Janna Black and The Cite of the Dead

Invest in a Good Chain

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Pomfrey came to the Room of Requirement doors seeing that one door was open ajar. Janna was shivering on the floor on her side, Ash was pushing at Janna's shoulder, attempting to wake her up "oh dear, girl" Pomfrey placed a hand on Janna's forehead then on her neck with two fingers feeling the pulse "fever, stiff muscles" Pomfrey told herself, she waved her wand, under Janna a stretcher lifted her off the flagstone, the young girl's arm hung off the stretcher, baring scars on her arm where her sleeve was rolled to her elbow.

Pomfrey closed the door as she pushed the levitating stretcher to a fireplace at the far corner of the room, she hadn't seen the Floo powder appear either, Pomfrey felt watched in this room, she was being watched, by Snuffles who had seen Janna fall, since she thought Ash had not made it to the hospital in her delirious state, The young girl must have attempted climbing out of bed before Snuffles walked in to see her muscles spasm under the strain causing Janna to crawl to the doors, her knees and elbows were scraping on the stone floor as she finally reached the door she knelt up clinging to the door handle which only loosened the door slightly, somehow she must have fainted from the strain.

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Snuffles ran through the paintings, passing Albus who was racing around the corner to the Room of Requirements' hallway he seemed to be worried about Janna, Snuffles skidded in a painting of a table with strange water melons and oranges, he had seen that face before, James wore it when he was worried about someone, especially about Sirius. Snuffles paused, he stood on his hind legs, taking a fruit in his paw, letting it drop onto the floor, the fruit began to shrivel and disintegrated into the carpet at Snuffles' feet.

At the bottom of the canvas a tingle of dust and dirt like bits fell from the frame, this caught Albus' attention, he first looked down at the dust and dark bits as he looked up he heard someone say by his ear in a gruff voice "go to the hospital wing, Janna is there" Albus jumped, he looked around him seeing that the corridor was empty and so was the hallway "Who said that?"

No-one answered.

Since nobody answered Albus though he was losing his mind...but maybe Janna was in the Hospital wing, Snuffles barked down the corridor to the direction of the Hospital wing, Albus' head swung at the bark, Snuffles looked through a painting at the corner of the corridor and barked again. Albus ran that way, maybe there was someone who was talking to him.

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In a closed off bed with curtains obscuring the view of Janna trembling in her sleep, her eyes shot around in there socket which were shadowed, her skin was pasty and pallor as beads of sweat formed on her skin, Pomfrey had to wake up Janna to drink the potions so she gave her wand a gentle wave over Janna.

Janna lunged up, her eyes open wing wide, bloodshot as her hands held her ears, she was murmuring  "no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no" in a trembling whisper, she was terrified of what was occupying her dream.

   "Black, lay down, you need to take your potions" Pomfrey said calmly as she gently took Janna's hands off her ears "Come now, lie down or else you will not relax"

There was a shuffling at the doors of the Hospital wing through the curtains, Janna's head shot in that direction, even though it sting her muscles in her neck "someone's coming" Janna whispered feeling a fear rise up in her stomach—her nightmare had been about Greyback.

Pomfrey left the curtains leaving Janna to recollect her prior memories before her collapsing, lying down she recalled watching the door close, suddenly  she had a pressure of her neck, she felt like she was being pulled to the door with Greyback was behind her...his hand clasped around her neck as he grumbled to her but she couldn't remember what it was. Janna remembered elbowing his sternum and stepping her heel on his toes before he dropped her in anger, she heard him threatening her, he taunted her as she crawled to the door, her knuckles were red from the dragging herself across the flagstone.

Greyback told her something that made her skin crawl but her ears were too blocked to know what it was now, she reached up to the door but he opened in for her and her fingers reached the handle "let's leave tha' open, so Potter boy can find ya here" Janna was still clinging to the handle to keep it closed, her hands began to slip from the sweat as he leaned to her ear, nearer to her neck "he'll find out sooner or later, that'll make't easier for me to take him when I catch 'im with ya" Greyback blew at Janna's face, that was red with pain and tears, his uncomfortably warm breath was strong enough to tip Janna over.

She fell to the floor, her muscles could not hold her up anymore; with a sharp swipe Greyback stroked her hair out of her face as he knelt to her "ye must gette good chain so ye don' run away tonigh' te kill anyone"

The memory played over and over in Janna's mind as she was unconscious on the floor and in the Hospital wing. Janna rubbed her hands to her face trying to drown her memory in her clammy hands.

Outside the doors Albus knocked gently at the wood, Pomfrey opened the door glowering down at him "There is nobody here Mr. Potter, now shoo" Pomfrey was about to close the door but Albus put his foot in the way.

"Is that blood?" Albus questioned pointing to a skid of blood on her white apron, Pomfrey looked down then up at him.

"Yes, well spotted Potter, now get your foot out of the doorway" Pomfrey argued as Albus peeked his face into the gap seeing a bed with curtains surrounding it like a bright spotlight.

"Is that Janna?"

Pomfrey carried on trying to nudge Albus' foot out of the doorway "Yes! Now let her rest, she's extremely ill—"

   "Albus!?" Called Janna through the curtains, Albus noticed her voice was raspier than yesterday "I'll be—fine" she was suddenly breathless.

Albus pursed his lips, then he yelled back "See you later then!" He reluctantly pulled his foot from the tight gap and Pomfrey closed the door in his face causing his hair to flutter from the force of the shut.

Janna laid back, she stared at her scars on her right arm seeing the terrible marks on her skin to take her mind off of her memory, Pomfrey reappeared "Tut-tut, the boy thinks that if he is a Professor's son he can waltz into any room in the castle" the lady complained as she brought a dozen of different vials and potions. Janna reached for the one liquid she knew, her shoulder ached as she retracted her arm bring the thick black goop to her face.

   "I think Albus is just concerned in all honesty" Janna explained as she stared at the liquid in the goblet.