Sixty-Seven

The Coming of March

Everyone going to the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff game couldn't help but be disappointed that not one player fell off their broom.

Even the faculty was disappointed, including Ginny and Sagittari, who didn't have more than a bruise to look after. But no one was as disappointed as Jennifer, whose frustration boiled over so many times that Kevin Mayer, visiting from Whitebridge, edged away from her slightly so she could fling her arms around more freely. Severus, it seemed, took the accidental abuse with tolerant calm.

"I don't believe it, I just don't believe it!" Jennifer said after Angela Powers, Ravenclaw's temporary Seeker, got her hand around the Snitch. "The one game the two teams decided to be civil to each other, and it happened to be this one! Couldn't this have been the Gryffindor-Slytherin game or something?"

"Rivals, are they?" Kevin inquired with a grin.

"They're known for a bit of rough play at times, yes," Severus admitted.

"Just one little fall would have done!" Jennifer exclaimed, and Kevin laughed heartily.

"I've never seen anyone get so excited about something as simple as Spacelawn, or so disappointed not to see it work, considering its purpose!" Kevin teased.

"It doesn't surprise me in the slightest," Severus admitted.

"I'm sorry, but after all the work we put in, I would like to see if it's working properly," Jennifer said.

"It's a plant, Bludger. It isn't going to fail like a device would, even if it's on a different continent, and we already know it can handle the PH level here," Kevin reassured her. "It'll pay off over time, trust me."

"Perhaps you would care to come back for our next game," Severus suggested to Kevin. "I have an idea on how to up the odds of seeing our new lawn do its job."

"Oh, really? How's that?" Kevin asked with a grin.

"Have Jennifer referee, of course," Severus said. Kevin broke out laughing again, drowning at Jennifer's curt comment.

"I would pay good money to see Jennifer refereeing a game!" Kevin said.

"Very well, I'll arrange it," Severus said.

"Would you two stop ganging up on me?" Jennifer snapped, glowering at Severus.

"Professor, I never would have guessed you had such a good sense of humor," Kevin commented with a grin.

"Yes, it has developed over the years we've been married, really," Severus replied. Jennifer squinted.

"That almost sounded like an accusation to me," Jennifer said flatly.

"That's how I read that too," Kevin agreed with amusement. "Still, with all you've been through, it's important to have those safety valves in place to get you through the bad times," he added as they stood, the majority of spectators having already made their way down the stairs.

"Yes, that's very true," Severus agreed, gesturing to Jennifer so that she would lead the way out of the box.

It was in the middle of the week when Hermione dropped the news on Jennifer. Since it was early in the morning, she couldn't help but be distracted during her classes that day, grateful when she could finally slip away from the school and head to the Craw Mansion to meet Delia and Mike's new baby. It was Thomas who was holding her, despite being in the middle of dinner, keeping her cradled in one arm while eating in the other, while neither Delia or Mike were at the table. Soon they were very aware of her presence as both Autumn and Anthos started jumping up and down and saying, "Sissy! Sissy!" over and over again.

"Good evening, all! Can I see little Wendy Aepheri Coventry, please?" Jennifer asked brightly.

"Who says I'm willing to give you a turn?" Thomas asked protectively.

"I see that news travels fast," Maurice said with a chuckle.

"But gossip travels even faster," Beth teased.

"Especially if it's written in the Oracle," Lucky smirked.

"Have you eaten yet, Jennifer?" Fleur asked.

"No, not yet. I came as soon as classes were done. Hermione told me very early this morning, but the deal I made with Severus stated that I wasn't allowed to take off for this if I wanted to come stay when Lucky had hers, so he made me wait all day to come over," Jennifer complained.

"A baby is born and Jen-girl isn't there to 'help', how tragic," Thomas said. "I'll only let you hold her if you eat first, so sit down and have something." Jennifer pouted slightly, but knew her father well enough than to argue. She took a seat across from Ambrose, who was sitting between Lucky and Maurice and poking at his food distractedly.

"Good evening, Ambrose. And how are you?" Jennifer asked with a smile, seeing his glum expression.

"Tired of being under house arrest, actually," Ambrose admitted.

"Been there, done that," Garvan said in understanding, and Beth nodded in agreement.

"Well, you'll just have to put up with it. If your father says you'll be in great danger if you leave the house, I believe it," Thomas said firmly.

"You want me to send you more paperwork to do, Ambrose?" Maurice offered.

"No, it just reminds me of all the projects that aren't getting done because I can't get back to the museum."

"If you want a project moved to the top, just ask us," Lucky shrugged.

"I take it you two have been helping out at the museum then?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah, although I can't do much right now except take care of the accounts and yell at other people to do stuff," Lucky replied. "But Maurice and Beth have been helping out too."

"Yes, I'm going to take over for Lucky while she's on maternity leave," Maurice agreed.

"It's exciting. Isn't it exciting?" Jennifer said, beaming at her.

"Sure, except I'm starting to feel like I'm running a nursery or something," Thomas said dryly.

"Don't worry, we'll be out of your hair as soon as the circus pulls out of town," Lucky promised.

"I'm sure Mike and Delia wouldn't mind getting out on their own either," Beth ventured.

"I wouldn't mind finding a home in Hogsmeade myself," Natalie added as she tried to teach Abigail how to hold her fork the right way.

"There's no rush," Thomas grunted defensively. "Stay as long as you want."

"Now I see where Jackie gets it from," Lucky smirked.

"Gets what?" Thomas asked.

"The tendency to hoard family members," Lucky explained. As everyone began to snigger, Jennifer used the opportunity to get Wendy away from her father so that he had a chance to defend himself.

John had gotten up early for a potion and workout in the practice tent. It was the only time he could count on being alone anymore, which made the lack of sleep worth it. The fact that Mirage had pointedly told John to keep his credits to the Odd Jobs board ended up doing more good than harm; any time Spanx questioned him about picking up extra work, he reminded him that Mirage told him that he could pick up jobs as long as he kept it to the board and did so any time John was desperate to get away from the abuse for awhile. Picking up jobs also gave him all the more reason to get up early, and he could easily use the excuse of 'getting some last minute practice in' as a good reason to get out from under Spanx's thumb for a while.

That day, it had been particularly painful to practice; it was Sunday, and he had run out of several pain and healing potions early after Spanx became more and more frustrated with John's refusal to be broken. And as much as John attempted to hide it, the reflexive wince gave Spanx clues to the fact that John was hurting more than he behaved like he was and did everything in his power to make him feel it by giving him the most rigorous routines possible.

John noticed the light begin to grow and more acts came in to work on the lines. He couldn't help but wonder what was keeping Spanx; typically, he was one of the first after John to arrive. Just as John was about to flip down and find himself a quick breakfast, Spanx finally walked in dressed in Muggle clothes.

"Are we not practicing our routine this morning?" John asked in surprise.

"Don't try being smart, Johnny, you'll only hurt yourself," Spanx said crisply. "I have a job outside the yard today, so be my good poppet and stay out of trouble. Stick to your work and don't give me any headaches unless you want some of your own when I get back. And stay in the yard."

"But I have an Odd Job to work on Tolliver's wagon today," John explained. "I might have to run to town long enough to get some parts to reinforce it."

"Then fetch me a bottle of dark scotch while you're in town for my tolerance! Have that one-handed routine mastered today and be waitin' in the wagon when I get back or there'll be hell to pay," Spanx warned him.

"Yes, Spanx," John agreed.

"And no payin' visits to that bottom of yours either, or I'll be payin' him a visit myself, is that clear?" Spanx added for good measure.

"I won't," John said evenly, and Spanx reluctantly left.

John watched him go thoughtfully, wondering what sort of job Spanx had this time. Then again, it was typically better not to wonder. Still... if he refrained from wondering... he would be caught on the same road of indifference that so many of the others were.

John made his way to the cookhouse, wishing everyone a good morning as he went by. He opened the door for someone going to the outside tables and stopped to inquire about one of the performers who had broken their arm a few days before.

He concentrated on the small things... things so small that no one felt uncomfortable or felt the need to repay him more than a begrudging 'thank you'. After a few weeks, some of the thank yous didn't sound quite so begrudging... or was he just imagining that? He graciously allowed someone else to snag the last morning bun and offered to carry get their tea to the table, making certain he had helped as many people as he could before carrying a canister of tea and a sausage roll over to Tolliver.

Tolliver was taking it easy as he always did the day after the moon finally began to wane, asking John to enter when he knocked. He looked up with surprise when John came in with a sack.

"I brought you some breakfast, Tolly. Did you take your recovery potion?" John asked.

"Yes, and I've recovered enough to know I didn't order any breakfast," Tolly informed him.

"I've picked up working on your wagon for an Odd Job today, you see. It's part of the service," John said, putting it on the table before he could argue again.

"If you say so," Tolly said with a skeptical smile.

"Come now, Tolly, it'll help you get your strength back," John said. "Now why don't I go check the bars in your sideshow wagon to see what needs fixed, and you can pick out some colors for it."

"Just paint right on top of it the same colors it has always been," Tolly said with exasperation. "There's no need to make this overly complicated, and I'm more concerned with the strength of the bars than how it looks anyway."

"Have you had a bad turning since you switched to the new formula, then?" John asked curiously.

"No, I have not, but I'll not take any chances, especially in front of paying spectators," Tolly said.

"In that case, do you mind if I run to town for reinforcement material later if I need it?" John asked.

"Surely we have everything we need here for that. If not, I could make it in the forging tent," Tolly said, then looked at his breakfast. "Or is this a trade for breakfast, perhaps? You delivered breakfast in trade for you running to town?"

"I delivered breakfast because I thought you could do with breakfast," John replied sincerely.
"But since your bars keep getting loose, so it wouldn't hurt for me to look for a better solution would it?" Tolliver sighed at that with a thin smile.

"Never mind the excuse. I don't buy it for a moment, John. If you need to go to town for something today, go ahead and do it on your lunch hour. I won't say anything," Tolly promised.

"Bless you, Tolly, you're a right good wolf," John replied with a grin. "I'm going to go over to the wagon now and take a look at the damage."

"Thank you, John," Tolliver said.

"Not at all," John replied, walking over to the show tent to get to work.

John worked hard to keep his mind off his aches and pains, first doing all of the tightening and welding on the cage. He fixed what scratches he could in the interior, leaving a few that were in public view of the open side of the cage for effect. Then he went to the shed and got some paints, working diligently on them by the time that Mirage did his morning walk-through and over to the Seer's wagon. John was still painting when Mirage went back the other way and the Dark Fae didn't give him more than a glance, stepping to the side as a small squad of clowns marched through the area.

It was Buttercup, blowing a tin whistle in her mouth, and she was leading some of her newer recruits, all dressed to wage comedic battle on the masses. He heard her call a scramble just as she reached him and he turned with a smile to see they had broken into groups and practiced juggling, tumbling and balancing routines. Buttercup, who was tossing clubs to Aster, suddenly tossed one in John's direction. But John didn't miss a beat, catching it and tossing it back a few times. But the change in rhythm finally threw Aster off and he began dropping a few until it was down to a more workable three of them. John chuckled at that.

"Never forget to expect the unexpected when you're working here, my spangled friend," John advised him. Buttercup honked her horn in agreement, and even took time to give John a friendly salute while still juggling, pointing to one of the other clowns to throw the dropped clubs in until she had caught them all up once more, blowing hard on the whistle to get them back in line. They scrambled and tumbled into place, and the procession continued on. She waved to Tolliver as he walked by, making his way over to John.

"Ah, there we are then! Feeling a bit better?" John asked.

"A bit," Tolly agreed. "It looks like Buttercup will have that lot ready by the time we open, doesn't it?"

"Aye, doesn't she always?" John agreed. "She's nice enough that they all don't mind following her lead. It's a shame, really."

"A shame that she's nice?" Tolly asked curiously.

"Her parents were kind people," John replied. "And when they saw it in their daughter, they quickly corrected it, reminding her to think of herself first. It is alright to be nice... nice helps people to like you. But don't worry about their needs or feelings... worry about your own and let them take care of themselves. They did what they could to protect her... until the day they thought of runnin'. As I'm sure you can guess, she never saw them again after that. That's when some of the clowns were put in charge of her. 'Tis a sad thing, really. But I have a feeling that once she becomes a mother, a door might open for her to learn how to be kind again. I only hope that when she does, it turns out better for her than it did for her parents."

"I hope she does as well. I'd hate for anything to happen to her," Tolly admitted. "She's the only ray of sunshine in this camp, really. She can lift a spirit quicker that she can lift those weights of hers... and she's the best clown we've got when it comes to dealing with children."

"True, true," John agreed, painting a bit more. "But I doubt Mirage feels the same way about her. He tolerates her because she follows the rules and is his best clown trainer, while she assumes that all of the clowns are there because they want to be clowns... even when nothing can be further from the truth," he said in a quieter tone. "But if I were a man like Mirage who controlled by fear, that unyielding optimism might also be seen as a threat on the long term. She'll last only until he finds another soul adept at training clowns... and until her child is born, of course. New blood is always welcome here, is it not? It makes it easier to let the troublesome ones go."

"I'm glad you're aware of it," Tolly said, coming a bit closer and glancing around to make sure all of the clowns had left. "You are aware, aren't you? That Mirage sees you as one of the most troublesome souls in this camp?"

"Aye, I'm aware," John replied.

"Then why do you keep pushing your luck with Mirage? And how is it that after the constant beatings and god knows what else Spanx puts you through that you come out of that wagon every day ready to help others when you know how much that defiance infuriates him?" Tolly whispered fervently. "He'll be taking burial duty just to have the pleasure of putting you in the ground himself when the time comes."

"I'm a man of faith, Tolly. I'm not beneath becoming a martyr if that's what's required to show this camp that there's more to life than fear and indifference," John said with a thin smile. "Even the smallest of kindnesses can be a hope to those who have none. Even something as simple as asking how someone feels or fetching breakfast. Even a good mornin' or how's the form to show that someone cares enough to acknowledge them. I will do what I must to put a finger or two in between this camp and Mirage's stranglehold of it, whether it costs me my life or not."

"John, I don't mean to be rude, but coming from my point of view, that sounds like nothing but a lot of self-elevating self-righteous codswallop!" Tolly said.

"Tolly, I don't know who you've been talking to, but hardly anyone uses the word 'codswallop' these days..." John chuckled.

"Entirely beside the point, the sentiment is the same," Tolly replied. "I expect that it's to cover up the fact that you have faith in your former employer to somehow get you out of this mess, but from what I've been hearing, they're not likely to give him a chance. You won't live through the season."

"Careful, Tolly, that's a lot of information to be giving me, and I don't want to be responsible for giving you a debt," John warned. "Fortunately for you, it's information I already know."

"Then if you know it, why are you still doing it? If you know you'll be punished for being kind to others, why do you still persist?" Tolly asked.

"In a way, it's so that troupers like you start asking that question," John said with a smile, finishing the section he was on. "Would now be a good time for me to run to town?"

"Yes, you can go. Bring me back a lunch as well for the courtesy," Tolly said.

"Aye, thanks a mil," John said, taking the time to clean his paint brush and lid the paint cans before his break.

John knew from the beginning just which shop he wanted to visit, and it wasn't exactly in Hogsmeade. Instead, he Apparated in just below town, taking his monkey form and running along the trees of Keki's Grove, none of which seemed to mind his presence at all. The trees even stretched out their branches at times to make some of the jumps a bit easier from tree to tree.

Finally he came down on one that seemed unusually wide and inspected it carefully, a bit nervous of the centaur guard standing near. But although the centaur furrowed its brows at the creature, having never seen anything quite like it before, he let the monkey pass into the door without any signs of aggression.

Halcyon let out a chipper call of welcome, causing Toby to turn around and look over at the new visitor.

"Oh, good morning, John! Well, it will be morning for a few more minutes, anyway," Toby chuckled after looking at his long case clock. "Mrs. Tinker is making lunch if you'd like to stay." John transfigured back into his normal form, but Toby hadn't missed the slight wince that had happened just before the smile of relief appeared across his face. "Alright, John?"

"Grand," John said automatically. "I thought I'd drop by and pay my respects and have a look about."

"Yes, alright, if that's all. Tea, perhaps?" Toby offered.

"Thank ye kindly," John said, and then paused. "Perhaps I am looking for something. Something kind that I can give to my fellow troupers that they wouldn't ask for something in return on."

"I think you've already been doing that, haven't you?" Toby said with a knowing smile.

"Aye, just in small ways, opening doors and offering good will and the like, hoping that it'll accumulate," John agreed.

"If that's the case, I doubt very much that anything will show up in this shop that will help you when you've been doing it successfully already," Toby said with a smile. "If you don't mind a suggestion, perhaps you might get something to be kind to yourself instead? It's important to be kind to yourself as well, you know, to strengthen your resolve if nothing else."

"Ah, well. In a way, it's the very thing that brought me here today, since I was looking for a bit of reprieve from what I've been going through," John admitted, then looked a bit uncomfortable. "But I don't want to talk about that. I'm simply looking for a break and perhaps... to ask you a favor."

"And what might that be?" Toby asked, pouring them some tea.

"I was wondering if you could look after my Mitch if anything were to happen to me," John said, coming over to the counter.

"John, haven't you already asked several others to make that same promise? And one of them was an agreement of sorts," Toby reminded him.

"Aye, well, the more the merrier," John said, taking the cup and pouring some into his saucer. "He does take a bit of looking after."

"While that's true, John, you and I both know that Mitch is a lot stronger than everyone gives him credit for. They underestimate him because of how he behaves around others, but I'm sure you know by now that he can very well take care of himself. He lived on his own before you met, and many years after during your house arrest. He managed perfectly well, and he got where he is today on his own merits, and is even now considering taking the next step by becoming his own boss. If he had gone to Hogwarts, he probably would have been a Slytherin." John couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Lord help us, imagine my Mitch trying to make his way as a Slytherin student. They would have given him a frightful time," John protested.

"Well, he's had a frightful time all of his life, which is what got him so jaded against people in the first place, not that I need tell you that," Toby pointed out.

"True... and everything you've said is true," John acknowledged. "But still, making one's way alone is different than losing one's Cosmic Match, Toby, and that is what I would worry about most. My spirit would be broken if anything happened to my Mitch, and I don't want that to happen to him."

"Well, the best way is probably not to die in the first place," Toby decided.

"Everyone dies sometime, and everyone living loses people that they love," John said with a sigh.

"Yes, that's true, and dealing with that loss isn't easy on anybody," Toby agreed with a sympathetic smile. "But Mitch has a great support network of friends that care about him, you know. From your cousins Carol, Laura, and Remus, to Pyther, Sirius, Anna, and Conner. If your greatest fear is that he is alone is his time of need, don't be. If I'm certain of anything, it's that no one is likely to leave him to deal with it on his own."

"Aye, that's true," John decided, sipping his tea from the saucer.

"I seem to be true a lot today," Toby mused. "That's not like me. I'll have to throw in a lie or two for good measure," he decided, John getting a chuckle out of that. "Ah, hello there, Mr. Robin," he added, and John turned curiously to see that a Robin just flitted in, wondering if he had heard that last bit.

"There's a form I haven't seen before," John replied.

"Perhaps it's a Robin I know who comes to visit from time to time," Toby said with a smile. "Would you like to have lunch with us, Mr. Robin? Mrs. Tinker is in the back."

But the Robin first hopped to John's shoulder, singing a quick little tune before flying over to Toby's Potion shelf, and singing again while its foot rested on a phial of blue liquid with a tag attached. Toby frowned at that, going over to fetch it. The Robin took off again, flying into the back room.

"What is it, Mr. Toby?" John asked curiously.

"It's Liquid Mercy," Toby mumbled, glancing at the tag, on which was written: Use it In Your Darkest Hour.

"What is that?" John asked curiously.

"It's for you," Toby murmured, taking it gingerly off the shelf and turning to face him. "I suppose I'll have to explain to you how it works," he said with concerned, almost apologetic expression as he brought it to the counter.