Chapter Thirty-Four

Blessings of the Here and Now with Toasts to Happy Endings

Jennifer looked over her trunks and her Unremarkable suitcase before standing in front of the mirror, double-checking the buttons on her robes. A figure suddenly lurked behind her and kissed the back of her neck. She wriggled slightly, trying to move to the side.

"We don't have time for that, Severus, we need to go to the End of Year Feast, remember? Essie is getting an award?" Jennifer reminded him.

"Do you have any regrets?" Severus asked her, getting her to glance up at the almost baiting look in his eyes.

"About what?" Jennifer asked.

"Not taking Merlin up on his offer."

"Severus!" Jennifer laughed. "You know quite well that I would never go anywhere without you."

"Yes, and I did get the feeling that I wouldn't have been invited." Severus mused.

"I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to take Merlin up his offer to head to Tir Na Nog for a few hundred years after he retires, though," Jennifer admitted. "Not that he's planning to retire anytime soon. Did you remember to pack the books that Merlin gave you to study?"

"No, I decided to go ahead and get Corey to read them and then burn them," Severus said, earning a dirty look from Jennifer. "Yes, I packed them, they're in my cloak. But you know, I don't really blame him for what he said to you," he kept on, following closely behind Jennifer as she walked towards door, refusing to let her open it. "If the circumstances would have been different and if I had been a wiser man seven years ago, I probably would have said the exact same thing when I first saw you too."

"Now that I doubt," Jennifer chuckled at him. "We were both so naïve back then."

"Bite your tongue, I was never naïve," Severus snorted.

"Do you deny how much you've changed over the last few years?"

"No," Severus said evenly. "You made me reevaluate my risks, rewards, life, death, priorities, passions, and pet peeves. You helped me to accept who I am, who I was, and who I may become if things keep going the way they're going. And I dare think you've definitely been through the same transformations as I have… although you're still naïve," he added, leaning over for a kiss.

"Banquet, remember?" Jennifer reminded him, turning the knob.

"Delaying the inevitable again," Severus said with a thin smile, letting her open the door.

Corey and Doug took their places, grinning wildly and waving over at the Slytherin table where Danny waved glumly back.

"Do you believe our luck? First place! For the first time since first year! And all because Amadeus Longbottom lost seventy-five points and had two back to back detentions for breaking into Snape's office," Doug gloated.

"I still think they should have expelled him," Corey said. "But he did confess to who put him up to it, that's why he got off on a lighter sentence."

"I hear your sister's getting an award for helping catch Trelawney, is that true?" Gail asked.

"Yep! Today's Essie's big day. That should finally put to rest some of those loudmouth Slytherin who thought she didn't belong here," Corey said. "If only I had been as lucky and managed to talk McGonagall and Craw into giving me an automatic pass on my Transfiguration and Defense finals too."

"Well she does deserve it, but not as much as we deserve to win the House Cup this year," Perry said.

"I don't know. Personally, I think Hufflepuff should win. And they were only twenty points behind us," Katie said.

"Bite your tongue, Kate! You're going to jinx us!" Doug flailed. But everyone around them had started to quiet down as the professors took their places and they all looked expectantly at Dumbledore, standing at the center of the table.

"Here were are, at the end of another very, very exciting school year," Dumbledore said. "We have seen very traumatic events both in the school and out of the school, and as usual, somehow managed to weather those events nicely. Of course, disruptive events can cause many changes, but all things must change in time," he added with a smile, looking around. "One of the changes that will occur next year is something that I would like to go ahead and announce today, because it involves someone that all of you have come to know in the past year. I have recommended, and the board has accepted, Professor Icarus Ravenclaw as our new Divination Professor for next term. And from what I've already discussed with him, it will be filled with an exciting new agenda that will definitely breathe new spirit into that old classroom!" A hardy applause came from all around the room, especially at the Ravenclaw table.

"Wow, maybe I'll even give in and take the course," Corey grinned at Doug, who agreed.

Dumbledore paused as he saw a ghost floating to the front, hovering before where Icarus sat behind the table, smiling at him. Icarus stood then, gazing at Dame Rachel with knowing eyes, bowing to her and offering his hand. She touched it only briefly, smiling lovingly, then with only a momentary wistful glance towards the Ravenclaw table, she turned and walked up the aisle, literally ascending as she did so, glowing brighter and brighter until she looked less like an apparition and more like a star, shooting up into the enchanted sky and out of the castle. Everyone was quiet for a moment as they realized that the Grey Lady had found her peace, knowing the son she bore had finally come to find some of his own. Many of the ghosts were crying from happiness, and even the Bloody Baron was willing to stop and pat Nicholas on the back where they stood. Dumbledore paused to wipe his eyes and his glasses, before finally continuing with his speech.

"Now, here… I must apologize for a moment. For as I've said, and as I'm sure you've read by now, that the last few weeks have been quite busy for me. And it came to my attention that the very person I would like to honor tonight - for her quick thinking in seizing a cursed item and bringing it to its rightful owner, thereby insuring not only the school's safety but the safety of our entire community - should also get some points attached to that honor. So without further delay, I would like to give thirty points and the Special Service Award to Miss Essie Willowby!" Applause went up around the room and most got up and stood. Even those at the Gryffindor table, a little disappointed about the cup being taken away at the last minute, could hardly fault the victory and gave her a standing ovation. Everyone looked over to the door expectantly, leaning back and peering over each other to try and see. No one saw anything at first, until someone pointed out a tiny white mouse running up the center of the aisle.

"Whiskers? Where are you going?" Doug asked. But he wasn't heard over the applause, even as they all began to wonder where she was.

Just at the bottom of the step, the mouse began to grow, and by the time she had reached the high table, Essie was standing there, grinning, and the applause got even louder as she accepted the award. Doug slowly sat down in complete shock, while Corey was barely able to stand himself out of sheer pride.

"My sister's an Animagus! My sister's an Animagus!" Corey whooped excitedly.

"My familiar is a girl," Doug said, groaning and putting his hands over his head.


It was such a relief to be home. Jennifer Apparated right to the door and went straight down the stairs to pick up Alicia, kissing her a dozen times over before finally hugging Carol. She handed Alicia off to Severus and went to hug the other children, kissing each one in turn. Remus was there, his arm around Carol lovingly, smiling warmly to see them so happy to be there, but Corey stayed only long enough to drop off his stuff before running over to Essie's house to talk to her about the mouse thing.

There was so much catching up to do on both sides; the school news and the children's news of their accomplishments since last week's visits. Soon it was time to settle all the children down, putting them down for naps in the living room toddler pen.

"They're so perfect, every one," Carol smiled at them.

"They're going to be absolute terrors at Hogwarts," Remus teased.

"Yes," Severus said distantly, exchanging a private glance with Jennifer.

"I love them all," Jennifer said, gently kissing Alicia. "Every one of them is distinctly different and every one of them will be brilliant in their own right."

"There's a mother's love for you," Carol smile. "You'll have to write us often. I shall miss them dearly over the summer."

"Not too often I trust," Remus said mischievously.

"You both just enjoy your honeymoon. If we can handle teaching, we can handle these four, and we'll have Corey here," Jennifer reassured them as she and Severus walked them upstairs.

"Well, I warn you, they can be a handful," Carol chuckled.

"We'll manage," Severus assured them. They waved to back to them as they left, Disapparating together. Severus quickly closed the door, an evil smile appearing on his face. "Alone at last," he said, just before a child started squealing downstairs.

"That sounded like Alex," Jennifer said, opening the door and stepping down.

"'Lisa go bye bye! 'Lisa go bye bye!" she declared, pointing at the empty baby cot.

"Alicia!" Jennifer screamed, her heart leaping in her throat as the two of them scrambled downstairs and looked around the cot. "She's only five weeks old, where could she possibly have gone?"

"Nobody could have gotten in down here," Severus said, opening up the curtain and checking the balcony. "Maybe Carol…"

"Oh, Severus, honestly!" Jennifer protested, as they began to tear the room apart. But a moment later, they heard a knock at the door. With a quick glance between them, they raced each other up the stairs, popping open the door to see Sirius standing there with a baby in his arms.

"We found this little one suddenly nestled in with the twins," Sirius explained. "Is it one of yours?"

"Yes, ha-ha, very funny," Severus scowled as Jennifer took the baby. "And just how did you do that?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. I just thought you might be worried," Sirius shrugged.

"You can say that again. Alicia has been a constant worry for me since the day she was born," Jennifer admitted, kissing her lovingly. Just then, an owl swooped down and a note landed on Sirius' head. Severus took it from him, opening it up quickly when he saw it was from the school. Reading it, he relaxed.

"Well, I suppose that explains everything," Severus said calmly, and handed Jennifer the note:

I thought you'd like to know that this name appeared in the book today; Alicia Corsiva Snape. Have a wonderful summer ~ Minerva.

"So we have an even set after all," Severus said calmly.

"What a perfect end to a wonderful year!" Jennifer said happily. "But then, how could we have doubted it? There's never been anything but magic between us," she said, looking up at her husband lovingly.

"That's it, I'm out of here," Sirius said quickly, heading back to his own family and smiling as he thought about his future, while Severus leaned over to kiss his wife, content to enjoy the here and now.

End of Series Two


A/N And here we are at the end of another series! Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews! The next series occurs seven years later just before Alexandria is ready to go to school... a new threat has emerged, and along with some old ones who just refuse to go away despite Jennifer's best efforts, making for troubling times. Series Three, the Destiny Series, starts with Jennifer Craw and the Diamonds of Time, although actually, there's really only two books in the series that concentrates on Jennifer...most of them are about the entire family, which I hope you'll come to know better in this next series :) In any case, thanks for getting this far, and keep reading! ~Doublequill