Hidden Slytherin

Chapter 30 Some Prick's Package

Jane rolled off her bed and landed on the floor with a thump. Cursing under her breath, she stretched and stood. Casting a quick Tempus with a flick of her wrist, Jane realized it was later then her normal. Apparently she had managed to sleep in to a semi decent time. Still too early for most but better. Jane shrugged before collecting her clothes for the day. She was glad to see that the acid drop disco effect seemed to have vanished and she could look at the world without wanting to vomit. She quietly went and grabbed a shower before dressing and grabbing her bag.

She had stayed up reading the ritual book that night, and couldn't get what her friends had said out of her head. The rituals she read about did involve sacrifice but the book had specified that substitutions could be made well still creating the some effect. It was proven by a comparison of different cultures rituals, some that used things like live chickens while others involved harvesting certain plants. She guessed it was a historical perspective thing. The farther back you go, the more likely someone had to hunt and kill their own food and as that changed more people got uncomfortable with it. But that didn't mean it was malicious. If an animal sacrifice was used then part of the ritual was to cook and consume it to honor it.

She threw herself onto one of the common room's couches and watched the flames dance in the fire place, her mind off in thought again.

Jane realised that she needed to know more about what exactly constituted dark and light magic. There was the obvious light is good, dark is bad crap that was easily shoveled but Jane knew an excuse for not thinking when she heard one. And that was utter bull crap. She also wanted to know more about the man that had spearheaded making it illegal. Her mind flashed back to the conversation she had spied on- ahemoverheard.

Jane wondered where Dumbledore's journal had been hidden that McGonagall only found it now. Or maybe, Jane reasoned, she had only been able to bring herself to look at it now. A thought struck her then. If the journal had been hidden in the school did that mean she had a copy of it in her own library thanks to the Room of Requirements.

Jane carded her fingers through her hair, the wet tangles catching in places and she gave the strands a tug. This doesn't involve you, Jane warned herself. Getting involved would not help her fly under the authorities radar. McGonagall and that man would decide what to do, whether they told Potter or not wasn't her problem and the only thing reading that book would manage was to make her feel guilty. If she even had the damn book. Her mind played its own game of devil's advocate as it reminded her of all the good information, the useful information she could learn. She didn't even have to do anything about it. The proper individuals already knew about it and if they were as good as they preached they would figure out the right thing to do.

She idly wondered if Potter would even want to know as she watched the flames snap and dance. They cast strange shadows in the room. To know or not to know. Maybe the truth would hurt him more, being betrayed by someone you trusted. If he trusted the man that is. Jane didn't want to assume things, even if everyone else did. She couldn't imagine going through something like that and not recognizing how cunning the man must have been. Sorry, not cunning but clever. She always found it odd how something could sound both good and bad just by a simple change of perspective. Both were true but say the wrong thing in front of the wrong crowd and you'd have hell to pay.

She wondered if people would turn on him in the media, if they would say he was a liar. Or would h turn on them, hate them for shoving a destiny onto hi that never even belonged to Potter in the first place. Or would he just be sad it happened at all?

She shifted, pulling her legs up onto the soft potion green cushions. What is a prophesy even, Jane questioned. It remined her too much of some fortune cookie, crack it open and get a mini life lesson. She knew they taught divination, so there must be some merit to it but really if you tell someone they are going to trip or wear the colour yellow, eventually it will happen. And if you say 'You will kill the Dark Lord'and then set them up to train and be known as the person everyone believes is going to do it, including the homicidal nut job with a nose complex, then no shit he will go after the kid. The rest is just self defence really.

Jane huffed, trying to get more comfortable, which she really shouldn't or he might fall asleep again even if her mind was traveling a mile a minute. So the real question she figured was how much of the prophesy was self-fulfilling. She figured so many people were set to believe because there is nothing quite so motivating to hope for a miracle as war.

She wondered how Potter, a war hero with his own scars, would take finding out he had been forced into someone else's role. Not good would probably be the understatement of the fucking century. But didn't he deserve to know, especially if he still had family out there. Jane figured she would watch him during their Defense classes and see how he acted. If there was some change in behavior then she would guess if he had been told.

"Jane what are you doing," Roman's voice came from behind her.

"Contemplating the universe, why you want to join?"

"Nah, too early for me. I do my universal contemplation in Charms class, thank you very much." He walked around to the front of the couch. "You ready to go," he asked.

"Yup," she hummed and got off the couch before stretching back. "Let's go."

They quickly exited the common room and headed straight for the great hall. They easily slid into their spots, food appearing in front of them. They dug in, Jane with a fruit salad and Roman with sausage and eggs with toast. He would occasionally steal one of her grapes and she stole a slice of toast, quickly covering it with marmalade before munching away. Soon Draven and Neryssa joined them giving quick hellos before tucking in to their own food.

With everything going on Jane had managed to forget for a while that it had been several days since the last package but the sound of wings brought tension back to her shoulder. She started internally counting the days since the last as she looked up at the hundreds of owls flying around to deliver mail.

She noticed one with a slightly larger package, about the size of a shoe box flying along their table. It was slowly losing altitude and it took Jane a few seconds to realize it was coming towards them before it dropped the package right on her fruit salad, sending messy chunks of fruit flying around and her coffee to spill. Jane cursed the mess as she was gripped with dread. She could feel the magic wrapped around the brown box in front of her, the compulsion to open it now, here in front of everyone overwhelming. She knew,knewno one she knew would send her something like this. Definitely not her family or Griphook. But even then her hands were already pulling the twin off and opening the cardboard flaps. And just like that the magic fled, dissipating into the air. And when Jane looked down, she felt bile rise. The box was filled with poppies red as a fresh blood stain and in the center was cradled a beating heart. It had a burn in it that looked like it could be the same rabbit as in the other packages and as she watched it beat dribbles of blood slowly leaked from the valves, which looked torn. Some small voice in her head whispered that it must have been enchanted to beat, that it wasn't really alive. Not really.

It felt like time had gone funny, as if it had slowed like molasses. It was probably only second but felt as if it was hours of seeing the heart beating away slowly, days since she had been in the common room chatting with Roman.

She was moved back as Roman pulled her away. She caught sight of his face before she was pulled into a hug. He was scowling, practically growling as his eyes seemed to flash red in anger. She thought she might be able to hear the rumble in his chest as he snarled to get a Professor. Her hearing seemed to have gone funny too. Maybe the spells had been effected, she thought numbly, because I can hear everything at once and nothing at the same time. Calls for a Professor were heard Flitwick seemed to appear beside them. She noted he was sweating something fierce and after peaking into the box paled.

"Don't worry Miss it's not human."

Jane hadn't even though of that yet, but the thought made her sick. She didn't know whether it was worse that she could hear the unsure beat of the Professors own unsure heartbeat. He didn't know whether he was lying to he or not.

Roman was still holding her as Professor Crabtree appeared on their other side, took one look at everything and levitated the box away with a thunderous expression. The Headmistress told students to go to their classes before approaching Jane, her friends still huddled around her.

"Miss, You will need to come with me. The rest of you off to class."

They gave her concerned looks before slowly walking out, Roman squeezing her hand. Jane tried to give them a reassuring smile but thought it probably fell flat.