As December dragged along Harry was looking forward to returning to The Burrow for Christmas. That was until Christoph invited them to Domhail for the holiday. Harry felt rude to turn down the invitation. Certainly he wanted to spend the holiday with Jana, and Jana expressed missing her "brothers and sisters". Harry felt unfairly cold to that sentiment. Harry was also feeling rather guilty for keeping he and Christoph's meeting with Steerforth a secret. Christoph urged Harry not to tell Jana that Steerforth had been hurt, as she would worry terribly. Harry kept the promise, but felt guiltier and guiltier by the day, especially when Jana expressed her sadness that Steerforth would not be at Domhail for Christmas. In so many words, he was unwelcome.
"Firecrackers." Ron insisted.
Hermione pursed her lips.
"Fred and George always set off a huge firecracker show, even though every year Mum says they can't." Ron continued, undaunted. "One time, they even hid crackers in everyone's stocking so they would go off once we opened them!"
"That's fascinating, but-"
"And the tarts, Hermoine!" Ron's voice broke, like he was about to burst into tears. "It's the only time my Mum makes them all year!"
"No one is stopping you from going home for Christmas." Hermione patiently reminded him, for about the fifth time that afternoon.
"I know," he answered, also for about the fifth time. "But I want you and Harry to come with me!"
"Oh, for Heaven's sake…"
This was the conversation Harry overheard as he descended into the common room. Hermione stood by the fireplace, her dark expression obscured by shadows while she fiddled with her bag. Ron however, as if ablaze with the passion of his arguments, seemed to glow orange in the flickering light.
Harry coughed, and they both spun around to face him.
"I don't want either of you to do anything you don't want to do." He said, quietly. "Christmas is a time where you should be with your families, and I wouldn't hold it against either of you if you wanted to go home."
At this, Ron looked guiltily at the floor, "I don't want you to go alone, mate."
"I'm not alone. Jana will be with me." Then, after a moment, he added. "And Christoph, I suppose."
"But he's a git!"
As if summoned by an incantation, the fireplace crackled and in a blaze of green and yellow that "git" stepped into the Gryffindor common room, rubbing his hands.
"It's a bit chilly over there," Christoph joked suggesting he had heard the last bit of their conversation, "But everyone is quite excited for your arrival! A McKeely Christmas is no small event, you know. Quite literally, I mean. My family is exceptionally large. If we all held hands, I have no doubt we'd circle the planet twice 'round!"
"The circumference of the Earth is 40,075 kilometers." a soft voice said. Jana stood at the top of the stairs with her bag in one hand, gazing out in some vague direction like she was counting each and every kilometer as she saw it. Then, she frowned. "There aren't that many of us, Christoph."
Christoph wagged a finger. "Not yet, but don't underestimate our parents! We've left them alone for several months, and I'm sure at least ten new children have sprung up in our place!"
"How is it that you're always right here?" Ron groaned, "don't you have classes to teach?"
"Good Morning to you to Mr. Weasley. If I remember correctly your essay is four days late," Christoph smirked making his way to the portrait hole, "will you be joining me for lunch, or are you advising the entire campus on the err of their ways again today?"
"Advising," Jana smiled. Once the shock of the attack on Harry wore off Jana's potion and Herbology prowess became the center of interest. Many students were starting to think about their N.E. next year and withered when they saw how easily Jana executed quite advanced skills in those two classes. Luckily for Jana this outshined her abysmal spell casting. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been trying to teach Jana basic hexes and defensive spells at Hagrid's Hut on the weekends to get her up to speed. She knew only "practical" magic as Hermione called it - water and fire conjuring, levitation and a slew of healing spells, some of which they had never even come across. They did this all at Hagrid's as they had to keep it a secret from Christoph. Jana was still not attending Defense Against the Dark Arts or Divination. That would be too hard a secret to keep from him.
"Fix your potions, trims your plants!" Malfoy jokingly called like a bard that afternoon in the Great Hall as Jana sat at the edge of the Gryffindor table waiting on a queue of students holding pots and bottles for Jana's inspection. He sat next to Jana like a best friend and it made Harry sick. They were now in two classes together - Advanced Potions and Alchemy. Jana was allowed to join Alchemy at Professor Snape's recommendation having scored high marks on a Potions OWL recently. At Dumbledore's request the exam was modified to be practical applications and questions and answers aloud, as Jana could not participate in the traditional written exam. Word of her near perfect score traveled quickly making her a sort of Professor assistant. Malfoy ate up every ounce of attention, after Jana thanked him quite publically for his help reading her books to her and scribing her essays.
A second year Hufflepuff with light brown curly hair approached Jana shyly and simply handed her a small vial. Jana uncorked it and took a sniff.
"How much Abyssinian shrivelfig did you use?" Jana asked friendly.
"Too much I guess," the Hufflepuff blushed. A few students behind her laughed.
"That's not nice," Jana said to them with a stern look. The laughing stopped immediately.
"Be precise in your measurement. If you over do it with the shrivelfig, conifer emulsions can balance them out so your brew doesn't waste...can you think of any?"
"Erm saffron milk cap?"
"Very good," Jana smiled.
"Next!" Malfoy teased.
"Don't be rotten Draco."
Next was a fifth year boy who was tall and lanky with mahogany skin. He held in his hand a pot with a very dead plant, it was secciated and beige. Jana examined it in the light and then put the dry crinkly leaf on her tongue. Malfoy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Horseradish…" Jana began reaching into the soil with her fingers and grabbing the root, "needs to planted diagonally…otherwise well done…"
However the tutoring session was about to come to an abrupt end.
"There you are," This angry voice had come from somewhere at the end of the queue. Then he appeared accompanied by a sweeping black cloak and large nose. It was Professor Snape and he looked as seething as ever.
"Severus?" Jana said blankly and her lifted her by her robes.
"And you too, Malfoy!" Snape growled pushing him towards the end of the great hall. All of the students waiting to speak with Jana sighed and began complaining about how they were going to fail or had waited so long. Snape marched Jana and Draco right up to Dumbledore's office. All the while, Malfoy was demanding an explanation and carrying on about his father. Jana was silent. The doors to the headmaster's office were already open. Dumbledore was writing something down and did not acknowledge them for quite some time. The space between them was littered with parchment in indiscriminable piles, a large looking glass playing paperweight on a stack of maps. The page, 564 to be exact, that had been held prisoner by Dumbledore's gaze shuddered, as a breeze passed through the warm office, challenging a nearby candle to stay aflame.
"NO!" Jana screamed, her book crashing to the ground, extinguishing the candle that lit its pages in the dark, as she squinted her eyes shut, covered her face with her hands and turned away from Snape who was approaching her at unusual speed.
"You know exactly what I am going to do, don't you?" Snape growled seizing Jana by her shoulders and fighting to position her how he wished. Jana began to writhe, shutting her eyes tighter and tighter as Snape dug his fingers into her arms.
"What is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore asked, abandoning his writing and imploring Snape to explain himself.
"LOOK AT ME!" Snape snarled grabbing hold of Jana's face and forcing it to point upward toward him.
"STOP! IT HURTS!" Jana cried.
"Severus that's enough," Dumbledore warned.
"Leave her alone!" Malfoy shrieked trying to grab Jana.
"LOOK. AT. ME." Severus continued, as if Dumbledore were not even there.
"Don't do it, please," Jana replied, tucking her chin to avoid his gaze. Professor Snape pointed his wand at Jana's chest.
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore shouted, knocking Snape off of Jana with a flick of his hand.
"I ask only that my suspicions are confirmed," Snape snarled, "the two you have been stealing ingredients and desecrating the room of requirement!"
"What are you talking about?" Malfoy barked, now leaning forward in protection of Jana, who cowered behind him.
"And you plan on confirming these outrageous accusations by using legilimency on students in my office?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
Snape turned his lip up as he inspected Malfoy who was visibly shaking, "if you had any idea what you were doing it would make you sick."
"Severus!" Dumbledore nearly rebuked.
"You're the one who asked me to help her! And now you're angry that I'm doing what you told me to?" Malfoy challenged with surprising bravery.
"I asked you to read her books to her and scribe her essays...powdered silver, aconite, dittany…"
"I don't have any reason to brew wolfsbane, sir," Jana explained gently. And she was telling the truth. Dumbledore provided Lupin with a year's supply knowing that Jana would be busy at Hogwarts.
"Asphodel...wormwood...adder's fork...lovage…"
Dumbledore appeared to be making a mental calculation as Snape rattled off various potion ingredients. He narrowed his eyes.
"Are you accusing me of brewing poison?" Jana asked. Snape snatched Jana's rucksack from her and shook it.
"Perhaps the last of my sloth brain is in here!" Snape snarled.
"No!" Jana shrieked reaching for it. Snape dumped the contents out onto the table. At least thirty or forty bottles and vials of various colors and shapes chimed as they scattered across the wood. Among the glass were various cloths tied with a leather straps or yarn, each full of various ingredients Jana has procured since the start of term. Snape inspected all of it thoroughly.
"They all look like healing elixirs and salves to me, Severus," Dumbledore smiled. Jana frantically collected them as disappointment fell across Snape's face.
"I will uncover what is going on," Snape frowned giving Malfoy a stern look. Malfoy helped Jana collect her belongings.
"Now what is this about the Room of Requirement?" Dumbledore asked as they were all about to exit.
"What's the room of requirement?" Jana asked avoiding his gaze.
"You're a terrible liar," Snape snubbed.
"I haven't brewed any poison either by the way," Draco frowned, grabbing Jana's hand and leaving Dumbledore's office in a rush.
Harry caught up to them halfway down the seventh floor corridor. He noticed Malfoy holding Jana's hand, which he instantly released at the sight of them.
"Are you alright? What's Snape want now?" Harry asked with genuine concern.
"Someone is stealing his potions. He thought it was us," Jana explained.
"Speak for yourself, McKeeley. Wait until Christoph sees what's in your bag," Malfoy replied angrily, "why don't you show your boyfriend?"
"Harry's not my boyfriend," Jana replied in a strangely stringent tone of voice. Malfoy kissed the air tauntingly, unconvinced and charged away with haste in his step.
"It's bad enough you spend half your day with him, and now he's getting you into trouble…" Harry started, but stopped when he noticed the tears welling up in Jana's eyes, and softened his tone, "what's the matter?"
"I can't wait for Christmas...I miss Remus…"
Harry hugged her to console her, "It will be here soon enough! So what is in your bag?"
Jana handed the bag over to Harry to inspect. He was quite impressed with all the ingredients Jana and collected and the potions she had brewed. Although Harry was angry that Jana had gotten roped into something Malfoy had clearly done, he was thoroughly pleased with the repercussions of it. Outside of Advanced Potions and Alchemy, Harry did not see Jana or Draco near each other. Hermione was quite relieved too, and confirmed along with Ron that Jana had been spending plenty of time with Luna and Neville, who they saw as a better fit for her, and none with Draco. Not even in the library.
The night before they left for Domhail, Jana returned to find a beautifully wrapped gift on her bed. Hermione was convinced it was from Neville Longbottom. All the girls encouraged Jana to reciprocate Neville's interest in her, as they all felt he was her perfect match. However, Jana insisted they were just friends.
"Open it!" Lavender squealed nearly jumping up and down on Jana's bed.
"I don't want to ruin the surprise," Jana replied with a smile as she tucked it away in her trunk.
"The suspense is killing me," Hermione complained, snatching it from Jana's hand, "just open it."
Slowly Jana released the ribbon, and tore the sparkling paper. There was a plain oak box inside, with a complicated metal latch. Jana could not quite execute the means to unlock it, as the combination of buttons were tiny and hard to see. She shook the box and it rattled Hermione helped her. As the box opened, Jana gasped.
Jana's eyes widened, "Sopophorous beans!"
"Told you it was Neville," Lavender giggled
"What a boring gift!" Padma sighed walking away from them.
"It isn't boring at all. I've been trying to get these…" Jana smiled.
"Maybe it was Neville that stole from Snape!" Hermione giggled at the thought.
"Anything for love!" Ginny teased.