Jade Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Chapter 8

"No," she moaned.

The snake rustled on the filthy, cluttered floor, and she had killed the girl, and yet she was the girl...

"No..."

And now she stood at the broken window of Bathilda's house, immersed in memories of her greatest loss, and at her feet the great snake slithered over broken china and glass... She looked down and saw something... something incredible...

"No..."

"Jade, it's all right, you're all right!"

She stooped down and picked up the smashed photograph. There she was, the unknown thief, the thief she was seeking...

"No... I dropped it... I dropped it ..."

"Jade, it's okay, wake up, wake."

She was Jade... Jade, not Voldemort ... and the thing that was rustling was not a snake ... She opened her eyes.

"Jade," Henry whispered.

"Do you feel all - all right?"

"Yes," she lied.

She was in the tent, lying on one of the lower bunks beneath a heap of blankets. She could tell that it was almost dawn by the stillness and quality of the cold, flat light beyond the canvas ceiling. She was drenched in sweat; he could feel it on the sheets and blankets.

"We got away."

"Yes," said Henry. "I had to use a Hover Charm to get you into your bunk. I couldn't lift you. You've been ... Well, you haven't been quite ..."

"You've been ill," he finished. "Quite ill."

"How long ago did we leave?"

"Hours ago. It's nearly morning. I gave you the phoenix tear Dumbledore gave me when you got hit by Nagini."

"Thanks. And I've been... what, unconscious while you did that?"

"Not exactly," said Henry uncomfortably. "You've been shouting and moaning and ... things," she added in a tone that made Jade feel uneasy.

"I couldn't get the Horcrux off you," Henry said, and she knew he wanted to change the subject. "It was stuck, stuck to your chest. You've got a mark; I'm sorry, I had to use a Severing Charm to get it away. The snake bit you too, but I've cleaned the wound and put some dittany on it ..."

"Where've you put the Horcrux?"

"In your bag. I think we should keep it off for a while."

She lay back on her pillows and looked into her pinched gray face.

"We shouldn't have gone to Godric's Hollow. It's my fault, it's all my fault. Jade, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I wanted to go too; I really thought Dumbledore might have left the sword there for us." he said.

"Yeah, well ... we got that wrong, didn't we?"

"What happened, Jade? What happened when she took you upstairs? Was the snake hiding somewhere? Did it just come out and kill her and attack you?"

"No." she said. "She was the snake ... or the snake was her ... all along."

"W-what?"

She closed her eyes. She could still smell Bathilda's house on him; it made the whole thing horribly vivid.

"Bathilda must've been dead a while. The snake was... was inside her. Tom put it there in Godric's Hollow, to wait."

"The snake was inside her?"

She opened her eyes again. Henry looked revolted, nauseated.

"Uncle Moony said there would be magic we'd never imagined." Jade said.

Henry thought of something that could've been how she was a human but kept it to herself.

"She didn't want to talk in front of you, because it was Parseltongue, all Parseltongue, and I didn't realize, but of course I could understand her. Once we were up in the room, the snake sent a message to Tom, I heard it happen inside my head, I felt him get excited, he said to keep me there ... and then ..."

She remembered the snake coming out of Bathilda's neck: Henry did not need to know the details.

"...she changed, changed into the snake, and attacked."

She looked down at the puncture marks.

"It wasn't supposed to kill me, just keep me there till Tom came."

She sat up and threw back the covers.

"Jade, no, I'm sure you ought to rest!"

"You're the one who needs sleep. No offense, but you look terrible. You used enough strength to give me some of yours. I'm fine. I'll keep watch for a while. Where's my wand?"

He did not answer, he merely looked at her.

"Where's my wand, Henry?"

He was biting his lip.

"Jade ..."

"Where's my wand?"

He reached down beside the bed and held it out to her.

The holly and phoenix wand was nearly severed in two.

One fragile strand of phoenix feather kept both pieces hanging together. The wood had splintered apart completely. Jade took it into her hands as though it was a living thing that had suffered a terrible injury. He could not think properly: Everything was a blur of panic and fear. Then she held out the want to Henry.

"Mend it. Please."

"Jade, I don't think, when it's broken like this -"

"Please, Henry, try!"

"R-Reparo."

The dangling half of the wand resealed itself. Jade held it up.

"Lumos!"

The wand sparked feebly, then went out. Jade pointed it at Henry.

"Expelliarmus!"

Henry's wand gave a little jerk, but did not leave her hand. The feeble attempt at magic was too much for Jade's wand, which split into two again. She stared at it, aghast,

"Jade." Henry whispered so quietly he could hardly hear her. "I'm so, so sorry. I think it was me. As we were leaving, you know, the snake was coming for us, and so I cast a Blasting Curse, and it rebounded everywhere, and it must have - must have hit -"

"It was an accident." said Jade mechanically. "We'll - we'll find a way to repair it."

"Well," she said, in a falsely matter-of-fact voice, "well, I'll just borrow yours for now, then. While I keep watch."

Henry handed over his wand, and she left him sitting beside her bed.