Ch. 23 Apologies and Explanations

Disclaimer: Rowlings are Rowlings, Lackeys are Lackeys and mine are mine.

As the students made their way to the Great Hall Janie held back for a moment. "Harry? Could I have a word please?" she asked hesitantly.

He eyed her warily and said, "You're not going to bite my head off again are you?"

"Ah, no. That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "All right then."

"Um, look I'm sorry I took your head off like I did. I should have talked to you before things hit the crisis point."

"So your saying you're sorry for how you said it, but not for saying it.", he said.

"Right, I hate to say this, but what you were doing was not healthy. That doesn't excuse what I did though."

"Why are you apologizing?"

It was her turn to raise her eyebrows at him, "I figured that was obvious, we're going to have to be working together a lot and dissention between the two of us would just make things awkward. Besides I would have apologized sooner or later anyway so…" she trailed off and shrugged. They continued in silence for a while.

Just when she was beginning to think that he wouldn't accept her apology he said, "O.K., apology accepted."

"Thanks-"

"On one condition."

"Which?"

"You explain about your Empathy."

She laughed, "You don't ask a lot do you? I don't really understand it myself, but I'll tell ya'll what I know at lunch."

They took their seats across from Ron and Hermione. "What were you two discussing so intently back there?" Hermione asked.

"Empathy.", Janie said getting right down to the point.

"Empathy?", Hermione echoed.

"Yeah, I seem to have it or something like it. I can occasionally pick up on other people's emotions.", Janie answered as she helped herself to a salad. "It's probably some kind of low level Legilimency, but I'm not sure. It's very unreliable, some days I'll pick up nothing and others I'll vibrate like a tuning fork whenever someone is feeling a strong emotion."

"How can you tell if you're picking up on other people's emotions?", Harry asked.

Janie shrugged, "if I feel something that has no relation to what I'm doing then it's from someone else."

"Can you predict when it'll work?", Hermione asked.

"Mmmm, not really. Like right now I'm not picking anything up. It runs in spikes."

Ron looked up confused, "Spikes?"

"Yeah, like a polygraph, or EKG." Seeing his blank look she pulled out a sheet of parchment and drew a squiggle, "See how it has peeks and valleys? That's kind of how my Empathy works."

"Oh, I get it now." Ron said.

"Sorry about the simile, I should have known better than to use a muggle analogy." Janie said.

Hermione cleared her throat, "We'll be late for transfiguration if we don't hurry." That prompted the four of them to get up and leave.

Later that night Hermione met Draco at the edge of the lake. "I don't think it's necessary to arm yourself to the teeth you know." , he said pointing at Need.

Hermione received an impression of amusement from the blade while she answered, "I know, it's just that I'm supposed to strengthen the soul bond, especially since I'm a witch."

"Soul bond? What has that got to do with you being a witch?"

"Draco, meet Need.", Hermione said and drew Need partly out of her scabbard.

"One of the Four?", he asked in awe, "Who else has been chosen?"

"How did you know about this? I've never read anything about the four blades of power before?"

"Tales of the Four used to be my favorite bed-time stories."

She got the impression that Need was laughing- if swords could laugh that is. "Oh. Harry, Ron and Janie have also been chosen."

"Who?"

"Janie Lupin, the transfer from Southourn."

"Oh, the runt."

"Draco! That's awful!"

"It's true, she's almost as short as the Creevey's"

"No she's not! She tops Colin by a head."

"Sorry, she is taller than them then, that makes her what? 51 52?"

Hermione laughed, "She's 5 zero, she told us the first night in the dormitory. This wasn't what I had in mind when I asked you to meet me here."

"Me either, but then I started it."

"Any news from your father?"

"No, he's been awfully quiet lately."

"I was wondering how he felt about your little 'ploy' to get me on your side."

"You'll be the first to know when I find out."

"You mean the only one."

"No, eventually Crabbe and Goyle will get curious, about two months after I get the letter that is." They walked along the bank for a while then went back into the castle.

Hermione "woke" to find herself facing an old woman by the lake. "Arm yourself girl.", the woman grated out. Hermione buckled Need on with a feeling of calm; this must be the training session Tani had warned them about. "Ready? Then defend yourself!" The woman came at her fiercely. Hermione defended herself clumsily and it wasn't long before she felt her opponent's sword slide into her side in a deathblow. When she came to her opponent was standing over her, "That was sloppy, girl, but not bad for your very first time with a sword here, do as I do…" The woman took her through a series of moves and counter moves over and over until she could do them for the rest of the night. Ron woke to find himself on a practice ground already wearing Vengeance. A tall man was facing him. "Good, your ready, now, follow my movements pattern for pattern." The man trained him until dawn. When he was done Ron could do a fair imitation of the lesson.

Harry woke to find himself in a field facing a tall slender man with blonde hair and cat-like eyes. The man looked at him and drew his sword, Harry replied in kind. It was all over in a few moments ending in Harry's death.

When he came to the man looked at him and shook his head, "Your guard is too wide and your stance is all wrong, like this…" and so went the rest of the night.

Janie woke in one of Ranai's training clearings. An old woman was sitting cross-legged on the ground. She sank down in front of the woman. "Ground and Center lass, surely you've been taught that." Janie did as told. "A little shaky, but not bad now…" and so she was taught the art of Healing.

In the morning they all rose completely rested just as Tani had said they would. The only thing they to assure themselves that they had really trained was a mild soreness in their arms for Ron, Harry, and Hermione; and grass stains on her night-gown for Janie. Was it their imaginations or could they hear whispering in the back of their minds now? Were the bonds growing stronger? They asked themselves these questions all during the next day.