Chapter Twenty-Three

Back to Business

Jennifer lay for quite some time in the darkness, still curled next to her husband's side with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. At last she sighed and he moved slightly so she leaned up to look at him.

"Are you still awake?" Jennifer asked softly.

"No. But you are," Severus mused.

"I can't sleep," she admitted.

"That boring, was I?"

"You're not funny, Severus," Jennifer said, poking him in his side and getting her hand grabbed and pulled around him. "I can't stop thinking about the children. Can we talk?"

"A bit late for that, isn't it?"

"I suppose it can wait until morning…"

"That is not what I meant," Severus said sternly. "Why didn't you tell me about not being able to read the children? Skirting around the question any time I asked your opinions on what they were up to?" Jennifer sighed.

"I was embarrassed, and I thought… I thought there was something wrong with me, not that they were doing anything. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was feeling self-conscious about not knowing my children in general as well as I'd like. And I suppose I didn't want you to think any less of me because I couldn't," she admitted softly.

"Jennifer, I didn't fall in love with you because you were a Truth Seeker, in fact I think that was one of the many factors that had me leery with getting involved with you in the first place, not to mention what was going on with Voldemort, your heritage…"

"My heritage?" Jennifer said, pushing herself up to look at him.

"Yes. All Craws are evil dark witches and wizards, don't you know that?" Severus said.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember something said about that," Jennifer said, frowning and shaking his head at him before lying back down.

"Yes, well, that's neither here nor there. If you would have told me you were having trouble, perhaps we could have found out what was going on a long time ago," Severus said.

"And then we would have moved out every picture from the house as well as every pencil, quill, and piece of paper we could have gotten out hands on," Jennifer sighed, thinking about it.

"Probably," Severus agreed. They fell into silence for a moment.

"Severus, do you think Dumbledore… well, did the right thing, not telling us?" Jennifer asked.

"Probably," Severus agreed with a sigh. "But please don't tell him I said that. Overall, he did not have a right to interfere."

"No, he didn't," she agreed. "I suppose he doesn't trust us as parents much."

"We don't trust ourselves as parents much," Severus said wryly, holding her closer. "Not hard to understand why. When we started planning to have this family, both of us did so with several goals in mind. You wanted your children to have a home they didn't have to run away from, and to have a better home-life than you had. Well, we succeeded in that for a large part, except that you…" he said, turning to his side to look her in the eye, "have turned every bit of a perfectionist parent that your father was to you. You expect more from them than you do anyone else simply because they're ours. Deny it?" he asked quietly.

"I don't think I'm quite as bad as my father was," Jennifer said uncomfortably. "And I'm hardly the only guilty party here."

"No, what I wanted was for them not to suffer what I went through growing up or in school, and not to be the outcasts of the group." Severus said.

"Well, that they're not. Those kids have always been the center of attention in school," Jennifer chuckled.

"Yes, but I also wanted them not to feel as isolated from their parents as I did from mine," he added, "and in that I think it's obvious we've failed, or they wouldn't have kept this from us."

"Alicia and Andrew still come to you," Jennifer pointed out.

"And apparently in the process left out everything that was actually important to them in the discussion," Severus said. "And Aurelius only seems to talk to your father."

"Dad dotes on him, there's little question about that," Jennifer sighed.

"They are both isolated, one physically and one… one by sheer talent, it seems," Severus mused. "Of course we still have our joint dream left… to see all four Sorted and in Hogwarts and become some of the best and most respected witches and wizards to come out of the school. We still have a chance at salvaging that one, I believe. They are hardly without talent."

"There is one thing I am rather worried about there," Jennifer admitted.

"Hm?"

"Alex hasn't exactly adjusted to your teaching style very well."

"I thought we were talking about parental not professional," Severus said, sounding slightly irritated. "And you should have seen by her marks she's actually doing very well in my class."

"It's not her marks I'm worried about. Alex has always looked up to you… all the kids have always taken to you more than to me. But your teaching style is so different than, well, what they're used to."

"Corey adjusted. I'm sure they will," Severus said defensively.

"Corey only knew you as a friend before, and friends eccentricities are more easily overlooked than a parents," Jennifer said. Severus stared at her.

"Are you saying you think my teaching practices are eccentric?"

"No, I've had a lot of teachers myself who taught that way effectively, Severus, but I hated them all through school and I never really appreciated them at all until I got out and started using the skills practically. I don't want our children to grow to hate you, even if it's just one side of you, and I don't think at the age they are they can possibly understand the difference."

"We warned Alex months before school started to expect us to see her as a student and her to treat us as teachers. I'm not going to change my teaching style just because one of my children may hate me for it. You know as well as I why I teach the way I do, and how many students I have pulled out of nasty situations that no other teacher would dare or care to approach. Let them hate me if they must, but I won't jeopardize their education in Defense by going easy on them. There are too many dangerous things in the world to let it go, and you know quite well that sugar coating the subject would only be leading them to disaster."

"Was I that bad of a Defense teacher as all that?" Jennifer asked. Severus started to answer than stopped.

"Oh, no you don't, I'm not falling for that old bait. In fact, I don't think it's wriggling on the hook anymore. We can argue about style until stars fall from the sky, Jennifer, but I'm certainly not staying up until dawn arguing about it."

"But I'm still not sleepy," Jennifer protested.

"Well, then I suppose I had better try to fix that," Severus said with determination, drawing himself over Jennifer and kissing her.

Rose and Mandria sat across from Alex on the train, leaning forward to listen to her recount the events of Christmas. On Mandria's shoulder sat a small grey owl called Misty, listening as intently as they were talking. Outside the window snowcapped fields rushed by, while inside grew a quiet discussion that, as far as the girls were concerned, was one of the most important they ever had. Between them sat the Tri-Wizard Chess board. Only a few pawns had been moved, so lost were they in the conversation.

"They didn't find out everything, thank the stars for that, but they did find out about all of our abilities. I doubt I'll be able to talk my way out of any situations with the dark creatures Father brings into class anymore," Alex said with a sigh. "But the worst part really is the restrictions they've put on Alicia! She's not allowed to take anyone anywhere without an adult going along, and she's not allowed to draw or paint anything new except during art lessons. Dumbledore arranged for Mr. Pyther to come and teach three nights a week. All of us got to attend them."

"Pyther? That vampire from the you-know-where?" Mandria asked, lowering her voice.

"He really is the school painter," Rose said. "We passed his shop in Hogsmeade, but it's not open during the day except to make appointments with his receptionist."

"He's a friend of Mum's, I think, and I found out that most of the paintings we have in the house are his," Alex said. "But Father doesn't care for him very much, and I think Pyther is a bit intimidated by him."

"That doesn't sound like it'd be too hard," Mandria chuckled. "He seemed intimidated by just about everything."

"Well, at least it sounds like they're not restricting Alicia entirely, and I don't see much wrong with them wanting an adult around on trips. It could be pretty dangerous without a trained wizard along," Rose said, finally moving one of her knights.

"You haven't been on them," Alex said dully. "Mum wouldn't ever let us travel any farther than the market or the Leaky Cauldron, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley only wants to go places where they have grandchildren. But at least we got something very important done before they found out, something even Dumbledore doesn't know about."

"What?" Mandria asked, leaning even further over. Alex looked between them.

"I suppose I ought to tell you, since my life is in danger and all," Alex decided. The two of them looked at each other curiously. "You see, we found out what the diamonds were for, and it's…. it's not good."

"How 'not good'?" Mandria asked cautiously.

Just then there was a knock outside the compartment, and the three looked over with surprise to see Xavier Platt there with a slight smile on his face.

"Hello Miss Snape, Shea, Bailey. Mind if I sit?" he asked. Before any of them could answer, he took a seat beside Alex. "Interesting chess set you have there. But I suppose you weren't whispering about the game?"

"Rose bought it for Mandria and I for Christmas," Alex said.

"Yes, it's from Toby's Trinkets," Rose said. "Perhaps we could take turns," she said, nodding to Alex to take her move.

"Yes, what an odd shop that was! It's a wonder he doesn't go bankrupt! I couldn't believe it, I actually went in there and bought a magic compass with a solid gold case for two knuts! I'm thinking about reselling it. I should make at least a fifteen galleon turnover on it," Xavier said.

"Oh honestly! Taking advantage of that poor old man like that!" Rose exclaimed.

"Nonsense, it's his rule, he has no one to blame but himself," Xavier said calmly. "I suppose you got plants for Christmas, Bailey?"

"Well, some, but I got a new anklet from Grandfather. He was quite sorry for what happened with my old one. It's the sort I can put charms on…I have a sun charm and a footprint charm and a shield charm on it so far. Mandria got me a new plant warmer for the Elf Willow, and Alex got me a Muggle book, the Three Musketeers," Rose said.

"The one those disguised wizards named themselves after?" Xavier said, looking between Alex and Rose. "I wonder if one of them was Muggleborn, using a Muggle book and all."

"I got a new sled for Pepper, but I'm not allowed to use it on her yet. Mum thinks she's too wild still," Alex said quickly. "But Mum and I took it out with Ruby, and she's going to teach me how to drive it on weekends."

"Oh how fun! Can we go?" Mandria asked cheerfully.

"Well, it only sits two at a time, but I'm sure we can take turns if it's alright with Mum," Alex agreed. "Although really, I would have been happier with a bicycle, or maybe my own familiar," she added, glancing over at Misty wistfully. Misty hooted comfortingly in reply. "Father thinks we have too many animals in the house already."

"Well I would kill for a winged horse, so I think we're even," Mandria said. "All I got besides Misty was a revolving bookshelf for my room and this new coat. And this chess set to share of course," she added, making her move. "Although I'm not all that good at chess."

"What did you get, Xavier?" Alex asked.

"Oh not much, except I did have to sign for another vault at Gringotts Bank," he admitted with a sigh, glancing at the game. "My other one was getting too full. Can I get anyone anything?" he added, noticing the trolley pulling up. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Just what is it exactly that your parents do again?" Mandria asked.

"Not much of anything these days," Xavier said, handing out some drinks. "Father bought shares in Bertie Botts before it opened on the Goblin Exchange. Care for a bag?"

As anxious as Alex was to tell her friends about what they had discovered, Xavier had settled in for the whole trip, which ended with the hustle and bustle of grabbing bags, quick reunions, and chats over who got what, as well as checking schedules and glancing at house points to remind themselves of the work they had ahead of them. At last the students settled in for dinner, Alex making Rose promise to meet them right afterwards to steal a few minutes to talk. As they took their places, Alex's mother came in from the main doors, smiling at them as she approached. She nodded to Rose as well, who was sitting on the other side of the aisle.

"Hello girls, did you have a good holiday?" she asked, looking at Mandria.

"Lovely, thanks!" Mandria said with a smile. But instead of continuing on, Professor Craw hesitated, regarding Mandria closely.

"And how is your family?" she asked.

"Very well! Mother said she got your Christmas card, it was lovely too," Mandria added, feeling a bit uncomfortable but not quite knowing why.

"Rose! How are you? Is your grandfather well?" Craw said suddenly, taking a step closer to the Gryffindor table with a curious look on her face.

"Yes, he's as energetic as ever, thank you! We can hardly keep up with him," she joked with a good natured smile.

"Yes, that sounds like Witolf all right," Craw said, grinning as she moved on with a wave to all three of them, greeting other students along the aisles at random. It wasn't until she passed the tables that her smile faded into an embarrassed expression. Severus, who was already standing behind his seat, eyed her thoughtfully as she took her place.

"Problem?" he asked quietly.

"I think I made a mistake," Jennifer murmured.

"Yes?" Severus asked with a frown, still watching the students.

"I can't read Mandria or Rose anymore," Jennifer said. Severus turned sharply to look at her. "Remember how I mentioned I was using Mandria and Ben in front of the children at Christmas?"

"Aurelius," Severus muttered, and Jennifer smiled sheepishly.

"Why would he go through the trouble if we've already found out their abilities?" Jennifer whispered.

"Apparently that's not all they're hiding," Severus mused with a frown. "For example, we still don't know about what Dumbledore told them."

"Good evening Jennifer, Severus," Dumbledore said from directly behind them, making them jump to the side. He smiled at each one in turn, looking at them from over the edge of his glasses. "Glad to be back, I trust."

"Yes, Albus, good to see you again," Jennifer said, a bit flustered. There was something in that look that told her quite distinctly that he had little intention of letting them find out what the secret was. He nodded to them both and took his place, the staff sitting down a moment later.

"I suppose it is time I put plan B into action," Severus murmured softly to Jennifer, glancing over at the Slytherin table. Jennifer gave her husband a long searching look, wondering whether or not they ought to even try.

It was just after they had eaten when they had went to Severus' office. Jennifer began to try and breach the subject again when a frantic knock rapped on the door. Glancing at each other, Severus answered the door to see Harry Potter standing there.

"What's happened now?" Severus asked, trying to hide his alarm behind his frown.

"It's your uncle," Harry said to Severus. "Apparently Augustus wasn't being exactly honest when he told you that he didn't have a set of the diamonds."

"Dead?"

"No," Harry said. Severus looked disappointed. "But there's not much left of his house. Coming?"

"Yes, I suppose we must," Severus sighed as Jennifer went over to collect their cloaks.

"I need to go tell Dumbledore. I'll meet you by the gate," Harry said, quickly heading back out the door.

"Glad I already got my classes laid out for tomorrow," Jennifer said, handing Severus his cloak, watching her husband's dark expression. "At least it sounds like he's all right."

"Pity," Severus said, taking his cloak and ignoring the admonishing look from Jennifer.

"Good thing I'm going along," Jennifer said in a tone that indicated he wouldn't be leaving her behind even if he wanted to. "I'm not sure I trust the two of you in the same room without me."

"Why ever not?" Severus asked dryly, following her out of the room.