Hidden Slytherin

Chapter 34 Just Another Day In Hell

Jane lay in bed and wondered at the mess she had gotten herself into. After their talk had finished Jane had snuck back to her room. She had had to wait in the south corridor for almost twenty minutes when she had accidently gotten herself cornered by Peeves. He had paid her no attention but she was not willing to risk gaining it by moving.

Jane had yet to have any encounters with Peeves personally but had heard from Racheal that he would prank the other students mercilessly. Apparently the spectre was afraid of the Bloody Baron and left the Slytherins alone for the most part.

It had been odd, watching a ghost who didn't have any idea she was there. She wondered if she could use the Notice-Me-Not during Halloween to avoid unwanted attention from the spectres that only she could see.

She knew she needed to tell her friends, if only to get their help solving this problem. Although it was really a two part problem. The would be thief and the harasser. Although it helped to know that they were linked somehow. Really what she needed to do was draw the out. She already had a pretty good idea on what they would do. Neither of them seemed particularly discouraged by the measures that the teachers were taking so she figured they would keep following their own patterns.

She had some of the afternoon free. She did have double Defense with Brindlemore and then dreaded Astronomy. Scarsa was getting on her last nerve. It would be easier if there was a reason for the instinctual fear. Fear wasn't really the right word though. It was some long inherited instinct that seemed to flood her system with terror as soon as the women came close. Every nerve screamed to run, just get away and don't look back and every bloody class she had to fight to not show any of what she was feeling. Jane hated it with a potion. It would be so much easier if she just hated the women or at the very least understood what caused her reaction.

She kind of wished Scarsa was responsible for the threats because maybe then she would be fired but Jane was not that hopeful. Causing terror didn't actually make you guilty of anything but scaring the shit out of someone.

Jane shifted, trying to get comfortable. Her arms were crossed behind her head and her legs propped up and crossed at the knee. She had already given up on sleeping tonight. It was going to be a long day but she had plenty to occupy her time.

She had already washed and dressed, today with a pair of sleek black dress pants. She had already managed to transfigure all of her skirts into pants and was quite pleased. Some still needed some tweaking but overall it had worked out quite well. It helped that she was changing the fabric from one type to another instead of something completely different.

Jane looked over to see the firs touches of watery light making its way through the window panes and quickly collected her stuff before heading to the common room to meet up with Roman.

They managed a quick breakfast once Neryssa and Draven showed up and hurried to class. Neryssa kept trying to hurry Jane along to avoid any confrontations with curious onlookers, as if she hadn't been the one that showed up last. Roman and Draven were busily glaring at anyone that looked like they were heading their way.

Jane found it amusing how so many people described the Slytherins as cold blooded power hungry snakes. Sure the looks on their faces could freeze over hell but the entirety of the table looked like they would kill anyone that approached their snakelets with ambiguous intent.

She tried to keep a straight face. She would protect their reputation or at least their pride as a reward for trying to protect her even if it was with some questionable motives mixed in. Cause really, if something gossip worthy happened to a Slytherin then they were going to hear about it first merlin be damned. They could be just as protective of their own as any of the other houses when properly motivated.

As they arrived to Defense it was to see Professor Potter writing on the black board. They quietly took their seats as the Slytherins finished coming in and waited as the Gryffindors began to arrive. Jane still thought it was like arranging students according to a personality test but there was no denying the stark contrast between the groups. When in a crowd the Slytherins were quite morose and cold, freezing out anyone they found even slightly irritating and when attacked going for the jugular. The Gryffindors on the other hand were rambunctious, loud, nosy and very distractible. At least that's what Jane assumed always made them late to class.

"Ok class, today we will be working on how to recognize and identify dark magic. After that we are going to learn how to dispel or protect against latent dark or harmful magic. Now, what is the difference between offensive and dark magic?"

Before anyone could put up their hand a Gryffindor boy interrupted. "Why does it even matter. They are both used by scum anyways."

"Actually," Potter said, "they are different. Offensive magic is used to fight or attack another. Auror's use it to detain dark witches and wizards wanted by the authorities." As he spoke he moved and began to write on the black board. There was a shuffling of papers as students moved to take notes. "Dark magic gains power through the pain or death of another. Whether that is an animal or a human depends on the spell. Which is why they are illegal and therefore not used. There are of course certain curses that are so dark they are considered unforgivable."

Another Gryffindor raise her arm. Potter nodded at her to go ahead. "Professor how do they know if a wizard is dark?"

Jane wondered as well. She knew that the trace was placed on children's wands but it was supposed to break when they reached their eighteenth birthday. Jane was still glad she had gotten her wand made specifically without the trace. One less thing to worry about. She noticed several of her fellow Slytherins shifting in their seats and silently wondered how many knew from personal experience. How many families had gone through this after the war.

"Well, Children under the age of eighteen have a spell called the trace placed on their wands that monitors and records he magic hey use. It also informs the ministry of any use of underage magic when not attending school. If underage magic is preformed, it is reviewed on whether it was appropriate to the situation and a warning sent out. Now, witches and wizards that are suspected of being dark or have been accused of minor transgressions will have a spell similar to the trace placed on their wands that records any magic it makes and alerts Aurors to any dark magic cast." He took a breath and leaned back onto the window ledge even as another hand shot up. "Yes?"

This time it was a Slytherin, an tiny little thing with tight curls and olive skin. "What happens if you find dark magic but not the person who cast it?"

This time there was no shifting from the Slytherins. It was as if ice water had been poured down their spines. They seemed to freeze around her and stiffen.

"The Aurors would be called and would work on tracing the magic back to the caster. You see as a spell is being cast a wizard or witch is sending magic to create what their spell. This creates a bridge between the two that can be tracked but only as it is cast. Some spells linger longer while others sever almost instantly. The darker the magic the more it ties to its caster."

The class continued that way and soon enough they were heading out. Jane was shoving her things into her bag when she heard her name called. She looked up to see Professor Potter approaching her. "Miss Blackwell could I have a word?"

Jane nodded and waved off her friends. She had a feeling she knew what this was about.

Fucking hell.