Hidden Slytherin

Chapter 15 (Giggles Cutely) I'm Going To Snap

Everyone was sitting down for breakfast, Jane was sitting beside Neryssa in a strange occurrence because Draven had made a questionable comment about her singing. Jane hadn't said a word. As much as Neryssa felt like a slightly strange sister, someone you would throw a hex or two for, the girl couldn't hold a tone if her life depended on it. Her and Roman had simply nodded at each other and kept mum, leaving Draven to try to talk his way out of it.

Jane was eating some French toast with apple slices. Neryssa was eating sliced fruit. Across from her, Roman was eating oatmeal, and beside him Draven was eating an apple in between pleading with Neryssa.

Jane tried to start up a conversation about their Herbology class later that day but neither Neryssa nor Draven were paying attention. Roman watched her with a twinkle in her eye, a smirk hidden as he took a sip of tea. They had a bet going. He said the two would start dating within two years. Jane bet after two years.

Jane stuck out her tongue at him as a scream went up. Jane felt her spine stiffen and her stomach roll. She found herself slowly standing to see, her hearing sharpening even as she prayed Hogwarts had fallen to a cockroach infestation.

Turning she saw the Hufflepuff table in disarray. An older student was dragging a younger boy back from the table. Jane dimly realized it was Martin from potions. Jane focused her hearing as much as possible.

"-a dragon-"

"-who would-"

"-stabbed with a-"

"-tiny thing-"

"-burn-"

Jane felt blood drain from her face and straightened her spine, her mind quickly working up a hypothesis even as she told herself not to jump to conclusions. Someone had sent Martin a miniature dragon that was stabbed and burned, possibly with the same symbol as the previous package. It would have to be miniature, to fit in the box. From here it looked to be no bigger the a children's shoe box.

"What do you think?"

She turned to see Roman standing beside her still looking at the crowd as teachers began descending into the chaos. She turned back to the spectacle.

"I think Hogwarts has a problem. A big one."

The Headmistress sent the students away, yelling for them to go to their classes as Professor Flitwick and her took the package and a stunned Martin away. Jane was silently impressed as she trudged to class. She had thought for a second the other badgers wouldn't let her take Martin. They were a close knit group and you hardly ever saw one alone.

Entering the history class, everyone took their seats and Jane privately wondered if she shouldn't call off her library heist, at least for a few more days to give things time to cool down. She wanted to growl for her plans being disturbed by some arse being a creep.

Tapping her fingers against the desk, Jane sighed. She would push back her trip to the library and finish the warding first. That way she could test the warding on herself first in case she ran into more trouble then she could easily handle. This way she could send the warding off to Sorel and ask some carefully worded questions about how he got into the restricted section.

For the next two days Jane worked on the warding when she wasn't doing her homework. By the time Defense class had finished she was practically vibrating. She had to finish her Defense essay first, so she followed her friend to the library where they would meet up with Racheal as her mind wandered. She had a working theory, but needed somewhere private to test it. She had already decided to test it by applying it to a piece of paper and wrapping it around an apple she had snagged at breakfast that morning. Then she would shoot some magic at it and see what happened. If it worked, then she would apply it to one of her earrings as a protective ward.