Chapter Thirteen

The Troubles Continue

The next morning, Jane woke up with a terrible hangover and very angry with Sirius. Drunk or not, he had behaved unpleasantly and she wasn't going to put up with him any longer.

Despite everything, she decided not to make a scene. She simply said goodbye, declined the offered breakfast on the pretext that she had urgent work at school, and left. True, she would miss his company, but it wasn't worth putting up with stupid performances just for the sake of it.

One benefit of getting to the castle early was that she could meet Aurora at breakfast and ask her if she would like to come with her to the meeting with the organizers that day. The children had written that they agreed to the gig, and now she had to find a companion.

'You know, I'll come,' Aurora answered after a moment's thought. 'I don't have anything to do anyway. It is terribly cloudy, nothing could be seen, and I have been idle all day and all night. And when astronomers are idle, they either go crazy or get sloshed.'

Jane didn't know any other astronomers, but she had heard some stories from her friend. Now she remembered the story about the astronomy camp, during which it was constantly raining or cloudy. One evening, the teacher found a small group of his students with several bottles of grappa by a nearby lake and ordered them all to clean the beakers in the camp's biology laboratory, in which they kept live snails. Of course, without magic.

'Wonderful,' she said, trying not to laugh at the memory. 'The meeting is at the Leaky Cauldron.'

'I'm going to go get some things from my room and I'm coming back. You finish your breakfast and wait for me outside the Great Hall.'

Since she had already eaten her breakfast, Jane soon went outside and leaned against the double door frame to wait for Aurora. The rest scattered one by one. She didn't expect anyone to speak to her, so she hummed a song by the "Weirds Sisters" and thought about Carl. At one point Professor Snape appeared from the other end of the corridor, having left breakfast well before her.

His face was frowned almost as much as the sky outside. The two of them usually pretended not to notice each other when there was an audience nearby. This time, however, the corridor was empty and Snape seemed keen to take the opportunity to have a chat with her.

'Well, Undead,' he began in his usual cold tone, with droplets of malice seeping through it, 'are you waiting for one of your lovers? Or the kids you coddle all day?'

Jane's blood rose to her ears and began pounding with a terrible force. Snape knew full well that the students hadn't returned from their holiday, and yet he was using them to bully her. As for the men, he had seen only one of them – Carl. Perhaps the gossip about her and Sirius had already spread, and he had seen her dancing with him at the ball as Dennis Appleby. That made three men, never mind that the two were actually one.

She took a deep breath and answered in the coldest tone she could muster. 'You're wrong, Snape. I'm waiting for you. Before breakfast, I saw in my crystal ball that you were going to come pick on me and I just decided to make it easy for you.'

'Don't think you're so interesting with your stupid comments. You're not that important, even if you fawn upon Professor Dumbledore with your extracurriculars so that he would give you my duties.'

'And you, Snape, don't be fooled into thinking that Dumbledore is a moron and would entrust an important task to someone who doesn't have the skills for it.'

'Only you exaggerate your abilities, Undead. Everyone else thinks you don't have the experience to be a member of the Order.'

'You didn't have it either when you were taken in, but Professor Dumbledore took you in anyway.'

'You are sorely mistaken about that.'

'Yes, you are actually right, Snape. You've had it but on the other side of the fence. Unlike you, I have a clean record.'

'Clean means useless, translated from your language and that of Professor Dumbledore.'

'And how would the headmaster treat you if he found out about this?'

'Don't worry, he was notified by me personally. He was a little puzzled but poured me a cup of tea anyway. Do you think I'll sit twiddling my thumbs while you're in the Order?'

It was a question that Jane had thought about earlier as well. What would Snape do, would he try to remove her from the Order? Apparently, he had already spoken to the principal and his number had not gone through. Now it was time for mental harassment. And Jane had to show him that she wasn't going to give in.

'Actually, Snape, I think you're going to run amok, pester him and me until you completely abandon your tasks in your paranoia and sick ambition to remove me from the organization. And like a complete idiot, you will scream right next to the stairs so that absolutely everyone can hear. Wondering why they give me your assignments? I'll put this simply – they give them to me because you fail at them.'

Jane didn't know if everything she had just said was true. But something told her that she was very close. From Snape's heavy breathing and the way he was constantly checking his wand, she could see that she had hit the jackpot.

'I don't understand what you're talking about, Undead. It seems that your imagination has played a trick on you,' Snape replied hastily and continued to the other end of the corridor without even saying "goodbye". However, his behaviour showed that he understood perfectly what she was talking about.

Although she was tempted to say something more to have the last word, Jane remained silent. That he was gone was victory enough.

Although the conversation with Snape was short, she felt tired. Whether it was because of his behaviour, Sirius's or too much to drink, she couldn't tell. To get some rest, she decided to sit on the stone floor, casting a warming spell on it first.

Aurora found her in this position a few minutes later: sitting on the floor, thoughtfully resting her chin on her fist.

'Jane, are you all right?' she asked when she got close enough. 'You look different than you did at breakfast.'

'Ah, it's just Professor Snape. He came to pick on me and made me angry.'

'And what exactly did he say?'

'He accused me of fawning to the principal with my extracurricular activities. He also mentioned something about my lovers.'

Aurora just nodded in understanding. Apparently, the gossip about Sirius had reached her.

'Don't pay him any mind. Snape has a knack for acting in an idiotic way, plus I think he's jealous of you. Do you know the story about his last girlfriend?'

'No, no one told me. Was it soon?'

'He wishes. It was five or six years ago. The poor thing was so pitiful, she worked in the Ministry and had lenses like huge magnifying glasses. She looked a lot like our Professor Trelawney.'

Aurora continued to talk about Professor Snape's latest girlfriend as the two witches walked towards the castle gates. When they got outside, however, they fell silent. They had to make a path through the snow that had fallen in the morning, forming precipices half a meter above the ground.

There weren't many customers in the "Leaky Cauldron". In fact, Jane was surprised it was open at all. Maybe the people she was meeting here had called the owner beforehand.

Indeed, as soon as the two witches went inside, shaking off their clothes from the snow, they noticed only two people warming themselves in front of the fireplace and raising mugs of beer. One of them was large, with a ruddy face and hair tied in a ponytail, and the other was rather stocky and his hair was starting to go bald.

'Mr. O'Reilly?' she turned to the long-haired one.

'Ah, Madam Undead, I'm glad you came. Richard, this is Jane Undead, Carl Langfield's friend.'

'Richard Mann, it's my pleasure.' The stocky man stood up and offered her his hand.

'Same here. This is Aurora Sinistra, my friend and colleague.'

The four of them shook hands, and then the men pulled up two more chairs to the fireplace and offered the women their previous seats to get warm.

'What are you drinking, ladies?' Jason O'Reilly asked.

Jane replied that she would have butterbeer and Aurora chose rose water.

'Tom, bring a butterbeer and a small rose water,' O'Reilly called the owner. Then spoke to Jane. 'So, Madam Undead, did Carl write to you about the concert? Do I understand correctly that you play in a band?'

'No, apparently Carl didn't explain it well to you. My students have a band, I just represent them.'

'Students? I didn't know you were a teacher,' the other man chimed in.

'Yes, I'm teaching at Hogwarts this year. Five of my very gifted students formed a band and just played at the school Christmas Ball on the same stage as the "Weird Sisters". Jane glossed over the fact that she had also been a musician in the past. She had to be careful, and it wasn't good for her to be associated with her old life either. It was going to reach the Dark Lord anyhow if it hadn't already.

'They're capable kids, apparently,' Richard nodded.

'But Carl wasn't very detailed when he explained the gig to me. Either he didn't know the details, or he was drunk as usual.'

'I'm afraid it's more the latter, madam. I was at his concert and I have to say that this boy didn't stop imbibing the whole time.'

Mann looked only five years older than her and a little older than that compared to Carl, but he clearly liked to show his seniority. Meanwhile, Jason was trying to stir up a casual conversation with Aurora, so Jane decided to ignore them for a while and focus on him.

'Where will the concert take place?' she asked invitingly.

'Hadn't Carl explained anything to you?!', he wondered. 'It's not exactly a concert, but rather an opening. At the end of January, we are organizing a tournament in "Raw Magic". And we need a heavy rock band to open it. The "Weird Sisters" are busy, unfortunately, as well as some of the more famous bands.

Jane just raised her eyebrows. She didn't know that "Raw Magic" was still taking place. It wasn't the best she could offer the kids, but it was still a gig…

'How much do you pay for the opening?' she asked.

'Ten galleons. But I'm afraid they won't be able to take part in the betting, especially if they're underage. However, attendance will be free for them and for you, too, of course.'

"So that's why everyone feigned being busy," she thought. "If it was my old band, I would tell them to open the window. For ten galleons only the wind would agree to whistle for them."

'Is the place near?' she said out loud.

'Quite close to Diagon Alley, actually. If you're not in a hurry, we can go and show it to you. What do you say, Jay?'

'To show them the place? You mean where the tournament will be held?' Apparently, the drink was catching on to him. 'In a minute, let me drink up.'

The man tipped the glass at a sharp angle to his upper lip and poured the remains of the dark amber drink into his mouth. Then he wiped his moustache with his sleeve and reached for his cloak. Jane and Aurora also quickly finished their drinks and got up from their seats. Mann led them to the door.

They walked along Diagon Alley for about five minutes, then turned in a block. Richard unlocked the double metal doors of the second building to the left, turned on the lights with a flick of his wand, and invited everyone inside. Jane followed immediately and Aurora and Jason walked in after them.

Before their eyes opened a large hall without windows, in the middle of which was a small square stage. Apart from it and the gas lamps on the wall, there was nothing else inside.

'We'll set up chairs and tables when the event approaches. We haven't conjured them yet, because the floor is more difficult to clean with them.'

These two must have been very lazy, as well as stingy, Jane thought. Cleaning a hall full of chairs hardly took more than 10-20 minutes. But they were right – there was no need to put them up now, just to collect dust, if they weren't using the room.

'Well, Mr. Mann, I like what I've seen so far. I think we can agree on the gig, but we will have to wait for formal permission from Professor Dumbledore.'

'Sure, sure,' Richard said hastily. 'But that can be arranged by owl mail, can't it?'

'I'll write to you very soon,' she promised. 'And let it be twenty galleons.'

Mann frowned, but realizing he wouldn't find anyone better for such a pittance, nodded to her and told her to write to him at the Leaky Cauldron's address, then the four of them said their goodbyes.

The two teachers went to look around the shops and discuss the meeting with the two men. They stopped in front of Madam Malkin's window and Aurora asked: 'Jane, are you really going to let your students in there?'

'Yes. What I told them was true. We will participate in this opening.'

'But this place is a complete dump! And what was this "Raw Magic"?'

'Ah, it's a bare-hands fighting contest. They put two idiots on stage, take their wands, and let them fight with whatever spells they can manage without them.'

'Wait, what kind of magic can they do without their wands?' Aurora furrowed her brows suspiciously.

'Not much. In any case, soon after the beginning, the meetings degenerate into fistfights. There are also bets.'

'Oh, Jane, that sounds terrible! How do you even plan to let them into a place like that? And how would Professor Dumbledore even let them go?'

'It's not that terrible. I've been to this tournament before, and I have to tell you that the healers were able to fix almost all the limbs that were injured during the fight. Well, betting can trick you and strip the clothes off your back, but I personally plan to breathe down their necks and not let them gamble. Ah, Professor Dumbledore should let them go. There are far worse things that could happen to them if they walk around in the wrong neighbourhood in the dark, so I think I'll be able to convince him.'

'Tell me if you don't succeed. I'll try to tell him a few good things about the place.'

'Thank you, Aurora,' Jane said. She was unlikely to take advantage of her services, however, because they would do more harm than good if Professor Dumbledore found out what the dump in question really looked like.

'I can also say that the people seemed decent to me,' Aurora persisted.

'Mann was wondering how to pay less and still get a band,' Jane signed. 'O'Reilly is probably better.'

'But he isn't,' Aurora resigned. 'The confused Irishman was sloshed and asked for my address so he could write to me, imagine. But if you like him that much, I can give him to you,' she giggled.

'No thanks. I have enough lovers. If you don't believe me, ask Severus Snape.'

The two of them continued talking nonsense and window shopping until they were completely chilled and their slight alcohol intoxication was completely gone. They then apparated outside the Hogwarts fence and quickly returned to the warmth of the castle.

After lunch, Jane lay down to catch up on sleep. She felt tired from all the walking to London and back, and the drinking last night had left her even more exhausted. She must have slept for two or three hours when she was awakened by a loud knocking on the door of the room. As she was half asleep, she grabbed the wand, put on her glasses, and stumbled over to open the door. It was probably Aurora who wanted to talk some more, she thought as she removed the defences. What was her surprise, however, when Professor Dumbledore appeared at the door.

'Jane, it's time,' he said, measuring her with his gaze. 'Go get dressed and put on your warm mantle, you have five minutes. I'll wait here to explain the details.'

The young teacher lay face down in the frozen mud. It was dark all around and not even a trace of light could be seen. Nothing was left of her sleep and fatigue. She listened intently for the faintest sound of human presence, but all she could hear was the raging sea somewhere behind her.

Professor Dumbledore had been true to his word and instructed her on her task at the last possible moment. She had to wait here in the cold for two Death Eaters and, without revealing her presence, hear and remember their every word. Then come back and report. She was to use no spells except those absolutely necessary to conceal her presence. That meant no heat, no light. "What if my teeth rattle," she thought. "If your teeth rattler, you'll drop an important word and the headmaster will be furious." But at least the sound could only go only one way through her protective shell – from them to her.

Let just the place be right. If she had missed it by even a few meters, she wouldn't hear a thing. "At the beginning of the forest, under the old oak," the principal had said. Jane was practically certain that the tree next to her was an oak, but she could have been wrong. And who, kappi take him, had managed to get hold of the information where these two would meet? She could only think of one person from the Order who had ever had a job with Lord Voldemort – Severus Snape. The same who, for some unknown reason, had tried to chew her out after breakfast outside the Great Hall. But if Snape was on good terms with the Dark Lord and this task was his, why did he have to lie here in the cold for all eternity instead of asking or somehow learning from him what he needed? If Snape really wasn't a double agent, then who was?

As she asked herself these questions, Jane froze more and more on the cold ground. She tried not to think about her warm bed, from which she had been dragged out only half an hour ago, or about the fire in the Leaky Cauldron, and not to be tempted to cast even a small spell to keep herself warm. Instead, she was devising tortures and tricks that she could pull on Professor Snape as soon as she got out of there.

Ten minutes later she heard footsteps. And indeed, someone seemed to be approaching the oak. Soon the noise grew louder, and Jane could make out the two people walking toward her at the same time from both sides – one walking slowly and clumsily, the other lightly and carefully. The two nearly collided in front of the tree, the clumsy man cursed, and then a light from a magic wand appeared. Jane could easily make out their features in it. The clumsy one had a big face, thick cheeks and a fleshy nose, and the other was thin, blond and long-haired. They didn't wear masks.

'Well, Lou, tell me why you brought me all the way here and couldn't tell me what you had to say at headquarters?', the fat man snapped.

'Master suspects treason,' replied the other in a slimy voice that Jane remembered well. It was Lucius Malfoy, who had once led the pack that nearly captured her. 'And avoid using my name when we're out.'

'Do you think someone might be eavesdropping?' The other looked around.

'Master thinks it's not out of the question.' Lucius also spun around, clearly trying to detect someone's unwanted presence. He then cast a spell to isolate the two of them from the world around them, quite similar to the one Jane used earlier. Fortunately for the witch, the radius of their protection was large enough to include some of her protection, and the sound passed through perfectly. Besides, there was very little chance of her being caught. Someone had to stumble across her defence, become suspicious, and start searching thoroughly to find her.

Still, she trembled with fear. Her memories of running headfirst through the woods just a few months earlier to save her skin from the Death Eaters came back frighteningly clear in her head and made her break out in a cold sweat. She shook her head in an attempt to chase them away. She had to have a clear mind to be able to remember everything and still be ready to escape. If she was discovered, she had only a few seconds to make holes in the defence and run.

'Now listen carefully,' Malfoy continued once he stopped looking around. 'The meeting is tomorrow night at seven o'clock outside the Hogsmeade post office. We have to capture it first because all the owls are there.'

'Fine,' answered the other man. 'How many people do you need?'

'Ten reliable. Master wants everything to be kept secret until the very end, so tell them to keep their mouths shut. Repeat so that I can hear you.'

'Ten men, reliable, to keep quiet,' repeated the other man like a parrot.

'Come on now, get out of here. I'll see you later,' and he waved his wand, presumably to open a hole in the defence.

The fat Death Eater shrugged but said nothing more. Instead, he turned his back on Lucius and quickly stepped out of the circle of light. When his footsteps died away completely, Malfoy began searching the area around the oak, but luckily for Jane, he headed to its other side first. She struggled to her feet, broke down her defence, and hid behind the roots of a nearby tree. Soon Malfoy decided he had searched enough, waved his wand to remove his defence and apparated with a soft pop. Jane waited a little longer in the roots of the tree, the wand clutched in her frozen hand, then apparated as well.