tries to take on You-Know-Who all by herself. We'll gather all the teachers tomorrow night to hear what you've found out so far."
*********************
"Sorry Elden, but I can only stay the night." Genevieve sat in her own living room with her elderly friend sipping hot chocolate.
"I wish there was something more I could do to help." Elden offered.
"At the moment, knowing that all my friends here are in your capable hands is all I need." She smiled and turned her attention toward the swirls of foam and marshmallows floating in the dark liquid. "I just needed a few of my things and will be off tomorrow. Didn't want to risk a portkey again and that long in bird form really gets to me." She jerked her head to each side, cracking her neck, before focusing again on the chocolate.
"How is she?" Elden ventured.
"Veronica? I never thought it was possible for her to have a broken heart. She's coming home soon, it's just too painful for her to be there, running into that." Genevieve got angry just thinking about Snape, caught herself and calmed down. "He's not worth demeaning myself by swearing. Sure she probably should have told him about being a vampire, but he swore they were so in 'love' nothing could come between them, she thought it wouldn't matter. I don't want to get caught up in it anymore" Genevieve sighed, "there are other issues I need to think about now."
"How bad is it over there?" asked Elden.
"The Death Eaters aren't quite beating down the door, but almost."
"I got a letter from Rebecca yesterday. She told me what you did at the camp."
"And?" Genevieve asked, waiting for her mentors concerns.
"A little unorthodox," he smiled at her. "It took a lot of guts and I'm proud of you."
"You know just what to say to make me feel better Elden."
"Of course, that's what I do best." Elden said with a wink. "Let me know if you need anything before I go to bed." He walked across the room to the hall.
"Will do. Oh, Elden."
"Yes Vieve?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, my old friend." He smiled before retiring to his room leaving Genevieve alone with her chocolate and her thoughts.
Startled by a tap on the window, she scurried to open it. A large owl hopped in exhausted but presented its bundle before collapsing.
"I know how you feel." She told the bird, gently stroking it while breaking the Hogwarts seal on the letter it delivered. After reading though its contents with a deep sigh she collected her things to leave.
"Elden, I have to go back." Genevieve called through his bedroom door. Elden opened it wearing sky blue pajamas and matching nightcap.
"What right now?" By way of explanation she held up the letter so he could see the Hogwarts seal.
"A bit sooner than I would have wished, but I still have one more stop before returning to England."
************************
"Segregare a' victorium, Victory from Division or roughly translated divide and conquer is based on the fact that the body is made of more parts than just flesh and bone. In addition to a spirit there is a 'life essence' where the potential for longevity is stored. It acts like a timer, dictating how much time a person lives, barring an unnatural or premature death. You-Know-Who, probably tampered with his life essence in an effort achieve his seeming immortality. What I have found, is that there exists an extremely complicated spell and potion combination that can separate the body and spirit from the life essence then ensnare the later. The result is permanent and irrefutable death.
"I read that this is preferable to just an entrapment charms because those can be wielded by others to gain power, while whatever object used in this is perfectly harmless when handled. The greatest drawback is that it requires a willing sacrifice of someone with a similar or longer expected life span as the person being killed to counteract the evil. It has been used four times successfully in history but it takes a lot of planning and time to prepare."
Hermione got down from the make shift podium of stacked books that had been erected in a library study room. The assembly, consisting of those faculty and students trusted by Dumbledore, shifted in their seats realizing this was the closest they had to a workable plan for the destruction of Voldemort. But the dire consequences and demands on those carrying out the arrangement would be more than difficult.
Dumbledore wiped his half moon glasses on his robe before he stepped behind the podium to continue the briefing after Hermione's lecture.
"Sirius has sent for Genevieve to come back as soon as possible. In the mean time, we need to find a way to lure Voldemort to a specific place where Segregare a' victorium can be performed. I'm open to any suggestions.
Dumbledore continued when no-one was forthcoming. "We have most of the ingredients, baring a few rare liquids. Fortunately we have the instructions in their entirety as well as the best resources and people anywhere. Voldemort's actions so far seem despite, vengeful, and not entirely well planned. He's already lost his patience once at Christmas, attempting an impromptu attack on the castle, which was thwarted only because we were fortunate enough to have someone there at the right time and place. Perhaps we can force his hand to do it again, this time on our terms. I have full confidence that with proper organization and foresight, we will be victorious."
Dumbledore stepped down and opened the forum to anyone with an idea. They bantered back and forth for hours until flecks of thoughts came together to create a plausible approach.
***************************
Sirius had set up a network of charms to detect when a boggart was approaching the castle, so to be ready when Genevieve came. Nine o'clock Saturday night his preparation was rewarded when the arm band he was wearing gently vibrated. A quick scan of the night sky pinpointed her location as the largest white bird he'd ever seen glided toward the front doors, where he was waiting.
"You kissed a student!" Sirius accused Genevieve when she lumbered into the entrance hall.
"Hello, nice to see you too," said Genevieve sarcastically. "I was just overly excited. No harm done." She explained.
"No harm done. You've got a seventh year Ravenclaw with a serious crush on your hands. You don't see Professor McGonagall handing out kisses to her students who do well."
"If she were, they would line up to fail her course." Genevieve shot back.
Sirius stopped his inquisition to laugh at the mental image that conjured.
"So, did you get the owl Dumbledore and I sent while you were on your last tryst."
"Tryst, indeed. You make it sound like I was doing something less than appropriate."
"Well, you kiss a student and fly out the window. It doesn't give me too many clues to go on, so my imagination has to take over."
"Sirius Black, I am shocked." Though she really wasn't.
"Sure, but you changed the subject. Did you get the letter?"
"I'm here aren't I?"
"Good, because this plan is great."
"I can't wait to hear the details of this 'great plan', but alas I'll have to. I'm beat and going to bed" her monotone voice revealed just how tired she was.
"You can't leave now; I'm just getting to the good part." Sirius whined playfully.
"I just flew as an albatross half way around the globe. The only reason I'm not asleep already is those bloody birds can sleep while they fly. My arms hurt, I'm tired, and nothing you say can come between me and my armoire." As she pushed past him he held up a roll of parchment for her to see. She stopped dead, staring at the diagrams and words moving around the page. As it finished Genevieve put her hands up and vehemently protested. Deep breathing gave away her obvious frustration.
"No. You can not do that. I would not, could not with a fox or in a box, here or there. I will not do it."
"Seuss. I show you a plan that is going endanger the lives of everyone in this castle while either saving the world or handing it on a silver platter to You-Know-Who and the best quote you can come up with is from Dr. Seuss."
Sirius kept a straight face, but was inwardly shaking with laughter, while Genevieve shook with a completely different emotion.
"I'm going to walk down the hall and fall into the first dark enclosed space I find. You had better hope you aren't the first one to wake me in the morning because it may seriously impede your ability to have children." She was as good as her word for only three steps away she melted through the key hole of an antique treasure chest.
Sirius saw Dumbledore behind the pillar from where he had watched the whole exchange and together they walked up the stairs.
"How did it go?" Dumbledore asked.
"Don't worry, Genevieve wants You-Know-Who defeated. She'll agree to it later after a good nights sleep." Sirius slumped along with his hands in his pockets, still feeling bad for provoking Genevieve even though he knew it was the only way to get her to agree in the morning.
"Are you alright Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, picking up on this behavior.
"She is a smart woman, with a biting quick wit and a quote for every occasion."
"That she is. But.I thought she could do better than Seuss." Dumbledore laughed with his younger friend, a twinkle in his blue eyes temporarily melting years off his age.