BORN TO DIE | R. Arcturus Black

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Chapter Eight: A Not-So Pleasant Encounter

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Janet was seated in the front middle of Professor McGonagall's classroom, as per the professor's request for her to be in that specific section of the room. However, she felt uncomfortable with the eyes of her classmates upon her, which she tried to ignore, albeit unsuccessfully. Despite her attempts to tune them out, the constant attention was a distraction to her when she tried to focus on the blackboard ahead of her, where Professor McGonagall was discussing the dangers of transforming humans into animals. Besides a Ravenclaw student drawing a Porlock on her paper with complete disinterest, Janet was envious of how oblivious she appeared to the tension in the room, allowing her to enjoy her drawing without concern.

Janet, who had been sitting for hours in the same position, felt a tug of exhaustion and sluggishness. She stretched and cracked her neck to ease some of the tension, before catching Evan's eyes across the room. Her vision blurred as she yawned, feeling a lump forming in her throat. In an uncharacteristically bold move, she waved at Evan in front of the other Slytherins, drawing even more attention to herself, and intensifying their suspicions.

Evan's face turned pink, visibly embarrassed at Janet's affectionate gesture towards him. She chuckled silently and re-focused her attention on Professor McGonagall, understanding that the other Slytherins would interrogate Evan, and the rest of the students would likely fuel more rumors about her.

Janet idly twirled her wand in her hands. The wand was a normal, dark-brown color, but it had intricate black vein details that ran from the handle and twisted around the length of the wood until they reached the tip. She passed the time by drawing on parchment using her wand, heating it until it seared through the paper, creating intricate patterns on the surface.

With a small flick of her wand, the spirals and flowers she drew on the parchment paper began spinning and moving through the paper by themselves, as if they had life of their own.

"Nice wand work," the Ravenclaw sitting next to Janet commented, complementing her drawing on the parchment paper. Janet returned a smile and thanked her before nodding and handing the parchment over to her. The Ravenclaw looked around to make sure Professor McGonagall wasn't watching, and then pointed her wand at the paper and filled it with different colors.

At the sound of the bell, the quiet classroom began to fill with the sounds of students packing up their things and preparing to leave. As they did, Professor McGonagall assigned them homework and called on Janet to remain after class.

"Professor, is everything all right?" Janet asked, unconsciously tightening her grip on her bag strap. "No worries, dear," Professor McGonagall replied, "I just wanted to say how impressed I am with your casting. Many students wouldn't have been able to cast that spell so well or quickly during their first try. And I would have thought that your memory loss would have had a greater impact on your magic, but it seems that I was greatly mistaken."

She quietly responded with a carefully considered Thank you, before standing silently while Professor McGonagall stared directly into her eyes. After a moment, McGonagall began to speak again, "While you may have excelled in this one lesson, that does not necessarily mean that you are ready for your NEWT year. Therefore, I have assigned you a tutor."

"Professor, thank you, but-" Janet began to speak, but was immediately cut off by the teacher. "James Potter and Lily Evans," she said, as if announcing a sentence that carried great weight. Janet felt as though she had been slapped in the face, and an overwhelming worry swept over her. "James Potter and Lily Evans?" she repeated back in confusion, feeling her heart pound in her chest. "Yes, as prefects, they have been assigned to help you with all subjects," the teacher replied matter-of-factly.