CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

The rest of the holiday went by in a flash after that. Once again, leaving the Potters' was difficult for Jane; she wanted to stay there forever. There was a certain ambience around the place that just made her so happy.

Once she was on the train, all Jane could think about was that the next time she'd be on the train, she'd be going home. A pit formed in her stomach, and she suddenly realised that she didn't just not want to go home; she was dreading it. A whole other summer filled with nothing to do. Her parents would probably fight. Her mum might have another episode. And all Jane could do was write to her friends. Maybe she'd get invited back to the Potters' again. Jane really hoped so.

Some people can sense when bad things are going to happen. Jane never really considered herself a clairvoyant by any means, but she had instincts just like every other person, and she had learned to trust them. And she just had a bad feeling about this summer.

Jane didn't tell the boys. It was a bit morbid and dismal, and after all, it was just a feeling. There wasn't any real logical need to dwell on it, though she did anyway. However, she managed to push it to the back of her mind, and she enjoyed the train ride back to Hogwarts with her friends.

Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, Jane sat with the boys at dinner. Lily and Alice sat with Jane too because Marlene and Mary, who had both stayed at school, were nowhere to be found. While they all found this rather odd, they didn't think much of it. Not until later anyway.

They ate and laughed and talked (and James annoyed Lily). Jane had smiled when she noticed that Frank kept sneaking glances at Alice from across the table. It was obvious that he liked her, and if they didn't get together soon, Jane thought she might explode from watching them both fawn over each other from afar.

When they walked up to the common room, Jane and the boys took over their favourite spots, shooing away some second years. Jane fell onto the couch with a happy sigh, propping her feet up in Peter's lap and resting her head in Remus'. She let her eyes close as he began to play with her hair, and she smiled. Everything was just so peaceful and calm.

However, later, when the common room had cleared out a lot, and Jane and the boys were getting ready to walk up to their dorms, the portrait hole swung open. Marlene tore through the common room, not caring as she pushed a few straggling first years out of her way.

"All right there, McKinnon?" James asked, and she stopped walking.

Jane moved over to her and saw that Marlene's eyes were all puffy and red, as though she'd been crying. The smile that had been lingering on Jane's face all day finally vanished.

"Marlene, what happened?" she asked.

Marlene shook her head and said something inaudible.

"What was that?" Jane asked, leaning closer to Marlene.

"Mary's in the Hospital Wing," Marlene said, her voice cracking a bit.

Jane just stared at Marlene as she broke into a little wave of sobs. Marlene and Mary, while they fought like their lives depended on it, were the best of friends. They had known each other even before coming to Hogwarts.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Remus asked.

"She was attacked by another student," Marlene choked out. "They tried to petrify her."

"They did what?" Jane asked, having never heard the word before.

"That's Dark Magic," James said.

"Yeah, really advanced Dark Magic," Sirius said suspiciously. "It had to be an older student."

Marlene shook her head.

"No, it was Mulciber," she said. "I know it was, but I don't have any way to prove it."

"Mulciber's as thick as two planks," Sirius said. "There's no way he petrified anybody, not without help at least."

"I didn't say he petrified her," Marlene snapped. "I said he tried to. Something went wrong. It's like she's halfway petrified. Her body's not frozen, but she's not responding; she's unconscious; she won't wake up."

"Like a coma," Jane said.

"A what?" Marlene asked.

Jane waved it off. No need explaining Muggle terms to Marlene right now. Jane was sure that the wizarding world didn't have many people that fell into a coma.

"I know it was Mulciber," Marlene said again. "He had been teasing us yesterday for being Half-bloods and for hanging around with Muggle-borns. And he wouldn't leave us alone, so Mary, she jinxed him—Bat-Bogey Hex. I bet you anything that he was just waiting to get her alone so he could get revenge."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Jane asked.

"I don't know," Marlene said. "They said they'd try a Mandrake Restorative Draught, but since she wasn't petrified correctly, they aren't sure if it'll work or not."

Marlene broke into tears again, and Jane could feel tears brimming her own eyes, but she held them back. There was no need to upset Marlene more than she already was. Jane said goodnight to the boys and helped Marlene up to the dorm.

"What happened?" Alice said as they walked through the door.

"Where's Mary?" Lily asked.

Marlene tuned on Lily.

"You know that freak you hang out with? Well, one of his good friends put Mary in the Hospital Wing," Marlene snapped.

Lily was struck speechless.

"You stick up for him and defend him, yet he hangs around people like Mulciber, who practise Dark Magic on other people!" Marlene yelled. "Maybe you should tell Snivellus to keep better control over his friends!"

Marlene couldn't say anything after that because she was too busy choking on her sobs. Lily didn't say anything because really, how mad can you be at a person whose best friend had been attacked and who was crying their eyes out already? And Jane and Alice spent the rest of the night trying to calm Marlene down until she finally fell asleep.