Chapter Twenty-One

Getting Baited

"Absolutely positively out of the question."

"Oh, come now, Sirius, do you seriously think that if there were any danger that I would go along with it? We'll all be there, including Dumbledore. It'll be no more dangerous than her having to go home with you every night," Severus said, rolling his eyes at Sirius. Sirius glared at him.

"In that case, how come you're not using Jennifer as bait?" Sirius challenged him.

"Isn't that a bit obvious?" Severus said, pointing at Jennifer's stomach.

"Look, even if we did use me, I'm not so sure the wraith would be attracted to me considering my magic energy level is so low right now," Jennifer said calmly. "The fact is that nearly every time the Wraith has shown up, Anna is somewhere nearby. Her energy level is different from a normal witch and is probably attracting it. And she's quite capable of defending herself, especially after the last few weeks of training. Besides, if you ask me, it's not your decision, it's hers."

"She's my wife," Sirius said.

"Please, don't remind me." Severus said, rubbing his temples.

"Would you all just stop bickering?" Anna said, glaring at all three of them and debating to throw them out of the office. "Tell Dumbledore I'll do it. If it is attracted to me like you say, then the chances are that either me or someone around me will get hurt even if we don't try it, so it's safer to do it when we're in control over the situation," she said, looking over at Sirius stubbornly. "I'm not going to risk losing you again. Discussion is closed." Sirius gave her a look that indicated he thought this discussion was far from closed, but Jennifer, picking up on the exchange, quickly got up.

"Good, I'll let the Professor know and we'll talk to the centaurs about how we're going to go about this," Jennifer said. "We'd better get going anyhow since the Sparring Club tournament continues tonight. Doug and Danny are sparring, so it should be a good match."

"For Slytherin, at any rate," Severus nodding, allowing himself to be coaxed out of the room. Sirius closed the door behind them.

"The more he changes, the more he stays the same," Sirius muttered, turning his attention back to Anna.

"Sounds like someone else I know," Anna said, turning back to her work.

Jennifer was glad they were finally over the first elimination rounds, for the first few weeks of the tournament ran incredibly long for the referees. Still, this was also the first night they didn't have extra judges, so it would probably still prove to be a long night.

It was just as Jennifer finished lining everyone up for sparring that she heard a soft knock on the open doorway. Minerva walked in just ahead of Byron Nelson, who looked about the room thoughtfully.

"Mr. Nelson has requested to come watch the club tonight, if it's quite alright?" Minerva asked, getting a nod from Severus.

"Of course, he's more than welcome," Jennifer said, smiling with a warmth she really didn't feel.

Nelson walked over to take a seat near the front, his Muggle style dress abandoned in favor in well-tailored black robes with an ornate gold clasp. As Jennifer moved to take her place she couldn't help but glance at Danny, who hadn't reacted to him being there at all. Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything to her here, especially with Severus and herself on the watch, Jennifer thought. But there was something in his look that disturbed her; a hatred for both Severus and herself that had blossomed over the holiday. Did he actually blame them for what happened to Danny? No, Jennifer mused, glancing at his face again, he seemed to think it was –

"Professor? Are you alright?" Jennifer's eyes darted up to Severus, feeling Nelson's eyes suddenly turned to her as well. She had missed a signal, she realized, clearing her throat.

"Sorry, go ahead," Jennifer said.

Severus frowned slightly but didn't say anything, turning his attention to running the students in the club through their sparring forms, practicing block and attack stances while Jennifer watched the back lines to make sure everyone was doing them properly. It was a short routine, for Severus had no intention of having to stay up any longer than necessary, rather just long enough that everyone was warmed up and ready to enter the ring. The two of them took only a moment to glance over the charts when Severus leaned over, lowering his voice.

"Let's switch the third match. I'll take the Nelson Brim match, and you can take the Wyatt Brittle match," Severus said. Jennifer nodded and their two names switched on the ring chart. Wyatt and Doug groaned softly, alerting others to the change, including Byron, who raised an eyebrow at the board as they turned to head to their places

"Is there any particular reason you decided to change my daughter's ring at the last moment?" Byron asked as Severus walked by.

"Yes," Severus said, nodding to him. "Because I'm the head supervisor of this club and I wanted to. I often judge some of the more interesting matches myself."

"Surely this match of my daughter's is not going to be all of that interesting, not against a Brim," Nelson chuckled. "I doubt it will last long enough to make it worth refereeing, and I wouldn't want you to change your schedule just on my presence here. Or is there something about your wife's judging skills that you don't want me to see?"

Jennifer pretended she hadn't heard, stepping up to her position before meeting Severus' gaze again.

"On the contrary, she's more strict than I am in this matter. However…"

"In which case, if you would indulge me, I would much rather that the match go on as intended with Craw judging, for I expect my daughter to follow the most stringent standards. Provided that the standards are to be applied to everyone, of course," Byron said. Severus looked at him steadily for a long time, quite sure that no matter which way he chose, Nelson would find a way to twist it.

"Very well. Professor, our previous schedule then," Severus said. Jennifer nodded, easily picking up the look of warning. "Enough chatter, we've got a lot of matches to cover. Begin."

Her first match of Roger Baylor and Julie Brim proved to be a good one, for the Hufflepuff girl had had to learn how to hold her own against the outnumbering Slytherin "Snake-year" students.

The tough defense she had learned from the halls and classrooms transformed to pure energy in the sparring ring, and she was on her guard for any tricks that he might try. Jennifer had seen that emerge from many of the non-Slytherin fourth years… the members of the other three houses had become unusually sharp and aggressive in both schoolwork and sport, and it was slowly beginning to balance out the larger house. It was with satisfaction that Jennifer awarded the match to Julie when she was able to pull off a Phantom Gust mere seconds before he cast his Queasy spell. Perry then achieved a quick win for Gryffindor in the next match, helping them tie Slytherin for overall wins in the tournament.

Jennifer took a moment to glance over at Severus, who was still concentrating on his second match. She called Doug and Danny over, wishing them good luck as they took their positions. Danny, with the grace of a cat, easily dodged Doug's first move as it began. Jennifer wasn't surprised when Danny quickly got Doug on the defensive, for although his technique had improved a great deal over the last year, he was no match for the professionally instructed girl. Yet just as the match was nearly decided, Danny made a terrible move that perhaps Jennifer would have overlooked in hindsight had she known the consequences. So determined was Jennifer to play by the rules that the moment that when Danny cast, "Cockatrix videre!" and Doug's stony form hit the mat, Jennifer stood up quickly before anyone could cheer.

"Bench penalty on Nelson for using dark magic in the ring. Match awarded to Doug Brim," Jennifer said. Danny grimaced, realizing her mistake. But before she could turn and counter the spell on Doug, Byron Nelson was in front of Jennifer, looking furious.

"What do you mean by penalizing my daughter for using that spell? It's legal in nearly all of the sparring leagues…"

"This isn't a professional sparring club, Mr. Nelson," Jennifer interrupted him. "Hogwarts rules states that no dark magic spell may be cast by students outside of Defense class, and that rule applies to this club also. They are all well aware of that, including your daughter. Stone Gaze is by all accounts a major dark spell, and there are many much less harmful spells she could have used that have similar but less dangerous results. The ruling stands. Danny, if you would help Doug out of the ring, please?"

"So, what you are saying is that because my daughter's strength lies in the less subtle arts she is to be penalized for her talents? As well as many others in Slytherin who I'm sure possess the same qualities? How ironic, coming from a Craw," he snarled.

"Learning to discipline one's talents is not discouraging them, Mr. Nelson. As someone who is obviously a strict disciplinarian in his own right, you should know that." Jennifer said coolly back.

"Strange how your brand of 'discipline' always seems to fall so much more harshly on students who either oppose your son or give him too much competition."

"I'm not going to argue the subject anymore," Jennifer said. "Your daughter's match is over, she lost, so you might as well leave now."

"I'm not leaving until you retract your decision," Nelson said, gazing at her threateningly. "That boy was no match for her from the start, and the only reason you called her on the spell was because he's your precious son's friend."

"Danny is my son's friend as well," Jennifer pointed out. "And it wouldn't matter who cast it in any case, I'd still have thrown them out."

Gritting his teeth to try and control the intense anger and hatred that was boiling to the surface, Nelson grabbed a hold of Jennifer's arm in a tight, painful grasp as he leaned over to talk to her.

"My daughter would never stoop to befriending someone of that ilk, Professor. And it's time that you and the rest of this school realized that some parents will not tolerate this sort of behavior anymore. I suggest you do as you're told before you find yourself and your husband without a job and your family out on the streets."

Suddenly a shadow appeared over them as Severus had quietly but rapidly moved in front of them. His face was more pallid then normal as he regarded Nelson with a cold hatred that surprised even Jennifer.

"Mr. Nelson, I suggest you take your hand off my wife immediately before I decide to remove it for you," Severus said in a calm, deadly voice.

"Your wife seems to have a lot of trouble with keeping an unbiased opinion. My daughter won the match and yet she found a way to give it to Brim on a technicality," Nelson accused, loosening his grip but not completely letting her go. Jennifer stared at him in disbelief.

"Casting a dark spell is hardly a technicality!" Jennifer snapped angrily.

"And if your daughter had won, what other excuse would you have come up with to try to instigate us against you?" Severus asked bluntly. "You didn't come up here to see your daughter, Nelson. You came up here because you have some strange notion that we were behind your daughter's illness and you wanted to get even. Now, for the second and last time, remove your hand."

As Byron and Severus regarded each other as if waiting for the other to move, Jennifer was aware of a shuffle of students backing away and it reminded her of where they were.

Jennifer managed to shrug herself away and take a step back, resisting the urge to rub her aching arm as she looked around for Danny. The girl was standing off to the side next to Taylor, watching the scene with a pale face, attempting with some difficulty to stay as expressionless as possible.

"Professor Craw, please continue here while I escort Mr. Nelson back to the gate," Severus said, not taking his eyes off of him.

"Certainly," Jennifer said, stepping over to where the students were lingering by the wand stands, going over to Danny.

But before she had time to ask Danny if she was all right, Jennifer heard Byron mutter something she didn't quite catch. Whatever it was, it resulted in an immediate reaction from Severus as he turned around and belted Nelson in the face, hard enough to send him flying to the floor.

Wasting no time, Jennifer whipped out her wand and pointed it at Byron. She was quite surprised to find that nearly all the students on her side of the room had done the same, having grabbed their wands a moment before. Even some of the Slytherin, including Wyatt and the Starling twins, had grabbed their wands, and Jennifer wondered if Danny perhaps might have disclosed more to her housemates than Jennifer had previously thought.

Severus held his right hand with his left in such a way that Jennifer was quite sure he'd injured it. He was also breathing hard and doing everything he could to get a leash on his own temper. Jennifer stepped up beside him, her wand still pointed at Byron whose face was red with anger as he got to his feet.

"How dare you strike me in front of my own daughter?" Byron shouted.

"Actually, I've been wanting to do that for months," Severus said starkly back. It was then that Minerva hurried in with a wide-eyed look on her face as she surveyed the situation.

"What is going on in here? Mr. Nelson, good heavens, what happened to you?"

"McGonagall! I want that man discharged at once for striking a parent, and in front of students!" Byron said, glaring at Severus furiously. Minerva turned to Severus in complete shock.

"Professor Snape? Is this true?"

"Professor, while I admit that I might have just broken my hand on Mr. Nelson's jaw, I would like to officially deny that I struck anyone who even remotely resembles a parent." Severus said icily.

"Why I'll…"

"Gentlemen, please!" Minerva said firmly. "I think we're quite done with the tournament tonight, and I'm sure you could all do with some rest after this excitement," she said to the students. "Please return to your dormitories. If I hear of any of this matter in the halls or classrooms tomorrow, there will be stiff point penalties for the guilty parties. Good night."

"Danny, you stay," Byron said as the girl turned to the door.

"Mr. Nelson, I hardly think that's necessary. I'm sure I can discuss this with her in the morning," Minerva said.

"The matter concerns her as well, since the reason this entire situation got out of hand was because after my daughter won her spar, Craw gave the match to her son's best friend on a technicality," Nelson glowered. "This gross bias favoring Willowby and his band has got to be stopped, in and out of the classroom."

"Professor McGonagall?" Danny said, stepping up beside Jennifer. "Professor, this is all my fault. I forgot myself and cast a dark spell at the end of the match. I was trained using them and sometimes I cast by instinct. Professor Craw was right that I cast it, and even if she wasn't, every student knows the judge has last word on benching a student. If anyone should be blamed it's me, not them," Danny confessed. The look he gave her in response chilled Jennifer to the bone, and she found herself stepping in front of the girl.

"I hardly think you can blame yourself for what happened, Miss Nelson, but thank you for clearing up the dispute about the match," Minerva replied. "Mr. Nelson, dark spells and curses are forbidden if used in Hogwarts outside of Defense class or without direct supervision, which means that Craw was perfectly right to bench her. As for favoring Mr. Willowby, as you can see, he's not here, nor is he even allowed in the Sparring Club. But since we're on the subject, ever since you filed a complaint with the board, I have been monitoring Craw's work quite carefully. It's not the first time such an accusation of favoritism has been brought up, by the way. The first complaint came from your brother-in-law, Mr. Malfoy," she said. Jennifer didn't miss the spark of hatred that came into Byron's eyes upon hearing the name. "And just like then, I found that if anything, Craw seemed to be unusually hard on the boy. Otherwise, I found no justification for a complaint of favoritism under any circumstances in official school business. Oh, and that statement has already been filed with the board, so if you wish to check with the governors I'm sure they'll be happy to show you the copy. Your daughter is a brilliant girl, Mr. Nelson, but nobody is perfect in everything. Of course, if anyone were perfect, I doubt we would even be having this conversation," Minerva added.

"Be that as it may, it doesn't justify his violent response to our argument over it. Snape still had no right to attack me in front of the students and I demand that he is released at once!" Byron said firmly.

"Mr. Nelson, would you still be demanding for his being let go if he attacked you on school property without the students being present?" Minerva asked.

"Of course, he had no right…"

"Then let's just leave the fact that the students were here out of the discussion, shall we? That concern is the responsibility of the board, Professor Dumbledore, and myself, and really doesn't concern you at all," Minerva said, ignoring the dark look on Nelson's face. "Now, your side of this is that Professor Snape attacked you for arguing with Craw?"

"Yes, as I was leaving at his insistence." Byron said. Minerva looked over at Severus, who was listening with an almost expressionless face. A sliver of disgust appeared in Severus' dark eyes.

"Mr. Nelson isn't telling you the entire story of the argument itself, as I'm sure Jennifer will be happy to confirm. As for my actions, I was provoked, and I felt… and still feel… that under the circumstances, it was a very restrained response," Severus replied.

"How were you provoked?" Minerva prompted.

"I do not want to discuss it in front of a student," Severus said. Jennifer looked up at him curiously but Severus quickly turned her head back around with his working hand. Apparently he didn't want to discuss it in front of her, either. "I was provoked intentionally in hopes that I would react in such a way that it would get me sacked, and although I do regret allowing myself to be baited, I do not regret the action I took. In fact, I also rather regret that I hadn't broken his jaw as well as my hand," he added for good measure.

Minerva sighed softly, shaking her head disapprovingly at him.

"Jennifer, anything to add?" she asked.

"Only that Byron nearly wrenched my arm out when he yanked me over to discuss Danny's match, which is really what started the entire thing. Not that I couldn't have managed," Jennifer admitted, "but Severus was already wary that Mr. Nelson was after more game than the one his daughter was sparring in so he stepped in right away. That's when he was asked to leave."

"Preposterous! I only came to monitor my daughter's progress after this school had her quarantined over a matter they have yet to explain!" Byron snarled. "How dare you make such accusations?"

"How dare you make accusations about Professor Craw?" Severus retorted.

"That's quite enough, I've heard all I need to hear," Minerva interrupted, shaking her head. "Professor Snape, you will report to Dumbledore's study first thing in the morning to discuss the consequences of your actions. Professor Craw, if you would escort Danny to her dorm, that'd be most helpful. I'll walk Mr. Nelson out myself."

"Consequences? The consequences should be plain. I want him dismissed now."

"Mr. Nelson, Professor Snape is a senior staff member, therefore only the Headmaster himself can make such a decision. You do, of course, have the right to file a complaint with the Ministry or the board of governors, but the initial decision is up to him," Minerva said sternly.

"This is ridiculous! I will not support a second rate school which allows staff members to recklessly behave in such a way!" Byron said, grabbing onto Danny's arm and pulling her to him forcefully. "I wouldn't have even let her stay this long had my brother-n-law not been condemned from the place. Well, she's not staying another night here, not as long as either one of them are teaching!" he said, storming out with Danny in tow.

"I'll make sure he doesn't take any detours," Severus said, quickly tailing them.

"No, wait!" Jennifer said, running out into the hallway just as they disappeared down the stairs.

"Jennifer, you can't stop him," Minerva warned. "We can't force him to keep her here, you know that."

"I'll go to the Ministry and file a blasted injunction tonight!" Jennifer said, "We can't just stand here!"

Just then, Jennifer heard Danny, calling out a name in a panicked voice. As Jennifer ran out to the hallway, she heard another voice, calling Danny's name in return. Looking in the Trophy Room, Jennifer didn't see anyone, and was about to brush it off when she heard an eerily familiar voice.

"Jennifer, you're not going to be able to help her tonight, no matter what you do. Save it until the morning. Don't worry, she's not going unprotected," the woman's voice said. Jennifer looked around curiously, not seeing anyone but Minerva down the corridor, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "I'm right here, child, right above you. And don't think I'm not worried about the girl as well, she's told me things I doubt she's told anyone else."

Jennifer took a few steps back looking above the door, her face turning as white as a sheet as she saw who was speaking.

"Whatever you do, don't you dare give up until we've got her away from him," Caprica finished, a spark of determination in her eyes.

"M…Minerva?" Jennifer blurted out. "MINERVA!" The other woman rushed in, looking up at where the younger Professor was standing, staring at the portrait.

"Gracious heavens, she's awake!" Minerva exclaimed with the same surprised reaction that Jennifer had the moment before.

"We've got to tell Dumbledore," Jennifer said. Caprica sighed softly, and shook her head at them.

"There's no need to panic…"

"Stay here, and don't let her out of your sight! I'm going to go send for him right away," Minerva said, rushing out the door.

"Honestly, I swear that any time any of us wake up, it's scream this and panic that. I am so glad I asked those children to keep it quiet so I could get up to date on the goings on of this place. But I just have to say, my goodness, you've been busy, haven't you, descendant of Janus," Caprica said with a look of such mischief that for a moment she reminded Jennifer of Dumbledore.

"Children… you mean, students, don't you… oh no, you're the painting they've been talking to! Corey and the others…" Jennifer said. "Great stars, how long have you been awake?"

"Since Halloween, to be perfectly honest. Now, Jennifer, please don't get upset with the boy, he meant no harm, and I think I might have woken up on my own anyhow. I was only dozing…"

"Craters! Corey was the one that had to clean the Trophy Room that night!" Jennifer realized with a groan.

"Goodness, no need for that sort of language, dear. It's not the end of the world. That only comes when all of us are awake," Caprica laughed. "No, dear, please relax. Pull up a chair and put your feet up, there's no need to wear out the floor."

It wasn't long after Jennifer bit off the last of the nails that she heard footsteps and Severus turned in with a watch in hand and a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong? The ring has been flashing grey and white ever since I left," he asked. Jennifer simply pointed up and his eyes followed, widening when the portrait smiled and waved her fingers at him.

"Hello, Severus dear, I'm Professor Dusthorn, first appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts. I suppose this means Danny's gone?" she asked in a much more somber voice. "She and I spoke quite a bit when we were in quarantine. If only I weren't just a painting."

"Wait, if she knows Danny, how long has this thing been awake?" Severus demanded.

"This thing? Well, I like that," Caprica sniffed.

"Halloween," Jennifer replied reluctantly. "A student woke her." Severus blinked at her then groaned.

"I should have known," Severus muttered under his breath. "Yes, Danny and her father left, Professor. He got exactly what he wanted, and I played right into it."

"Don't blame yourself, Severus, it's not your fault he's the way he is," Jennifer told him gently.

"What's done is done, you're only human, after all, and professors at that. Oh, we might be able to pull off a miracle from time to time, but there are limits," Caprica said. "All that's important now is to find a way to get her back to Hogwarts and into a safer home."

"What are we going to tell the students when they ask where she went?" Jennifer asked softly.

"Oh, I'm sure they're figure it out after what just happened," Severus said with a scowl. "What we need to be doing now is pulling all of the information we've collected and hand it over to the Ministry. It's really out of our hands now, and all we can do is offer what we know and hope it's enough."

It was then that Dumbledore arrived, looking quite calm and unsurprised while Minerva followed behind him, looking much more anxious.

"I had a feeling when that necklace showed up again that it was you, Caprica," Dumbledore said, looking sternly up at the painting. "It certainly explains some of the odd events that have been happening in the school over the last few months."

"I'm sorry, Albus, but there were things I had to do before I spoke with you. I'm not here for you, you know. I woke up for entirely different reasons," she reassured him. "But in the process, I've made some friends, and one of which you know is in danger right now. Not that her alternatives are that much better, since I assume you know by now where she got the potion from." Dumbledore nodded to her.

"Yes, I learned that when I went to visit her in the hospital wing. The day she had gotten sick, she had gone to the station and met her uncle there. He was the one who gave her the potion, to give her an alternative to going home should she choose to drink it," Dumbledore said.

"Malfoy was at the station?" Severus scowled, thinking that was much closer than he would have liked.

"What was he thinking, giving Danny a potion like that?" Minerva asked.

"The point is that she decided to take it herself," Jennifer said. "Probably knowing full well what the potion did…if that's not a cry for help, nothing is. We can't just leave her there."

"Jennifer, I know what you're thinking," Dumbledore said, shaking her head at her. "But I can't possibly give you permission to go after her. We're not her parents, and like it or not, we're going to have to do it by the book this time," he said gently. "I suggest you prepare statements for the Ministry. I will talk to Arthur myself about this matter, and I think I'll take Anna with me; she has quite a bit of experience with this sort of thing in the Muggle courts. In the meantime, perhaps the two of you should head to the hospital wing to get that hand looked at while I discuss some things with Professor Dusthorn. Oh, and Severus… seven o'clock sharp tomorrow, and I suggest that you don't make any extended plans for the next few months," he said, looking at him over the rim of his glasses. Severus grimaced and nodded at the Professor before following Jennifer down the corridor.

"Don't be too hard on them, Albus. Those two still have a long road ahead of them," Caprica said with a smile. Minerva frowned at the painting, but Dumbledore nodded.

"That much, I think, is certain," he agreed.