A/N Expelled the Wiznet Grimlins. Sorry about that, folks. DQ
Chapter Twenty-Six
We Gather Together
Jennifer arrived as early as she could, breathing in the smell of baking and spices with a smile as she stepped into Kingler's from the back stairs as if she had been there all along.
"Good morning, everyone!" Jennifer called out.
"Hey, Jackie!" Billy replied from the prep table, cutting onions and celery.
"I'm up here, Jennifer," Sally called from the front, and Jennifer swung around the grills to see Sally prepping the coffee pots.
"Do you want me to get that?" Jennifer asked.
"Now, don't you start! Semi-retired doesn't mean I can't handle things around here," Sally said.
"I never meant to imply that you couldn't. I was just trying to see where you needed help at," Jennifer explained.
"Oh. Well, could you start converting the booths and tables for me?" Sally suggested.
"I'm on it," Jennifer said with a smile. "Let me know when the pumpkin spice blend is ready; I could use a cup."
"Me too. I got up too early today to put the turkeys in the oven. Carlos was furious that I put them in before he got here," Sally admitted.
"Is that why you're so defensive?" Jennifer asked knowingly, taking out her wand so that she could begin converting the booths and shifting the cafe tables into something more functional for their Thanksgiving feast.
"Yes, well, you know how it's been, Jennifer," Sally said with frustration, pouring two cups of coffee. "After since that incident last winter when I got disoriented and lost my way getting home, everyone here has been much too accommodating," she complained. "I know we all had quite a scare from it, but it's been well over a year since that happened and I still feel like everyone is tiptoeing around me. I'm completely recovered from that infection, and in fact, I'm feeling better than ever. Of course, my doctor believes that part of the reason I'm feeling better is because I haven't been in charge of managing the place since then, but that's all nonsense. Stress had nothing to do with it."
"I'm sure not, Sally, but do you really miss having to put up with the paperwork and the licensing fees and the cost of bacon and coffee these days?" Jennifer asked knowingly. "You can come in whenever you like to wait tables and take care of the counter, so you only have to deal with the parts of the business that you really enjoy. And now that you are feeling better, you also have a chance to do everything you've never had time to do but always wanted to do. You might even be able to arrange a bit of free transportation for any destination you want to take a trip to, since you have approval to use our methods," Jennifer added with a knowing grin. "If nothing else, I want you to come visit our holiday home and tour a bit of France."
"You may be able to talk me into it, although I have had other offers," Sally admitted with a grin. "The Pythers invited me to spend time on their island, and Andrew and Laura offered to take me out on the boat for a fishing holiday. The only really tempting offer I've had was Lucky, who wants to take me to Las Vegas for a week." Jennifer chuckled at that. "I've never been a person for sitting down and taking it easy, and that hasn't changed just because I'm semi-retired. Instead, I want to go places that have things to do, rather than sit on some beach or boat dock... starting with New York itself. I've spent most of my life in this neighborhood and haven't really stepped out of it much. I want to play tourist!" she declared. Jennifer put away her wand, walking over to the counter for her coffee.
"You know, Lucky's going to take the boys to the parade today," Jennifer pointed out.
"I know, that's why we're starting an hour later," Sally said.
"Why don't you go too?" Jennifer suggested.
"What! With all that needs to be done to get ready here?" Sally asked.
"We'll have plenty of help, Sally, you know perfectly well that we'll be invaded by family, friends, and neighbors within the hour. Besides, when was the last time you saw the parade yourself?" Jennifer questioned her knowingly.
"Does watching it on T.V. count?" Sally asked.
"Then you should go. If you want to tour the city, then start now, there's no reason to delay any longer. Take advantage of all the free help that's here today," Jennifer said with a smile. "In fact, I'm certain that everyone here would say the same thing. If you want to go, you should go. Besides, the weather's nice today. It's not too cold, windy, rainy, or snowy... now how often can you say that when in comes to this parade?"
"True," Sally said, sipping her coffee. "But I hope they want me to go for the right reasons, and not because they're afraid I might hurt myself working."
"Oh, Sally, really," Jennifer said with exasperation.
"You say that because you don't understand the problem," Sally said, nodding sagely. "Because it's not just about me being sick a year and a half ago, you know. It's not because I feel different on the inside. It's because of how old I look," she explained. "I envy you there... not because you're going to live longer, no, that bit I would hate, as much as I miss Rob and many of my old friends who've already passed on. But I often wish that I could look the same, because when you begin looking older, people begin to treat you differently. Even people you know and work with and talk with every day start treating you differently. That's the part I hate."
"Do you want me to get you a makeup kit for Christmas?" Jennifer suggestive with a wicked smile. Sally didn't have to think about it for too long.
"Only it can't be too obvious," Sally said under her breath, putting her coffee mug in the sink.
"Yes, yes I know," Jennifer assured her with a smile.
They heard multiple feet coming down the wooden stairs. Jennifer got up to help Sally pull out a tray of donuts and pastries to put out on the counter. Severus appeared first, instructing Quintin, Rus, and Jay to make themselves useful in the back room before stepping over to the counter.
"You're looking well, Sally," Severus complimented.
"Thank you, Severus, I'm glad someone thinks so," she replied with amusement.
"Severus, Sally hasn't ever gone to the parade before. I thought she might like to go with Lucky and the others, since we have plenty of help here," Jennifer summarized. "Do you have any sort of list of what all is left to be done?"
"I can make one real quick," Sally decided.
"Yes, and hand it over to me, Sally, since Jennifer is still on detention. She can handle the manual labor, while I'll make sure the work gets done," Severus said. Jennifer made a face at him but got him some coffee anyway.
"What did you do this time, Jackie?" Sally asked with a grin.
"Cheated at a game and would have gotten away with it if Severus hadn't caught me," Jennifer pouted without showing any remorse whatsoever.
"Now, would you have really been happy if you had beaten your father at that riddle game by cheating?" Severus scolded her.
"Yes," Jennifer said truthfully, and Sally had a good laugh before finally pulling out an order pad to make a list.
Everything began to get chaotic as guests came in and everyone sorted out who was going to the parade and who was staying to help. Finally they dispersed and they got some temporarily relief from the crowd, with Jennifer bustling over to help Jenny and Carlos around the tables while Severus helped Ginger with babysitting duties at the two back booths.
"I must admit, that impromptu snow festival of theirs did give them a decent head start when it came to raising funds on their secondary project," Severus replied, distractedly playing blocks with the girls. "But now we have just over three weeks before that auction, and even with all of the precautions, I am still not looking forward to going through that again. You have no idea just how chaotic things have been."
"It sounds pretty dull to me," Ginger said.
"Dull! Did I hear that correctly?" Severus said with such indignant surprise that Ginger laughed. "A new house out of the blue, fundraisers left and right, half of which I wasn't even informed of, not to mention that Jennifer seems to be nearly as interested in Quintin's research project as he is. There hasn't been a dull moment all year," he protested.
"But that's all just school related stuff! Nobody's tried to kill anybody yet!" Ginger protested, and Severus squinted at her. "I know it's been calm the last few years and all, but I was positively sure things would pick up the moment that Quintin was in school. I keep waiting to find out what threat's going to come up that's going to earn him his first detention."
"That is not even remotely funny," Severus said flatly, despite the fact that Ginger was laughing. "You are behaving just like your grandmother right now, I hope you know that."
"I know, I can't help it," Ginger acknowledged with a grin, standing up to pour the girls some juice while Severus set aside their blocks. "Hey, maybe I should contact her about that auction, they might have something interesting to donate. Headmasters from other schools are invited, right?"
"Anyone not banned from Hogwarts can go if they like," Severus replied. "Still, if we invite them, I should probably go ahead and extend the invitation to the others, although I doubt any of them would be interested in donating to another school... except Eric, of course."
"I don't believe that. I think they'll be just as willing to help you as you would help them in a time of crisis," Ginger said. "Maybe you should rely on them more," she added. Severus pondered the suggestion thoughtfully until he had to pause and charm their glasses to make them spill-proof.
"Possibly," Severus mused. "Especially since that I'm not even sure I know who the Headmaster is at Greenbarrow anymore. The only time we ever hear from that school is when we have a transfer student. They've really never been all that open to invitation."
"Oh? Why not?" Ginger asked curiously.
"It's a very small school, serving families around Wales and Ireland, a hundred students or so, counting all years," Severus explained. "I've often wondered if their disinterest in engaging with other schools was a matter of self-preservation; a bit afraid that parents would start comparing them and propose to merge their school with ours. But it's a good school, judging from the capability of its students; Ashley and John both graduated from there, as have many others I can name," Severus said. "Jennifer?" he called out as she was setting pies on the table. "Do you happen to recall who the current headmaster of Greenbarrow is?"
"Yes, it's Aggie Kingsley... you'll probably remember her better as Agatha Stilton, she was a Snake-year Hufflepuff, one of Julie's friends," Jennifer said.
"Oh, yes, Stilton, always passing notes in my Potion's Class," Severus mused.
"She's not keen on you," Jennifer warned with a smile. "She says that Baylor and Meyers were always setting her up in class and that you always took their side. She thinks that no matter what you've done to save the planet, it doesn't excuse your actions as a teacher, and when she became one, she made it a point to go to a school that Hogwarts had little to do with and modeled her style after mine. In fact, no matter how often that Hermione and I have spoken to her about how things aren't the same, she refuses to have anything to do with you. Hermione has always handled that correspondence herself, except for requests about the penpal system, which goes through me."
"I see. We'll skip that school, then," Severus decided.
"Skip it for what?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Ginger was suggesting that I invite Headmasters from other schools to come attend the auction," Severus explained.
"I'm sure my grandparents will contribute in any case," Ginger said. "After all, they both taught here."
"Yes, Hagrid did as well," Severus mused. "And Eric never misses, of course." Jennifer put a hand on her hips.
"I say extend the invitation anyway, especially if you're inviting all of the other surrounding schools. That will at least give her a chance to send another teacher," Jennifer said. "She may not like you, Severus, but I seriously doubt she'd let a personal grievance get in the way of her school sending a representative. I don't know how well Hermione's kept her up to date on the new house thing, but I'm sure she'd probably find it intriguing, maybe even a step in the right direction."
"A step in the right direction?" Severus said indignantly.
"She was a Snake-year Hufflepuff, Severus. Surely you can see how that might cloud a student's opinion of Hogwarts," Jennifer pointed out.
"What's all this 'Snake-year' student stuff about?" Ginger asked.
"Not long after I started teaching, the Death Eaters began to make some serious threats against students from mixed families. They even tracked down some of the Muggle families that received Hogwarts letters and threatened them as well," Jennifer explained. "Because of it, a lot of students that were supposed to start that year didn't show up. Slytherin outnumbered the other houses three to one, and they often tried to take advantage of their numbers on the students in other houses. Ask Julie about it sometime; she has a quite a number of horror stories, especially during her first two years," Jennifer said. "After Voldemort died, many families who kept their children out of school enrolled them again. The students took placement tests and were some placed in all seven years, but that particular year didn't recover entirely. Not only that, but Severus was still acting as a spy when those children were Sorted, and afterwards, he had to work extra hard to keep a connection with the Slytherin students that still had families who supported Voldemort."
"And failed a great many of those students, much more than I would have liked," Severus added seriously. "Although many of those regrets happened before that particular year, some of which came back to haunt my family. But having so many deep regrets in my life nearly destroyed our marriage, and I have since come to terms with the fact that I am not perfect. I have made a lot of mistakes in my past, but at least I know that I was trying my best at the time," he said. He glanced over at Jennifer, who was smiling warmly at him. "Of course, they pale in comparison to some of Jennifer's mistakes." Jennifer blinked.
"Hey!" she exclaimed in protest. Ginger grinned.
"And she still has trouble admitting them. Perhaps it's because she never seems to regret them in the first place..."
"I'll be sending you regrets in a moment," Jennifer threatened him, Ginger laughing at that.
"Speaking of someone who also needs to learn that lesson," Severus murmured as the door opened again. Jennifer turned around to see who he was talking about.
"Why, Alex! I didn't know you were coming today," Jennifer said brightly. As glad as her mother was to see her, Alex looked quite irritated, glancing around at the ongoing Thanksgiving preparations. "The boys will be so happy to see you. I'm so glad you managed to get a day off for a change."
"Rus sent me an Owl Post about it. Did you seriously pull them out of school two days for this?" Alex snapped.
"Alex, they were informed from the very start that there would be opportunities for family days during the year as long as we were convinced that it wasn't going to affect their studies," Jennifer explained. "Now that even Jay has caught up and is at the top of his class, there's no reason to leave them behind, especially since they've learned how to work ahead. With their academics well in hand, we're not going to hold them back when it comes to learning experiences that come from participating in events outside of the classroom."
"Really?" Alex said dubiously, then turned to her father. "And you bought that argument?"
"Considering she's paraphrasing my point of view in our discussion about it, I would say yes," Severus replied evenly, Alex's expression darkening. "Jennifer often participates in events over here that children are invited, from First Fall to the Spring Garden Party and a full variety of holiday events involving both Whitebridge and our Kingler family. And while there are times when Serendipity goes to events that they cannot, if one of the boys can't go to an event, we decide that either none of them can go, or we set aside individual events so that none of them feel excluded. Now that Jay has gotten his marks up and has made a great deal of personal progress, they have earned the privilege of attending more of these events... not that I would have ever excluded them from this one in particular, although I believe they would have been quite exhausted during their classes on Friday if we had decided not to spend the night."
"My marks were stellar and I worked ahead too! You never let us skip school for any reason!" Alex complained.
"Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere else? I really don't think we want to explain a Little Green Monster attack on this property to the American authorities," Severus suggested.
"I am not jealous. I am just surprised to find out the two of you are doing anything so irresponsible!" Alex said sternly.
"Ah, youth," Severus said expressionlessly. Alex simply stared at him in disbelief.
"I am almost forty!" Alex snapped.
"Exactly," Severus replied.
"Alex, even though Severus and I discuss this sort of family decision at length, I do get the final word, and as far as I'm concerned, this is a family event," Jennifer explained. "Family comes first, even before school."
"Sure, if there's an emergency..."
"No," Jennifer interrupted. "Family mustn't come first just during an emergency, it must come first always," Jennifer said firmly. "I understand why you feel that way, and why Aurelius, Andrew, and Alicia might still feel like that as well... perhaps even Lucky and Leu feel like that sometimes. But it was a mistake for us to teach you that growing up, Alexandria, our mistake. Stepping in for Jay and Rus made us realize just how wrong that viewpoint was, so we've corrected it. All parents make mistakes because we learn as we go, and we all learn different lessons based on what the needs of our children are, which can be dramatically different. Of course, we don't always agree on what the best way to parent is, since we all have different circumstances and opinions. The important thing is to take care of them as best we can with what resources we have. As long as we're adapting to what the children need and are keeping them safe, healthy, and learning, all other considerations are rather petty," she explained. "You, Alexandria, have been doing what's best for them too. You've adapted to your children's needs by caring for them in a distance, back when they were babies and you couldn't be around them because of your language skills, and then later on, when you realized that you couldn't possibly give them the care that your children needed on your own. And while we've never really spoken about it, we know just how hard that's been for you, and just how much courage and sacrifice went into both of the circumstances where you had to take a step back and do what was best for them. And I know one of the reasons you chose us was because you knew that we would take that responsibility very seriously," Jennifer said solemnly. "Well, part of that responsibility is to keep adapting and adjusting to the needs of the children that we care for. Whether you agree with our decisions or not, whether you even understand why they're different than when we raised you or not, at least believe that we're doing it because we think it's what's best for them."
Alex frowned at her, folding her arms.
"Why don't you have a cup of tea or coffee or something, Alexandria? I'm sure they'll be back from the parade soon," Severus suggested.
"Yes, feel free. I really ought to see how things are going in the back, especially since it smells like those turkeys are nearly ready," Jennifer admitted.
"I'll go help," Alex decided, finally taking off her cloak and putting in on a hook on the way to the back room.
"It's rather strange seeing her like this," Ginger murmured, Severus looking at her questioningly. "She's not erratic at work any more; she's quite focused, as a matter of fact. I thought she was doing better," she admitted.
"Yes, under the circumstances, she recovered fairly quickly," Severus replied quietly. "It was her job that helped her through it; Alex had already learned not to use her job as a shield, and instead found a way to use it to acknowledge her pain and burn through her grief and regret over what happened. Thomas especially helped her through that part of it, having gone through something similar himself. He helped her come to terms with her actions and Ben's decision to save her, and got her to realize that the best way to honor him was by continuing to do what she does best. He also helped convince her to honor Ben's will by allowing us to take custody of the boys, seeing straight away that she simply wasn't capable of handling their welfare on her own. It is the very fact that she can't take care of her own children that has always plagued her. The fact that Jay has always resented her for being incapable of it has not made things any easier." Ginger pondered that, thinking of how she might feel if she were forced to live separately from her own children, pulling Branwen onto her lap.
"It's quite tragic for all three of them," Ginger murmured with a sigh. "But perhaps when Jay is older and able to look at it from an adult perspective, he'll come to understand it better."
"That is what I hope as well," Severus agreed. "But it took a great many years before Alicia could see from an adult perspective so it may take some time, if they ever come to terms at all. Yes, alright," he said with with exasperation as Brigid decided to climb on his lap as well. Serendipity was content to let them, testing their cups to see if they left any juice behind.
"Branwen, go tell Grandma that Aunt Seren is still thirsty," Ginger said, and the three year old slipped off her lap and went running to the back. Not wanting to be left out, Brigid decided to follow too.
"Oh, honestly! You were supposed to keep them out of the back!" Jennifer shouted.
Ginger reluctantly got up with a grin to go after them. But the front door opened, and she was distracted when Justice ran in with a spinning toy in his hand. Aurelius came after, and pretty soon everyone who had gone to the parade began filing into the cafe.
"Hey, you're back! Did you have fun?" Ginger asked Justice.
"Yes, lots! But Rus got angry that Aunt Lucky wouldn't give him any money and Quintin got angry that he couldn't get any snacks!"
"I wasn't angry, just disappointed," Quintin protested.
"Quintin, we'll be eating soon enough, so why don't you help your mother getting the main table ready," Severus suggested. "Rus, Jay, why don't you help with the toddlers until we set up the children's table."
"You're not going to make me eat at the children's table this year, are you?" Jay asked, squinting.
"I'm sure there will be plenty of volunteers," Severus replied. Alex and Jennifer came out of the back, nudging Branwen and Brigid in front of them until they ran over to great their father.
"Hey, there you are!" Alex said cheerfully.
"What are you doing here?" Jay asked suspiciously.
"I asked her to come," Rus explained, going over to give his mother a hug. "I'm happt you could make it! I was hoping you'd be here in time for the parade, but I'm glad you're here anyway. Can I borrow some money and earn it back the next time we visit?" Severus sighed silently, knowing just how unlikely that was.
"Sure, but just a little, since I know how your grandparents feel about giving you money," Alex said, putting a coin in his hand. "What about you, Jay? Do you need anything?"
"No thanks, I'd rather earn it," Jay said evenly, then turned to his grandfather. "I think I want to help out at the children's table after all."
"Thank you, Janus," Severus said.
"Do you want to help me with the children's table, Seren? It's like tea party," Janus suggested. Seren scrambled down out of her seat and let Jay lead her over to show her how to set out the plates.
"It's great to see how helpful you are, Jay, you've really grown responsible," Alex said with a smile.
"Thanks, Mum," Jay said without turning around. Deciding that acknowledgment was better than nothing, Alex turned her attention to Rus, asking him about the parade.