Chapter 16

"Harry I don't have time to explain, we have to get to Dumbledore!" Jazz ran faster in those frantic seconds down the hidden corridor than she had ever run in her life. "I'm not gonna let him die!"

Harry stopped short, his eyes following Jazz as she shrank forward. "Die?" He plowed his hand through the black messy hair atop his head before sprinting to catch up with her. "What do you mean, die? He isn't going to…"

Speeding up, Jazz tilted her head shortly to say to him, "He might."

Jazz couldn't breathe as she stopped in front of the large oak door, shining with polishing done by the elves. She heaved in every molecule of oxygen as she tried to gather her thoughts, her actions, before entering that room.

"Are you alright?" Harry choked out as he too inhaled sharply, although not with as much trouble. "Jazz, what did you see?"

"Hush. Listen; if there's anything that happens to me, or if something is wrong with Dumbledore. I need you gone and out of sight. You're to go get help. Got it?"

"No way, Jazz."

"Do it, Harry. I'm not joking. We don't have time for you to disagree with me. I need you to go get help when I give the word. You can disapparate better than I can."

"Jazz..."

"Damn it, Harry. Just do it."

Jazz turned around and pressed the door again harder this time and watched as it creaked forward. The room was in shambles. Books were strewn onto the floor and the desk was covered in ripped and crumbled parchment. She saw the portraits were empty; the usual headmasters that were always chatting away were AWOL. "Where'd they go, do you reckon?" Jazz heard labored breathing from somewhere, and carefully tightened her wand in her hand. Suddenly she felt a hand clasped to hers, and was relieved it was only Harry.

"You okay?" he asked. Jazz shrugged and took another step forward, and peaked behind Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore lay in a crumbled pile, his breathing shallow. "Oh my God."

Suddenly they both heard the door slam closed. They both looked away from the shocking sight to see something only slightly more disturbing. A girl with long curly brown hair and sharp silver eyes and an evil smirk stood in front of the door, her arms crossed in a relaxed fashion.

"Ah, I'm so glad you could make it, Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger. A lovely evening isn't it?" She twirled her wand in between her fingers. "Oh I see you've noticed Professor Dumbledore. Hah, poor old fellow. Was attacked by something or someone of some sort. Isn't that funny?"

"Not really," Jazz answered sarcastically. "So maybe you should let us go get him some help. There may be time for Madam Pomfrey to help him. Why don't you just uh…move…like, now." Harry pulled on Jazz's hand, causing her to see the horror on his face.

Suddenly she heard a voice inside her head, a deep male voice that seemed to be calm but at the same time frightened. 'She looks just like you.'

'Harry?'

'Yeah. We'll talk bout it later. Right now…what's professor Burns doing up here and why is Dumbledore's office like this? Do you think she did this?'

'I don't know…Harry what do we do?'

'Stay calm…and Jazz…don't piss her off.'

'That's like telling a dog not to bark.' Jazz glanced back to Dumbledore, who laid on the ground his chest rising slower and slower. "Look…Professor Burns?"

"Actually, I'm not really Professor Burns. The poor woman had frizzy red hair and these ugly brown eyes that never did suit her. I did her a favor. She's now in a muggle's hospital in a psych ward. Seems she saw a few ghosts…pity."

"What the hell are you talking about? If you aren't Professor Burns…then who are you?"

"Oh that's easy. Can't you tell, Ms. Granger, or are you really that dense? Come on now; think. Or maybe this will help you remember." Suddenly a huge whiff of fog smothered the room and Jazz fell into Harry's embrace as the room began to spin. When it finally stayed in place, they were no longer in Dumbledore's office, but in a dark purple room with flowered print all over. In the corner stood a twin bed with a little girl sitting on it with her dolls. She sat there and had them conversing when a tall but gaunt girl walked in with another girl giggling and whispering giddily.

"Jules," the smallest girl whined, setting her dolls down beside her, "You interrupted Sheila. She was telling Mim about the times she spent in the Enchanted Realm fooling the goblins and fighting the treacherous one-eyed witch of Morose Moonlight. Say your sorry, please."

The older one scoffed shortly and retorted, "I will not. Those stupid dolls are nothing but just that. And what are you doing in my room? I told you before you're not to come in here when I have friends over. Now get. Kylie and I have to talk. Shoo."

Jazz watched as the little girl began to cry, and the photograph of herself with Jules began to shake violently. "Elise, stop that. Elise! STOP IT!" Jules was too late. The little girl had become so engrossed in her sorrow the photo shattered, sending glass flying across the room. The other girl, Jules's friend, screamed and fled from the room before any glass could harm her, leaving the two sisters in the glass and tears.

"Ellie, I'm sorry. Look. This is my room, and you're my sister. We're supposed to fight and yell at one another. But you are not allowed to use magic, even when you're angry or upset. You know that. Come here. I'm sorry all right? Are you okay?"

Little Elise wiped her eyes and sniffed loudly her wild brown hair falling in her eyes. "Ok…will you tell Sheila you're sorry though? Sheila's scared of you now."

"You'd think they'd be scared of you," Jules replied, but she sighed and went on, "but oh well. Sheila, Mim, I apologize for my harsh behavior, come stay in my room anytime. There, you happy now?"

"Yes." Elise smiled and hugged her big sister, before skipping out of the room.

Just as Jules was sighing, the fog rolled back in. All Jazz could think as she held Harry once again and the room spun was how she remembered that…how her dolls were terribly upset by how they had been treated and how her mother had been very much disappointed in her that she had used her magic again in that day. As the room cleared and stabilized once again in Professor Dumbledore's office, Jazz pulled away from Harry but kept hold of his hand, and turned her attention to the other woman.

"Now do you know?"

"What happened to you? That day on the train? Why didn't you ever try to find me?"

"Well…the Dark Lord attacked the train of course. Some of his followers decided to raid it…I suppose they thought we were just a perk. Any who, you, Mum, Dad, and me were all sitting in that cramped little compartment when Dirks and Clarence burst through demanding to have the Seers. Well of course Dad stood like a good little solider and told them there were no Seers in that compartment.

"That's when they caught sight of your eyes. Mum had forgotten to change them. She usually always made them brown like Dad's so we would blend in, but I suppose she hadn't had time. They saw yours, and demanded to see you. Mum stands too and says, 'NEVER!' well of course that pissed them off. They glared and pretended to leave. A moment later there's these bright – "

"Flashes of green light. I know." Jazz's face began to set in a rough expression as if she were trying to stop crying. "That's all I remembered before one of them tried to take me. I broke his fingers and then it all went black."

"Huh. Well you missed the part where I hid you under the seats, hoping they wouldn't find us. They saw me trying to hide in the top bag rack. I blended in pretty well but they must have seen my hair. They blasted bags in front of me, causing one to catch fire. I screamed until they moved the bag and slammed me out of the rack. I was too scared to scream then."

"That still doesn't explain why you would do this to Dumbledore…"

"Yeah well, I didn't mention the fact Dumbledore was on the train ride with us. He was supposed to be protecting us."

"I know he was on the train."

"Oh really," Burns's face turned maliciously back to Jazz, her face no longer covered with a smirk. "He saved you. He didn't give a damn to come and help me. He only found you and helped you while two of the most powerful witches and wizards of that time took me in. They took me in and taught me everything I needed to know about power and magic. I knew then that Dumbledore would never love me as they did, and he never had. I knew then as well that he would never have taught me what I learned. That only with power, and a lack of care of others, but what you want, gives you want you want. Nothing else."

"Okay, seriously. You're insane." Jazz said without much fear. "Is that why you never tried to find me? Because you hate Dumbledore?" Burns stood watching, just before she answered, however, Jazz said, "Oh, well, I'm happy you didn't. Those people messed you up BIG time, so thanks. You saved me from being stupid and insane and ignorant to love. I really appreciate that."

"Jazz…" Harry warned. "Stop it…don't press her. She's a maniac. She's just like Voldemort."

"Don't say his name, you filthy little boy. You aren't even worthy to wipe the spit this rat,'" she indicated to Dumbledore "wastes his precious bodily fluids on. This is the job I will prove my ability. Killing Harry Potter and the Oracle. There is no greater honor, unless you count becoming his equal, his partner." Jules narrowed her eyes and poked the air with her wand in their direction. Jazz, not paying attention to the wand or the anger setting on Jules's face, gave a sort of teasing laugh.

"Yeah and I'm sure that's your dream, eh? Becoming Mrs. Lord Voldemort, the funkiest freak ever lived, yeah?"

"You shut your mouth. We don't need any more comments from you." A string of light suddenly shot out of the tip of Jules's wand, streaming right at Jazz. Luckily, she and Harry both have excellent reflexes, and dove to either side.

"Damn you missed. Want to try again? This time try aiming. That usually works." Jazz stood again her eyes on her sister, dusting off her body. She grasped her wand firmly, and raised it to meet Jules's eyes. "What? Afraid a little sister is going to beat the big bad Jules?" Jazz kept her eyes still, but watched as Jules frittered with the hem of her dress on the side.

"You wouldn't hurt me."

"Don't be so sure. I just met you; I don't develop a bond with someone that fast. Therefore, it won't be too hard to do what it takes for you to let me get help for Dumbledore."

"Hurry Jazz. I don't think he's gonna make it much longer."

"Jules…I don't want to fight you…you're my sister, and we can deal with each other later…but Dumbledore doesn't have time…so - "

Just then there was a bang through the door and a large puff of smog. Jazz coughed as Ron and Luna tumbled through the door with McGonagall, their wands at the ready and their eyes darting all over the room until they caught Harry and Dumbledore on the floor.

"Oh my Goodness!" Professor McGonagall cried frantically. "Albus, can you hear me? Albus?"

A wheeze managed to escape Dumbledore's mouth as he inhaled yet another shaky bout of air. "I'm…fine…Minerva …just…fine …" he took another deep shaky breath.

"Mr. Weasley, Ms. Lovegood. Help me move him out of here. Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger; are you all right?"

"We're fine, Professor. Its Dumbledore we're concerned about." Harry told her, watching Jazz shake. Jazz suddenly remembered Jules, and ran toward the door, knowing full well that Jules would be nowhere in sight anymore. She turned for a second to check on the others before trampling down the stairway and racing down the corridor, praying that she wouldn't get away. Her luck was bad, however, and by the time Jazz reached the great oak doors that rendered her the grounds, she saw nothing but gorgeous blackness that covered the sky and shadows that overtook the earth. "Damn it," Jazz muttered under her breath, and punched the left door before turning around and trudging angrily back through the corridor to try to see Dumbledore. She had only taken a few more steps toward the great staircase toward Dumbledore's office when she was hit with a wave of nausea so grasping the entire school spun in her eyes before she fell crashing into the marble, crying in pain, and thinking, "Dumbledore…please, anything but him…" before everything went black.

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