Chapter Two

Enemies, Friends, and Family

As always after Corey's birthday, Jennifer found her thoughts turning towards getting ready for the school year. It wasn't long before she had gotten out the inventory list for her class and drew up her personal list, ready for a trip to the farmland north of Carmarthen. There, on a dirt-trodden path in a stone cottage covered with vines, was the chosen apothecary for both the school and the Snape family.

Although the cottage fairly large even from the outside, it was so filled with bottles, jars, barrels, bins, and freshly hung herbs that it seemed quite cramped, the odd mingling of smells ticking the nose and yet clearing the senses. A plump fair-haired woman whisked around the shop in a blue dress and an apron embroidered with roses, chatting with the customers and helping them get their orders ready. Her three-year-old daughter followed her shyly, holding onto her mother's skirts and hiding behind them any time anyone came in. Alerted by the bell over the door, Ashley glanced over with a bright smile and a wave as Jennifer and Corey came in, taking a moment to call out to the back room before continuing what she was doing. A wizened old man, who appeared quite ancient indeed, carefully walked over to the counter in tiny steps, his nose lifted slightly so that his small eyes could survey the two approaching from his spectacles.

"Professor Craw, isn't it? That time of year again already? How is... the tall fellow?"

"Professor Snape, he's fine, thank you, Mr. Witolf. I have his list along with mine, and the school's list as well. Do you mind if I go ahead and get the bin items? My son can help as well, he's quite good with ingredients…"

"That's alright, we'll manage," Witolf assured her and held his hand out. Jennifer handed the old man the lists with a sigh and smile. Within no time his granddaughter was behind them, glancing over his shoulder and plucking the longest list out of his hands.

"I'll just give you a hand, Granda, it is a terribly long list and I'm sure the Professor has other errands to run," Ashley said, whisking quickly away with the school list.

"Everyone is always in such a rush," Glen Witolf sighed, shaking his head as he slowly made his way around the counter. "No one takes the time to actually look around and smell the flowers any more," he complained, finally making his way to the first bin. "Thank you for recommending the Herbologist. He's been a good supplier."

"Oh good, I was hoping that would work out for the two of you. Mr. Longbottom used to be a student of ours, one of Sprout's best," Jennifer said. Quickly she moved to raise the bin cover that the old man was struggling with, holding it up for him.

Corey in the meantime was following the woman around curiously, the toddler gazing up at him with a smile, but hiding in her mother's skirts any time he looked her way. Corey couldn't help but be a little taken by the woman's voice. It had such a lilting accent to it and he rather liked to hear her talk with other customers as she filled the orders.

It was as Jennifer was insisting to carry a rather heavy box of crystallized Dragonsmoke to the counter that Corey looked up to see a rather unlikely pair enter the shop. Wasting no time, Corey pushed his way through the narrow walkway and over to his Mom, tugging at her insistently to turn around. Jennifer turned and exhaled loudly then frowned in annoyance, for it was no one other than Lucius Malfoy and his niece, Danyelle. His own expression was one of intense displeasure and open wariness.

"Well, if it isn't Lucius Malfoy," Jennifer said after a moment. "How odd that we keep bumping into each other like this. It seems that every time I leave the house, there you are. I thought considering the business your son is in that this would be the last place you would be, and yet here you are again."

"Please don't flatter yourself, Craw. You must not read much past the gossip column of the paper, or you would know that my son has sold his business for a tidy profit and has gone on to bigger investments. Considering your name is never in the financial section, it's small wonder that you never read it," he said, smiling thinly. "He already makes more money in a year than you'll ever see. But then, I suppose you'd say there are more important things than money. Perhaps success for you is stagnating in a dead end job that will never lead anywhere and a family whom you never see because of it."

"Really, Lucius, if you don't have anything new to say, don't bother," Jennifer said coolly, turning back around to see the old alchemist peering at them thoughtfully over a barrel of dried eels. Corey gave Lucius a look of pure hatred, handing Ashley a bag of Sleepsand. He took a step to the side the moment he got his hands free, watching Lucius carefully. But Lucius decided to ignore the scrutiny, taking a step closer to where Jennifer and the old man were standing.

"How easily you dismiss your enemies these days. I suppose now that you saw Cornelius Fudge put in jail, you feel more confident about security," Lucius sneered with amusement. "I would have thought you would have known better than to put your faith in the justice system. It's time you faced the simple fact that unless you have the money or station to manipulate the system, you're going to find it manipulating you."

"You mean like it has done to you before?" Jennifer asked defiantly, her face lined with skepticism. "It's not the system that's corrupt, just some of the people who think they can buy it," Jennifer said, thanking Witolf with a smile and signing off on the school's order, paying Ashley for the rest.

"Let's see how long Fudge stays in jail," Lucius said, smiling cryptically. "Or do you still think he was acting alone?" he asked, putting an arm around Danyelle and leading her gently over to the counter. Danny smiled apologetically at them, but Jennifer was staring steadily at Lucius' back, frowning. After a moment, she nudged Corey on and the two of them entered the fireplace.

"So what do you think he meant by that? It sounded like a warning." Corey asked the instant they entered the Leaky Cauldron. Jennifer hushed him, waving to the bartender Tom, who greeted her warmly as they passed by on their way to the Alley.

"Corey, you're fourteen years old now. You are old enough to learn not to talk about family business in public," Jennifer chided him. "I'm not quite sure what all of that was about yet," Jennifer added, getting out her watch and glancing at it. The gold pocket watch had lacquered black trim, and inside were several hands besides the ones that told the time, giving some hint to where her family members were.

"It looks like Severus is already here, and Essie is probably with him," Jennifer informed Corey, putting away her watch. "Let's go get your books. I'm sure we're bound to run into them. Where's your list at?" Corey handed her the list and she went over it, suddenly making a face. "Corey Willowby, why on earth are you taking Advanced Muggle Studies? It's not required, and don't you think one year was enough? You're not going to learn anything new."

"I learned new stuff in the other one, and Aunt Anna says the second course isn't all essays like the other one. It's practical stuff like learning electricity and science and all sorts of fun things like that, even computers."

"There isn't anything you can do on a computer that a person can't do with a pen and paper and a bit of imagination," Jennifer said.

"But it's faster than pen and paper, even with spells, and you can play games on computers too. Besides, Aunt Anna says Counselor Vallid uses one, and she's one of the best witches there is," Corey pointed out.

"Counselor Vallid works with Muggles on a daily basis, there is no lack of games without the silly things, and the only reason you took the course was so that you could be in a class with Doug, Taylor, and Danny at the same time," Jennifer said knowingly, shaking her head at the list. "Symbology? You know, if Dabblers and Items weren't in here, Corey Willowby, I'd have come to the conclusion that you were trying to coast through another year with the least amount of work you could get away with."

"It's not like I'll need too much more practical studies than I'm already required to take," Corey said, pausing as they got to the door of Flourish and Blotts, "Besides, I'm going to be a band leader, so I need a well rounded education."

"Whatever happened to your plan of being an alchemist?" Jennifer asked disapprovingly as they entered.

"Oh, well, that's just my backup plan in case the first doesn't work out," Corey said, looking around the crowded shop. Seeing some of his classmates, Corey went over to greet them while Jennifer waited for a clerk. Within moments, one had quickly finished his work just for the privilege of waiting on her, taking the list and happily scurrying off to fill it.

"Hello Professor! Long time no see!"

Jennifer looked over to see Justin standing in line with his brother Aelfred, smiling warmly at her.

"Justin! How are you? I hear you're having a smashing season," Jennifer said, shaking his hand.

"Better than that, we came out first in our division," Justin said proudly.

"Too bad the team was bought out underfoot just after the win by an anonymous buyer," said someone right behind them. Jennifer looked up to see Perry Dalance's father standing with his son just behind them. He nodded to her with a smile. "Good to see you, Jennifer."

"Good to see you as well, Chairman," Jennifer said, earning a grimace and a wave of the hand from the wizard.

"No need for that. You're one of us now, or soon will be, and we're all plagued by titles as much as the next one in the Order. It's Erik," he insisted. Jennifer nodded with a smile.

"I'm probably not staying with the Sentinels anyhow with the Cannons having asked about me, I'm getting a bit homesick," Justin admitted. "Besides, it's rather dull over there. From what I'm hearing, it's been nothing but excitement over here."

"I can't argue with that," Jennifer chuckled as the clerk reappeared with the books.

"But I suppose I should be getting back to school errands. I'll see you at Hogwarts, Aelfred."

"By the way, where are you getting your potion supplies this year? We could use a good recommendation now that Malfoys' Apothecary is gone," Erik said.

"Glen Witolf is who I go to. Why, who bought Draco's apothecary?"

"Sludgebat."

"Sludgebat?" Jennifer blinked. "The goblins let him in Diagon Alley?"

"In favor of the almighty galleon," Erik said amusedly. "Not that I expect him to keep it open, he simply wants to shut down any competition in their area. In any case, I'll try Witolf's, but I hope the old man can handle the extra business at his age."

"Don't worry, just ask for Ashley," Jennifer smiled, grabbing her change from the clerk and stepping away.

"Will do, Jennifer, thank you," Erik said, turning back to look over Perry's list. Corey took his books from Jennifer helpfully as they walked out the door.

"So that was Chairman Dalance?" Corey asked, and Jennifer nodded. "I say, he wasn't at all what I was expecting. I thought everyone in Merlin was really old, like Dumbledore and Vallid."

"Corey Willowby!" Jennifer said with surprise. "Don't you ever let Vallid catch you saying that she's old! And what about me, let alone Harry?"

"Well, that's different. You two have done more in a few years than any of these other blokes have done in their lifetimes," Corey said with a grin. Jennifer sighed and nudged him ahead.

"That's quite enough out of you," Jennifer said. "Come on, we had better find Severus and Essie." Corey spotted them going into Ollivander's and the two of them curiously went over. As they entered, Jennifer then noticed Anna talking to Severus in the front of the shop while several incoming first years waited their turn to get their first wands.

"Here we are," Jennifer announced as the two of them approached. "But why are we here?"

"Did you break your new wand, Essie?" Corey asked.

"No, of course not. We met Aunt Anna at the bank and she's getting her wand today," Essie explained.

"Yes, well, good luck," Jennifer said in such a tone that Anna looked up quizzically. "I was here for over an hour trying to find a wand that liked me, and then I had to have one made," she said, touching the wand under her sleeve reassuringly.

"Over an hour?" Anna echoed, glancing over at the students. "Most of the ones that I've seen so far have only taken a matter of minutes."

"Yes, but, they're not… well, like you," Jennifer said, earning a dirty look from both Anna and Severus.

"Corey is a Focus Caster and it only took ten minutes when he got his, and it's obvious after last year that she's capable of using a wand…" Severus began.

"I don't really need one," Anna interrupted. "Jennifer's right about that. But Dumbledore thought I should get my own, so here I am."

"Maybe you'll get something more exciting than mine. Mine was just a toad wart wand," Corey grinned. "Not that I use it anymore, I keep it in a special case in my room."

"As long as it's not something silly like pixie dust," Anna muttered, just before the last student left and they stepped up to the counter. Ollivander brightened considerably as she stepped up, obviously recognizing her immediately.

"So! There you are at last, Tatiana Snape! Your have your father's eyes, and your mother's nose. One moment, and I shall go fetch your wand," he said. Jennifer tilted her head to the side slightly. It wasn't like Ollivander to mispronounce a name, his memory was even more accurate than Corey's. But before she could wave it off he was back, holding out a wand box without even having her test it.

"There you are, thirteen and a half applewood Enbarr hoof wand. That'll be seven galleons," he said cheerfully.

"Wait, wait, aren't you even going to ask her to test it?" Severus asked with a frown.

"She can if she likes, but there's no need. That is her wand. Oh, and you may want to refrain from letting anyone borrow that wand, Tatiana, it was made with someone in your family in mind, and it might not work for anyone else," Ollivander said, waiting as Anna got out her coins.

"One of our family?" Severus repeated prompting.

"Pardon, Professor, I meant one of her mother's side of the family. Not that I have had the pleasure of selling too many wands to them since they went to America, and her mother already had a wand when she arrived. I did find a wand for your Aunt Rigatona, however… let's see, that was a fourteen-inch yew mermaid scale wand, I believe."

"I have an aunt named Rigatona?" Anna grimaced.

"Yes, Rigatona Danaan. I'm surprised you don't recognize the name! She was rather close to you when you were little," Ollivander said.

"Perhaps he means Tony Dannon, Titiana," Severus said carefully with a strange expression on his face.

"Aunt Tony? Aunt Tony is a witch?" Anna said with a frown. "No wonder she didn't blink during the entire wedding fiasco! Why didn't she ever tell me?"

"Ah, I see, she's going by a different name, just, as it seems, you are, Tatiana," Ollivander said with a smile, accepting the coins graciously. But other students had come in after them and he bowed slightly to them before excusing himself to go over to the next.

"My name is Titiana, isn't it?" Anna said as they left the shop, looking over at Severus. But the strange look on Severus' face had not left, and Jennifer could tell that he was troubled, as if not so sure himself.

"I wonder who else in your family isn't a Muggle?" Jennifer asked thoughtfully. Anna turned to stare at her, frowning.

"I wonder who or what they're hiding from?" Severus added as Anna's frown deepened.

It didn't take her long to decide that it was time to take another trip home.