The following day Jade woke up super early, she was going to tell her big secret to Snape. And she hoped he could actually be trusted.
Jade could barely pay attention to class during the day, how was she supposed to start? She only hoped she wouldn't be sent to St. Mungos for madness or Azkaban for doing something illegal... she still didn't know if it was illegal or not. Traspassing minds should be illegal.
After lunch, she went straight to the dungeons, and found Snape. He had a free period but she didn't.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class, Miss Lias?" Snape said in a cold tone.
"I need to talk to you," Jade said, sort of avoiding the question. "It's about something that's been troubling me for a few months now and as my head of house I thought I could trust you."
"What is it, Miss Lias?" Snape said, his voice changed a bit. He almost seemed concerned but he didn't look up at her, he kept grading some essays.
"I want Miles Bletchley out of the team," Jade said and suddenly she felt stupid. That wasn't a good start.
"Is that it?" Snape asked, he sounded bothered. "As captain you have the right to do that without my permission, if that's all, I think you are already late for your class and I suggest you to go."
"Uh, that's actually not everything. I'm telling you about him because I don't want him to come to you and being granted to return to the team," Jade said still not going to the chase. "The thing is that Miles Bletchley wants to lose on purpose so I can stop being the Captain, I know that because I heard him..."
"Miss Lias, just get a new keeper... now, if you excuse me..."
"I know because I heard his thoughts," Jade said in a shaking voice. "After I woke up from the coma I started hearing what people think and it took me two months or more to realize they weren't actually speaking. I don't know if this is bad... if it's illegal or if it will just go away or stay with me forever... I just don't even know what I have."
Snape finally looked up at her. He stopped grading the essay in his hands and sighed loudly. Jade bit her lip and looked down to the ground. It was said now and she couldn't take it back.
"It's not illegal... but it's highly dangerous. Only highly skilled people can do such a thing. Miss Lias, please have a seat."
"Dangerous how?" Jade asked as she sat in front of Snape.
"You can be used as a weapon. If anyone finds out about this, they can use you for their advantage." Jade gulped.
"I think they'd be disappointed... I can't actually get into someone's mind when I want to. It just happens at random. I've tried and when I do that I go days without listening to anything. It's weird."
"Yes, but you could be trained to be able to get into someone's mind at will," Snape said.
"Can I get rid of it?"
"It's very unlikely," Snape answered. "If it had only been a few times for a short amount of time I would guess it would go away, that it was just some kind of aftereffect from the coma and the spells you were hit with, but this has lasted for months and it doesn't seem to be fading."
"On the contrary, it seems like it gets sharper... like I can now tell the difference between thoughts and actually words spoken outloud and I not only hear thoughts... I also see them... it's hard to explain. But if someone is thinking of something I can see it and the images have gotten less blurry with time."
"So... it was you then? The one who got into my mind the other day?"
"It wasn't on purpose," Jade said quickly. "And I couldn't even see well... it was all blurry."
"So, you are getting sharper, so you say," Snape said, changing the topic quickly. "That only mens it will be almost impossible to get rid of it."
"Can you help me control it then? I don't want to invade my friends' minds."
"That's not what you should worry about... If you are in someone's mind and they discover it's you, like I said, they might use you. So you got to be careful with this. It's more serious than what you think... okay, tell me everything, the day you fell into the coma, even your coma if you remember something. When you listen to people's thoughts, every single detail. I'll write to your teacher, by the way, say I asked you to come."
Jade told everything to Snape, from the first thing she heard and saw to the last. She told him she saw Potter's crush as he thought of her and Snape seemed a bit disappointed and murmured 'lazy' under his breath.
Jade answered all of his questions. She spent two hours or more with him just talking about the topic.
Jade was a bit relieved when she knew that she wasn't going to be sent to Azkaban as that wasn't illegal but she got more worries when Snape told her she could be used.
But at least he agreed to help her. He agreed to teach her. She now knew that she could control it with some techniques and lessons. Snape said that sometimes she would get into someone's mind without wanting to, especially if she was distracted and if the person was weak. But it shouldn't happen often.
And that if she wanted she could hear anyone's mind, she could control that too. Snape even assured her he could teach her how to be less noticeable only under the condition of not getting into his head, because it didn't matter how careful she was, he would feel his mind being invaded and he would punish her for it. Jade obviously agreed.
That night eight Slytherin turned up for practice instead of seven, some were confused, except for three people. Jade, Draco and the 'guest'.
"What is he doing here?" Graham was the one daring to ask.
"I'm glad you ask," Jade said with a smile. "This is Travis, you already know him. He played in the game against Ravenclaw and he did such an amazing job that I've decided to give him the position of keeper."
"What?" Miles exclaimed abruptly. "You can't do that, I'm the keeper."
"Uh no, you were," Jade said with a sneer. "You did an awful job against Gryffindor, and he did amazing against Ravenclaw even without training. And we do need to win our next match."
"You can't be serious!"
"I am. I also don't enjoy resentment in my team and stupid men thoughts. I can be captain despite being younger and a girl and I know you are so against that. I know you talked to Snape... to Dumbledore. Even your parents did when you failed."
"How do you know that?"
"I also know that you were trying to make us lose... to make me seem like I can't be captain so you could become the new captain. That's betrayal, not only to me, but to the whole team, Miles. And why would you think you would be captain when I was in a coma? There can be a temporary captain but it's either chosen by the team or by the head of house, so in our case Snape. Did he choose you? Or the team did? Because I heard complaints, saying it wasn't fair that you basicaly chose yourself. Graham would be a better captain than you. Anyone would."
"At least I would be better than you."
"It doesn't matter, does it? I'm captain, you aren't even in the team anymore... and there's only what? About ten weeks left of school? What would you do in ten weeks? Specially when our very last match is in just a few days... after that... no more quidditch for us."
"I'll talk to Snape... he will be on my side. I will not only be back as a keeper but as a captain and when that happens you'll be out of the team for good."
"Wrong again, Miles," Jade said with a smile. "First, you must read Quidditch rules. As captain I can make all the decisions I want and Snape won't stop me unless he thinks I'm jeopardizing the team. And you won't be back as keeper or captain and even if you were... you can't keep me out of the team for good, next year you'll be gone so I could do trials and get into the team again. So stop saying so much bullshit."
"You stu..."
"And just so you know, I broke three records this year, that proves I'm a great player. Most goals scored, the furthest goal scored, and the first girl to be captain in Slytherin. I also have two more records. The girl that has played the longest in the team, and with my brother I share the record of scoring the most goals ever between siblings," Jade said proudly. "And I just need a few goals to break the record of scoring the most goals in a single year, so not a bad year. I have all that in my favour, what do you have?"
Silence.
"I thought so. If you go to Snape or Dumbledore... well, they chose me for a reason before school started. And I've got all that to prove I'm good enough to be captain and I also have my team's support. You've got nothing... maybe just Graham but he won't risk his place in this team for you."
"So you have them threatened?"
"No. But I won't tolerate people who attempt against my team. Quidditch is like war. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices so you get rid of burdens, of risks. You were a great player until envy consumed you. Wanting to be captain was one thing but actually thinking of making us all lose... well, that's unacceptable and a betrayal to all of us. So can you please leave and let us practice? I'm sure Snape is free now if you want to talk to him."
"I will, believe me."
"Oh and by the way, Miles," Jade said walking towards him, her brown eyes fixed on him now. "I know you hit the bludger that almost got me during out first match so I wouldn't be able to break the record."
"How do you know that?"
"Well, you just admitted it," Jade with a shrug. "And I saw you. I thought it was a mistake but why would you have Crabbe's bat? You are - were a keeper not a beater. You messed up Miles, now go."
Miles wanted to say a million things to Jade but said none. Draco got closer to Jade in a protective way just in case, but Miles did nothing. He just stormed out, cursing loudly but Jade didn't care. They used to be friends but Quidditch was important, and apparently Miles didn't care about friendship so why would she?
"Okay, show's over. We'll practice mostly on Travis tonight. Get him to get used to the team, how we work, our strategy. And then Draco and I will look for the Snitch, understood?"
Jade became more strict after Miles was gone. She pushed the players to do better, to train harder. And she made clear she wouldn't stand betrayals. And the only one who could be a suspect of it was Graham.
Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid for it, Draco was out of the question, Lewis was new and kind of low, and Travis had just been chosen.
Jade was also acting too tight because of stress. She had an important match in just days and they needed to win that. She needed to get good grades in her O.W.L.'s. She also had the D.A. meetings, sometimes they were twice a week, when time allowed and now she also had personal classes with Snape to deal with her problem.
Jade had a headache for days after the first lesson with Snape. He used a spell on her and suddenly she could hear people nearby, they were at least ten, her mind wanted to get into Snape's mind so bad but he stopped her. It was like it got out of control, it was like her mind was more powerful than herself, and that's what she needed to learn... be able to use it when she wanted. To be the one in control.
Draco was the only one that knew and he was nervous. He didn't like that Snape thought having such a 'gift' could be dangerous. He never feared Jade would be sent to Azkaban or St. Mungos as she did, but he thought that if she wanted, they could help her get rid of it but apparently that wasn't possible even when her life could be in danger because of it.
Draco thought of looking for another opinion but could he trust someone else? He wouldn't know how Dumbledore would take it. And the other teachers might not even know how to help.
A day before the match, Jade looked pale and sick. She had spent one hour at the D.A. meeting then two hours with Snape. She tried to do her homework but her headache was too bad she couldn't do anything. Draco convinced the twins to do it for her. A smile and a certain way of looking at people could be very convincing.
The twins were of course, a bit stupid, but Draco knew they always cheated so they only needed to copy their own homeworks, which they copied from someone else, and Draco just checked for mistakes. Jade still hadn't realized all her homework was done.
"Do I really look bad?" Jade asked.
"Yeah, terrible," Draco said.
"Terrible enough to skip Umbridge's class and go see Madam Pomfrey?"
"Why do you want to skip her class?"
"Because I haven't had time to do the essay for her class and I don't want another detention with her..." Jade said, looking down at her hand for a second.
"Well, you look like shit so if you want you can go to Madam Pomfrey so you don't have to see her... but your essay is done, so no detention for you."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the pile of homework you had... I thought of helping."
"You didn't have to," Jade said weakly. "But I appreciate it."
Jade's state was obvious, she heard someone from her class, Parvati Patil, think how awful she looked. And Neville thinking she should go to rest. Jade didn't though. She continued her day despite how bad she felt.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked.
"Perfect," Jade said trying to attempt a smile but failing.
At the end of the day Jade did go to Snape to tell him how bad she felt and to ask him if he had anything that could help, as she had a Quidditch match the day after. Snape gave her a potion and told her to go straight to bed and eat protein tomorrow, no sugars, as that could make her a sluggish.
