Chapter Twenty-Two

Of Crime and Punishment

To say that Severus Snape was positively furious would have been an understatement. Jennifer herself had only seen him that angry once before. Fortunately it wasn't aimed at her this time, rather at their adopted son, who was too busy being secluded in the hospital wing to yet appreciate what he had been missing. Dumbledore knew better than to let the matter run rampant; instead, Danny, Doug, and Taylor quickly found themselves in his study along with Professor Flitwick, McGonagall, and Jennifer; who kept nervously looking at her watch, waiting for Severus. Finally he stormed up the stairs, and the three students, still covered in dust, shrank back as he burst in the door.

"Now, Severus, would you close the doors behind yourself, please?" Dumbledore said in a firm voice. Severus knew full well that the Headmaster knew how to close the doors from where he sat at his desk but also knew better than to argue, turning around to close them forcefully without slamming them. "Were you able to find Rasputin?"

"Yes, although hardly in one piece," he snapped. "I dug him out of the rubble as well as Corey's petrified cat, and Sagittari's working on them now. I suppose it didn't occur to any of you that I might object to my familiar being commandeered by students while going into an area that is strictly forbidden on pain of expulsion?"

"It was Corey's idea…"

"I'm well aware of whose idea it must have been, Mr. Brim," Severus snapped. "That doesn't mean the three of you have to blindly follow him when he gets these idiotic notions into his head to go looking for trouble."

"Actually, sir, although it was Corey's idea to bring Rasputin, I was the one who wanted to go down into the Chamber of Secrets," Danny spoke up. "In fact, Taylor and I hadn't even planned on telling them we were going down there until we got back, but they caught us in the library last night looking for a spell."

"What in the world were the two of you doing in the library?" Severus snarled at Doug.

"Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, "I understand why you believe you should be interrogating these students on this matter, but in light of what we're hearing, I am beginning to think it's a bit more complicated than four adventurous students seeing how many rules they can break. May I?"

Checking himself, Severus bit his tongue, jaw slightly forward, nodding respectfully to Dumbledore before going over to stand beside Jennifer's chair. Jennifer gazed up at him almost sympathetically, but he also noticed the tension she was feeling from his anger. Exhaling sharply to center himself, Severus tried to calm down, suddenly grateful that Dumbledore had taken over.

"Now, Danny, what was it that was so important that you felt you had to risk getting expelled for?" Dumbledore asked. Danny didn't like the way that was worded at all.

"Well, you see, I guess it all started a few months ago when Professor Dusthorn was telling us about the disappearance of Janus Craw while he was looking for Dagda's Cauldron," Danny admitted. Jennifer blinked, having had forgotten all about the fact that they had been there.

"And how, exactly, have you been speaking with Professor Dusthorn?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh, not in the Trophy Room, Professor," Danny said quickly. "Professor Dusthorn wanted a way to talk to us, so she set up another room that we could meet in if we wanted to talk."

"I see," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Go on."

"Well, she mentioned that the fight over the Cauldron that was sort of the last straw, as it were, and when Salazar Slytherin began to build the Chamber and work on his own," Danny said.

"So you thought the Cauldron was in the Chamber of Secrets?" Filius asked, starting to get quite interested in where this was going.

"Actually, no sir. I knew it wasn't there. I was just hoping to find out if Salazar had been the one to have hidden it, and if he had, perhaps he would have hidden the coordinates or some directions on how to get to the place it's hidden at… the Westernmost Isle."

"Wait a minute, how could you possibly know that?" Severus snapped in surprise.

"I guess we know where the journal came from now," Jennifer said, watching Danny's face carefully and nodding in confirmation.

"Surely you can't possibly consider that a serious location," Minerva suddenly put in, looking between them and then to Dumbledore. "That island has been searched for by countless wizards since the fall of Arthur to no avail, and by very famous witches and wizards with expertise in fairy lore at that. Surely if it existed it would have been found by now. That island is truly just a legend."

"Perhaps, Professor McGonagall, it wasn't so much about how they were looking for it, but whether or not it was the proper time and the right wizards to do so," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "The Westernmost Isle may be one of the known gates into the Otherworld, but the magic that surrounds it has always been bound in Ancient Magic rather than Wild Magic. Ancient Magic can work outside normal obstacles such as time and space to some extent. But whether or not Salazar Slytherin had such knowledge is another matter."

"Sir, from what I found out, I do not think so," Danny said. "We found a second chamber attached to the first… actually, it was Rasputin who found it... I think the door had to be opened by specific types of creatures that only a Parselmouth can control, like snakes and basilisks. It had some of his old things in it, and as I found out by mistake, the room was memory sealed." Danny fell silent at the sudden intensity of Dumbledore's gaze, who studied her for quite some time before his expression grew gentle and he nodded to her.

"There's no need to get into any more detail, Danny. I think I may go down and have a look myself sometime soon. Douglas, might I ask why exactly you and Corey were in the library?"

"Because the painting of Godric Gryffindor sent us there, Professor," Doug said, and another round of surprised looks went around the room. "At least, I think he did. Corey woke me up and said the painting was acting funny, and I went down to look at it, and it was. Then the common room door opened, so we went out, and all the paintings in the main staircase were reading, so we went to the library and found this," Doug said, taking out the chess piece and setting it on his desk. Dumbledore picked it up gingerly then looked over at Doug again. "It was sitting on one of the tables. It looks like the same piece that was missing from the large chessboard we've been using in Symbology."

"Minerva, is this one of yours?" Dumbledore asked, handing it over to the Deputy Headmaster, who looked at it oddly.

"Yes, I believe it is," she agreed, giving Doug a curious look.

"So that means, the key to finding the king is in the library," Doug concluded with a nod. "And Corey told me that the King has to be Janus Craw."

"Be that as it may, it is not any of your jobs to go traipsing in, around, over, or under the castle to try to find out such things," Severus said, feeling his anger starting to build again. "These 'thoughts' of yours should have just been brought to a professor's attention and you should have returned to your schoolwork."

"Well, it wasn't like it was our idea to get out of bed, at least it wasn't Corey's and mine," Doug said, then caught the sheepish looks on Taylor and Danny. "Not that we wouldn't have gone down there with them had we known beforehand what they were up to. But we went down there just to find out what the paintings wanted, and apparently, they wanted us to go with Danny and Taylor too. And we wouldn't have found that hidden room and everything had Corey not brought Rasputin. He thought that if we got in trouble, Rasputin could get help in case of emergency. In fact, Corey probably would have died if it hadn't been for that old lizard. So I hope you're not too angry about that, because I think he was just anticipating problems and finding solutions ahead of time, sort of like you teach us in Defense, Professor," he added, looking over at Severus, who wore an expression that could curdle milk. Dumbledore's own expression turned to one of amusement for the first time since the conversation started. He then looked at each of the three Housemasters in turn.

"I believe I am going to stay out of the punishment for this matter, but will give my complete support any decision the three of you can agree on as punishment for all the students involved in this. I trust the three of you can work something out that you can all mutually agree on?" he added. Filius solemnly and readily agreed, while Minerva and Severus exchanged wary gazes at each other, nodding a bit more reluctantly. "Good. And if you can't agree, I will then pass judgment myself, but I certainly hope it doesn't come down to that," Dumbledore said sadly, turning serious again. "The idea of having to expel such brilliant students capable of finding out some of the things they did tonight rather depresses me.

"In any case, I think the three of you should be confined to your rooms for today, and I suggest you use it to get some sleep. I trust considering what's at stake that you can escort yourselves to your house areas without any further coercion?"

The three of them filed out and went down the stairs, passing glances between themselves quietly before they got to the main hall where they would have to part their ways.

"You don't think he'd really expel us, do you?" Doug asked quietly, wondering what his sister would say.

"I think he doesn't want to, at any rate, but I think we're in over our heads this time," Danny answered soberly.

"One thing's for sure, I bet we'll be on a tight leash the rest of the year if we do stay," Taylor said. "I say, I hope Corey gets better soon. He looked so pale when we left him."

"At least he didn't have to see the look in Dumbledore's eyes when we left," Danny said, knowing how much Corey looked up to him. With that, however, the tired students went to their rooms with one last good night and good morning, dreading what the day would bring.

Jennifer shifted in the chair again, unusually aware of just how uncomfortable the chairs in the hospital wing were. She had glanced up from her book to look out the window a moment when she noticed movement and heard a soft groan. She turned just in time to see Corey's eyes flicker open, and waved at Poppy to come over. Poppy was quickly in attendance, holding Corey's wrist as he tried to focus on the room around him, sighing with realization and relief. Jennifer sighed and shook her head at him knowingly.

"His pulse has returned to normal. I think it's safe to say he'll be all right now," Poppy said, "But hopefully a bit wiser," she couldn't help but add.

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey, but somehow I doubt it," Jennifer said, frowning at Corey disapprovingly.

"Aye, I doubt it too," Poppy agreed, getting up. "I'll see about getting you something to eat, Mr. Willowby. Don't be moving too quickly, now, you'll regret it if you do."

"I feel numb," Corey said.

"Not surprising, even a one-eyed basilisk can do a bit of damage when he looks you straight on," Jennifer said. "From what I understand, however, Rasputin ended up saving your life."

"Taylor and the others? Are they alright?" Corey asked, and Jennifer could tell from his expression that everything was coming back to him now.

"They're healthy, if that's what you mean, as for alright, I wouldn't put it that way," Jennifer said sternly. "You four are in deep trouble this time, and no mistake. You're lucky you're not getting expelled, although I've a feeling you'll not find the alternatives much better. Actually, I think you four are going to get off way too easy if you ask me.

That is, I would if I didn't know for a fact that your Dad has already won rights to the four of your first detentions."

"He's really furious, isn't he?"

"On a scale of one to ten, I'd give it a 9.8," Jennifer said. Corey cringed. "And I assure you, I might be calm at Poppy's insistence now, but I'm not that all far off myself. How could you go down there, when you knew even more than your friends just how dangerous it was down there? Oh, I know Dusthorn might have egged you on a bit, but you have enough sense than to do something daft like this because of something you heard from a painting. Janus Craw's whereabouts is for your Dad and I to worry about, and it's certainly not a matter worth risking the lives of you, your friends, and your familiars over. Cheshire, by the way, is still paralyzed and has a broken leg from what I understand, and we would have lost him too if it hadn't been for Rasputin."

"Good thing I brought him then, isn't it?" Corey quipped.

"I dare you to say that to your Dad's face. I'm sure you are in for an earful on that issue specifically," Jennifer warned him.

"Where is Dad, anyhow?" Corey asked.

"He's down in that blasted Chamber with Dumbledore, if you must know," said Jennifer. "The two of them are going to go through every inch of that new chamber to glean what information they can from it, then Dumbledore himself is going to seal it off. There will be no more student expeditions down there from now on. No one is going to get past his seal," Jennifer said with satisfaction. "Not to mention that they have to make sure the foundation of the castle within that area is still stable after that mess you four caused."

"We were only trying to help," Corey said. "And it wasn't like it was our idea, exactly. That is to say…"

"Corey, you have your own mind. You certainly don't need to be following the guidance of slathers of oil paint on moldy canvas," Jennifer said sternly.

"Even when the painting happens to be Gryffindor?" Corey challenged her.

"From what I understand from Doug, that was about going to the library and finding a chess piece and not about anything that had to do with where you ended up," Jennifer said sternly.

"Have you found anything out about the chess piece yet?" Corey asked with interest.

He quickly shrunk back into his pillow at the icy look she gave him. Before she could properly phrase the appropriate threat, Jennifer was distracted by Poppy returning with the tray. Beside her was Minerva McGonagall, who looked at Corey with even a sterner face than usual. Jennifer quickly got up, folding her arms in a similar way to which the Deputy Headmaster was, while Corey smiled meekly at them.

"Good Evening, Professor. My, that's a nice dress you're wearing…"

"Don't even bother to try, Mr. Willowby," the housemaster cut him off, shaking her head. "No words are going to lighten any due punishments, and wouldn't even if they were just my own to give out. But as it is, you're quite lucky that you four are not suspended from Quidditch and Dueling Club, since one of the four of you isn't in either, it was decided it wouldn't be fair to punish the rest of you in that respect and not all. However, you are hereby suspended from all other outside activities on school nights and weekends and you will be performing detention during those times until further notice. Your Hogsmeade privileges are revoked, nor can you attend that trip that Madame Black has been arranging to a Muggle Cinema for her advanced class. And we have instructed your prefects and the door guards to your common rooms that your curfew has been lowered to fifteen minutes after dinner and you will not be allowed to leave your room until a prefect or professor escorts you to breakfast every morning. Is that quite clear?"

"But Professor, what about band practice? Are we still going to be allowed to play for the dance?" Corey asked. Minerva sighed, looking over him with scrutiny. Jennifer, who had been watching her carefully, suddenly realized that Minerva had forgotten all about it when they were discussing their penalties, nor had either of the other two heads of houses mentioned it. But Minerva knew better than to allow Corey to know that, making a split second decision.

"Yes, Corey, our deal with you keeping up with your homework assignments for the practice area still stands, since lord knows you need the practice. But as soon as you are out of bed, I expect you to get with me about precise scheduling about when you will be allowed to do so. Don't expect to be out of a professor's sight for a long time to come. Oh, and seventy five points each, by the way, which, regrettably, puts Gryffindor back in second place and behind Slytherin, since there were two of you. I expect you'll remember that when you look at the points board, and no doubt your fellow housemates will remind you of it often enough if you forget," she said sternly. "I hope you feel better," she added with a thin almost imperceptible smile, the serious gaze never leaving her eyes as she turned around. Nodding to Corey, Jennifer followed Minerva as she walked out the door, resisting the urge to look back to see what Corey was thinking.

"Going to let them go to the Spring Dance, huh?" Jennifer asked in a low voice when they were well out of range.

"Well, I couldn't let Corey get out of the first date Myrtle has had in half a century, could I?" Minerva replied, an amused look creeping into her smile. "And where are you off to, now?"

"To have a little chat with our favorite painting," Jennifer said, "I have a word or two I've been saving for her today."

"Splendid idea, I think I'll join you," Minerva said companionably, turning with her towards the main stair. "Although I do believe she has some company at the moment. I doubt he'll mind the interruption."

"Oh?" Jennifer asked thoughtfully as went up one flight of stairs and around the corner to the Trophy Room. Minerva nodded and gestured inside the room, and Jennifer peered in to see a man standing on a haphazardly tossed canvas sheet, carefully working to position one of the room's oldest paintings securely on his easel.

Jennifer grinned with delight to see her old friend as the painter looked up with an almost startled expression before flashing his charming, fang-filled smile. Who else could it have been but Francis Pyther.