Chapter Three

Encounter in the Leaky Cauldron

It had been decided that Jennifer would be the one to take the two to Diagon Alley to shop for Hogwarts. Jennifer and Corey arrived at the doorstep of the farm to pick up Essie, with Corey wearing his Hogwarts' robes and Jennifer in a dark blue dress that she had made in her spare time over the summer. Corey's Aunt Rebecca was stiffly polite to her, and Jennifer couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable she still was around the witch. But that stiffness seemed to end when she greeted Corey, and Jennifer was quite glad to see that the wound that had separated them had begun to heal. Rebecca might still blame Jennifer to some extent, but it was obvious that she no longer blamed Corey.

Rebecca watched in amazement as Jennifer took Corey and Essie in hand stepped into the fireplace, the three of them disappearing before her eyes. She hadn't even realized her eyes were watery until Mark patted her on the shoulder.

"There now, they've all got to grow up sometime," he said reassuringly. "And follow their own path when they do it."

"But who will look after the sheep?" Rebecca asked, and then buried her head in his shoulder. Mark smiled gently, trying to comfort her, knowing perfectly well it wasn't the extra hands she was going to miss.

Jennifer stepped into the Leaky Cauldron to a round of warm greetings, and Corey and Essie followed close behind.

"Staying for a drink, Professor? You haven't been around in awhile," the bartender suggested, offering her a glass at the bar.

"Not yet, Tom, but we'll be back for lunch, I promise," Jennifer grinned at him. "How's business?"

"Boomin' as it always is this time of year, although it'd be doin' even better if you stayed around a bit," he winked.

"I have a first year to equip or I would," Jennifer assured him. "We'll be back. Oh, hello, Doris! Do you ever go home? Nice robes, Jerry," she added as she shuffled the kids out the back door.

"Goodness, Aunt Jennifer, you sure are popular," Essie said, staring confusedly at the brick wall.

"Popular? She's the most famous witch in Europe, you know," Corey said as Jennifer tapped the wall with her wand and put it back up her sleeve.

"Honestly, Corey! I get it enough from strangers, don't you go encouraging it," Jennifer scolded as they stepped into the crowd.

The trip to Gringotts was short, only stopping at the Muggle money exchange counter before heading back out, Severus having gotten Corey's money out the evening before. Corey even had some birthday money on him, but every time he stopped to look in a store window, Jennifer reminded him that he'd be missing that money when he went to Hogsmeade.

The bookstore was next, and it was the first time Jennifer had actually gotten to look at Corey's list. She blinked at it, and then frowned at him. "Are these all of the extra classes you're taking? Muggle Studies and Dabblers?"

"And maybe Items class, if Professor Flitwick signs my sheet this year," Corey added hopefully, knowing that she would have to approve him to take it as well. Jennifer sighed.

"Oh, all right, we'll get the reference for that class too, then, just in case. But you had better do some serious thinking about what you want to do next year, Corey. Light schedules now mean back-breaking schedules in sixth and seventh year," Jennifer scolded, piling his books up in his arms as she went to get Essie's.

"You have more classes than I do, so how come she thinks it's light?" Essie asked.

"Some of my classes aren't as long this year," Corey explained. "Actually, I'll have a bit more free time this year than last. More time to practice Quidditch."

"More time to study, too," Jennifer said sternly as she walked back over, handing Essie her books. "Your marks had better not fall this year, Corey, or you won't have to worry about Quidditch practice," she warned.

"Corey! Professor Craw!" A familiar voice said from behind them. They looked up to see Danny standing there; a vibrant dark haired girl with violet eyes. "Shopping for school, are we?"

"Danyelle Nelson, this is my sister, Essie," Corey said. Danny looked quickly over her shoulder before smiling and shaking the girl's hand. "She's going to Hogwarts this year too."

"Splendid! I hope you're not listening to his advice on how to do things though. Corey's always getting into trouble," Danny teased.

"Well, he won't this year… I hope," Jennifer said, sounding so doubtful that even Corey had to grin.

"Nelson!"

The harsh voice yelled so loud that nearly everyone around the front of the shop jumped out of the way. Danny whipped her hand back and took a step away from them as an imposing wizard walked up, stepping in front of Danny as if putting more distance between her and the other two. Jennifer nodded to him with a controlled smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Nelson."

"Professor Craw," he nodded briskly. "Are you imposing more rigorous standards in Potions this year? I understand you have a… diverse… class, but I am getting the feeling from your class records that the students aren't being challenged enough." Jennifer felt her face grow hot, but nodded to him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Nelson, I am keeping them and will continue to keep them challenged. In fact, if you have taken the time to research the school's marks, you'll also note that all of my courses are taught well above year level by the end of the term," Jennifer answered evenly.

"Hm. Well, I guess we'll see," Byron Nelson said, nodding to Jennifer once more before gripping Danny's shoulders tightly and leading her away.

Jennifer exhaled, glaring after them, trying to control her temper. How can anyone that purist continue to work for a Muggle banking company was beyond her. Of course, as bad as he treated Muggleborn, she couldn't help but notice that he hardly treated his own daughter any better. She glanced down to see Corey looking at him with intense hatred and she patted his shoulder gently.

"Come on, you two! New robes for you both, and then we're off to get Essie's wand," Jennifer informed them, heading back out to the street.

"Aunt Jennifer, how come Danny did that when he yelled at her?" Essie asked once they were outside. Jennifer sighed softly.

"Well, the Nelson's don't believe magicborn and Muggleborn wizards should mix. They think they should be in different societies, just like Muggles are," Jennifer explained. "So her father was angry because Danny shook hands, since she touched you."

"I say, that's awful harsh," Essie said.

"Fortunately, there aren't many people who are like that these days," Jennifer said.

"There are a lot more than there should be," Corey grunted, earning a nod from Jennifer. But he knew that his friend Danny wasn't the sort that believed that. He just wished he could do something for her, for it was obvious that her home life wasn't a happy one.

When they got to Ollivander's, they were the only ones waiting, and Ollivander himself seemed surprised to see Jennifer standing there.

"Why, it's Professor Craw of the Grendelbane Merlin owl feather wand, and Mr. Willowby, the Focus Caster. And who is this? You have Mr. Willowby's eyes, Miss, I bet you are his sister," Ollivander said with a smile.

"Yes, this is Essie Willowby. I trust you'll have more luck finding her a wand than me," Jennifer chuckled softly.

"Are you a Focus Caster too, Miss Willowby?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," she said timidly, stepping up.

"No, I'd suppose not. Let me see what we can do then," he said, turning around. Corey gnawed on his lip nervously as Jennifer and Essie watched Ollivander look through the wands. What if he didn't find one at all?

The first one, a willow dragonscale, did not suit her one bit. It just sat in her hand as if not in the least bit interested in working for her. The second was hardly any better, an ebony raven feather, and at thirteen and a half inches seemed a bit awkward for her.

"Something lighter, I think," Ollivander said at last, going through a shelf of smaller boxes. He pulled out a 12 ¼ oak wand. "Let's see if rabbit's foot suits you better."

The moment Essie touched the wand she felt a tingle through her, as she waved it lightly and sparks appeared in the air. Corey sighed with relief, smiling broadly at his sister.

"Twelve and a quarter oak rabbit's foot it is," Ollivander said contentedly, getting out his ledger. If Corey had doubted his sister's ability before, he didn't now. After all, if she wasn't meant to have a wand, she wouldn't have gotten one.

Jennifer, who never doubted it, gave Essie her money so that she could pay for the wand. The three of them walked out of the shop, Essie with a victorious look on her face.

"Mind you keep it wrapped away until you're instructed how to use it," Jennifer told her, knowing the girl was itching to hold it. "Don't worry, it won't be long now before you'll be off to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, and only a few more days until I get to stay in my old room at the farmhouse," Corey said. It felt a tad strange to be heading back home after all this time. "Although I am going to miss waking up at night because of Alex," he chuckled despite his sincerity.

"I already miss her," Jennifer confided with a sigh. "Come on, let's get lunch like we promised Tom, then we're off for home," she said, leading them back towards the Cauldron.

"Roast Hog? Game pie? Pickled eels?" Essie read the board as they got back to the pub, making a face.

"The pickled eels aren't bad, although I can't speak for the others," Jennifer whispered with a grin, waving to Tom. "Three house stews, two Tart Tumblers for the kids and a Brew for me at the table, Tom," Jennifer called out, guiding them over to a long table. The moment they sat down, they found the seats instantly filled by Jennifer's admirers, and Essie and Corey listened with interest as they nudged her with questions to try and get her to tell some of her adventures.

Jennifer was unusually talkative for a change; she was just so glad to get out of the cottage for a while that she finally agreed to give an accounting of the Azkaban revolt as she passed the bread around.

"Really though, I didn't do anything. The Unicorns did the work," she insisted again. "They're the heroes, not I."

"Oh, but it was you who called them," a woman pointed out, putting down her brew. "Not no one else could have called them that was there, or would have even thought of calling them in the first place. Unicorns haven't fought in battle for hundreds and hundreds of years."

"True enough, Doris, no mistake about that," Tom said as he went around filling mugs. "No reason to be modest when credit is due, and the credit is due to Professor Craw for thinkin' of it."

"And what about what she did for Harry Potter? I heard him say with my own ears he thought he'd have died if you hadn't been down in that Tomb with him," another local she didn't recognize pointed out.

"Maybe, maybe not, but I'm really not ready to talk about it," Jennifer admitted, earning some protests from the table.

"Now, hear hear! If the Professor's not ready, she's not ready," Tom said sternly.

Nobody in the pub dared to argue with the man who filled the mugs, and the table soon quieted down. "No matter what, we're grateful for all you've done, Professor. You just talk about what you like, we're not ones to pry."

"Yes we are," another person called from the end of the table, and a chuckle went up. "But we won't if Tom says we won't."

At last the three of them finished their meal, and Jennifer (under another round of protests) decided it was time to go. But as she got up to leave, she happened to look over to where a hooded figure sat, watching her carefully. It was as he tilted his head that she got a glimpse of who he was and she froze for a moment before hearing Corey and Essie question why she stopped.

"Corey, do you think you can get you and Essie back?" Jennifer asked, trying to sound calm. "There's something that I need to take care of. I'll meet you both back at the cottage."

"Sure, Mom," Corey said, accepting the floo powder bag and heading over to the hearth.

"I bet she's going to get into trouble again," Corey confided in Essie as they stepped into the fireplace.

Jennifer reached for her watch, waiting until the tiny gold hand with a 'C' on it was pointing at "Broom Closet" before she moved closer to the table.

She sat down and folded her hands together, frowning at the figure.

"You and I need to talk," Jennifer said quietly.

"Yes, of course. Why else would I come to such a public place?" Cornelius Fudge said quietly, trying to keep his face hidden from those watching from other tables. "I have many enemies now…"

"Including me," Jennifer nodded curtly.

"Perhaps, but I assure you, I am not your enemy," Cornelius insisted. "We do need to talk, but not here. You are attracting too much attention."

Jennifer glanced around and sighed.

"Not intentionally, I assure you. Look, I want to know why you tried to kill me two years ago," she said, trying to get a good view of his face, half hidden behind the hood.

"I wasn't trying to kill you. I was trying to see whether or not I could kill you," he explained calmly, getting up. "We'll speak again soon. I'll be around if you need me."

"Wait a minute! I'm not letting you go until you explain to me what you meant by that!" she demanded, moving to stand in front of him.

"Jennifer?" Severus had Apparated in just behind her, looking concerned over what had held her up. She glanced at Severus then turned back, but Cornelius was gone, leaving Jennifer cursing. "What happened?"

"Did you see him? It was Fudge, he was right here a moment ago," Jennifer said.

"I saw a figure fade into the shadows just as I came in. He's probably long gone by now," Severus replied. "What did he want?"

"Apparently he wants to talk to me," Jennifer said. Severus squinted with suspicion. "Whatever it's about, I guess we'll have to wait to find out."

"The question is, do we really want to know what he wants?" Severus mused.

"Well, I don't intend to listen until he answers some questions first," Jennifer said. Severus nodded to her in agreement.

It had been bad enough that Fudge had tried to kill her in front of a Muggle crowd... something Severus once believed would have been completely unlike him. But after Fudge had arrived to try and save Anna from an insane squib named Lorcan last year, the idea that he had turned against them was not so cut and dry. And why did he take the Tome that Lorcan had stolen from Lucius Malfoy? None of it seemed to make sense. Was he a friend or a foe?

At one time, Fudge had even helped Malfoy try to get rid of some forged court papers, doctored during the first Death Eater trials to make it look as if Jennifer's parents had supported him. Still, Jennifer's mother had trusted him at one point, and she had been a Truth Seeker. It was almost as if something must have happened since then that had made him go astray.

Severus waited for Jennifer to Disapparate back home, taking a quick look around before following her. He didn't trust Fudge. In fact, he hadn't trusted Fudge even when he was the Minister of Magic, the bumbling fool. Whatever was going on, Severus was convinced Fudge wasn't in it alone, because the man could barely cast a shoelace-tying spell without asking Dumbledore's advice on how to lace them. The idea that Fudge was on his own now was quite laughable. One thing was certain; he had tried to harm Jennifer, and Severus was not about to let him get such an opportunity a second time. Regardless of his motives, Fudge was going to have a deadly adversary in Severus Snape.