Chapter Nineteen

Gifts and Well Wishes

With Sirius and Anna finally on their way and most of the wizardborn staying in the country heading to Vallid's New York penthouse for Christmas, Severus, Jennifer, Corey, and Alex quietly made their way through the key stations and back eight hours to enjoy a peaceful Christmas at the Broom Closet.

It was not long after presents were opened that Jennifer's thoughts began to wander. She looked towards the small stack of packages left for her father while she played with the birthstone charm bracelet that Severus had given her. There were five charms all told but only two filled with birthstones; one for Corey and one for Alex, enchanted to glow if they were in danger. It was a peace of mind that meant even more now after what happened to Alex abroad. Severus always attempted to keep track of things and people he cared about, and Jennifer found that, even though it seemed a tad nosy, she was finding out she was too. In a world of so many perils, a little reassurance that everyone was safe and sound went a long way. Severus looked up from his book and gazed at her thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking of?" Severus asked, grabbing a gold snake out of his pocket that slid into his book and solidified as an ornate bookmark.

"Severus, do you think Boltin would let us in with Alex?" she asked. Corey craned his neck up from where he lay on the floor playing with a model of the Hogwart's Express (complete with a flight mode and a complimentary bag of popcorn), wondering if that meant he was going to get to go as well.

"Doubtful. I know how he tends to bend the rules a bit as far as you're concerned," he said, emphasizing "you're" since Boltin never seemed to bend the rules for him, "but ultimately, he still wouldn't allow something like that without direct permission from the Warden."

"Who is the Warden, anyhow? I mean, everyone talks about him, but I've never seen him," Corey asked, putting the copy of The Three Musketeers that Taylor had given him out of Alex's reach.

"No one has," Severus answered, putting down his own book. "Who the Warden actually is has been a secret for years for security reasons. No one can try to bribe, threaten, or cause harm to someone when they aren't sure who he is."

"Well, surely the guards know," Corey said, glancing at Jennifer. "So if the guards know, you know who it is too, don't you?"

"Corey, you may not realize this, but there is a sort of ethics code to Truth Seeking," Jennifer explained. "Not that everyone follows it, but there are things we usually don't try to pry into, like government affairs. Actually, it's less about morals and more about self preservation," Jennifer chuckled. "I don't think many officials would think very kindly of us if we attempted to find out what's really going on behind government walls. They'd probably never let us into another building or council meeting again."

"I'd hate to see what happens when a Truth Seeker goes bad then," Corey said.

"You have already, actually," Severus said curtly, getting up. "They cease to see the real truth after awhile and begin to see a colored version of their own. But he's dead now and let's not speak any more of it, especially not today. Very well, Jennifer, if you want to try and see if we can't get her in, let's go… yes all of us, Corey," he added. "We need to get back in time for Corey to head to his Aunt's for dinner."

"Hurray! I hardly ever get to go!" Corey said, running up to get his coat.

"I hope Father is in a better mood today, especially with the kids around," Jennifer sighed, grabbing her cloak.

"He had better be if he ever expects to see any more of them," Severus said, putting on his own.

In no time the four of them had popped out of the chimney like Father Christmas with packages in hand, standing in the bare entryway of the prison of Azkaban. Jennifer handed Alex over to Severus and gathered all of the parcels, knowing they'd be less likely to question her about them than he or Corey. The guards at the first gate seemed quite surprised to see them but decided to let them pass, and it wasn't until they got to the maximum security post that Boltin, who had just settled down with a nice cup of cocoa, succeeded in pouring the whole thing on himself when he saw them.

"Professors?" he said looking between them and at the baby.

"Happy Christmas, Boltin!" Jennifer said, handing him a gift as Corey muttered a cleaning spell and cleaned the poor guard. Severus frowned sternly at Corey but didn't say anything.

"Thank you," he said, standing quite close to them before whispering. "You're not really planning to take her in there, are you?"

"Boltin, please? It's Christmas, and he's never seen her," Jennifer coaxed. "What better Christmas present could there be for him than seeing his granddaughter? Perhaps just this once?" Boltin sighed at the pleading smile on her face, looking at her for a long time before glancing behind them to make sure no other visitors were around.

"You do realize that you're really getting my neck in a noose this time," Boltin murmured. "Jennifer Craw or no Jennifer Craw, children under twelve are not permitted past the third gate, and if anyone else sees her, we'll all be in trouble."

"See who, Boltin?" Severus inquired. Jennifer looked at him in surprise as he noticed that Severus was standing there with his arms folded. She stared at his face for a long time before she understood where she was.

"Fine, if you can keep her hidden, but only this once. Don't you dare ask me to do this again," Boltin said, letting them in and taking the lead.

"Boltin, if he were just in the regular section, would he be allowed to see her?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, but I don't think that he'll ever be downgraded, not with what he says and how much of a pain he can be at times," Boltin chuckled. "There hasn't been a day where he wasn't plotting against someone or another."

"I seriously don't believe that Craw would ever act on those," Severus said calmly. "If he truly wanted to, I have little doubt, as resourceful as he is, that he'd find a way out of here." Boltin looked at Severus thoughtfully for a moment.

"Perhaps," Boltin said. "But it isn't up to me in any case. I'm just a guard. It's up to the Council, the Magistrate, and the Warden."

"Who is the Warden, anyhow, do you know?" Corey asked, and Jennifer turned to him in surprise.

"Corey Willowby!"

"It's all right, Jennifer, it's not like I don't get asked all the time," Boltin said, not turning around. He opened the door to the visitor's room and let them in and went to get Thomas.

"Alex?" Jennifer asked.

"It's all right, I had my hand on her nearly the entire time," Severus reassured her, somehow managing to fit his other arm in his cloak pocket. "I remembered when we got here that I still had my chest open from this morning and decided to take advantage of it." He pulled the giggling baby out and handed her to her mother.

"Well, don't scare me like that again, she's been disappearing enough lately," Jennifer said.

"Nonsense, Jennifer. Surely you can trust me," Severus said.

"Well, we all know she doesn't trust me," a voice said as Icarus materialized halfway through the wall, entering and going over to them. "Smuggling babies into the prison, are we?" Icarus tsked. "The Warden won't like that."

"Oh, Icarus, please stay out of this! After all, it's Christmas."

"Ah, yes, so it is! I don't suppose any of those are for me," Icarus said glumly.

"What could anyone get a ghost for Christmas?" Corey wanted to know.

"What indeed?" Icarus nodded soberly. "So I am forgotten, left alone to spend a dreadful holiday…"

"Harassing visitors," Jennifer finished, earning a frightful pout from the melancholy ghost.

"I see how it is. Well, if you expect me to harass you, then I think I'll stick around. I wouldn't want to disillusion you by being nice," Icarus said, floating into a corner out of the way. It was then that Boltin came back with Thomas Craw, who was very surprised indeed to see the entire family there, especially Jennifer, whom he had yet to forgive after her last visit.

"Happy Christmas, Father!" Jennifer smiled.

"Happy Christmas, Grandfather!" Corey said cheerfully, handing the gifts to Boltin.

"Hello, Thomas," Severus greeted simply.

"And this is Alexandria," Jennifer said, uncovering the wriggling baby and sitting her on the table. Alexandria, who had just learned to sit up, began kicking at the magic field experimentally, not quite sure why her foot couldn't go there. Thomas bit back the words he had been planning to say to Jennifer and sat down in front of the child. He wistfully reached for her foot from the other side of the field, not able to quite touch it.

"She definitely has the Craw hair, doesn't she?" he said quietly, "and your nose too. How in the devil did you get her in here?" he asked, glancing up at them.

"Yes, I was wondering that myself," Icarus said. Boltin grimaced at the ghost.

"Please, Ick, don't get Boltin in trouble, I did rather press. If anyone should get blamed for this, it's me," Jennifer said.

"Oh, very well! I suppose I can be nice one day a year," Icarus said reluctantly. "I promise I won't tattle, but you owe me one, Professor Much-too-good-to-speak-to-ghosts-Craw." Jennifer glowered at him but didn't comment, deciding not to push her luck.

"I suppose holding her would be out of the question?" Thomas asked.

"Yes," Boltin said quickly.

"Now, Boltin, in for a penny, in for a pound. Do you really think you could get into any more trouble at this point?" Icarus said drolly.

"Thatcher, I'll promise I won't be any trouble for… oh, at least a month. Besides, you know I will not harm her," Thomas said, looking at him sincerely.

"I think you all are going to be owing me favors for awhile," Boltin grumbled, picking up the baby and muttering a spell before bringing Alex through and handing her out to him. Alex regarded her grandfather balefully.

"Goodness, I hope I don't scare her," Thomas said, taking her gingerly. His face took on a softened look that Jennifer had never seen before. Alex for her part grabbed a hold of his fading auburn hair and held on tightly, but otherwise looking rather disinterested in the entire situation. Instead, she kicked and tested the air in front of her to make sure there wasn't anything blocking her feet. "Do you suppose she minds me holding her? She doesn't know me at all," Thomas asked quietly.

"If she didn't want you holding her, she'd let you know it," Severus said dryly. Jennifer and Corey laughed and soon found themselves retelling the events of the wedding, while a thin smile slowly crept on Thomas' face. Jennifer, her quarrel over the name all seeming petty now, couldn't help but smile at them together, realizing she finally had the family Christmas that she had wanted.

Danny awoke to a frosted window and fluffy snowflakes that sparkled in the morning sun. Presents sat near the foot of the bed, and she slowly sat up to try and reach them. She was feeling much better now although the spots hadn't completely gone away, and was quite glad when a moment later Sagittari entered with a tray.

"Happy Christmas, Danny. I see you have more color in your cheeks today," Sagittari smiled, setting her breakfast tray across her lap, moving two presents sitting on top of it before removing the lid. "I hope you're hungry. Dumbledore thought you might be."

"Professor Dumbledore is back?"

"Indeed, he returned early this morning. And these two presents are from myself and your uncle. I hope you don't mind, Dumbledore wanted to take a quick look at your uncle's gift before it was delivered, but he believes you'll like it," Sagittari smiled, putting them down.

"I understand," Danny said, nodding slowly. "I mean, what happened between he and Professor Craw isn't much of a secret, and I'm sure there's much that's not publicly known about all of it."

"Yes, true enough," Sagittari agreed, looking at her thoughtfully. "How do you feel about that, Danny? Is that why you never told any of the students about your family?"

"You mean about Uncle Lucius?" Danny said. "Well, my father doesn't like him and... well, I didn't want to influence anyone who knew my cousin into thinking… it's complicated," Danny finally said, picking up one of the warm scones thoughtfully.

"But do you like him?" Sagittari asked. Danny sighed.

"Look, I know… I don't disbelieve what all I've heard about him from Corey and the others, and I know what my father thinks of him too. But my uncle has always been good to me," Danny shrugged. "He hates my father. I know he does, that's why we left Britain. He blames my father for his sister dying," Danny admitted. "But he wasn't trying to hurt me at Hogsmeade, really. We were just talking."

"Was that the only time you've seen him since you got back?" Sagittari asked. Danny grew unusually quiet, then nodded.

"He's not allowed to come to the school, you know," she explained.

"Yes, I know," Sagittari said solemnly. "I need to go check on Mr. Longbottom. He had a few scratches and bumps this morning and I need to see if he's done mending so I can release him."

"What happened to Amadeus?" Danny said with curiosity.

"Apparently he received a small box with a piece a coal in it and a card that said, 'A piece of coal for every unkind thought; may it warm your soul and heart.' He had the misfortune then of chucking it over his shoulder, and when the box turned over, it poured out a rather large amount of coal and he ended up partially buried in it. Professor Archibald came in to find out what the noise was and pulled him out. I don't suppose you know what that was all about? No? Well, I doubted that you did, but I had to ask. Still, if you find a tiny box with a lump of coal in there," Sagittari said, perusing through her packages thoughtfully. "Whatever you do, don't turn it over, and come get me," he winked. Danny nodded, chuckling softly as Sagittari left the room. It was echoed by another chuckle from above her head, and Danny looked up to see Caprica peeking in, wearing a red stocking cap she stole from who knows what painting.

"Do you think Amadeus liked his Christmas present?" Caprica winked mischievously.

"You?" Danny said with surprise, "But how did you…"

"Oh, I have my ways, but never mind that, there's one for you too. Don't worry, it's not coal," she giggled. "Don't just sit there, you have presents to open!"

Danny was glad she had a sweet tooth, because most of the presents from her fellow students included Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts and jelly Snitches. Taylor got her a tiny wind-up music box. Several of the professors got her books on different subjects, with notes to get well soon. And her cousin Draco sent her a silver and emerald cloak pin that wouldn't fly off even when she was in a full dive. After that, she found the small flat box that had no labels that she suspected she found the one she had been looking for. Opening it up, she took out a delicate silver chain with a silver heart pendant, and dangling from it suspended from thin wire was a glistening crystal, clear as ice.

"That, my dear, is a Faerie Tear," Caprica said. "My mother gave it to me when I was your age, and I never had a chance to pass it on. It's just been collecting dust in this silly old school," she smiled. "So now, I'll pass it to you. It will help protect you, and perhaps bring you some luck."

"Oh, Professor," Danny said, not exactly knowing what to say. "If there were a way to hug you I would. Thank you!"

"Tut, tut. Just put it on and take good care of it, and it will take care of you," she smiled. "It'll make me feel better knowing you have it. Happy Christmas." Danny put in on with a grin, adjusting it so it centered on her chest with a smile.

"You have one left, I see."

"Yes, Uncle Lucius' present, I was saving it for last," Danny said, reaching for it and sitting back in her bed.

"Your father didn't send you one?" Caprica asked thoughtfully.

"Oh, no, but I wasn't expecting one. He doesn't really believe in presents. He says everything in life has to be earned or paid for," Danny said, trying to wave it away. "It doesn't matter. I have all the way until summer to make up for how lousy I'm doing so far this year."

"Lousy? But you're the top third year student! Nothing lousy about that."

"But I wasn't top student in Potions or Dabbler's. I came in second in both, and to a Muggleborn… sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that way," Danny said, seeing the look on Caprica's face. "Corey is a good friend of mine, you know that. It's just, well, it's no excuse for me to be letting my marks slip, especially where my father is concerned," she explained, opening the gift.

She frowned then as she looked in the small box and twisted the piece of wood inside, grabbing a hold of it and pulling it out, as little by little the broom, a Skymaster Pro Series came out of the box. A slip of paper nestled in the bottom came out with the last tug, floating down in the air until Danny caught it and read: Win for yourself and lose for no one. Caprica moved to the painting behind Danny to read it, chuckling softly.

"Well, it's Slytherin advice to be sure, but it's true. Sometimes you just have to put yourself first," Caprica smiled.

"Strange, I always feel as if I spend entirely too much time doing things just for myself," Danny said. "Not that I don't want to succeed, I do. And I want to win too, but…"

"Everyone has their limits, Danny, even overachievers," Caprica nodded solemnly. "It's all a matter of figuring out when to throw in the towel, and when it's worth fighting back."

There was a knock at the door then, and Danny looked quickly around to the painting but Caprica had already vanished, and the old Healer stepped uncomplainingly back into her frame.

"Come in," Danny said, and the door open. Dumbledore stepped in with a smile.

"And how is our recovering Swampwart patient doing?" he asked, shutting the door behind him and sitting down beside her. "You have found your Christmas presents, I see… well, most of them, anyway."

"Most of them, sir?"

"It had occurred to me that you do not have a familiar yet, and since it'll still be a few days until you can leave quarantine…" he said, turning to a window that opened with a glance. "I thought perhaps you could use a friend," he finished, as a reddish-feathered horned owl flew down to the perch.

"For me?" Danny said with amazement.

"Redwing is a daughter from one of my most dependable post owls. Sagittari had been training her for the Owlery, but she seemed rather lonely. I thought the two of you might do well together. Oh, but don't let it get out who you got her from, we can't have students getting sick on purpose expecting special treatment," Dumbledore said.

Danny suddenly felt a pang of guilt as Redwing came over at Dumbledore's command, introducing them formally. Redwing, already satisfied by that immediately took up a perch on the headboard as if she'd always been there.

"Well, it seems our feathered friend has already adopted you," Dumbeldore smiled.

"Professor, I couldn't possibly accept her, really, but thank you…"

"It appears it's already too late for that. She likes you," Dumbledore said with a thin smile, the window closing silently behind him. "Anyhow, I wanted you to know that we are still continuing our search for who was responsible for your being sick."

"You're looking for a person?" Danny asked with alarm.

"Well, considering how highly contagious it is and you're the only one who has gotten sick, we believe that it might have been a potion that perhaps was put into something you drank," Dumbledore said evenly. "Do you have any idea who might have wanted to harm you in such a way?"

"No," Danny said quickly. "No, of course not, I really doubt that anyone else is involved who would want to harm me. I'm sure it's just one of those things," she said with a shrug.

"Perhaps you're right," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "But it would be irresponsible of us not to make sure, for your own safety," he explained. "We do worry about your safety, you know," he added, looking at her over the rim of her glasses. Suddenly he paused, noticing her necklace for the first time. "What a lovely necklace," he said in an almost surprised tone. "Did someone just give that to you for Christmas?"

"Yes, a friend of mine," she admitted, touching it with her hand. "It was hers, but she said I should have it."

"That must be one special friend you have there," Dumbledore said with a slight smile. "Make sure you take good care of it," he said, getting up.

"I will," Danny said. "Thank you for Redwing."

"You're welcome, and I hope you feel better. I'll be back some other time to discuss the potion again," Dumbledore said, glancing above her head with a quick but searching look.

He then turned and left, walking casually but quickly to the Trophy Room and gazed at the pictures above the door. He stared at Caprica for a long time at where she sat sleeping with her arms crossed over her lap in her chair, snoring softly.

"Hm," was all he said before heading back up to his study.

As much as Jennifer despised leaving Alex again, she couldn't help but be glad to get back into her old routine at Hogwarts, stocking the shelves, and preparing paperwork for Minerva. Even Rolanda seemed glad to be back, catching Alvin up on everything that happened and giving a rather embarrassing rendition of Hermione's predicament on the roof. Only Severus seemed out of sorts, waiting impatiently for Anna to get back, drumming his fingers as he set up for some tests and even started preliminary work on this year's Gauntlet. Anna arrived the same night as the students did, not answering any questions that her brother asked but smiling enigmatically as she took her place, ignoring him. And since Jennifer was not supporting his nosiness, Severus had to settle with just knowing she was back safe and sound. Corey, too, was glad to be back, showing off his wedding pictures to his friends.

"We didn't really have time to go anywhere else. The Professors really wanted to get back, but it was fun anyhow," Corey was telling them. "I'm gonna try and talk Madame Hughes… Black, I mean, to let me do my next paper on it, with all the Muggles there and all. But then it all got strange when the Imp got in, and it tried to steal Alex from Professor Craw in front of all those Muggles even. She's all right now, of course. Everyone is. But lots of Muggles that went to the wedding knows what's what now."

"But how did an Imp get in? Did anybody get in trouble?"

"I don't think so, considering Vallid's one of their highest officers and all, and it was clearly not our fault. But I heard Snape talking to Craw later, and he said something about there had been a threat earlier against Madame Black. The family's got loads of enemies, no mistake about that," Corey said.

"Including Malfoy," Gail pointed out. "What do you think of your Slytherin friend now, Corey? I mean, do you think she's all right, considering who she's related to?"

"Nelson's all right, it's not like we can pick our relatives," Doug defended. "She never wants to talk about it, probably not to upset Corey. Just because she's a Slytherin doesn't mean she's a bad person."

"I know that," Gail said. "Lisa's all right, I sit by her and her brother in Charms class. I just mean that I'd hate to be her, she's probably stuck in the middle pretty tight there."

"Well, I'm going to see how she's doing after dinner," Corey said. "Doctor Sagittari told Craw she's not contagious anymore and will probably be returning to class tomorrow, so long as she isn't running a temperature."

True to his word, Corey and Doug met Taylor and Essie for a quick run up to the hospital wing before bed check, and after a bit of pleading with Pomfrey were allowed in for a few moments. Danny couldn't be happier to see them, putting down her half-eaten dinner and her third year Potion book as they came in.

"Oh, don't tell me you're studying already," Corey said, making a face.

"Professor Craw said I could make up the Potion midterm whenever I felt ready, and I'd just as soon get it over with," Danny admitted. "I suppose you aced it as always."

"Well, not aced," Corey said. "I did miss a couple."

"I missed a lot, and I guess the rest of the class didn't do well either," Taylor told her. "We were all too worried about you."

"I'm sorry you were worried, but I am a lot better now," Danny reassured him.

"What exactly happened to you, anyhow, Danny?" Doug asked. "I mean, that morning you were fine, and next thing I know, I hear you've passed out on the floor and turned spots."

"Just one of those things, I guess," Danny shrugged.

"Well, I don't think so. In fact, I know exactly who we have to blame for it, one of the other member's of the Dabbler's class. Amadeus Longbottom," Corey said, nodding at Danny's surprised look. "He's been angry at you ever since that last game and I know it, I bet he slipped something in your drink at lunch. I know you always sit with the team."

"Oh, come on, Corey," Danny snorted. "Longbottom's potion craft is as flat and lifeless as he is. I doubt he'd be able to come up with a potion like that. Besides, why would he bother? We already know poisons from class that'd put me out of commission for nearly as long that would be much simpler to construct."

"Whoever did it probably just wanted to make it look like it was a normal occurrence," Doug said.

"Oh, you're all letting your imagination run away with yourselves," Danny sighed.

"Not just us. Taylor, Essie, you don't think that could have been just one of those things anymore than we do, do you?" Doug asked him.

"I don't really know enough to make an opinion," Essie shrugged. "I stink at potions."

"I think perhaps we should just leave the whole thing up to the Professors," Taylor suggested. "I'm just glad that Danny's getting back to her old self again."

"Welcome back, Corey and fellow troublemakers," Caprica said, stepping into one of the paintings. "How good it is to have you all back!"

"Hello, Professor!" Corey grinned. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, just hanging around," Caprica joked, "a little of this and that, and keeping Danny company. I did miss all of you, though, you'll have to come up and visit me… when you're not late for turning into your dorms that is."

"Oh, no, we're going to get in trouble, aren't we?" Essie asked, jumping up.

"Now, don't panic. Caprica isn't going to snitch any more than Sagittari will, but we'd best get moving," Corey said. "See you in the morning, Danny, glad you're feeling better!"

"Goodnight Corey, Taylor, Doug, and Essie. I am glad you're all back," Danny said as they left.

"They really care about you, you know," Caprica said thoughtfully, looking down at her. "They're only trying to help, about finding out about the potion, I mean."

"I know," Danny said, picking up her books again.

"You could try confiding in them, at least, if you won't speak to the professors," Caprica suggested.

"No, I wouldn't want to worry them. I can manage. I have things under control now," Danny reassured her.

"Yes, well, I've heard that before," Caprica said. "Don't stay up too late, dear, don't forget you have class tomorrow," she said before moving out of the frame.

Danny sighed with irritation, not even wanting to think of what Caprica was hinting at. How could she tell anyone? It'd only make things worse. Besides, she felt safe at Hogwarts, and if she studied enough, she'd be back in first in no time. All she wanted was to head back to class and pick up where she left off. After all, now she had until summer before she would have to worry about going home, and by then, she'll have risen back to head of her year again.