Fifty-Six
Jennifer Craw, Problem Solver
After spending the night at Lunette's, Jennifer got up at dawn so that she could get back to her classroom to feed Radiance. Most of the school was still asleep, but lights were on in the Commissary as the cafeteria cooks got to work on breakfast, and there were an enormous number of S&S boxes lined up on the porch of the Assembly Building as if delivered overnight. Jennifer opened up the classroom and immediately heard Radiance's complaints.
"I am so sorry, Radiance, I really didn't expect to be gone that long," she apologized to her familiar, giving her treats even before her breakfast and changing her water. "You may go out when you're done. It's a bit brisk outside, but it's a great deal warmer than it was a week ago, so I think you'll find it a lot more pleasant." There were a few harsh sounds from the Rogue's violin. "Yes, I know. You did tell him where I was, I hope?" she asked, and the Rogue signed a reply. "Of course he can mirror me, just give me a moment," Jennifer said, taking off her cloak and pushing her spectacles up on her nose before sitting down at her desk. She picked up the large silver mirror on the table just as it began to chime.
"Good morning, Severus!" she said when he came into view. "Sorry I didn't write a note last night. I stayed with Lunette and we went to the order for a bit."
"I've been hearing from different sources that both the Muggle internet and the Wizardnet went down yesterday and it brought things to a standstill, including in New York," Severus replied, immediately noting that her spectacles were all the way up.
"Yes, it was very bizarre, actually. I had no idea just how much of that city was tied to their silly internet in some way! It completely shocked me," Jennifer said sincerely. "But I stayed in wizard areas the whole time, Severus, no need to worry. I am a little afraid of what impact it's going to have on the school, but I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone yet. I just got back a few minutes ago and came in the classroom to feed Radiance since she was left on her own. Did it affect anything there?" she asked anxiously.
"In the castle, no, but apparently the computers on the Popcorn Farm aren't repairable, and I heard from Danyelle that the Hogsmeade Bank had to remain closed today since their computer systems weren't working either. Other than that, it really hasn't affected us much here or in Hogsmeade at all, although I hear that the situation in other parts of the country have been quite dramatic," Severus informed her. "In fact, you'll be interested to know that the Oracle must have had a great deal of those dratted devices and the building actually burned to the ground. Everyone employed there seems to have gotten out alright, minus a few burns, but they're stuck at their London distribution office now. I'm certain Ron in particular is thrilled about that, since that means they're going to be setting up just an alley away from the Daily Prophet. But the Oracle is far from the only building that was affected by this; there have been random fires all over the country, situated around those devices."
"Wait, what about our house and Alex's house and Dad's and Anna's?" Jennifer asked, suddenly alarmed.
"No one in the family was affected by any of the fires, Jennifer, if they had been, I would told you straight away," Severus said. Jennifer's shoulders went down in relief. "I heard Longbottom's mansion might have gotten a bit singed, though. Is it entirely wrong that I am rather amused by the whole situation?" Jennifer sighed with exasperation at that. "I hear that there's going to be an emergency council meeting and they're going to propose a law that will permanently separate any new Wizardnet devices from the Muggle internet for good; I suspect it'll go through without too much resistance. There has been some speculation that whatever happened started with one of our computers and spread into theirs, and since the Muggles seem to be so overdependent on them, everyone has decided that it'd be safer for both of our societies to keep them separate."
"Personally, I think it'd be safer if neither society became quite so dependent on them again," Jennifer said irritably.
"Yes, well, you'll hear no arguments from me, will you? Anyway, if you run into any problems or need anything at all because of the interruptions, let me know," Severus said.
"Alright, Severus. I'll write you a letter as soon as I have a better idea of what the situation is here," Jennifer promised.
"Keep me apprised of how things are in New York as well, in case we have to make other plans for family day this weekend," Severus added.
"I will," Jennifer said with a smile. "Have a good day."
"Have a good breakfast," Severus replied, breaking contact.
Deciding that last comment probably meant he had left something in her cloak, Jennifer was a little less intimidated about going to the Commissary that morning. But when she arrived, she was completely taken aback, because her table had doubled in size. Not only that, but as she got her coffee, she was quite astounded to see that Frank, Ray, and Asher were sitting there as well as Gretchen, Kay, and Lavender, leaving a seat open for Jennifer between Asher and Lavender. Jennifer walked over, still staring at them in disbelief.
"What in the world are you three doing over here?" Jennifer exclaimed.
"I was bored," Asher replied.
"I think she meant the real reason," Frank ventured from beside Gretchen.
"That was the real reason," Kay said on the other side of him.
"Jennifer, Asher is trying to help the local Wizard hospital update their Wizard Pharmocology books to current standards, since they've been using the Wizardnet in recent years," Lav explained. "Some of the other professors at the Healer's school are helping, but we need all of the alchemist input that we can get."
"Absolutely! Count me in," Jennifer said immediately, spreading her cloak out on the table next to them.
"Jennifer, I was wondering if I could borrow some Wizardnet kits from your supply cabinet, so that my class can make temporary replacements," Frank requested. But it was immediately obvious from her disgusted expression that Jennifer didn't particularly care for that request.
"You know, Frank, I have a better idea," she said at last. She paused long enough to bring out a tray of scones, plucking the note off the top before putting the tray on their table. "Why don't I give you some radio kits instead? Right now, the wizard branch of the government is using the Wizard Wireless to communicate by providing news and updates. We can make enough to supply the school and send the students home with one for their families so that everyone is in the loop. After that, we can show them how to make contact mirrors and enchant shells and Dictation Quills, and anything else you miss about those silly contraptions."
"I may as well be teaching Items myself at that point," Frank grumbled.
"What a splendid idea!" Jennifer said brightly, grabbing a scone. "Let's combine our classes!"
"But they'd all be at different levels as far as their Items courses are concerned," Frank pointed out.
"That isn't going to matter," Jennifer assured him. "When I was at Hogwarts, I taught all of my Items students in the very same classroom, from those beginning woods all the way up though metals and crystal. I even had Severus sit in my class one year," she added with amusement. "If we section them off into smaller groups based on skill level or project, it won't be as bad as you think. And considering that Wind let the three of us teach classes together for the Industry Fair, I very seriously doubt he'll have any objections, especially considering the fact that we're under very unusual circumstances."
"Personally, I'm glad the Wizardnet is down. Maybe everyone will focus on real things for a change," Kay said with a sideways glance at Ray.
"I definitely don't mind," Lav said with a mischievous smile. "It means there's no way in hell those students can take those POW tests this year." Everyone at the table laughed at that.
In fact, the laughter was so loud that Wind Elk paused from where he had been walking through the nearby hallway and peered in, more than a little surprised to see the seven of them sitting together with a plate of crumbs between them. He walked over curiously and they greeted him warmly.
"Why, what is this? An informal staff meeting?" Wind asked.
"In a way, yes. We've been discussing how to tackle the challenges at hand," Jennifer replied, the others nodding in agreement. "Wind, is it alright if Frank and I teach our classes together? With the Wizardnet down, I thought it might be best to team up and teach the students how to make items that will help the school and the community in our current situation."
"Yes, of course. You may start immediately, but the moment you two have a chance, run a class proposal by Brenda's and my offices," Wind replied.
"I'm also going to help Asher and Lav with that potion update for the hospital after classes get out today," Jennifer added.
"I'm sure they'd be appreciative of your help, Jennifer, but make certain you're not leaving yourself too thin," Wind warned.
"Don't worry about that, Wind. I know what I can handle, and I plan to do everything in my power to make things right," Jennifer assured him.
"What she means is that everyone wants to do everything we can to pitch in," Ray corrected quickly.
"Yeah, so if there's anything you need help with or you're worried about, just let us know, because we're here to problem solve!" Kay said enthusiastically.
"That is right. We're prepared to adapt to the circumstances," Gretchen agreed.
"And teach the students how to adapt in the process!" Lav added enthusiastically.
"That's what the faculty's for, after all, to support the school, the students, and the Dean and Assistant Dean," Jennifer concluded. "So if you have a problem to solve, we'll be happy to put our heads together for you."
"Ah. Well, there is one thing that has been worrying me," Wind admitted. "The loss of the internet as well as the Wizardnet is causing a supply problem because of a breakdown in communication at every level, from producers to distributors to shipping. I am more than a bit concerned about what is going to happen when the Commissary begins to run low. We've already been warned via Owl Mail by our distributor that this is going to cause major setbacks until communication is restored and contracts can be reissued in paper form. So if you can come up with any ideas on how to solve keeping the students fed until that's fixed, I'd love to hear them."
"Why, there's a very obvious solution to that problem, Wind!" Jennifer said with a smile. "Willa Schmidt, of course!"
"Yes, that is a good idea. Their school runs that agricultural problem. They may have a lot of things in cold storage and I bet they are having trouble selling right now," Gretchen agreed.
"Not only that, but I think it's highly likely they may run out of something we stocked up on, so maybe we have something to trade," Frank suggested. "After all, we did clear out S&S of their paper supply. I'm not sure how much access Dean Schmidt or Dean Martinez had to supplies when the Wizardnet went down."
"Yes, you have a point. I should contact them so we can discuss our particular situations," Wind agreed, nodding in approval. "Frank, Asher, I have hired some contractors to fix the damage to your rooms and to Carnation and Ivy levels. I will let you know when the repairs are finished and it is safe for you to return to your rooms."
"Thank you, Wind. Ray is putting us up in his room for now," Frank said. Ray nodded at that.
"I am proud to see how many of you have come to support each other in times of need," Wind said with a smile. "Have a good morning."
"Good morning, Wind!" Jennifer said warmly back, the others following suit as they began to clean up the table.
Wind walked out into the hallway, stepping around boxes of pencils and paper that a pair of student aids were going through, making stacks of both for every morning class.
"Thank you for your hard work this morning," Wind told them on the way to Brenda's office.
"It's nice to have something to do for a change, actually," Neil said.
Wind chuckled softly at that before stepping into Brenda's office. He had been about to knock softly on the door, but when he saw her staring at the charred frame of her hybrid computer, he shook his head with a smile.
"Is it really as bad as all of that, Brenda?" Wind asked.
"All of my work was on there. Schedules. Grades. Everything," Brenda said with a sigh. "How am I going to get anything done? I don't even know where to start! What am I even supposed to do today? I can't even check Wiggle Calendar to find out!"
"I can help you, Brenda," Wind reassured her.
"Oh, you can?" Brenda said skeptically. "How, exactly do you plan to do that?"
"Well, first let's do some spring cleaning," Wind suggested and walked to her desk, picking up what was left of her computer. Completely ignoring her protests, Wind carried it outside and tossed it in the non-burnable recycling bin, then came back into her office. "There! Look at all of the extra space you have now! There will be even more when we get rid of the printer and the fax machine, I imagine. Shall I help you carry those out as well? Oh, but save the paper," Wind reminded her.
"What do you mean get rid of them? I'll need both of those when we get a new computer for in here," Brenda said. But Wind simply smiled and shook his head. Brenda stared at him unsurely. "You don't want to put a new computer in here? But I don't know how do to this job without a computer!"
"Yes, I can clearly see that now," Wind replied sincerely. "And that is the very reason why it's so important that we get rid of it. Students should be more than a name, a number, a file, and a grade. And I have decided that it is high time that we joined Jennifer's little insurrection," he explained, picking up the fax machine and carrying it out next. Cussing silently to herself, Brenda pulled the paper out of the printer, setting it aside before minimizing the printer with her wand and carrying it out.
"This is absolutely crazy, you know that right?" Brenda told him when she came up beside him with the printer. Wind helped her heave it inside.
"Perhaps," Wind replied. "But how did it feel just now to toss that bulky monstrosity in there?"
"Pretty damn good, actually," Brenda admitted. "Like going to a bra burning, only better."
"I wouldn't know about that," Wind replied as the two of them walked back towards the building.
"Flag burning?" Brenda suggested.
"Ah, yes, that I understand," Wind agreed, and they stepped back into her office to see what else they could toss out.
Wind and Brenda spent a great deal of their morning checking on each teacher and classroom in turn, and it wasn't long before they began to see a pattern. All of the teachers that had abandoned the testing schedule had managed to adapt their classes without too much trouble. But those who had been following the test schedule seemed to be more than a little flummoxed, giving their students study time instead of teaching class as if holding out hope that their devices would magically become restored as fast as they had been destroyed.
The first crisis that morning was Cindy Mason, the middle school math teacher, who was sitting at her desk and sobbing next to her p-Jack computer. Wind and Brenda glanced at each other and Brenda rolled up her sleeves, minimizing the skeletal remains of the device to make it easier to carry and taking it out of the room with Cindy Mason following behind, pleading. He then checked on the other math class, but Mrs. Starr, Mason cousin or not, had long converted to Jennifer's camp. While the classroom was empty, he saw instructions on the whiteboard for her classes to make a 3D map of the property in a scale of their choosing, including recording the height of each tree as well as each building.
Smiling at that, Wind went back into the middle school room and put the same assignment on their board, but had them make a 2D map instead. After answering a question or two about the assignment, he sent the class on their way to work on it.
The most surprising trauma of the day came from the art instructor. Tina Mason had specialized in 3d design, and all of her students were very deep into their projects when the devices were fried. She went straight up to Wind and demanded to have Wizardnet kits for each of her students to continue the class, despite the fact that the students seemed quite content to sit and doodle in the notebooks with the pens they'd been handed earlier in the day. Tina had been so upset that Wind quickly released all of the students to the garden, asking them to pick a spot and to create a landscape using the art pencil sets and sketchbooks that were in the cardboard boxes next to the classroom door. Then, after Wind informed her candidly that she needed to teach them other art mediums for the rest of the semester, Tina left in a huff, turning it a short and curt resignation with Brenda on her way out to the Gatehouse.
Wind didn't have to ponder the problem of her resignation for very long. He only had to remember the painting in Jennifer's classroom to know where to go.
Just before her class let out, Wind peeked into the Items classroom with a smile. The class was loud and noisy and had way too many students in it; Taffy tables made up part of the working surfaces as Jennifer and Frank helped their class put together multiple Wizard Wireless kits. It was quite obvious that both the students and instructors were having a good time no matter how chaotic it was, and as they began to clean up, they each had a radio to either take home or send home to their families while the rest were piled up on a table of a room.
"Here, Daniel, take this one to Brenda. I'm sure she could probably use one," Jennifer said, handing one of her students the wireless as they began filing out the door. "Oh, good morning, Wind! Is everything all right? Do you need an emergency radio as well?" she asked.
"Yes, thank you. I see you have things well in hand here. Or is the classroom too small?" Wind asked.
"It is, but we can manage," Jennifer replied. "Is there anything you need us to make up for the school other than Wireless kits? We're also planning to make Shells, Dictation Quills, and maybe even Contact Mirrors for some of the staff, but anything else you want to add to that, we'll do," Jennifer replied.
"Well, we are still trying to assess it all, so I'll ask Brenda to make you a list," Wind replied. "I came to ask you about something else. I believe you once mentioned that one of your daughters is an artist, correct?"
"Oh, yes, why? Would you like a painting done?" Jennifer asked brightly.
"Actually, I was wondering if she might be able to recommend a temporary art teacher, since ours just resigned rather abruptly this morning," Wind explained. "I thought she might have connections to some artists over here and may have some ideas on who to ask."
"I should have guessed that would happen," Frank said with a sigh, turning to Jennifer. "Tina Mason is a renowned digital artist... computer art," he explained to Jennifer. "She was probably pretty broken up about losing the devices."
"Say no more! Expect a teacher in that classroom in ten minutes," Jennifer said. "Severus? Go take care of that," she told the Rogue Painting, and he walked out of the frame. "Anything else, Wind?"
"I don't suppose you could join me for lunch today? I am meeting Willa and David, and I think it would be beneficial for all concerned if you attended as well," Wind suggested.
"Of course!" Jennifer said with a smile.
"Then please meet me at my office after your last class before lunch. We'll be going to a small wizard restaurant that Willa knows about," Wind explained. The three of them heard a violin. The Rogue Painting had come back, and was signing about whether or not art supplies would be needed. "We acquired art pencils and sketchbooks for them, Rogue, but they have been mostly working on the Wizardnet this year." The Rogue rolled his eyes at that and then nodded, asking another question.
"Room 107, and no, there aren't any paintings in there," Wind replied. "Most of the paintings in the school consist of landscapes along the hallways."
"Just tell Alicia to come this way, Severus... and ask her to bring some secretary paintings if she has any hanging around," Jennifer said. Giving Jennifer a disapproving look for the pun, the Rogue walked out of the painting again.
"Thank you, Jennifer," Wind said, stepping out into the gardens.
But he didn't get far before he sensed something strange and he went over to the Healer's School. He walked through the halls, more than a little surprised when the classrooms were empty. Finally he saw one of the professors carrying a box out.
"Gabe?" Wind called out.
"Oh, good morning, Wind!" Gabriel said with a smile. "You just caught me on the way out."
"Yes, where is your class today?" Wind asked curiously.
"St. Joan's. I just came back for a few things," Gabriel explained. "As I'm sure you're aware, most of the students here use digital copies of their text books to save money, so most of them came in today with no homework and no way to get it done. Doctor Smith said he was going to take his students to the hospital to help out since they were having problems with the computers being down, and the rest of us decided to do the same thing. They've even set up a second lobby down there for students, actually, so other Healer clinics and Wizard hospitals can request some intern help. I promise I'll give you the full update this evening when we're more organized and have a better plan in place. Dinner in the Commissary?"
"Yes, I can do that," Wind agreed.
"See you when we get back," Gabe said, carrying the supplies outside and disappearing into the garden.
"So it's spread even here," Wind murmured to himself.
Smiling softly, he walked back towards the Assembly, peeking in the door of the busy Alchemist Lab to see that they were working on charmed ink, with a long line of inkwells lined up to be filled after they were done. When he strode through the Assembly Building on his way to his office, he saw that the next period's art class was busy learning how to stretch canvas from a fair-haired witch who reminded Wind of Jennifer's mother. Seeing at once that the class was in good hands, Wind continued to his office to pull together some notes and a supply list.
Jennifer threw her cloak on over her overalls and hurried to meet Wind, letting Frank finish getting the rest of her class out the doors. Stopping long enough to say hello to Alicia and introduce her Brenda, Jennifer then went to meet Wind in front of his office. In no time they were off, finding themselves in front of a very out-of-the-way diner just off the turnpike. It had a lovely country feel to it, especially since it was surrounded by a garden patch currently covered over with plastic, possibly with planted seedlings for the coming spring.
"I bet it's lovely here in the summer," Jennifer said with a smile. "And look at all of the tree covered hills around here!"
"It is the first time I have been here myself," Wind said, glancing at the name. "But I am quite sure we have the right place."
"'Pleasant Valley Pumpkin Patch Cafe,'" Jennifer read out loud. Wind opened the door and the two went in, immediately spotting Willa, who waved at them from a booth near the window. David stood as they came over, and they took their seats.
"We are so glad to see you, Wind! Jennifer, it is good to see you as well. It has been a long twenty-four hours," David said. "How bad are things at Whitebridge?"
"We are in good shape at the moment, but I am concerned about long term supply challenges," Wind explained. "What is your situation?"
"My school was closed today," David replied. "We have electric heat and lighting in our school, and the power came on just minutes before I came here to meet you."
"Our power is not on yet, and the administration office and Wizardnet rooms were damaged from sprinklers," Willa reported. "But we had trouble getting in touch with all the staff to let them know we were closed, so some of them still showed up today and helped us clean."
"What do you need to get your schools up and running again?" Jennifer asked, getting out a notepad and her Never-dry Quill.
"Do you have any spare Wizardnet computer kits?" David asked.
"No, not those. I mean like wizard lighting, heating stoves, paper, quills, books, and such," Jennifer explained.
"Yes, all of that as well," David said. "But what are you doing about the testing schedule?"
"We haven't been following the testing schedule at all this year," Wind explained.
"Yes, don't you remember that from the school board meeting?" Willa said. "First they had that breach, and then they had the computers down for security upgrades. And now this!" Willa suddenly looked thoughtful. "You know, if I was the board, I would be very suspicious of the timing."
"Let's set aside what the board thinks, Willa, we are in a crisis situation, after all," Wind reminded her. "Our priority right now is to see to the needs of our students and to make sure they are being properly trained in magic regardless if they meet testing standards or not. We are in a good position at Whitebridge to help, and our current concern is making certain that food our supply isn't too harshly disrupted. Our regular distributor is expecting long-term setbacks due to the outage."
"I can help with that, of course. As you know, we have a very robust agricultural program at Allegeny W.V.S.," Willa said. "Of course, being February, it is reduced to cold storage vegetables and dried goods, so it's hardly any substitute for a full supplier."
"Any help at all would be appreciated," Wind said. "We should try to establish what each other's greatest needs are to see how we can help one another through this."
"Do you know what we really need at this table?" Jennifer said out of the blue. "We need someone who hasn't had a supply disruption because of this Wizardnet-Internet outage."
"Good luck with that. The entire country is having a supply disruption," David said with a sigh. But Jennifer ignored him, taking out her mirror.
"Get me Severus," Jennifer said, earning all three of the Deans immediate attention. "Severus, I could use your help with something on an administrative professional level." She paused. "Well, right now would be preferable, actually. I'm getting ready to have lunch with Wind and two other school Deans about supply issues because of the Wizardnet thing." She got out her watch. "Yes, it's 12:07 local time and we're at a place called the Pleasant Valley Pumpkin Patch Cafe. It's a wizard cafe off the Pennsylvania Turnpike next to Pleasant Valley Park along Pleasant Valley Road. Okay, see you," Jennifer said, closing the mirror before getting the waitress' attention. "Can we get another cup of coffee, please? I suppose I should go drag a chair over."
"It's no trouble, I already have one," Severus said as he came up beside them, having already grabbed a chair from a nearby table. He sat it and the end of the booth. "Good afternoon."
"Severus, this is Dean David Martinez and Dean Willa Schmidt. David, Willa, this is Professor Severus Snape, of course," Jennifer introduced.
"Thanks for saving the universe," David stammered.
"How did you get here so fast?" Willa asked at the exact same time.
"Simply enough, if Jennifer tells me that she needs me now, I take it quite literally," Severus replied. Jennifer smiled enigmatically at that. "And David, let's just concentrate on figuring out how to save your schools right now, shall we?" he suggested, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee before settling in to listen.