Chapter Twelve

Rude Awakenings

Jennifer woke to find herself in the back room of the hospital ward, while beside her was a doctor she had never seen before. He was a wizened old wizard, and although human had a very goblinish face. He was bald on the top of his head, ringed by tuffs of white hair, and alarmingly clear blue eyes. He was looking at her with such intense scrutiny that Jennifer sat up with alarm.

"There now, take it easy, everything's all right. Madame Pomfrey, she's awake," he said, loudly. The door opened and Poppy bustled in with a slightly anxious look.

"How are they, Doctor Weathering?" Poppy asked.

"Healthy, I think. She's not far enough along to have caused too much trauma by Apparating, fortunately. But you're not to do it again under any circumstances," the doctor said firmly. Jennifer was too astonished to say anything. She was too busy digesting what she was hearing, realizing quite suddenly where she had seen the name before. It had been on a slip of paper that Molly Weasley had given her.

"But that means I'm… oh boy," Jennifer said, leaning back.

"Or girl," Poppy added with a nod. "Two months oh boy or girl, as a matter of fact. I thought the two of you were trying to schedule it so that you would be due during the summer?" she added chidingly. Jennifer blinked.

"We did!" she protested.

"Well, your due date is too early. It's the first week of June, and it's just as likely for you to deliver two weeks before that as not, you know," Poppy said, arms folded. "Babies never follow schedules. I guess someone forgot to inform Severus of that."

"You're not actually considering working all the way through the pregnancy, are you, Mrs. Snape?" Weathering inquired. Jennifer turned to look at him, hearing a condescending tone emerging in his speech.

"Of course I'm going to work. In fact, I think I'd better go get ready for class," Jennifer said sitting up.

"Oh, no you don't," Poppy said quickly, pushing her back down. "You are taking it easy this morning. And you are going to eat for a change if I have to force-feed you myself! Better yet, I'll go fetch Dumbledore to feed you!" Poppy threatened. Jennifer smiled at the thought.

"I can't stop you from continuing to work," Weathering said, although from his face Jennifer could tell he wanted to do just that, "but I will advise you to quit nonetheless. Your priorities should be solely on your child and your health. It's time to put away your ambitions and shelve them for awhile." Jennifer stared at him. What century was this guy born in, anyhow?

"Doctor, I have your lists of do's and don'ts here and her prescriptions. Is there anything else we need? I know we're keeping you from your regular appointments," Poppy said.

"No, no, just make her take it easy for the next few days and let me know if she has any more dizzy spells. I'll be back in a month to make sure there are no lingering effects, Mrs. Snape. You just follow Poppy's instructions, and I'm sure everything will be in order by then," the doctor said. Poppy went to walk him out and Jennifer's eyes followed, frowning after them.

She wasn't about to let some quack witch doctor let his old fashioned views get to her. Who was having this baby, after all? That was when it hit her again. Even though they had planned it, there was something strangely stunning about it, too.

From the moment the ghostly liquid touched her lips, Anna felt a change as it began to tingle and a warmth began to work its way through her. She was suddenly alarmed by the sound of her own heartbeat, and then her breathing, as parts of her began to materialize a second faster than the rest for a smooth transition. The cup she had been holding seemed to lose its own substance and she could no longer grasp it, so it floated slowly to the floor. Anna slowly sat down on the couch, suddenly aware that she was able to actually accomplish that feat.

"Well! Now isn't that a sight for these old sore eyes! Severus, impeccable work and timing. I salute you," Audi cackled, and then did.

"I'm starving," Anna suddenly realized. She stumbled towards the kitchen, hitting her shin on the table in the process. Severus snorted softly to himself and started disassembling his equipment.

"Well, hurry up then get yourself in order and get packed so that we can get the hell out of here," Severus told her.

"Already? But I just got back in one piece!" Anna said from the kitchen.

"Yes, all the more reason to leave now before something else happens," Severus snapped in irritation.

"I'll go help get your things together. You just eat, Anna," Audi said helpfully. Anna frowned, looking up from the icebox. With Audi siding with Severus, she knew there was little chance of talking him out of it. And she knew that things had been growing on his mind during the last few days as the potion cured. He had often paced the floor impatiently like a caged panther. It was not long after Anna was fed and refreshed that she found herself being hurried to the port station.

Severus opted to take the trip in several jumps for safety reasons, most especially since Anna was new to her material form and he didn't want to port and find her see-through again. Anna thought he was just being overcautious as usual, and was slightly annoyed that he wouldn't even stop long enough in New York for her to pick up one little thing.

In no time they were at the last stop before Britain, a small dragon reservation in Greenland, but when the two of them stepped off the platform to switch keys, they met the last person either of them expected to see at that moment.

It was Sirius Black, and he looked far from happy.

"It's about time. I figured you'd be coming this way," Sirius said. There was a dangerous flash in his eyes. "Why was it that I wasn't informed that something happened to Anna?" he demanded, looking straight at Severus. Anna was hardly in the mood to be talked about as if she wasn't there and stepped between them immediately.

"It wasn't his fault. We were having problems with our owls," Anna said.

"Well, apparently Severus had little trouble getting there, so why didn't he drop me a post?" he asked.

"Why would I? Even if you had been there, you'd have only been in the way. Frankly, Vallid asked for me, not you, and it really wasn't any of your business in any case," Severus said in annoyance.

"When are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours that what happens to her is my business?" Sirius demanded. Anna stared at Sirius for a long moment. "I want to be informed when anything like this that happens when it happens, not after it happens, or have you forgotten that I am the one supposed to be keeping an eye on her?"

"Anna doesn't need you to keep an eye on her!" Severus snapped at him.

"Thank you," said Anna who was about to say the same thing. She was more than capable of taking care of herself.

"She's going straight to Hogwarts, and I can assure you, whatever lame protection you had in mind can't compare to what I can provide from the school grounds," Severus said. Anna blinked. She had about enough of this.

"How hard would it have been to drop me a letter? You know I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you started sending owls away on purpose just to keep me from finding out what's going on. You've been against us ever since the beginning," Sirius accused him.

"Spare me," Severus rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't have been worth the effort it would take to accomplish such a feat. I had a lot more important things on my mind than annoying you, like saving her!" Severus said, pointing. But Anna wasn't there. That was when the two of them spun around and noticed she wasn't anywhere.

Alarmed, Sirius went out of the stone cottage and into the cold predawn air, immediately having to throw an anti-cold enchantment around himself. The encampment was nestled in a remote area near an old lava flow. Vents steamed beyond it, causing smoke to billow out in the distance. The smattering of houses that belonged to the wizard handlers were still dim; none of them awake yet. Even with the enchantment on, it still seemed bitterly cold. Severus walked out behind him.

"She didn't come this way, we would have noticed. She probably tried Disapparating back. We had better go after her," Severus said with a scowl. "You know, she wouldn't have done that if you hadn't come here barking like a fool! If anything happens to her, I am holding you responsible."

"How come every time something happens it's never your fault? It's just like all the asinine things you did in school… it was never your own bloody doing, there was always someone else to blame," Sirius challenged him. "After all of this time, you're still convinced everything was our fault! When are you going to grow up and face the fact that maybe it was all your fault it got out of hand in the first place!"

"Enough! I've had quite enough of you!" Severus said, suddenly pulling out a wand.

Sirius leapt forward into dog form and bit his hand, making him release it and the two of them tumbled to the ground. It was as Severus began kicking him away to reach for a potion that they felt a sudden heat wash over them and heard very loud, persistent, heavy breathing. Severus and Sirius stopped what they were doing and found themselves looking up into the maul of a dragon.

Severus launched the two of them into a roll as the dragon's breath came spewing out at them, grabbing his wand on the way past before flinging Sirius aside. Sirius changed back into his own form and grabbed his wand, and together they attempted to scramble away from another onslaught of fire. The flames instantly melted the snow and ice beneath them, leaving only the black rocky ground showing underneath.

Several wizards scrambled out of their dwellings in total surprise as the Greenland Blackwing swiped its claw at Sirius, pinning him to the ground while launching another wave of fire at Severus.

Severus dove for cover but apparently was too close. Although the cloak he was wearing was flameproof, one of the potions inside began boiling from the heat. An explosion was heard around the camp, and the area where Severus had been standing now covered with a large smoke cloud.

The dragon's handlers were trying desperately to calm the beast down, obviously puzzled by its behavior. Before they could get close, the dragon rose up again, ready to attack. As the dragon reared up, a ray of light flashed out from the direction of the smoke cloud and its mouth was instantly filled with a thick, sticky layer of marshmallow cream. Taken by surprise, the Blackwing shook its head vigorously, gagging and pulling his claws back to try to deal with the sticky substance.

One of the wizards who had been rushing to help Severus turned and shouted in dismay.

"He's choking! We have to save him or it'll kill him!" he said, and the handlers rushed forward.

"Better him than me," Severus muttered. His hair had been badly burned and his cloak had holes blown out the sides from where his potions had exploded.

Sirius stood up, face scratched and clothes shredded, stumbling over to help Severus up. Severus completely ignored the offer and somehow managed to get to his feet, gritting his teeth because of the heavy burns across his back and chest. Sirius threw his hand down in sheer anger, fed up with being the one to always have to make the effort. That was it; he was officially giving up, Sirius thought to himself with irritation. It just wasn't worth it.

Just then, the dragon spewed up the cream in a disgusting and foul-smelling belch, receiving cheers from the encampment. Quickly realizing that they weren't going to get much sympathy or aid from the idiotic Magical Creatures Protection Society, Severus promptly exited, leaving Sirius to fend for himself among the morons. He wanted nothing more than to check on his sister and go home.

Jennifer woke up an hour later, realizing she had already slept through her first class. All she could think about was getting back to work and how much she hated being stuck in bed. There was no way she was going to allow some doctor to tell her she couldn't teach because of this. Reaching over to get her watch, she glanced at it then blinked at it in surprise, barely believing what she was seeing.

Throwing off the covers, she grabbed her robe and tossed it over her head, barreling out of the room before Poppy had time to stop her, not even noticing that she had forgotten her shoes until she was halfway down the steps. Ignoring Minerva's exclamation as she ran through the courtyard, Jennifer dashed over to where Severus had just stepped through the gate. He suddenly (and very painfully) found himself being hugged by his wife, who seemed unaware of the steam still rising off of his damaged cloak.

"Oh, your hair! What happened? Are you hurt? Come inside! I was hoping you'd be back today. Is Anna all right? I've so much to tell you," Jennifer rambled excitedly.

But before he had time to react or even ask her to not cling quite so tight, he heard Poppy and Minerva crying out Jennifer's name. Poppy's voice was filled with worry, while Minerva seemed to be openly appalled at her behavior.

"Professor Craw, get back to the hospital wing at once! I haven't released you yet, nor had I any intention of releasing you yet! You know what Doctor Weathering said," Poppy shouted firmly.

"Professor, remember where you are! And where are your shoes?" Minerva scolded her disapprovingly. Sighing in annoyance, Jennifer turned to the other women, ignoring the students who were looking at her with surprise and curiosity.

"Fine, fine! I'm going, no need to get worked up over nothing! I'm perfectly fine," Jennifer huffed, sticking her nose up in the air as walked back over to Poppy. The nurse scolded her incessantly the moment she came near, completely oblivious to the smoldering form of Severus Snape standing in the courtyard with an expression that was both surprised and annoyed.

"What is going on here? Did everyone in the school go insane while I was gone?" Severus asked to no one in particular, walking towards the doors. Minerva glanced over at him as if noticing him for the first time.

"Goodness, Severus. What happened to you? Are you all right?"

"No I'm not, thank you. I'm tired, Sirius nearly got me killed again, and I came very close to becoming a crater with the help of an irate dragon. Then Anna takes off, and I return to the cabin to check on her only to end up with a door slammed in my face. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to go see about tending my burns and collapsing for a bit." Severus said testily, storming inside with Minerva following close behind.

"Very well! I'll head to the hospital wing and tell Jennifer you're not to be bothered with visiting her. I'm quite sure she'll understand," Minerva said, causing Severus to pull up short and stare at her.

"What is she doing in the hospital wing? She looked fine," he demanded.

"They are both fine, actually. Jennifer was called away last night and made the mistake of Apparating back and forth. Doctor Weathering just wanted to make sure that Jennifer got some rest," Minerva said, a thin smile of amusement playing on her lips as the color drained from his face. "You know, for someone who planned this. you are acting quite staggered."

Severus spun around and shot down the hall, only pausing when Minerva pointed out he was heading in the wrong direction. Chuckling softly to herself, Minerva went to let Dumbledore know that he had returned.

The next day, Jennifer was asked to attend a meeting with the Department of Investigations of the Law Enforcement Ministry. Jennifer and Dumbledore took the floo to the entrance, arriving from the foyer fireplace. Arthur Weasley, who had been waiting with his son Ron near the reception desk, blinked in surprise at their choice in transportation before looking at Jennifer questioningly. She blushed, realizing that it was going to be absolutely impossible to keep quiet. A moment later, Thatcher Boltin appeared as well, smiling softly at Jennifer and nodding a greeting as he joined them.

The Law Enforcement Ministry was not ornate in any way and was a model of order of efficiency; not a book out of place, not a paper unstamped, not a mark out of line on the several maps that surrounded the room. Rhys Brown, the current Minister of Law Enforcement, was calmly sitting behind the desk and Ederick Thurspire was pacing the floor when the five of them came in.

"Ah, good, you're all here. Thank you for coming," Rhys said, standing and offering them all a seat. "Ron, put your notebook away for a bit. We'll get into the Malfoy case in a moment," he assured him and Ron did, leaning back to listen. "First, I would like to hear more about what happened between my aid and Thomas Craw the other night."

"Well, I suppose I should start with when Ederick Thurspire showed up Halloween night after hours to see Thomas Craw," Boltin said. "He had the right paperwork, even though it was quite late. I assumed it was something important that he needed for the next day and I let him through. It's not exactly the first time Thurspire has come in late to taunt the prisoners…"

"I do not taunt the prisoners." Ederick said indignantly.

"Why not? I do it all the time, it's a good way to get answers," Rhys told Ederick, waving his hand distractedly. "Anyhow, proceed."

"Well, he came back through the gate about an hour later and left for the Ministry. It was not long after that when I was informed that Craw was gone and was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of forced entry, no magic residue in the cell, and the only one who claimed to witness anything was the resident ghost, Icarus the Mad, but he refused to talk to anyone about the disappearance unless I Owled Professor Craw. So I did, and I asked Thurspire to come back so that I could ask him some questions about what they were talking about before he disappeared. The three of us went to his cell first and didn't see anything out of the ordinary except for the fact that he seemed to be in the middle of his reading and left some letters unread. It was the opinion of Professor Craw as well as myself that it would have been out of character for him to have left anything half-finished had he been attempting an escape by himself. That was when we went to the fourth quarter to find Ick. When we did, the ghost accused Thurspire of casting Living Stone on Craw and hiding him away in the crypt."

"And what motive would Ederick have for stuffing old Craw under Azkaban like that?" Rhys calmly asked.

"When Professor Craw questioned him, it had come out that Thomas Craw had bad business dealings with Thurspire's family when he was still a Death Eater, and that Thurspire has an extreme dislike for him stemming from that. And I think it's obvious what could have happened to Craw if anyone found him outside of his cell in or out of Azkaban," Boltin said.

"How I feel about any particular prisoner has nothing to do with anything! Don't you think if I had wanted to get Craw out of the way, I'd have been a little less obvious?" Thurspire shouted at Boltin. A chair slid up behind Ederick and he was knocked into it.

"Just sit down and be quiet, Ederick, he was only answering my question. Getting defensive will only cloud your head," Rhys said in a cool but firm voice. Jennifer had only met Rhys briefly on a couple other occasions, but was quickly realizing why the man was so well respected. His eyes then turned on Jennifer. "I assume at some point he must have denied doing this deed. Did he seem truthful to you?"

"Yes, sir, he believed he didn't do it," Jennifer admitted. Rhys looked at her thoughtfully.

"He believed he didn't do it? I take it you mean you had some doubts with your assessment of that?" he asked.

"To be perfectly honest, it's the first time I can remember that I looked at two different people with completely opposite truths like this with no clear answer. Except, of course, that the wand had been used to cast the spell, and my father specifically remembers Thurspire casting at him," Jennifer said.

"If someone's memory was tampered with, would it still read to you as truth?" Rhys asked.

"No, sir, I've been trained to pick that up when I studied with Auror Belle a few years back," Jennifer said.

"What if there was no memory of an event present at all?" he asked.

"Well, in that case, there's no truth or lie, so I wouldn't be able to pick it up at all," Jennifer admitted.

"When Craw stated he was hit with the spell, he was in his cell, correct?" Rhys asked.

"Yes, sir," Boltin replied.

"Boltin, did Thurspire come in with anything unusual that evening, potions, or equipment?"

"No, Minister, all he came with was his wand," Boltin said thoughtfully. "Anything else would have been noted in the log, and that's all he had with him."

"Well then, this story has a very significant flaw," Rhys said, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. "Answer me this, if anyone can. When the last spell that was cast via the wand was Living Stone, how could a man of Thurspire's build get a man taller than he is and made out of solid rock through several checkpoints and down several flights of stairs without using his wand again and without being seen?"

No one said anything.