Chapter Four

Champions of the Witch

"Counselor advisories and restriction negotiations be damned! I want to talk to the parole board now!"

Audacious Belle sighed and shook her head. She had known this wasn't going to be easy, watching Thomas Craw pace in fury on the other side of the table.

"Twelve years of community service to this hell should buy me something! If Malfoy died tomorrow, all of those damned injunctions of 'public safety' concerns that keep coming up during my parole hearings wouldn't even exist, and you know it. Potter gets treated like a hero for taking on Voldemort and his followers, and so did my daughter, and I am still paying my debt to society for trying to do the same thing!"

"Neither of them went on a killing rampage, Thomas."

"I was merely acting because no one else was," Thomas snapped. "And how many did those Death Eaters kill? How many more would they have gotten had I not come along?"

"Not all of them were Death Eaters anymore, Thomas."

"Once a Death Eater always a Death Eater!" Thomas barked.

"And what about you and Severus?" Audi asked. She really wasn't in the mood to get into this conversation again.

"My wife was killed for me trying to leave them," Thomas growled. "And now Severus is in the same position. It took them a year before they knew for certain Alice was gone. But I knew," he said, sitting down with sudden exhaustion on his face. "I knew."

Audi sighed and sat there just reading his face for a while, and then the door opened, Severus slipping inside. He glanced at Audi then relaxed a bit, realizing that Thomas already knew what was happening. He had not been looking forward to telling him.

"Severus," Thomas said tiredly. "Do me a favor and go kill Lucius Malfoy so they will let me out of here, so I can go look for Jen-girl."

"Tempting, but I don't think Dumbledore would appreciate me trying to run the school from Azkaban," Severus said.

"To hell with the school. To hell with me for that matter. Go avenge my daughter!" Thomas snapped.

"She's not dead," Severus said firmly. "Wand found or not. The watch says she's alive."

"Severus, please trust your common sense instead of putting faith in some overpriced goblin gadget. Even if she is alive, she's better off dead because she's being kept alive just to amuse someone who is tormenting her," Thomas said bluntly, ignoring Audi's warning hisses. "Meanwhile, this poor excuse for a Ministry is running around in circles instead of finding leads in their normal incompetent manner!"

"Thomas, please," Audi sighed.

"Well, deny it then if you can! They haven't caught Ciardoth. Harry and Jennifer caught Voldemort, and it was Harry who ended up rounding up all the Death Eaters afterwards with Severus' help. They wouldn't have caught me either. I had to turn myself in."

"From a hospital bed, as I recall," Audi said.

"That's beside the point," Thomas grunted. "Nearly every problem that they've had, even tracking down that bastard who killed my wife at Malfoy's order, was all solved thanks to some involvement from my daughter. And now that it is her number being erased from time, tell me who exactly is left to defend her if not Severus and myself?"

"Wait here, maybe I can answer that," Audi said, tapping the table once before leaving the room. Severus quietly took a seat, aware that Thomas was studying him but didn't meet his gaze.

"So where was Malfoy when she disappeared?" Thomas asked.

"Apparently he was in meetings with his account brokers most of the evening," Severus sighed. "He has plenty of alibis, including the bank."

"Alibis be damned, you can't tell me he doesn't have something to do with this," Thomas grunted.

"They have not ruled out Ciardoth," Severus said softly.

"No, this is too low scale for her," Thomas said, waving off the idea. "Ciardoth would rather destroy everything and just have her enemies there to witness it on the way down. And if she was going to exact revenge on Jennifer alone, I expect she'd have you there to watch." Severus paused to knead his temple a moment. "No, and she wouldn't have ditched the wand like that… neither would a Muggle, for that matter. And I guarantee you, Severus, if it was a witch or wizard, Malfoy was probably the one pulling the strings."

"Malfoy can't touch Jennifer even indirectly. Jennifer's curse makes sure of that," Severus murmured. "But regardless of who is responsible, she is still alive. And as long as she is alive, I am going to keep looking."

"Without a miracle, it sounds as if you'll have to do enough looking for both of us," Thomas said somberly.

Just then there was a quick knock as the old Auror reappeared, a smug look on her face as she propped the door open for Alastor Moody and then Harry Potter, who was preceded by a colorful haired woman who nearly tripped over Harry trying to get in. One by one, Aurors filled the room, some Severus recognized but hadn't seen in years, others he barely knew at all. Eleven there were; and then in stepped Sirius Black, standing by the door.

"Someone must have forgot to lock the door at St. Mungo's geriatric ward," Severus said dryly. Several of them chuckled at him good naturedly, and Mad-Eye Moody gave him an uncomfortable clout on the back.

"Thomas Craw, I'd like you to meet my search committee," Audi said cheerfully. "The best Aurors in Britain, and a couple of us in Europe as well."

"And then there's Harry," Tonks teased. The rest of them laughed, chattering a bit among themselves. Apparently his fame had become something of a running joke with his fellow Aurors. Harry just grinned and didn't speak. Today he was just one of the crowd, showing his support.

"And what about him?" Severus said, looking accusingly at Sirius.

"Oh, I was just here to offer helping you with school security for the rest of the year," Sirius said. "But this group was such a statement heading down the halls of Azkaban, I just had to tag along."

"The point is, Thomas, and you too Severus," Audi said, "Is that there isn't anyone here that's going to give in looking until she's found. And you're right, she did help a lot of us get through a lot of tough times, including you, Thomas. We're not about to let her down now."

"Right. As far as we're concerned, she's one of us," Moody said. "At least she always seemed like an Auror without a title to me."

"Or a license," Audi added mischievously.

"Or that little gold star badge we get after training. You know, the one with the six intersection points that er… sorry," Tonks apologized sheepishly when everyone turned to stare at her.

"Thank you. But I still want to speak to the parole board," Thomas said stubbornly.

"Thomas, dear, don't you think the dozen of us have enough to do without having to follow you around and to make sure you don't kill that rat Malfoy and get stuck in here again?" Audi said demurely. "You just sit tight for now. Don't worry, your time will come. You happen to have quite a bit of support too, you know."

"Including me," Sirius said solemnly.

"And me," Harry agreed.

"Just get out there and find my daughter," Thomas said, taking his seat once more.

"You got it," Audi said, nodding to the others who filed back out of the room, chatting with one another once more. Sirius nodded to them all as they left but didn't make a move, ignoring the irritable look on Severus' face when Severus realized he was staying to wait for him.

"I will keep you updated," Severus said to Thomas, standing up.

"What are your plans now?" Thomas asked him.

"I need to go back to Hogwarts for a while so that Hermione Weasley can return home," Severus explained, taking out his watch. "And while I'm there, I'm going to try and figure out what sort of spell might be throwing the compass off."

"Rest and a bite to eat probably wouldn't hurt either," Sirius suggested, earning a glare from Severus. "What, it's not like I suggested you take bath or something. I'll wait a couple days first before I do that."

"Don't you have something better to do?"

"Actually, I cleared my entire schedule," Sirius shrugged. "So do you want help watching the school while all this is going on or not?"

"Fine," Severus snapped. "But my personal habits are none of your concern."

"Fine," Sirius nodded. "I'll just buy a clothes pin."

"A gag would be more useful," Severus retorted, nodding to Thomas before walking out, Sirius not far behind.

Hermione met Sirius and Severus just after Severus had gotten into his regular office, his attention first absorbed on the care of a four-foot monitor lizard basilisk that had been laying by the fire in a wooden box that looked uncomfortably too small for him. Severus had attempted to get the stubborn, one-eyed lizard a different box on several occasions, but each time, Rasputin ignored it, preferring the box that Severus had originally kept him in, despite his change in size.

"Just don't 'accidentally' over-adjust that eye patch on Rasputin's good eye, Severus," Sirius said dryly.

"There's no point. Hermione knows how to cure you," Severus said evenly. Hermione merely sighed and continued what she was saying.

"Filch has gone back to only being able to make sparks again, but he did at least seem to retain something, because I saw him light a fireplace the other day. You know, he's going to need a tutor. We can't have him experimenting around the school and accidentally blowing something up because he really has no clue what he's doing."

"Agreed, I'll speak to him about it," Severus nodded.

"And there's a letter here from Xavier Platt's father, expressing concern because the paper states that our librarian is a goblin," Hermione said, handing it out to him. Severus grimaced, taking it. "It doesn't sound as if Xavier told his father that he was actually being mentored by him."

"Xavier is not stupid enough to mention it," Severus said, glancing at the note before tucking it in his pocket. "Anything else?"

"No, except there was an official letter from the Ministry for you," Hermione said. "I peeked since it was addressed to the school as well. It was a list of fines for assault and a hospital bill. I didn't know if you wanted me to go ahead and pay it…"

"No, it was a personal matter. I'll pay for it from my own funds," Severus replied.

"Have you written to Minerva about all of this yet?" Hermione asked.

"No. I was hoping to have something concrete to tell her before I did that," Severus said.

"Well, don't bother writing it then, because I already did," Hermione admitted. Severus stared at her. "She's on her way back, in fact."

"You were supposed to be here for security reasons, Hermione, not to take over administrative decisions!" Severus snapped.

"She has the right to know when one of her staff is missing. Besides, that is a security reason as far as I'm concerned," Hermione said firmly. "We could use another faculty member here to juggle duties while this is going on. Chances are you're going to be called away by the Ministry at a second's notice, and you're not going to want to wait for me or one of the other backups to get here. Admit it, you need her here."

"Any more cavalry coming that I don't know about yet?" Severus said, eyeing both of them this time. "You had better not have sent for Dumbledore."

"No, I thought that I'd let Minerva talk you into that one," Hermione admitted. "It's not a crime to ask for help, Severus."

"It wouldn't matter if I did ask. It's obvious now that it would come whether I want it to or not," Severus grumbled. Smiling slightly, Hermione said her goodbyes, leaving Sirius to keep Severus company… whether he wanted it or not.

Once Anna had gotten back to her nieces and nephews she seemed quite tired, but much more relaxed and attentive than she had been before her trip. After making sure they had done their lessons, she agreed to take them down to the shore. She didn't let them use the Gilly Potion to scuba dive, though. Andrew wondered if she didn't quite trust it. But unlike their parents, who often just sat and read a book on the rocks, Anna was quick to get in the water and participate.

The next day, Alex's friend Ben, the Muggle boy who lived next door, came over for Muggle football and then a walk along the bluff. By the time they had gotten back for dinner even Aurelius' mood had improved, and the four of them were grateful for the distraction.

"Aunt Anna, do you suppose we could go to Aviation Park for my birthday, since we didn't get to go for Aurelius'?" Andrew asked.

"Well, it depends on what happens between now and then," Anna sighed. "We'll see."

"What's the good of me having a new broom if I can never use it," Aurelius scowled.

"If everything stays the same as it is, we'll go. Maybe we'll make a picnic out of it," Anna suggested.

"How long do you think this is going to last? All this waiting?" Alicia asked quietly, picking at her dinner. Anna sighed.

"I have no more way of knowing than you do, Alicia."

"But then how long are you going to stay? I mean, I'm sure you'll need to get back to work, and to see Zoë and Zack and everything," Alex said.

"Where is Uncle Sirius at anyhow, if they're at their grandparents?" Andrew asked curiously.

"Your uncle is helping at the school. He's probably driving your father completely crazy by now," Anna admitted wryly. "And yes, I'm still working, as much as I can here, anyhow," she said, looking distant again. "It's not the first time I've had to live on two continents at once. But I can be here until it's time for you to go back to school, short of a night every now and then where the Brims are going to look after you. So don't worry about that, okay?"

"Do you really think she's going to be gone that long?" Alicia asked, her face looking increasingly alarmed. "But that can't happen, it just can't! You'll all be going to Hogwarts and I'll be all alone at Stoddard!"

"You'd have been alone at Stoddard this year whether or not Mum disappeared," Aurelius reminded her.

"Oh, but it's not the same, it's not the same at all," Alicia said, getting up and running upstairs.

"You did it again, Rel," Alex said.

"I didn't say a thing wrong!" Aurelius protested. "I was merely stating a fact."

"Alex, it's not his fault," Anna sighed. "But you all need to be a bit more understanding. She is younger, and I think it's more than just that your Mum is missing. It's because she's realizing that if her mother can disappear like this, it might happen to anyone, and it frightens her… the idea of losing something else, and the fear that it might happen to her."

"But, how do we help that? I mean, I can understand why she's afraid," Alex said.

"I guess the only thing you can really do is help her feel more secure, and be there when she needs to talk to someone," Anna said.

"Well the last part is easy enough for now, but I don't see how we can make her feel more secure," Alex said.

"Reality sucks, she might as well get used to it," Aurelius shrugged.

"Attitude has a lot to do with how one perceives 'reality' as well," Anna said evenly. "It's a lot easier to cope with a problem if you're actually attempting to solve it instead of curse it."

"And what if we're not allowed to solve it?" Aurelius challenged.

"Then I suggest you make things easier for those who can," Anna said with a thin smile. Aurelius folded his arms and shrunk back in his seat defiantly.

"I know what makes Alicia feel secure," Andrew said, politely ignoring the exchange that had just occurred. "It's her art. She always comes alive any time she has a paintbrush in her hand. Especially when Mr. Pyther is here teaching."

"Oh, yes, there's something really reassuring about having a vampire in the house who's afraid of his own shadow," Aurelius said.

"Do you suppose we'll have our lesson this week?" Alex asked as if she hadn't heard her brother.

"It's definitely an idea worth trying. I'll send him an Owl Post. He should be awake by now. And if you all really want to support your sister, and I'm sure you do, you'll all attend her lesson with her, and be especially nice to Mr. Pyther." Anna looked pointedly at Aurelius as she got in the kitchen drawer for notepaper.

"I'll make sure everyone does," Alex volunteered. "After all, it's for Alicia."

Aurelius sighed softly, glancing at Andrew who was nodding in support. Aurelius nodded then slowly, and the two of them smiled at him, knowing Aurelius was always good for his word.

He did nearly regret it the next night, however, when Francis Pyther got into the use of fan brushes and he couldn't make a single comment, contenting himself to endlessly stirring his linseed oil in boredom. Achilles, perched on his easel, glanced at the squiggly line on Aurelius' paper.

"It doesn't look much like me," Achilles said, disappointed.

"Just what I need, a snake who's an art critic," Aurelius hissed back. Alex chuckled softly at them.

"Am I missing something?" Pyther inquired, hearing only hissing, and glancing at Alex with a smile. Pyther stood up from where he had been crouched near Alicia and over to Aurelius, looking at it.

"Achilles doesn't like it," Alex said, getting a glare from Aurelius for saying anything.

"It's very simplistic in design, which is not necessarily a bad thing," Pyther said solemnly. "But if you'll pardon my saying so, Aurelius, it does seem to lack spirit. You know, it takes many people years to really know their familiar, but with your gift, I'd suppose the two of you are already closer than others only dream of. When you paint him, try to think of everything you know about him. He's hardly lifeless, is he?" Francis said, smiling at the snake who was eyeing them curiously. "Add to what you have already, paintings should be built like friendships, layer by layer. The more you know, the more others will be able to see."

"Did you know our mother well when you painted that portrait of her? The one in Father's office?" Alicia asked. Alicia was busy painting Alexandria at her easel, but the image of Alexandria on her canvas kept wanting to do other things. Alicia supposed she shouldn't have put the bookshelf in the painting so soon.

"Actually, we had just met," Pyther said quietly. "But I often spend a lot of my time during a first sitting getting to know my subject better, asking them questions and trying to get as much of them into the portrait as I can. Not that it took much with your mother. In fact, she was very open and truthful… I suppose part of that was because Dumbledore was in the room and he encouraged her quite a bit. But also because she's the sort of person that you can almost see into her soul any time an expression crosses her face." He faltered then, glancing at the four sets of eyes now staring at him. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to go on so. Mind the light source in your painting, Alicia. Shadows should appear to have a life of their own as well."

"Mr. Pyther, how do you suppose Alicia is able to get to someone just by entering their painting?" Alex asked.

"Goodness, I don't think even Dumbledore has figured that out yet," Pyther chuckled, going over to look at Andrew's painting of the Broom Closet. "Now, that definitely has some soul to it."

"I like it here," Andrew agreed. "Everything should be bigger on the inside than outside."

"But Mr. Pyther, it doesn't work on people who are dead. I mean, I'm not ever taken to a grave… then they behave like it's one of those paintings that aren't real things or places, and those just lead to the next frame," Alicia said.

"Well, yes, that'd make sense. After all, they are hardly flesh and blood anymore. The souls depicted in the paintings have moved on to other places, hardly accessible to us."

"We tried finding Mum through the painting, but we couldn't get to her. Aurelius thinks that means she's probably dead," Alicia said softly. "Father says she is alive, but if that's true, how come I can't get to her?"

Francis Pyther looked at the girl for a long moment, not quite sure of the answer himself. He wished she didn't look at him as if he knew all the answers, but she always did, no matter how many times he reminded her how unique her ability was. He puzzled over the question then, looking at each of their paintings while they took turns looking at him, wondering why he hadn't said anything, even a simple, "I don't know." But something was there… something he couldn't quite put his finger on, and the more he thought about the question, the more he was bothered by it. Suddenly aware they were all looking at him, he smiled and went over to Alex to check her progress.

"I'm not interested in Sirius, I never have been. He's kind and generous and a good friend, but he's just not right for me."

"Then may I add that I think you are very intelligent and have good common sense?"

"About Halloween… you're right, what I did was stupid… it's not the spell talking, Severus. I was afraid and very angry, but at myself, not you. I couldn't bear the thought of me putting you in danger anymore… so when you said you didn't want me to interfere any more I decided that you were right, and maybe this whole thing wasn't a good idea. But I still love you, I always will. I just wanted you to know that."

"I knew perfectly well why you did what you did. But this is the only failure, out of all those imagined failures that are swimming through your head right now, that actually did occur. You didn't get rid of me. I'm not that easy to get rid of, and no matter how hard you try, so long as I have even the slightest hint that you still love me, you will not be rid of me. And frankly, even if you didn't love me anymore, I'd probably still love you whether you wanted me to or not."

Severus awoke to the sound of a knocking on the door, immediately rolling off his couch. It was Minerva, of course. She had arrived that afternoon, immediately attempting to glean as much information from Severus as possible about what was going on, and had even tried to send him home. But the thought of going home right now seemed quite wrong to Severus. Perhaps it was merely the house without her in it that bothered him. Perhaps it was because he feared the questions from the children that would no doubt come from the moment he opened the door. It was in many ways easier to work and keep busy rather than just sitting and waiting. Minerva, of course, hadn't been fooled by the 'brave' and 'noble' insistence that he be allowed to continue his duties. She had known from the moment she saw his face how much he was attempting to bury.

Throwing on a robe he glanced at his watch before opening the door.

"Well? What have they found?" Severus said, looking at Minerva with alarm.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Severus, I know how late it is. But Francis Pyther is here, and he insists on seeing you," Minerva said.

"Tell him to come back in the morning."

"Severus, please. I don't think he'd be here unless he thought it was important. Besides, perhaps now would be a good time to ask him to send for Dumbledore," Minerva suggested.

"No."

"Severus…"

"All that would happen if we had Dumbledore come back now is that he would be stuck in this school pacing the floors with us," Severus snapped. "We're in a waiting game, and there's no point in sharing that agony. Where's Pyther?"

"Sirius is with him. I'll have him meet you in the Headmaster's Study," Minerva said.

Severus nodded curtly to Minerva and went up the stairs without another word. The corridors were eerily quiet. Only the main hallways were lit; everywhere else was dark, making it feel more haunted than ever in the dead of night. There was an almost nerve-wracking sound of snoring in the halls, however, because being summer nearly every painting in the school was taking a nap so that they could be fresh and energized in the fall. At last he arrived at the Headmaster's Study, leaving the door open while he climbed up the spiral stairs. Coffee was waiting for him and a small plate of scones, but he only took one bite before pushing them aside, reaching for the coffee instead.

A few moments later, Minerva, Pyther, and Sirius walked in. Sirius immediately took a seat, while Pyther nervously came closer. Minerva merely smiled at them from the door.

"Do you need me? I'm thinking about getting an early start tomorrow, perhaps look over next year's budget and things…"

"Goodnight, Minerva," Severus said simply.

"Oh, and that appointment Sagittari made with you for tomorrow? He was wondering if you could come down and discuss it in his office," Minerva added, one hand on the handle.

"Why?" Severus asked, immediately suspicious.

"I believe the topic is something about, 'how high stress may effect the health of school staff.'" Severus rolled his eyes. "Good night," she said closing the door behind her.

"I suppose everyone couldn't just try and leave me alone," Severus muttered. "What do you want, Pyther?"

"I think I may have a theory about what might have happened to Jennifer," Pyther said, immediately getting Severus' attention.

"A theory?"

"Actually, it's almost as much Alicia's as mine," Pyther admitted. "It's something she brought up at yesterday's lesson."

"Wait. You were at my house without me being present?" Severus said, immediately alarmed. Docile or not, Pyther was still a vampire. Pyther hesitated briefly, and then nodded.

"Your sister invited me, sir," Pyther said.

"I'll have to have a chat with her about that," Severus said, hearing the appointment book as it scribbled down her name. "Well? Go on."

"Apparently before she had drawn a picture of the ring, Alicia had tried to get to her mother directly, but it didn't work. She's never had any trouble getting to other living people before."

"My wife," Severus said icily, "is not dead."

"No, I don't think she is either," Pyther said quickly. "Which is why I began to try to think of a reason that it wouldn't work, and that's when I came up with this theory. With Anna's permission, Alicia and I tried a bit of an experiment this evening. You know Roy Lockhart, of course? Used to be Gilderoy Lockhart?"

"Yes? Get on with it!" Severus snapped.

"Well, before his accident, he had a number of paintings done of him. Anyhow, he was kind enough to allow me to paint him again for this, and what we found was that Alicia could get to him through the new one I did, but the old ones just led to one another," Pyther said. Encouraged by Severus' thoughtful silence, Pyther finally sat down. "You see, I think that when Alicia goes through a painting, it's not about the quality of the work that makes it easier or harder for her to travel it. Someone could do a stick painting of the Tower Bridge, and as long as they were thinking of it when they painted it, have walked along it, remembered it, she would undoubtedly end up at the actual place…or as close to it as there's a painting to come out of. Portraits, of course, are trickier than places. An artist tries to capture in the painting everything that makes that person who she is; likes, dislikes, personality, emotions, reactions… all of which have something very basic in common. They are determined in a very large part by the person's experiences… their memory."

Severus' face suddenly drained of color and his eyes widened a bit, staring at Pyther in such a way that Sirius was a bit worried that Severus was going to collapse on the spot.

"Roy isn't the same person as he was then. In many ways, I rather like him better this way," Pyther admitted. "But he doesn't have the same memory, which is why the old paintings don't work. If Jennifer has lost her memory, I dare think that hers wouldn't work either. Of course, it's only a theory," Pyther added quickly. "I don't really have any way of knowing for sure, Alicia's talents are still a mystery in a lot of ways."

"No," Severus said softly, his voice slightly shaky. He lifted his head a bit, darting between Pyther's worried face and Sirius' intense scrutiny, forcing himself to regain his expressionless gaze. "No, it's more than a theory. Ciardoth herself warned me that this would happen only I… wasn't thinking that it would be this direct," he said, exhaling a bit. "You are right, Pyther. Jennifer has lost her memory. And that would explain also why I wasn't able to Wish her back home," he added, his voice barely above a whisper.