So so so so sorry for taking so long for this chapter to come out. I've been so busy preparing for exams that I just could not find sufficient time to sit there and write a good chapter. This chapter is pretty short so I've posted 2 chapters at once so please forgive me okay? Also, I most probably won't have time to be online for the next few days but I'll most probably post again next Saturday so you don't have to keep checking, FYI.
Chapter 28: Of Dreams and Reality
Three days had lapsed since the Draco Malfoy incident. Janieve had made sure she was the last to enter a class and the first to leave after every lesson so that she did not have to face any confrontation or snide remarks from anyone. The time between the classes were devoted to hiding out in the bathroom.
She grabbed some food off the grand hall and headed back up to the Gryffindor tower by the evening. After dinner, she pulled out her drawer and rummaged around her undergarments. Finally, she removed a hand size vial. The red liquid gurgled as she gave it a little shake.
Janieve heard Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown came up to the girls dorm. She quickly slipped the vial into her robe pocket and pretended to be sleeping in bed. She needed to wait for everyone to be sleeping soundly in their bed before she could execute her plan. She pulled the covers up to her chin, closed her eyes and waited.
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"Dinner is so quiet nowadays," commented Ginny. No one responded.
Ron was poking his food and pushing them around his plate.
Harry hardly touched his food either. He looked over at the staff table. The seat which usually held Professor Winter had been empty for three days.
Ever since the night when Professor Snape and Harry found out about her Dark Mark, Harry had not seen her anywhere in school. Dumbledore had informed the students that their Potions lessons will be cancelled until further notice.
Had Dumbledore really discharged her from her duties after Snape had tell on her? Dumbledore definitely didn't seem like the kind. So where was she? That, Harry could only speculate.
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"Show yourselves," said Janieve. The hair on her skin bristled against the wind and she shivered ever so slightly.
Three pair of violet eyes stepped out of the darkness.
"Hi Tranquil, Speed, Magnis," greeted Janieve.
"Hi Janieve," replied Tranquil, "you said you've got what we want."
"And I supposed you've got what I want," said Janieve.
"Yes," Tranquil answered.
"Take me there then," said Janieve. She transformed into one of the Killets and rode alongside them into the darkness.
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Growl.
Harry flipped over on the bed so that he was lying on his stomach. He wished fervently that he had eaten more during dinner. His unfilled stomach was distracting him so much he could hardly fall asleep. He heard the bed next to his squeaked under Ron's weight and he knew that he was not the only insomniac.
He debated sneaking to the kitchen and asking for some food from the house-elves. However, as hungry as he was, the thought of getting up on his feet was more than he could muster. Besides, pressing his stomach against the bed appeared to have made him feel less hungry.
Slowly and eventually, he drifted into a slumber.
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Janieve was not sure how far she had travelled. But she suspected it to be far from Hogwarts. As a Killet, she could move at least three times as fast as an ordinary person and she already felt like it had been hours since she last left the Forbidden Forest.
At long last, the three Killets ahead of her came to a halt. Janieve looked up. A dilapidated double-story house stood before her. The windows were boarded up and the door was completely hidden by ivy.
"She's inside," said Tranquil.
Janieve nodded. "You're not coming with me?" she asked.
"No, this is the farthest we're willing to go," Tranquil replied.
"Thank you for your help," Janieve said. She transformed back into human and removed the vial containing Grawp's blood from her pocket. She knelt next to Tranquil and tied it to her body with a sash.
"Bye," Tranquil said. The three Killets took off in the opposite direction.
Janieve stood up and glanced at one of the boarded up windows before she moved along to the back of the house. She found a door at the back and she let herself into the cavernous kitchen.
It was dark inside. Janieve could sense it. Thankfully, she could see very clearly in the dark with her purple eyes.
She walked out another door which led to the hall and began climbing the stairs. On the landing, Janieve turned right and strode down the passage. The door at the end was open and as Janieve approached it, she could see very clearly everything within.
There was a bare wooden desk against the wall and a matching wooden chair tucked neatly into it. The walls were washed with white paint but years of dirt had stained it to a dirty beige colour. In the corner was a messy stack of hay. But most importantly, sprawled in a heap on the middle of the floor was the friend Janieve had missed dearly – Hermione Granger.
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Harry was immersed in the water. He kicked his way up to the surface and sucked in a refreshing breath of air. He recognised the pool that he was soaked in was the one in the prefect's bathroom. He heard giggles and he spun around. Cho Chang and Janieve were at the other end of the pool, laughing and splashing water at each other.
Harry felt a hot flush crept up his face. At that moment, the girls noticed Harry and the grin on Janieve's face froze. She got out of the pool abruptly and walked towards the door.
"Janieve wait!" Harry cried. He jumped out of the pool and chased after her. He followed her down the passage and saw her enter a room. He saw her knelt down in the middle of the room. It was then that Harry realised he was no longer in Hogwarts.
He took a few more tentative steps towards Janieve and saw that she was shaking something, someone. The person's head lolled back and Harry saw unmistakably the face of Hermione Granger.
A fury started growing within Harry. The anger grew and grew and exploded and he felt them replaced by triumph. The fruit of his labour was right before him. The fruit of what! His labour!
"Jan! Be careful!" Hermione choked in a half yell, half whisper kind of voice.
Harry looked down at himself and became conscious of what he was doing. He was gripping his wand tightly in front of him and the wand was pointed right at Janieve, the killing curse at the tip of his tongue.
"NO!" Harry yelled as he sat up in his bed with a start.
