Chapter Twenty-One

Homecomings and Goings

A thunder of feet on the stairs announced that the Snapes had come home; but no one was around to hear. Alicia peered in her Grandfather's room to find it empty, and then looked off the balcony as Jennifer helped Zoë and Zack with their coats.

"He's not home," Alicia said disappointedly. Jennifer glanced in the quiet living room with annoyance.

"I thought I told him we were coming back today," she grumbled, putting the coats up.

"He probably went to the Cauldron again," Severus said.

"He'd better not have! I was planning to make dinner. I bet he forgot to tell the House Elves, too. I hope they shopped for us. Mercy?" Jennifer said, walking off into the kitchen. Zoë and Zack walked into the front room and Zack fiddled with the television set until he got it to work.

"Aurelius! Make sure the house is open for the other familiars!" Severus called up, heading to the basement to make sure Rasputin's cage had arrived.

"Not even any coffee, and nothing but leftovers from the Leaky Cauldron in the icebox and a bucket of chicken hearts of all things! I don't know why I ever depend on him to do anything," Jennifer complained as she walked back into the front room, glancing at the twins who had already kicked their shoes and were flipping through channels. "I see you both have already made yourselves at home. Just don't be surprised when my father comes home and kicks you out of here," she warned them. As she got to the foyer she paused a moment, leaning against the doorway.

"All right, Aunt Jennifer?" Zack asked, Zoë looking over with a frown.

"Sure, sorry, just a small dizzy spell… that's what I get for getting worked up over father, I suppose. I think I'll take these to my room," she said, grabbing one of the packs she had brought. Zoë and Zack looked at each other, and Zack shrugged. But Zoë got up and slipped down the corridor, gently pushing open the ajar door and watched as Jennifer quickly fished out a small phial and a large jar. Putting the jar on her vanity, Jennifer drank down the phial.

"What's that?" Zoë asked and Jennifer jumped sky high, turning around in sheer surprise. Quickly she recovered, frowning at Zoë for startling her.

"It's headache medicine, if you must know," Jennifer said. Zoë came in and turned around the Invisibility Cream so that she could read it. "Zoë, I know you don't come here often, but we don't usually allow anyone in here…"

"Does this stuff really work?" Zoë asked unconcernedly, opening it and putting it some on her finger. "What do you use it for?"

"Um, to cover freckles," Jennifer said, slipping the phial into her pocket.

"But we never discovered what the main ingredient was. Didn't you always teach us not to use anything if we didn't know what was in it?" Zoë said.

"Well, we do know it was a powdered mineral base, Zoë, and all companies do have their secrets. Besides, it has to be approved to be mass produced…" Jennifer said, watching as Zoë rolled up her sleeve and experimentally rubbed it on her tattoo. Jennifer was so surprised to see her with a tattoo that she said nothing, watching as the tattoo disappeared.

"Wow, works good, doesn't it?" Zoë said impressed. "Too bad most problems couldn't go away as fast as that eyesore did…"

"What is she doing in here?" Severus said with a frown.

"Just talking, Severus," Jennifer said.

"Children aren't allowed in here, Zoë. I'm sure you can talk in another…" he paused a moment, glancing at the vanity. "What is that doing here? I thought you promised not to bring any of that home, Jennifer."

"Oh, it's not mine, it's hers. She was just showing me how it worked on her tattoo," Jennifer said quickly, handing her the jar. "She got interested after our class. That's amazing, Zoë. Better go put that back with your things."

"Sure, works for me," shrugged Zoë, glancing at her uncle as she past, noting that he had folded his arms and was squinting dubiously at his wife.

"I need to make out a grocery list if we're going to be able to feed all these mouths tonight," Jennifer said. Reluctantly, Severus let her by then turned his attention to unpacking.

As Alicia and Alex were called to help with shopping and Aurelius volunteered to help in the basement, Andrew called Zoë and Zack to his room to help dress up all of his models with Christmas garland and lights. It was delicate and time consuming work but fun and diverting. The three of them had just put in the frosted roofs and the tiny icicles off the gutters when Aurelius came upstairs to check on them.

"Are you still messing with those? Haven't you grown out of that yet?" Aurelius asked disapprovingly.

"Actually, I talked to Toby about them once. He said it was a noble hobby that put the industrious nature of man into proper perspective."

"He would," Aurelius said dryly.

"Just why are you so hard on that old man, anyhow?" Zack said with a frown. "Especially considering what he does… it's like philanthropy in disguise."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I like the old man too, and respect him a lot… I just don't trust his motives for being here is all," Aurelius explained. Andrew looked up.

"You don't trust him and yet you let me buy that book from him with certain conditions?" Andrew frowned.

"Andrew, read the book. I think you'll catch on," Aurelius said. "But not right now, it's time for supper."

"Is Grandfather back yet?" Andrew said as they followed him down.

"Nope. Father said he's going to go look for him after supper though if he doesn't show up," Aurelius said. "He says it's too soon to start worrying yet. Mum thinks he forgot we were coming home today and went to the Cauldron."

Sure enough, as they were cutting through the living room the front door opened and Thomas came in, freezing in his tracks and staring at the four of them as they turned around in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"We're supposed to be here. It's the start of Christmas holiday!" Andrew said.

"Well, what are they doing here then?" he said, pointing at the twins.

"They're staying here until the first of Yule," Aurelius said.

"Oh," Thomas said, going to shut the door. Jennifer stepped in from the dining room then, taking off her apron and putting her hands on her hips.

"About time you got home! Didn't you get my Owl?"

"Don't start being a nag already. I didn't raise you to be my nursemaid," Thomas said. "Come, Aurelius, I have something upstairs for you," he said, immediately starting up them.

"We're getting ready to sit down to dinner!" Jennifer protested.

"Don't worry, I've already eaten."

"Well, Aurelius hasn't!"

"I'll send him down in a minute. I'll eat in my room when I get hungry later," Thomas said, continuing up the stairs.

"Grandfather, Zack and Zoë fixed the television," Andrew said.

"Fine. Then I'll eat in the living room later," Thomas decided. Shrugging at Andrew, Aurelius followed behind him. Growling angrily, Jennifer turned and stormed into the kitchen where Severus was nosing around.

"I swear, Severus, he gets worse to manage every time we come home," Jennifer said.

"Perhaps you should stop attempting to manage him?" he suggested, but then quieted when she gave him a freezing look, stepping away from the oven and going over to the windowsill, sifting through a pile of mail. "Here's your letter, Jennifer. It looks as if he hasn't opened it yet."

"I sent that over a week ago!" Jennifer said in annoyance, glancing over his shoulder as he shuffled through it. "I notice there's no business letters in there. I suppose family's not important enough to open right away."

"Jennifer, please, must we start off the holiday with a war?" Severus sighed. "Especially since we both know how much pressure Thomas must be under right now."

"Well, he seemed his normal cantankerous old self at the door," Jennifer said.

"Seemed being the operative word. I think we should give him a day or two to get used to us again, and see how he's doing," Severus advised.

"Him get used to us, or us get used to him?" Jennifer said, pulling the baklava out to cool and grabbing a serving tray as Severus poured them both some coffee.

As she was setting the last of them out, Aurelius finally came to join them, wearing such a stunned expression that Jennifer studied him scrupulously, but he was hiding his thoughts again.

"Something wrong, Aurelius?" Severus asked with a frown.

"No… no, nothing's wrong, exactly," Aurelius got out, then suddenly realized everyone was staring at him and attempted to sit down. But for some reason, although he haphazardly pulled out his chair, he missed it completely when he tried to sit down, causing the other four children to snigger at him while Jennifer and Severus went over to look at him. "Actually, I think I'll just lay here for a moment if you don't mind."

"Of course I mind! It's time for dinner, not time for a swooning act. Aurelius Craw Snape, what on earth have…" a strange loud cawing noise interrupted her chain of thought as Severus pulled the boy to his feet and pointed him at the chair. "That doesn't sound like Descartes."

"No, it doesn't," Severus said. "Aurelius, do you mind telling us…"

"Severus?" Thomas said. Everyone turned to see him standing in the archway to the living room with a large black bird on his shoulder, eyeing everyone with a look of intense scrutiny. "Do you have any potions to help re-feather clipped wings?"

"Well, I suppose an after-molting agent might…"

"What is that?" Jennifer interrupted with a frown.

"It's a raven, obviously," Alex said excitedly. Aurelius kicked her under the table, apparently recovered from whatever it was that that had him off balance.

"This is Hastings," Thomas introduced. "Although at the Tower they just called him Bill. Say hello, Hastings." A scratchy gurgling sound came out of the bird. "Well, I'm still working on that."

"Grandfather! You didn't really take that raven out of the Tower, did you?" Alex said in horror. "But that's illegal! Not to mention extremely bad luck!"

"As a matter of fact, he was decommissioned for conduct unbecoming a monarch raven and the Warden had taken him in. When we had lunch last week, I convinced him to let me take him off his hands," Thomas said. "And before you go ballistic, Jen-girl, I'm tired of not having my own post service here. It's damned inconvenient to have to go to the Owl Postmaster every time I need to send out a note."

"Why would it matter? It's obvious that you don't keep up on what post you do get," Jennifer said hotly.

"So I don't keep up with trivial mail, I've a business to run! You can't expect me to run a business without an aerial familiar here except for a few months out of the year when all of you decide to invade my domain."

"Your domain?"

"Jennifer, he does have a point," Severus said quickly. "Although I admit I am curious about what behavior got this thing thrown out of the Tower."

"Oh, he was getting out and pecking and snapping at the tourists," Thomas said cheerfully, petting the bird on the head. "Apparently he doesn't care for flash photos. I'm going to get him some chicken hearts. He's spoiled to death on them."

"Well that's lovely, isn't that lovely?" Jennifer said vehemently as she sat down at the table.

Jennifer awoke very early the next day and after her morning rituals came out and rolled up her sleeves to start on the baking for Yule. To her surprise, she found the television was on, and curiously she came in to find Zoë curled up dozing on the couch. She blinked awake when the shadow came over her, and she rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry. Had trouble sleeping? Were you uncomfortable?" Jennifer asked sympathetically.

"I just felt restless," Zoë said. "And Alicia snores."

"I'm sorry. Perhaps we should have put you with Alex… but then, she talks in her sleep," Jennifer mused.

"Why am I not surprised?" Zoë grinned, then glanced at the clock. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh, baking day. Do you need some blankets?" Jennifer asked.

"No, I'm awake now," Zoë said, sitting up.

"Well, come help yourself to a drink or something then, it's a bit cold in here right now, but I'm sure it'll be warm enough soon."

Curiously Zoë got up to watch Jennifer as she started the coffee and pulled out ingredients and pans galore from cabinets that didn't look as if they could store them all, stacking them as best as she could on the bar. Jennifer didn't seem much inclined to speak much besides asking Zoë to hand her something near the barstool she was sitting at, concentrating on her work and looking over a handwritten list as she paused long enough for coffee. Zoë decided to get coffee too, sitting quietly watching her for a moment before finally speaking up.

"Anything there I can work on?" she said at last.

"Oh! Well, only if you really would like," Jennifer said. "I suppose you could mix up the charmed gingerbread so we can get that in the ice box until we're ready to make it. I have to make up five batches of springerle first…yes, I know the list says four, but I always make an extra and hide it away or they don't make it into the baskets."

"How many baskets need made?"

"Twenty five this year…I think?" Jennifer said, counting quickly on her fingers to be sure. "Well, we may have a spare but you never know when someone unexpected comes to visit. Here you go," Jennifer said, putting her things in a large mixing bowl and handing it to her. Again they both elapsed into silence, which suited both of them, for neither had been much in the mood to chat. Zoë was relieved to find that much of the hybrid kitchen was electric devices she readily understood and quickly learned her way around, putting the gingerbread away and starting a pair of trays of sticky buns that Jennifer had planned to placate everyone that morning.

By the time Severus had gotten up an hour and a half later, Zoë was deep into a pot of caramel and buttered pecans and monitoring the candy thermometer dutifully while Jennifer finished the set on the first springerle squares to go in. He watched them from the doorway with interest for a few minutes, watching their silent interactions before finally making himself known by walking over to the coffee machine.

"Nothing done yet?" Severus said casually.

"You must be joking," Jennifer frowned at him. "I'd not be half this far if Zoë hadn't lent a hand."

"Really?" Severus said as if musing over the progress in the kitchen. "You must be losing your touch."

"All right, are you looking for a fight?" Jennifer chuckled at him.

"No, I prefer fights that I can win," Severus decided. "How long?"

"Half an hour," Jennifer said, turning for her oven mitts only to be stopped briefly by Severus who was standing in her way and debating her answer.

"Then I suppose I will return," he said in a low voice that almost sounded threatening in tone, taking his coffee with him. Jennifer shook her head at him with a smile as he slipped into the basement, pulling on a long pair of oven mitts.

"It's up to temperature, Aunt Jennifer."

"All right, let me just get these in and I'll help you with that," Jennifer said. "Just keep stirring so it doesn't harden."

"You know," Zoë said thoughtfully, peeling off some of the candy from her spoon and tasting it. "When Uncle Severus acts like that, I can almost comprehend what it is you see in him. Almost," she reiterated, and Jennifer chuckled at her.

"He's one of the only men I've ever met who can say a simple sentence that can mean ten different things…depending on who his audience is," Jennifer grinned. "The trick is figuring out what exactly he is saying to you. Being a Truth Seeker helped those distinctions," she admitted, helping her spoon out the caramel over the rolls. "Even then it was no picnic at first." Zoë watched the thick liquid drizzle off the spoon for a moment.

"Has there ever been a time when you thought he was going to say something, or should say something, and then he doesn't say anything at all?" Zoë asked slowly.

"Rarely. Thank goodness," Jennifer added under her breath. "Proof positive that silence can speak louder than words. Fortunately, those have been few and far in between. I know that a lot of people, especially students, can't really manage to see past the bluster… I suppose my experience growing up with my father filtered that some. A lot of them come to the conclusion that he hates his job and he hates all his students…well, maybe there's been one or two but trust me, we've all had some of those at one time or another," Jennifer admitted wryly. "But what he really hates is watching a student going down a wrong path and not being able to do anything about it. He hates the thought of any of them having to go through any of what he went through, or even worse getting to the point of no return. He takes it personally… Amadeus, Roger, Gregory, half a dozen others I could name who were beyond our reach, beyond our best efforts and in some cases beyond their parents' best efforts as well. And in some ways, it's easier to dwell on those than it is to remember all the ones you helped," she sighed, "Especially if you're the head of Slytherin house. Well, I suppose we ought to get these in. Perhaps you should see if the rest are awake so we can start on the gingerbread."

A moment after Zoë left Thomas came in, looking dubiously at the chaotic bar top.

"Not making any progress, I see," Thomas said.

"Don't start, Dad," Jennifer said. "I'll have sticky buns out in ten minutes to go with your tea." Thomas grunted.

"No thanks. I'm going out," he said, turning and heading out of the kitchen.

"Out? Out where?" Jennifer demanded, taking off the mitts and following behind him a few steps.

"Jen-girl, I didn't have to answer to you the four months you've been out of this house. I'm not going to start answering to you now," Thomas said, grabbing Hastings off his stand in the living room. "Don't wait up."

"But we were going to do our shopping trip later!" Jennifer said.

"If you can't manage that pack without me by now, it's too late for me to do anything about it," Thomas said, walking out the door. Jennifer stared after him, growling softly to herself before turning to get the baskets ready.