Severus watched Jane sleeping. It was lunch time, but he had noticed she ate little, and slept immediately after. Complex did not begin to descibe Jane. The dreams she had bothered him, mostly because she did not have a vocabulary large whough to describe them. And she still reminded him of someone or some thing he could not place.
Which reminded him, there were books he had checked out from the library to help him. They were books he read often, and he thought that this perhaps was the reason he thought he recognized Jane from somewhere else. Taking Famous Witches and Wizards out of the stack, he turned to the index.
Skimming through the index, his finger stopped suddenly. There, listed in the index was the entry: Grey, Lady Jane. Surprised, Severus turned to the appropriate page. There was a full color plate of the nine-day queen. He looked over the book to the sleeping child, and glanced back at the picture. They could have been twins.
"Jane Grey. I should have known," he sighed. He looked back over at Jane. She stirred in her sleep, but settled after a few moments.
Deciding he needed answers that his book could not possibly provide, Severus took a pinch of floo power and went to stand in the fireplace. He paused, looking over at Jane, and with a sigh fetched her a blanket. There was no way he would leave her alone with a fire going in the fireplace. After a moment of watching her sleep, he shook himself and turned back to more important matters.
"Headmaster's office," he called out as he dropped the pinch of floo powder. Unlike most others, he could actually step out of the fireplace, without falling, or hurting himself in the slightest.
"Severus, what a nice surprise. As a matter of fact, Minerva and I were just speaking about you. Please do come sit with us."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said, even though inwardly he shuddered at the thought of sharing a room with McGonagall. They just never got along too well, most especially when it came down to students, and how they should be treated.
"Now, Severus, what was it you wished to see me about on a Saturday?" Dumbledore asked.
"Who is Jane?"
"Now that is a question," Dumbledore acknowledged, before MCGonagall could say anything.
"Now just a minute. What makes you think Albus can answer that question, Severus?"
"Because he already knows her name, her mother, and, it seems, her father. None of which anyone besides Owena could possibly know."
"I must confess, I had to use Owena to verify the details. Jane Grey is the last living descendant of Lady Jane Grey, who- as you both may recall from your Magical History classes- was one of the most powerful witches of her time."
"Albus, the girl was fifteen when she died! She could not have possibly-"
"Minerva, please. I will tell the story as Owena and Nicholas Flamel told it to me. Lady Jane was married, as you might recall. And it was noted by Lady Jane shortly before her imprisonment that she might be pregnant.
"She wrote to Queen Mary, telling her of the predicament. She offered an exchange: her life for the life of her child. Mary accepted, and they both settled back to wait for the birth of her child. The girl, named Mary Grey- after her benefactor- was taken from Jane the moment she was born and whisked away to a small estate where she was largely ignored. Her story is interesting, but unimportant at this time.
"Jane, our Jane, is Lady Jane's descendant. Owena seems to believe our Jane may be something more than she appears. What, I do not know, because she refuses to tell me. That is all I know. Perhaps you can shed some light on the situation, Severus? You have spent a great deal of time with her during the last few weeks."
"She has dreams. . . She said she was dreaming about Jane. She doesn't yet have the words to describe them, but they are not pleasant."
"Anything more?" Dumbledore seemed very curious, but Severus had nothing more to give.
"Nothing that she has expressed to me. But she has a distinct lack of vocabulary, for all her intelligence."
"How old is she, Albus?" Minerva asked.
"That is harder to say. I did not think to ask Owena, but I can send her owl."
"Then we should ask for Jane's background. We don't know much about her history, after Fudge insisted on sending us out." McGonagall was still sore about that.
"I, for one, do not see the point in reading her history. If she does not volunteer information, I see no point in prying."
"That may be fine for you Severus, but some of us would like to know what's going on."
"Settle down, Minerva. Severus has a right to proceed as he wishes, as do you. I will inform you of her age, and whatever else you wish to know, Severus. Was there anything else?"
"No. I should get back to Jane." Severus rose to leave.
"I'm sure she's still sleeping."
Which reminded him, there were books he had checked out from the library to help him. They were books he read often, and he thought that this perhaps was the reason he thought he recognized Jane from somewhere else. Taking Famous Witches and Wizards out of the stack, he turned to the index.
Skimming through the index, his finger stopped suddenly. There, listed in the index was the entry: Grey, Lady Jane. Surprised, Severus turned to the appropriate page. There was a full color plate of the nine-day queen. He looked over the book to the sleeping child, and glanced back at the picture. They could have been twins.
"Jane Grey. I should have known," he sighed. He looked back over at Jane. She stirred in her sleep, but settled after a few moments.
Deciding he needed answers that his book could not possibly provide, Severus took a pinch of floo power and went to stand in the fireplace. He paused, looking over at Jane, and with a sigh fetched her a blanket. There was no way he would leave her alone with a fire going in the fireplace. After a moment of watching her sleep, he shook himself and turned back to more important matters.
"Headmaster's office," he called out as he dropped the pinch of floo powder. Unlike most others, he could actually step out of the fireplace, without falling, or hurting himself in the slightest.
"Severus, what a nice surprise. As a matter of fact, Minerva and I were just speaking about you. Please do come sit with us."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said, even though inwardly he shuddered at the thought of sharing a room with McGonagall. They just never got along too well, most especially when it came down to students, and how they should be treated.
"Now, Severus, what was it you wished to see me about on a Saturday?" Dumbledore asked.
"Who is Jane?"
"Now that is a question," Dumbledore acknowledged, before MCGonagall could say anything.
"Now just a minute. What makes you think Albus can answer that question, Severus?"
"Because he already knows her name, her mother, and, it seems, her father. None of which anyone besides Owena could possibly know."
"I must confess, I had to use Owena to verify the details. Jane Grey is the last living descendant of Lady Jane Grey, who- as you both may recall from your Magical History classes- was one of the most powerful witches of her time."
"Albus, the girl was fifteen when she died! She could not have possibly-"
"Minerva, please. I will tell the story as Owena and Nicholas Flamel told it to me. Lady Jane was married, as you might recall. And it was noted by Lady Jane shortly before her imprisonment that she might be pregnant.
"She wrote to Queen Mary, telling her of the predicament. She offered an exchange: her life for the life of her child. Mary accepted, and they both settled back to wait for the birth of her child. The girl, named Mary Grey- after her benefactor- was taken from Jane the moment she was born and whisked away to a small estate where she was largely ignored. Her story is interesting, but unimportant at this time.
"Jane, our Jane, is Lady Jane's descendant. Owena seems to believe our Jane may be something more than she appears. What, I do not know, because she refuses to tell me. That is all I know. Perhaps you can shed some light on the situation, Severus? You have spent a great deal of time with her during the last few weeks."
"She has dreams. . . She said she was dreaming about Jane. She doesn't yet have the words to describe them, but they are not pleasant."
"Anything more?" Dumbledore seemed very curious, but Severus had nothing more to give.
"Nothing that she has expressed to me. But she has a distinct lack of vocabulary, for all her intelligence."
"How old is she, Albus?" Minerva asked.
"That is harder to say. I did not think to ask Owena, but I can send her owl."
"Then we should ask for Jane's background. We don't know much about her history, after Fudge insisted on sending us out." McGonagall was still sore about that.
"I, for one, do not see the point in reading her history. If she does not volunteer information, I see no point in prying."
"That may be fine for you Severus, but some of us would like to know what's going on."
"Settle down, Minerva. Severus has a right to proceed as he wishes, as do you. I will inform you of her age, and whatever else you wish to know, Severus. Was there anything else?"
"No. I should get back to Jane." Severus rose to leave.
"I'm sure she's still sleeping."