Jocelyn's urgent need to leave before being bound in restrictions grew as the train neared its destination. Her magic was telling her that she had to leave and never reach the station, for she would be put under binds as soon as she got off the train. The necessity soon reached a painful peak, so she nodded to herself and just vanished from the train with her trunk and owl.
She apparated to the middle of a jungle. There were trees all around and she could sense no one around. She walked through the forest slowly and soon came to a meadow. On the other side of the meadow was all sky. She was on a valley near the top of a mountain which overlooked vast landscape full of greenery and a river flowing from the mountain. It was beautiful. Hedwig launched from her shoulder and flew around, tasting freedom. Jocelyn smiled. For all the loneliness she was in, the view filled her heart with peaceful silence. Jocelyn decided that she would need go nowhere from here. She could build a home here and live in isolation. And for now, she had a living space in her trunk and some food, settling her down for at least two weeks. She would survive and be in peace.
Peace was something that was not coming to Dumbledore. He was being questioned regarding the marauders by everybody, he was being judged by the fellow members of the order for overlooking a death eater among them, his pet phoenix was becoming unnaturally sick and unable to perform any of its usual magic, and he was being bombarded with owls, howlers and visits regarding Jocelyn Potter's disappearance.
It has been many days since Potter had disappeared from the train and no one has seen her since then. All the bindings, recordings and tracing he had cast on the girl have fallen and he had lost track of her. This has happened the night Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had died and Dumbledore could not respell them for the barrier that seemed to exist around her. He had assumed that her magic had created that barrier to cope with her loss and would not hold for long. He was confident that the spells would be renewed when the girl will step in her aunt's house, because of the blood wards and blood spells he cast with Jocelyn's own blood. But the girl had disappeared even before the train stopped!
And now he was at loss as to how to find her. No trace of her blood or magic remained and any attempts to find her failed. Where could she go? How to bring her back? Had the death eaters captured her? That could be a possibility; Riddle could be using her for his rejuvenation. In that case, she is in even more danger. It was not yet time for the sacrifice. Dumbledore knew from the beginning that Jocelyn was one of the Horcruxes of Voldemort. Riddle had unintentionally embedded a part of his soul in her, and until she dies, Voldemort cannot be killed. But her death would be weapon wasted if he does not have a body again. His sources have confirmed that Voldemort was on his way to gain one. He did not know how, but Jocelyn has to be under his control soon. Where is she?
Jocelyn Elaine Potter was happy. She was under the peace of nature, she had a room in her trunk when needed, she had Hedwig for company, she had books to utilize her time and learn, and best of all was the fact that she was free. Never had Jocelyn experienced such freedom to live how she wanted and to make her own choices. It has only been a week and she never wanted to leave this heaven.
This lasted two weeks before needs and trouble made their appearance. The needs were simple… she needed food for daily basis. Though she was skilled in cooking and gardening, no thanks to the Dursleys, she needed the seeds and the crop to grow before she could be self-sustained. Magic helped take care of the wastes and repairs, but clothes cannot be used for long before they are out-of-size or torn. Modifications and transfigurations were not permanent. So for now, she needed to go shopping for clothes, food and seeds. The trouble was something she could not figure out how to solve…. She felt suffocated of magic. She was not used to this much magic before, maybe it was the surroundings or being unbound, but unless she used a lot of magic, she was feeling suffused. The first few days went okay; she had to use magic constantly to set up her surroundings habitable. But now that the need was over, it was making her feel heavy and strained.
So, she went to the Diagon Alley after two weeks. Her first stop was at the Gringotts bank. Griphook recognized her even through her muggle disguise… a band-aid over her scar, a cap with her hair stuffed in it, wearing non-descript clothes…. And welcomed her.
"Greetings Jocelyn!" Griphook nodded to Jocelyn as soon as she entered the bank.
"Griphook!" She was surprised, "May your wit and grace never falter! How did you recognize me?"
"Shhh! Follow me and we can talk in my room. There are many ears around here and they may recognize you even under the silencing wards."
It was then she understood the ward cast around them both and thanked the goblin. Once in his room,
"Thank you for meeting me without a prompt, Griphook."
"You are welcome."
"I have three requests to ask of you today."
Griphook nodded.
"I want to withdraw a thousand galleons without anyone noticing me." Jocelyn knew that people might see her in a cart and recognize her.
Griphook called his guard inside, "Tell Smithwreck to bring 1000 galleons from the Potter vault." The goblin nodded and closed the door.
"Thank you. Second, I want to buy some books on growing plants for food. I need a list of books I have to buy to learn, as well as the seeds of the crop. Can you provide that to me?"
"I can do better, Jocelyn. I can provide them to you. Know that the purchase will be charged from your account."
"However much it may be, you may charge them. Ummm, for the third one, it is request for the cause and solution."
Griphook raised a thick eyebrow. Jocelyn sighed and explained her problem with magic. As she explained her symptoms, Griphook's surprise showed on his face. The moment she finished, he excused himself and left the room. He returned soon with two goblins, a priestess and King Ragnok himself. The moment Jocelyn saw them arriving, she kneeled to her feet and bowed her head. She knew she had to greet the priestess first and then the head.
"May your presence bring happiness to all stones and beings, priestess. May your enemies tremble and your people prosper, my king."
The priestess, who was like a mother to all goblins, their well wisher and soother, smiled fondly at Jocelyn in front of her, "Rise and be seated, child." The goblins took seats themselves. Ragnok liked this human. Though still a youngling, she had soaked like sponge all the formalities to be observed amongst goblins. He was wary when a few goblins had asked for permission to teach her those last summer, that the human might abuse or ridicule them; but now he was pleased to know that it was not so.
"Tell us Lady Potter," he said, "We want to hear the trouble you have ourselves before we say anything."
Jocelyn did that, she told them of all her suffocation and heaviness. She felt humbled that such high stature goblins would feel her worthy of their attention. The priestess then came to her and held her hands, "Child! Would you consent for me to look at your magic?"
At Jocelyn's agreement, she closed her eyes and chanted something in her language. It took a few minutes before she opened her eyes. It was a surprise to see those eyes shocked.
"Oh Child! What have they put you through! Why is your blood imbibed with basilisk venom as well as phoenix tears?"
"I was bitten by a basilisk." She murmured.
"You WHAT!?" was the cry from all three goblins, which startled Jocelyn.
"OH! But Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix healed me with her tears."
The priestess nodded in understanding, but King Ragnok had a gleam in his eyes, "Tell me Lady Potter, how big was this basilisk?"
"About 50 feet long. Please, haven't the blood and tears cancelled each other?"
"They have cancelled the effects, not the fluids themselves. I fear you will always have them in your system, but fear not. It is beneficial, because once you look past their major effects, they have many other minor benefits. Now, could you take us to harvest this creature? As you have slain it, it is your property and we would pay you in right amount for the supplies we get."
"I do not want to go to the castle, never again!"
"Don't fret Lady Potter, just give us the directions and we will be discrete in our harvest."
"But you need parseltongue to open it."
"Then record it for us in one of our pensive and we will proceed without you. Now for the more important matter, you energy."
Jocelyn sat up in attention to the priestess.
"Child, every being has a store of magical energy. Suppressing it, like yours was done, is never beneficial because one won't be able to perform magic with ease, and he or she will not get used to it. That is your first trouble; you are not used to having so much energy to access. That would have been easy to solve with little training, if your magical core was not so big. To control it, you would need expert guidance."
"Who can do that? Please don't name Dumbledore."
The priestess frowned at the name, "Even his core is not as big as yours child, nor he that well trained to be able to teach you to perfection. No, I am speaking about Grendall, the headmaster of the Amictos School for Magical Beings."
"Oh! Never heard of him."
"Of course you didn't. Just like humans have schools, other beings do too. Amictos School takes in beings of all races, be it human, vela, goblin, centaurs, drackens, dwarves… any being and they train them in their skills. Only, no human has joined that school for such a long time."
"Why? Don't they accept humans?"
"They do, but humans have slowly isolated themselves from that school, to the point that they have forgotten about its existence. But this school has its own criteria for admission, one which I do not have the liberty to tell you."
"Oh!" this was disappointment from Jocelyn.
"But" the priestess continued, "We can give you a letter to mail to them, telling the headmaster of your situation. Whether he joins you or not, I am sure he will at least help you with your situation."
"Oh thank you. I will be in your debt if you could provide me a means to the solution. I am most grateful."
The priestess smiled and then she and the King together wrote the letter. Once they had the details of how to access the basilisk, they bid Jocelyn farewell. Jocelyn felt light hearted as she left Gringotts with the letter, books and seeds. But that did not last long.
As she was almost finishing her shopping, someone from the crowd recognized her. It was Neville Longbottom in the pet store. He immediately clutched Jocelyn by her arm and dragged her into a corner.
"Joy, is that you?"
"Neville! How are you? Is my disguise not enough to evade recognition?"
"Your identity is well hidden Joy, but not your mannerisms and voice. Your disappearance has caused a lot of search partied roaming around. They check on anyone with suspicion."
"Does everybody know I have disappeared?" Jocelyn panicked.
"No, and that's the issue. If you are found, even the ones that like you would not think of helping you because they don't know they have to."
"Oh come on, who would like to help an arrogant liar?"
Neville's face softened and he hung his head, "That's why you left, isn't it? You think you have no friends here. I am sorry I couldn't help you through all that."
Jocelyn placed a palm on his cheek, "I do consider you my friend, and also Fred and George, Daphne and Luna. It's not your fault that the rest of the school prefers to blame and isolate me, even with my proof of innocence. And I could not live in that environment any longer; a few drops of honey don't contest much in a pool of bitterness."
"I understand Joy, and I support you. And so do others. That's why I am not arguing with you going away. Just don't forget us… me. You were my first friend in life who always encouraged and never expected any return."
"Same as you. Friendships never seek returns Neville. I will keep in contact once I figure out how."
"Very well, I will inform the others. I will not ask you where you are staying. Tell me what you are purchasing and I will get it for you."
After a few minutes a waiting in the dark corner, Neville returned with the purchases.
"Here you go."
"Thank you Neville. Here, I was thinking of posting it, but this way is better. Give this money to Fred and George. I want them to live their dream and they won the bet anyway."
"Is this for their Joke Shop?"
"But of course!"
Neville just shook his head, "They will be ecstatic. Now leave and be safe. Do contact if you find a safe way, else we will meet when we meet." Neville smiled at her.
"Take care Neville and tell others the same too." She hugged her friend and left the shop quietly.
Neville followed her after a few moments and came face to face with a fight. People were running away from spells. But they were not leaving; they were watching the fight from a distance and occasionally firing their own spells. There were Daphne, Jocelyn and Luna under fire from all directions. Jocelyn has been spotted and cornered!
Neville did not think twice before joining them. Most of the spells were stunners and disarming spells from all sides, but a few serious spells were included too. The girls were handing them all well, thanks to Jocelyn teaching them last two years.
"Nice to see you Neville. Diffindo! Hope you are doing well."
"Pleasantries? Now Luna? Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Look out, that way. Protego!"
"Well no time like the present." Daphne Greengrass shouted, "Confringo! Avis! You cannot be only one to meet her right? Densaugeo!"
"Ugh!" Jocelyn exclaimed, "I hate these anti-apparition, Diffindo!, wards. All of you leave. Please! You will only get into trouble."
"And leave you alone? Never. Friends stick together, right? Engorgio! Duro! Expelliarmus! God, where are the twins? They are missing out the fun."
Suddenly, two people jumped amongst them. The twins had arrived, "You call and we arrive, Oh great one! Hey Joy, how are you doing?"
"Stupid stupid, Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!, Stupid all of you."
"Oh let us have fun too. Now Gred, lets teach them how to do it."
"Right you are Forge!"
"Erecto! Erecto! Erecto! Erecto! Erecto!"
The twins cornered the group into a wall and erected three walls between them and the casters. The others got the point and worked to defend themselves and the twins as they started waving their wands to create wards, one to create a pocket of space for apparition and another to create a portkey. Once done, they shouted together,
"Hold the rope! Partum nebula! Portus!"
The first spell created a fog around them and they portkeyed away. But in the gap, three aurors had jumped on the group and portkeyed away with them. Thus when the group landed in the edge of forbidden forest, the kids were caught in surprise when the spells kept firing. The aurors were desperate and they started casting more dangerous curses. Due to surprise and close quarters, the defence was not so solid and so, one high powered Diffindo! curse and Sectumsempra! curse passed through their shield to Jocelyn.
Hedwig was flying around Hogsmeade. Jocelyn had promised her that she would collect her after her shopping and asked her to remain here as she was easy to identify. She felt it when Jocelyn apparated near the forest and that her beloved human was in danger. She reached them just in time and dived in front of the two curses heading towards Jocelyn. On a human, those curses were very much injuring. On an owl, they were fatal.
Jocelyn screamed when she saw Hedwig defend her and drop down on the ground. Immense rage flooded out of her with a force that it threw away the three aurors. Before anyone else could come, she carefully took Hedwig in her arms and shouted to others.
"Touch me. Now!"
They all did so immediately and then they vanished.
Author's Note :
This is the list of spells used... (Except the last two - I do not remember where I got them from)
Diffindo - Splits seams
Expelliarmus - Disarms your opponent
Stupefy - Knocks out opponent
Protego - Cause spells to reflect back to the sender.
Confringo - Explode Flames on target
Densaugeo - Enlarges Teeth
Engorgio - Enlarges an item
Duro - Makes Objects Hard
Erecto - Erects things
Partum Nebula – created fog
Portus – activates portkey
So, please review and tell me what you think of the events.
Coming up:
Saving Hedwig