Janna Black and The Cite of the Dead

Knockturn Alley

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The drive became more quicker than Harry had thought, Janna was easy to talk to, it was like having a piece of Lupin, Sirius and some of himself in one person, of course she just had some of their traits but she was quite like them.

The river Thames, which streaked through London, shined under the sky like shimmering fish scales. Janna had her nose touching the glass as she watched everything go past, she hadn't admired the world like this for a while.

"So how many children do you have?" Janna asked as she came back from her sightseeing thoughts, she began to wrap the long red scarf around her neck again.

"I have three: Lily, Albus and James. Albus is about your age, Lily might be about two years below you, and James, he's a year older but he thinks he is thirteen already. I think I told you Lily had sent those owls, she gets very excited when she meets new people" Harry explained, Janna smiled softly as she then fixed her hair out her face to quickly glance back at the file.

"Harry, back to the file... It said nobody knew what colour eyes my mother had when they tried to identify her, because they were too milky to check—do you think she had green eyes?" Janna asked.

"Yeah, she must have" Harry nodded, Janna then lifted the file again and she leafed through the pages.

"And why do Dementors suck souls out of people? Why didn't it affect me? I was inside her after all... And how did I survive twenty-six years in her?" Janna questioned, Harry drove towards The Leaky Cauldron, he pursed his lips as he thought of any answer for Janna.

"Hermione, my sister in law, has a theory, that your mother's soul was taken but not her life, her body still worked and so you lived on. The fact that you spent nearly nine years in Azkaban, surrounded by all those Dementor's dark magic in your mother's body, you absorbed quite a bit of dark magic. Because of the Dementors your growth process froze but in nineteen ninety-eight, when your mother's body was taken to Saint Mungo's your process defrosted"

Janna then looked down at the papers she spotted a theory written by a Hermione Granger-Weasley "so I was a defrosting piece of bacon for seven years?"

"Nah, I'd say you're more of a defrosted egg" Harry said, Janna pursed her lips and she smiled slightly.

"Harry, that's one way to chase a girl away." Janna then ran her hand through her hair, she grinned "Since you were born in ninety-eighty I'm older than you, so you are doing a very good job by respecting your elders" Janna teased, Harry chuckled at this before stopping the car near the pavement.

"You're still younger than me in real age." Harry then switched off the car and he looked at Janna, she's just like Sirius Harry thought as Janna lifted her bag to her lap before opening the door with a little smile on her face "I think we better get going then"

"So, in the letter it says we must find an owl, a cat or a toad but I've walked past the Menagerie in Diagon alley and I've seen rats, lizards and even mice," Janna then waited at the front of the car for Harry "then there's the broomstick, do we do cleaning or something like that?"

"Nobody knows why they say you can only have those, people get other animals" Harry answered Janna's first question as he then lead Janna to The Leaky Cauldron's door, "broomsticks are what you play Quidditch with. Do you know about Quidditch?" Harry asked, he looked at his side but Janna wasn't there, he quickly turned to see Janna staring at the door of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Harry, I haven't really been in there without a hood on, are people going to look at me?" Janna hesitated but Harry held out his hand to Janna.

"No, only the first few moments you're there they'll take a glance at you" Harry said calmly, Janna shivered before stepping forwards, Harry took her hand, her hand was warmer under the fingerless glove she had on. Janna took in a deep breathe as Harry then opened the door into the inn before leading Janna in.

This was most probably the ninth scariest experience Janna ever had, all of a sudden she ran through the other eight—full moons, the day she messed some sort of minty smelling ink on a carpet, the time she went to a library alone, said hello to someone she didn't know, attempting to look over the railing of a second story balcony, nearly having her scars revealed by accident, the time she lost her jumper at preschool, once when she was nearly caught awake past nine—

Suddenly Janna realised that Harry was right about people glancing through the pub, but it only lasted for a few seconds, she froze as this happened, Harry squeezed her hand to make sure she was alright.

Walking through the inn was terrifying—it was like someone was going to hop out a hole, point a finger at her and shriek—but Janna soon released that wasn't going to happen when she and Harry reached the backdoor.

Janna zipped through the door, she pulled Harry in as he closed the door, Janna leaned on the wall, her chest was throbbing, she felt her heart at the back of her mouth as she took in large breathes.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, Janna took in a deep breathe before bobbing her head up and down.

Harry then let go of Janna's hand before he turned on his heel to look at the brick wall be fire tapping the same sequence Janna had done yesterday. Janna straightened up a little before taking a step to Harry so she could stand next to him.

The bricks vibrated and—as they had done yesterday—they cleared a gap which became bigger and bigger before forming an archway. Janna stepped through before Harry, she took the list out her pocket and she folded it while strangely holding the parchment between her pinky and her thumb in her left hand.

"Why don't we go to Borgin and Burkes quickly?" Janna said, Harry stopped in his steps.

"Did I hear you say Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked, Janna nodded before looking up from the parchment.

"Yes, you did. It's just for a few books, I forgot to pick them up yesterday" Janna causally said, Harry watched Janna with a strange look "come on Harry, it'll be quick."

Harry followed Janna, she stuffed the list back into her pockets as she ruffled her scarf, Harry quickly walked to Janna's side, Janna smiled softly before looking at him "Harry, don't worry, I don't use the dark magic in the shop, the Dark Arts books aren't that bad"

"Janna, we shouldn't go" Harry said but Janna shrugged as though using these dark books was not such a big deal.

"Don't be a worry wart Harry, I've done this quite a few times" Janna nodded as she lead Harry down Knocktutn alley, a dark alley which was narrow; an echo bounced around the high walls which lead up to high up shingles that blocked out the sunlight. Harry looked at Janna, she lifted her scarf over her head that veiled her face in a shadow, Harry quickly paced close to Janna's back while an old cackle came from an ominous cul-de-sac.

"Stay close Harry, try to hide your face" Janna murmured as she subtlety turned her head to him as they began to slowly descended down walked-out stone steps. Harry discreetly pointed his wand at his blazer, while muttering a spell his blazer lengthened and widened, a hood formed over his back, he raised his hand over his head, tugging the material to cover his face.