Chapter Four

A Meeting and a Murder

Jennifer couldn't help but have mixed feelings about getting back to Hogwarts. It had been a long summer trying to keep up with those four, not to mention trying to keep up with her garden and house. She also never seemed to be able to spend as much time as she liked with Severus when they were all at home, spacing her personal time between five had become a strain after awhile. At the same time, she also felt guilty for feeling relieved when she had to leave her kids behind except for visits on the weekends. But the visits had always been much nicer in a way… less daily problems and more genuine time spent together… another reason she wanted to go back.

Of course, she was also a little worried about leaving Aurelius and Corey alone together. She had few doubts that Corey could handle him if he got out of line, but she really hoped it wouldn't just fuel the animosity. Not that Corey ever held it against Aurelius. In fact, he seemed very understanding about the whole thing, which only seemed to annoy Aurelius all the more. Jennifer sighed, trying to put it out of her mind as they entered the gates and towards the stairs that lead into the very large, picturesque castle.

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, advisor and friend, was standing at the stairs to meet them, welcoming them with a thin angled smile.

"I trust you had a good summer! I know I did for a change!" she said. The older woman's usually rather pallid face had a fair tan from spending a summer by the sea. It was one of the first summers she had allowed herself to take it easy in several years.

"Actually we had a rather busy one between kids and consultations," Jennifer admitted. Minerva nodded, turning somber.

"Yes, I heard all about that case over at Durmstrang. Those poor parents, and still no suspects! They'll be monitoring every item that comes into that school from now on I imagine," she said, walking them in. "Rolanda's written to us about it as well, but Albus doesn't have any more ideas about what might be behind it than the rest of us."

"It is going to be so good to see Albus again!" Jennifer said enthusiastically. Minerva smiled at her.

"Well, I'm afraid the two of you will have to wait a bit longer. He's taking care of a few things in London before the term begins. He'd like to meet the two of you tomorrow afternoon to talk about the upcoming school year. In the meantime, I've already got all the class schedules on your desks in your offices… oh, and Jennifer, I don't suppose you had time over the summer to finish the syllabi what with the new books and all?" Minerva asked, knowing how Jennifer tended to get behind with all the potions she had to make at the beginning of the year.

"Don't worry, Minerva, they'll be in on time," Jennifer reassured her.

"Good! Then I'll let you two get unpacked. See you at dinner, perhaps?" she said, hurrying towards the gate again to meet someone else.

"You haven't even started on it, have you?" Severus asked knowingly the moment Minerva was out of hearing range.

"Haven't even numbered the parchment," Jennifer admitted as the two of them went up the stairs.

To her credit, Jennifer was already hard at work the next morning and by lunch had finished the agenda for first and second years. She was about to start on third year when there was a pecking rap at Severus' office door. He went to answer it, retrieving the letter that the owl was holding in its beak.

"Post already?" Jennifer asked. Severus glanced at the envelope with a frown and quickly opened it, his frown deepening as he read it. Jennifer was watching him carefully, hoping to pick up from his face what was on his mind. He gazed at her studious face then and sighed, knowing it'd be no good to try to keep it from her.

"Corey seems to have run into a bit of trouble. Apparently some magic ingredients were mixed into one of the teas he prepares for Muggle visitors and now there are Ministry wizards all over the place."

"What sort of ingredients? Is the Muggle all right?"

"It wasn't anything fatal. It was that old… your friend Eliza Dimple, who seems to have grown a tail and wings. Corey says she took it rather well, but I daresay it spread through town quickly. He wants to know if I can come and help him straighten this up. I had better go down there," Severus said, grabbing his cloak.

"Severus, you don't think Aurelius –"

"No," Severus said firmly. "He would not. Now, you need to stay here and make our appointment with Dumbledore. I'll take care of this," he assured her, heading out the door. Jennifer frowned but didn't say anything, looking over her papers again without really seeing them.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was by many people's standards the most powerful wizard in the world. Of course, Dumbledore himself would be inclined to disagree. He was one of the most, perhaps, but hardly the most. In fact, on any given day he would be more than happy to list quite a number of witches and wizards with extraordinary talents of their own, many of them was on his staff. One of those, a witch with peerless control of Dark magic known as Jennifer Craw Snape, entered the office with a troubled look on her face.

"Sorry, Albus, Severus was just called away on a family emergency…"

"It's quite all right. I heard about it as I was leaving the Ministry earlier. But don't worry, I believe Arthur went to handle it himself," Dumbledore reassured her. "I'm confident it'll be cleared up in no time. That community has been protected under the Reasonable Knowledge Law for seven years now. Now, let's see. Agenda, agenda… ah, yes, you're starting a new book this year?"

"Yes, the Cornwallis Foxglove collection," Jennifer nodded. "He's very up to date, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to switch. In fact, he even has some mention of Potion Pellets in his sixth and seventh year books."

"Not that you wouldn't have covered them anyhow, I know. Being that you invented them, despite the company name," Dumbledore said mischievously.

"Don't remind me. Every time I go to Azkaban prison to visit my father, he goes on and on about how I shouldn't have sold the patent outright and that I should have demanded a partnership. As if anyone could pay me enough to leave this school," Jennifer said indignantly. Dumbledore smiled at her.

"I know exactly what you mean. Although I don't believe any truly dedicated teacher really ever leaves the school… they may move on or retire in time, but their presence is always felt here," he said, glancing sideways at several frames of paintings. The only one awake was the portrait of Dumbledore that Francis Pyther painted, but he winked at them. "Well, I think you're moving in the right direction, keeping those books updated as you are. Oh, and I did get that list of rather questionable cursed items you sent to use for Severus and your Curse Detection and Removal class approved by the Ministry. Took a dozen reassurances, of course, but as always education won out in the end. Now, let's see. Ah yes, Alex is coming this year, isn't she? I assume you've run her through all the rules and such that Minerva put out on family in the school?"

"Yes, of course, Albus," Jennifer said.

"And, out of general curiosity, did she get the wand you thought she was going to get?" he asked. Jennifer sighed. She had so hoped…but then, the wands always knew best, didn't they? There had been a special wand made by Ollivander that Jennifer had so hoped Alexandria would get, but it was not to be.

"She chose a horse feather oak wand, actually," Jennifer said. "He tried the Unicorn Horn wand straight away, but didn't take to her."

"Well, don't give up hope, after all there are still three more to go… if someone else doesn't get it first," Dumbledore added mischievously, well aware of just how much Jennifer had been hoping that one of her own would get that wand. After all, the Horn component sealed within had been part of the Unicorn that she once rode in a very daring battle, and it didn't seem right that it might go to a total stranger. "There is one thing I'm sure of, and that is Ollivander has done this enough to know a match when he sees one. I have little doubt that whoever does get Keki's wand will be the one meant to have it. But perhaps we'd better move on," he suggested.

But as Dumbledore began covering staff changes and schedules and clubs and other things, Jennifer, as much as she tried, found her thoughts focused on home. She nodded absently to his comments as he spoke about adding more scheduled library and study times especially for later years.

"Danny Brittle would like to see at least one Quidditch practice a week for each team worked in on the schedule as well," Dumbledore continued. "I believe she's a tad worried that with the new variety of courses we're offering that the older students especially are having a more difficult time working out time to practice… like all the rows we had on Saturdays last year of who was going to get the Pitch." Jennifer nodded at that. "Of course, my main concern is as we open up these new avenues of study that we make sure we stay very clear on the fundamentals, which I am sure I have little to worry about with either you or Severus," he said, smiling warmly at her. Jennifer nodded again. "I'd still like you to escort guests up as always, and Severus I think, I'll be getting with later about security. There was a matter over the summer of a purple elephant with rather odd shaped dragon wings and pink polka dots getting on the campus. But I'm sure it was just a waylaid familiar, don't you think?" Jennifer nodded, and then blinked, blushing bright red as she realized she was just baited.

"Sorry, Albus," she said, sounding a bit sheepish.

"Quite all right, it happens to the best of us at times," Dumbledore said smile. "And I believe I'm partially to blame in the matter as well," he added, earning a puzzled look from Jennifer. "I had been so eager to return to work after a long summer that perhaps I should have started with, 'It is very good to see you, Jennifer, and how is your family?' So you could have replied with, 'Very well for the most part, but I am a bit worried about…'" he prompted, looking at her thoughtfully from above the rim of his glasses. When she hesitated, he finished the sentence. 'Aurelius.'"

Jennifer sighed in resignation.

"Truth Seekers! Now I see why everyone gets so annoyed with me," Jennifer said in exasperation.

"It isn't as if one really needed to be one. I have other sources," Dumbledore smiled enigmatically.

"Well, I hope it isn't Severus," Jennifer said, sitting down with obvious frustration on her face. "You know, we can talk about everything under the sun and above the night, and about all of our other children, but every time I mention Aurelius, he gets defensive."

"I am really not all that surprised. Out of the four, I've noticed that Aurelius is the child the most like the both of you, and the one Severus identifies most strongly with."

"I'm not sure I see much of me in him," Jennifer chuckled, but Dumbledore only smiled. "He's been a constant trial for years now, even though he seems to get on with the Weasleys all right. At least, he never seems to give them the trouble he always gives me."

"And why do you suppose that is?" Dumbledore asked with interest.

"Well for one thing I, that is… well, honestly, the older that they get, the more I find that I have a very difficult time reading my children," Jennifer blurted out, slightly embarrassed. She had never admitted that to anyone, not even to Severus. "But Aurelius most of all. I can never tell when he's lying or not, and with his nature…"

"You tend to assume the worst?" Dumbledore asked, looking slightly amused.

"Well yes, but with good reason. He's always into trouble, and he's always fighting with Alex and lately, well, he's been expressing some rather worrisome views." Jennifer admitted. Dumbledore handed her a cup of tea and pulled out a plate from somewhere filled with pastries and small sandwiches.

"I have a feeling we're going to be here awhile," he explained, smiling sympathetically. "Jennifer, I need not tell you where children get these worrisome views from. They get them from home."

"How can you say that, after everything we've done to improve relations?" Jennifer said, more surprised than angry. "Look at the town we live in, and they play with Muggle children in the neighborhood, not to mention Corey…"

"Jennifer, I couldn't possibly be any prouder than the strides you and Severus have made over the years. But you can't have spent all that time working hard correcting a problem that didn't exist," Dumbledore said gently. Jennifer opened her mouth but nothing came out, slowly closing it again. "As for Corey's true heritage, I wonder if that only adds to the concern in this particular case. It's only natural for younger siblings to envy the privileges and accomplishments of those older than they, and that often leads to a bit of friction. Corey's heritage might be something of a scapegoat way for Aurelius to explain his dislike for his older brother."

"But how in the world do I fix something like that?" Jennifer asked with exasperation.

"You don't," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Jennifer, you and Severus have been exceptional parents, but if you don't mind my saying so, it's high time you let them stub their own toes instead of attempting to solve things yourself. They're finally coming to an age when they are ready to start exploring who they really are, and they can't find that out if the two of you keep blocking their way." Jennifer grimaced slightly, knowing he was right. "I do have one piece of advice for you concerning the boy, however. And that is that no matter what mischief he gets into, I think you should send him here to Hogwarts next year." Jennifer looked up at him in complete surprise. Surely Severus didn't mention that. Could Dumbledore have guessed their threats? "Don't make the same mistake your parents did by thinking repression of something they taught is the only solution. Besides, I do believe separating him from his siblings right now would be disastrous. Rather like another occasion I could mention where a brother and sister were split up 'for their own good.'"

Jennifer knew exactly what he was talking about this time; he was speaking of Severus and his sister Anna.

"You're right, of course," Jennifer sighed. "I'm sure me losing my temper every time he gets out of line only makes matters worse as well. If only I could tell what he was thinking!"

"When you and Severus first met, didn't you have some trouble reading him as well?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"Well yes, now that you mention it, it was one of the things that intrigued me about him," Jennifer admitted, blushing slightly. "Although it got decidedly better after we were engaged."

"By then the two of you had gotten very close, and I daresay at that point his trust in you was quite strong indeed," Dumbledore smiled. "But Severus always had a particular knack at keeping his thoughts at bay, which was, of course, one of the reasons he made such a good informant. It really shouldn't be surprising that your children have it as well, and children… well, they really don't trust their parents too much. Always afraid things they might say will end up getting them into trouble," he said with amusement. "I also wouldn't doubt that one or two of them have some of your Truth Seeking abilities as well, although not necessarily to the extent that you had them at this age. If one of them had, I would think it'd have been completely obvious by now."

"Well, they do seem to be very talented for keeping secrets if that's the case," Jennifer frowned. "But then, we never quite figured out how Alicia was able to Apparate so much when she was little. I am so glad she finally grew out of that."

"I cannot say I'm surprised that they are so good at keeping secrets, considering who their parents are," Dumbledore smiled. "It will be very interesting to see their true colors come out, which I am very certain it will in the coming years. Still, I wouldn't worry about their safety. For there is one thing I have no doubt about, Jennifer, and that is if any of them were doing anything dangerous, I would know about it, your watches and charm bracelet would know about it, and on top of that, they have each other to snitch on," he winked. "Not to mention their other guardians as well. After raising seven children, don't you think the Weasleys would be onto any mischief yours try to pull? As brilliant and talented as your children are, none of them are half the trouble the Weasley twins were, nor I think even the trouble Corey was." Jennifer chuckled at that.

"I suppose there really is no need to worry," Jennifer decided.

"Yes, but don't you feel better now that you've talked about it?" he asked. Jennifer smiled and nodded. "Good. You know, I think getting back to work will be good for you. One does need to feel in control of one's life, and I daresay from the sound of it you've been feeling lately as if it's been controlling you," Dumbledore said, earning a dry laugh from Jennifer.

"Well, there's little doubt you're picking me up well enough," Jennifer said after a moment. "But the last thing I want is for work to become an escape for my home life."

"Of course you don't," Dumbledore nodded understandingly. "But Jennifer, there's no need for you to feel guilty about being who you are, and it seems to me that somehow it's come to that."

It was early evening before Severus arrived, walking into Jennifer's sitting room to find her looking thoughtfully into the mirror. He watched her silently for quite some time before she finally realized he was there.

"Everything all right? Meeting went well?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes, fairly well, just mainly about scheduling Quidditch and free time for higher level students so they don't get burned out and all. Actually, we mostly talked about family. How did things go with Corey?" she asked, ignoring the fact that the suspicious glance had yet to leave his face.

"It could have been worse," he admitted, finally moving in the door and removing a large bundle from his cloak before putting it down. "Especially after Lucius showed up."

"Lucius?" Jennifer said with alarm, turning to look at him. Lucius Malfoy had been a longstanding rival of the entire family, and tended to take any legal advantage he could to make their lives miserable. At least he couldn't actually hurt them, Jennifer thought with satisfaction. She had made certain of that long ago.

"Yes, I thought that might get your attention. He was there to represent a group of 'concerned wizards' who think the entire town concept is inappropriate, let alone the shop setup, and that this latest event was just another example of the careless attitude that would lead to extensive contamination of the world populous." Severus said, mocking Lucius' voice. Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. If they thought that for a moment, they wouldn't have passed that protection law for Haven's Bluff to begin with. What did Arthur say?"

"Well, he told Lucius he could lodge a complaint at the next Council if he liked, and then told Corey he had the right to remove people from the shop whenever he liked. And so, of course, Corey promptly did." Severus added expressionlessly. Jennifer grinned. "Arthur was able to get me a few test samples of the mixture. I set them down in the lab for us to look at later on, but my guess is this was definitely no accident. None of the ingredients Corey keeps on the floor could have been powerful enough by itself to cause such a complete transfiguration. More than likely, it came from an outside source. However, Arthur did suggest to Corey to consider removing open bins and buckets and moving them to the other side of the counter."

"What?" Jennifer scowled. "That won't go over well with local alchemists. I for one wouldn't step foot in a place that didn't let me see first hand what kind of product I'm getting before buying it."

"I don't think that idea went well with Corey either. I'm sure he'll find some way to compromise, he always seemed to have a knack at that," Severus said, unfolding the lump. It was a newspaper, but much larger in size than Jennifer had ever seen. In fact, most owls probably couldn't carry it. "Also, while I was there, Arthur thought we might be interested in something that came out in the Sunday Muggle paper that they were investigating."

"Something in the Muggle paper?" Jennifer asked curiously, walking over to the table where Severus was dissecting the paper a section at a time until he found what he wanted, handing it to her. Jennifer murmured what she was reading out loud.

"'Paul Gum, curator of the Baubles of Kings Rare Jewels and Antiquities shop, was found dead at his desk by the building owner, Greg Marsh, who had came to check on why the shop hadn't opened that morning. Although there were no signs of breaking or entering, one of the more expensive items on display, a gold sun broach encrusted with diamonds was missing from its case with no record of sale. However, police are not convinced any crime took place, since there were no signs of breaking and entering nor any signs that Gum had been attacked,'" Jennifer read thoughtfully, "'Further searching revealed no clues to the missing bracelet's whereabouts.' Rather odd. I take it the Ministry believe magic was involved?"

"Yes, there were definitely spells employed to unlock the case the broach was in sometime late that night. Gum seemed to have been subjected to some kind of Breathless curse," Severus explained.

"A brooch with seven diamonds…and the crescent pendant, there were seven diamonds in it as well? And the curse is similar to the one on Ursa! Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"Possibly. However, I can't help but wonder; if the bracelet was what they were after, why did they bother to murder the curator instead of simply either putting him to sleep or altering his memories?"

"Altered memories can be sifted through with some work," Jennifer pointed out thoughtfully. "Perhaps whoever did this wasn't a very competent wizard, maybe they couldn't perform a memory charm?"

"Oh, I have little doubt that whomever did this knew what they were doing," Severus said. "It's the reason behind it that no one quite seems to know."