Chapter Twenty-Nine

A Glorious Spring

It hadn't been long after Anna had released from the Globe that Severus and Harry returned with burnt faces and hands. Sirius followed them into the back room of the hospital wing, looking unkempt but otherwise no worse for the wear from his close call with the Hippogriff.

"Buckbeak was flying me to the ocean to drop me, I'm sure," Sirius had told Anna, sitting by the bed. "All of the sudden, he was able to shake off the charm. Buckbeak was quite upset about the whole thing, but I was finally able to calm him down. As I was riding him back, I ran into these two on their brooms and they told me what happened. I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're safe." Sirius said, gazing lovingly at Anna and leaning over to kiss her.

"Really, must you do that in public? I'm still having trouble swallowing the fact you're engaged to her. I really don't think I have the stomach to witness it," Severus complained with disgust.

"Get over it and get used to it," Anna grinned at her brother, grabbing Sirius and kissing him. Grimacing as if in pain, Severus quickly retreated into the next room where Jennifer sat with Dumbledore having her burns treated. Harry chuckled softly to himself and followed Severus over.

"You need not have worried, Jennifer," Dumbledore was telling her as they stepped in. "The cloak didn't have a Phoenix feather at all, so Fawkes was never in any danger even if he didn't have a band. As for what happened, it sounds as if the cloak itself was made from Ancient Magic and not regular magic, drawing its power off the sun itself to harness its magical energy all of these years. When he tried to unseal the Ancient Magic of Stonehenge, the magical energy became more powerful than what the cloak could handle. And so, in a way, he overextended his wings and they melted in the sun." Severus scowled at the reference, but didn't comment.

"I suppose I should feel relieved," Jennifer replied. "And I can't say there wasn't a time after I found out what he did to my mother that I didn't want him dead. But oddly enough, when it happened the way that it did, I felt myself wishing I could have prevented it."

Dumbledore smiled softly and patted her hand. He got up to leave, nodding to Jennifer and Severus, who took the seat next to her. Harry joined Dumbledore, and they walked towards the door together.

"Well, Harry, that was quite an ending to your 'year off,'" Dumbledore observed with an amused glint in his eye.

"Yes, it definitely was," Harry agreed. "You know, though, I think I might have to take another year off, so I can recover from this year off." The two of them chuckled quietly as they left the hospital wing.

Anna couldn't wait to get back to teaching, especially after being fussed over by Poppy for several days after she had gotten out of the confinement Globe. It was now in the hands of the Ministry, who were attempting to find out who the original owner was. They were also looking for Fudge, who had disappeared with the strange Tome that Lorcan had stolen. Lucius, as usual, refused to be cooperative as to where he got it, but Dumbledore and Vallid decided not to pursue it. They were mutually satisfied that Lorcan was gone for good and decided that was all that mattered. Anna, surrounded by friends and having the freedom to travel again, couldn't help but agree with them, even though she knew that there were many more hurdles on the horizon when it came to her learning how to control her magic.

After continuous threats of broom loss, Corey's marks slowly improved during the last half of the year. They finally fell in line right behind Danny's, whose marks had never faltered at all.

During the last month of school, Jennifer had been teaching while sitting down, even during labs, and seldom left the dungeon or first floor except to turn in at night. Even still, she was as strict in class as ever and never lost a beat, especially when the Snake-year students attempted to purposefully make stink bombs to get out of class early. Equipped with her fume mask and gloves, she made them sit through the entire double class with the stench, deducting enough points from them to make them quite nervous that they might have just lost their leading edge.

If it hadn't been for Danny's unbelievable skill in academics and on the broom, Slytherin would have been sunk in points for sure. But Danny had a way of picking up points rather than losing them, and there was little hope of anyone doing anything to upset their lead.

The year was coming to an end, and it was review time again. Corey, getting jabbed for the fifth time by Doug to wake up during the potion review, suddenly noticed Jennifer grimace in pain, shifting in her chair and faltering a bit in her speech, rubbing her back slightly before turning the page to go over the chapter on Slime-based Solutions. But it wasn't any longer than it took Corey's eyes to get heavy-lidded that she paused again. Corey blinked and squinted at the clock and back at the professor. She stared at the book for a moment, the class unusually silent as if waiting for something. She snapped the book closed, looking at her class. Then she got out her watch and stared at it.

"Corey, would you go up to Professor Snape's office and ask him down please? Danny, would you see if you can find Professor McGonagall?"

"It's time, isn't it?" Corey said, trying to remain calm.

"I haven't exactly done this before, but I'd think that's a good guess," Jennifer admitted with a wince. "The rest of you start reading the chapters on your review sheet. And stop staring! Goodness, I doubt I'm going to have the baby here," she said, slightly annoyed by the sudden tension in the room. "You'd think he or she would have had the courtesy to wait until after finals," Jennifer murmured under her breath as the two students hurried out of the room with their messages.

The clopping of hooves could be heard when Sagittari entered the castle and thundered up the stairs just as students came out of their second classes. Soon the news spread like wildfire. Severus Snape, who had stayed to finish Jennifer's Potion class, burst up the back stairs. Students and teachers alike scurried out of his way as he sprinted up them two at a time, the others gathering around each other and talking excitedly.

Upstairs, Minerva tapped her fingers distractedly as she attempted to cover the finals schedule. Every now and then, she glanced over at the Book on the pedestal expectantly.

Corey decided that some things took priority over sitting through his History class review and took to pacing just outside the medical wing as curious students stopped to talk to him to hear the news. After he had been there awhile, Dumbledore came to join him, pacing in the opposite direction like two guards at the door and taking turns looking at the clock.

At last a sound erupted that made both Corey and Dumbledore stop in their tracks, and Dumbledore turned and smiled at Corey who was gazing at the door expectantly.

"Sounds like the baby has his father's lungs," Corey quipped with a silly grin.

"Or her," Dumbledore corrected. "Wait here, let me see if I can't get Madame Pomfrey's attention long enough to find out which." he said.

Corey stood there, rocking back and forth on his shoes. Then, after one of the longest minutes ever, a huge wreath of pink carnations appeared on the door. In fact, even as Corey whooped with delight, he noticed a large garland of pink roses also appeared around the door, snaking along the walls and around the doors and racing down the stairs, twisting themselves around the banisters along the way. Suddenly the entire school began to erupt in a cheer, while Corey couldn't help but be a bit chagrined.

"Dang it, now I won't have the luxury of telling anybody first," he grinned as students began to head up the stairs and started pelting with questions he had no answers to.

"Excuse me, excuse me please!"

Corey and the students looked up to see Professor McGonagall working her way through the crowd, carrying a large Book that Corey immediately recognized. She smiled enigmatically at their obvious question but ignored it, slipping in the door to where Dumbledore and Poppy were standing talking.

"Yes, she's fine, they both are, of course. I warned Severus from the start that she'd probably be early," Poppy said.

"It's quite all right, I'm sure we'll manage, we always do," Dumbledore smiled. "Someone had better fetch her godfather and give him the news as well."

"In a moment, Albus," Minerva replied. "I have to show them this first."

"Yes, of course," Dumbledore smiled brightly. "Might I see?" As they were peering in the Book, the door to the back room opened and Sagittari came out, smiling softly.

"Very well, you may go in now, but just family and senior staff until tomorrow."

"Quite right, just as long as I count as senior staff," Dumbledore teased, and went in, Minerva right behind.

Jennifer was sitting up, smiling tiredly and gesturing them in while Severus sat quiet rather awkwardly holding the pink-blanketed bundle in his arms, gazing at her with an uncertain expression on his face.

"I think you are going to have quite a young witch there on your hands, Jennifer," Dumbledore said teasingly. "She isn't even a day old yet and she already has her father stupefied."

"I have something to show you," Minerva said with a smile, opening the book to the back and putting it on Jennifer's lap. Jennifer smiled happily as she read the name Alexandria Selezin' Snape, proudly turning it around so Severus could see.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," Severus told his daughter, gently patting down her coppery hair and handing her to Dumbledore.

"She couldn't have picked a better family if she tried," Dumbledore assured him with a smile. "Welcome to Hogwarts, little Alexandria. I'm sure I'll be seeing you here again someday."

"Of that you can be sure of," Severus said, kissing his wife's hand.

"I guess Sibyl was right after all," Jennifer said mischievously. "You did have another woman enter your life."

"So I did," Severus mused. "Let's just keep that our little secret, alright?" Jennifer and Minerva chuckled knowingly as they welcomed Corey in, and Dumbledore handed Alex over to her big brother.

"Welcome to the family, little sister," Corey told her with a smile. "I can't wait to see what adventures life has in store for you."

End of Book 1 Series 2

A/N Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this book! Yes, there are a lot of questions left unanswered...in the next book, Jennifer Craw and the Centaur's Legacy will explore some of those, as well as unlock the door to Sagittari's past...among others, as more wondrous items are revealed and a quest is born...hope to see you again! ~ Doublequill.

Last revision: 7/2022