Chapter Thirty-Six
The Secret of Bently's
Alicia woke up the next morning to find her siblings sitting beside her bed, Aurelius and Alex arguing over their current Defense assignment while Andrew merely shook his head at them, glancing now and then at the book he got for Christmas. It was he who noticed her open her eyes first, smiling warmly at her.
"There, look! She's all right," Andrew said, leaning on her bed. "You've had an adventure, haven't you?
"My chest hurts," Alicia admitted. "Why am I propped up like this?"
"Doctor Sagittari says that you breathed in an abnormal amount of toxic fumes from the burning paint when you went in the studio yesterday," Aurelius explained. "Between that and regular smoke inhalation precautions, I'm afraid you're going to be in here for a few days."
"What about Mum? Where is she?" Alicia asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, the Ministry let her go," Aurelius said. "Although she does have to go through a full inquiry and all that, of course. Father told us not to worry about it and that it was an open and shut case of self-defense and there were plenty of witnesses."
"Let her go? What are you talking about?" Alicia said, sitting further up in alarm.
"One of the Death Eaters died during the fight," Andrew said gently. "Turns out he was a chap named Flairin… an executive from Maxmixes Alloy, a Malfoy company. He quit a few months ago. But apparently she wasn't aiming for him, she was aiming for the man impersonating Grandfather."
"It was Lucius Malfoy," Alicia said firmly. "I heard Mother say so!"
"Yeah, we know," Aurelius sighed, pacing a bit. "It's too bad the Ministry has no reason to believe it."
"No reason to believe it?" Alicia said in disbelief.
"The other Death Eaters they caught last night all testified that their leader is Thomas Craw," Aurelius explained. "Every one of them, and under a Veritaserum. They said they were hand picked by Thomas after an interview for the mining company to act as a sort of private mercenary. In other words, they're all in this for the money."
"That's just terrible! How could anyone do something like this for money!" Alicia exclaimed.
"How could anyone do any of this for any reason?" Alex asked.
"Personally, I think it makes it all the more obvious that it must be Malfoy," Aurelius said. "Grandfather may be well off now, and rich on paper, but it'd take years for the mine to produce the amounts that these men are talking about receiving for their work. Grandfather couldn't afford to pay for so many. He doesn't have any real coinage on hand; it's all in the business. I also find it funny that many of them came right out of Malfoy Industries. They explain that as an intentional attempt by Thomas to undermine the company, although none of them to seem to care about all that as long as they get their money."
"This is really bizarre," Alicia said, leaning back again.
"Not as bizarre as the fact that most of the Death Eaters are convinced that after Craw's done getting revenge on everyone else he can think of that they're all going to kill Lucius himself," Aurelius said.
"I wonder what would happen if anyone was able to convince them who they were really working for?" Alex said.
"If I were them I'd be in fear of my life. I doubt Malfoy would think twice of killing any that turned against him," Aurelius said grimly.
"How do you suppose Malfoy got past the curse?" Alicia asked quietly. No one spoke a moment. "He hurt Mum, Rel, I saw him. And his eyes… I think he would have liked to have killed her."
"I don't know how he got past it," Aurelius admitted. "Very little of this makes any sense at all, I know. To be honest, I don't know that all of this makes sense to Father either." He paused then as he heard the sound of heavy hoofs and looked up in time to see Sagittari enter. The centaur a quill out of the front of the robe he wore over his human half as he entered the room, making a notation on a clipboard he was carrying before putting it back.
"Good day, children," he said with a polite nod. "And how are you feeling, Alicia?"
"Good enough to play in the game today?" Alicia said with a hopeful grin. Alex and Andrew had forgotten all about it, but apparently Alicia hadn't. Aurelius shook his head at her.
"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible, Miss Snape," Sagittari said gently. "I would prefer to keep you here for the next few days until I'm sure you've fully recovered from your ordeal."
"How is Mum doing?" Alicia asked.
"I have no idea," Sagittari said stiffly. "Your mother hasn't so much as stopped by for dinner all year."
"How very odd!" Alex exclaimed with a frown. "I suppose it was because of the… you know… her problem?"
"I'm afraid I would have no more guess what the answer is than you do, Alexandria Snape," Sagittari said, handing Alicia a bottle. "But perhaps it's nearly time for the three of you to get ready for the game. Just one sip, Alicia, and then a full glass of water…every drop, mind you."
"Can I at least go watch?" Alicia said, but Sagittari frowned at her, pointing to her glass.
"Cheer up, Alicia," Andrew said. "Even if Slytherin does get the Quidditch Cup this year, everyone will know it was because of a technicality."
"Hey!" Aurelius glowered at him, but Alicia smiled as she watched them leave the room.
"You know, I still don't get it," Alexandria said the moment they were out the door. "It doesn't make any sense. Just why would Mum be avoiding Sagittari? I thought it was because of the pain killers, but if that's the case, why would she still be avoiding him?"
"The only logical conclusion would be that that isn't what she's trying to hide," Aurelius said.
"Exactly," Alexandria nodded, but Aurelius slowed then, growing thoughtful. "What?"
"I want to look into something," Aurelius said. "I'll be in the library after dinner."
"Good luck on the game," Andrew said, and Aurelius grinned at him.
"Don't worry, I'll make it quick," Aurelius said darkly. "Hufflepuff won't even know what hit them."
"Just like him to be smug over something like this, it's our sister he should be concerned about," Alex said irritably.
"I'm sure he is, Alex," Andrew said. "Come on, I'm hungry."
"Bently's?" Madame Palette repeated, chuckling at Jennifer who had reluctantly stepped into the beauty parlor at the end of Diagon Alley, all too aware of the patrons who were peering over at her with interest. "Lawd love ya, duckie, but I 'aven't kept any of it for months. Got bought out an' liquidated, they did. Couldn't give their stuff away at th' end, I 'ear. And besides, what a fair one as yourself would need of it, I dunno, there's not a line upon ya! Perhaps it's a balancin' you need then, for the blotchiness? I've just the thing for that."
Jennifer and blinked and looked in herself for the mirror.
"No, no, it's all right…do you know anyone at all who might have any?" Jennifer said.
"I'm afraid not, duckie, but there are such better products out there! Here, try the compact, really! With your skin it's all you need, I won't lie about that, just a little smoothin' and you'll feel like a hundred galleons and it'll only cost you three sickles!" Madame Palette assured her. "Care to look at our hair care? Something to fix your dry ends, perhaps?"
Jennifer frowned at herself in the mirror again but pulled herself back to what she was doing.
"Thanks, the compact's fine," Jennifer said testily, handing the woman the coins and taking the small paper bag with her, ignoring the soft clucking she heard behind her as she left.
"A fussy little thing, isn't she?" Madame Palette said as she went back to the pink-haired witch she was perming to check the curls. "Considering her 'before' looks like everyone else's 'after', and that's a fact."
"Whatever did happen to Madame Bently, Isis?" the lady in the chair asked curiously.
"I heard she died or something right before the company went under," said another woman getting her beauty warts polished.
"Disappeared right enough, that's for certain," Madame Palette said with a bit of a slur for the bobby pins in her mouth. "The other artists say she was coverin' more than her face at the end. Just goes ta show you that you can't 'ide what's inside as good as what you can 'ide without," she said, covering the witch's face with a mudmask.
Severus was standing tapping his fingers with his arm in front of the shop until Jennifer came out, looking at her and the bag in her hand disapprovingly.
"All of that time and that is all you got?"
"They didn't have what I wanted," Jennifer shrugged slightly as they walked towards the Cauldron Shop and she took out the compact, inspecting the powder within.
"Please tell me you're not getting into this makeup thing because of Fleur…"
"Severus, don't start," Jennifer warned, snapping it shut and putting it away. "Let's just get what you need and get back, the game is about to begin."
"It'll probably be over before we even get settled with Alicia out of the game," Severus admitted, going over to the counter. "Any Gibson's Gloss and Cauldron Sealant in bulk?"
"As a matter of fact, we went ahead and ordered extra when we heard you were teaching Potions again sir," said the clerk cheerfully, grabbing a couple of crates under the counter. "We all remember how discriminate you are. No offense meant, Professor Craw, but he is pickier."
"None taken, Samuel," Jennifer said, smiling at her former student.
"We both have our areas," Severus said casually, and although he wasn't looking at her, Jennifer knew very well he was teasing her about the compact again.
"It'll still be worth seeing the game," Jennifer said, refusing to take the bait. "Slytherin may actually have a chance to catch up now." Severus glanced sideways at her but didn't say anything, paying for his crates as the clerk minimized them and bundled them up. "All done, Professor?"
"After you," Severus said, watching her turn and walk out of the store, Disapparating behind her and quickly catching up to where she hurried across the grounds to the Quidditch Pitch. "So what are your plans for the evening, might I ask?"
"Well, after dinner with my husband, I was intending to do some work in the library, provided that I don't need a babysitter to do that," she added.
"I hear Boulderdash doesn't charge much," Severus said evenly, following her up the stairs to the teacher's box. "I don't suppose it's something that can wait? You have a conference period tomorrow morning, correct?"
Jennifer didn't answer right away, immediately torn. She used their entrance into the box as an excuse not to answer, finding their seats. As she sat down, a rush of emotions went through her, and everything around her seemed to blur and became unimportant.
She had now a mere twenty-four hours before Toby's miracle potion wore off. She still had no idea where he was, and the last of her Invisibility Cream was gone. It seemed, in many ways, absolutely ludicrous that she was sitting there at all, clapping as the teams came out as if nothing in the world was wrong and her husband at her side. Upon the Quidditch Pitch, Aurelius seemed alertly watching for the Snitch while making quick gestures to the others and getting an immediate response from the Beaters who turned to concentrate on their Keeper, hoping to get him out of the way so that they wouldn't only win, but crush the score.
"It is different," Severus said in a voice so low that only she could have possibly heard it.
Jennifer nodded slowly, but no words came. She was deep within her own thoughts, formulating a plan that even now part of her screamed in protest against. She fingered her small pocket mirror and found herself drawing it out, a powerful flashback hitting her as she remembered the day…so many years ago… when Malfoy had used that very same mirror to deliver her in the hands of Voldemort. She grew startled as everyone stood, and blatantly she did as well, shakily putting her mirror away still pondering the thoughts she had seen within her own mind.
"What happened?" Jennifer asked.
"Stock took Davidson out," Severus said, eyes fixed on the game. "If it wasn't over before, it is now. They don't have a leg to stand on with their best Chaser and their Seeker gone. Some just don't know when to quit. They can't win, why even try to fight it?"
"Maybe it's not just about them," Jennifer said. Severus stared puzzledly at her. "Maybe being willing to fight for what you believe in and the people you care about is worth it, even when you know you're going to lose."
"It's a Quidditch game, Jennifer," Severus said, rolling his eyes at her before turning back to the game. Jennifer, however, hadn't said a word. She had made up her mind, watching expressionlessly as Aurelius finally snatched up the Snitch to win the game at an incredibly devastating point margin of 200-0. "So, have you had any more thoughts on what you want to do tonight? I'm still willing to talk you out of working if you're willing to argue the point," he murmured quietly as they headed inside, gazing sideways again.
"I think…I think I'd like to spend the evening with you, Severus," Jennifer answered softly in return, pausing a moment in a side corridor away from the groups of students heading back in after the game. "But I do have a student related errand that can't wait, and I should stop by to see Alicia."
"Perhaps then you should go ahead and do so, and I could have dinner set up in my sitting room?" Severus suggested quietly.
"I won't be long then," Jennifer promised.
"You had better not be, it's been long enough as it is," Severus murmured back.
"And whose fault is that?" Jennifer challenged.
"Both of ours," Severus said.
Jennifer nodded, smiling softly at him as she headed down the corridor, picking up the pace the moment she turned the corner. It was still fairly early, but it was quite common for students to head to the Great Hall after the game, and by some luck, Zoë and Zack had gone with Andrew and Halbert to the game so were nearly the first ones at the table, chatting over how embarrassingly bad it had been.
"Zoë?"
The four of them looked up then, waving to her.
"Yes, Aunt Jennifer?"
"Zoë, do you happen to have any of that cream left I handed to you over at Yule?" Jennifer asked. Zoë blinked at her in surprise.
"Well, there isn't much left, really. I was using it on my tattoo," Zoë admitted. "But I don't have it at the moment, anyhow, Aurelius asked to borrow it."
"Aurelius?" Jennifer repeated, staring at her. "Why?"
"I don't know, he wouldn't really talk about it," Zoë said with a shrug. "I'm sure he'd give it back if I asked him for it. Should I?"
"No, no, never mind," Jennifer frowned, taking her watch out to find Aurelius still on the Quidditch Pitch. Sighing softly, she headed up the stairs, wondering to herself if belaying her shower would help her keep going for one more day. But if she had only glanced at her watch a mere five minutes later, she might have been surprised and perhaps a bit alarmed to find the needle with Aurelius' name on it move past "House Rooms" and settle onto the one marked "Potion Lab."
Aurelius flipped open the top of the case to his Magnification kit, filled with glasses of varying strengths, each handle etched in gold with either an "X" or a "/" followed by a number. It had taken him several minutes to repeat the lab, separating each component as completely as possible…the dissolving components taking the most time…not that the gelatin that made up the majority of the cream posed much interest to him being made up of common lotion ingredients like water, collagen and elastin. It was the mineral itself he was interested in, now broken down into tiny grains smaller than sand. One by one he took out his glasses to examine it, each one growing larger and larger in magnification even though the diameter of the glass got smaller and smaller until he finally saw something resembling almost glass. Some sort of crystal element, he mused to himself, digging in the book bag he brought with him and bringing out a large component book. Finding the page he wanted, he set it floating in the air with a spell. Carefully with a pair of fine tweezers picked up the grain, taking it over to what looked like a square dish held up by a carved ivory hand, a small slate box making up the base.
Making sure no other loose material was on the scale, Aurelius dropped the grain onto it and waited until a complex set of numbers explaining the grains weight and density appeared. Aurelius went to the book, glancing over the suspected entry. But it wasn't quite right. He frowned. The density was greater than it should be. He began scanning through the book to look at other possibilities, quickly ruling diamond and zircon out, the numbers getting broader the farther he got away from the crystal entry. But if it were just a plain crystal, albeit a bit harder than normal, why would it be in the cream at all?
Suddenly, the chain around his neck began to react, Aurelius' eyes immediately going for the door expecting a professor, most likely Snape himself, to have walked through to see what he was up to. But as time passed and he still stood there waiting, Aurelius wasn't so sure anymore.
"Achilles, do you smell anything?" he hissed, petting the snake on his arm.
"You," said the small snake unconcernedly.
"I meant anyone else," Aurelius sighed.
"I smell food," Achilles commented thoughtfully. "But I ate this week."
"At least I have the one familiar in our household not obsessed with eating," Aurelius said, glancing back at the mice cages. "It's a good thing too, any one of those would give you a belly ache. Anyone else around? Human, I mean?" The necklace suddenly stopped hurting, slowly working its way back to room temperature.
"The painter," Achilles said. "But he is far."
"Probably in his room," Aurelius said.
Dumbledore had been quick to move Pyther to the castle, professing that there was plenty of work to keep him busy there until a new workshop could be built, and for the first time ever, Severus didn't argue having a vampire under the roof, despite the fact that he refused point blank to donate at the blood drive held in Hogsmeade that morning.
"So, if it's not coming from anyone nearby, they must be finding some way to spy on us from a distance…" he murmured. That was when he actually stopped to stare at the cream on his hands as if seeing it for the first time. "It can't be…can it?"
"I don't know," Achilles hissed.
"I wasn't talking to you," Aurelius said testily, going over to the sink and washing his hands vigorously to get it off. After a few minutes he stared at his hands again, red from his scrubbing, picking out a couple of small moles upon them before turning to quickly clean up the experiment. But as he was finishing up, the chain he was wearing reacted again and he stopped in his tracks, looking around for any other possible source. No, he knew that that was it. Frantically he grabbed a glass out of kit, inspecting his hand. Sure enough, even as the magic lotion hiding his blemishes was washed away, the grains had stayed on his skin, nestled in his pores.
He froze then, unsure at first what to do, until he suddenly remembered something. Immediately, he stuffed everything in his book bag, making sure he had Achilles before taking to the secret passages.
Alex sighed impatiently as she looked out on the rainy night, putting down her book as she glanced at the time on the clock above Boulderdash's desk.
"So much for studying for our Defense test. I bet he got caught up in the party and forgot about us," Alex said irritably.
"It wouldn't be like Rel to forget something like this, especially when it was his idea," Andrew said.
"The library's going to close in fifteen minutes and curfew is only half an hour away. I'd say he's forgotten," Alex said. Just then, Aurelius came in, hastily making his way over to them. "Well, it's about time!"
"Hush! Don't talk. Come to the hospital wing with me. I've got something to show you," Aurelius said. "Hurry, I don't know how much time we have."
"Before what?" Alex asked.
"Before Lucius decides to see what I'm up to again," Aurelius murmured, Alex and Andrew's eyes widening and quickly following him upstairs. The hospital ward was already dark and Alicia had already fallen asleep from sheer boredom. Andrew gently woke her and in no time she sat up, quite interested in what was going on as Aurelius pulled over the table. "Now everyone and watch this," he said, getting out a square piece of glass.
"A picture frame?" Alicia mused.
"Quiet, just watch," Aurelius said impatiently, putting on a glove before opening the jar of Invisibility Cream and brushing it over the surface. As it dried, it turned clear again, and Alex shrugged confusedly.
"So?" She said, watching as he then got out a damp towel and wiped its surface.
"Okay, now watch," Aurelius said, putting the glass back down. They peered at it then to see their own reflections in the once clear pane.
"Why, it turned it into a mirror!" Alex said.
"It's much more than that," Aurelius said darkly. "It turns those who wear it into a mirror…a two way mirror…and I think it's likely that whoever is on the other end of this can see a lot more of what's going on than we can looking at it from this perspective."
"Are you sure? How is that possible? It'd take an awful lot of magic to do something like that, I'd think," Andrew said.
"Don't touch it," Aurelius warned when Andrew looked as if he were debating it. "I think I know what it's made of, but I want to make sure before I jump to any conclusions. The point is, this is how Malfoy's been spying on us. Remember how I thought Mum was the source? She's been using this stuff all year. But so has Zoë. Don't you remember, she commented on it at Yule when we were all up in Alex's room looking at the snow from her window and talking. I think Andrew even mentioned that we should drop by the museum while they were there."
"You mean we were the ones that gave our location away to Malfoy?" Alex said.
"I think that's exactly what happened. And when I picked up someone watching you a few nights ago, Zoë was in the room. I bet Malfoy was using her to see what you were up to. Now, I've got it on me too, and the crystal doesn't seem to wash off."
"Crystal? What sort of crystal?" Andrew asked.
"The mineral in the formula…I don't think it was originally part of the original beauty cream formula at all. I think it was intentionally planted there…and specifically for our Mum's use. We just happened onto it."
"But how? How did he get it to her? And how did he know she would use it?" Alex asked.
"First things first. I need to get this stuff off of me before Lucius Malfoy figures out that I'm onto him," Aurelius said. "I need to head to Hogsmeade."
"Not alone, you're not," Alex said, getting up, and Andrew following behind her.
"Hey! What about me!" Alicia protested.
"No, you'd better stay here, Alicia," Aurelius said. "You're supposed to be resting. You had your adventure already," he added chidingly. "Someone will give you the full report tomorrow." Alicia folded her arms and leaned back in her bed in annoyance, but didn't try to follow.
