Chapter Twenty-Nine

Alexandria

It took some convincing to get Jennifer on board with the idea of doing separate Christmas parties for the children and adults, even after getting her to agree to have a separate room for the children after the Yule lighting ceremony.

"It's not like we have to worry about Tangerine Spots anymore, Jen-girl," Thomas said with a snort. "It's a matter of practicality considering the age of the children right now. I can't take either eye off those twin siblings of yours, and I'm sure Aurelius feels the same way about his. I don't want to make the same mistake as last year when I spent so much time watching them that I didn't get much of a Christmas, and from what Severus told me, neither did you. Personally, I want to catch up with all the grandkids as much as you do. But after spending time with the little ones, it'd be nice to catch up with the adult children and grandchildren, and I can't do that if I'm worrying about what mischief the twins are getting up to. As Head of the Craw family, I insist we do separate events, at least until the baby boom generation gets old enough that they're not a constant disruption."

Jennifer made the mistake of glancing over at Severus, seeing quite plainly that her wish of having everyone together was in the minority. After all, even if they had everyone together, they would undoubtedly have to start a children's area, putting them in another room entirely. If there were separate parties, Jennifer would be able to dedicate time to the children without missing out on whatever drama was playing out while she was watching the toddler pen.

"Yes, alright, you have a point," Jennifer said at last. "We'll do separate parties until they're older. What should be the cutoff age for the adult party?"

"Hogwarts age," Thomas suggested. "Anyone who is a student gets to make up their minds which party to go to or if they want to go to both... as long as they choose one," he added for good measure. He was a bit afraid that Jay would choose 'neither' if given the option.

"That sounds fair," Jennifer agreed. "Oh, and I reserve the right to talk about the children during the adult party," she added for good measure.

"I'd say that's a given. Being parents, we can't help ourselves," Thomas replied. "Since that is out of the way, how about letting Seren-girl spend the night over here? You keep sending her to the Pyther's lately," he complained.

"Well, mostly because we know she won't be restricted there," Jennifer said. Thomas stared at her.

"What! Since when have I been too hard on her? Have you two gone anti-discipline all the sudden? Aren't your kids spoiled enough as it is?" Thomas asked.

"Look who's talking," Jennifer said dryly. "I was the only one of your children who wasn't."

"The curse of being first," Thomas replied.

"Perhaps we ought to sit down for a moment, Jennifer, so you can explain what prompted this," Severus suggested.

By the time Alexandria arrived at the Craw Mansion, a great many of her siblings with young children had left for the evening. It was, in fact, what she had been hoping for; she had taken her time finishing up work and checking other departments before her leisurely stroll out of the Ministry, Apparating right in front of the Craw Mansion and coming in without ceremony. She but through the kitchen, grabbing a celery stick filled with spiced cream cheese before wandering into the living room. Thomas, Fleur, Maurice and her parents were talking quietly with cups of wine or hot spiced juice in their hands.

"Hi, sorry I'm late," Alex said casually. "Where are the boys?"

"Oh, hello, Alex!" Jennifer greeted warmly. "The older kids are in the ball room helping teach the younger ones how to wrap presents at the moment. We're just waiting for them to finish up. Did you want to take the Jay and Rus for the evening?"

"I'm already kidnapping Serendipity," Thomas said.

"And leave Quintin stuck in the house alone with you two?" Alex said dubiously, not seeing the wisdom of that.

"Good point. You can take him too," Severus suggested.

"He's welcome here as well, Jen-girl," Thomas offered.

"Actually, that'd be lovely. It'd give us a chance to finish up on the rest of our shopping," Jennifer said.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what Severus had in mind," Thomas said sarcastically.

"Let me go ask Quintin what he wants to do and have the other two get ready to go," Jennifer offered, getting up.

"Have a seat and a cup, Alex. If I can take a few hours off, so can you," Thomas said.

"As long as you change the subject off the children. The last thing I need is to get stuck in another two hour long conversation about the best way to change nappies," Alex said with exasperation.

"I'm guessing that isn't directly aimed at us since the twins have been potty trained for years," Thomas said.

"Seren is as well. She was even easier to train than Quintin," Severus agreed.

"Oh! Yes! Autumn was as well!" Fleur agreed. "Girls are so much easier, aren't they?"

"Goodbye," Alex said, turning.

"Sit down, Alex, don't be so sensitive. What did you do, get corned by Andrew and Laura? They've been dithering over their two pretty bad since Emma Elizabeth came out of the hospital," Thomas said.

"It's their first time with this sort of crisis, Thomas, I'm sure they'll get over it with experience, as we all did," Severus said calmly.

"Fair enough," Thomas replied, then saw Alex glance down the corridor as if anxious to leave. "Alex, how do you feel about us having a separate adult party and a children's party this year?"

"I think it'd be a great improvement, but I'm planning to go to the Black's this year. I already said I'd be over there," Alexandria replied. "On top of that, the Ministry Ball is on Christmas Eve."

"No need to go to that if you don't want to, Alex, it's not like anyone they have this year can defeat Draco anyway," Thomas said unconcernedly. "Alright, how about this? We'll get together at your house for the adult's party on the twenty-third, Severus, then have the kid's party on the twenty-fourth here. It'll end early, so anyone wanting to peek in at the Ministry Ball will have a chance if they fill up to it. Then, everyone can have a relaxing Christmas morning at home with their kids in a more normal fashion."

"Yes, that sounds acceptable. Alex, why don't you spend the night on Christmas Eve with us?" Severus suggested.

"Yes, fine, but I might be late getting in," Alexandria said in resignation.

"Good! It's all settled then," Thomas decided.

"Severus?" Jennifer called out, and they all looked up. Jennifer walked over with Serendipity brightly wrapped in festive Christmas paper and with Christmas ribbons stuck to her hair. "I have another Ancient Magic emergency!"

"Yes, alright," Severus sighed, getting up and taking Serendipity from Jennifer. "Just what have you done to yourself this time?"

"She said she wanted to ride in the sleigh, and Justice informed her she can't go in the sleigh unless she was a present... you're seeing the results," Jennifer explained.

"I want to go in the sky!" Serendipity said.

"Yes, alright, but your family will miss you if you go away. So will Duckie," Severus said.

"I'll take Duckie!"

"No, Duckie belongs to a little girl, not to a present. You will go to a entirely different family as a present, and then what will you do?" Severus wondered. Seren immediately panicked, clinging onto her father as the wrapping paper fell off on its own. "There now, Jennifer, that wasn't so hard. A little bit of calm reasoning goes a long way."

"It doesn't always work. Shall we discuss how long it took you to remove Duckie from the chair in her nursery?" Jennifer reminded him.

"She does have a knack with manipulating items, doesn't she?" Severus mused. Jennifer beamed at that.

Alex sighed with exasperation at her parents, wondering why they seemed to be rewarding her bad behavior. But before she could comment on it, Jay, Rus, and Quintin came out of the back.

"Mum said I can spend the night with someone?" Quintin asked, looking between Alex and his grandfather.

"Sure, if you can come with us if you want," Alex said.

Alex was always hard to read, but Quintin got the vague impression that the invitation was rather reluctant. Jay, it seemed, wanted him to come so that there was less of a chance of getting into another fight.

"Or you can stay here, if you'd rather," Thomas offered. "I wanted to find out all about this new house of yours anyway," he added. There was little doubt that his grandfather's curiosity was quite genuine. "We can talk about it once your sister goes to bed."

"It's not his house, Dad, it's just the new house," Jennifer said sternly.

"The house Quintin belongs to, then," Thomas grunted at her.

"I'd like to stay here, if that's alright," Quintin said. Jay frowned, steeling himself for the night ahead.

"You can use your spare clothes and things out of your Chest Cloak, Quintin, I'll repack it in the morning," Jennifer offered with a smile.

"Thanks, Mum," Quintin said.

"Speaking of cloaks..." Alex hinted, and Jay and Rus went to get theirs.

"Think you can make it to the adults' party on the twenty-third, Alex?" Thomas inquired.

"I guess it depends on what happens with my open cases over the holidays," Alex said noncommittally. "Happy Yule!"

"Have a good evening!" Jennifer said warmly, and Thomas showed them out.

Alex pulled out her Ministry Portkey the moment they had stepped away from the door, and the three grabbed a hold of it, landing near the Foggy Corridor that led to Alex's office. But instead of going to her office, Alex held their hands and guided them through the twists and turns to one of the many Portkey Stations hidden inside.

"What city are we in?" Rus asked excitedly as he waited impatiently for his mother to unlock the door to the Portkey Closet. But Alex didn't reply, unlocking the door with both her handprint and a key, pushing it open so they could step into the luxury apartment and peer out onto the skyline.

"New York City, apparently," Jay replied after a quick view of the skyline.

"I was helping the Americans with the Elderflower Society case. The amount of possible cases connected to them always picks up this time of year," Alex explained.

"Still, you have to admire them," Rus said, taking a moment to look out on the city. "They've saved dozens of Muggle lives since that secret order appeared last year."

"Dozens they can prove, anyway. The number is probably a lot higher... likely in the hundreds," Alex admitted. "But whether we sympathize with what they're doing or not, potioning a Muggle living outside of our society for any reason is illegal in both countries, and it puts our society in danger of being exposed. But since we it's a large group of people working together, sooner or later, one of them will mess up and expose all of them. It's just a matter of time. I'm hoping that someone will mess up on our end of the pond and we can catch them here in Britain, since our rules are stricter than theirs."

"Are they really much stricter over here?" Jay asked skeptically. "What about all of those non-magic Haveners that can use any potion that they like?"

"I did say 'outside of our society,' Jay, and they all have a choice in the matter. Most of the Muggles who've had a condition cured is completely convinced this is some sort of divine intervention," Alex said. "Anyway, that's all I can say about the case, since that's all public knowledge already. How about we move locations? Do you want to pick, or should we play roulette?" Alex inquired.

"Roulette sounds great," Rus replied, but Jay sighed.

"Can we please pick somewhere close to our normal time zone? I'd like to visit Aunt Mary tomorrow," Jay protested.

"How about Villahexen then? They always have a Yule thing, so we can go have cocoa and sit in front of their log before we head to bed," Alex suggested.

"Sounds fun!" Rus exclaimed enthusiastically.

"That'll do," Jay said evenly, and the two boys watched as their mother opened up a hidden panel on the wall.

Inside were a series of buttons and levers, and after she pushed a button to cover all of the windows in the flat, she pushed a lever down. The entire flat trembled dramatically for a moment, and Alex waited for the movement to settle before pushing the button to uncover the windows. Even Jay couldn't help but look out the window with interest as the blinds lifted to reveal a beautiful falling snow, the moonlight making it glisten. They were in one of the newer hotels, which was a bit farther up the mountain than some of the others. Its location provided easy access for the ski lifts, as well as providing a wonderful view of the village below them.

"Look, you can see a part of the hotel with the springs from up here, that's where we stayed when Grandfather and Grandmother took us a couple of summers ago," Rus told his mother, pointing it out.

"I don't see much point coming up here in the summer," Alex said.

"It's a lot less crowded than it is during ski season," Jay commented.

"Maybe, but there's also nothing to do short of hiking. Anyway, why don't you both put on an extra jumper and we'll go downstairs," Alexandria said. Jay and Rus went to their room and Alex did the same, changing and then looking slightly amused to see that Jay picked out his green jumper and Rus his blue one. Alexandria had chosen a simple white one with a red shirt underneath for the holiday, double-checking her wand, earrings, and other safety jewelry before heading to the outside doors, guiding them downstairs.

All three of them were pleased to see that the hotel was having a Yule party for their guests. Jay and Rus wasted no time getting their cocoa, and then found a spot near the game tables where they saw some other teens hanging out and playing cards.

Alex worked her way over to the bar where they were serving up mulled wine. She got herself a warm mug and went over to look out on the snow. But as she stepped closer to the windows, she caught a reflection behind her and nearly spit out her wine in surprise.

"Good evening, Minister Clemmons, Happy Yule," Ludo said. Alex swallowed the hot liquid and spun around, nearly spilling her mug.

"What are you doing here?" Alex demanded with a slightly raspy voice.

"Oh, same as you, I would guess. I took my family skiing. I'd introduce you, but the wife already took the children upstairs for the evening. I hope you're not staking out my oldest son's house tonight looking for me. If so, your agents are going to have a very cold, boring night," Ludo informed her with a slight chuckle. "I notice there's a chess table over there. Care for a friendly game? I won't cheat if you won't," he offered. Alex glanced around to see what Jay and Rus was doing. "Oh, don't worry, it's perfectly safe. I have the place well guarded," Ludo assured her, walking over to the chess table.

Alex took a moment to make eye contact with Rus. He frowned at her, nodding in understanding, then waited for an opportune moment to speak to his brother. Alex walked over to the chess table.

"Do you mind if I take white?" he asked, sitting down.

"It would seem you already have," Alex pointed out.

"Fair enough. Actually, I can say in all honesty that this is truly a chance encounter. You have no idea how surprised I was when you came down those stairs... even my men were surprised," Ludo admitted, moving his knight. "And of course you had no way of knowing I was here either," he ventured.

"Yes, obviously not," Alex admitted evenly.

"Well then, since you can't extradite me from this country without filing paperwork in advance, there's no reason we can't be civilized to each other this holiday," Ludo concluded, watching as Alex moved a pawn. "Besides, I've been wanting to have an opportunity to speak with you for some time now."

"Alright," Alex replied cautiously, pondering his last move thoughtfully.

"You and I are a great deal alike in many ways, whether you want to admit it or not. We both like to play the game... and we both play to win," he said, taking a sip from his wine as she distractedly moved a pawn. "Also, we have both had times in our lives that challenged us and made us look at things differently... after the obligatory brooding period, of course. The point is that I understand you better than you think. In fact, just as you have spent years attempting to accumulate every ripple of my activity in an effort to understand me so that you can find a way to apprehend me, I have been learning about you to keep from being apprehended myself. After all, our enemies are a reflection of our consciences, are they not? Yes well, it's on that front that I have something to say," he admitted seriously, making a move. "Because I know better than anyone about the darkness that follows after losing your partner in life, and I know you have been struggling with it, just as I did myself when I lost my first wife. You do know how she died, I trust." Alexandria looked up thoughtfully, wondering if she had missed something.

"The hospital records state she died of natural causes," Alexandria replied.

"You spout facts and yet you miss the obvious. Esmeralda died of old age," Ludo snapped sternly. Alex froze from where she had her hand on the bishop, realization set in. "I watched her go through the process without participating myself, all because I made the mistake of fighting for the 'right side' instead of my side. And in so doing, I learned the true weight of it, in the exact same way are you are learning it. That same fate was forced on you as well, at the expense of someone you cared about. Granted, the anger that came with that realization pushed me to what some might call 'radical changes' in what I consider important, while the Ministry attempted to bind me, first within its bureaucracy, and later in Azkaban. Do you know what life in prison truly means? What does it mean to the average person, versus what it means to one of us? Perhaps you are just starting to realize what I mean," he conjectured. "You and I are the sort who don't do well in cages of any kind. We will use any means to free ourselves from any constraints that get our the way, regardless of the price. We must be free to hunt the wild game, a chance to take home the biggest prize and then feast on our own success. And as such, I don't need any more competition on my hunting grounds, so allow me to help you stay in your own territory."

"Exactly what's that supposed to mean?" Alex asked with a frown.

"It means that it is in my best interests if your path stays on the straight and narrow; it may even be in your interests as well, so I am going to take advantage of this chance meeting by offering you some advice... call it a Christmas present if you will." Ludo said. "You and I have great intelligence to stoke our own egos with, but with that comes a great need to have someone in our lives that is bold enough to stand up to us and beloved enough to serve as a check and balance for the absurdities that come with genius. It is ever-so easy to want a loving mate who is willing to keep the fires burning at home. My first wife did that beautifully, and I loved her. She raised a son that I could be proud of, even if he quickly learned to resent me," he went on. Alex glanced over at Jay with a frown and back again. "Then fortune's wheel turned in my favor at a time I really didn't deserve it and gave me my Cherie, who is not afraid of putting me in my place when I need a reminder of my humanity, and yet so adored that I wouldn't harm her no matter how brutal her observations are of me."

"Aren't you worried about how that relationship is going to go long term?" Alex asked, frowning at the bishop he just took before moving her knight.

"Oh, not at all, she's already had an Elixir. I had one of my men lift a phial out of Rel's cloak years ago," he confessed with a wave of the hand, Alex's jaw dropping at that. "But the point that I wanted to make is that for ones such as us, it is terribly important to find a partner who truly is our better half; someone who can stand up to us as equals even in the worst of our temperaments. Anything else is doomed to end up in a tragedy. Do not get attached to someone whose main advantage is managing your house; hire some domestics if you need that. I understand we have busy lives, but that makes it that much more important to be particular, not less."

"You're right, I am busy... too busy for any sort of relationship, especially when relationships are nothing but a liability when it comes to this job! Why on earth would I want to add another person in my life for you to use against me?" Alex snapped.

"By saying that, you are showing me that you are still thinking of a partner as a lesser being who needs your protection, but that is exactly what I am advising you against," Bagman pointed out. "I would also warn you not to walk this bitter path alone for too long. If you do, lord help us, because you'll only turn out just like me," he warned.

"Are you threatening my mother?"

The two of them looked up to see Jay standing over the board, his expression cold and fierce.

"Jay, I told you not to come over here," Alex said sternly.

"It's alright, Minister," Ludo said, moving up his knight again. "We are simply having a friendly game of chess over wine, Janus, as any civilized wizards might do, so there's no reason to be alarmed. Once I finish my mug and beat your mother at chess, I shall rejoin my family and go back to enjoying my holiday, while your mother will, no doubt, beat a hasty retreat and take the two of you with her. I would soak in the ambiance of the place while you can," he advised.

"And just what makes you think you're going to beat me at this game already?" Alex challenged him, moving in turn.

"Because your family is nothing more than a distraction to you," Ludo said readily, moving his bishop up. "While my family has become my strength. Checkmate, by the way," he added, forcing Alex to stare at the board as he got up. "Still, I'm sure you don't want to listen to me on that particular subject. Try asking your father, since it's apparent that he's turned it around in recent years," he suggested. "Have a good Yule! Have a good yule, lad! Did you want anything for Christmas that I could stick in a card, perhaps?" he asked Jay.

"All I want is my family to be left in peace," Jay snapped.

"Easily done, 'tis the season, after all," Ludo said, ignoring the wince on Janus face when he clapped the boy on the shoulder. "I will leave you in peace. Have a good Christmas," he added, downing his drink on the way to the bar before going up the stairs.

"Janus, what were you thinking coming over here?" Alex scolded him, quickly resetting the chest table before getting up.

"I was thinking that I didn't want to lose another parent, no matter how bad of a parent you are," Jay said evenly. "We don't abandon family... at least most of us don't."

Alex got up, putting her wine on the counter before taking him by the arm and leading him over to where Rus was watching them fixedly at the card tables.

"Sorry, Rus, let's go. We'll head home and finish our visit there," Alex explained quietly.

Rus said quick a goodbye to some of the kids he was talking to before joining them.

"So we're going to run, just like he said?" Janus asked.

"Bagman knows there's only one way that I could have possibly gotten in this hotel without his personal guards alerting him," Alexandria explained quietly. "So we really don't have a choice. I'll simply have to divert this location to one of my backups."

"He knows you have a revolving flat?" Rus asked.

"He does now, yeah," Alexandria agreed, stepping into a hidden corridor and opening the door.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Jay asked.

"Because he invented it, of course. I stole the idea from him," Alex explained, running some basic checks before locking the door. "Still, it's not to our complete disadvantage. Now that he knows I'm using the revolving system, he won't ever bother looking for where I live. He knows how quickly I can change my flat to another location, and he can't guess all of my location settings any more than I can guess where he his personal headquarters are, which uses the same system," she explained, watching as the windows closed again. A rumble later, and the two boys found themselves looking out at the rain on St. Paul's Cathedral. "There we are, home again! Well, it was a short trip, but at least we had a bit of family time."

"With us playing cards while you were doing your work thing," Jay said flatly. "Might we turn in?"

"Sure thing. Full breakfast tomorrow morning," Alex promised, feeling more than a little guilty for leaving them by themselves for so long.

"It's okay, Mum. Thanks," Rus tried to reassure her. Then he followed Jay to their room, with Jay immediately falling on the bed and staring at the ceiling while Rus took the time to shut the door and pull his jumper off. "You know there's no way she could have known that would happen, right? She was just trying to take us somewhere nice."

"I know that," Jay said with a sigh. "But even when she doesn't bring her work with her, her work shows up anyway."

"That's not her fault. That's just the nature of the job," Rus said, going through his night clothes to find something that fits. "I know you hate what she does for a living, but it's important work that few people can do."

"And because of that, our father paid the price," Jay snapped at him, sitting up angrily.

"Do you really think that was the only reason he saved her?" Rus told him critically. "It's true that he probably thought of it, but you know as well as I do there was more to it than that. Our father loved her more than anything, and he always did. And that, more than anything else, is why he did what he did. I'm sure of it."

"Which just proves how idiotic that sort of love can be," Jay said, going over to get his own jams out. "It was stupid for our father getting involved with a witch, and it was selfish of our mother to accept it, especially knowing just how much danger he'd be in even to be associated with the Snape family. It was only a matter of time before something went wrong. In fact, I think it's selfish and stupid for any witch or wizard to marry someone to marry a Muggle, and I wouldn't blame our society for wanting to ban it altogether. I am certainly not going to make that mistake," he swore, quickly getting dressed and getting into bed.

Rus frowned, knowing there was little more to be said. He had known for quite some time that his brother felt that way, and even understood it. He himself didn't know how he felt, as often as he thought about it. Rus got into bed, glancing over at his brother, who had already turned his back to him. Rus turned off the light, pulling up the covers. All he really wanted, more than anything, was for his brother to understand that their mother truly loved them; but without his brother being a Truth-Seeker himself, Rus wasn't sure how to prove it when his brother chose not to listen.

The next morning, as promised, their mother made them an elaborate breakfast, and even took them shopping for Myrkinbrek before finally dropping off at Baker Street with the two of them loaded up with presents and bags.

"There they are, Severus," Jennifer said with exasperation from the kitchen, coming into the living room as they unloaded their unwrapped packages under the tree. Neither of them missed that the two boys still had plenty of bags of their own. "A bit close to Christmas to be shopping for yourselves, isn't it?"

"Well, it isn't as if they can't return them or donate them or something if they get repeats," Alex shrugged unconcernedly.

"Never mind that," Severus said. "Janus, why don't you go get ready for your appointment with Conner? We'll need to leave in half an hour. Rus, why don't you go put those things away and help Quintin with Serendipity?"

"Yes, Grandfather," they both replied, taking their bags upstairs.

"He's seeing Conner again? I thought he only had to go once a month these days," Alex said the moment they were up the stairs.

"Jay has always been on his 'as needed' list, and always has increased visits during certain times of year," Severus replied.

"Be that as it may, Jay's been seeing him for years, and I think it's high time that he's weaned off of those visits. Not only because I think he's dependent on them, but it'll keep him out of officers school," Alex pointed out. "Not that I like his choice of professions, but it is a fact."

"Alex, I'm sure you know me well enough to know that I don't like the situation any more than you do," Jennifer replied quietly. "But we must do what's best for them even when we're not entirely happy with the situation, you know that better than anyone."

"You're right, unfortunately," Alexandria said evenly. "But just once, it'd be nice if 'doing what's best for them' was actually something that I want to do. I should get back to work," Alex decided, turning for the door.

"Are you going to be around at Christmas at all?" Jennifer asked quickly.

"I'll try to make Grandfather's Christmas party for the adult relatives. I'll send word if I can't," Alexandria promised.

"Alright, Alexandria, I hope to see you there," Jennifer said with a smile. "Be careful."

"I'll try," Alex said, stepping out the front door.

"I don't suppose you got anything out of that," Severus mused.

"No, she was completely blocked," Jennifer admitted. "But Jay was thinking something rather odd when they came in. He was thinking that at least we don't have to worry about Ludo ruining Christmas."

"One less thing, I suppose, although I didn't even know there was a risk of it this year," Severus admitted. "The only thing I thought we were at risk of was running out of springerle."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Jennifer teased, and the two of them walked back to the kitchen.