Aileen was minding her own business, sipping her tea at her dining room table, when a tap tap tap sounded on the window. Frowning, she let the owl inside, detached the note as the creature pecked at her fingers, and skimmed the letter written in a hasty hand:

Miss Aileen Reid,

We require your presence at Hogwarts immediately. Come to the Great Hall at 0900 hours or we will send someone to escort you.

~DMLE,
Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Aileen read it over for a second time. Then a third. Her mouth went dry and she set the letter down on the table with shaky hands. Aileen stared into space for a few long moments as she broke out into a cold sweat. They'd found the artifacts hidden in her office. That had to be it. Someone had tipped them off, and now she was going to lose her job, her career, everything. She should have known and prepared after they'd arrested Trevor. She should have known she'd be next.

She could run, she thought in a detached part of her mind. But where would she go? Did she want to live her life hiding, hunted by the authorities? Maybe there was a way she could talk herself out of this, blame Analiza. If she was going down, Analiza was going down with her. And still, that wouldn't even be necessary, because there had to be a way out of it. This wasn't the end. It couldn't be.

Aileen rose from her seat, tea forgotten, and prepared for the day in her usual efficient manner. When she was dressed and ready, checking the time compulsively all the while, she found herself headed for Abby's room. Aileen paused in the doorway. Her younger sister was still asleep, curled up with her pet crup, yesterday's clothes scattered across the floor. Numbly, Aileen picked up the girl's shirt and laid it out on the chair so it wouldn't wrinkle. Then she crossed the room, bending to kiss her forehead and smooth the hair away from her face. Sensing Aileen's presence, the crup wagged its tail, and the thump-thump woke up Abby, who blinked at her sister's departing form.

"Go back to sleep," Aileen whispered, unable to look at her. "I'll be back later," she smiled, shutting the door before Abby could ask questions.

She would be back later, she told herself, stepping into the fireplace and flooing to Hogwarts.

The moment she entered the Great Hall, her fear and worry increased tenfold. Officials, officials, everywhere. She saw a few other professors milling around, talking to officials. She saw grim faces, heard whispers and orders barked, and noticed the strange sense of control and organization amidst the haze of confusion and frantic activity.

This couldn't be all about her, Aileen thought. The Ministry officials saw her, nodded at her, but no one rushed to arrest her or point fingers. Slowly, the internal panic edged away and her brows drew together, trying to make sense out of this.

Aileen turned and jolted - Jonas was here? Panic spiked again as she stared at him, rethinking everything. How was he involved? Was this payback for leaving him at the mummy museum?

Had he finally gotten sick of waiting for her to discover a cure?

Before Aileen could make her escape, their eyes met. She hesitated, then strode forward, plastering on a shaky mask of innocent, annoyed confusion.

"What is going on?" She demanded in a low whisper when she reached him. "Why was I called in?" Aileen searched his face, looking for a smirk, a condescending sneer, or some other clue that her life as she knew it was over.

 Jonas shielded a yawn as he stood off to the side, scanning over the busy scene inside the Great Hall.  In retrospect, staying up all night to play Wizarding Poker with Archer Radley had probably been a poor decision.  The morning had brought one rush of messes after another; the investigation of the poor kid's death was already irrevocably botched, in his opinion, and even if they had all been fully rested, it would have been tricky to navigate.  He'd resorted to doing what he could to help Tamis and Archer and staying out of their way otherwise.  Someone was eventually going to get the brunt of the Head Auror's bad temper, which had likely been building over the weeks when she'd been bedridden, and the private investigator was determined that it wouldn't be him.

It was somewhat reassuring to know that the Muggle repellent charms apparently ceased once one was inside the castle's walls.  Funny though it would have been to see crumbling walls and tattered tapestries everywhere he went, he harbored a slight suspicion that the constant sense of decay would have worn on him eventually. 

As it stood, everything was wearing on his temper right now, which was why he wasn't especially pleased to see a familiar figure make her entrance into the Great Hall.  Reid wasted no time in meeting his gaze, and then immediately adjusted her course to intercept him, her expression shifting back into her normal irritated mask. 

Jonas barely stopped himself from letting out a sigh.  Not surprising.  Nor was it surprising when, in a low hiss, she immediately began demanding to know what was going on.

The private investigator's eyebrows shot up.  "Why were you called in?" he repeated, looking the woman over incredulously. 

She looked irritated, annoyed, and impatient, which was more or less par for course for Aileen Reid.  No 'I hope you've been well.'  No 'How's life without magic going, then?'  No 'Sorry for abandoning you amongst all those undead creatures trying to rip your head off at the museum; my mistake, that was.'  Not even a bloody hello.  The Runes professor was, as usual, only concerned with matters that related first and foremost to Aileen Reid, and Merlin could take the rest of them.

Normally, Jonas could manage his onetime client without feeling out of sorts.  Cheerful humor had proven the best way to deal with Reid in the past; nothing seemed to annoy her more than the private investigator merrily continuing on his way as if he hadn't just stuck his foot in his mouth or abandoned her at the counter of a Muggle coffee shop.  But after a long morning spent massaging tempers and dealing with the death of a girl who wasn't, when he thought about it, all that much older than Gwen, he had absolutely no desire to cater to the temperament of the self-concerned professor.  She'd made her bloody bed when she'd left him behind at the museum.

"Probably in regards to the incident last night, I'd think," he said crisply, straightening as he crossed his arms against his chest.  The lie came all too easily, as did the unreadable mask common to law enforcement.  Apparently he'd been spending too much time watching late-night televisions reruns in Tamis Raynor's hospital room in between games of Wizarding Poker.  "Sounds like something broke out of a crypt underneath the school and's been scurrying around kissing students and sucking the life out of them."

He kept his expression cool, nonchalant, as he glanced her over.  Let her bloody well sweat.  "You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?" he asked evenly.  "All the Aurors found were some decaying bandages at one of the scenes.  Bloody mess, it is.  I'd hate to be the one who woke whatever it is up."

Aileen hadn't seen Jonas since January 1st, and that was just fine with her. She hadn't known he'd been staying at a muggle hospital with Raynor, she certainly didn't know he was chummy with the Aurors, and she had no clue he was at Hogwarts now to help with the investigation. All she knew was that he'd survived the mummy outbreak. It had taken Abby's threat of 'I'll hate you forever if you don't check on him', as well as her reminder that Jonas had lost his magic, to convince Aileen to apparate back to the museum. By that time, he had disappeared. Alberic Grimm had informed her that he'd escaped with the help of another wizard.

She felt guilty about it, just a little. And that guilt made her more defensive, more irritated with Jonas than ever before.

When she strode towards him and demanded to know why she was here, he crossed his arms and gave her a stony look. He informed her, in a deceptively unruffled tone, that an incident had occurred last night. Something had broken out of a crypt and-

Something what?!

Her carefully annoyed expression turned shocked for an instant. It took her a moment, after his mention of the decaying bandages, to wipe that shock away. What he'd described sounded like Dementors, except for the bandages bit, and as ridiculous as the story sounded, it was all too possible. Especially after the mummy incident. Especially after she'd figured out she'd caused the frog infestation in December, too.

"No, of course I don't know anything about it," she replied in a curt whisper, casting a wary glance around her. Merlin, this couldn't be real. Yet there were officials everywhere, and even Jonas wouldn't joke about a repeat of the mummy attack.

"What happened, exactly?" She paused, searching his face. Her next question was asked in a very cautious, cool tone of voice, "Did someone get hurt?" 

 If it was her fault, she'd lose everything, and Jonas wouldn't hesitate to turn her in, she was sure of it. But after some of her crew had died last summer, Aileen didn't want more death on her shoulders. Her crew had known the risks, to an extent. But these students were just kids. Hogwarts was supposed to be a safe place. If she'd ruined that...

Aileen pushed the thought away, unable to consider it.

There was probably a more professional way to deal with the current situation.  And, logically, Jonas knew that he didn't have a real reason to take out his frustration on Aileen Reid.  Yes, she had abandoned him in a Muggle museum full of lumbering and probably flesh-eating mummies.  Yes, she'd done it whilst knowing that he was completely without magic at the time.  But he hadn't exactly been going to bat for her team, either.  After all, he had taken advantage of the information that she had given him access to while he was working for her, turned it over to the MLE, gotten her elder brother arrested, and then intentionally left her at the counter of a Muggle coffee house because he'd found the idea of her having to stumble through a latte order to be hilarious.  Once everything was taken into consideration, they were probably just about even.

Even so, he was still frustrated.  Weeks of volunteer duty up in Scotland hadn't left anyone's temper in the best shape, and having to go from a sleepless night to the bloody disaster that they'd been shoved into had already put him on edge.  Dealing with Aileen Reid, who threw her weight around and stomped over to bully him because she was annoyed at having been called in to work early, was one straw too many.  Think he was the easy target, did she?

"What, did you want me to try and get it on video for you?" he asked disbelievingly.  "Can't imagine anyone was taking notes in the thick of things.  That's not usually the first thing that comes to mind in a crisis, you know.  Even when they don't turn tail and run."

His last statement had been blunt and biting, in direct contrast with the lies that were coming to mind a bit too quick and too easily now.  He didn't know exactly what had caused the incident at the museum, but he knew enough to construct a story that would likely put her on edge.  The artifact that Foley had mentioned.  Alberic Grimm's brief appearance, coupled with his intervention at the private investigator's office a scant few days later.  Putting the pieces together was like spinning a web. 

A web that would do nothing besides irritate the hell out of Reid once she found out that he was messing with her, but for once, Jonas didn't give a bloody damn about the consequences.

"That bloke from Level Four was saying something about it probably getting caused by an artifact," he said evenly, lowering his voice just barely as he met the professor's gaze pointedly and directly.  Let her keep her cool, unflappable facade going once the pressure started building.  "Something about a pyramid?  It wasn't something I could speak to, anyhow," he added acutely, giving her a tight, acerbic smile.  "Only experience I've ever had like that was with a dagger."

Her eyes narrowed at the jab about turning tail and running. So that was where his attitude was coming from! He was still sore about her leaving him behind at the museum, when it wasn't as if she'd left him surrounded by useless muggles! Other wizards had been there to help. He'd gotten away, hadn't he? He'd lived, hadn't he? He knew that her sister was her first priority. Those excuses ran through her head as she opened her mouth, about to ask if he'd just stood around doing sod all the whole morning waiting for her to get there.

Luckily for both of them, she didn't get a chance to speak.

Unluckily for Aileen, what he said next caused the panic to build and her cool demeanor to slip away. She stared at him for a few moments, expression stricken. Strangely enough, Jonas was one of the few people Aileen actually trusted. She believed him about the pyramid because she thought he wouldn't lie to her at a time like this. She hadn't yet suspected him about the Gringotts account because he'd told her he'd keep the information private, and as far as she knew, he had no reason to care about Trevor's criminal activities.

"Is that why you're here?" She demanded in a tight voice, refusing to admit that the pyramid was hers. Refusing to even mention the word. Doubt flickered through her mind. The artifact was at home, safely deactivated, so it didn't make sense for it to cause mayhem at Hogwarts. But again, stranger things had happened.

"Did someone get hurt?" She repeated what she'd said earlier, realizing with dread that he hadn't answered it. She wasn't giving him much time to answer anything at the moment, unable to stop herself from bombarding him with questions.

"What, are you going to smirk at me all day? Tell me what happened!" she burst out, glaring at him, eyes bright with emotion. He had been doing just that, but she didn't like what he had to say. She wanted him to tell her she didn't have to worry. That none of this was her fault.

"Yeah, I've been advertising meself as an expert on the occult, and Level Two finally took me up on it," Jonas snapped, not a trace of humor in his expression as he glowered back at her.  And he well could have done, for as much as she cared.  Suddenly, the fact that he was stranded at Hogwarts, consigned to witnessing the school as some sort of ruins as if he were a Muggle, no longer seemed nearly as funny as it had a few moments before.  Each and every one of the bloody messes that he was engulfed in were made worse by the fact that he didn't have a wand to fall back on, and at the end of it, it was Reid's fault. 

And here she was, again, turning the responsibility back on him.  Putting him at fault.  Jonas tensed, the line of his jaw tightening, and he stood his ground as if preparing for a fight.  Wanted answers, did she?  He had plenty to give to her.

"A kid's dead," he said, speaking slowly, each word crisp and piercing as if it were a bullet.  "A girl.  Ava Grosvenor.  Two of your colleagues found her in the woods, torn and shredded with blood all over the place."  Jonas was carefully omitting details now, his eyes locked on those of the Runes Professor.  Schlagenweit's presence; the fact that two other figures had been spotted at the scene of the crime.  But she didn't need to know any of that. 

Well, in reality, a good investigator didn't go throwing his weight around to try and intimidate bystanders unless he had a clear and necessary reason for it, but that was a fair point that Jonas didn't necessarily feel like admitting to at the moment.  After everything she'd put him through, after all the times she'd failed to take responsibility, Aileen Reid deserved this.  He wasn't backing down.

"I can't think of anything that'd be strong enough to tear a kid to pieces; can you?"  His voice was low, but there was a clear challenge in it as he held Reid's gaze.  "I've held me tongue so far, but I reckon Auror Raynor will be right interested in hearing any sort of theory.  Especially if she puts two and two together with that little pyramid and what happened back on the first."

Each word hit her like a stunning spell. A girl. Dead. Grosvenor. Pureblood. Seventh-year Slytherin. Not in her class. But Aileen had seen her around school and knew her family.

An artifact. Her artifact? The pyramid.

Her eyebrows drew together. The pyramid was at home. Deactivated. She'd puzzled over this a few moments earlier. Even Snark and Encantado (she'd finally learned his name) had decided that they didn't want to risk another walking corpse invasion just yet, and were focusing on the other items she'd brought back with her.

"Doesn't make sense," she murmured, staring at Jonas and shaking her head. "Are you certain he said pyramid?" Her voice shook a little, but she wasn't thinking about that. "It couldn't have been something else? It had to be something else." Denial mode: activated.

Maybe this was Snark's fault. Not Aileen's. "I'm not the only one..." Aileen started defensively, then trailed off. "I have to go."

She turned to leave. Where, she wasn't exactly sure, but she needed to get out of here. As far as she was concerned, her conversation with Jonas was over and he had served his informative purpose. He could stand here and glower at the other professors for the rest of the day. Expert on the occult, her arse. The dead kid hadn't quite sunk in yet. All she could think about was the blame, that she couldn't accept it, that it couldn't be hers.