Chapter Ten
Curious Investigations
By the time Jennifer was home again, Serendipity was already in her cot, and she couldn't help but sigh in exasperation and resignation when she peeked in to see the Sorting Hat reciting the Owl and the Pussycat to the wide-eyed girl. Severus, sitting at his desk, glanced over at her as she quietly stepped away from the door.
"I can't believe you're still letting them play together," Jennifer said.
"She insisted," he said stoically. "Why, are you worried that we're going to have another house when she turns eleven? If so, I should probably start planning now."
"She may have insisted, but it doesn't mean you have to give in," Jennifer teased.
"She threatened me."
"How does a two year old threaten you?" Jennifer inquired.
"She looked at me with those eyes of hers," Severus said accusingly, Jennifer raising a brow. "And they're just like yours."
"I see. You really are a big old softie just because she looks like me at that age," Jennifer said knowingly. "You're going to spoil her."
"Thomas is even worse about spoiling her," Severus pointed out.
"Yes, but Dad doesn't see her every day," Jennifer chided him, accepting the cup of tea from him.
"So you were about to remind me why you decided to follow Hermione home tonight," Severus parried. Jennifer glanced at the open nursery door with hesitation and back again, and he gently waved the door closed. "No, don't tell me. It was Hat related."
"Yes, I asked her if she knew any specific history about the Sorting Hat that wasn't wrapped up in legend," Jennifer explained. "There's enough that doesn't add up that makes me think that somehow the Sorting Hat got caught up in the nasty fallout and its history was smoothed over like everything else during those turbulent early years. I wanted to see if I could find some undisputed facts of that time period before I start talking to the apprentices about it."
"Always a good idea," Severus agreed. "Did she know where to find it outside of legend?"
"Well, no, not really," Jennifer admitted, but Severus wasn't surprised at all. "But I know how busy Sally is outside of class, and Ambrose got most of his information of that time period from a certain professor, so I thought that Hermione would be a good place to start."
"A certain professor?" a hollow voice said, and both of them sighed with exasperation. "Is that what you're calling me these days?"
"She called you that in hopes that she wouldn't accidentally summon you buy saying your name," Severus informed Icarus Ravenclaw.
"And apparently it didn't work," Jennifer glowered.
"Ick, how many times must I warn you to knock first before entering rooms in this castle?" Severus said disapprovingly.
"I came in from the nursery and didn't want to wake the baby up," Ick explained. "I was listening to the poem. And then I came in here to hear Jennifer talking about Ambrose and not referring to me by name. Did you need me?"
"Well, no, but since you're here, do you know any books that mention the Sorting Hat as a magic item contemporary to its enchantment?" Jennifer asked.
"Oh, the Sorting Hat. Well, no, I don't recall anyone mentioning it while I was alive, other than it was a rather ordinary looking hat that Gryffindor always wore, and it was sewn with thread made from the Distaff," Icarus said.
"Really? That's quite interesting," Jennifer said, taking out a small notebook.
"Jennifer, what about the idea of getting unbiased facts first?" Severus reminded her.
"Actually, that point about the thread is something I can easily prove or disprove just by taking a closer look at it, and it does explain a lot," Jennifer admitted. "As worn as that Hat's gotten over the thousand years it's been here, the stitching's never really come undone. The holding aspect of the charmed thread is probably helping to keep it preserved. I suppose I should have noticed, but I did only the most basic checks because I didn't want to damage it. It was bad enough that the Hat kept complaining that it was too ticklish for magic checks."
"He probably only said that because he thought you were getting too nosy," Icarus ventured.
"Yes, perhaps there's some sort of security charm on it to keep people from taking it apart or something," Jennifer speculated. "Did you say that Seren is asleep?"
"Yes, but she won't be if you take that Hat away from her," Icarus pointed out, and Jennifer made a face.
"Fine, I'll look at it this weekend," Jennifer decided.
"Shouldn't you ask the Headmaster's permission first?" Icarus inquired.
"To do what? Do her job? No permission is required for that," Severus pointed out, and Jennifer beamed at him. "Jennifer, get with whichever professor you like that has the time to humor you, including me for that matter. I don't care what you research or do concerning that Hat, but if you find a way to charm it to give me several years notice before springing another house on me, I'd most appreciate it."
"Yes, Severus," Jennifer chuckled.
"Does that include interviewing me as well?" Icarus pressed impatiently.
"Of course it does, Ick, but on my terms, not yours. And not until I'm ready. And don't come down to my office unless you're invited," Jennifer went on.
"And you knock," Severus offered.
"And you knock," Jennifer added in agreement. "Right now, I'm really more interested in the Sorting Hat as an artifact rather than the history, Ick, and I appreciate you telling me about the thread. Once I have that initial work done, I'm sure I'll be much more inclined to look into the history."
"I am certain you will be," Icarus said. "Very well! But don't be surprised if I make an appointment to speak with you about it when you don't make one with me!" he said, fading as he floated through the wall. Jennifer sighed with exasperation.
"Really, why does he have to press the issue?" Jennifer asked.
"Why indeed?" Severus mused. "I wonder what those four are up to?"
"Don't worry, Severus. I have a security meeting with Janus this weekend as well. Maybe I'll remind him that his job as my security assistant means he also has to help me keep ghosts and paintings in line," Jennifer said mischievously.
"Won't that hint go over well," Severus said dryly, then began picking up his work for the evening.
Ambrose had never had a student want an appointment with him before, so he couldn't help but be curious when an appointment showed up in his diary. He got to the castle a bit earlier than normal and went up to the third floor where many of the newer classes were located in freshly painted classrooms. Those particular rooms had been abandoned for lack of adjacent offices, but since many of the classes there were electives, there was no need of any. In fact, it was the very reason that Severus didn't need another office that he originally repurposed his Ancient Artifacts classroom near the backstairs when he first started teaching the class. As time went on, others had been added until that particular corridor's once empty classrooms nearly stretched to the Main Staircase. Ambrose's classroom was closer to that end so that he could easily get to his first year History class on the second floor, which was after his Technical Writing course in the afternoon. But in the morning, he had a Creative Writing class at second bell followed by Scrolls and Essays. Those were a lot more fun to teach, and filled with students who seemed more enthusiastic about being there than his later two classes.
Ambrose got a tray off his shelf, setting it up just as Quintin came in.
"Good morning, Quintin! How about a light breakfast?" Ambrose asked.
"Thanks," Quintin said, and they set it up at the first table. "Can I fix your classroom clock, please?"
"Sure," Ambrose chuckled, and Quintin did so before setting it down. "Hey, you're getting good with that charm already. I bet you're on top of all of your classes with casting."
"I am, thanks," Quintin acknowledged. "So if I talk to you as a House Assistant, it's confidential just like if it was to a House Advisor, right?"
"Yes, it's supposed to be. Is this a house thing, then?" Ambrose asked curiously.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that Hogwarts, a History Addendum you wrote," Quintin explained. "See, I'm doing some research on what happened to the four founders after Hogwarts, and I noticed that you didn't mention anything about them other than the dates they left the school."
"Oh, that. Well, it was a supplemental, you see. I only fixed a few things because some of the early school history didn't follow what I know based on family history," Ambrose said.
"Right, I understand that," Quintin said. "But I was wondering if you knew what happened to the founders after they left. Do you know what happened to them? Where they went, or how they died?" Quintin asked, gazing at Ambrose's serious expression intently until Quintin was frowning too, picking up what he had been thinking. "Slytherin died here? Wait, Professor Ravenclaw killed him? Is that why I'm not supposed to talk to him?" Quintin asked all at once. Ambrose inhaled sharply.
"Who exactly was it who asked you to research the four founders?" Ambrose demanded, feeling as if he was set up.
"She did," Quintin said, pointing at the wall.
Before Ambrose even turned to face her, he knew it was Caprica Dusthorn.
"Just what are you up to, Caprica? Why did you ask him to come talk to me about it?" Ambrose asked.
"Because he needed to know, of course," Caprica explained easily. "Quintin and his house has a very important decision to make... they need to decide what their house is about and what they stand for. But it wouldn't be very fair for them to decide that without understanding the history of the housing system, and that means knowing who the founders were and knowing who we were... not as their apprentices, but as the first teaching staff at Hogwarts. By understanding school history, they can make a wise decision, hopefully without repeating the mistakes of those who came before it."
"Does that mean you've made mistakes as well, Professor Dusthorn?" Quintin asked.
"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, Quintin, no matter who they are. And the more power you have, the more likely those mistakes are going to be really, really big ones," Dusthorn explained. "Learning about the past sometimes means learning about terrible, terrible events, and sometimes you just want to skip it and go to the next chapter. But don't skip it, no matter how horrible, or try to edit out the facts in hopes that everyone will forget. The only thing a person learns from lies is how lying isn't generally a good idea... or to buy some time on occasion," Caprica acknowledged with a smile.
"And that's all we did," Ambrose said defensively. "We edited it out to buy time on that occasion." Caprica nodded at that in acceptance. "After all, the board was pretty unfriendly to the school back then... and it didn't help that I was eight," he added sheepishly, then glanced at Quintin then back again with a nod. "Alright, Caprica, you're right. Maybe it is time for the truth, and to expand our knowledge so these kids can make the right decision on how to handle this. I'll help you on one condition, Quintin... that you get me a list of everyone you're planning to research and let me set the order you'll research them in."
"Thanks, Uncle Ambrose," Quintin said, finally sitting down to breakfast.
Not long after his Runes II class got out for the day, Severus decided to have a walk around the castle to get a sense of how the year was going, taking the back stairs. The sound of a violin met his ears as he approached the Service Room, and he was certain even before looking it was Jay. Keeping well back from the door, he smiled softly as he peered into the Advanced Strings class to see Dale taking him through the lead portion of Ave Maria by himself to correct him on something before starting the quartet from the beginning again. Jay had caught up to his skill level, Severus admitted to himself. By the time he finished seventh year, he was quite sure Jay would very much surpass him, and might even give the Rogue Painting a run from his money. It was almost a shame he didn't plan to pursue music as a career, Severus mused as he walked towards the library. Playing the violin was one of the few times that Jay ever seemed to be at peace with himself.
Severus turned his attention back to the castle, watching as several students without a class that hour made their way to the library to study. He wandered over to the main desk where Boulderdash sat, glancing over some of the new periodicals that came in without being in much of a hurry to label and file them.
"Good afternoon. Any progress on the order's goal yet?" Severus asked.
"No, they're still debating between helping with the auction or trying to raise the funds for the carpet in the common room," Boulderdash said.
"I don't suppose you could convince them to help with both?" Severus inquired.
"It's been suggested," Boulderdash replied. "I'll imply that I'm in favor of it, if you like. After all, the auction, although demanding, will be done before the holidays, giving them plenty of time to concentrate on the other afterwards. Although considering the price, they probably should start on fundraising for the carpet regardless if they choose to do both. I expect I'll know the outcome of that by the end of this weekend," he added, Severus nodding at that. "By the way, just so you know, I had a request from Mr. Tinker to allow the new house permission to check out history books well beyond their level, and a request to let Quintin browse history in the Restricted Section as well," Boulderdash informed Severus.
"Oh? On what grounds, since he doesn't have him in any classes yet?" Severus inquired.
"I believe it was an Assistant Advisor request, actually. Quintin came to him asking for help when he was looking for information on the founders, their apprentices, and teachers under Dusthorn. It's part of their house's research on finding a name for their house, I believe," Boulderdash said.
"Yes, that does makes sense, especially considering that Ambrose has long been interested in that time period. But if Quintin starts asking for interviews, please steer him away from Ravenclaw and suggest speaking with Janus about it instead," Severus requested.
"I will, of course, do as you ask. But regardless of what 'personal reason' makes you to want them to avoid each other, do you really think it's feasible to keep them apart all seven years?" Boulderdash asked dubiously.
"Perhaps not, but I have every intention of trying," Severus informed him bluntly.
Severus then stepped out of the room, slightly annoyed that Boulderdash had even mentioned it. He checked his watch to see that Quintin was still in class, before wandering in the direction of the Quidditch Wing, still listening to the echos in the halls. There was an intense curiosity in the air, above and beyond schoolwork, Severus mused, and he couldn't help but wonder if both Jennifer and Quintin were causing it, considering that Jennifer was researching the Sorting Hat and Quintin and the new house were researching founding history. He knew from talking to Jennifer and Boulderdash that other staff were now getting involved, and he couldn't help but wonder what sort of castle secrets they would end up uncovering in the process. As he walked down the long corridor and began absorbing the castle's ambiance, he began to detect a hint of irritation or frustration lying under the surface. Pondering it, he decided that it came from the students thrown off by all of the sudden changes and wondered how that would end up manifesting in the weeks to come.
He stepped outside, glancing around before walking out to find several third-year Ravenclaws practicing for Quidditch by playing a friendly game of Chaserball. Rus was playing at the Keeper position, while Sissy led several of her teammates over to where her enthusiastic owl Fletcher gave her hints as to where Rus was positioned. Often she tossed it over to one of her fellow Chasers at the last minute, positioned above and below her and making it hard for Rus to predict which way they were going to come in.
Severus smirked softly at the owl's antics as they played, often managing to distract Rus in the process. Rus was going to have to work on his focus if he was going to take over for Culver in a few years, Severus mused, but still, he was proving to be a fairly competent Beater since he could coordinate with the other Beater, Flynn Mohannan, as well as the other team members, without having to use any signals at all. Rus had come a long way from the shy, anxious student he was when he first came to Hogwarts, still wary of all of the thoughts coming in from students that he didn't know already. But Rus soon discovered that there was another student going out of her way to be unnoticed in the back row, and before long, Rus and Sissy became so inseparable that it reminded Severus of Andrew and Halbert at that age.
As Severus turned to head back inside, a broom pulled up, hovering at his height.
"Grandfather?" Rus asked.
"Just because we're outside doesn't mean we aren't still at Hogwarts," Severus reminded him without even a glance.
"Yes, but this is a Grandfather question instead of a Headmaster question," Rus explained. "I looked at the board this morning to see if there was going to be a game in a week from now... I figured we might start early since there's a new team and all..."
"The new house won't even have their team members set until their next broom class. You won't be facing them for a while, since we need to give them time to practice as a team," Severus explained. "It is more than likely that we'll add Wednesday games when football season is suspended."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense, but that's not what I really wanted to talk about anyway," Rus said. "Because after I saw there wasn't a game, I noticed there's going to be a Hogsmeade trip. And I'm a third year, so I can go, right?"
"Do you have a permission slip?" Severus inquired.
"You sign my permission slips," Rus pointed out.
"So why do I get the feeling this isn't about the permission slip, then?" Severus asked knowingly, still refusing to look in his direction.
"Well, yeah, I was wondering... if I get to go... if you might give me a way I can earn some spending money," Rus inquired.
"What happened to all of your birthday money? As I recall, your Grandmother warned you to put some of it away so that you would have money on hand at school this year," Severus pointed out.
"She did, but... well, I did manage to save some sickles, I just... spent them on the train," Rus said. "And Jay won't lend me money anymore."
"Yes, I wonder why."
"He says that if he lends me money, the only thing that happens is that both of us are out of money instead of just one of us. He's just gotten so stingy..." Rus complained.
"Yes, well, you will have to take this up with your Grandmother. Since she's the one who warned you about this, it's only fair that she's the one who gets to decide whether or not to give you a way to earn more," Severus informed him.
"Fine," Rus said, sounding quite annoyed as he turned his broom around and went back to the Quidditch Pitch.
Shaking his head, Severus wandered inside, taking his time so that he reached the Potion Room just as Jennifer's last class was getting out. He stepped in as she was using her wand to put the room in order.
"Oh, hello, Severus. I thought you had an appointment for dinner," Jennifer said thoughtfully.
"I do, but I wanted to let you know that Rus decided to try and circumvent you and asked me if I would give him a way to earn some coin," Severus replied.
"I should have known he'd do that when that permission slip reminder went up this morning! Honestly, hasn't he learned that he can't get around us that way yet?" Jennifer said with exasperation.
"Apparently not," Severus replied. "After all, they used that strategy a great deal between their parents when they were younger. I wouldn't be surprised if sending an Owl to his mother isn't his follow up plan."
"No, I wouldn't be surprised either," Jennifer said with frustration. "How can I possibly teach him any financial responsibility when she gives in so readily any time he runs out? I'm half-tempted to hex his piggybank so that the coins go straight in there any time they enter his room, and then make it so that he can't get them out without my direct permission."
"That is a good tactic when it comes to Alexandria giving them money on a whim, but that doesn't exactly inspire him to learn responsibility either if he has no access to it," Severus pointed out.
"True," Jennifer brooded. "But I'm still tempted. What he needs is to learn how to budget his spending money without having access to an endless purse."
"Agreed," Severus said. "I'll contact Aurelius as soon as he's off duty and see if he's willing to act as a go-between on this issue. But just in case, you might want to sniff through his room in the morning."
"I hate it when I have to be the bad guy," Jennifer brooded.
"You wanted to be Head of the Family," Severus reminded her before opening his contact mirror.
Rus woke in the morning to see his owl Wrongway on the windowsill and a coin pouch just below it. Grinning brightly, Rus went over to it and looked in side. He frowned when he found it empty, pulling out a small piece of paper.
Sorry, you can't get around me that way, it's all in your savings account now. We're not going to let your mother intervene in this because we're your legal guardians, you know. You'll have to talk to me about your spending habits whether you like it or not. ~ Love, Grandmother
Rus scrunched up his face in irritation, flopping back on the bed in resignation.
