A/N Sorry, day late on a chapter that has to do with finding time to get things done, how ironic is that? ~DQ

Chapter Fourteen

Finding Time

Severus stepped into the Headmaster's Study to see an elaborate sugar-filled lunch awaiting him, filled with custard tarts, cakes with licorice icing, and pumpkin scones.

"Well, what is all of this?" he inquired. Seren peered around her chair with her face already covered with frosting and a happy smile.

"It's a welcome back to being a Headmaster party!" Jennifer beamed happily.

"Are you certain it's not a 'Thank the Stars I don't have to be Headmaster any longer' party instead?" Severus suggested, stepping over to the table.

"We can celebrate both at the same time," Jennifer said enthusiastically. "Did you find out what sort of plans they made for Beatrice?"

"She is currently strapped to her father's chest in some sort of sling contraption. They are planning to keep her with them as much as possible," Severus explained, getting himself some coffee.

"In the Mysteries department?" Jennifer asked with surprise.

"After all, Jennifer, the vast majority of Alexandria's job is to sit there and act as the brain for the operation; it is her agents that take on the risk. Besides, considering what she's been through, it's an understandable decision. I recall how you felt when you first had Quintin, and how determined you were about keeping him close when you had missed out on the day to day activities of the older children," Severus said.

"Yes, true. I can't help but understand," Jennifer agreed. "And I'm certain they've all sorts of contingency plans in place in case there's an emergency, just like we have."

"Oh, yes... the main one being to send her to Aurelius' house or the Craw Mansion, depending on how large of a crisis it is..."

"Aren't we on that list somewhere?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, of course we are... but Alexandria knows your tendency of getting involved so she couldn't possibly make it her first choice..."

"My tendency?" Jennifer protested.

"I suppose now that I'm back, you're more likely to get involved in other things," Severus mused.

"I'll be too busy getting caught up on my Whitebridge duties for the next few weeks to get into much of anything. Just what are you going to get involved with when I'm gone at night?" she challenged him back.

"I plan to get involved by spending time with Serendipity, helping her learn how to write and listening to Mr. Hat recite Princess Witch books," Severus informed her.

"Yes, about that. Is there any way I can convince the two of you to expand the children's book section in that nursery a bit?" Godric protested.

"You have nothing to complain about, Sir Hat. They have been going off on adventures lately," Jennifer informed Severus.

"Oh?"

"Never too far... mostly, they've been exploring the Ravenclaw storage room next door," she explained.

"Jennifer has us on a very tight leash at the moment. I was going much farther with Quintin by this point," Godric reminded them.

"Quintin's sense of timing helped make certain he was always back on time, so I never had to worry about him getting too far away without needing to come back," Jennifer pointed out.

"Then the solution is simple; to provide them with a watch or clock that Mr. Hat can also hear to remind her of the time. I'm sure Mr. Hat can come up with a game to make her adjust to the new rule... Alice in Wonderland, for example."

"If it'll give Jennifer the peace of mind to give the child more breathing room when she goes out to play, I'm all for it. Especially since she has a very capable babysitter, if I do say so myself," Godric said.

"And what if there's an emergency?" she challenged him.

"Then I have an entire castle of resources to call upon in our hour of need," Godric replied calmly.

"Jennifer, were you not the one who suggested we should be less strict this go around?" Severus reminded her.

"About magical abilities, yes, but the very fact that we're letting her to explore magic more means that she's more likely to be put in perilous positions that need supervision," Jennifer said.

"My dear, as a former headmaster of this school, I hope you're not all that shocked to learn that I do know something about children and how their magic can go awry. I assure you that I can handle whatever comes up," Godric replied.

"Yes, I agree with you," Severus intervened, causing Jennifer to blink when he took the Hat's side. "Jennifer, bound to a hat or not, he is a ghost and he does know the inner workings of this school nearly as well as Caprica."

"Better in some respects," the Hat boasted.

"I think he can more than handle whatever Serendipity throws at him, but if you need a bit of piece of mind, why don't you transfigure one of those teleporting devices and turn it into a necklace or earring or something that she can't get off like you did when she was younger? I know you can't help being attached to this one, but Godric is right in that Quintin and he were doing a lot more exploring at this age, and she's a year away from school. A bit of leeway will help her adjust once she gets there," Severus pointed out.

"Reminding me she's only a year from school wants me to keep her closer, not less," Jennifer confessed with a sigh. "Yes, alright, I know. I simply cannot seem to keep her from growing up as hard as I try. I just don't want to miss it."

"Then might I suggest you join us sometime, Jennifer?" Godric offered. "After all, even Severus has come to play from time to time. And you might consider volunteering in the daycare now and then. You'll find babies enough to satisfy the need to hold them when the urge strikes, and quite a number are your own grandchildren on top of it."

"True enough, although it'll be hard to find the time," Jennifer admitted.

"There, Jennifer... that's the real strain coming out, I believe... you do not feel as if you've the time for everything you have to do," Severus observed. "But I'm back now, so you can come out of the big chair, and once things are caught up on the other side of the pond, we'll see about organizing your schedule, and making sure family time is on the high priority list."

"Including playtime!" Godric reiterated. "Perhaps even a playtime with both parents, wouldn't that be fun, Seren?"

"Yes! We'll have tea!" Seren suggested happily. "Can we play now?"

"I'm afraid there's much too much to do to play now. In fact, it's just about time to go downstairs so that you can see your friends. Best get washed up," Jennifer told her, and Seren got up and ran to the back. As it happened, they heard her talking to someone, and Jennifer leaned over a bit and then back again when Quintin stepped in from the nursery.

"Sorry... am I interrupting? Oh, hello, Dad. Are you back?" Quintin asked.

"So it would seem, much to your mother's relief," Severus acknowledged.

"I was just wanting to borrow Sir Hat for a bit. I have a free hour after lunch," Quintin explained.

"Very well, but return him before your next class," Severus said.

"No rest for the wicked, it would seem!" Godric said cheerfully.

"Just who are you calling wicked?" Quintin asked him as he stepped over to the shelf.

"Myself, of course!" he replied as Quintin picked up the Hat and put it on his head. "Tally ho!"

"See you in a bit," Quintin promised, then walked back through the nursery to get to his door.

"I don't suppose you know what they're up to this time?" Severus said quite casually as he began to look over the stack of papers Jennifer had left him.

"Well, from what I've picked up, I believe that Caprica has the Dusthorns poking about the castle for another magic item," Jennifer informed Severus.

"I suppose it's nice to know that little has changed in my absence," Severus decided, but then frowned when he noticed how much of the budgeting paperwork Jennifer left him.

Jeremy was waiting in Quintin's room when he got there, and it wasn't long before they had the Sorting Hat caught up on what Caprica had said.

"If Beddie had an ornate silver box like you describe, it was given to him long after I was gone," the Sorting Hat informed them. "Beddie was from humble beginnings and worked hard to get to where he was. He would never spend any exorbitant money on himself, even that chess set of his was a gift. If he had such a thing of luxury, it would have also been a gift and it is odd that he wouldn't refuse it. It must have come either from his family or one of his closest friends, and whoever it was, it wasn't me."

"I see," Quintin said thoughtfully. "You know, though, I'm sure he wouldn't leave something like that to the school if he thought it wouldn't be protected."

"With Caprica in charge, he probably felt he had no reason to worry," Godric said. "It is rather intriguing, I admit, that whatever he left to the school isn't in the Study."

"Yeah," Quintin said distractedly, then looked over at Jeremy. "Let's talk to Janus next. He'll be easy to find during the weekend patrols," Quintin suggested.

"Oh, no you don't. We're going to Auror Club, remember? Not to mention that Tennis Club of yours is later this the afternoon," Jeremy reminded Quintin.

"Don't worry. I always find the time to ask questions," Quintin assured him.

"It runs in the family," Godric said dryly, and the conversation soon turned to their next Defense test.

Quintin aced the test.

Jeremy didn't even come close.

When Jeremy and Quintin went out on the Pitch that Saturday morning, it was immediately obvious that Aurelius already knew about it.

"Garlic repels werewolves? I'm surprised Professor Lupin didn't throw your rear in detention for that one," Aurelius commented as he walked by.

"I simply wrote on the wrong line, that's all!" Jeremy protested.

"It's not right when it concerns vampires either," Quintin told him, earning an elbow to the side for mentioning it.

"C by the way... both of you."

"C? Isn't that the lowest group?" Jeremy immediately exclaimed.

"Joining Auror Club because your friend talked you into it isn't a good reason to be here, and neither is joining it to try and get around your parents. I don't expect either one of you to make it through the year," Aurelius informed them, and then walked over to join Doug near the students who had been in the A team the year before.

"I think he's going to be hard on you just because you're his brother," Jeremy decided after thinking over how critical he had sounded.

"I think he's going to be hard on both of us," Quintin warned him, and the two of them reluctantly joined the majority of other students assigned to the lowest group.