Snow fell in sheets as Stacy walked to the greenhouses with Courtney, Ben, and Peter. 'Does it ever stop snowing here?' She pondered as Courtney almost slipped on a sheet of ice. Stacy was not used to snow. She had only seen it once while visiting her mother on the set of a movie in New York before coming to Hogwarts. Now, she had to walk through it nearly everyday.
A strong gust of wind suddenly knocked Stacy and Peter to the ground. Ben laughed loudly as Courtney struggled to help her friends stand back up. Stacy sighed in despair as she noticed her cloak was soaked once again. She couldn't believe there was a time when she wished for snow in California just so that she could have a day off from school. Now she was longing for the days when she could still go to the beach in the middle of winter. It had been snowing nearly every day since Christmas. The Hogwarts lawns were covered in nearly five feet of snow. Hagrid had fixed it so there was a cleared path between the school and the greenhouses, but even the path was already covered in ice and two inches of snow.
The rest of the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were already inside by the time they managed to force their way over the ice. The greenhouse was much warmer than it was outside. Stacy happily removed her wet cloak and hung it up on a rack by the door before joining Courtney and Carrie Sarers at a table. Ben, Peter, and Justin Taylor were at the one next to theirs.
"Today," Professor Longbottom stated as he made his way to the front of the class. "We will be learning about Rutaweeds. Can anyone tell me what a Rutaweed is?"
As usual, Courtney's hand was the first and only one in the air.
"A Rutaweed is an herb used for healing potions. It can close cuts and cure burns," Courtney answered once she was called on. "It also has the power to greatly reduce fevers, cold symptoms, and aches among other diseases."
Professor Longbottom looked pleased with her answer. Someone had actually done the reading he assigned! "Madam Pomfrey needs a new supply of Rutaweeds, so I have been asking all of my classes to grow them for a project. You will be graded on how well yours turns out and whether it can be used for the potion. It will be worth three homework assignments. We are going to the library for the rest of this class so that you may research how to grow them. Come Monday with a six inch report about Rutaweeds."
With that said, the class bundled up in their cloaks, gloves, and and scarfs and hurried back outside into the snow. Stacy screeched in surprise as a snowball hit her in the back of the head. She whipped around to see Ryan Arnold standing three feet behind her snickering. "I always wondered what happens when you mix snow with mud!" He exclaimed sarcastically causing all of the Slytherins except for Justin and Carrie to laugh hysterically. Stacy felt mildly confused. Mud? She wasn't dirty.
"How dare you- you jerk!" Justin yelled. His face was red and splotchy from a mixture of coldness and anger. His hands were balled up into fists by his side.
This caused the Slytherins to laugh harder. "I'm a jerk?" Ryan asked in a faux innocent voice. "Golly gee that hurts! Especially coming from you, Taylor."
"Want me to hurt you?" Justin snarled. He suddenly pounced on Ryan, sending both of them flying onto a mountain of snow.
"Boys!" Professor Longbottom cried as he rushed out of the greenhouse. He wrapped his arms around Justin and tried to pull him off of Ryan. Justin shoved him away and proceeded to punch Ryan repeatedly in the face before jumping up. Ryan was pulled out of the snow by two of his friends. Blood was streaming rapidly down his face from his nose.
Professor Longbottom looked anxious and uncertain what to do. In a shaking voice he ordered Ryan's friends to escort him up to see Madam Pomfrey. Then, he took twenty points from Slytherin and gave Justin a detention.
"But, he was provoked!" Peter exclaimed. "Ryan called Stacy something nasty!"
"He suggested that she was- that she was a mudblood!" Ben cried.
Professor Longbottom nodded his head slightly. He had disliked Ryan ever since the first day of school and immediantly believed this statement. "Then, he too will have detention and twenty more points will be taken from Slytherin."
The Slytherins growled angrily and glared at Peter and Ben before Professor Longbottom urged the class on toward the school. Stacy was glad when they reached the castle. It felt good to be able to feel her feet once again.
The library was unusually crowded for the middle of the morning when the class arrived. The first year Hufflepuffs were gathered around various tables and wandering through the shelves of books. Stacy and her friends sat down at a long table with Greg, Jana, Steven, and Wendy.
"Why are you guys here?" Carrie asked them.
Carrie had been unusually nice ever since coming back from Christmas vacation. Stacy was starting to like her more than her twin sister Mary in Ravenclaw. Mary was seemed too stuck-up. She reminded Stacy of some of the people she used to go to school with. Carrie, while a Slytherin, was nice and very funny. Courtney also liked her better than Mary. But, Stacy couldn't help wondering if that was because Mary was the only first year with marks to rival Courtney's.
"Professor Binns wasn't feeling well, so our class was cancelled," Jana answered. "We're supposed to do research for a paper on Voldemort."
Everyone except for Stacy and Jana jumped slightly at the mention of his name.
"Don't say that! Don't say his name!" Wendy cried, earning a glare from MadamVasta.
Stacy couldn't help wondering how a ghost couldn't be feeling well, but decided not to ask. She felt stupid enough already for not understanding what was insulting about what Ryan said to her.
"He's dead," Jana shrugged. "How can you still be afraid of someone who's dead?"
"Exactly," Professor Potter said from behind her. "That's what I have been saying for years. Stacy, Jana, could I see both of you in my office in about five minutes?" The girls nodded uncertainly and he walked back out of the library.
"What does he want to see you for?" Courtney asked curiously.
"Are you in trouble?" Ben asked excitedly. He seemed to enjoy watching his friends get into trouble for some reason. Courtney claimed it was because he was always in trouble for his low grades. Though, he was starting to do better in his classes. Stacy noticed that he was actually passing all of them now. She had managed to help him with most of his assignments ever since Christmas. He didn't even try to stop her from assisting him anymore.
"I don't think so," Stacy said uncertainly. She hadn't been in trouble since the New Years festival when she snuck off to see her grandmother. But, even then she had not really been in trouble. After her grandmother explained the situation, Professor McGonagall had cancelled her detention and given back the points to Gryffindor. Stacy's grandmother and cousin Elizabeth had gone home immediantly after the festival. Roxanna did not feel well and said she needed to go home and rest. She left Stacy with orders to speak to Jana about her dreams and to report back to her with the results.
Now, three weeks after the festival, Stacy had not done either of these tasks. She tried to convince herself that it was because she had been too busy with school to worry about anything else. While the teachers had increased her workload considerably, this was not the complete truth. Stacy was too afraid to say anything to Jana. Part of her thought her grandmother was completely wrong and she was afraid to make a fool of herself by bringing it up. Part of her was still uncertain that Eliza was the good Redas sibling. She couldn't help wondering if Michael was the one she really should be trying to find. And, part of her just wanted to ignore the entire problem. It wasn't really hers to deal with. If someone needed her help, they obviously knew where to find her.
Jana jumped up suddenly, bringing Stacy out of her thoughts. "It's been almost five minutes," she announced.
"Want me to come with you?" Wendy asked eagerly. Stacy groaned inwardly. That was the last thing she needed. Wendy would be only too happy to inform everyone in the school about what happened in Professor Potter's office.
A smile crossed Jana's face. "We'll be fine. Besides, Professor Potter only said he wanted to see us."
Courtney looked up from the book she was reading for her report. She was the only one at their table doing the assignment. "Are you going?"
"Yeah," Stacy replied with a hint of anxiety.
"Come on, Stacy," Jana said cheerfully. Stacy could never understand how she could always be so happy. Nothing seemed to intimidate her.
They walked silently to Professor Potter's office. He was waiting inside with Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Granger. Another man with red hair was standing toward the back of his office.
"Have a seat," Professor Potter said as soon as they finished glancing nervously around the room. Stacy was relieved to see that Jana also seemed worried now. They sat down in two empty chairs in the middle of the group.
"This is my friend Ron Weasley," Professor Potter told them. "I believe you know everyone else." The girls nodded dimly. Stacy stared at the man for a moment. He was the one she saw with Professor Potter at the beginning of the year.
"I received an interesting letter from your grandmother today, Stacy," Professor Dumbledore said suddenly. There was a faint twinkle in his eye, despite the serious expressions on the other teachers.
"Oh. Really?" Stacy asked nervously. She twirled a strand of hair tightly around her finger.
"Yes. Do you know what it was about?" He continued. Stacy shook her head and studied her feet with such determination Jana couldn't help laughing.
"Is there something funny, Miss Black?" Professor McGonagall snapped.
"No, ma'am," Jana whispered.
"Your grandmother said you have a trait which runs in your family. You are a feeler," Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "That's a very interesting trait to have and very rare. It only runs in a few families today."
"Really?" Stacy asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but what does this have to do with me?" Jana asked cautiously.
"I think you already know that, Eliza," Dumbledore said gently. The twinkle in his eye seemed to grow brighter.
Jana's opened widely all of the sudden. "W-what?" She stammered.
"Your name is Eliza Redas," McGonagall stated.
Jana shook her head. "No, it isn't. My name is Jana Black! Eliza was a murderer. A traitor! She killed her family and deserved to die. Why would you think I am her?"
Professor Granger quickly moved over to her and placed the Swarte charm against Jana's arm. It turned such a brilliant shade of green the entire room was lit up.
Stacy watched as her friend's expression changed from a mixture of anger and anxiety to something that resembled relief.
Jana smiled patiently at everyone and put her hands in the air. "Okay, you got me," She said with a cheerful smile on her face. "I am Eliza."
The teachers looked taken aback by her confession. They obviously had not expected her to give in so easily.
Jana/Eliza- Stacy wasn't really sure what to call her- took the charm out of Hermione's hands and turned it over a couple times. "The Swarte charm," She mused. "I haven't seen this in ages. Not since Michael- Well, I don't really want to go into that."
"Perhaps you should explain everything," Professor McGonagall requested.
"Alright," Jana said with a little less enthusiasm. "I died. I came back. What else do you want to know?"
The teachers stared expectantly at her.
"Do we need to ask Professor Snape for a truth potion?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Jana sighed and leaned back a little in her chair. Then, she finally told her tale.
"It all began when I was about eleven years old. Everyone in my family was a witch or wizard. I realized this when I was about four years old and I saw my cousin turn his dog into a bear. There were not any formal schools of witchcraft in the colonies then. My parents sent us to the neighbor's house everyday for lessons when I was eleven and he was fourteen. We were friends growing up, but learning magic tore us apart. He began to hate me soon after we started our lessons. I was able to receive a better education because I was younger when I started. I also caught on to what we learned faster than my brother. He had difficulty with potions especially. That was another reason he hated me. I excelled in making potions. That's why I'm here today."
"And, why he is too," Stacy noted.
Jana's eyes widened again. "Michael's here? But- but how?"
"We think he drank the potion too," Professor Granger stated.
"You didn't know?" Stacy asked. "But, you were the one who sent me the visions."
A strange look flickered through Jana's eyes. "No," She said slowly. "I didn't."
"Why don't you finish your story?" Ron asked, cutting off Stacy before she could ask another question.
"Well, I made the potion for my aunt Gertrude. She had smallpox and the town doctor said she would die soon. I made the potion so that she would be born again as a baby shortly after her death. But, before I could get it to her she died when her house was burned down."
"Michael?" Stacy asked quietly.
Jana nodded. "He bragged about it for weeks. He kept joking and saying it was my fault because I hadn't stopped him. I was fourteen by then. One day, I came home from our village to fine Michael standing over our parents with his wand clutched tightly in his hand. I knew right away that they were dead. Michael screamed at me the second I walked through the door. He insisted that I was the killer.
I think he started to go insane toward the end. He kept shaking and saying it wasn't his fault and that I was to blame. He chased me out into the town square and publicly accused me of the murder. The townspeople believed him and I was sentenced to death on the spot. People had started thinking there was something strange about me months before the incident and instantly accepted that I was a witch.
I was killed just days later. I managed to escape from the jail one night and get my potion from home. I strengthened it so that I would not return so soon to my death. I did not think centuries would go by before I was born though."
"If you could escape, why didn't you just leave?" Stacy asked.
"They would have found me. Michael was good with charms. He could have tracked me easily. He was very smart, just not too good with magic," Jana anwered. "Well, I'm not sure what happened to me after I died. I sort of floated around the earth for awhile. I wasn't a ghost. I'm not sure exactly what I was. Until, about twelve years ago I was pulled into a woman's uterus and nine months later was born as an infant. I grew up in a family of witches and wizards. I was now the oldest of three. My brother and sister are twin three year olds. The rest you already know. I was accepted here and, well, I came."
The teachers exchanged a glance before Professor McGonagall spoke up. "I think that is enough for now. The next class has already begun and I am supposed to be teaching the first year Hufflepuffs now."
Professor Dumbledore was staring intently out the window. "Did you have a funeral for your aunt?"
Jana nodded. "We had a small one the day after her death. It wasn't what you consider a funeral today. We buried her remains behind our house with the rest of our deceased family members."
Professor McGonagall stood up and walked toward the door. Jana followed her a minute later when Professor Dumbledore didn't say anything else.
"What class do you have now, Stacy?" Professor Potter asked.
"Charms," She replied.
"Would you like it if we walk with you and tell Professor Flitwick why you are late?" Professor Granger offered. Stacy nodded and they too left.
"What happens now?" Stacy asked once they were out of the office.
The three adults exchanged a look over Stacy's head before Professor Potter answered, "We will try to find Michael. But, there is nothing more you can do. Your grandmother does not want you involved." His tone hinted that he did not think anything would stop Stacy from involving herself if she wanted to do so.
"There has to be something I can do. I didn't have those dreams by mistake. Someone wanted me to know what was happening. But, it wasn't Jana, was it?" Stacy pondered.
The adults exchanged another look, causing Stacy to roll her eyes. She hated being left out because people did not think she could handle the information and was too young to know.
Before they could give a vague answer, they arrived outside the Charms classroom. Professor Granger went inside with Stacy and told Professor Flitwick a brief summary of the reason his student was late for class.
Stacy joined Ben, Peter, and Courtney at a table where they were practicing floating charms. Ben, surprisingly, was the only one who had been able to float his feather. He grinned at Stacy and pointed proudly at his feather which was hovering around the ceiling. Courtney rolled her eyes in an obvious display of jealousy. It was the first time she was not the first in their group to figure out a spell or potion.
By the end of class, there were four feathers drifting over their table. Ben was still gloating as they made their way to the Great Hall after class.
"I love Charms," Ben remarked. "What other class could I be better than her at something?" He jerked a thumb at Courtney when he said 'her'.
"Will you be quiet?" Courtney cried, causing several Gryffindors to stare at her.
"Am I bothering you?" Ben asked innocently. "Sorry if you can't handle my higher intellect."
Courtney stood up abruptly and ran out of the room, though lunch was not over. Stacy reluctantly followed her. She was strangely hungry and had not finished her food yet. Peter promised to save her a roll and anything else he could fit in his pockets.
"Courtney!" Stacy called as she ran out of the Great Hall.
"Ssh!" Her friend hissed and pulled her around the corner. "Look! I can't believe it!"
Stacy peeked around the corner and saw Courtney's sister Rachel and Keith Stewart kissing.
"What's so bad about that?" Stacy asked. Maybe it was because she grew up around her mother's friends, but kissing did not seem awful to her.
Courtney ignored Stacy and continued to gawk at the couple in horror. "What are you doing to my sister? You're going to choke her!" She cried loudly.
Rachel and Keith broke apart and stared at the girls.
"Courtney!" Rachel yelled in a mixture of anger and humiliation.
Keith chuckled. "Just doing her duty, right, Courtney? What little sister doesn't live for humilating their older sibling?"
"I'm not little," Courtney scoffed.
Stacy felt her face flush with embarrassment for Courtney. "Come on, Court," She muttered. "It's almost time for class."
Courtney unwillingly trailed behind her after a severe glare from Rachel.
"She should be thanking me. His tongue was going to kill her! How can they breathe like that anyway? It's disgusting!" Courtney ranted.
"I don't know," Stacy replied. "Through their noses?"
Both girls dissolved into a fit of giggles at this.
The afternoon flew by quickly, despite the fact that they had Double Potions and that Snape was in an even worse mood than usual and that Stacy could not get Jana to talk to her about what happened that morning.
"What's wrong with Jana?" Peter asked after class.
"Jana?" Stacy squeaked. "Nothing's wrong with her. She's perfectly normal."
Peter raised his eyebrow. "I meant why won't she talk to you? Is she mad?"
"Oh," Stacy replied with a sigh of relief. "That. She's not mad at me. At least, I don't think so."
"She seems angry, but I don't know why she should be," Courtney noted. She was in a better mood now because her potion had been better than Ben's. Of course, Ben had always been bad at Potions.
"Did you do something to get her mad?" Ben asked with a grin.
Stacy shook her head. "Not that I know of."
The Gryffindor Common Room was packed after dinner that night. The older students were exceptionally happy because it was the Friday before a Hogsmeade weekend. The younger students were just content with the fact they did not have any more classes until Monday. Stacy and her friends sat around a table in the corner doing their homework despite the noise around them.
"So, Rutaweed is good, right?" Ben asked. He was still struggling with the first inch of his Herbology report. Courtney was on her eighth and Stacy and Peter on their sixth.
"No, unless you think healing people is good," Courtney replied sarcastically.
"How many inches are you going to write?" Stacy asked her. "Isn't this supposed to be a short report?"
Courtney shrugged. "Ten should be short enough. Maybe I'll make it a foot just so it's even."
"Done," Peter announced as he dropped his quill. "I guess I'll do Potions now."
Ben's eyes widened. "That's not due until Wednesday though. Isn't it?"
"It's always good to think ahead," Courtney said wisely.
"Wednesday's-" Ben started.
"Only five days away!" Courtney interrupted. "And, it's a big assignment. You could use a good grade on it."
"Then, you do it for me," Ben joked. Courtney rolled her eyes and went back to her report.
"Were flying lessons cancelled?" Jessica Mullan asked them as she came out of the girls' bedroom.
"Yeah," Stacy answered. "Too much snow. All of the brooms have ice on them."
"Ok, thanks," Jessica said and walked over to where Christine and Julie were sitting.
"I'm starting to hate snow," Stacy complained with a wrinkled nose. "It's so-"
Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway to Gryffindor Tower. She called for their prefects, Keith, Joan, and two others, to come see her for a moment. Stacy watched curiously as a look of alarm crossed their faces. After a couple of minutes, McGonagall left and Joan walked to the center of the common room.
"Everyone," She called and the room became silent. "We are supposed to go to the Great Hall and stay there for the night. The teachers have to search the school."
"Why? What happened?" Penny asked her sister.
Joan shrugged. "A Hufflepuff- Jana Black- has disappeared."
To Be Continued...
Author's Note:
I think there are going to be about 2-6 more chapters in this series. I haven't decided yet. I'm not sure when they're coming out. I'll try to write them as soon as possible.
Once again, sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes. Oh, and I hope this wasn't too weird. I'm really tired and sore at the moment and just hope it made a little sense.
Thanks for reading this! Please review! =)
- Hope
A strong gust of wind suddenly knocked Stacy and Peter to the ground. Ben laughed loudly as Courtney struggled to help her friends stand back up. Stacy sighed in despair as she noticed her cloak was soaked once again. She couldn't believe there was a time when she wished for snow in California just so that she could have a day off from school. Now she was longing for the days when she could still go to the beach in the middle of winter. It had been snowing nearly every day since Christmas. The Hogwarts lawns were covered in nearly five feet of snow. Hagrid had fixed it so there was a cleared path between the school and the greenhouses, but even the path was already covered in ice and two inches of snow.
The rest of the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were already inside by the time they managed to force their way over the ice. The greenhouse was much warmer than it was outside. Stacy happily removed her wet cloak and hung it up on a rack by the door before joining Courtney and Carrie Sarers at a table. Ben, Peter, and Justin Taylor were at the one next to theirs.
"Today," Professor Longbottom stated as he made his way to the front of the class. "We will be learning about Rutaweeds. Can anyone tell me what a Rutaweed is?"
As usual, Courtney's hand was the first and only one in the air.
"A Rutaweed is an herb used for healing potions. It can close cuts and cure burns," Courtney answered once she was called on. "It also has the power to greatly reduce fevers, cold symptoms, and aches among other diseases."
Professor Longbottom looked pleased with her answer. Someone had actually done the reading he assigned! "Madam Pomfrey needs a new supply of Rutaweeds, so I have been asking all of my classes to grow them for a project. You will be graded on how well yours turns out and whether it can be used for the potion. It will be worth three homework assignments. We are going to the library for the rest of this class so that you may research how to grow them. Come Monday with a six inch report about Rutaweeds."
With that said, the class bundled up in their cloaks, gloves, and and scarfs and hurried back outside into the snow. Stacy screeched in surprise as a snowball hit her in the back of the head. She whipped around to see Ryan Arnold standing three feet behind her snickering. "I always wondered what happens when you mix snow with mud!" He exclaimed sarcastically causing all of the Slytherins except for Justin and Carrie to laugh hysterically. Stacy felt mildly confused. Mud? She wasn't dirty.
"How dare you- you jerk!" Justin yelled. His face was red and splotchy from a mixture of coldness and anger. His hands were balled up into fists by his side.
This caused the Slytherins to laugh harder. "I'm a jerk?" Ryan asked in a faux innocent voice. "Golly gee that hurts! Especially coming from you, Taylor."
"Want me to hurt you?" Justin snarled. He suddenly pounced on Ryan, sending both of them flying onto a mountain of snow.
"Boys!" Professor Longbottom cried as he rushed out of the greenhouse. He wrapped his arms around Justin and tried to pull him off of Ryan. Justin shoved him away and proceeded to punch Ryan repeatedly in the face before jumping up. Ryan was pulled out of the snow by two of his friends. Blood was streaming rapidly down his face from his nose.
Professor Longbottom looked anxious and uncertain what to do. In a shaking voice he ordered Ryan's friends to escort him up to see Madam Pomfrey. Then, he took twenty points from Slytherin and gave Justin a detention.
"But, he was provoked!" Peter exclaimed. "Ryan called Stacy something nasty!"
"He suggested that she was- that she was a mudblood!" Ben cried.
Professor Longbottom nodded his head slightly. He had disliked Ryan ever since the first day of school and immediantly believed this statement. "Then, he too will have detention and twenty more points will be taken from Slytherin."
The Slytherins growled angrily and glared at Peter and Ben before Professor Longbottom urged the class on toward the school. Stacy was glad when they reached the castle. It felt good to be able to feel her feet once again.
The library was unusually crowded for the middle of the morning when the class arrived. The first year Hufflepuffs were gathered around various tables and wandering through the shelves of books. Stacy and her friends sat down at a long table with Greg, Jana, Steven, and Wendy.
"Why are you guys here?" Carrie asked them.
Carrie had been unusually nice ever since coming back from Christmas vacation. Stacy was starting to like her more than her twin sister Mary in Ravenclaw. Mary was seemed too stuck-up. She reminded Stacy of some of the people she used to go to school with. Carrie, while a Slytherin, was nice and very funny. Courtney also liked her better than Mary. But, Stacy couldn't help wondering if that was because Mary was the only first year with marks to rival Courtney's.
"Professor Binns wasn't feeling well, so our class was cancelled," Jana answered. "We're supposed to do research for a paper on Voldemort."
Everyone except for Stacy and Jana jumped slightly at the mention of his name.
"Don't say that! Don't say his name!" Wendy cried, earning a glare from MadamVasta.
Stacy couldn't help wondering how a ghost couldn't be feeling well, but decided not to ask. She felt stupid enough already for not understanding what was insulting about what Ryan said to her.
"He's dead," Jana shrugged. "How can you still be afraid of someone who's dead?"
"Exactly," Professor Potter said from behind her. "That's what I have been saying for years. Stacy, Jana, could I see both of you in my office in about five minutes?" The girls nodded uncertainly and he walked back out of the library.
"What does he want to see you for?" Courtney asked curiously.
"Are you in trouble?" Ben asked excitedly. He seemed to enjoy watching his friends get into trouble for some reason. Courtney claimed it was because he was always in trouble for his low grades. Though, he was starting to do better in his classes. Stacy noticed that he was actually passing all of them now. She had managed to help him with most of his assignments ever since Christmas. He didn't even try to stop her from assisting him anymore.
"I don't think so," Stacy said uncertainly. She hadn't been in trouble since the New Years festival when she snuck off to see her grandmother. But, even then she had not really been in trouble. After her grandmother explained the situation, Professor McGonagall had cancelled her detention and given back the points to Gryffindor. Stacy's grandmother and cousin Elizabeth had gone home immediantly after the festival. Roxanna did not feel well and said she needed to go home and rest. She left Stacy with orders to speak to Jana about her dreams and to report back to her with the results.
Now, three weeks after the festival, Stacy had not done either of these tasks. She tried to convince herself that it was because she had been too busy with school to worry about anything else. While the teachers had increased her workload considerably, this was not the complete truth. Stacy was too afraid to say anything to Jana. Part of her thought her grandmother was completely wrong and she was afraid to make a fool of herself by bringing it up. Part of her was still uncertain that Eliza was the good Redas sibling. She couldn't help wondering if Michael was the one she really should be trying to find. And, part of her just wanted to ignore the entire problem. It wasn't really hers to deal with. If someone needed her help, they obviously knew where to find her.
Jana jumped up suddenly, bringing Stacy out of her thoughts. "It's been almost five minutes," she announced.
"Want me to come with you?" Wendy asked eagerly. Stacy groaned inwardly. That was the last thing she needed. Wendy would be only too happy to inform everyone in the school about what happened in Professor Potter's office.
A smile crossed Jana's face. "We'll be fine. Besides, Professor Potter only said he wanted to see us."
Courtney looked up from the book she was reading for her report. She was the only one at their table doing the assignment. "Are you going?"
"Yeah," Stacy replied with a hint of anxiety.
"Come on, Stacy," Jana said cheerfully. Stacy could never understand how she could always be so happy. Nothing seemed to intimidate her.
They walked silently to Professor Potter's office. He was waiting inside with Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Granger. Another man with red hair was standing toward the back of his office.
"Have a seat," Professor Potter said as soon as they finished glancing nervously around the room. Stacy was relieved to see that Jana also seemed worried now. They sat down in two empty chairs in the middle of the group.
"This is my friend Ron Weasley," Professor Potter told them. "I believe you know everyone else." The girls nodded dimly. Stacy stared at the man for a moment. He was the one she saw with Professor Potter at the beginning of the year.
"I received an interesting letter from your grandmother today, Stacy," Professor Dumbledore said suddenly. There was a faint twinkle in his eye, despite the serious expressions on the other teachers.
"Oh. Really?" Stacy asked nervously. She twirled a strand of hair tightly around her finger.
"Yes. Do you know what it was about?" He continued. Stacy shook her head and studied her feet with such determination Jana couldn't help laughing.
"Is there something funny, Miss Black?" Professor McGonagall snapped.
"No, ma'am," Jana whispered.
"Your grandmother said you have a trait which runs in your family. You are a feeler," Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "That's a very interesting trait to have and very rare. It only runs in a few families today."
"Really?" Stacy asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but what does this have to do with me?" Jana asked cautiously.
"I think you already know that, Eliza," Dumbledore said gently. The twinkle in his eye seemed to grow brighter.
Jana's opened widely all of the sudden. "W-what?" She stammered.
"Your name is Eliza Redas," McGonagall stated.
Jana shook her head. "No, it isn't. My name is Jana Black! Eliza was a murderer. A traitor! She killed her family and deserved to die. Why would you think I am her?"
Professor Granger quickly moved over to her and placed the Swarte charm against Jana's arm. It turned such a brilliant shade of green the entire room was lit up.
Stacy watched as her friend's expression changed from a mixture of anger and anxiety to something that resembled relief.
Jana smiled patiently at everyone and put her hands in the air. "Okay, you got me," She said with a cheerful smile on her face. "I am Eliza."
The teachers looked taken aback by her confession. They obviously had not expected her to give in so easily.
Jana/Eliza- Stacy wasn't really sure what to call her- took the charm out of Hermione's hands and turned it over a couple times. "The Swarte charm," She mused. "I haven't seen this in ages. Not since Michael- Well, I don't really want to go into that."
"Perhaps you should explain everything," Professor McGonagall requested.
"Alright," Jana said with a little less enthusiasm. "I died. I came back. What else do you want to know?"
The teachers stared expectantly at her.
"Do we need to ask Professor Snape for a truth potion?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Jana sighed and leaned back a little in her chair. Then, she finally told her tale.
"It all began when I was about eleven years old. Everyone in my family was a witch or wizard. I realized this when I was about four years old and I saw my cousin turn his dog into a bear. There were not any formal schools of witchcraft in the colonies then. My parents sent us to the neighbor's house everyday for lessons when I was eleven and he was fourteen. We were friends growing up, but learning magic tore us apart. He began to hate me soon after we started our lessons. I was able to receive a better education because I was younger when I started. I also caught on to what we learned faster than my brother. He had difficulty with potions especially. That was another reason he hated me. I excelled in making potions. That's why I'm here today."
"And, why he is too," Stacy noted.
Jana's eyes widened again. "Michael's here? But- but how?"
"We think he drank the potion too," Professor Granger stated.
"You didn't know?" Stacy asked. "But, you were the one who sent me the visions."
A strange look flickered through Jana's eyes. "No," She said slowly. "I didn't."
"Why don't you finish your story?" Ron asked, cutting off Stacy before she could ask another question.
"Well, I made the potion for my aunt Gertrude. She had smallpox and the town doctor said she would die soon. I made the potion so that she would be born again as a baby shortly after her death. But, before I could get it to her she died when her house was burned down."
"Michael?" Stacy asked quietly.
Jana nodded. "He bragged about it for weeks. He kept joking and saying it was my fault because I hadn't stopped him. I was fourteen by then. One day, I came home from our village to fine Michael standing over our parents with his wand clutched tightly in his hand. I knew right away that they were dead. Michael screamed at me the second I walked through the door. He insisted that I was the killer.
I think he started to go insane toward the end. He kept shaking and saying it wasn't his fault and that I was to blame. He chased me out into the town square and publicly accused me of the murder. The townspeople believed him and I was sentenced to death on the spot. People had started thinking there was something strange about me months before the incident and instantly accepted that I was a witch.
I was killed just days later. I managed to escape from the jail one night and get my potion from home. I strengthened it so that I would not return so soon to my death. I did not think centuries would go by before I was born though."
"If you could escape, why didn't you just leave?" Stacy asked.
"They would have found me. Michael was good with charms. He could have tracked me easily. He was very smart, just not too good with magic," Jana anwered. "Well, I'm not sure what happened to me after I died. I sort of floated around the earth for awhile. I wasn't a ghost. I'm not sure exactly what I was. Until, about twelve years ago I was pulled into a woman's uterus and nine months later was born as an infant. I grew up in a family of witches and wizards. I was now the oldest of three. My brother and sister are twin three year olds. The rest you already know. I was accepted here and, well, I came."
The teachers exchanged a glance before Professor McGonagall spoke up. "I think that is enough for now. The next class has already begun and I am supposed to be teaching the first year Hufflepuffs now."
Professor Dumbledore was staring intently out the window. "Did you have a funeral for your aunt?"
Jana nodded. "We had a small one the day after her death. It wasn't what you consider a funeral today. We buried her remains behind our house with the rest of our deceased family members."
Professor McGonagall stood up and walked toward the door. Jana followed her a minute later when Professor Dumbledore didn't say anything else.
"What class do you have now, Stacy?" Professor Potter asked.
"Charms," She replied.
"Would you like it if we walk with you and tell Professor Flitwick why you are late?" Professor Granger offered. Stacy nodded and they too left.
"What happens now?" Stacy asked once they were out of the office.
The three adults exchanged a look over Stacy's head before Professor Potter answered, "We will try to find Michael. But, there is nothing more you can do. Your grandmother does not want you involved." His tone hinted that he did not think anything would stop Stacy from involving herself if she wanted to do so.
"There has to be something I can do. I didn't have those dreams by mistake. Someone wanted me to know what was happening. But, it wasn't Jana, was it?" Stacy pondered.
The adults exchanged another look, causing Stacy to roll her eyes. She hated being left out because people did not think she could handle the information and was too young to know.
Before they could give a vague answer, they arrived outside the Charms classroom. Professor Granger went inside with Stacy and told Professor Flitwick a brief summary of the reason his student was late for class.
Stacy joined Ben, Peter, and Courtney at a table where they were practicing floating charms. Ben, surprisingly, was the only one who had been able to float his feather. He grinned at Stacy and pointed proudly at his feather which was hovering around the ceiling. Courtney rolled her eyes in an obvious display of jealousy. It was the first time she was not the first in their group to figure out a spell or potion.
By the end of class, there were four feathers drifting over their table. Ben was still gloating as they made their way to the Great Hall after class.
"I love Charms," Ben remarked. "What other class could I be better than her at something?" He jerked a thumb at Courtney when he said 'her'.
"Will you be quiet?" Courtney cried, causing several Gryffindors to stare at her.
"Am I bothering you?" Ben asked innocently. "Sorry if you can't handle my higher intellect."
Courtney stood up abruptly and ran out of the room, though lunch was not over. Stacy reluctantly followed her. She was strangely hungry and had not finished her food yet. Peter promised to save her a roll and anything else he could fit in his pockets.
"Courtney!" Stacy called as she ran out of the Great Hall.
"Ssh!" Her friend hissed and pulled her around the corner. "Look! I can't believe it!"
Stacy peeked around the corner and saw Courtney's sister Rachel and Keith Stewart kissing.
"What's so bad about that?" Stacy asked. Maybe it was because she grew up around her mother's friends, but kissing did not seem awful to her.
Courtney ignored Stacy and continued to gawk at the couple in horror. "What are you doing to my sister? You're going to choke her!" She cried loudly.
Rachel and Keith broke apart and stared at the girls.
"Courtney!" Rachel yelled in a mixture of anger and humiliation.
Keith chuckled. "Just doing her duty, right, Courtney? What little sister doesn't live for humilating their older sibling?"
"I'm not little," Courtney scoffed.
Stacy felt her face flush with embarrassment for Courtney. "Come on, Court," She muttered. "It's almost time for class."
Courtney unwillingly trailed behind her after a severe glare from Rachel.
"She should be thanking me. His tongue was going to kill her! How can they breathe like that anyway? It's disgusting!" Courtney ranted.
"I don't know," Stacy replied. "Through their noses?"
Both girls dissolved into a fit of giggles at this.
The afternoon flew by quickly, despite the fact that they had Double Potions and that Snape was in an even worse mood than usual and that Stacy could not get Jana to talk to her about what happened that morning.
"What's wrong with Jana?" Peter asked after class.
"Jana?" Stacy squeaked. "Nothing's wrong with her. She's perfectly normal."
Peter raised his eyebrow. "I meant why won't she talk to you? Is she mad?"
"Oh," Stacy replied with a sigh of relief. "That. She's not mad at me. At least, I don't think so."
"She seems angry, but I don't know why she should be," Courtney noted. She was in a better mood now because her potion had been better than Ben's. Of course, Ben had always been bad at Potions.
"Did you do something to get her mad?" Ben asked with a grin.
Stacy shook her head. "Not that I know of."
The Gryffindor Common Room was packed after dinner that night. The older students were exceptionally happy because it was the Friday before a Hogsmeade weekend. The younger students were just content with the fact they did not have any more classes until Monday. Stacy and her friends sat around a table in the corner doing their homework despite the noise around them.
"So, Rutaweed is good, right?" Ben asked. He was still struggling with the first inch of his Herbology report. Courtney was on her eighth and Stacy and Peter on their sixth.
"No, unless you think healing people is good," Courtney replied sarcastically.
"How many inches are you going to write?" Stacy asked her. "Isn't this supposed to be a short report?"
Courtney shrugged. "Ten should be short enough. Maybe I'll make it a foot just so it's even."
"Done," Peter announced as he dropped his quill. "I guess I'll do Potions now."
Ben's eyes widened. "That's not due until Wednesday though. Isn't it?"
"It's always good to think ahead," Courtney said wisely.
"Wednesday's-" Ben started.
"Only five days away!" Courtney interrupted. "And, it's a big assignment. You could use a good grade on it."
"Then, you do it for me," Ben joked. Courtney rolled her eyes and went back to her report.
"Were flying lessons cancelled?" Jessica Mullan asked them as she came out of the girls' bedroom.
"Yeah," Stacy answered. "Too much snow. All of the brooms have ice on them."
"Ok, thanks," Jessica said and walked over to where Christine and Julie were sitting.
"I'm starting to hate snow," Stacy complained with a wrinkled nose. "It's so-"
Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway to Gryffindor Tower. She called for their prefects, Keith, Joan, and two others, to come see her for a moment. Stacy watched curiously as a look of alarm crossed their faces. After a couple of minutes, McGonagall left and Joan walked to the center of the common room.
"Everyone," She called and the room became silent. "We are supposed to go to the Great Hall and stay there for the night. The teachers have to search the school."
"Why? What happened?" Penny asked her sister.
Joan shrugged. "A Hufflepuff- Jana Black- has disappeared."
To Be Continued...
Author's Note:
I think there are going to be about 2-6 more chapters in this series. I haven't decided yet. I'm not sure when they're coming out. I'll try to write them as soon as possible.
Once again, sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes. Oh, and I hope this wasn't too weird. I'm really tired and sore at the moment and just hope it made a little sense.
Thanks for reading this! Please review! =)
- Hope