Harry Potter and The Jade Dragon

Chapter 21 ~ Christmas

Harry, now convinced that Snufflegint was up to no good, decided he'd better warn Jeanne before any harm came to her. He managed to get her alone, down at Hagrid's hut, the following day.

"I came across Professor Snufflegint's name in a wizard's Who's Who book, in the library, the other day," he said casually, after they had talked about several other things. "It said he used to be in a Pugilistic Sect."

Jeanne didn't seem surprised.

"Yes, that's right," she said, smiling slightly.

Harry, who hadn't been expecting this reaction, was rather nonplussed.

"The book said that this Sect dabbles in Black Magic," he said. "Sounds suspicious, doesn't it? D'you think he can be trusted?"

Jeanne raised an eyebrow.

"Professor Dumbledore seems to think so," she remarked, "or he wouldn't have allowed Septimus into Hogwarts."

"The Tian-Long students seem to think he's up to something," Harry added. "They say he isn't the type who'd volunteer to restore old scrolls. In fact, Robert and Chee Chong have been doing all the restoring; Snufflegint's just been hiding inside his office, looking secretive."

Jeanne looked amused.

"You're imagining it, Harry," she said. "Septimus probably became a Pugilist out of curiosity. It was a long time ago, anyway. He seems perfectly trustworthy to me; I had a very pleasant tea with him, that day."

Harry persisted.

"Chee Chong says he goes out every afternoon, no one knows where. What if he's up to something?"

Jeanne looked speculatively at him, then smiled. Harry held his breath, hoping she wouldn't suspect that he'd been spying on her.

"If you don't trust Septimus, there's no use telling me, Harry," she said calmly. "You should tell Dumbledore instead. I've hardly come into contact with him, since the day I had tea with him."

Harry hesitated. He had the feeling she knew he had been watching her. He knew he should back off. But what if Snufflegint was really spying on her, without her knowing? Should he tell her what the Map had shown? If she was really doing something together with Snufflegint, and he told her he knew she was lying, things weren't going to be very pleasant.

In the end, he decided to tackle Professor Lupin instead. Lupin probably knew what Jeanne was doing near the Forbidden Forest. He stayed back later that afternoon, after their Dark Arts class. As he approached Lupin's desk, he searched his mind for a way to bring the subject up.

"Just wondering about Jeanne's schedule," he lied, "She's never around between two to four, is she? I want to ask her something, and that's the only time I'm free nowadays."

Lupin didn't seem to suspect anything; he smiled at Harry.

"Yes, she always Portkeys back to Tian-Long during that time," he said. "She's still taking lessons from Master Kung."

Harry was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected to hear this. So, Lupin didn't know. Jeanne was deceiving him. It was unthinkable. Would Jeanne lie to Lupin? What was happening? Did Snufflegint have the same talents as Deorg, and was he exercising some sort of mind control over Jeanne?

He looked at Lupin, nonplussed. He couldn't tell him he'd been spying using the Map. Lupin could not sanction the use of the Map now that he was a teacher, and besides, if Harry told him, he would be bringing discord between Lupin and Jeanne.