Jade awoke slowly in the hospital wing. With a groan, she reached up to rub her eyes. As she blearily opened her eyes, the first thing that greeted her eyes was the celieng. Turning, her eyes fell on Albus Dumbledore. "Headmaster!" she said, shocked. She tried to sit up, but she wasn't able to move much.
"No, don't sit up. Just relax." Dumbledore rested his hand on her shoulder, keeping her laying down. "You seem to be falling off your feet quite a bit this semester, haven't you? Any history of fainting or dizzy spells?"
Jade shook her ehad. "No, sir. Just since I started attending Hogwarts."
"And started practicing traditional wizardry." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "It seems, Jade, that you are having some difficulty with your magic. Your reserves of magical energy are abnormally low for someone your age. Your spells are also abnormally powerful, but drain a proportionate amount of magic from you. When you use more magic than you possess, you lose conciousness. Also, your hypermetabolic state elsewhere seems to be your body trying to rapidly replenish expended magic and lost health. You are running a major risk of burning yourself out at this rate."
Jade blinked for a time. "You mean...it's like in an RPG, I've got a lot of HP but very little MP, and my auto-cast for spells has me locked at third teir, but instead of a spell not working if I don't have enough MP, I go negative, which inflicts me with Exhaustion, which causes a temporary decrease in max HP, which is neutralized by the consumption of large amounts of calories?"
"Precisely," Dumbledore said with a smile.
Jade stared at Dumbledore. "...you play video games?"
"Indeed. I'm rather fond of the Dragon Quest series." Dumbledore chuckled for a time. "But that is neither here nor there. What we need to focus on now is how to fix the problem."
Jade nodded. "Right. I need to learn to put less magic into my spells, and I need to build up my magical reserves."
"Yes. I do have something that might help with the former on a temporary basis, but it is the latter that I feel we truely must worry about. Given your unique situation - both here and at home - I'm afraid I must ask you to remain at Hogwarts this year over the winter break...for your own well being."
Jade nodded sadly. "Yeah...I guess that would be a good idea."
"Also, I must recommend not attempting combining your chi magic with the skills you are learning here until you have built up your reserves some. The spell you cast on the Quidditch field burned you out faster than anything else you've done here." Dumbledore pulled a small scroll from his pocket. "As for putting less magic into your spells...until you learn to control that on your own, wrap this around your wand."
Jade unrolled it. "A parchment spell?" she asked, shocked.
"A limiter spell," Dumbledore corrected. "It will reduce the amount of magic passing through your wand, while giving you a feel for the reduced flow. It should assist in learning to put less magic into your spells." Dumbledore stood up. "Madame Pomfrey will send for one of your friends to assist you back to Gryffindor House once you are recovered enough to get there." He patted her shoulder briefly. "Be well, Jade."
After he left, Jade sat back, lost in thought. She knew she had to find a way to strengthen her magic, to increase her reserves. Even as she wrapped the limiter around the wand, she promised herself she wouldn't rely on it, and would work to be rid of it as soon as possible. It felt wrong on her wand, sticky somehow, like touching something unpleasant.
Leaning back, she closed her eyes, deciding to meditate. Uncle always said meditation helped with magic. About to start chanting, she paused. Chi magic probably wouldn't be a good idea right now, given what happened earlier. Silently, she closed her eyes, seeking her center.
After about an hour, she opened her eyes. She felt refreshed, physically and magically, but she hadn't found a way to improve. She wasn't recovered enough to handle that just yet, but she had some ideas on how to proceed once she was. Getting to her feet, she tested herself, and found she was steady.
"Seems Madame Pomfrey timed it just right," Harry said from the door. "You alright, Jade?"
Jade smiled. "I am for now, Harry. Got a lot to work on to stay that way, though."
"Any way I can help?" he asked, concerned.
Jade shrugged. "Don't know yet. We'll see." Leaning on his shoulder, she followed him out.
On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, Jade noticed Ron and Hermoine in the library. "What are they doing in there?" she asked Harry.
"We found out some more about what that three-headed dog we told you about is guarding," Harry said excitedly. "Apparently, someone named Nicholas Flamel is involved, so we've been looking for information on him."
"Neat. Any luck so far?"
"None yet, and we've searched through dozens of books by now."
"Dozens?" Jade stared at Harry in shock. "How long was I unconcious?"
"The whole weekend," Harry said, looking worried again. "We were really worried about you, but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let anyone in while Snape and Dumbledore were working on you."
Jade fell silent, thinking about this. "I see why Dumbledore thinks I should stay here over the winter break."
"Yeah." Harry was quiet.
Jade glanced over at Ron and Hermoine. "How'd you find out about Flamel?"
"Hagrid," Harry replied, grinning. "Turns out, the three-headed dog is his. Its name is Fluffy."
Jade laughed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. So, what did Hagrid say?"
"Well, after a bit of discussion, he said that what Fluffy was guarding was between Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel." Harry suddenly looked hard at Jade. "You aren't thinking of staying here with us to research in your condition, are you?"
"Aw, come on, Harry, please? I want to help!"
Harry shook his head. "I'm under strict instruction from Madame Pomfrey to take you straight back to the Tower."
"Please? Just one book I can read while relaxing, then?"
Harry sighed. "Alright, just one. I'll get one for you." Harry set Jade down on a bench outside the library and turned to head in.
Jade called after him. "Ask Madame Pomfrey if she has Albus Dumbledore's biography."
Harry stuck his head back out. "What good will that do?"
Jade rolled her eyes. "Duh! If Dumbledore knows Flamel well enough to guard something for him, he's probably mentioned in the biography."
Harry blinked for a time. "You know...that's not a bad idea."
Jade smirked at him. "I came up with the idea, so I get to pursue it!"
Smiling, Harry went into the library. He came back out with a book nearly two feet thick. "This is the official biography," Harry said, struggling to lift it.
Jade blinked, then sighed. "Oy, what have I gotten myself into?" Standing up, she let Harry help her back to the tower.