Chapter Sixty-Six
Keeping the Wand Ready
It wasn't until later that evening that Harry and Severus made it to the castle. Jennifer and Severus had been playing Trial and Error in the sitting room, but when Armando informed them who was on their way up, they quickly put it away and went back into the Headmaster's Study, getting tea ready just as Sirius and Harry stepped onto the landing. As they came in, they both glanced immediately at Jennifer, who frowned when she had trouble reading that thoughts at that moment.
"Good evening," Severus said. "Come have a seat. Just so you know, if you're here about Cordelia Bagman, we already know about that one."
"No, actually, it's about something completely different," Harry admitted. "Although we were rather hoping to talk to you alone actually."
"Anything that can be said to me can be said in front of Jennifer," Severus said before Jennifer had an opportunity to get up. "There are no secrets between us anymore, and anything you say would be relayed to her anyway, so do me a favor and just say it so I don't have to relay it... no matter how bad your news is," he added firmly.
"Alright," Harry said.
"Would you like tea or coffee?" Jennifer asked.
"Coffee," they both said at once, looking at each other ruefully at that.
"We had a tea reading today," Sirius admitted.
"Oh?" Severus said thoughtfully.
"I guess it's part of the service if you buy a full reading at Lady Vough's tent," Harry admitted. "I went over there as a part of an investigation and took Sirius with me as my backup. She didn't want to have anyone having to do with any families associated with Garvan in any way, which left out most of my Aurors, and she didn't want Owain in her wagon after what happened earlier in the week."
"Well, since we don't know what that involved, perhaps you should back up and take it from there," Severus suggested.
"Did you get another tattoo?" Jennifer asked with exasperation. Severus glanced over to see Jennifer handing Sirius his cup, noticing a bit of ink and some sort of drawing on his wrist.
"It's just a temporary one," Sirius assured her, setting his cup down and fixing his cuff so that it didn't show.
"That's good. I know Anna wouldn't say anything, she respects you too much, but she really doesn't care for them," Jennifer said, handing Harry his cup as well.
"Yes, I know," Sirius replied. Severus simply raised his brows slightly at the conversation as he took the cup she offered him as well.
"Sorry. Please go on, Harry," Jennifer said sheepishly, sitting down.
"Well, earlier this week, I'd been helping Thatcher with the investigation with the Disappearances at the Daily Prophet before it was shut down," he explained. "The Disappearances there had been different than the others because they all included messages with strained writing, as if they'd been coerced to write them. So playing on a hunch, we went to Alex and got an order to question the circus vampire. We didn't get much out of it, really. Mirage was in the room and he made sure there weren't any slip-ups and was quick to jump in if he thought the questioning went outside of the lines of the Threat Assessment order we had."
"Next time, have him come to the Ministry, Harry. You can request a vampire assessment to be done there, you know, and he really doesn't have the right to representation unless he's accused of something," Jennifer reminded him. "It probably would have been more productive taking him off property."
"True, but then I wouldn't have had the opportunity to snoop around with Owain a bit, even though Mirage made it clear it'd be the last time," Harry said. "I'm not allowed on the property without a ticket or invitation, but he did make an exception when I said I was going to try and get an appointment with Lady Vough. Apparently she has a lot of pull in the circus... in fact, I think she's more an ally of some kind rather than an actual employee there," he explained.
"Did you learn anything new from your snoop around, at least?" Jennifer asked.
"No, not really... they were all avoiding us as usual, but at the same time, it was obvious that they were busy getting set up for reopening. Half of the wagons and some of the banners were repainted, most of the rides are set up in the small carnival area they've been constructing, and we could hear a lot of activity even if we didn't see anyone," Harry said. "We also learned that Cusp is clanless and apparently the reason Bridal Clan doesn't have a problem with him is because he mainly feeds on circus employees and doesn't trespass into any vampire claimed areas... but he did spend a lot of time in Diagon Alley this winter helping with that shop of theirs, we did get him to admit that much. But for the most part, we didn't get much out of the interview. Owain was able to tell me afterwards that he's pretty powerful as far as vampires go... high end wolf level. But Owain can control a vampire at any strength as long as there is only one of them, so I wasn't worried at the time. Still, if we get into a tangle with him down the line and Owain isn't around, at least we'll know what we're dealing with."
"Lovely," Jennifer said with a sigh, glancing at Severus. "That's about the same level Wingard was when I ended up taking out half the street."
"It's alright, Jennifer," Severus replied. "Your Light Magic may not be strong enough to take him out, but I know a couple of Ancient Spells I can teach you that can do the job, and there are a plethora of magic items out there for dealing with vampires, especially after the Vampire Wars. It would be easy to throw some in your Chest Cloak for emergencies."
"Well, right now Cusp seems pretty happy to stay in his own territory, but I think taking precautions is a good idea," Harry said, then glanced at Sirius. "I guess that brings us to our next point," he said. Sirius gestured to get him to continue. "The Seer was... pretty convincing," he admitted, Sirius nodding at that. "I think she had us both coming away thinking that she was more than a charlatan, but... the visions were so unbelievable that she cleared all of the fog and pretense and just let us see in the Scryer's Pool first hand. And the fact of the matter is, my reading seemed to have less to do with me personally, and more about the possibility that... what would happen if..."
"If Severus became completely demented and started killing everyone," Sirius finished, seeing that Harry was struggling.
"Oh. That," Severus replied. Jennifer's expression turned dark, but she simply sat quietly and sipped her coffee without saying anything.
"Has she said something like that to someone else as well?" Harry asked when he saw how unsurprised Severus was. "Perhaps it's not a real vision, then. Perhaps it's a manipulation tactic."
"More than likely both," Severus admitted. "I've been aware of this possible future for some time now. Viviane spoke to me and has been advising me on it, attempting to steer me away from that path."
"Well, this circus Seer seems to be trying to steer it in the other direction," Sirius said concernedly. "I swear from the way she spoke at times, she actually wants it to happen."
"Yeah, I noticed that as well," Harry admitted. "And she seemed to think anything I did to stop it was inconsequential."
"Her playing up the worst case scenario isn't what concerns me now," Sirius told Harry, then glanced at Severus. "It's the fact that this is some sort of fate manipulation war between Viviane and this Seer. Who the hell is she that she's capable of going head to head with Viviane? And not just that, when confronted by Mirage, Toby didn't even try to put him in his place. He ran and hid in the forest! Just what in craters are we dealing with here?"
"A different sort of war, one that we haven't had in a while," Severus admitted. "A war where our choices will lead us to different Fates... and god help us all if any of us choose the wrong path."
"Especially you," Sirius said.
"Especially everyone," Severus said firmly. "Every choice matters, Sirius, whether that Seer believes it or not," he said, gazing at Harry. "No choice is inconsequential. If she made it appear otherwise, I can assure you it was a manipulation tactic. As for the rest of the vision, I would like to see it myself. Harry, is there an empty Pensieve on the shelf just over there?"
"A Pensieve? Wait. I'll only agree to that on the condition that you let me cut out the first half of the reading, because that part of the reading is personal," Harry said firmly.
"That is fine. I'm really only interested in what she told you about my Fate. I'm sure you can sort out your own problems yourself."
"Thanks," Harry said, not in the least bit sarcastic.
"I'll get the Pensieve, Severus," Jennifer said, putting her cup down.
"Are you sure you don't want to sit this one out, Jennifer?" Harry asked.
"I have no intention of it," Jennifer said firmly.
"I very much need her input on this, Harry. I won't be able to change this situation alone," Severus said seriously. Jennifer gazed at him in surprise, but his thoughts were currently muddled despite the determination in his eyes. She sat the Pensieve down on the table and Severus came over, Harry concentrating on the memory and pulling out the strand. Soon they were inside, watching as it played out, taking in the scene. Severus frowned, his attention fully turned on the Seer herself, pondering her identity. In fact, he was so absorbed with it that he had to ask Harry to play it a second time to get a closer look at the vision itself.
Finally they were standing outside of it again and Sirius and Harry gazed at Severus thoughtfully. Jennifer was too busy attempting to remain collected to do much else, coaxing Harry to take the memory strand back out so she could put the spare Pensieve away.
"So now that we have a better idea of what the worst case scenario involves, let's put some basic contingency plans into place," Severus said calmly, then glanced over at his secretary painting. "Armando, please ask Hermione and Icarus to come to the Headmaster's Study. I'd rather handle this directly. More coffee while we wait? Perhaps some sandwiches... butter tablets... peanut butter... pastries wrapped in plastic with mystery oil margarine..."
"That's very funny, Severus. I am paying attention, don't worry," Jennifer said, tsking at him before walking over to grab the tray of sandwiches on her way back to her chair. There was a knock inside the door and Icarus materialized.
"What? Nothing for me?" Icarus inquired.
"Over there," Severus said, pointing to the other side of the room where a tray was waiting for him.
"Oh yes, thank you," Icarus said, drifting by the chessboard. "You've been neglecting this game of late, haven't you?"
"Yes, thank you very much," Severus said. "Hermione will be here momentarily, and then I want you all to bear witness to what I have to say."
"Is this about those star charts we've been discussing, Severus?" Icarus asked curiously.
"Indirectly, yes," Severus confirmed.
They ate quietly for a moment. Despite the awkwardness, everyone in the room had decided it would have been much more awkward to try and make small talk, considering what they had been discussing. To everyone's relief, it wasn't long before Hermione knocked on the door and came in, glancing at them curiously.
"Good evening, all," Hermione said, then looked over at Sirius and Harry. "Did you manage to go to the Seer's today, Harry?" Harry nodded solemnly.
"So you know about that already, good," Severus said, gesturing to a chair that appeared. "It would appear that the Seer was kind enough to inform these two about my worst fate path," he said dryly. "Lord knows who else she's told about it. Either way, we just got done exploring it in the Pensieve and I saw enough to know that I want to take some precautions this evening just in case the worst does happen. Rogue, are you present at the moment?" he asked, searching the frames. He then heard a violin string and glanced over at where he stood next to Dumbledore. "Could you please move Caprica Dusthorn's painting in here?" The Rogue cringed slightly but did as he was told, and Dusthorn's painting appeared above Armando's.
"Hey! How about that? Transport service!" Caprica said, rather impressed as she looked around.
"For those of you who aren't aware, Caprica Dusthorn is more than just a Headmaster painting," Severus went on, ignoring her. "Not only can she adapt to circumstances, but she can record information that a Headmaster leaves to his successor, and can also train new headmasters into the position. She will be invaluable if there is a major crisis and someone unexpected needs to take over other than the three in here trained already to do so, namely Jennifer, Hermione, and Icarus."
"Severus, I will be here no matter what happens to everyone else," Icarus pointed out.
"There's always a possibility that the Memoriatorium is breached, Ick, or someone takes the time to set up a ghost trap that keeps you from taking over. Besides, I have a much more important job for you, which is taking over security," Severus said, gazing at him seriously. "Icarus, if something happens to me that takes my sanity, I implore you, not only as a Professor of Hogwarts, but as Ex-Warden of Azkaban, to get everyone safely out of this castle. First the students, then the staff and faculty. We must not have a repeat of what happened at Azkaban to happen at Hogwarts. This castle must not be used as a trap. You know how to activate the emergency evacuation protocols, and I expect you to employ them expeditiously."
"Exactly where is it that you want me to evacuate them to, Severus?" Icarus asked.
"Wherever you decide, for god's sake, don't tell me. Tell Hermione and Caprica, since they are your backup," Severus snapped.
"Yes, Severus, I understand," Icarus replied.
"Wow, Severus, you've come a long way, trusting Icarus with something like this," Caprica commented, impressed.
"Whether or not I trust him personally is entirely beside the point, Caprica. The very fact that we don't trust one another is beneficial in this case," Severus snapped at her while Icarus stared at him fixedly. "Regardless, I know perfectly well after what happened at Azkaban that Icarus will do everything in his power to make certain the inhabitants here are not turned into sitting ducks."
"True," Icarus said distantly.
"Hermione, you'll be in charge of the castle until everyone gets out. Feel free to utilize all resources to do so, including Janus and his gargoyles, paintings, and anything else your brilliant head can come up with to put in my way," Severus said.
"I understand," Hermione said solemnly. Severus nodded at that, looking around the quiet room. Even the paintings were quiet, despite the fact that the vast majority of them seemed wide awake. Gazing at all the serious expressions a moment, Severus' shoulders finally relaxed.
"Good, now that I've gotten that sorted, how about some more coffee?" Severus suggested. Sirius and Harry stared at him.
"Yes, alright," Jennifer said, pouring Hermione a cup as well. "Care for a sandwich, Hermione?"
"Thank you," Hermione said and got one off the tray.
"So now that you've had a chance to prepare for the worst, what have you got in mind to prevent it from happening in the first place?" Caprica asked him curiously.
"I plan to stop trying," Severus said calmly. This time, everyone in the room stared at him. "I have played dozens of games of Trial and Error now, by myself and with others, and I realized in the process of playing that any time I attempt to break free of the worst path before me, I end up self-fulfilling the prophecy, much like Icarus did in his day," he said, glancing at Icarus, who gazed back at him solemnly. "Instead, I will do as I did today; as I become aware of the worst outcomes, I will act accordingly to put certain caveats in place so that the damage does not reach the level we are seeing. Caprica, did you not do the same?" he asked, glancing over at the painting who smiled knowingly at that. "When faced with Icarus' predictions of the future, you and the rest of the Sentinels did not simply attempt to change fate. Instead, you armed us with the Scroll, the Mirror, the Potion, and the Gem, to make certain we had the tools we needed if it came about."
"Not to mention rigging Salazar's Tomb, hiding the Cauldron to keep Voldemort from getting it, and everything else they did to keep him in check," Harry pointed out. Severus nodded to him.
"Yes, and now that is my job," Severus agreed. "I am to provide you any guidance that I can and help everyone acquire the tools they need to prevent the worst. I will only get involved in this circus matter if it's the last resort."
"So you mean to say that you're going to act like Toby," Sirius surmised. Severus blinked.
"I never thought about that until you mentioned it," Severus admitted. "But I suppose in a way, you have a point. As for the ominous prediction that so many are concerned with... and rightly so, considering it scope... I must have faith that the decisions of my friends and family will make it so that such a fate isn't a possibility. I must have faith that even if I were to start down that path, there will be someone there to catch me. And even if that faith falters, my faith in Jennifer will not waiver; I know that she will always find a way to save herself, and therefore save me... even if she has to cheat to do it." Jennifer smiled warmly at that, nodding to him. Severus nodded gently in return and then turned to Harry. Harry was listening intently to what Severus was saying, but Severus didn't miss the troubled expression or the lingering doubt behind that gaze.
"Harry, there's something that I am going to tell you that is going to change your perspective of this entire situation," Severus informed him. "And what I have to say is very similar to something Icarus told me once, helping be through a conundrum very similar to this in a way," he said, glancing at Icarus again and then back at Harry. "You see, Harry, I know who Margaret's Cosmic Match is," he explained evenly. "And I know there will come a day when her Cosmic Match realizes it for himself. And after that day comes, he will do everything in his power to protect her, even at the risk of his own existence." Harry didn't miss the fact that across from him, Jennifer was smiling knowingly. "And while I certainly wouldn't speak for you, there may even be a slight possibility that you might approve of this one," Severus ventured.
"How could you possibly have any idea who it is?" Harry said.
"I can't tell you that," Severus admitted. "But it is the truth."
"Is this something you learned from Essie or something?" Harry said, trying to make some sense out of it.
"No, I can only tell you that I'm certain of it," Severus said. Harry glanced at Jennifer.
"I'm certain of it too," she said warmly.
"I know who they're talking about too," Sirius admitted reluctantly.
"Oh? How do you know about it?" Severus asked curiously.
"Sorry, it's classified Agent stuff," Sirius said.
"What about you, Icarus? Anything to add?" Severus inquired.
"Yes, there's a slight possibility that I know who it is as well," Icarus admitted reluctantly.
"Well, I'll admit I don't know who they're talking about, but I know better than to question it," Hermione ventured.
"Fine," Harry acknowledged with a sigh. "Then explain to me how all of you could possibly believe that when the current path has Severus..." he hesitated.
"Losing his * bubble * and going Ciardoth on us?" Sirius offered.
"Thank you, Mr. Colorful," Severus said crisply.
"Any time, Birdbrain," Sirius replied.
"Harry," Jennifer interrupted in a timely manner. "The point is that there's more than one possible path from here. Which one would you rather live to see?"
"The one where Maggie finds her match, obviously," replied Harry.
"Then that's the future you have to fight for," Jennifer explained with a smile. "Because it's much easier to fight for something than fight against something."
"True," Harry said.
"Well, I have a baby on the way, so I don't need much convincing when it comes to that change in philosophy," Sirius admitted with a soft chuckle.
"I'm glad to hear it," Severus agreed, feeling the weight lift in the room somewhat. But he didn't miss the fact that Icarus seemed preoccupied, and he wasn't surprised when he lingered as the rest said goodnight and made their way out.
"Severus, I very much would like a word with you before I go," Icarus said firmly.
"Jennifer, would you mind terribly getting the rooms ready for the evening? I'm certain that this work-related discussion won't take long," Severus suggested, signing to the Rogue Painting. The painting nodded and the Merlin painting was whisked out of the room. "We can even finish that Trial and Error game if you like. Your game."
"Yes, alright," Jennifer said a smile, going into the sitting room and shutting the door.
"So. What do you want to talk about?" Severus said, saying each word slowly and deliberately.
"You know something," Icarus said accusingly. Severus stood up, coming around to the other side of the chairs.
"I know a lot of things," Severus said evenly. "To which are you referring?"
"I think you know perfectly well or you wouldn't have whisked that painting away. I think you know perfectly well or you wouldn't already know who Maggie's Cosmic Match is," Icarus said. "And then there's the bizarre way that you've been treating me lately. On one hand, you've been giving me more responsibility both in administration and in alchemist related problems. On the other hand, I get the feeling you no longer trust me, that you're wary of me and perhaps even angry with me."
"Perhaps?" Severus repeated softly. "There is no 'perhaps' about it. All you are describing is the difference between how I treat you professionally as a member of my faculty and how I personally feel about you. I've long learned how to separate them when required."
"Then let's put the job titles aside for a moment," Icarus said, floating over to face him at his level. "Wizard to wizard, just how do you feel about me personally?"
"I find you repugnant. And I'm not angry at you. I am furious," Severus informed him. "How dare you, Icarus? How dare you help him turn my child into a tool? How dare you go behind our backs within our own castle and become his second hand and go along with this scheme to send my son so far back into his past, risking his life and everyone else's and forcing me to clean up more time paradoxes than I can already count! Was betraying your own family not enough? How dare you betray mine!" Severus snarled. "He has trapped my son in such a time snare that it will force him to spend decades of his life going back and forth when he shouldn't have been sent back at all!"
"Him, his, he! Are you sure it's me that you are furious with, Severus?" Icarus challenged him. "Because it sounds to me that your anger should be targeting someone else."
"Oh, I have enough of it to go around, and furious doesn't quite go far enough when it comes to how I feel about him at the moment," Severus replied. "You wanted to know why I didn't trust you, so now you have your answer. You could have warned me. You could have come to me from the start. You could have refused to play along with his schemes. You could have afforded me the loyalty that I have earned after all I have done to support you over the years! There was a time when I felt that I trusted you because you had come to trust me, but that time is past, and I will never trust you again. Regardless of your professional position here, I will never make that mistake, whether I am forced to leave you in charge of the castle in an emergency or not!" Severus vowed.
"You're not even going to ask me why, Severus?" Icarus inquired.
"'Why' does not excuse your actions! Considering your spectral condemnation, I would think you of all people would know that!" Severus snapped.
"So be it, I suppose. It isn't as if I can stop you from feeling that way. But perhaps there will come a day in the far future that you will change your mind about my part in this, once you have the full story behind what's been 'going on behind your back' as you put it," Icarus said.
"Whether or not that prediction is correct, until then, do not expect any courtesies from me! I want nothing to do with you outside of professional concerns. And one other thing... stay away from my son. If I ever find you anywhere near Quintin again while he's in the castle... or around the outskirts for that matter, and regardless of his age... I will bottle you and throw you in the Memoriatorium for a long-term internment, conscious or not! Your interference in this matter is done!" Severus said firmly.
"You'll come to regret that," Icarus warned.
"I highly doubt it, no matter what your predictions are," Severus snapped. "Either way, I think we are done here, don't you? Go back to your tower, and don't come to me again for anything other than professional considerations!"
"Very well," Icarus said with a sigh, floating over to the door, turning at the last moment. "I did it for Jennifer, by the way," he informed Severus before floating through it.
Severus stared at the door with a frown, finding himself wondering what he meant by that. No, even if his reasons were for Jennifer, there was no excuse for betraying him like that. He was just being his manipulative self, attempting to make Severus second-guess him. But Severus wasn't about to lose his resolve over what was obviously a parting shot. He turned back to the paintings, who were watching the exchange with somber expressions. Even Caprica seemed quite subdued.
"Armando, Rogue, I would appreciate your help in keeping an eye on Icarus to make certain he maintains his distance from Quintin. I will inform the security staff of this rule as well, but you may have better luck, since ghosts aren't always easy to track."
"What about Janus, Severus? He can keep an eye on him," Caprica suggested.
"And how exactly do you expect me to trust Janus in this? He hasn't exactly been a model of good behavior, considering he staged a mutiny with the gargoyles," Severus reminded her.
"Only because he felt his family was in danger, Severus. Family means everything to a Craw, you know that," Caprica pointed out. "As loyal as he is to Icarus, he's even more loyal to his family. If he understands that Icarus is a threat to Quintin and needs to be protected, he'll stand with Quintin."
"Very well, you have a point. I'll speak with him in the morning," Severus replied. "And afterwards, Caprica and Rogue, I would like to get together to make more contingency plans. I just thought of one or two other security measures that might stop me from getting in here if I lose it."
"Understood, Severus, but it's a bit ironic. I mean, I know you have reason to distrust Icarus, especially if what you accused him of is true," Caprica admitted. "But you gave such a rousing speech about how much faith you need to have in your family and friends to make sure the worst doesn't happen, and yet you're still planning for it as if you don't trust them to do their jobs. Are you sure faith is the right word? Faith is a step beyond trust, after all. If you truly had faith in them, there'd be no need for contingency plans," she pointed out.
"Caprica, having faith also means supporting that faith," Severus replied. "And having faith in others doesn't mean that I stop doing my part. It is not a matter of distrust or disbelief; on the contrary, it is a matter of working proactively to help the situation along, rather than be a burden to faith by doing nothing at all."
"Put your faith in your family but keep the wand ready, is that it?" Caprica asked with amusement.
"Precisely," Severus agreed, then secured the Headmaster's Study so he could join Jennifer in the sitting room.