Chapter Thirty-Five
Different Sets of Rules
Professor Craw wasn't in the habit of taking early morning conferences, most especially not on Mondays, her longest day of the week. But it had been Jay who had asked, and it was so unusual for Jay to request anything of her that she agreed to it. Before Severus even had time to coax Seren to get out of bed, Jennifer was dressed and out the Doorlift.
She ordered a full set of pastries and morning buns for her cart as if she were expecting a full class, then poured herself a cup of coffee. She pushed up her spectacles the moment there was a knock, and blinked in surprise when not only Jay, but Olivia, Jack, Quintin and Jeremy all filed in.
Glad she had ordered a full cart, Jennifer helped herself to the selection before offering them something, sitting down with her coffee while listening to their plans. She read Jay's written list of school rules with interest and amusement; they were perfectly tailored to fit the narrative that they needed to proceed.
"I'll admit this list is very thorough, Jay, although I'm not certain how the Headmaster would feel about the proposal itself," Professor Craw informed him.
"Why do you think I came to you about it?" Jay replied. "Besides, you are the Items Instructor. It's in your area of expertise."
"I really don't think the Headmaster would agree that being an Items Instructor gives me the right to approve a treasure hunt in the castle," Craw informed him.
"It isn't a treasure hunt. It's a lost artifact recovery," Jack chimed in.
"Aren't you often consulted by the Ministry about lost artifact recovery, Professor?" Jay asked formally.
"What I do for the Ministry or for any other organization does not give me any sort of extra authority here," the professor replied.
"You're also the Head of Houses, right? So you're our supervisors' supervisor," Jack offered.
"Not to mention Head of Security," Jay added. "If that doesn't give you the right to permit us to secure a questionable magic item, nothing does."
"It isn't a questionable item. It's simply misplaced," Craw pointed out.
"You know, this would be a lot easier if you just found it for us so we could go back to normal school activities," Jeremy said impatiently. "Can't you just change into a Niffler and find it yourself so we can stop worrying about it?"
"If the box was in a room on its own somewhere far away from this castle, then yes. But Hogwarts is filled to the brim with treasures... you have no idea just how distracting that can be. I'd be stopping to look at every bauble on the way and probably would have my pocket full before I even found it. For the record, I didn't pick that Animagus form to treasure hunt. I picked it so that I could get myself out of tight spots underground, since I do keep finding myself in that predicament despite all efforts to avoid it," Craw explained. "You're simply going to have to find the box on your own."
"Does that mean you're going to approve this?" Jay asked with interest.
"Considering that the Headmaster already expected you to find the Silver Box during the course of your research, I don't see how changing your research approach and looking for the box first really matters all that much academically speaking," Craw decided. "However, my time is extremely limited right now, and unfortunately it is going to become even more restricted as time goes on."
"Do you mean the wedding at Villahexen?" Quintin guessed.
"Even after that, Quintin, I wasn't thinking of my family obligations on this occasion," Craw informed him seriously. "I'll sign off on this until the winter holiday. I highly suggest that you find it before then if you want me to justify whatever you have to do to the Headmaster, since I am certain that's the real reason you came to me, and not because I'm the Items Instructor."
"But this week is Thanksgiving. That doesn't give us much time," Jay said.
"Then I suggest you get started. Jay, since you and Quintin have extensive permissions in this castle because of your residency, I suspect you'll get on with your investigation without too much trouble..."
"Especially with a teacher's pass," Jay interrupted hopefully.
"Even so," Craw continued, getting out her booklet. "If you are restricted from access as a resident, you are also restricted from the area on this expedition. You are going to need a member of the faculty member to escort you through any areas not normally accessible to you... Jack, that includes the Memoriatorium. If you want to go down there, you'll need an escort."
"Does my grandfather count as part of the faculty that can act as an escort?" Jack asked hopefully. "He's working in the castle on weekends, after all."
"Yes, alright! Faculty and Auxiliary, even extended. The point is that I want someone to keep you safe... seventh year or no seventh year... Head Boy or Head Girl present or not. You are still students under our direct supervision. Is that quite clear? Olivia, I want you to acknowledge it as well," Craw said, seeing her hanging in the back.
"I understand. I just thought under the circumstances it'd be better for Jay to handle this," Olivia said.
"Well, I must admit that Jay was the reason I agreed to meeting you so early. It's been a while since you've asked permission for anything like this," Craw admitted.
"Try never," Jay said proudly. Craw finished writing the passes, handing them out.
"Here you are. Don't produce them unless you absolutely have to, since it's likely to give the staff headaches if you do," Craw said. "Good luck, and don't be afraid to come to staff for backup, that is most important of all. And Jeremy, you do what you do best."
"I've got it covered," Jeremy promised, taking out a notebook.
Severus met Jennifer in the daycare room for lunch; it was apparent from Jennifer's choice in location that her missed time with Seren was beginning to get to her.
"Perhaps you should have taken off Monday and Tuesday as well," Severus commented when he noticed that Jennifer and Seren were spending more playing than eating.
"If I had I wouldn't be here with Seren. More than likely, I'd be in the States already, either bussing tables or helping out at Whitebridge," Jennifer pointed out.
"And just what kept you away from breakfast this morning? A student conference? That isn't like you," Severus said.
"Are you being nosy, Severus?" Jennifer asked.
"It's my school. I have a right to ask," Severus said defensively. "Seren, sit and eat your lunch... you've gotten so picky lately. I wonder where she gets that from?"
"You should have seen Jay this morning. He reminded me so much of you making a case that you would have been impressed," Jennifer commented with a thin smile.
"Oh?" Severus prompted.
"They were asking my advice about Bedivere's Silver Box," Jennifer explained.
"About time. Did they ask what was in it?" Severus asked.
"No, nor did they ask if I had any ideas on where it is, but I think they're on the right path. If only the same could be said for Roy, but his ego is making it hard for him to see clearly," Jennifer said with exasperation.
"What about Mr. Trench? I believe you told me he has an ego as well," Severus recalled.
"His ego and pride is so elevated that he won't listen to even the slightest criticism about anything he does. He has a ready explanation for anyone even remotely hinting that he might be wrong about something," Jennifer confirmed. "I don't like him in the slightest and I certainly don't trust him. And the fact he doesn't listen to anyone will probably lead that entire expedition to ruin."
"Just so long as you don't get caught up in that," Severus frowned.
"Don't worry, Severus. Harry and I are well prepared," Jennifer reassured him. "They're leaving just after the holidays, so I'll have to be away after Boxing Day."
"Yes, I've sorted out a substitute already... yes, yes, I see. Your mother and cake, that's all you want," Severus said when Seren got up and hugged her mother.
"Don't worry, Seren, we still have plenty of time before I have to take care of that. With any luck, your brother Quintin will have found that silly box by then and he'll be more willing to play with you when you return to Hogwarts... and Rus will be coming back too," Jennifer reassured her.
"You don't really they'll have that box found before the holidays, do you?" Severus said dubiously.
"Of course," Jennifer said with certainty.
"Then I suppose I had best find somewhere safe to put it until I have a home for it," Severus mused.
"I just assumed you were going to use what was in it," Jennifer teased.
"I most certainly am not. It's for posterity," Severus said indignantly. "Are you going to eat your lunch or aren't you?"
"Actually, I think Seren has the better idea," Jennifer decided, reaching for the cake and her teacup.
Stephen had been told by Eben that running errands for the Slytherin Prefect was a good thing, since it meant he was one of the students being considered to take his place. Still, when Stephen had a chance to scan all of his errands on Wednesday, he began to have his doubts.
"It may seem like a lot, but it's because it covers all four days that I will be gone," Jay informed him. "I am staying longer to visit my brother and will return late on Sunday, so report to me at breakfast Monday morning with the completed list."
"Most of this I'm fine with, but I don't see why I need to take care of your Bridal Club mount. I'm not even in the Bridal Club," Stephen complained.
"You already know how to handle horses. What you learned in Magical Creatures about Pegasi will be more than enough to complete your task. Don't make me regret giving that privilege to you," Jay said evenly. "See you on Monday, I need to go pack."
"Fine," Stephen said, then read the list over with a frown. He walked inside Common Room B to join his cousins and siblings at a study table. "I hope you aren't expecting me to do a lot of research this weekend, Bonnibel. I just got handed a crater full of house errands," he warned.
"Forget that! We need you for the Research Library! Broc, do his house errands for him," Bonnibel ordered.
"What? Not me! I'm not one of Jay's lackeys, am I?" Broc complained.
"At least do one or two of them," Bonnibel said with a sigh.
"Let me see that list," Broc said resignedly, then stared at it in disbelief. "Feed his Pegasus? Clean out the stall... is he serious?"
"He's gone for four days. Of course someone was going to have to step in," Stephen replied irritably.
"Shop for the house in Hogsmeade, prepare for Quidditch practice... why even bother with practice when we don't have another game until spring? Something's dodgy here, Stephen. Everything on this list is as far away from the library as he could get. There isn't even a single request to pick up study materials for class, and typically that's a fair portion of it," Broc snapped.
"Why would he need study materials when he's not even going to be in the castle?" Stephen asked with a shrug.
"Personally, I think Broc has a point. I think he's trying to keep you from helping us," Moira decided. "But since when does Jay care? He's never cared about anything other than keeping up appearance and his silly RBF stuff."
"Quintin must have convinced him to help," Bonnibel decided. "They must really be getting desperate now. Have they found out about the inscription yet?"
"I haven't seen any signs that they know about it," Stephen said. "But even if we know that it's there and what it means, it doesn't really help anyone until we actually find it. Have you found any references to what constellations might have been etched on the box?"
"No, but I still believe that might be a clue as to where it is," Bonnibel said. "If it's covered with constellations, it's quite possible that it's stored in the Astrology Tower. I was thinking that someone on the staff might have found it in the past and just assumed it belonged there in its markings. It might be hiding in plain sight in the classroom or on one of Professor Sinistra's shelves or something."
"That does make a lot of sense," Stephen agreed. "Let me know how that turns out."
"You're not going?" Bonnibel asked.
"The only time it's safe to check the Astrology Tower for clues is during the day when Professor Sinistra is asleep. That's also the time that the rest of us are in classes... except during the weekend, when I'm going to be running errands in Hogsmeade and cleaning the barn. So unless anyone wants to help me muck out stalls..."
"I volunteer to help search the Astrology Tower," Broc immediately professed, holding up his hand.
"Then you'll know where I'll be," Stephen said in resignation.
"Fine, but I want you to spend every minute you can in that Research Library looking through that book on Puzzle Boxes to see if you can figure out how to open it," Bonnibel told him.
"If I find the time I will. I won't make any promises, especially since I have a test on Friday," Stephen warned.
"We'll get along without you then," Bonnibel told him. "Maybe if you go about your business, they'll think there's nothing to be concerned about."
"Are you planning something without me again?" Zelda asked critically, and they looked over to where she was standing in the doorway to Conspiracies.
"We're going to see if the box is mixed in with artifacts displayed in the Astrology Tower this weekend," Bonnibel said.
"Count me in," Zelda said.
"But what about needing an escort and all of that?" Moira asked.
"All of the upper classman will be going to Hogsmeade, so they asked me to simply stay in my room on Saturday, and on top of that, the Snapes are out of town. We should take advantage of the opportunity."
"Quintin will still be here," Stephen pointed out. "He can't go to Hogsmeade either."
"Then I hope he tries to stop us, because it'll give me another good reason to put that big-headed
bully in his place," Zelda snapped. "I'm going along."
"Alright, Zelda," Bonnibel said. "I wonder if my brother would want to go along as well?"
"What? Why would you want Antonio to go?" Zelda asked.
"To smooth things over if we get caught, of course," Bonnibel explained. "I don't get along with him any better than you do, but he does have a way with getting people to calm down and see things his way, and we may need that if Professor Sinistra wakes up while we're looking."
Zelda made a face of obvious displeasure, but she didn't seem in a hurry to argue the point, either. Deciding that he knew all he needed to know since he wasn't going to be there, Stephen went to his room to do some reading.
Thursday morning, Quintin woke up grumpy. He was grumpy about Jeremy being gone. He was grumpy about his family being gone. And even though he made sure to give himself plenty of things to do to distract him that day, he was grumpy about having to get up early when he would been allowed to sleep in if he had been preparing to go to New York.
The new fallen snow was light and manageable, just enough to make a soft crunching noise under his feet as he walked to the stables. When he stepped inside, he hesitated when he noticed that Stephen was getting down the buckets.
"What are you doing here?" Quintin demanded in surprise.
"Taking care of Jay's mount. You?" Stephen asked. Quintin relaxed his shoulders.
"Jeremy typically takes care of the Hippogriffs on Thursdays so he asked me to fill in," Quintin explained.
"Oh," Stephen said, then walked over to a large bag of feed and began to fill one of the buckets.
"Thanks for looking after Satin Babe. I mean, I was expecting Jay to ask me to look after her," Quintin admitted.
"Jay has plenty of lackeys to do his dirty work. It's a dumb name for a Pegasus tho," Stephen grumbled.
"It's a pedigree name. She's named after the original sire of the line because she has his dominant black coloring and good night vision. It will make her a good candidate to be a coach Pegasus when she gets older," Quintin explained, politely greeting each Hippogriff with a good morning bow before stepping over getting a bucket of his own. "Did you know that Satin Babe was offered to the school especially for Jay and Rus to ride?"
"So?' Stephen replied, finishing his bucket and bringing it over to Satin who sniffed it and eyed Stephen speculatively. Quintin stepped over to give Satin a reassuring pat, and she decided to accept the offering.
"She's a direct descendant of my father and mother's Pegasi team, Babe and Ruby, as well as Pepper, which was my sister Alex's Pegasus," Quintin explained. "The Stoddard Institute sends a selection of young Pegasi to the school every year until the summer, and they picked Satin Babe so that Jay and Rus would have a chance to train her."
"So she's just on loan, then? Why doesn't Jay own one of his own?" Stephen asked.
"Well, when my father became Headmaster, they realized they didn't really have time to take care of them. My sister Alex graduated that year, so she didn't either, so they gave them to the Institute and have been donating to the organization ever since," Quintin explained.
"I think I would have kept them," Stephen decided. "My grandfather already keeps a lot of horses, and there's no Muggles that live anywhere near there in the Moors, so it'd be safe."
"It must be nice to have all that space. We live in a London townhouse," Quintin explained.
"That sounds unpleasant. Noisy cars, noisy neighbors..."
"It's not that bad, really. Magic blocks out a lot of those sorts of issues. But we only have a small back garden and half of it is taken up by a greenhouse and an oak tree. On the other hand, we're within easy walking distance to the underground and the park and it's a quick pop to the Alley," Quintin said.
"I must admit that's one good thing about staying with my aunt on the weekends. Her manor is fairly close to London, but it's still far enough away she has a very large garden surrounded with trees for privacy," Stephen said.
"Yes. It has a pretty dark past, though," Quintin commented.
"Most ancestral homes have a dark past," Stephen retorted. "Just like Hogwarts has a dark past."
"I guess so," Quintin said thoughtfully, filling the Hippogriff's trough. "So does that mean you believe, then? About Slytherin's history, I mean."
"Yes, of course," Stephen sighed. "I think many Slytherin know it's true, really, though most of them will deny it. That article caused a serious existential crisis in the house, you know that, right?"
"Existential? In what way?" Quintin asked.
"You're a Truth Seeker. Surely you've caught others worrying about whether or not Slytherin house should even exist considering who it honors," Stephen challenged him. "Your Aunt thinks the house should renamed. Not only does she think about it, but I've heard students say she's made the odd comment in Muggle Studies class about it too. My housemates may not take Muggle Studies seriously, but they know her influence. It concerns them... as does the fact that since that stupid article came out, less students are getting Sorted into Slytherin. There were even less Sorted into Slytherin this year than the year before. It's almost like the Sorting Hat is suddenly biased against Slytherin or something."
Quintin used his work to give him time to think it through.
"There's got to be more to it than that. If the Sorting Hat had a bias against Slytherin house, it would have been obvious a long time ago," Quintin replied at last.
"Explain it, then?" Stephen asked.
"I can't explain it but I don't have to. I don't think I need to justify telling the truth about problems with the founding of the school. The facts are the facts, and no one is to blame but the founders and apprentices who made decisions for themselves," Quintin said firmly. "Whether students in Slytherin blame us for what happened or not, it doesn't change the fact that all we did was research the fact and publish it. The truth would have come out sooner or later."
"How do you know that?" Stephen said.
"Because Janus Craw and Professor Ravenclaw are still residing in the castle," Quintin concluded. "Despite your sister's best efforts, I really don't think they're going anywhere, and I don't think they'd have stayed silent forever."
"Well, it could have waited until I was out of school so that I didn't have to deal with it," Stephen said venomously. Quintin pondered that thoughtfully.
"I can understand your wanting that," Quintin said at last. "Perhaps if you'd known from the start what Slytherin had done, your opinion of him would have been different from the very start. At the very least, you wouldn't have had the shock of finding out the person you thought you knew was different than the one you imagined him to be in your head."
"Oh, what would you know about that?" Stephen asked dubiously.
"Well, if I had to choose a role model, it'd be my father," Quintin replied. Stephen furrowed his brows and turned around on the pretense of getting Satin's brush. "When I was little, he used to tell me about how he made a lot of mistakes in life. Even before I was old enough to understand everything he was telling me, he told me about his past so that I didn't find out by accident. He knew that I had only heard stories about how brilliant he is and how well respected he is from everyone who came to ask his advice, but he knew it was a matter of time before someone confronted me with some of the horrible things he had done. It's still a bit hard for me to believe even now that I'm older. In fact, I still don't believe most of it. It's hard to picture that my father would have ever been a follower of Voldemort, or that he got swept up in the hate and helped him murder people. Whoever he was back then, I really don't know him. That's not who my father is as far as I'm concerned... it's almost like he's wearing some other man's scars. I just don't understand how the person I look up to the most could possibly have done such terrible things and I'm not sure I ever will. So, yeah. I understand better than you might think."
"How does someone do that, anyway?" Stephen asked with a serious expression. "How does someone go from being evil to being someone that everyone respects and admires?"
"My father and grandfather both gave me the same answer when I asked them that. They said it took time, hard work, and my mother," Quintin replied.
"Your mother?" Stephen repeated.
"They blame her for it almost like they're accusing her of something bad, but I think it just means that they wanted to be better people in part because they cared so much about her," Quintin explained. When he turned to glance at Stephen, he saw a very stricken expression.
"Sorry, did I go too far? I had forgotten you lost your mother," he apologized sincerely.
"There's no need to bring her into the conversation. My parents did not have the same sort of relationship that your parents do," Stephen replied bluntly. "I think what you mean is that it involves time, hard work, and the willingness to change... regardless if it's for themselves or someone else."
"Or both," Quintin added in agreement. "Why did you ask about that, anyway? Do you feel like you need a path to redemption?"
"Actually, I was thinking of someone else entirely, but it doesn't matter. That sort of thing is something that only happens in your family. I don't think it's something that happens in the real world," Stephen replied.
"Are you saying my family doesn't live in the 'real world'?" Quintin laughed.
"Face it, Quintin. Your family has its own set of rules, and they don't apply to anyone else," Stephen said bluntly, putting the brush and the buckets away. "Your grandfather murdered dozens of people and now he's the Minister of Law Enforcement. Nobody goes from being a murderer to a harbinger of justice."
"His deeds were pardoned as an act of war, you know that perfectly well," Quintin said curtly. "It's even mentioned in the Terrors chapter of our history books."
"For someone mentioned in our history books, your grandfather looks stellar. So does your father and mother, come to think of it. We won't even talk about how Professor Aurelius looks younger than every sibling you have other than your little sister..."
"You know the reason behind that as well. My father once owned the Philosopher's Stone," Quintin sighed.
"It still proves my point, though doesn't it? Your family has its own set of rules that has nothing to do with the rest of the world. Well, what happens if someone comes along and decides they don't like your rules anymore and changes the game in a way that it breaks them? Your parents might be strong, but you've grown up with a charmed silver spoon in your mouth, and I don't think you have a clue as how to navigate life when it turns against you. I bet you've never had a screw-up in your life that your parents or one of your siblings didn't bail you out of, have you?" Stephen challenged him. Quintin stared at him as if he had been slapped.
"Of course my family helps me out of messes! Most families help out their kids when they make mistakes, and I'm only thirteen! I am sorry if your family never helped you when you were younger, but it seems to me that I'm the normal one when it comes to that. It's not my fault that your family's so damn cold to each other, or that your little sister needs some serious therapy, or that your father doesn't give a damn about any of you past what you can do for him! I think you're just angry because your family rules suck and that has absolutely nothing to do with mine. Sorry, but if that's how your game works, I'd find a different one. Either way, I'm not playing it," Quintin said resolutely, stacking his buckets and storming out of the barn.
Stephen tossed his buckets on top with a loud clatter, taking a few panted breaths so that Quintin would get some distance between them before stepping out and heading in the opposite direction.