Harry Potter and The Jade Dragon

Chapter 25 ~ Robert's Decision

Harry found it difficult to settle back to normal school life, now that the mystery of Liu Pei's scroll and the Plateau had been solved. Robert, who had been relatively vocal during the past few weeks, now lapsed back into his usual silent self. Shan, too, seemed quieter. She began to spend more of her time doing her assignments, but sometimes seemed to be staring at her parchment as if her mind was elsewhere. Harry suspected that she was thinking about her parents.

Ron was still feeling worried about Pixie, who continued to visit Snape's office, doing whatever chores he gave her. Snape had also begun to bully her mercilessly in class. All the most cutting remarks were reserved for her, and she found herself being ordered to stay back after class, not a few times, to repeat the lesson because her potion had been unsatisfactory.

Pixie, who could occasionally be hot-tempered, took all the bullying quietly. She generally appeared to be her usual carefree self, but was now spending less time with Parvati and Lavendar, and more with Ron, doing her beloved carving while he did his homework. She had started work on a block of crystal, and seemed to be shaping it into the form of a bird with her wand. She had also begun carving a lump of fine, pale green jade, which Harry suspected was to be a gift for Ron, for she only worked on it when he wasn't around.

Malfoy and some of the other students were still making annoying remarks about Shan and Harry. Shan generally ignored them, but Harry couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. It was hard to tell what Robert was thinking; Harry was tempted to have a talk with him, and let him know that all the silly remarks and teasing were baseless, but he still wasn't sure if Sang Nila had been correct. Perhaps Robert really only cared for Shan as a cousin, and might laugh at Harry if he were to suggest otherwise.

* * *

Pixie had been having a bad fifteen minutes of it. She had been spending those minutes grinding dried earthworms to powder, and every time she looked up, Snape was staring at her with that awful glitter in his eyes.

Finally, he came over to where she was sitting, and stood there, looking down at her.

"Miss Pei," he said, "You have been coming here, three times a week, one to two hours a day, for the past two weeks. I find it difficult to comprehend why a student totally inept at the art of potion-making should display such diligence. Perhaps it is time that you enlightened me."

Pixie looked down at the powdered earthworms on the table.

"I don't know why I'm here," she muttered, rather resentfully. "I know you don't like me, and I don't like you either."

She stopped, unsure of what she wanted to say. She glanced at Snape, and saw that he was staring at her with a faint sneer on his face. She lowered her eyes to the table again.

"I don't know why I keep coming here," she repeated, sulkily. "I just feel that there's something I'm supposed to learn here. Something that you're supposed to teach me."

Snape's eyes narrowed, and a sardonic expression came over his face.

"Indeed," he said coldly. He glanced at a table by the wall, on which a box of new potions ingredients was sitting. "I shall make use of your presence here, then. Your esteemed Potions teacher has sent me a fresh supply of ingredients for her project. I expect you to spend no less than two hours a day in here, helping me prepare the ingredients, after which you will assist me in the testing."

He gestured at her to go over to the table, and her heart sank when she looked into the box : a large proportion of the ingredients were dragon bones.