Harry couldn't help but smile as Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing after managing to eat an earwax flavored bean. He leaned back against his pillows, knowing it would be some time before he could leave the hospital wing...though not so long until Madame Pompfrey would let him have visitors.
"I suppose you think that lets you off the hook with me, do you?"
Harry turned at the sound of Jade's voice, and was quite shocked to see his invisibility cloak slide off of her as she stood next to his bed, glaring down at him in anger. He gulped. He was beginning to see what it was about Jade that had Malfoy so scared of her.
"How could you..." she said quietly. "How could you go off, risking life and limb to do battle with a powerful dark wizard?"
"Jade, I-"
"Don't interrupt!" She glared down at him. "How could you go and do that..." She was no longer able to hold back a smile. "Without me?" She plopped into a seat next to Harry. "I mean, geeze, I admit I was getting ready to head in solo, thinking chi spells and potions would give me an advantage, but all you had going in was your cloak...which you left at the enterance!" She poked him in the shoulder. "Promise me you'll never leave me out of these things again, okay? You know I'm strong enough to handle it, and I won't be having my friends leaving me out of the big adventures any more than I let my family do it back home."
Harry nodded. "I meant for you to come along, but we couldn't find you, and we heard from Peeves that you were with Snape, who we suspected-"
"Speaking of, I think I owe you an 'I told you so' about that," Jade interrupted again. "I'd said all along that it was Quirrel, not Snape. Maybe you'll trust my instincts, if not my skills, in the future." At Harry's silent nod, she then frowned. "And what do you mean, Peeves told you I was with Snape?"
"Peeves was in the third floor corridor when we tried to get in. Since we were under the cloak, I pretended to be the Bloody Baron." Jade smirked at that trick. "Before he went on his way, he turned back and mentioned that the Bloody Baron had asked him to keep track of your movements, and that you were currently with Snape."
Jade sat back, frowning. "Why would the Bloody Baron want to keep track of my movements?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Say," Harry asked suddenly, "how long have you been standing there under my cloak, anyway?"
"I was in here when they first brought you in. I heard Madame Pomfrey say you would wake up today, so I came back when Dumbledore did. I could feel you waking up, to." Jade smiled, then picked up the cloak. "I'll be back later when Ron and Hermoine come to visit you, okay?" She pulled the cloak over herself and vanished.
At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came in. She blinked, seeming confused. "There was someone else in here...wasn't there?"
000000000000000
Jade rode the train back to London with the others happily, glad the school year was finally over. Sure, she had enjoyed every minute, but she was exhausted. Also, she wanted to see her family again. After a whole year away, she missed them. She wondered who would be here to pick her up.
As they got off at the station, Jade spotted something and ran over. Making a quick transaction, she came back over to the others. "Here," she said, shoving a cell phone into each of their hands. "Easier for me than finding an owl."
"Thanks Jade," Harry said happily. "Is your number already in?"
"Mine, Hermoine's, and Ron's. We've all got each other's numbers already."
"What is this?" Ron asked, staring at it in confusion. "How does it work?"
"I'll explain," Hermoine said, rolling her eyes. She took Ron aside to quickly explain how to use it.
After that, Jade waved goodbye to her friends and watched as they left with their families to head home. She then turned, looking around for who would be picking her up.
"Good day, Jade."
Jade turned. "Professor Snape? What are you doing here?"
"Uncle wrote Professor Dumbledore. Apparently, unforseen circumstances prevented anyone from making it to London to pick you up, so he asked someone to see you safely home." Snape smiled softly at her. "I volunteered."
"Oh. Thank you Professor." Jade's mind raced as she tried to figure out what unforseen circumstance it could have been. "So how are we getting there?"
Snape smiled. "Section 13 recently had a connection to the international Floo network established. You've never traveled by Floo powder, have you?" Jade shook her head. "Come on then. We'll start from the Leaky Cauldron." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"But how will we-" Jade stopped talking as she felt a strange sensation. It felt like she'd turned side on to everything at once and was squeezed through a small crack, and all she could see was black. Then they were in the Leaky Cauldron. She blinked for a time. "That..." she said slowly. "That was side-on Apparition, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Snape said with a smile. "You handled it quite well." He led her over to the fireplace, reaching into a pouch at his waist. "I'll go with you until we meet up with Uncle, if that's alright." He threw a pinch of powder into the fire, and it flared green.
"Thank you, Professor," Jade said happily. She hadn't traveled by Floo Powder, but she'd read about it. She stepped into the fire without hesitation. "Section 13," she said clearly.
The fire flared then faded...but she wasn't sure this was the right place. It looked like Section 13 had been gutted! "What's going on?" she demanded, stepping out of the fire.
"Jade! Get down!" Jackie quickly pulled her behind some rubble.
"Jackie? What's happening? What-" There was a sudden roar, and she looked up. "How's Shendu alive?" she asked quietly.
Tohru quickly filled her in on the details. "The dark wizard Dao Long Wong sought to claim the Talismans...and to prevent him from getting them, Jackie destroyed them. However, that only led to the Talisman powers returning to their original bearers, the animals of the Zodiac...or their heirs. We then had to hunt across the world to try and protect the animals...but in each case, we came too late, and each talisman power Dao Long Wong gained made him more dangerous. At last, he had 11 of the 12, and all that was left was dragon...which tried to return to Shendu. Dao Long Wong ressurected Shendu in an attempt to claim the power from him, but..."
Jackie finished. "Shendu took the Talisman powers from him. Apparently, pulling 11 of the 12 Talisman powers out of Dao Long Wong was more than his human body could take. He dissolved into dust. Uncle's been doing what research he can to find out how to stop Shendu. Luckily for us - or unluckily - Shendu seems determined to take vengeance on us for his prior defeats before reclaiming his empire, and Uncle's protections are holding."
A huge blast of fire struck the green barrier surrounding the group just as Snape steeped out of the fireplace. Uncle collapsed in a dead faint, and the barrier flickered and vanished.
"UNCLE!" Jade cried out. She ran out in front of everyone, levelling her wand...not hearing Professor Snape shout out to her in warning. She cast her most powerful shield charm, casting a protective bubble over all of them. "Release to Level 3," she whispered. The seal on her arm glowed, and rings of magic representing five of the seven levels of seals floated around her arm, released.
Shendu landed in front of her barrier. "There you are, child. I wondered where you had gotten to. You had more of a hand in my earlier defeats than I would have thought possible. I wondered when you would appear." He touched the barrier, and Jade felt her knees buckle as she saw the magic in the barrier draining into Shendu's body. "Oho! Trained as a witch, are you? You would use traditional wizardry against me? You are truely a fool. I shall add your magic to my own, as I did that of the Immortal Animals ages ago!" He plunged both claws into the barrier, and Jade cried out in pain as the magic was ripped from her body as the barrier dissolved.
As Shendu laughed, Jade pushed herself back to her feet, levelling her wand at him once more.
"One last spell you have? Show me youe last remnant of power, child!" Shendu opened his mouth wide, eager to consume whatever Jade might throw at him.
"Negate...Incantato."
The static like mist flew forward in a sphere, straight into Shendu's mouth as he roared in triumph...a roar that cut off in the middle as his eyes went wide. The color drained out of his body, turning him a dull grey. His eyes - frozen in an expression of unimaginable pain - were the last to lose their color. His body then crumbled into dust...leaving behind only a strangely configured crystal that pulsed with the red light of fire.
Jade's eyes went wide. "What...what just happened?" she gasped out.
Serverus rested a hand on her shoulder. "Demon Sorcery absorbs traditional wizardry, feeding on it. Sorcery, wizardry, and chi magic have a relationship to each other not unlike the Muggle game 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'. Any traditionally trained witch or wizard has an advantage against a chi wizard, but a disadvantage against a Sorcerer. That's why he ate your magic...but what was that last spell?"
"It...it's kind of an anti magic spell. I'm still not entirely sure how it works. I only meant to cut him off from his magic for a bit, to give everyone a chance..."
Serverus shook his head. "Demons are creatures of living magic. When you negated his magic like that..."
"...I destroyed his soul." Jade wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering. She had felt in her soul what Shendu had experienced in his last moments. The anti magic spell created a temporary link between caster and the one it was cast on, preventing both from using ordinary magic while active...and through that link, she'd felt the agony of Shendu's last moments. It felt as though her own soul had been torn asunder. Reaching forward, she picked up the gem. "This?"
"That is demon stone," Uncle said, walking forward carefully, sadly. "When demon is truely destroyed, body and soul, crystal is left behind containing essence of what made demon demon. In this case, is essence of what made Shendu Demon Sorcerer. Is source of powerful demon magic. Must be protected."
"I'll do that." Jade held the stone against her chest. "After what I did to Shendu...I owe him that much."
Serverus nodded, the only one who understood what Jade meant, as he was the only one present who had taken a life with his magic.
End Book 1