Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jennifer Actually
They had at last come full circle.
Corey smiled roguishly as he held out the pillow and the ring to Severus, who paused to breathe softly on the diamond before slipping it back onto Jennifer's finger. Jennifer did the same, gazing at Severus with open adoration as he moved in to kiss her while six children and six adults looked on.
"Well that was fun, maybe we should do it next," Sirius told Anna cheerfully.
"You just want a second honeymoon," Anna told him ruefully.
"Well, now that you mention it, yes," Sirius agreed. Harry chuckled at him.
"Shall we all go to the Three Broomsticks to celebrate?" Dumbledore suggested. "I understand that they have a table waiting for us, and that they extended the menu for the occasion."
"Oh?" Severus asked.
"Yes, I might have dropped by earlier and had some words with the chef," Sagittari admitted.
"Rather, I talked Rosmerta into letting him use the kitchen," Dumbledore winked.
"Well, I'm not one to pass up Doctor Sagittari's cooking!" Jennifer said brightly.
"Perhaps we should go back to the school and change first? You do realize that half the school will be in there this time of day," Severus murmured, glancing at his formal attire.
"Nobody will be looking at you, Severus," Harry grinned at him, kissing Jennifer on the cheek.
"Are we going to have to attend that too?" Zacchius asked with a look of dread on his face. "No offense, but I think I'm all ceremonied out for one day."
"Zacchius," Anna said warningly.
"Here," Sirius said, throwing a coin pouch at him. "Knock yourselves out. Just don't hit anyone else."
"Yes! Dad's money pouch! Let's go buy out Honeydukes," Zoë said.
"I say we hit the joke shop," Zacchius said. Anna glared at Sirius but he was whistling and intentionally avoiding her gaze as they ran off.
"Can we go too?" Alicia asked hopefully.
"Yes, but stay with your sister," Jennifer told her.
"And stay in town," Severus added warningly. Jennifer smiled at him amusedly, hooking her arm around his as they followed behind the kids at a more leisurely place.
"So how does it feel to have all of your memories again?" Harry asked curiously, walking beside them.
"Well, I'm still trying to get used to it all, actually," Jennifer admitted. "It's strange, but in some ways, I think Jacqueline grew to know me better than I ever knew myself, especially after the incident with the Pensieve. I'm definitely never going to try to bury my memories again instead of working through them."
"I bet you never try to open up an oven full of gingerbread without backup again either," Corey grinned ruefully. Anna, Sirius, and Jennifer broke into laughter while Severus began to fill Harry and Dumbledore on the incident in question. But as they approached town, Alex ran up to them out of breath.
"Wait, stop!" she panted. "Don't go in there, he's in there! He's in the Brooms."
"Who?" Severus asked sharply. "Amadeus?" Alex nodded. "Is he with anyone?"
"Counselor Malfoy," Alex said. "We saw them go in when we were heading to Honeydukes."
"Oh no," Jennifer said, glancing at Severus. "Do you think Draco knew as well?"
"Join your siblings, Alex, and please, nobody has any reason to suspect Amadeus did anything," Severus told her.
"But what are you going to do?" Alex demanded.
"We are going to behave like adults and you are going to behave like a child," he told her with a smile, shooing her. Shoulders slumping, Alex stomped towards the shop again. "Corey, could you do me a favor and keep an eye on them? Make sure they don't try to get involved."
"And in the process keep me from getting involved," Corey said dryly.
"The thought had occurred to me," Severus admitted expressionlessly.
"You know, one of these days you're going to realize I've grown up. I just hope I'm not using geriatric brooms by then," Corey said, but turned to follow Alex anyhow.
"All right," Severus said, turning to Harry, "This is what we should do."
Sagittari went in first, careful not to bump anyone in the crowded room as he made his way to the kitchen. A few moments later, Severus Snape entered with Jennifer on his arm, the room falling into a near dead silence as wizard students stopped to gape at her in her embroidered wedding gown. Several of the boys got smacked in that moment and Jennifer felt her cheeks grow warm, stopping pausing to wave at several people she knew while scanning the room for the table she was looking for. At last she spotted it not far from where the reserved tables were. Danny Brittle had joined her cousin and Amadeus, waving at them as they approached.
"Wow, Jennifer, you don't look any different than when you first got married," Danny said, genuinely surprised. "Isn't that the same dress you wore then?"
"So they tell me," Jennifer smiled at her. "Hello, again," she said, nodding to Draco and Amadeus.
"You do look fabulous," Draco agreed with a smile. "So do you, Severus, what's the special occasion? It's too early for an anniversary, isn't it?"
"We just renewed our vows," Jennifer said. "We're having a small celebration over here, why don't you come and join us?"
"We wouldn't want to intrude," Amadeus said quickly.
"Not at all, we have plenty of room, and all of you were at the original ceremony as I recall," Severus said, nodding to Draco who looked unsure himself.
"Along with the rest of the school," Amadeus said, "I hope you don't plan to invite them all."
"Come on, Draco, do some 'P.R.' and earn some of that retainer Dumbledore's been paying you," Danny teased getting up.
"Yes, do come," Jennifer said, smiling coaxingly at Amadeus. "I barely got to talk to either of you at the hospital. So you went to school at Hogwarts? Did I teach you?" she asked, aware of the flinch from Severus on her other side as she took Amadeus' arm and they led him over.
Amadeus quickly took a seat to the far side of Jennifer, undoubtedly to avoid her gaze while Danny and Draco sat across from him. Resisting the urge to sit between them, Severus took the seat on the other side, leaving only several empty chairs between where Jennifer sat and Amadeus. It was then that Dumbledore came up to them, greeting them all warmly and shaking Draco's hand as he sat down beside him. Anna and Sirius followed behind with a wave, sitting next to Dumbledore.
"It is good to see you, Draco. How is your father doing?" Dumbledore asked politely.
"Back to his miserable old self, I'm happy to say, or sorry to say, depending on who you are," Draco said.
"Rather strange attitude for a son to take, isn't it?" Jennifer asked him thoughtfully.
"You think so?" Draco said. "Have you met your father since you've been back?"
"Yes," Jennifer said.
"Did you like him?" Draco asked.
"Well, no, not really," Jennifer admitted.
"But you still go to see him, don't you?" Draco said knowingly. "Your father and mine took different paths, but they're not all that different really. And we're not as different as I'm sure you'd like to think."
Jennifer found herself staring at him, barely able from keeping herself from saying what was really on her mind as she thought back to all the years she had known him. What a pain in the rear he was! And yet Dumbledore was supporting him. She had avoided him so long because of his father, and yet now she couldn't help but wonder how he had found himself on this side of the fence.
"You know, something tells me we should talk more often," Jennifer said. Severus glanced over at her curiously.
"We should," Draco agreed. "Maybe you could come to dinner one night when I'm sure my father's not going to be there." It was Amadeus' turn to stare, gazing at Draco as if he had completely lost his mind. But his expression became even more pronounced as he looked towards the entrance to see what was going on, for the room had gone quiet as Harry Potter strode through the pub, making a line straight over to the table.
"Sorry to interrupt, but something official's come up. Can I talk to you a moment, Severus?" Harry said.
"Oh, no you don't, not today," Jennifer protested. "Harry, can't it wait?"
"Well, I thought you'd like to know that we uncovered some new evidence that's going to lead us straight to who Obliviated Jennifer," Harry said, everyone at the table looking up with surprise.
"Yes? Well?" Severus said impatiently. Harry hesitated, glancing over at Draco.
"Come, Harry, I'm curious to hear it as well," Dumbledore said.
"Well, it's a new spell they just finished testing in the States," Harry said. "You can cast it on currency and be able to tell in order the last ten people who have touched it. That means we can find out not only who paid Baylor, but who paid Baylor's boss as well."
"That's amazing! That means that even if they use cash to keep from leaving a paper trail, they'll still leave a trail," Anna said with interest.
"That's right, and even though small currency will probably be from different sources, it'll be easy to tell where the majority of the large currency is from," Harry said. "We've turned in all of both Erascus and Mark's cash into the lab for testing. With any luck, I'll be able to give you a name in twenty four hours."
"Good," Severus said in a calm, cold tone, sipping his wine. "Then I'll finally know how to label the tombstone." Jennifer put a hand gently on Severus' arm, frowning.
"Remind me to pick up the caster first, then tell Severus," Harry said to Dumbledore.
"You may want to wait to tell me too," Dumbledore advised. "I cannot completely guarantee that I would act favorably to someone who would kidnap one of my best teachers and try to steal her life in the worst possible way." Jennifer reached over the table then, taking Dumbledore's hand as well.
"What matters is they failed, because I took my life back," Jennifer assured him. "And I know if anyone can possibly make sure justice is served, it's Harry."
"Of that I have no doubt," Dumbledore smiled. Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head but didn't say anything.
"Don't worry, Jennifer," Harry said firmly. "We've got them now, I can feel it," he said. "You two just relax and enjoy yourselves tonight, okay?" he smiled, nodding to Severus who nodded thoughtfully back. "See you later on, Sirius."
"Right, let me know first in case I need to run interference," Sirius chuckled.
"If there's one thing you're an expert on, it's interfering," Severus said snidely.
"So," Jennifer said, turning back to Amadeus with a smile. "What do you do for a living, Amadeus?"
"Manage the Malfoy estates," Amadeus said, still refusing to look at her. Instead he glanced at his watch. "Which I should probably be getting back to before Lucius starts bellowing for me again."
"Better you than me," Draco said, waving him away.
"Congratulations," Amadeus said with a thin smile. As he walked away, no one said anything for a long time.
"So are you going anywhere special tonight?" Sirius asked at last.
"Yes, we're going to New York," Jennifer smiled. "I can't wait to see all my old friends again. I might even stop by and see Mark if we have enough time."
"You want to go by and see Mark?" Sirius repeated, glancing at Severus. "And you're okay with this?"
"Mark was never any true threat, to me or to Jennifer. He was merely a pawn who couldn't pass up the opportunity to get out of debt and be paid a tidy sum of money merely to take care of a very attractive woman," Severus explained.
"Exactly, who could possibly pass that up? I mean, what bachelor could," Sirius quickly amended when Anna gave him a dirty look.
"Erascus was always the true enemy. He, and of course the man who hired him," Severus murmured, glancing at Jennifer questioningly. She smiled and shook her head at him.
"Well, it sounds as if this new spell of Potter's might do the trick then," Danny said. "I wonder who was ingenious enough to create a spell that could do that?"
"If you ask me, it sounds like a defense counselor's nightmare," Draco put in. "What a headache it's going to be to try and dissuade that sort of evidence! But I have to admit, it does have the potential to revolutionize the justice system as we know it."
"Yes," Severus agreed. "Too bad it doesn't really exist." Draco and Danny suddenly put their glasses down in surprise. "It was something I made up for Potter to come in with just a few minutes before we came in."
"Amadeus," Draco murmured as realization sunk in, glancing at Danny. "So that's what you were baiting me about earlier?"
"He didn't know," Jennifer assured Danny.
"I'm sorry, but considering the circumstances, I had to be sure," Danny told Draco.
"No, I don't blame you. In fact, I probably should have guessed it, considering this scheme has my father written all over it," Draco growled softly, turning back to his drink.
"Actually," Jennifer said, "I think Amadeus was acting alone. Especially after what I picked up from him earlier."
"What do you mean, what you picked up earlier?" Draco asked. Jennifer hesitated only a moment, and then sighed.
"Well, it's not like you weren't going to find out about it anyhow," Jennifer reasoned. "Your father wrote you out of his will. From what I got from Amadeus, and assuming of course that Lucius was telling him the truth, Lucius has chosen him to take over the estate when he's gone. Except for some token company shares to Mary and Danny, it's all going to him."
Draco stared at her a moment then sat back in his seat, shaking his head with a cynical smile on his face.
"Well, it's not as if he hasn't been threatening to do it for years. Ever since I got married to Parvati, as a matter of fact," Draco said.
"And it's why Amadeus was just as intent with keeping me from 'harm's way' as Malfoy was. I'm sure he knew of the curse, probably word for word: 'If you, through any action, direct or indirect, or through any inaction, direct or indirect, cause or allow any harm to come to any of my family… me, my husband, or any of my children, this blow will finish, and your empire will crumble under the weight of your own malice and you will be nothing in history but a blotted memory.' It was the 'and your empire will crumble' part that got Amadeus' attention, because if Lucius lost his temper and let the curse fly, Amadeus would get nothing. Therefore, he wanted to get me out of the way so that Lucius wouldn't be tempted to kill me, and he had to get me out of the way safely. So, he Obliviated me and had me tucked away somewhere so that the wealth he had brown nosed for all of his life would be secure."
"Why that little bastard. How very Amadeus of him," Draco commented.
"I don't know, Jennifer, I have some definite problems with the idea that Lucius had nothing to do with this. Don't forget how sick he got the nights that you were in harm's way," Severus reminded her.
"Oh, that was later. He wasn't involved in the initial attack. If he was, I imagine he would have doubled over in the Bank office that first night, and if so I'm sure we would have heard about it, even if they had tried to cover up," Jennifer said. "What must have happened is that Lucius got increasingly curious as to who did it, and it probably didn't take long for him to corner Amadeus. That's when Lucius made his mistake; he didn't tell anyone what Amadeus was doing. So, through his inaction of not turning Amadeus in, he fell victim to the curse and that's when he started to get sick."
"You reasoned that out quite well for someone who doesn't still have their memories," Draco challenged her. Jennifer merely smiled at him.
"I'm afraid that I agree with Jennifer on this one, Severus," Anna suddenly put in. "The reports Vallid and I got from Doctor Miller said that she had received a superficial blow to the head before she got to the hospital. Superficial or not, it was still harm. He should have felt something, and considering how ill he became later, it should have affected him enough to be noticeable."
"Well, I just hope Amadeus is stupid enough to try and break into the lab so Harry can get something substantial on him," Sirius murmured. "Otherwise it's just going to be his word against hers."
"I don't care it does get reduced to that," Draco said, "I am not defending him."
Sally quickly filled Tony and Emma's cups from where they sat together at one end of the bar before coming around to check on the tables. In the kitchen, Rob handed up a few plates, too caught up on his work to notice the glass door opening. Feeling the warm air from outside on her back, Sally turned around, nearly dropping her coffee pot when she saw who was standing there.
"Any room at the bar for me?" Jennifer asked cheerfully. Cries of 'Jacqueline' and 'Jackie' went up as hugs and tears were passed around, followed by exclamations of how well she looked. Several hugs were even thrown in Severus' direction, as well as a sincere and friendly handshake from Rob as the rest of the party filed in. "And these are my friends, Mr. Door, my boss, and this is Judge Vallid, of course, and her friend Doctor Miller," Jennifer introduced quickly. "This is Sally and Rob Kingler, and this is Tony and Emma. Oh, Sally, let me get that!" Jennifer insisted, grabbing the coffee pot out of her hand before Sally could stop her and setting some sandwiches she brought from the deli on the bar.
"Jennifer has told us so much about you. I'm so glad to meet you at last," Mr. Door told Sally with a smile.
"Jennifer, that's right," Sally said, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "Really, it hasn't been the same around here without her."
"I know exactly what you mean," Mr. Door said with a smile.
"We've been hearing all about the case, of course," Tony said. "I was just telling them that some guy was caught in the evidence room who wasn't supposed to be earlier today and they're saying how he was involved and stuff." Vallid blinked at that.
"Tony doesn't miss much," Jennifer grinned at her surprise, pulling out some cups.
"That's not supposed to be public yet," Vallid grumbled. "To either public."
"You need to put him on the payroll," Dr. Miller teased her lightly.
"Well, I want to know if it's true about what Sally said you've been writing about, about you and the Professor already being married?" Emma prompted.
"You just want the opportunity to say, 'I told you those two belonged together,' don't you?" Jennifer challenged her, filling her cup with coffee.
"Well not now that you said it," Emma pouted. "But I was right, wasn't I?"
"Without question, yes, you were," Jennifer assured her. "I should never have doubted any of you. And Rob?"
"Yo?" he said, peering out of the back again.
"I lost the shrink," Jennifer grinned.
"Yeah, took you long enough though, didn't it?" he grinned and then stared at Severus, looking him up and down. "You know, you look better with the glasses."
"I think he just looks better with her on his arm," Emma said slyly.
"I cannot argue with that," Severus agreed as Jennifer came back around the bar to sit down beside him happily. "Don't ever leave me again," he murmured to her as he took her arm.
"In some ways I never did," Jennifer murmured back softly, "And I never will."
"Good," he said, turning back to his coffee expressionlessly. "I'll try to remember that."
Severus didn't even blink when she dumped a bowl of creamer over his head.
End of Book 3 Series 3
A/N Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this book! The next book in the series is Jennifer Craw and the Shield of Snakes, a Slytherinish book if there ever was one in this series, and another personal favorite of mine. Hope you continue on to see what happens to the black sheep of the family...or is he? Read and see! Doublequill