Chapter Ten
A Disappearance
Zoë felt incredibly warm and comfortable, her feet kicking back the hot water bottle at her feet and her head sinking into the soft owl down pillows, not really wanting to wake up despite the bright sun beaming in on her. She stretched out a bit and wondered why the bed felt so big all the sudden when it had been so cramped the night before… that's when she opened her eyes and then in complete surprise sat up and stared at the room around her. She was in her dorm room at Hogwarts.
Elated and confused all at the same time she leapt up to find her slightly warm slippers waiting for her feet and her favorite night robe in reach and pulled it on, running out of the room and down the stairs to the Common Room where Zack sat on one of the couches with the coffee table pulled up, nibbling on scones while he tried to write his report.
"I'm back! I'm really back!" Zoë said excitedly, beaming at Zack.
"Yeah. Want a scone?"
"Yeah? That's all you have to say? Weren't you the least bit worried?" Zoë asked irritably.
"Didn't really think he'd actually leave you there, did you?" Zack said. "Dad would have killed him!"
"Ooh, I can't believe he let me believe that he'd do it! How I hate him!" Zoë declared. "You just wait, I am going to get so even with him for this! Right after I do my report," she said, sitting down.
"You know, maybe you ought to drop it, Zoë," Zack said.
"Why should I?" Zoë snapped, borrowing some paper from him.
"Because I think our uncle has it in for you worse than you have it in for him," Zack said.
"Well, we'll see about that. You have no idea what I went through last night! What I wouldn't do to get even with that Kerra Lang…"
"I thought she was pretty nice," Zack shrugged.
"That was before she found out we had Muggle relations! She's a snob!"
"And you aren't?" Zack said. Zoë stared at him. "Zoë, outside of family, how many friends have you made in the two out of three years you've been here? It's always California this and that, like you're better than everyone else here."
"That's not it, they just don't like me," Zoë said defensively.
"You've never even given them a reason to like you," Zack said.
"And since when are you the expert? I thought you told me you didn't have many friends here either."
"I have more than you," Zack said. "At least people say hello to me now. You stare them down any time they try."
"Well, I'll have you know I happened to make two very good friends last night," Zoë said. "Only… I don't know their language and they don't know mine, but, well, they're still friends. And I have every intention of being a friend. I'm taking my report to Dumbledore before I turn it in."
"Why?" Zack said blankly. "What's that going to do?"
"Maybe nothing," Zoë said, "But at least I'm going to give it a shot."
Jennifer knocked quietly and slipped into Severus' study, careful not to disturb Descartes who was taking a nap by the door. Rasputin, however, hissed at her expectantly.
"He's eaten," Severus said, glancing over the last line he had writing before putting down his quill. "How is she?"
"She hasn't come out yet. The Fat Lady says they're both working on their reports," Jennifer said with a smile. "Think it made an impact on her?"
"I don't see how it couldn't have. Things haven't changed as much at Durmstrang as Alvin would like us to believe."
"Yes, I believe you're right about that," Jennifer agreed. "Although, I really think they are trying to help it change."
"I never doubted Alvin's intentions were good, it's just a hard goal that he has set for himself, trying to straighten out that place. Better him than me; every time I visit there, I'm all the more grateful I didn't accept that position."
"So am I," Jennifer agreed with a smile. "I'd much rather be an ordinary Professor here than have a more prestigious job anywhere else."
"Even if you're not the favorite anymore?" Severus asked casually.
"Would you please stop saying that?" Jennifer said, frowning at him. "It isn't funny at all, Severus."
"Well, I was just thinking perhaps now would be a good time for you to add some more disciplinary rules to your classroom, since you don't have to worry about what they think about you now, you could work on tightening things up a bit…"
"I swear, Severus, you are trying to pick a fight again…"
"Only offering a suggestion. Why, do you want to fight?"
"I just don't see that there's anything wrong with the way I teach, and I don't want to discuss it with you," Jennifer snapped.
"And yet you bring up my teaching style at any opportunity. Care to go practice forms?"
"Oh, so you are trying to pick a fight!" Jennifer chuckled at him, then paused. "I'm not sure I'm really up for a spar today."
"I said forms, didn't I? We'll just have to see about the spar," Severus said evenly, and Jennifer sighed.
"Oh, all right, but I can't say that we need the exercise after all those damned stairs yesterday," Jennifer said.
"Actually, that's part of why I thought you might want to. I for one am a little stiff from all of that myself," Severus said, getting up.
But as the two of them walked through the main hallway, Severus happened to hear a strange noise on the steps and looked out to see Moody coming up looking even more grim than usual.
"Trouble, Alastor?" Severus said, standing at the door as the old Auror finally made his way to the top.
"Yes, quite a bit of it," Alastor said with a sigh, lowering his voice. "There's been a disappearance." Jennifer frowned at the way he put it, reading his face, but Severus turned as white as a sheet.
"Who?"
"Fyren List, taken right out of Azkaban prison sometime early this afternoon. All that was left was a large puddle of blood and a small token," Alastor said, Jennifer's eyes widening in surprise.
"What? That's impossible!"
"Jennifer, would you please curb you're impossibles until I know what's going on?" Severus snapped. "What sort of token?"
"A small skull carved of ivory, Severus, with a dagger through it," Alastor said. "Jennifer, your father's been brought in for questioning, and apparently he was at Azkaban this morning."
"We'd best go get Dumbledore," Severus said.
"I'm going to the Ministry," Jennifer said.
"Don't you think it can wait until we speak to…"
"No, I'm going now," Jennifer said, taking off down the stairs ignoring Severus' calling her name.
"Perhaps we'd better hurry," Alastor suggested, and in agreement, Severus turned and went straight up to Dumbledore's study, but he paused before he got to the entrance.
Standing outside was Zoë, musing over the painting with a scroll rolled up in her hand. She looked up in surprise as Severus came over, scowling menacingly at her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was just wanting to have a word with the Headmaster…" she explained as he pulled her away a few steps so that Alastor could slip in.
"Don't you think he has more important things to do than to talk to students?" Severus snapped.
"No, I don't, actually," Zoë said curtly. "That should be his most important thing to do, if you ask me!"
"If you have a problem, you should be going to your advisor and not disturbing the Headmaster!" Severus snapped.
"Has it ever even once occurred to you that maybe a student has a problem that needs dealt with on a higher level?" Zoë argued back.
"No," Severus said. "Especially not in your case!"
Just then the painting opened again and Dumbledore looked between the two thoughtfully as Severus straightened up, nodding to him.
"Problem, Severus?"
"I merely needed to talk to you about something important, Professor," Zoë said before he could answer.
"I've been attempting to explain that she should be going to advisor about it…"
"Thank, you, Severus, but I'm sure if Zoë felt like she needed to come straight to me she had a good reason. Zoë, I have a very pressing matter to see to, can it wait a little while? If it can't, I assure you I'll be at your disposal but if not I really need to leave for now," Dumbledore said.
"Oh, well, yes, I guess it can wait a day," Zoë said, feeling a bit like her Uncle had won.
"Good, are you available for lunch tomorrow?" Dumbledore asked. Severus suddenly looked at him in surprise.
"Sure, of course!" Zoë said, eyeing Severus who had begun to glare at her.
"I'll see you at lunch then. Severus, I'm sorry but I'll have to break our lunch engagement tomorrow. Something just suddenly came up," Dumbledore informed him as they walked away. Zoë felt a lot better after that.
Jennifer arrived in the Law Enforcement Office to see her Father sitting at the desk drumming his fingers irritably while Audi, Harry and Thurspire were standing in the center of the room in a very heated argument. Sitting beside Thomas was Thatcher Boltin, who looked uncharacteristically out of sorts.
"Thurspire, would you please listen to reason for once in your life?" Harry shouted at him. "All the records at Azkaban state that Craw left around eleven thirty, and even if he hadn't, Scur and Earsinge are both on second level and the guards all state he didn't pass through the high level security gate."
"He knows that prison like the back of his hand. He was a Warden there! He knows all the security measures!"
"He also has a dozen charms on him to track his movements and if he uses magic, and none of those report anything strange either!"
"They didn't go off when he was found in Sudan, but he still managed to get there," Thurspire said, pointing at him accusingly.
"We're getting off the subject," Boltin said. "One of my prisoners is missing, and considering the amount of blood on the floor may even be dead. And skull or not, motive or not, I don't think Thomas did it."
"Neither do I," Audi said.
"Of course he didn't!" Harry said.
"You are his friends, of course you wouldn't think he did it!" Thurspire said. "Besides, until I see the lab results, I am not ruling out that that was someone else's blood in his cell… oh, hello, Jennifer," he mumbled as he noticed her by the door. Thomas looked up and glared at her.
"Who invited you?"
"Good to see you too, Dad," Jennifer said sarcastically. "Did anyone think to check the catacombs under the prison?"
"Actually, that was the first place I checked," Boltin admitted. "We searched the entire prison, Thurspire, and also, I myself walked Thomas out when he left, to arrange dinner plans with him."
"Just how often do you make dinner plans with ex-prisoners of Azkaban, Boltin?" Thurspire squinted.
"Ederick, it's none of your business who I choose to eat with," Boltin said bluntly.
"Dad, where did you go after you left the prison?" Jennifer asked.
"I went to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Dozens of people saw me there," Thomas said.
"Yes, but that was an hour after you supposedly left. What were you doing in between that time?"
"I was in Diagon Alley shopping," Thomas snapped. "And having a most disagreeable encounter with a hybrid who doesn't know when to keep her distance."
"Hybrid?" Jennifer pondered. "Her? You ran into Fleur, Dad?"
"She's an insufferable creature. Someone ought to deport that thing back where she came from. Is she really teaching at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, Dad," Jennifer sighed. "And for the record, I don't like it better than you do."
"I should think not, the way that woman behaves. I'd be concerned over Severus' safety."
"There's nothing wrong with Fleur," Harry said in annoyance, looking between them both. "I happen to know her and her sister personally and she's a very nice, respectable woman and from what I understand a fantastic teacher."
"Oh? Just how personally do you know her, Harry?" Thomas asked slyly.
"I am happily married and you know it, Thomas," Harry said, having a hard time keeping his temper in check.
"That doesn't matter with one of them. All they care about is that they get what they want," Thomas said, waving it off.
"Harry," Audi said, putting a hand on him when he began to growl. "The point is he does have an alibi for that time period, if she will substantiate it."
"I wouldn't if I were her, if this is any example of how he treated her," Harry snapped.
"He treats everyone like dirt, Harry, you know that, family not excluded," Jennifer said dryly.
"Let's leave family matters out of this, shall we?" Thomas said, and then turned back to Thurspire. "We're getting nowhere here. You have nothing on me but circumstantial evidence, Thurspire, and you know it."
"What about the fact that you had quite a number of respectable witnesses, including myself, hear you threaten his life last year during that meeting in which we found out he killed one of your best friends?" Thurspire pointed out.
"I never claimed not to be happy that he's dead," Thomas said. "In fact, if it wasn't for the Ivory Skull being left to implicate me, I'd probably be having a party at this moment."
"There! You said it! You know he's dead!" Thurspire said, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"Thurspire, there was several pints of blood on the floor, which is just further proof that I was not the murderer."
"And why is that, Thomas?" Thurspire squinted at him.
"Because Avada Kedavra doesn't leave a stain," Thomas said in a low voice.
"Thomas!" Audi said horrified, and Boltin reached over and slapped his arm with a scowl.
"Well, it doesn't," Thomas said as casually as he was quoting the weather, although he was privately amused that Thurspire's face had lost all color.
Just then, there was a swift knock and Alastor opened the door, allowing Dumbledore to go in first while he, Severus, and Fleur Delacour followed behind. Dumbledore paused, looking thoughtfully at the group of horrified wizards and witches who were eyeing Thomas, so it happened that Fleur was the first to speak.
"Why, it's Harry!" she said, her face glowing with sheer delight as she went over to him and gave him such a warm hug that Harry saw Thomas sneering at him over his shoulder. "Oh, it's been so long, how are you? And how is ah…."
"Ginny," Harry said, ignoring Thomas, who sniggered softly. "Very well. I see you finally made it to Hogwarts!"
"Oh, yes, I love it. Everyone is so very nice to me there…"
"I wonder why," Thomas said dryly. Fleur turned and stared icily at him, then glanced around the room.
"Who here is the Minister of Law Enforcement? I would really prefer to get this over with," she said, suddenly irritable.
"Ederick Thurspire, at your service, Professor," Ederick said, gently kissing her hand.
"It is an honor to meet you, Monsieur," Fleur said. "I am here to make a statement, that I happened to see this… horrible, horrible man in the Alley today," she said, glaring at Thomas.
"Already going into Harpy mode, are we?" Thomas taunted.
"Thomas, if I may, Fleur is doing this as a personal favor to me as well as her civic duty. I would very much appreciate it if you would be kind enough to accept her offer to speak for you gracefully," Dumbledore said. Thomas grumbled softly to himself, looking the other way.
"Well, I'm sure you may have seen him briefly, but surely you can't account for the entire hour of it," Thurspire said.
"I am afraid I can account for a lot of it," Fleur said, pushing her flowing platinum hair back out of her way. Thurspire began to play with his wedding ring to keep himself from getting a bit too distracted with that movement as her hair rippled down her back in response.
"And…why is that, Professor? I assume this is not your first chance meeting?"
"I'm afraid not. I was displeased enough to meet him on the first day I arrived. It was not a good day for me to be traveling," she said enigmatically. "But I had no choice, so here I had come. He was very rude."
"I showed you how to get to the Alley, didn't I?" Thomas pointed out.
"You slammed a door in my face!"
"You should learn how to use that hand of yours for something other than to…"
Several people in the room barked out his name loudly enough to drown out the rest of the sentence.
"How about I just note the fact that you don't get along and we can move on to today?" Thurspire said, clearing his throat.
"I was going to Flourish and Blotts to pick up some books I had ordered, and he was coming out and made a rather snippy remark asking me what I was still doing here. And I told him I got a job here and… he said something uncalled for and we got into a rather loud argument after that," Fleur got out. "If you don't believe me, ask one of the clerks inside the bookstore. I do not think they could have missed it!"
"What was it he said that got you that upset, Fleur?" Thurspire asked with a frown, looking at Thomas who seemed to be avoiding the woman's gaze, bored with the whole ordeal.
"He said… he said the only job someone like me is qualified for is being in a rich man's bed!" she blurted out, then turned to Harry and began crying on his shoulder while all of Thomas friends looked aghast at him, Audi chiding him about his behavior.
"Thomas, you should be very glad right now that Fleur is honest enough to come forward, your behavior in this matter is abominable," Dumbledore said disapprovingly, but Thomas was smiling wickedly at poor Harry who was timidly patting the woman's shoulder.
"Has anyone got a camera?" Thomas asked, obviously amused. "I wonder how much I could get for blackmailing a famous Auror these days?"
"About five to ten," Alastor warned him, "and in your case, a lot longer."
"Oh, he's not leaving this room without hand bindings on, Alastor," Thurspire said, glaring at Thomas. "He's guilty of verbal battery and harassment at least!"
"In that case, you should be arresting yourself too, you're worse than I am," Thomas jeered.
"Well, he does have a point," Severus mused, and several people passed him a dirty look.
"Besides, you can't arrest me on that unless she tells you to, not that I wouldn't put it past the creature," Thomas added.
"Stop calling me a creature, you… you… monster!" she said, turning on him, her eyes turning red. Dumbledore blinked, realizing it wasn't the sort of red you get from crying.
"Ah…Thomas…"
"I can't call you a creature, but you can call me a monster?" Thomas said. "At least I don't pretend to be something I'm not… I don't care if you are two generations removed!"
"Thomas, perhaps now would be a good time to stop…"
"What's the matter, Dumbledore, afraid to see what you've really hired? She's nothing but an egotistical pretender who preys on men who should have the sense not to…"
Just then, Fleur finally lost her cool. Flames enveloped her fists as she suddenly began to sprout feathers and lunged for Thomas. A squawking shriek accompanied a ripping sound as two wings forced their way through the back of her robe.
"No wands! No wands!" Dumbledore shouted as he hurried to get between them, very aware that Severus and Jennifer had both pulled theirs and Thurspire had reached for his.
"Fleur, I order you to stop this at once!" Dumbledore said, his face unusually stern. "You are a Hogwarts Professor and I expect you to display perfect control of your senses in public no matter how much he might deserve it! If you continue this, those who objected to your appointment will have been shown to be right, and I do not like being proven wrong when it comes to who I hire in my staff!"
There was a quick but very tense moment as the bird headed creature stood over the old Headmaster, who in turn appeared ten times his actual size just by the weight of his stare. Then Fleur took a step backward and immediately began to return to her normal form. The movement of her hand on her feathered head quickly turned into her trying to toss back some of her long hair.
"Forgive me, Professor. I momentarily forgot myself," Fleur said, attempting to ignore the fact that even Harry had pulled a wand on her.
"It happens to the best of us at times," Dumbledore said then with a sigh, relaxing slightly. Reluctantly everyone else put away their wands, while Thomas quickly recovered, his facial expression instantly turning from one of terror to one of complacent boredom. "Perhaps you and I should take a short break for some nice hot soothing tea, Fleur, I'm sure Thurspire will know where to find us if he has further questions."
"So, shall I draw up charges on Mister Craw, Professor Delacour?" Thurspire asked when he regained his voice.
"No…no, I… would just as soon forget the matter," Fleur said, refusing to meet anyone's eyes as she headed towards the door. But Severus didn't miss the look of sheer disappointment that crossed Thurspire's face. "I think I'll just content myself to do my shopping elsewhere from now on, since Mr. Craw seems a frequent visitor there."
"Good, then maybe I can drink an ale in peace now and again," Thomas grunted, but even Boltin was giving him an icy stare as Fleur left the room, Dumbledore following behind, shaking his head.
"You do realize, Thomas, that that woman had your life on the line in more ways than one," Alastor said quietly.
"That is no woman, not a complete one at any rate," Thomas pointed out. "And a man with banshee in the bloodline is certainly not going to be intimidated by something like that."
Audi, Harry and Alastor exchanged a private glance between each other. None of them had missed the look of fear that had been in his eyes; even if it had been only for an instant.
"Well, since for whatever reason she chose to clear you, how about getting out of my office," Thurspire suggested, obviously still disappointed as he turned to the Aurors. "And don't you three have a disappearance to help me solve?"
"I'm not on the payroll. Draco's orders," Harry reminded him with a smile.
"Come on, kid. We're not doing it for Thurspire," Alastor grunted, his magic eye swinging back towards Thomas. "Although I'm not really sure why we're doing it at the moment."
"Just captured by Thomas' charm, wit, and charisma I suppose," Audi agreed dryly as the three of them heading to the door.
"That's their way of saying you're going too far this time, Thomas," Boltin said quietly, getting up himself. "If I were you, I would think about being a little bit more grateful for what people are doing for you before they stop doing it."
"I can take care of my own affairs," Thomas said irritably.
"If that's so, I've yet to see it, my friend," Boltin said solemnly, heading toward the door himself leaving Thomas to seethe and Thurspire smiling privately to himself.
