Chapter 18
Jade knew she had diverged from the syllabus somewhat; but establishing a rapport with the class had been essential; or at least keeping the interest of the stronger minded. She strongly suspected that Clovis Gierek had joined Nachtigall's gang because it stood for old fashioned German racist values. Franziska Schiff wanted power; but Franziska Schiff had been sitting there listening too, and assimilating that she wanted power in order not to be one down, and had been angry at being manipulated. Jade noticed her talking to Traudl afterwards; and hoped that Traudl would say the right thing. Jade was strongly of the opinion that most people who joined gangs of bullies either did so for personal protection or drifted into it because the leaders were 'the right people to know' in society. The rest of course were the true bullies, who could be divided up into the genuinely nasty and those who bullied because that had been bullied; and who might or might not be salvable. Jade thought Billkvam and Frolika had both drifted into knowing the 'right' people but frankly if neither cared to put in the trouble, she did not much care; both had a sneering attitude that never seemed to slip, as one might expect it to slip in a class they were really interested in. Ritter was with Stepanka Frolika for Charms – she was only taking two ZHs – and declared that the sneer never slipped for that either. Which as Stepanka was no great shakes at either of the subjects she was studying seemed a little counterproductive.
Jade concluded that the attitude was not then armour; her own father might have worn the same sneer to drive people off before they had a chance to let him down but he could never hide his fascination with either potions or the dark arts. Stepanka Frolika might be sneering to hide that she was out of her depth; but if she only half listened in her other class as she had only half listened to Jade, that was probably her own stupid fault; and if she did not care to ask, then that was her problem. As for Thom Billkvam, he was so convinced that his own point of view was the only right one that he had no room to actually learn anything because he preferred his own misconceptions to facts.
"That Norwegian Nutter would burn to death rather than evacuate a building if someone had sold it to him on grounds of being fireproof" she said in exasperation.
"I understand that his grandfather gave him a book on the theory of magic pre-dating Adalbert Waffling and it had some muddled ideas in it that he learned before he came to school and became convinced that everything not in the book was wrong" said Traudl dryly "He used to quote it regularly; it had been written by some dogmatic old fool who presented his own pet theories as though they were proven facts. Professor Panov – he teaches Charms – was always arguing with Thom at first until he finally gave up. Professor Panov is nice; and really clever and I dithered over following on with charms on those grounds; but even he couldn't cope with Thom's didactic idiocies."
"I suppose he survived Ancient Runes because the old fool didn't actually write any weird translations" said Jade "He's quite good at unravelling runes; but he still sneers."
"Leave him to suffer if he won't accept your pearls of undoubted wisdom" advised Cacilia.
Jade nodded; she would not let a pair of idiots upset her first foray into teaching.
The next ZP class was to be a practical one; and Jade had brought along a boggart. Gierek was sitting in on it as well and she gave him a cordial nod.
She was horrified to find that the class had never actually had practical experience dealing with a boggart, though Professor Hesse had covered the ridikulus spell in theory.
She had planned to revise the subject by seeing how well they coped in any case; so it was a needed lesson.
"Herr Hesse said we would practice in the fourth" said Jochen Weisel "But Fraulein Schrempf said we didn't need to."
"Hmm" said Jade "One can't help wondering if that was because she had trouble dealing with boggarts herself and so preferred not to risk looking silly. Well ladies and gentlemen; I had better review the way you USE the spell; saying the word is no good if you don't force the changes to something ridiculous onto the boggart. I'm happy to help with any suggestions if anyone can't think of anything and I can always get the damn thing back in its box. Boggarts are natural legilimenses; they read your inmost thoughts and darkest fears. Defeating a boggart is also half way towards defeating your own fears because you can discipline your mind to make those fears trivial."
The greatest fears of more than one of the class involved Hedda Schrempf; and Jade advised picturing her being touched up by a randy troll who was essentially immune to the cruciatus curse.
"Or a Graphorn on season" she added.
There was much hilarity over that concept and most of the Hedda Schrempfs were safely chased away.
Everilda Widder was a problem; as HER boggart was of herself made ridiculous – her robe tucked into her knickers in front of the whole school. Everilda promptly burst into tears. The boggart started to advance; and Jade growled at it until it fled.
"Gosh, Fraulein, how did you do that?" asked Hilde Mundnimbus.
Jade shrugged.
"I overcame my greatest fear and so I only see a wee black mannie" she said "A boggart fears more than anything that humans should find out that it is frightened of them. That's one of those dark creatures that are a bit grey around the edges; though they feed to some extent on negative emotion, the boggart uses its legilimensy and fey illusion magic to protect itself. I almost feel sorry for them. But a boggart is part of your training towards strengthening your will against worse dark creatures; and as they can appear in anyone's home you have to be able to get rid of them. Fraulein Widder, the only thing I can think of to deal with that is to pick someone you really do not like, and picture it being her – or even sillier, him – and use THAT to defeat the boggart."
"Thank you Fraulein; I will try again if I may" said Everilda.
Heinrich Nachtigall with frilly knickers showing was a most satisfactory image; and Everilda succeeded on forcing it back into the box.
Jade had taken in their essays and looked forward to finding out how much they might or might not know.
And Jade, being Jade, started work on marking the essays straight away; having taken them to the staffroom.
"You prefer to work here to being in your study?" asked Professor Rebet.
"For marking" said Jade "That way if I hit any real howlers I can share them without it being unfair; one should not laugh about students in front of other students nor expose their more amusing misunderstandings. It's a question of ethics."
"Very laudable" approved the teacher of history of magic, Frau Fabeln. "I have to say I groan more than laugh over my students' howlers but there have been a few worth sharing."
"Like this" said Jade "The Kappa is a Japanese water demon and you can find two weaknesses to it, one that it bows and empties the fluid out of its head and the other that it likes cucumber which is proof enough that it must be a dark creature because cucumber is evil."
The staff room laughed.
"Food prejudices aside that's at least accurate" said Rebet.
"It could have been a bit more fully expressed" said Jade "Still, I can work on that. I'd relish advice; should I answer the deficiencies by writing such things as 'why does it bow?' and 'Why is there fluid in its head?' and note 'Accurate but not a very full answer' or is the last sufficient? I don't think they've had enough input from that woman to be able to work on just the last comment."
"I agree" said Agallisse Schreiber "They are used to being screamed at that something is wrong with no explanation over why it is wrong. To such a howler Hedda would have screeched 'stupid, stupid, stupid!' and put pen through the lot. You need to baby them a little at first even though they should be used to terser comments from the rest of us."
Jade nodded.
"Thank you; it's nice to know my gut feeling is valid" she said; and proceeded to write the comment that the answer was not full then added the questions after. She went on reading, making the odd note mostly on a similar vein until she collapsed in helpless giggles.
"Sounds like a good one" said Rebet.
"It is" said Jade, fighting to stop laughing. "A dementor is a dark creature that causes despair even worse than Herr Rebet in a bate and sucks out souls if they catch you. Its weakness is the English who eat them for breakfast so if you are faced with a dementor you should persuade it to attack the English."
This caused much hilarity.
"I have never" said Herr Rebet "Been compared to a dementor before"
"I have heard it said" said Jade "That Professor Snape has been called a dark creature in an essay before now; and cited as a weapon against dementors because he'd scare them just by glaring at them."
"Then I shall permit myself to be mollified by being in good company" said Herr Rebet.
Jade started giggling again.
"The same student is of the opinion that as well as eating garlic to put off vampires, you should force vampires to eat pickled gherkins so at least you can smell them coming" she said "I have to actually give credit for picking quite ambitious dark creatures; I suggested three for those without an imagination and this student is at least determined to be different. Her third creature is a banshee, and she cited the banshee's weakness as being tied to a particular family and so you might consider wiping out the whole family if the banshee kept enough people awake to make it worth while, or sterilise them all or just play Katti Krächzen singing 'Come and Stir My Cauldron Hard' to drown her out that might be worth trying to scare dementors with as well."
"Dear me! Music critics as well as food critics!" said Rebet, wiping his eyes "Thank you my dear girl; I haven't laughed so much in a long time; poor children, they are sadly lacking and I wish you every luck in bringing them on; but I wish you will write those better ones out in the staff howler book."
"There's a staff howler book? And to think I thought Durmstrang was a bit dour!" said Jade "EXCELLENT!"
The seniors second class was a bit less successful.
Neither Thom Bilkvam nor Stepanka Frolika had written their essays.
"Might I ask why you have not written the essay I asked for?" Jade fixed her gaze first on Billkvam. He shrugged and yawned deliberately.
"I really couldn't be bothered" said he.
"I see" said Jade "Fraulein Frolika, your reason?"
"I don't see why I should; I couldn't be bothered either" said Frolika.
"Very well" said Jade "As you both have obviously got too much work to do with your many other subjects perhaps I should ask Madam Bacsó to take your names off the ZH list for this class; since Herr Billkvam at least seems to be very tired and incapable of undertaking the work."
"It is not that I am incapable! I did not feel like it!" said Billkvam.
"No? Then perhaps I do not feel like forgoing my own study – which I am – in order to try to make sure the two exam classes have some chance of at least a pass" said Jade; and her voice was like the lash of a whip. "If those essays are not in my hands before breakfast tomorrow I will not continue to have you in my class and you will forgo the right to sit the exam. I will put up with your presence today unless you wish to withdraw from the exam entirely from now; in which case go quietly and get on with some private study. If you stay you will be courteous and try to show an interest in the class; as I should not really need to say to anyone over about twelve years old. Now as you have wasted the time the others have in necessitating my pointing out of some facts of life, I expect they will explain what they think – later. Today we are going to have a practical and work on patronuses. Traudl, Ritter, you can produce corporeal patronuses; perhaps you would demonstrate."
Both were happy to do so; Traudl had a wolf and Ritter had a unicorn.
"We haven't studied how to do it at all" said Gierek.
"No; that's why we need to work on it" said Jade "And I will also teach you how to destroy a dementor if there's time; if not it must wait to another week. By the way I take it that you CAN all hold a shield charm?"
"Not very well, no, Fraulein" admitted Franziska.
Jade sighed.
"Another omission to go on the list" she said. "I'm covering it in a couple of weeks in ZPs – oh no, you do transfigurations, don't you, Franziska; I'll run an extra class after school for ZP and ZH students who feel shaky with it; no shame in that, you've not been properly taught. All right, back to the patronus; most people use an animal of some kind that seems appropriate as a protective creature. Ritter picks a unicorn; coming from a family of nobility and reared on tales of riding into battle, the horn here symbolises a spear. I have seen a knight used as a patronus; and Lucius Malfoy, who is the world's biggest show-off, has a dragon. It doesn't matter; though generally the patronus symbolises something about yourself; and may change according to your circumstances; such as being in love. Something about one's loved one may appear in the patronus."
"What is your patronus, Fraulein?" asked Gierek.
Jade flicked out her wolf patronus.
"A lot of people at Prince Peak picked wolves and those animagi are often wolves too, because of those kids who are cured werewolves who, many of them, go on to be animagi" she explained "A pack of wolves harrying dementors is worth seeing; and Herr Professor Snape's snake hissing like a kettle. I like wolves; they have more of a sense of dignity than dogs" she decided not to mention her father's alternate patronus, the doe; it was too personal.
"And there's no real limit?"
"Not so far as I know; I believe magical creatures are harder to formulate and people are supposed to be very hard. I've seen weasels, owls, falcons, dogs, tigers, wolves, snakes, and almost anything you can think of. I hypothesise that Señor Carcano would use a big snorting bull. The only limit is what you can visualise; because you have to visualise the energy form being to summon it from your wand."
"It is impossible to make a human form as a patronus" said Thom Billkvam.
Jade regarded him; concentrated; shot out her wolf in the process of changing into the human form of Wulf.
"Sez you" said Traudl.
"A rudery Fraulein Mondschein that should be beyond a girl as old as you" said Jade "Pray apologise for the form in which you couched the comment."
Traudl flushed.
"I apologise for being all American" she said.
"Accepted on my part" said Jade "Herr Billkvam are you content to accept the apology?"
"Oh I don't care" said Billkvam "But I don't see how it could be a man form; Professor Klaus Witter clearly states that a human form patronus is impossible!"
"Perhaps he had never met anyone with above average talent honed in the cauldron of war" said Jade sweetly "It is easy to theorise when your theories are not under threat of physical violence; a lot of people made up a lot of new things on the fly during the Voldemort years; including a spell to destroy dementors."
"But you CAN'T destroy dementors!" said Billkvam.
"You are in a contradictory mood today" said Jade and bit off a comment about maybe it was the time of the month for him; such sarcasm to a pupil of hers was unworthy and unfair. "You have, I believe, covered summoning dementors; let us go down to the great hall where there is more room and YOU may summon a dementor so you may be assured that is what it really is and no simulacrum; and I shall demonstrate for the benefit of the rest how to destroy it."
Billkvam could not really protest as he had chosen to stay in the class; and duly, with much fumbling, succeeded in summoning a dementor. The class cowered in horror and fear.
"Ri-de" said Jade firmly.
The dementor started its nasty laughter.
"Laughter is the natural enemy of a creature that causes despair; a pogrebin is similarly susceptible to a tickling charm" said Jade "The gelastic horror of this creature has robbed it already of its ability to spread waves of despair as it despairs more for itself. When you first do this you will have to keep your wands trained on your target until it explodes in crepitantly insane mirth. I have the experience of dealing with these creatures to keep half my mind on destroying them and half on continuing a lecture. Here we go" as the despairing and painful guffaws ripped the dementor into pieces.
"NICE!" said Ritter.
Billkvam was most upset.
"It SHOULDN'T be possible!" he said.
"Herr Billkvam, if you meet a dementor that isn't under your control, are you going to argue philosophy with it or try to kill the damn thing?" said Jade. "Well, if I don't get your essay by tomorrow I suppose you'll have chosen to argue philosophy. Just remember, you summoned it and promptly lost control of it; summoning isn't enough if you can't control what you summon."
Work on patronuses went ahead and Jade was pleased that most managed to get at least something from their wands.
And on the morrow, Jade received two rather sulky young people handing in the bare minimum of eight inches.
On the whole the essays were well thought out; Jade had tackled Gierek's first being a good twelve inches of well argued points on each of the unforgivable curses and a well written conclusion that the imperious curse was indeed the worst because it had the most insidious effect. Jade underlined 'insidious' and wrote 'nice word!' by it. Gierek had added that the imperious curse came closest to true dark magic in being relatively subtle where the other two unforgivable curses were by comparison crude in effect. Jade graded him 'O'.
Franziska argued that the idea of being dead with no counter was the worst because it was the one that could be used to threaten people and keep people in line by threatening their family. She had not described the other curses so clearly, so Jade graded her 'E' and wrote ' this would have been an 'O' grade answer with a little more detail on the other two curses; about two more lines on each would have been sufficient'. If the girl had some encouragement it should lift her grade for trying harder!
Traudl had written fully but rambled a little in her conclusion that she could not decide ; Jade was able to grade her 'E' too and wrote 'a full answer but a little discursive; could have been more clearly presented. I suggest you write notes about the points you wish to make to put them more clearly in your mind.'
Ritter's choice was the cruciatus curse because he felt sure he had the strength of mind to throw off the imperious curse but feared insanity from an excess of torture as he had heard had happened to some of the opponents of Voldemort; and Jade was able to grade his full answer at 'O' too.
Frolika and Billkvam had fulfilled the conditions of the essays – barely; and had at least made conclusions that had some vague semblance to logic. Jade graded them both 'A'; they were never going to be top students.
She looked up previous grades and found neither had done well under Schrempf either; Traudl and Franziska had also scored low and Ritter had been an 'E' student. Well, hopefully even with Schrempf's erratic marking system they should all improve – apart, perhaps, from her two unwilling ones.
Their loss.
Jade soon settled down to teaching twice a week and the howlers reduced in number as her younger class became more knowledgeable. She began to have hopes of them actually achieving a pass mark, though she warned them not to expect too high a grade.
"Oh Fraulein Von Strang, what are we to do if we get a poor mark? We shan't be able to take it to ZH and you have made it all so very interesting I for one should like to study further!" said Jochen Wiesel.
Jade hesitated then decided.
"I shall quite likely be teaching full time next year" she said "And frankly, considering the lack of teaching you've had, I would consider accepting down to a 'P' grade fail providing the class average grades of the fail student had been on or above a pass mark most of the time; on the proviso the said student retook the ZP at the end of their lower sixth year whilst studying the ZH class too. Anyone who was really keen I would be glad to give an hour or so to extra each week. You've all been badly let down; I think some leeway might be allowed because of that. So work hard in class; most of you are achieving 'A' grades and a few of you take 'E' on your essays. Just do your best in the exam; try not to name Katti Krächzen as a dark creature and stay calm in the practical for your boggart; and keep practising your shield charms. There's nothing to stop you practising on each other in the dorm; so long as you sort out any jinxes that get through! Now I'll have seven inches on common cursed items from you for next week if you please and if you MUST practice cursing items for your own amusement keep the effects amusing and not too drastic; I heard tell of a bunch of kids a year younger than you at Hogwarts who copied an artefact and conned half the intellectuals in the place into putting it on – it was a diadem – and chanting a silly verse in the hopes of getting more intellect – and it dropped a delayed action babbling curse on them, though I've heard it said unkindly that nobody could tell much difference. So stay as creative as that and I might talk you out of trouble."
"How did they manage a delayed action curse?" asked Zharnargul, who thought Jade wonderful.
Jade laughed.
"Library work, my little birds; library work. You can't pull a good jape without library work; otherwise all you come up with is the stale, flat and uninteresting rubber spider deadfall jape and the likes. A doorway that turns everyone who goes through it stripy in orange and black – I have a cousin who is obsessed with tigers; she and her bunch were third years when they did that – that's a bit more original than a deadfall."
They goggled at her; not one would even know how to START doing such things. Jade sighed. She could not like most of this year; the ones that weren't decidedly nasty were rather of the consistency of sago between the ears. Zhanagul, Jochen and Hilde were a bit of leaven in the lump; and Zhanargul wrote rather well. Jade had written congratulations on her style more than once and now rarely had to mention that the style was good if the substance a little lacking. Jade had every intention of keeping an eye on the girl; being as wealthy as she was, she might like to set up a branch of Wizarding Wireless Vision and feel personally involved by writing for it.
Moreover Zhanargul was starting to shine; which her lady in waiting was not, for Saula was clever but not original and could not grasp the concept of the many headed and mutable aspects of the dark arts. It was nice for Zhanargul to have another subject other than quidditch in which she surpassed Saula; and if she was to grow up to be one of the leading citizens of her own country, recognising the snares of the dark arts might save the child's life; and Jade actually decided to say so to her seriously one day when Zhanargul hung back to help her tidy up.
"Do you think so?" said Zhanargul "My parents are not keen on me learning the Dark Arts; only you've made it so interesting."
"If I was teaching from ground zero I'd have put in a lot more defence than I've been able to; but if you'd like to join the English Customs Hobby Club, we study English defensive techniques and run to increase stamina to maintain spells longer" said Jade "I think that you NEED to know what can be done so you can recognise and nip in the bud any would be revolutionaries or ODESSA -like organisations in your own country. The dark arts carry a fascination because of their variety; the reason I study them. Study of them does not make one a dark wizard so disregard Saula's criticisms. Do you want me to write to your parents?"
"Would you mind?"
"Not in the least; only for my own, very good, reasons I am here under pseudonym. I'll be teaching here under my married name next year; but I'll write to your parents as Jade Snape, which is who I really am; I'm here to bring down ODESSA so I hope that would reassure them. Quite a lot of people know now, certainly all the English Custom people, the head knows too, so it's nothing hole in the corner. Only if your parents have heard of my dad they know what we stand for."
"Everyone has heard of Herr Professor Snape; my father says he is a remarkable man."
"Good; then I'll do that. One thing you'll learn next year is how to resist the imperious curse; and to YOU I shall teach occlumensy. You might need it."
It was a bit embarrassing that the girl had a bit of a 'pash' on her; but she would grow out of it. And it did Zhanargul no harm to have a decent role model in Durmstrang.
The fifth had evidently taken Jade seriously however; or some of them had. She walked into the staffroom to do some correcting right on Frau Schreiber's heels; and the collective shrieks of the staff alerted her. She glanced at the big mirror and saw the green spots on her face and Madam Schreiber's. Jade whipped out her wand and checked the door posts.
"My apologies – this is my fault" she said "Finite incantatem!" She added and was rewarded by the disappearance of the spots. She checked the doorposts, now innocent of spells; not quite so efficient as Bella and co!
"Why did we briefly have dragonpox?" asked Frau Schreiber.
"Well, you see, I set my fifth years to researching curses and cursed items and told them that if they were tempted to curse anything for a jape they'd better jolly well be original about it. This is almost original" she added "Not entirely but all but three or four are a bunch of puddings from the neck up. I mentioned a doorway that turned people orange and black striped….. it's about the most original work any of them has done to date, you have to admit….. better to scare the staff than terrify any other little kids I'd say actually, so they've displayed a degree of sensitivity too."
"Yes, that was well thought out" said Agallisse Schreiber.
"You're not going to let them get off scot free are you?" said Agata.
"No; I'm going to put those responsible for perpetrating the prank on their honour to write out their methodology for giving the staff a horrid moment that they might be quarantined and unable to escape the brats for the holiday" said Jade calmly "And I shall temper it with faint praise that they have not frightened youngsters else they would have been finding a heavier impot. Trusting the honour of kids usually works wonders; save with those that punishments don't touch anyhow."
Jade's announcement at tea had a few red faces mostly attached to giggles; and a certain amount of general outrage in the school that the staff would be more interested in escaping for the holidays than in the contagion of their young charges. Agata had to admit that Jade's dry laconic English style had the youngsters taking notice of her; and warmed even more when the perpetrators sent a written apology signed by all of them to the staff room for causing any serious worry; which Jade had not asked for. Leaving things to honour and conscience seemed to work – at least with the better children, thought Agata. It was interesting that of the four, three were those suggested by Jade as prefects – Hilde, Jochen and Stiv; the fourth being Zhanargul. Agata asked Jade about this.
"In English schools, generally the liveliest imps of mischief – and I mean mischief, not trouble – are the ones who settle down to be the best prefects" said Jade "They are the ones who have the best imagination; and imagination is what a prefect too needs. We do have a phrase 'set a thief to catch a thief'; not meaning literally someone light fingered, that would be quite wrong; but that one who has perpetrated mischief knows best how to catch it and deal with it quietly and unofficially. If I was a prefect and it had been done to my study I should have perhaps made them write a poem about dragonpox or to have seen how many shorter words they could make out of it whilst shut up in the detention room; or indeed made them write out exactly what they did. But it would not be even reported to staff unless the punished felt the prefect punishing was too heavy handed; when it would go for arbitration first to the head boy or girl and thence to a member of staff if satisfaction was not gained; and a risk to the punished for woe betide any that wastes the time of the staff over something trivial if the punishment IS mete; because they're likely to have it doubled. I like the fact that they had the honour to own up and apologise off their own bat; I think that shows them as prefect material. Fair minds. Zhanargul's come on no end since she's been playing in the first team and also she's good at dark arts. From a rather sullen, withdrawn child I'd say she'd blossomed no end; she HAD been rather in Saula's shadow."
"Do you know everything about all the children from back before you were teaching?" Agata was taken aback.
"Pretty much" said Jade "I WAS head girl in Prince Peak – all the prefects vote there for one of their number incidentally – and you get into the habit of keeping an eye on the kids, checking out what's wrong with that one, why this one is suddenly woebegone and so on. Like a headmaster or mistress but in some ways with even more knowledge because as you are still a kid, the other kids are more likely to open up than to a teacher; and to carry on chatting in front of you. I can't stop the built in instincts of being head girl I'm afraid just because I'm not!"
"The wonders you've wrought on the grades of those in your club – indeed generally – if I had to pick a head girl I'd have picked you" said Agata. "WHO do I choose for next year? Our pupils are not ready to vote!"
"Either Serafina Payutina or Konstanty Masicwicz" said Jade promptly "Velma's likely to get too immersed in work; fine for a prefect but not for head. Serafina's a bit dreamy but she's kind; Konstanty's a bit sarcastic, but he'd be loyal to the school. Actually, make him head boy and Serafina deputy; then the little kids can go through her. Pompilia is next best so you can make up four in each year; she can be a bit poor in judgement but she's decent enough beyond her desire to suck up a bit to nobility. Then this four in the current fifth; and will you have prefects in the fifth that is to be?"
"Not yet I think; yes, the twins are rather the obvious choices. Let us have it established amongst the seniors before taking it further down the school. You'd think with thirty odd in each year there'd be some choice!"
"A muggle once worked out that one person in twenty is a leader. Generally we have a slightly higher proportion here than in general because we have the children of leaders of society; but even so, one in twenty will lead their fellows. And two to three others to be second in command. Four per year is about right."
"Well my dear, I bow to your knowledge on that" said Agata.
It was the middle of one afternoon that Jade stiffened as she felt Lilith in distress, confused and befuddled and a little scared; then she was joining with the rest of her blood group, synchronising her heartbeat, clearing away poison that ran beyond the level of the confusing and befuddling draught. It was quickly made safe; and Jade was reaching out to Lydia.
Lydia explained that it appeared that someone had done a switching spell and that Padfoot was on the warpath.
Padfoot would take care of it; nothing like a hound dog to care most tenderly for his best friend's children.
Jade sent a pulse of love to Lilith; and left her be. It was none of her business to interfere and Lilith probably would not thank her for it anyway.