Harry Potter and the Jade Heart
Chapter 5
"Accipio Animus"
It was the end of January. The teachers were really lax considering O.W.L.s were coming up. The students guessed they had other things to worry about.
Hermione was sitting on the common room floor beside a table with a stack of books next to her. Ron and Dean walked over to her. "What's with all the books?" asked Dean. "We don't have a big assignment due, do we?"
"Hermione always has a stack of books accompanying her," teased Ron.
Hermione gave Ron a look. "I was tired of waiting to hear news about You-Know-Who, so I thought I would do a bit of research."
"How is researching old books going to tell you anything about what's going on *now*?"
Hermione waved for them to sit down. Ron and Dean curiously sat across the table from Hermione. "I wanted to know more about the Killing Curse."
"What's there to know?" asked Dean.
"Lots," said Hermione. "And the information I found helped me to find even more about You-Know-Who."
"Well, let's hear it then," said Ron.
"You remember Harry telling us--"
"Harry telling you what?" asked Harry. He had just walked through the portrait hole.
"Good. You're here. You should hear this, too."
Harry sat down at the end of the table between Ron and Hermione. "Hear what?"
"I was about to tell Ron and Dean about some information I found out about You-Know-Who."
Harry looked at Hermione's stack of books. "But--"
"Let's just hear what she has to say," interrupted Ron. Harry allowed Hermione to continue.
"Remember the mark on the death eaters' arms? It actually has a connection to the Killing Curse. You-Know-Who used a smaller curse to place it on their arms. In a sense, they are his slaves."
"Then how can Snape turn on the death eaters?" asked Harry.
"It's not a mental thing. You know how the dementors can suck out someone's soul?"
All three guys leaned in to listen closer.
"Avada Kedavra more or less expels the soul from the person and paralyzes the body, which is why they die. The dementors don't do anything to a person's body. Do you understand?"
They nodded.
"Accipio animus."
"What?" they said in unison.
"It's the curse that he performed on all the death eaters."
"Sounds like he's summoning an animagus," said Ron.
"He's taking their hearts," Hermione said, dramatically. She got the effect she wanted; all the boys had stunned looks on their faces.
"That explains why Snape acts the way he does," said Dean. They all laughed.
"Well, not taking their hearts literally, just taking control of them. But that's not all. It mentioned something called a Jade Heart."
"A what?"
"The term Jade Heart refers to the soul of a dark wizard, but not all death eaters have them."
"How is that possible?" asked Harry.
"Accipio animus isn't used just on dark wizards. There are a few death eaters who are truly good wizards at heart. They don't have Jade Hearts. You-Know-Who doesn't only kill people; he turns them into death eaters against their will."
"Do you think Snape was one of them?"
"No way!" exclaimed Ron. "You heard what he was like as a student at Hogwarts. He's infatuated with the dark arts."
"That's what I am trying to figure out," said Hermione.
"You're wasting your time trying to figure out Snape."
"No, I'm trying to find out if wizards can overcome accipio animus and turn good again or if those with a Jade Heart can change it."
"I wonder why no one has figured it out yet," said Dean.
"Maybe they have, they just can't do anything about it," said Harry.
"Can't do anything about it?" Ron asked, disbelievingly. "That's impossible."
"My theory," said Hermione, "is that the wizard has to make the choice himself. There's no counterspell for accipio animus or a spell to change a Jade Heart."
"If they are under the influence of a spell, why would they change on their own?" asked Harry.
"Well, Snape did, didn't he?"
"I bet Snape never had a Jade Heart. It's easier to fight a curse than it is to fight oneself."
Chapter 5
"Accipio Animus"
It was the end of January. The teachers were really lax considering O.W.L.s were coming up. The students guessed they had other things to worry about.
Hermione was sitting on the common room floor beside a table with a stack of books next to her. Ron and Dean walked over to her. "What's with all the books?" asked Dean. "We don't have a big assignment due, do we?"
"Hermione always has a stack of books accompanying her," teased Ron.
Hermione gave Ron a look. "I was tired of waiting to hear news about You-Know-Who, so I thought I would do a bit of research."
"How is researching old books going to tell you anything about what's going on *now*?"
Hermione waved for them to sit down. Ron and Dean curiously sat across the table from Hermione. "I wanted to know more about the Killing Curse."
"What's there to know?" asked Dean.
"Lots," said Hermione. "And the information I found helped me to find even more about You-Know-Who."
"Well, let's hear it then," said Ron.
"You remember Harry telling us--"
"Harry telling you what?" asked Harry. He had just walked through the portrait hole.
"Good. You're here. You should hear this, too."
Harry sat down at the end of the table between Ron and Hermione. "Hear what?"
"I was about to tell Ron and Dean about some information I found out about You-Know-Who."
Harry looked at Hermione's stack of books. "But--"
"Let's just hear what she has to say," interrupted Ron. Harry allowed Hermione to continue.
"Remember the mark on the death eaters' arms? It actually has a connection to the Killing Curse. You-Know-Who used a smaller curse to place it on their arms. In a sense, they are his slaves."
"Then how can Snape turn on the death eaters?" asked Harry.
"It's not a mental thing. You know how the dementors can suck out someone's soul?"
All three guys leaned in to listen closer.
"Avada Kedavra more or less expels the soul from the person and paralyzes the body, which is why they die. The dementors don't do anything to a person's body. Do you understand?"
They nodded.
"Accipio animus."
"What?" they said in unison.
"It's the curse that he performed on all the death eaters."
"Sounds like he's summoning an animagus," said Ron.
"He's taking their hearts," Hermione said, dramatically. She got the effect she wanted; all the boys had stunned looks on their faces.
"That explains why Snape acts the way he does," said Dean. They all laughed.
"Well, not taking their hearts literally, just taking control of them. But that's not all. It mentioned something called a Jade Heart."
"A what?"
"The term Jade Heart refers to the soul of a dark wizard, but not all death eaters have them."
"How is that possible?" asked Harry.
"Accipio animus isn't used just on dark wizards. There are a few death eaters who are truly good wizards at heart. They don't have Jade Hearts. You-Know-Who doesn't only kill people; he turns them into death eaters against their will."
"Do you think Snape was one of them?"
"No way!" exclaimed Ron. "You heard what he was like as a student at Hogwarts. He's infatuated with the dark arts."
"That's what I am trying to figure out," said Hermione.
"You're wasting your time trying to figure out Snape."
"No, I'm trying to find out if wizards can overcome accipio animus and turn good again or if those with a Jade Heart can change it."
"I wonder why no one has figured it out yet," said Dean.
"Maybe they have, they just can't do anything about it," said Harry.
"Can't do anything about it?" Ron asked, disbelievingly. "That's impossible."
"My theory," said Hermione, "is that the wizard has to make the choice himself. There's no counterspell for accipio animus or a spell to change a Jade Heart."
"If they are under the influence of a spell, why would they change on their own?" asked Harry.
"Well, Snape did, didn't he?"
"I bet Snape never had a Jade Heart. It's easier to fight a curse than it is to fight oneself."