"Listen, Patrick," he said, angrily, "we know what you're doing. And Jade and I are going to stop you, with Dumbledore!!"
"So sure, are you?" said a silky voice. Snape stepped out of the shadows, menacing and threatening.
"John..." I cried, faltering, and grabbed for my wand, knowing what would happen before it did. Snape, shouting, disarmed us both in a second.
Dasher! I screamed mentally, and Snape laughed, an evil, horrid sound. He pulled a silver cage from behind his back, with Dasher inside, wearing a mask over her head. My heart and mind and soul closed, and I knew in an instant - the helmet blocked out all thoughts, so he couldn't hear me or respond.
I screamed in fury and fear and threw myself at Snape, trying to grab at Dasher's cage and free him from the mask. Instantly, I was being bound in heavy rope against John's back. I sucked in as much air as I could, puffing my chest out so that I would have some free space in the ropes - something I read in a Nancy Drew book when I was little. Muggle tricks do help from time to time. I only wished I could whisper to John, but he was puffing out his stomach too, I felt him drawing breath. Now how did he get so clever?
How could Dumbledore not know what was happening?? Didn't he know that Neborth would do something? Couldn't the Gryffindors hear us?? My eyes blackened and I saw stars as I slipped into the dreamworld, knocked out heavily by a Brick Charm.
I found myself in a deep, dark cavern when I awoke. There was a door, but it was glowing faintly yellow, a sure sign of a Locking Spell. I was still bound in ropes, though, with John's back to mine, and I tried to wriggle out of them, sucking in my breath. But the ropes only tightened, and I let out a cry of despair. Muggle tricks didn't always help.
"Jade, I've already tried," John told me hopelessly, and I started, surprised.
"Where are we?? Did they knock you out, too?" I asked.
"No...well, I mean yes, but...my dad works for the Ministry, remember...he, uh, taught me a few useful tricks." I could sense John's grin, despite our situation.
"What happened?"
"We're in Neborth's so-called prison chambers, awaiting questioning. He wants us to tell him the names of every Muggle-born in the school - or at least in Gryffindor House - so he can test if his Muggle Identification Charm is working...and he also wants us to be used as ransom for Dumbledore."
"How did you find all this out??:
"Heard Snape and Patrick talking. Apparently Snape doesn't think much of Patrick, same thing you told me about what Dasher said...oh, I'm sorry, Jade," he said as he heard me sniff. I couldn't believe they'd done that to Dasher!! They could do whatever they wanted to me, but Dasher wasn't in this.
"Why can't they leave him alone? Neborth is..." I trailed off, sobbing. John tried without much success to turn in the ropes and got as close as he could to putting his arms around me.
"What a sweet picture," remarked a nasty voice by the doorway. John and I turned at the same time to face Snape again.
"What do you want, you criminal?" I asked coldly. He chuckled - rather evilly, I thought.
"You'll know when we're through with you, little girl."
"She's not little!" John snapped back in instant defiance. Snape chuckled again - how I hated that sound!!
"Come with me," he ordered, and snapped his fingers. Instantly we felt ourselves rising and drawn out of the now unlocked door, and then I could see no more. My eyes shone yellow as Snape raised his wand and muttered, and they were closed before I could say anything. I saw only black.
Black. Black. Black. Sirius Black. That escaped convict from Azkaban years and years ago that Melissa had told me about! How did he escape? He was an Animagus, an unregistered Animagus...Animagus. I wondered if I could still get power from Dasher...I had used some of his magic to help me cast the Elven spells...I tried, and it worked. Could I use that to turn myself into another rabbit?
I felt his magic surging through me, and whispered words my animal-loving mother had whispered to me, telling me the stories of rabbits and Animagi, trying to help myself remember everything. I suddenly remembered a scene from that summer, the night before I stepped on the Hogwarts Express at Platform Nine and Three Quarters...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Use this in a pinch, Jade," she said, her face strained and her hair in a bun so as not to interfere with her gymnastics. "I know that weird stuff happens at Hogwarts, and somebody is always after Dumbledore. I know I can't stop you from accepting a challenge...but use this in a pinch. Jadey...I never have told you this before, but my maiden name was Black. My grandfatherwas Sirius Black himself...he lived a long life, but not long enough to see his beautiful grandchild."
She sniffed, a tear running down her cheek, and I remember that I stood stunned, not believing her, thinking she was in a weird mood. She had to be - Sirius Black? I had no idea who he was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So that was who Sirius Black was!! And he was my great-grandfather!! No wonder I didn't remember - I only wished Mother had told me before. I muttered the spell she had told me next, and muttered it carefully, perfectly, not stumbling over any words. And suddenly - I was a rabbit. I looked around, my eyes now open, and saw John spin around in wonder. I leaped up on his shoulder and he stopped, incredulous. I jumped down and started gnawing harshly at the ropes, hoping dearly that Snape, far ahead, wouldn't hear me.
Author's Note: Weird, cool, or just plain stupid? I need thy opinions, my friends. ;) And we'll find out about Snape's jerkiness turning to genuine evilness later. But go ahead - make a guess in your reviews!!