Chapter Thirty-Two
Plastic Pumpkins
"Mr. Byrd!"
Frank looked up from where he was getting a tray in the cafeteria line, letting several students go ahead of him as Brenda walked up with a clipboard that always indicated that she meant business. He jumped back in the food line, resisting the urge to use the tray as a shield. Curious as to what was going on, Lavender decided to turn in her dirty tray and get a fresh cup of coffee as an excuse to get into hearing range.
"Mr. Byrd, where are those progress tests for the first quarter? Haven't you downloaded them to regional testing center yet?" Brenda asked sternly.
"Ah, yes. About that..." Frank began, grabbing one of everything in front of him. "You see, just as I was trying to compile them all, one of the students must have opened the wrong Net-Owl or something like that, because the program began getting errors. Then when I ran checks to find out what was going on, I realized that the entire Wizardnet Lab had a virus, and it was starting to get into other systems of the school," he explained quickly. "I had to do a complete wipe of the system... if I hadn't, it might have gotten into the grading program and messed up the report cards. So... yeah, I had no choice. Do you want me to have the whole student body take their POW tests over?" Brenda rolled her eyes.
"Of course I don't! But I expect you to have better security put in place on that lab from now on, Mr. Byrd," Brenda said.
"I fully intend to do that, just as soon as I restore my classes own grades and get them to you," Frank promised.
"Well, I suppose class grades alone are simply going to have to be enough this quarter," Brenda said, shaking her head and writing down 'techno-magical difficulties' on her sheet before walking off.
Frank exhaled and tossed back his hair, paying for his food with his school card. He went over to grab some coffee, only to see Lavender watching him carefully.
"Liar, liar, pants on..."
"If you finish that spell in front of students, I swear I will report you," Frank interrupted her firmly.
"I'm just kidding. We're on the same side, aren't we?" Lavender reminded him with a chuckle, then went back over to Jennifer's table.
Jennifer was sitting with Sharon Miller, and they had both been watching Lavender intently until she finally came over and sat back down again.
"So what was that about?" Jennifer asked quietly, gazing at Lavender over the rim of her glasses.
"Frank wiped all of the POW tests claiming we had a Wizardnet virus," Lavender murmured. Jennifer grinned, while Sharon let out a sigh of relief. "The board is likely to be suspicious of the explanation, but at least we won't have to worry about it for six weeks. There is no way Brenda or Wind will make the students take them twice."
"It's a pity they had to take them the first time. I rather feel sorry for them," Jennifer admitted softly.
"Did Brenda actually buy his explanation, or did she just pretend to?" Sharon asked in a low voice.
"I don't know, but I doubt that Wind is going to buy it," Lavender admitted with a grin.
"That's all right then," Jennifer said with a smile, sipping her coffee. "After all, accidentally losing those tests will probably save him a bit of grief at that board meeting."
"True, but the problem is there will be another one of those blasted things due right before the holidays, and they won't buy another virus story," Sharon said. But Jennifer smiled.
"Well, you're in luck, Sharon, because I have a son-in-law who is an expert at computer security, and he's been working with hybrid computers for years," she explained.
"Oh? How does that help us?" Sharon asked.
"We'll be right back, Lavender," Jennifer said, pushing up her spectacles and getting up. "Come on, Sharon, let's go over to the Wolves Den for a quick departmental meeting." Curiously Sharon got up and followed her over.
It was Lavender who had dubbed the booth that Asher always sat at as the Wolves Den, after one particular morning where Asher, Ray, Frank, and a couple of Asher's other friends from the Healer's School were all hovering around and gawking at Frank and Asher's devices like a wolf pack circling an injured animal. Pretty soon all of Jennifer's witch friends were referring to it so often that several outside her circle of friends had heard about it, including Wind, who seemed rather amused by it all. But that particular day, it was just Frank, Asher, and Ray at the corner booth. Ray nudged the other two, and the three wizards looked up like startled deer as Jennifer came over with a beguiling smile. Sharon walked over looking more curious than anything.
"Hello, boys. I hear you have a problem," Jennifer hinted beguilingly.
"Problem?" Frank asked, while Asher stared openly at her and Ray blinked with confusion.
"Yes, the Wizardnet virus in the computer lab," Jennifer explained with a secretive smile. "Lavender told me about it."
"Oh, yes, that. Pity, really. I guess we'll just have to send out the report cards without the progress tests," Frank replied.
"Well, as it so happens, I know something that might help fix things for you," Jennifer said coyly. "You see, my son-in-law happens to work in cyber security, and I am certain he would be more than happy to help you upgrade the school's Wizardnet system. There is one little catch. He probably won't be able to come to the school until just before the holidays, and then it might take several days to complete. It might make it quite hard to give out the next set of progress tests though, I'm afraid, since he'll have to upgrade oh... everything," she explained in a soft, trailing voice. "Still, I'm sure things will be back up to speed... " Jennifer pursed her lips thoughtfully. "How about just before the Items and Product fair?" she suggested, Sharon nodding and grinning at her in support.
"Sure, Jennifer. I'm all for it, but you'll have to clear it with Wind first," Frank explained.
"Don't worry, Frank. I'm certain that if the whole department recommends it, Wind will be more than happy to approve it," Jennifer assured him, smiling wickedly.
"I'll tell Luke," Sharon immediately offered.
"Sure, I'll recommend it," Frank offered.
"Thanks, Frank," Jennifer said, rewarding him with another alluring smile before turning to Sharon. "Let's go find Luke."
"He's probably in class by now," Sharon replied, and the two of them went to get Lavender before cleaning up their table.
"Think it'll work?" Ray mused thoughtfully.
"It sure as hell worked on me," Frank admitted, Ray rolling his eyes at that.
"I'd better get ready for class... and so should you," Ray said, getting up.
"You two go on," Asher said distantly, still watching the girls as they walked out of the Commissary. "I'm going to need to sit here for a few more minutes."
"You're such a slime, Asher," Ray sat flatly.
"It's not his fault. I just recover faster," Frank replied, saving his work and closing his Silverbook. Shaking his head at them, Ray got up to ditch his tray and head to class.
When Severus and Quintin arrived at the school, they stepped out to see a bustle of activity just past the gates. Quite a number of wooden booths had been dragged past the gates with balloons to pop and other Muggle festival games so that the neighborhood children could win extra candy. A sign tacked to the gate reminded students, "No magic beyond this point," while a steady stream of both students and faculty hurried out the pedestrian gate. Most of the students were carrying plastic pumpkins on the way out the door, while the faculty members were carrying everything from bowls of candy to glowing necklaces to stock the tables with.
"Where's Mum?" Quintin asked Severus, who had been wondering that himself. He glanced around until he spied three wizards walking towards the gate that resembled the three wizards who had dove out of the Quickbrooms the last time he visited. The tall one was wearing a flashy rhinestone jacket, dark sunglasses, and a black wig with a curl on his forehead. The man with a scar was wearing a strangely broad-striped suit with a tie and had a fedora on his head, while the man in jeans wore a white t-shirt, sunglasses, and slicked back hair.
"Mr. Byrd?" Severus called out.
Frank the rebel stopped short, causing both Elvis and the gangster to run into him. All three of them looked over in surprise to see the Headmaster of Hogwarts standing with a young boy in a lizard costume with an eyepatch on his head.
"Uh... Professor Snape, Happy Halloween," Frank stammered.
"Aw, he looks like his mother. How cute," Asher said, and the gangster elbowed him.
"I'm a basilisk!" Quintin explained.
"Have any of you seen my wife, perhaps?" Severus asked.
"Yeah, we saw her at choir practice, Professor. We left a bit early because it was running late, but she should be out at any time," the gangster told him.
"Thank you, Mr. Eldridge," Severus replied.
"No problem. Nice to meet you," he added, nudging Frank towards the pedestrian gate.
"Mr. Byrd, Mr. Eldridge, Mr. Smith," Severus replied for good measure.
"You know me?" Asher asked with surprise.
"I make a point to know everyone my wife associates with, Mr. Smith," Severus said calmly. Glancing at each other, the three wizards wished them Happy Halloween one more time and hurried out the gate. Severus smirked and shook his head. Finally he heard his name, looking up but not seeing anything.
"There you are," Severus said before even he could see her. "Mummy is here, Quintin."
"Where? I don't see her," Quintin said, looking around.
"Look again," Severus suggested. Quintin suddenly gasped when she appeared crouched down right in front of him. She was wearing a thin black robe and a cheap black pointed hat.
"Mummy!" he said in surprise, giving her a hug.
"Look at you, you're so adorable! That costume is amazing! Did Ashley do this?" Jennifer asked with a chuckle, still getting her hug.
"Yes, who else?" Severus replied. "The fiddlers three said you were at choir, or something?"
"Oh, yes, sorry. Brenda and Sue Williams cornered me about joining the handbell choir, because the faculty ring out carols to participate in the Christmas concert they put on on the last day of school before the break," Jennifer explained.
"Sue Williams?" he inquired.
"Language Arts professor, the one that's been having them do writing prompts based on the Wizard of MC books," Jennifer said, Severus rolling his eyes at that. "But don't worry, she's moving them onto poetry next," she explained, standing up.
"Anything is better than those books," Severus said critically. Jennifer laughed.
"Really, they're not all that bad at face value... when you don't know the back history," she said with amusement. "Where are Quintin's glasses?"
"Safely tucked away for the evening... you did say you were going to be around Muggles, and he can't wear the eye patch with them on anyway," Severus pointed out.
"I look like Rasputin!" Quintin said, demonstrating the eye patch.
"Yes, all right, but keep it on your head unless you're at the door. I want you to see clearly... or at least, as clearly as you can without glasses on. Don't worry, Quintin, you'll have another two boys your age going with you tonight," Jennifer said.
"Yes, and don't terrorize them," Severus said.
"I like making new friends!" Quintin insisted.
"Your father was teasing, Quintin," Jennifer chuckled, standing up. "Did you find something special for Jamie and Owain, Severus?"
"Yes, I got them Gritbitz wristwatches, with the basic precaution charms to make sure they can't be removed or compelled off. Only in their case, being Aurors, there are actually several levels of danger listed, regions of the country, plus a compass arm on each in case they have to track each other down," Severus explained.
"I think that'll be greatly appreciated, Severus," Jennifer said with a smile. "Part of me is sad that I won't be going, but at the same time, I wouldn't miss out on Quintin's first trick or treating and sleepover in a million years."
"Yes, have fun. He's had a long nap, and I packed his glasses and all of his things into your Chest Cloak, so that you can access them at any time."
"What about my Pu toy?" Quintin asked.
"Yes, your plushie is in there as well," Severus said.
"Then I'm sure you packed everything," Jennifer chuckled at him, taking Quintin's hand. "Try not to wake up too many undead tonight, Severus," she said wickedly.
"I doubt I'll be the one doing it, if it happens," Severus said dryly, stepping back into the gatehouse.
"All right, Quintin! Let's go find Sharon," Jennifer said cheerfully, walking him out the pedestrian gate.
Immediately they heard positive exclamations from the faculty members as Jennifer brought him out and over to the games, many of them seeing Quintin for the first time. Jennifer took him over to Wind Elk and Brenda first, Wind Elk wearing ceremonial dress, while Brenda was dressed up in a thin black robe and hat just like Jennifer was.
"Look at that adorable costume! And Jennifer, he looks a great deal like you," Brenda said.
"Yes, thank you. Quintin, this is Mrs. Johnson, my supervisor. She does what Professor Weasley does at Hogwarts," Jennifer explained.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Johnson," Quintin said politely.
"And I know you've already met Dean Elk," Jennifer grinned.
"Yes, indeed. I have met Rasputin before," Wind said with a smile, and Quintin beamed. "And he does look a great deal like you, Jennifer, especially when he smiles. Do you want to try popping a balloon, Quintin?"
"I thought you didn't approve of balloons, Dean Elk?" Jennifer teased.
"Oh, it's possible these balloons may be a bit more environmentally friendly than a normal balloon," he said with a wink, Jennifer shaking her head with a grin knowing that he must have cheated a little. Quintin ran up to the booth and Wind handed him a dart, and as Quintin gave it a wild throw, it somehow managed to pop a balloon. Jennifer rolled her eyes knowingly.
"Oh, look! You popped a balloon! What a good shot you are," Wind said, while Jennifer smiled dubiously at him. "That's good for a large prize. Here we are!" Wind brought out a plastic jack-o-lantern bucket with a handle, handing it to the wide-eyed Quintin.
"That is your bucket to put treats in. And inside, you'll find a burlap bag for special treats from special neighborhoods... I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Miller will give you the run-down on how all of that works," Wind said.
"Thank you, Dean Elk," Jennifer said with a smile.
"Thank you very much!" Quintin added enthusiastically.
It was just after Quintin visited the game with the little plastic ducks and was rewarded with a bag of treats that Sharon walked over with keys in her hand.
"Here I am! Sorry it took me a bit," Sharon said. "Aw, what a cute lizard you have there, Jennifer."
"I'm a basilisk!" Quintin informed her.
"I see," Sharon chuckled.
"Quintin, this is Mrs. Miller," Jennifer said.
"No, it's all right, he can call me Sharon. I'm Sharon," she said.
"I'm Quintin!" Quintin said enthusiastically.
"Are you done here, or did you want to play more games before we go?" Jennifer asked.
"No, I want to meet my new friends!" Quintin said excitedly.
"All right, let's go," she said.
"Wait!" Lavender said suddenly. She was in a Joan of Arc costume and was standing near the booth with the glowing necklaces and sticks. She found a green glowing necklace and placed it around Quintin's head. "Safety first, you know! You may proceed!"
"Thanks, Lav," Jennifer chuckled, and they followed Sharon over to the parking garage. Lots of other children from around the neighborhood were walking in groups with parents or older siblings, and most of them were making a beeline straight over to where they knew the "gated community" always hosted games and candy stations for the local children. It was pretty much impossible to tell which children were from Muggle families and which weren't; tonight, they were all just children, Jennifer realized with a smile, following Sharon to the garage. She opened a side door with a sliding card, and the three went inside. Then she walked them over to a new but rather plain-looking black SUV.
"Here we go! We even put in an extra booster seat for the occasion," Sharon said. "Quintin, yours is in the middle."
"This is bigger than Ben's car!" Quintin commented, climbing in.
"Oh, good, so you have been in a car. I wasn't sure," Sharon admitted with a chuckle.
"Well, not often, but his brother-in-law is a Muggle and sometimes babysits, and his Aunt Anna has a car too," Jennifer said, watching as Sharon buckled him in.
"Most people with kids have a car here," Sharon explained. "Floo networks are rare in the U.S., except for in a few towns in New England, so a car is the easiest way to get kids around... no... get in on this side of the car, Jennifer, we're in America," she chuckled.
"Yes, right!" Jennifer said sheepishly and got inside, taking a moment to figure out the seatbelt as Sharon got in.
Cameras came on as she pushed a button on her keys and started the car with strange yellow lines on what looked to be part of the garage behind them as she backed out, and Jennifer watched with interest as they finished backing out.
"That looks handy!" Jennifer decided.
"Well, we don't want to run over any trick-or-treaters, do we?" Sharon said mischievously. "This is Luke's car, so it has every imaginable gadget a car can have... both theirs and ours. "Lexicon, what's the whether going to be like for the next three hours and what moon phase?" she said out loud.
"Tonight's forecast is clear and a comfortable sixty degrees with a full moon. A boo-tiful night for haunting," a man's voice broadcast through the car.
"Sorry, Lexi's comments are already silly, and the jokes are even worse," Sharon said, carefully driving out of the garage. "It can play music, give the traffic report, sports scores, and news too," she explained.
"Just local?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Doesn't have to be... why, are you interested in news back home?" Sharon asked, stopping at a light.
"Yes, actually," Jennifer admitted.
"Lexicon, what are the main Wizard News outlets available on the Wizardnet out of Britain?" Sharon asked.
"The most popular Wizard News outlets from Britain are run by: The Oracle and Wis3 News."
"Oh, Wis3, Wis3," Jennifer said quickly, very much trusting the Wireless station over the Oracle.
"Lexicon, Top stories on Wis3 news," Sharon repeated.
"Wedding of the Season," Lexicon began, and Jennifer smiled. "Members of the Wizard Peerage, heads of government, and high orders gather tonight to witness the marriage of Sir Owain, also known as the Lord Moor, next in line after his mother to inherit the Duke of Rerigonium Wizard Peerage title, to Jamie Lilian Potter, the daughter of Harry Potter. The Duke of Rerigonium title is the second oldest Wizard Peerage remaining, only preceded by the Duke of Astolat title, held by Eric Dalance. The ceremony will take place at the Moor estate near Rheged in Galloway."
"Hey, I didn't know Eric was a Duke," Jennifer said with a grin and a laugh. "He never uses a title at all, except maybe Chairman when he's holding board meetings or Order meetings. I should have guessed that, really, but I had no idea. He doesn't even have a manor house; he lives in a two story brick house in Dover."
"I take it Wizard Peerage is different than the normal system somehow," Sharon ventured.
"Oh my yes, and some of our nobility lines are actually older than the establishment by quite a number of centuries. But when they began to unify the peerage systems of Ireland and Scotland into one system, much of the old wizard nobility intentionally got themselves lost," Jennifer explained with a grin. "Of course, it did reduce some of them to title holders in name only because of that change, unless they still held onto their ancestral property, and most of those are completely hidden from Muggles. The estates that aren't hidden to Muggles often have dual peerages. Technically, Owain's family are still Scottish Lords, so they still have a legitimate peerage as well, although the family has a much, much lower status in the modern Muggle peerage system than they do in the Wizard system."
"It sounds confusing," Sharon admitted.
"Yes, it is," Jennifer agreed. "I still have trouble sorting it out myself sometimes. Typically when I'm not sure about it, I ask my daughter Alex, she has a better handle on it." Jennifer watched with interest as they crossed one of the bridges that led out to the suburbs and turned into a small neighborhood. "Do you live in a wizard neighborhood?" she asked curiously.
"No, it's rather mixed... a lot of non-magical families with a smattering of wizard houses here and there," Sharon grinned. "The best advice I can give you is to treat everyone like they're not unless Luke or I indicate otherwise, because sometimes around here it's hard to tell."
"Understood," Jennifer agreed. Sharon pulled into the driveway of a red brick house with a long first floor and a shorter second floor. It also had a nice porch with a bench swing and lots of spooky plastic lights and decorations on the lawn. Two little boys were peeking out of the curtains of a large window in the front. As they got out of the car and stepped over to the door, the doorknob kept rattling back and forth as they excitedly attempted to open it.
A moment later Luke made his way to the door, having to open and close it again when he forgot the chain at the top before it finally opened.
"Sorry, come on in," Luke said, opening the door wider. He was wearing brown Jedi robes.
"Hi!" said the boy that was Quintin's age, crowding the door and making it hard for them to come inside.
"Hi!" said the four year old boy wearing a starry blue wizard's cap and a beard.
"Back up, boys, before I use deadly force," Luke told them, and Quintin managed to wriggle in.
"Hi, I'm Quintin! I'm a basilisk," he said.
"What's that?" the little Merlin asked.
"He's my friend," Quintin explained.
"Mom! Quintin said he has a basilisk as a friend!" the six year old reported in a critical tone.
"Yes, he does. It's his father's familiar," Jennifer said, stepping in. The six year old seemed impressed by that.
"This is Jeremy," Luke pointed to the older one, and then pointed at the younger one, "and this is Timmy."
"I'm Merlin!" Timmy explained.
"I met him!" Quintin said.
"Nuh uh! Mom!" Jeremy complained.
"Jeremy, cool it. Jennifer, has Quintin met Merlin?" Luke asked.
"Briefly, but yes," Jennifer confirmed when a grin. "Quintin, no bragging, please. It's not nice."
"I can see why it'd be a problem," Sharon grinned, and Luke shut the door.
"Boys, why don't you take Quintin into the family room for a minute?" Luke suggested.
"Jeremy, why aren't you dressed yet?" Sharon asked.
"I was going to feed them first, Sharon. I was just waiting for Quintin to get here," Luke explained, and they walked to the kitchen. Luke grabbed a Cast-n-consume pizza out of the freezer. Jennifer was rather impressed when she saw that the freezer was as as big as the refrigerator, and both of them looked to be as tall as Severus.
"Is it only the four of you?" Jennifer asked, wondering if those weren't big enough to feed an army.
"Yes, and a pair of brownies we adopted. Do you know about brownies?" Sharon asked.
"Yes, we had some in Connecticut when I was growing up. I'll just keep Quintin's socks in my Chest Cloak when he's not wearing them," Jennifer decided.
"Anyway, I noticed you tended to avoid pizza on pizza day at school, so I made up a charcuterie tray for us, that way you can grab what you like," Sharon said and began bringing trays out of the fridge.
"That sounds lovely. Is here alright?" Jennifer asked, sitting at the kitchen bar.
"Sure, if you don't mind casual," Sharon said.
"Not at all," Jennifer said with a smile, looking over the trays being set out as Luke delivered the pizza to the boys. Sharon got out some plates, while Luke came back in to get drinks.
"Tea? Coffee? Lemonade?" Luke rattled off.
"Coffee's fine," Jennifer confirmed.
"Hot or iced?" he asked.
"Hot, definitely," Jennifer said, still a bit wary of the idea of iced coffee. She watched curiously as Luke grabbed a cup and put it in a machine, sticking a little cylinder in the top and pushing it. "Is that a Muggle or a magic machine?" she asked curiously.
"A bit of both, actually, it's a hybrid," Luke said. "Pretty much every gadget in the house has been hybridized."
"Really?" Jennifer said in amazement. "Aren't you worried about getting caught?"
"Hybridization isn't illegal in the States, didn't you know?" Luke said with amusement. "As long as the magic device has an emergency Charm-stop or recyclable Acidizer attached, it's perfectly legal."
"What are those? Can I see what it looks like?" Jennifer asked.
"Woah, stop, stop!" Sharon protested with a chuckle. "Let's wait until the kids go to bed before the two of you start talking shop, okay? Right now it's their night."
"Mom!"
Sharon sighed with exasperation, looking around to see Jeremy standing in the door. Quintin was standing there too, looking defiant.
"Quintin is saying his Dad is Merlin's apprentice and that he lives in a castle!" Jeremy said accusingly.
"Yes, that's true, too," Jennifer admitted. "Quintin, that'll do. It's not nice to brag."
"I didn't! Timmy asked me how I knew Merlin and Jeremy asked me where I lived!" Quintin protested.
"You could have talked about the other house, Quintin," Jennifer pointed out.
"I live at 221 and ½ Baker Street in London," Quintin announced. Luke nearly dropped the coffee cup.
"I don't think that point really helped," Sharon decided. "Jeremy! Take Quintin's word as gospel, and we'll talk about it later!" Jeremy slowly turned back around and went back into the family room. "Sorry, Jennifer. I should probably explain that Jeremy has been getting in all sorts of trouble both at school and at daycare for telling some really wild tall tales lately."
"Oh, I see," Jennifer chuckled at that. "I had a granddaughter who was like that growing up," she said with an understanding smile.
"Think after spending a night with Quintin he'll learn something?" Luke asked with a grin, handing Jennifer her coffee.
"I don't know, my granddaughter didn't grow out of it until she was a teenager, actually," Jennifer warned with a smile.
"Dad!" Jeremy said, both of his parents groaning in exasperation as Jeremy and Quintin appeared in the doorway again. "Do you know where my Darth Vader helmet is? He says he doesn't know who he is!" he complained.
"Sure, I think you left it over there on the couch," Luke said, nodding over to the front room, easily visible from the kitchen.
"I've never met anybody who doesn't know who Darth Vader is," Jeremy said, then put on the helmet, pushing a button to make strange breathing sounds. "See?"
"He's scary," Quintin decided.
"That's the point! He's a bad guy!" Jeremy said.
"I don't like it," Quintin decided warily.
"Well, it's not my fault! We were going to be famous wizards and I was going to be Severus Snape, but Mom wouldn't let me," Jeremy explained. Jennifer blinked, wondering if she misheard that. Sharon smiled painfully.
"Severus Snape is my Daddy!" Quintin said brightly.
"Mom! There is no way that one is true!" Jeremy complained. Luke and Sharon cringed in obvious embarrassment.
"Yes, of course it's true," Jennifer replied, but missed when Jeremy's jaw dropped because she was busy looking between Sharon and Luke. "Do the kids really try to dress up like my husband?" she asked in surprise.
"Only in wizard circles," Sharon assured her, but Jennifer kept staring at her. "But there may be a slight possibility you might see a kid dressed up like that in one or two of the neighborhoods we're going to."
"Especially when we go to the Mason side of town," Luke chuckled, Jennifer staring at him next. But he shrugged apologetically. "He's a public figure, so it's a first amendment thing... you know, parody laws. I'm sure you have something similar over there."
"True, but I can't think of what Severus would say to such a thing if he knew about it," Jennifer admitted with a chuckle.
"Then don't tell him," Sharon said with a grin.
There was a knock on the door and a rush of little feet to open it, the three of them struggling with the handle despite several latch locks and chains above it.
"Wait! Wait! Boys, finish getting ready!" Luke barked at them, and the three of them rushed back into the other room, Quintin sticking to Jeremy like glue as they did so.
Sharon hopped up and grabbed a bowl of candy and answered the door, making weird cackling noises when the trick-or-treaters shoved candy bags and buckets at her. Jennifer watched the procedure with interest, especially when two children and their parent hung back away from the others and waited for them to clear out before coming up with two burlap bags with embroidered witch and wizard figures on it. Sharon switched to a purple bowl she had on a different stand, putting in Chocolate Tadpoles and Licorice Wands in each, receiving hearty thank-you's in response as she closed the door, all of the chains and bolts automatically latching themselves.
"Luke, would you please take those boys out of the house so I don't have to unlatch this door over and over again?" Sharon said with exasperation.
"Are you trying to keep things in the house or out of it?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Timmy likes to escape," Sharon explained evenly, and Jennifer hid a chuckle at that.
"Okay! Okay! Everyone who's going trick-or-treating report to the family room for the Reading of the Rules!" Luke announced, and Jennifer stepped into the other room as the children scurried in. Jeremy put on his helmet and looked at Jennifer.
"Join the dark side!" Jeremy said, pushing his breathing button.
"Too late," Jennifer said dryly, and Luke chuckled at that, lining them up.
"All right! For those not familiar with family procedure, the Reading of the Rules is what we do any time we go on a family outing that involves going into Muggle territory. Right?" Luke asked.
"Right!" the two boys repeated, and Quintin did a second later, trying very hard to fit in.
"Tonight we will be going in both areas! When indicated you are in a Muggle area, you will display your plastic pumpkins at the door," he said, raising one up, the boys doing the same. "You will wait your turn, and say trick-or-treat, then thank you, in that order, then proceed back to me, making sure you do not trip on the way back from the door," Luke said, pacing back and forth in front of the three boys as if he were a general addressing the troops. "If I indicate we approach a wizard house, you will then display your wizard bag..." he said, and the two boys showed a burlap bag. Pausing a moment, Luke pulled out the burlap bag out of Quintin's plastic pumpkin and shook it out for him so that Quintin could do the same thing. "BUT! If we are still in a Muggle area, you will follow the same procedure: wait your turn, say trick-or-treat, then thank you, in that order, and proceed back to me without tripping. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir!" the boys said, Quintin getting in on the 'sir' part.
"When we are in a wizard neighborhood, you may use just your wizard bag," Luke said, and they displayed it again. "And with an adult permission, may speak more freely to the inhabitants and other children trick-or-treating. We will start with mixed areas first, and then proceed to the wizard neighborhoods... because there is less chance of them slipping up before they get tired," he added for Jennifer's benefit, and she smiled at that.
"Now! Candy rules!" Luke said, turning from his pacing and looking at each one sternly.
"No candy, Muggle or Wizard, shall be consumed without being checked over my a parent... meaning me, Jennifer, or Sharon. You will be allowed to have a few pieces tonight that were given out by relatives or friends of the family. After that, you will have a daily allotment of thoroughly checked over candy according to house rules...or castle rules, whichever the case may be," Luke added. "Breaking of this rule will not only get your candy confiscated, but I will be tempted to increase how much of this stuff gets sold to the dentist this year. Is that understood?" he said seriously.
Jennifer couldn't help but wonder about what he meant by selling the candy to the dentist, but nodded along with them. Quintin nodded seriously as well, but Jennifer wasn't surprised at that; he was well versed on having anything he's given checked over already.
"Very good! Then proceed to the bathroom! Once you've had your turn, come out to the front room and line up so we can proceed out of the house. Fall out!" The children marched off and Luke chuckled, turning to Jennifer with an apologetic smile. "I suppose the rules seem rather strict to you."
"Oh no, not at all," Jennifer assured him with a grin, standing up. "Would it be all right if I got a photo of the three boys together in their costumes?"
"Oh, certainly! I plan to do the same, in fact, I'll be taking pictures all night on my phone," Luke assured her.
"One good one is enough for me," Jennifer said with a grin.
"Well, if I get a few good candid shots in the mix, I'll be sure to make you copies," Luke decided, lining the boys up next to a Halloween-decorated wall so that Jennifer could take some pictures with her camera before they loaded them up in the car.
Jennifer had been a bit worried at first that Quintin might have had trouble sticking to the rules when they got to the first neighborhood, but as he followed the other two boys to the door time and again, he copied what the other two boys were doing. The worst offense, it seemed, was not saying thank you at the end. Luke and Jennifer held their special bags, and only changed them once at the last house on the cul-de-sac where Luke gave them the other bags and let Jennifer know to do the same.
"This is Blaze Williams house, one of Sue's kids," Luke explained. Jennifer grinned at that, and also grinned at the giant inflatable cauldron that sat tied down on the lawn. Luke had them wait until the other neighborhood kids had completely cleared out before he let them go up to the door. His wife opened the door.
"Why, who do we have here? Merlin, Darth Vader, and a lizard with an eyepatch?" she asked, after the customary 'trick-or-treat' greeting.
"I'm a basilisk!" Quintin said.
"Hush, we're not supposed to talk on this block," Darth Vader told him. Quintin looked apologetic.
"It's all right, Jeremy," Luke said with a smile, glancing over his shoulder a moment. "Hi, Cecilia,"
"Hello, Luke! And who is this with you?" Cecilia asked with a smile.
"He's Severus Snape's son," Jeremy said, pointing at him. Cecilia blinked and looked amazed.
"Really?" she said with awe.
"This is his wife, she's teaching Items at Whitebridge this year," Luke introduced.
"How do you do," Jennifer said with a smile.
"Sue didn't tell us that! Well, I think I'll have to get the big bag out for the occasion then," she decided with a grin, giving them each a full-sized Chocolate Frog instead of a tadpole.
"Thank you!" the three boys said, quite impressed by this startling new development on their way to the car.
Jeremy especially seemed more than eager to finish their Muggle neighborhood run and get to the wizard ones after that, seeing at once that trick-or-treating with a Snape might have some advantages. With their plastic pumpkins full of Muggle candy and only a handful in the other bag, they were excited to get somewhere they knew that their father wasn't going to be so strict about what they said or did. Luke pulled up to a large neighborhood that had huge houses with small front yards considering their size; and they would have looked nearly identical to one another if it hadn't been for the fact that the yard decorations were different. In fact, they seemed to be going out of their way to compete with each other on just how many Halloween decorations they could stuff in each little yard.
"This is where a few of the Masons and Powers live that have chosen to stay close to the city," Luke said as they pulled up and found a parking spot. "Many more live further out so they can have more land and more privacy, of course, but there are some that prefer the 'burbs so they can be close to the city without living in it. Some of the Whitebridge teachers live out here too, as well as one of the Deans from a nearby two-year wizard school. In any case, it's all wizards out here, so we can relax a bit."
"Does that mean I get to tell them I'm a basilisk now?" Quintin asked. He was quite tired of how many Muggles had called him a dragon or a dinosaur up until that point.
"Sure, you can," Luke said with a chuckle.
"Yay!" Quintin said, and they all got out and helped the boys with the door, happy to leave their pumpkins behind in favor of their wizard bags. "Can I have my glasses too?"
"Yes, all right, but don't speak out of turn if they're thinking about something you don't understand. Ask me later," she said, taking his spectacles out.
"Yes, Mum," Quintin said.
"Oh, he's one too?" Luke said, slipping out of his belt and putting his keys away.
"Yes, which is why I had him keep his glasses off until this point. He actually has pretty poor eyesight without them on, but that also means he can't read people's minds without them either," Jennifer explained. "I rather think the Muggles might have noticed something odd, don't you?"
"More than likely," Luke agreed with a chuckle and got out of the car.
As Jennifer stepped out of the car, she decided to ditch the silly hat and robe, and then suddenly got an idea, setting aside her cloak for a moment and then got out a wand, casting an illusion on herself. Her robe turned into a purple dress with a high collar and a Hall Castle crest, and she put her hair in braids that wound above her head. Other than that, she changed nothing at all. As Luke stepped around the vehicle to help get the boys out, he grinned when he saw her.
"Hey! It's Miss Young!" he declared.
"At your service," Jennifer said with a chuckle, grabbing her cloak. "Might as well take advantage of the fact that she was based on me."
"Was she?" Luke said in surprise. "Are you really claustrophobic too?" he asked curiously. Jennifer blushed bright red.
"Yes, well... a lot of what's in those books is exaggerated or fabricated. Professor Frumpet was based on Severus, and I assure you he doesn't throw things at the students," she parried. "I suppose we'll be seeing a Frumpet or two tonight as well?"
"More than likely, along with a few of the other characters too," Luke replied as he let the boys out of the car, content not to press the subject.
It wasn't long before Jeremy and Timmy began running into other kids they knew from school or daycare, and they were excited to introduce Quintin as well. Luke was a great deal more relaxed here, content to wait at the edge of the driveway as the three of them hurried up the next jack-o-lantern path with their bags.
A couple in impressive gargoyle costumes waited on the porch as they ran up.
"Trick or Treat!" the three boys said in unison.
"Oh, look what we have here! Darth Jeremy, is it? And Merlin, the Enchanter himself, at my door. I suppose that makes you Tim the Enchanter," the wizard gargoyle said wickedly. "But who is this with you?"
"I'm a basilisk!" Quintin explained.
"This is Quintin. He's Severus Snape's son!" Jeremy explained. The gargoyle wizard looked up and stared at Luke and Jennifer.
"Is he really a Snape?" the gargoyle ask, raising his voice so they could hear from where they were standing, and Luke nodded in confirmation, while Jennifer did so with an exasperated smile.
"Wow, that is amazing. Wait... here, let's get something from this one," he said, and got three full-sized Twizard Taffy bars and gave each of them one. "Have a good Halloween."
"Thank you, Mr. Birch," Jeremy said, the other boys echoing him before they started down the path. "Quintin, I think we're going to have the best trick or treat night ever with you around," Jeremy declared, and the two ran straight over to the next house, unabashedly declaring Quintin's father again.
"Why do they keep doing that?" Jennifer wondered out loud as she and Luke hurried to try and catch them on route.
"I'm afraid my son Jeremy can be a bit of a racketeer," Luke admitted sheepishly. "See, most folks have a big bowl of candy of bite-sized bits for kids they don't know, but they tend to save a few larger sized bars, Frogs, and such for relatives or their friend's kids. I think they've figured out that being with Quintin gives them a free upgrade."
"What?" Jennifer stared at him, and he shrugged with a grin.
"He did save the universe, after all, so they're showing their appreciation by giving Quintin better candy," Luke explained.
"What? Oh, no, maybe I'd better say something..." she said, and then read the name on the post box outside. It was the name of Cole. Wondering if they might be walking up to Stacey' house, Jennifer watched curiously as the three scrambled up on the porch and rang the bell.
"This should be fun," Luke decided with amusement, then noticed Jennifer's expression. "Oh, don't worry, Jennifer. Harry Cole is a friend of mine, and he's not like his mother," he assured her. Jennifer heard the door open and a wizard looked out.
He was dressed like Harry Potter. Jennifer covered her mouth, having a very hard time keeping herself from laughing.
"You look like my godfather!" Quintin said before the others even had time to say trick or treat.
"Is Harry Potter your godfather?" Jeremy asked in amazement.
"Yes he is!" Quintin said truthfully.
"Trick or treat!" Timmy said, not sure why nobody was handing him candy.
"Wait, who are you?" Harry Cole asked curiously.
"He's Quintin Snape! He's Professor Snape's son!" Jeremy declared. Luke nodded sagely at Harry Cole, while Jennifer couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Come inside for a moment," Harry Cole suggested quickly, and Luke chuckled.
"Come on, Jennifer, it's all right," Luke reassured her and they went inside, loading up the three boys with a full bag of Bertie Botts Beans in each canvas bag.
Peering out behind him were his two boys, one in a Professor Frumpet costume and the other dressed as Hanz.
"Oh, hello Jason. Hello Ajay. Happy Halloween," Jennifer greeted them warmly.
"Hi," they said simply.
"We were just about to go out," Harry explained. "This is my wife, Sienna." The witch, who had been peering in from the kitchen down the hall, came out and waved. She was dressed in a simple black knit dress with a jack-o-lantern necklace and earrings for the occasion.
"This is Jennifer Craw Snape, and this is Quintin Snape, her youngest," Luke introduced.
"Well, I heard that Ms. Craw was teaching at Whitebridge, of course, but I wasn't expecting to see you here. Still, it's a pleasure to meet you at last! I suppose when you said I was dressed up like your godfather you really meant it, didn't you, Quintin?" Cole said, and Quintin nodded proudly. "Well, I have a secret for you. I was named after your godfather. How about that?"
"He is very nice, just like you," Quintin told Harry Cole.
"Yep, he's nothing like his mother, is he, Jennifer?" Luke teased.
"Oh, Luke, really!" Jennifer said with exasperation. "Maybe we ought to get back to trick-or-treating?" she added, hoping to stave off any further discussion of the topic.
"Have you been to many houses in the neighborhood?" Cole asked.
"Three, really, we started on this side... that way we had a few houses clear before we ran into any Masons," Luke chuckled.
"Mind if we tag along then? Jason and Ajay can help you guys keep an eye on the younger three so they behave at the door and we can watch from the road," he suggested.
"Sounds good to me... okay with you, Jennifer?" Luke asked.
"Yes, alright," Jennifer said with resignation.
"Great! Go get your bags, boys!" he said, and soon they were out the door again. Cole called up some wisplights as it had started to get a bit darker out, and Jennifer noticed that a number of the groups of parents and children traveling together were doing the same thing.
Harry Cole was right that having a twelve and thirteen year old along made things a lot easier, for the two boys were quick to herd the other three around and make sure they didn't trip over any lawn ornaments and made sure to say thank you. They also were well known in the neighborhood, so were very quick to confirm that Quintin really was a Snape when they realized they scored more candy from it too.
"So how do you like teaching at Whitebridge, Jennifer?" Cole asked.
"Well, it's no Hogwarts," Jennifer admitted. "But it's nice to be able to give back to my alma mater for a change, and I've made a great deal of friends since the year started."
"And rekindled a few enemies perhaps?" Cole hinted.
"I certainly wouldn't call anyone I've met here an enemy, that would be taking it too much to the extreme, and I've had more than my fair share of those," Jennifer assured him at once. "I would call it rather, meeting old classmates where we have a mutual dislike for each other."
"Including my mother, I bet," Cole said.
"I'd rather not talk about it in front of her grandchildren," Jennifer said.
"You think they don't know? After having been moved to Carnation Quarter because of her protests?" Luke pointed out.
"Still, she is their grandmother," Jennifer said quietly as they walked to the next house.
"Yes, well, the only reason we maintain civility with her is because my wife and I are both doctors and we rely on her to watch the boys when we're both on our crazy sixteen to twenty-four hour shifts. We don't really get along," Cole explained. "You're actually getting one of the rare times when the family is at home, really. But Halloween has always been a special holiday for us. It's the start of the fall when the holidays are upon us, and we try to be off so we can spend it with the family."
"I understand that," Jennifer said with a smile. "Both with the busy lives and the insisting on making time for them. I haven't been able to spend as much time with Quintin as I'd like since school started, so I was grateful that Luke and Sharon invited us to do this."
"I bet those boys are grateful you did too," he said with amusement, as the children walked down the stairs with giant Pixie Staffs in their bags. "Apparently trick-or-treating with a celebrity pays off."
"Think they'll come away from the house at the end with anything more than a Jelly Roger?" Luke asked wickedly.
"I take it one of the Masons lives there," Jennifer guessed.
"That's Abner's house," Cole explained.
"Oh, Steve's younger brother?" Jennifer recalled.
"Yes, and since his is the biggest Mason residence in town, all of the Masons who live out of town typically come in for Halloween for a family party and to give out candy," Cole said.
"I had better grab Quintin and skip over it then," Jennifer said worriedly.
"It looks like we're too late, Jennifer," Luke warned as Ajay and Jason helped Timmy and Quintin over the the wall in their costumes and cut across the lawn to get over to the tables.
The corner lot was a much bigger yard than the others; and filled with everything from spiderwebs to spooky ghost statues and more... and the house decidedly looked a great deal bigger than the others too, although it still seemed to have the same drab color and trim as all of the others on the block. It was as the five of them ran over to the tables that Jennifer saw a large balding man who, on second glance, Jennifer was quite sure was Steve Mason, dressed up like a scarecrow. Next to him, his brother Abner, was dressed up as a tin man, and a wizard Jennifer didn't recognize was a lion. A witch that looked to be about Alex's age and wearing a gingham dress and pigtails was busy setting out drinks and refilling candy bowls from her wicker basket. Cole began chuckling, and Luke soon joined in.
"What's so funny all of the sudden?" Jennifer said, keeping an eye on Quintin as he and Jeremy went to the tables.
"They did a different theme of costumes this year," Luke explained, trying to regain his composure.
"Normally, they do famous wizards through the ages," Cole grinned knowingly. "Lately, Steve's been going as your husband."
"And he does not have the build for it," Luke added for good measure, still chuckling.
"He certainly doesn't," Jennifer said so fervently, that the two of them began chortling again. Suddenly, several people jumped up from the table at once and stared at Quintin. Then he pointed towards his mother. "Oh no."
"I guess there's no getting out of it now, we'll have to go over there," Cole said with a more sympathetic smile. Jennifer fished her glasses out of her pocket and put them on.
"Let's just get it over with," Jennifer said, and the three of them stepped over.
"Hello, cousins! Happy Halloween!" Harry Cole said cheerfully, and everyone else responded in kind, while Jennifer protectively put her hands on Quintin's shoulders.
"Happy Halloween. Hello, Steve," Jennifer said with a thin smile.
"Jennifer, happy Halloween," he said stiffly. "You remember Abner."
"He was a few years behind us, but yes," Jennifer replied politely, despite feeling quite tense.
"Ms. Craw," Abner nodded. "This is my cousin, Bartholomew, my niece, Gail Mason."
"Happy Halloween," Jennifer replied with a thin smile. "So you're Steve's daughter, then, Gail?"
"Yes, and my mother is Ceto Powers," Gail said.
"Oh yes, I have your cousin Angela in my class. Her father owns Powers Unlimited, one of the bigger device manufacturing companies in the country," Jennifer replied.
"The biggest," Gail corrected.
"Well, we should be moving along. Nice meeting you," Jennifer said with a smile, nudging Quintin along. But Quintin was frowning suspiciously at them and not moving very fast.
"You know, for being rich, they sure were stingy," Ajay commented as they moved away from the house.
"Ajay," Cole warned sternly.
"I didn't like them," Quintin said. "They don't like my Mum."
"Quintin, don't forget your promise," Jennifer reminded him.
"The next house is one of the Power's family's houses, but their daughter Sophie is in Jeremy's class," Luke said. "You should get a slightly better reception there."
"I hope so. I really don't want Quintin to go to another unfriendly house like that last one," Jennifer admitted.
"It's okay, Jennifer, after this house it's David Martinez. He's a Dean at a nearby wizard school and he's pretty nice," Cole assured her. The five boys came back over looking glum. "Were they out of candy?" he wondered.
"They gave us Power brand toothbrushes," Jason explained.
"Well, that's definitely something all of you will need after going through all of that candy," Luke decided with a chuckle, and they went to the next house.
David Martinez opened the door... or at least, Jennifer assumed that's who it was. He was wearing a Zorro costume.
"Si, si, trick or treat! Good evening, boys! Good evening, Mr. Miller and Mr. Cole," he greeted them as the boys presented their bags hopefully.
"This is Ms. Craw," Cole offered.
"Ah yes! Wind has told me all about you! And this must be her little iguana," he said.
"I'm a basilisk," Quintin said with exasperation, wondering why so few people seemed to be able to guess it.
"I see! It is nice to meet you... here you are," he said, giving each boy a handful of candy. "You must come and have coffee with me, Ms. Craw," David said. "I would like like to meet you more casually sometime."
"Yes, alright, just send a note to the school and we'll arrange something," Jennifer agreed with a smile.
"I will. Happy Halloween," he said, and the boys all thanked him.
"Just a few more houses left, Jennifer," Luke said.
"Thank goodness!" Jennifer said with a chuckle. "I don't know how much more my feet can take!"
"I'm not so sure how much more those bags can take," Luke added for good measure.
So it was at the time they finished the neighborhood and the three younger boys started trying to talk them into carrying their bags for them that they said goodnight to Cole and his boys, who obviously were planning to hit another neighborhood nearby.
Back at the Miller house, Luke inflated an extra bed in Jeremy's room, and while Timmy and Jeremy were still wound up and busy trying to get their parents to check over a piece or two for them, Quintin was much too tired to show any interest. Gently Jennifer helped him get ready for bed and under the covers.
"Did you have a fun night?" Jennifer asked, handing him his basilisk toy.
"Yes, lots of fun," Quintin agreed. "But why didn't the scarecrow like us?"
"Don't worry so much about who doesn't like you, Quintin. No one likes everybody," Jennifer said.
"Yes, just like Mrs. Thorn," Quintin decided. "But I want everyone to like me."
"I understand, Quintin," Jennifer said quietly. "Always remember that it is much more important to like yourself first. If you do, you won't be quite so worried about those who might not feel the same about you, alright?"
"Yes Mum. As long as you like me," he added as an afterthought. Jennifer smiled.
"I love you, and I always will," Jennifer told him and kissed his forehead. "Now, go to sleep."
As Jennifer left the room, it didn't surprise her how quickly he had fallen asleep considering how late it was at home. He didn't even stir when Jeremy clamored into bed an hour later, or the constant murmurings of his parents coming up to tell Jeremy to go to sleep every ten minutes for a long time after.