Chapter Twelve

Troubles on the Horizon

It was the day before Christmas and Jane Undead was sitting in her room with the cat and Carl who was telling her stories from past tours. Her suspicions had come true – Professor Dumbledore had graciously agreed to house Carl for the holidays for as long as he wanted, while Jane wondered what she was going to do with him. She couldn't say that his presence was entirely unpleasant, but she wanted to rest as much as she could, alone, from her classes. For his part, however, the guitarist of the "Weird Sisters" had stuck to her like a stamp and, although he had a room, he rarely stayed in it. Perhaps one of the few positives of the situation was that Professor Snape was extremely annoyed by his presence, much to the amusement of Carl and Jane.

Lily and the boys had left the day after the concert, but Carl had promised them that he would recommend them here and there, and maybe someday they would play together on the same stage again.

'So we were about to play with the "Goblins" on a stage in Manchester,' Carl began. 'However, their vocal wasn't anywhere to be found. We sent him an owl, we looked for him at his girlfriend's house, nothing. There were two hours left until the concert, so we started to worry. Finally, we went outside looking for him. We knew which pub he liked to go to and went there first. We asked the bartender and customers, but no one had seen him that day. Finally, we went into the street and out of desperation began to ask every passer-by we met if they'd seen a lost musician. Can you guess where we finally found him? He had fallen asleep next to a garbage can, wrapped in newspapers. When we woke him up, he was still hungover, he didn't like it at all. It turned out that the night before, on his way from the pub, he decided to apparate straight home, but he didn't have the strength and instead apparated next to the garbage cans at the bottom of the street.'

'And did I tell you about that time when our Mac took my cat for a Portkey and wanted to go home to Scotland with her?'

'No, tell me.'

Jane began speaking, but at that moment there was a knock on the door. It was Professor McGonagall, clearly not in the best of spirits, who informed her that the headmaster wanted to meet her in the Great Hall.

'Ah, Jane', the headmaster was glad to see her enter. 'How are you, how is our guest? I hope you are taking good care of him.'

She quickly replied that Carl was perfectly fine as Professor McGonagall walked away to the other end of the table and Professor Snape snorted in displeasure.

Professor Dumbledore, not bothering to notice the reactions of his subordinates, motioned for her to sit next to him.

'The house elves had trouble ungluing some of the decorations from last night. Will you help them?'

'Of course, Professor,' she replied as she wondered if that was the reason she had to go down to the Great Hall so urgently.

The principal looked at her, extremely curious, and added in a whisper, 'I will have a task for you these days, I don't know the exact date yet. Be ready to leave at a drop of a hat. Also, prepare warm waterproof clothes, you will need them.'

Jane just nodded in response. And, as lunch drew near, she went to fetch Carl from her room.

Christmas passed without much happening. Carl stuck around for longer than the expected three days, but Jane wasn't upset. She was getting used to him, and he cheered her up at all times, which worked well for her. She began wondering if he was going to spend the New Year with her, but he said they had an engagement to play at some big party in London and left two days earlier.

The staff for the New Year's Eve party was reduced – some of the teachers, like Septima Vector and Sibyll Trelawney, didn't come at all. The former had decided to get together with friends in London, and the latter had managed to have another fight with Professor McGonagall two days before the 31st, so she now stood in her tower, probably staring into the crystal ball for future misfortunes to befall her opponent, and sulked.

Compared to the big Christmas concert, now the teachers and the few remaining students, including Harry Potter and his friend Ron, gathered around a small table and, while drinking butterbeer and firewhisky to warm up, talked quietly.

Ronald, who in all accounts was happy with the concert, was sitting right next to Jane, enthusiastically telling her about the ball, while Potter was reading a Quidditch book on the other side of him.

'All of us in Gryffindor are very grateful to you for the good organization of the ball, Professor', said Ron heatedly, and Potter snorted beside him. 'Don't mind Harry, he's grumpy because his date dumped him in the middle of the ball for Draco Malfoy.'

The last words were rather whispered so that Potter wouldn't hear and Jane nodded in understanding.

'The bands could have started playing earlier,' Potter stated coldly between two pages of his reading.

A light smile appeared on Professor Snape's face, but then quickly faded. He seemed to be leading a fierce inner struggle to determine who he hated more, her or Harry.

Jane decided to keep quiet. True, she could explain to the boy how the entire teaching staff had suffered to meet the band's demands, how the bus got stuck in the snowdrifts and they had to send a train from London... But there was no point, mainly because, firstly, none of this would get into his head, and secondly, she had no intention to act like an offended pubescent.

Ron also pretended not to notice what his friend had said, though he planned to scold him later. At least he hadn't forgotten that in addition to organizing the ball, their teacher had also brought Sirius, who they hadn't seen since the beginning of the school year.

'I have to give you Gerald's costume back,' he said at last.

'Jerry said to keep it. I quote, "At least let this costume do some good instead of hanging in the closet waiting for the magical moths to eat it."'

'Well, thanks then. I'll thank him personally when he gets back.'

Their conversation was interrupted by an owl flying into the Great Hall and attempting to land on Jane's goblet. However, the teacher quickly pulled it away, so the owl landed on the vacated space. It was obviously for her, so she took the note tied to its leg and started reading. The text was scribbled hastily and was almost illegible, evidently, the sender was in a hurry.

'Hello, Jane,

We just finished the concert, my ears are still ringing. Nevertheless, we smashed them completely. The organizers are looking for musicians for a concert at the end of January and I took the liberty of recommending your wards. They want to meet you since I mentioned that you are something like a manager of the band. Please reply if you agree to participate and I will write to you where and when you can meet their man.

Carl'

Everyone turned to Jane curiously and she explained quickly, '"Magic Wind" is invited to a gig. I don't know the details yet.'

Several people offered their congratulations, and Aurora Sinistra asked if she would be able to attend.

The conversation soon moved on to other subjects in which Jane didn't seek to take part. Instead, she was thinking about how exactly to get to the meeting with these organizers and whether it would be a good idea to bring someone along. Of course, she would first send letters to the band to ask if they agreed to participate, although it was almost certain that they would. But all that could wait until tomorrow.

At twelve, they opened the champagne and toasted each other. The New Year had come.

On Thursday, January 2nd, it was time for the ladies' club to meet again. Jane was in good spirits, glad that she would be playing cards again with her colleagues while discussing the upcoming term. After petting Murray, she grabbed her robe and hurried to the bathroom.

When she got there, however, she found that the other women were looking askance at her, as if sizing her up. The only one missing was Aurora Sinistra, who had a habit of being late just like her.

'Hello', Jane said, trying to look friendly. 'What are we playing today?'

Their expressions suggested that they didn't intend to play anything with her, but she had to try anyway. However, they didn't answer, so she had to use Legilimency to find out what their problem was. What was her shock when she finally realised it.

'Come with me, Jane, the girls want me to tell you something.' Minerva's voice was businesslike, but it was easy to tell that she wasn't quite as calm as she pretended to be. It was on Jane's lips to ask why they wouldn't tell her themselves, but that was pointless, too. They didn't want to talk to her.

She let Professor McGonagall lead her to an alcove in the back of the bathroom, then the two sat down on the magically warmed marble bench under one of the large windows.

'Look, Jane', Professor McGonagall began, 'the girls are worried. By you.'

'May I ask what I've done?'

'They don't like it that you brought a man to the castle. Without even asking us. And during the holidays on top of that.'

'Minerva, I didn't bring him. He asked to stay, he has family problems. I couldn't refuse him. And I didn't know I had to ask them when I invited someone to the castle,' she added acidly.

'You don't need to explain'. Minerva held up her hands. 'I have decided to maintain strict neutrality on this matter, and I think that both your reasons and theirs are your own business. But bringing your boyfriend…'

'He's not my boyfriend.'

'Lover, then.'

'I won't deny it.'

'Forcing him like that without even asking us. They didn't like it.'

Jane's blood was already boiling, but she tried not to show it. Her features sharpened, her breath became more ragged, but she said nothing more. How dare they tell her what she could and couldn't do? What was this arrogance that observed her so closely and was ready to reject her at the first mistake? And what mistake was that? The castle was large and there was easily enough room for a whole village to stay in it during the holidays, without anybody noticing. No, their problem was more personal, but Jane didn't want to discuss it with them.

And yet, Professor Dumbledore had said truthfully that this position was cursed. Jane was unlikely to last more than a year in it, and for the stupidest of reasons – a misunderstanding with the colleagues. She felt how all her plans for a peaceful life in the castle were collapsing, but pursed her lips and thought, "nothing, I'll make others".

'I'm sorry, Minerva', she finally said in an almost serene voice. 'I had no idea that Carl's stay would bother anyone. I'll apologise if I have to.'

'No need for apologies. I'm sure they'll soon forget it and accept you again. Just don't do that anymore.'

Jane was just gathering her remaining composure to reply that she would try to comply with their demands when voices came from the other end of the bathroom.

'Where's Jane?' Aurora was asking the other two women. They mumbled something in response, then she yelled at them, 'Ah, you old maids! So you did tell her! I haven't seen bigger hypocrisy than yours in a while. It's not enough that the woman organised you a concert, invited the "Weird Sisters"...'

'We could have invited them without her.'

'You mean Professor Dumbledore could have invited them, Pomona. She and Minerva almost broke their legs running after them. And now you can't swallow a small dalliance with their guitarist.'

The other two soon lost patience and started shouting, too. Jane and Minerva looked at each other, and then Minerva rose from the bench.

'I must go and reconcile them,' she told Jane.

'You'd better go,' Jane agreed, but didn't move.

With her stern tone, Professor McGonagall was able to stop the fight between the three women. Jane could hear them arguing with her at first, and how they suddenly lost the will to altercate anymore when she told them they were acting like their students. After a while, Aurora came to her, still infuriated.

'So the old maids decided to lecture you for real?', she said, but now more quietly, because she didn't want to start another scandal.

'Yes, they sent Minerva a little while ago to inform me of their opinion.'

'It's so cold here, let's take a dip in the bath and we'll talk again'

They filled a rather wide bathtub, which, however, was inferior in size to the small pool in the main room, and after soaking up to their necks, continued the conversation.

'My advice is to ignore them. After a certain age, single women's minds get twisted and they start thinking differently. They start hating men and can't stand it if one of their female friends is not like them, as in your case. At least I hope I'm still far from their way of thinking.' Aurora let out a small sigh. 'So that you don't have any more problems with them, it's better to arrange your dates discreetly. They can't condemn what they don't know.'

'You're right, Aurora. I guess I'll have to be more careful in the future.' Jane's mood was still sour, but Aurora's words calmed her down at least a little. 'And may I ask you what was the scandal that you started?'

'Ah, the scandal? Don't tell anyone. My Italian ancestry, which I've been trying to tame for the twenty years I've been here, once again gets the better of me. Be careful not to mention it to the others, they think I'm an old-timer. More precisely, the legend is that I'm from the southern islands. I had to somehow explain my atypical behaviour.'

This amused Jane, who even laughed a little before asking, 'Where are you from, anyway?'

'Sicily.'

'Yeah, it's a southern island, indeed.' The teachers laughed. 'I'm from Ravendale, and you'll hardly find a more remote village than that.'

'I've already heard the rumour about your mayor, the drunkard.'

'If it was only the mayor...'

The two continued in this vein until their spirits began improving. The others had long since left when they decided to go, too.

Later in the day, Jane was invited to visit Sirius along with Dora Tonks and Remus Lupin, for a belated New Year celebration. Since she didn't have many new clothes, she decided to wear her dress from the ball again. She put her thickest winter cloak on top and, drying her hair with magic, hurried to the castle gate. She had promised to buy champagne and butterbeer, so first she went to Hogsmeade where she got the necessary drinks from the "Three Broomsticks". Then she apparated straight to London, where the weather had for once turned soggy and the snow was melting.

Sirius's house was decorated with Christmas lights as if someone could see them if they didn't know about it. Jane wondered whose idea it was, it certainly wasn't the host's, for he didn't give a damn about his house and how it looked. It must have been Dora's, women usually have an affinity for beautifying initially ugly structures like this, and the young Auror was hardly an exception.

Jane knocked on the front door, and in a moment Dora herself opened it, with a pointed paper hat tied on top of her head. A "Weird Sisters" song was playing inside, and it was smelling of pudding.

'Happy New Year, Jane!', Dora greeted and hugged her friend.

'Happy New Year!', Jane answered.

'Come in, come in, get settled. The boys are cooking something, they don't want to let me in the kitchen. So I suggest we have some whiskey while we are waiting for them.'

'I brought champagne and butterbeer. We can open them if you want. Because if we start the evening with whiskey, we'll end it under the table.'

'I think you're right. Let's drink some butterbeer then. Mates, Jane is here!' she shouted and received a response sounding like "Great, but we're busy". 'What are they doing there, I can't understand.'

Jane opened the bottle and poured in two glasses. Then they toasted and drank. Indeed, the butterbeer was a good way to warm up after a long time hanging out in the cold and snowy Hogsmeade. Both chaps soon arrived and Remus Lupin kissed Dora on the cheek. Apparently, their relationship was developing. Sirius shook hands with Jane and greeted her. They congratulated each other on the New Year, after which Jane silently poured them butterbeer for a toast.

The evening continued with music and dancing. At some point, Sirius ran into the kitchen shouting, "We forgot it! It's all over, the dinner is burnt!", but after returning he reassured the others that there was very little black crust on the edges. The two men brought it from the kitchen and the closely guarded secret turned out to be a roasted turkey. As they were all famished, they immediately attacked the food, which was quite tasty. Praise was not long in coming and the two cooks were soon bursting with pride.

At some point, the conversation turned to the concert. Remus and Dora had already forgiven their friends' little trick of smuggling Sirius under a false identity and even admitted that they were glad he was finally able to get out and have fun out of the house.

When everyone was fairly sloshed, they decided to share the latest jokes they had heard about the wizarding world and Professor Dumbledore in particular. Jane even agreed to play one of her band's records, which she didn't like listening to because of the nostalgia they gave her. Cheers were raised, confetti and fireworks went off. Finally, they decided to tidy up and go to bed, but after breaking a few glasses, they gave up on the tidying.

It was late after midnight when the two women awoke to a rhythmic tapping on the window.

'What's happening?', Jane muttered and tried to hide her head beneath the pillow.

'An owl,' the Auror's voice, muffled by the feathers, reached her. There were footsteps on the floor that made the beams of the house bend, then the creaking of hinges. Jane turned her back to the wall, put her glasses on and tried to see something in the light of the street lamps. Dora was just unrolling the parchment when the owl spread its wings and flew away. Cool, damp air came in from the window and cleared a bit Jane's head, still dizzy from the alcohol.

'What do they want?' she finally managed to ask.

'It's from Professor Dumbledore'. Tonks's voice was still slightly off. 'He's calling us urgently.'

'All of us?'

'No, just me and Remus.'

Dora tossed the letter into the fireplace and began clumsily pulling her robes on.

'Do you want me to help you?', Jane offered her services, though she doubted she would do much better than Dora.

'No, I'll be fine. Now I'll have to sober up with magic. You know how unpleasant it is.'

Jane just nodded and collapsed back onto her bed. No matter how drunk someone was, it was always better to sober up in peace, than with magic. At least they had time on their hands to endure the misery while the spell pulled everything through their nose for a few seconds and then they felt like being thrown into a river full of piranhas.

The incantation sounded distinctly in the stillness of the night, and the only noise that followed was Dora turning over and over on the adjacent bed. Then the Auror got up, closed the window and walked to the door.

'I'm going to wake Remus up and then we're going out,' she announced hoarsely and Jane waved her goodbye. The door opened and then closed. She could hear Dora waking Lupin in the next room, then the sobering spell, and the two leaving the house noisily.

The teacher tried to turn against the wall and go back to sleep but failed as Sirius staggered into the room.

'I told myself that I wouldn't be able to sleep again anyway,' he said, plopping down on the end of Jane's bed. 'So I decided to see what you were up to.'

'I'm trying to sleep,' she answered, turning to face him.

'Aren't you going to have an assignment soon, too?'

'Surely. I just don't know when. Did you find out what had happened?'

'They didn't tell me. They never tell me anything. After all, I'm dangerous to the Order with my very existence. Merlin forbid that I knew anything.'

'Please don't talk like that. My head hurts and you don't make it feel better.'

'I'm sorry, I won't bother you with my problems. And I'm sorry about your head. I guess I shouldn't have poured so much into your glass. Here's what we're going to do,' Sirius staggered to his feet, 'I'll get you a glass of water, then I'll open the window and we'll wrap ourselves in the blanket. You'll see that you'll feel much better.'

Jane just sighed quietly. She would probably soon have to leave the house in the middle of the night, too, to do the headmaster's bidding. From now on she had to be careful with her drinking so that she could leave quickly and without delay...

Sirius arrived with the water and after a brief struggle with the ancient window's handle, managed to open it. She backed up against the wall to make room for him. The two of them lay still for a while, then Sirius turned to her and asked worriedly, 'How's your head now?'

'Still hurts.'

He leaned down to kiss her forehead and put his arm around her shoulder, 'And now?'

"Now it's screaming and swearing at me and all the alcohol I swallowed."

'Sirius, leave me alone.'

'Why, don't you like me?'

'I like you. But I'm not about to start something I can't finish.'

'Listen, do they make you take a vow of chastity at that school of yours? No? So what's your problem?'

This just pissed her off.

'The problem is I can't. I don't want to start a relationship now when the wizarding world is at war.'

'This is complete nonsense and you know it. If you really wanted me, you wouldn't need to make excuses like that.'

'Don't push me. Most of all, I hate being pressured. I'll do as I decide when I decide it. And if you care about me, you'll let me decide in peace.'

Sirius clumsily stood up, brushing aside the covers that got in his way.

'Then, my lady, I leave you to your own conscience and drunkenness'. He bowed in a mock curtsey and left the room.