Janna Black and The Cite of the Dead

Jackdaws in Graveyards

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In a small wizarding fishing village known as Port Argil in north eastern Scotland the snow was thick and powdery on the rock hard soil, in the outskirts there was a large cemetery guarded by thin clad steel fencing that had thick bushes of ivy lacing between the bars. Dried bramble bushes surrounded the inner boundary of the cemetery,  yew bushes acted as a base for a small chapel that had smoke puffing from a chimney like a smoker's pipe.

Within a second building at the far end of the property was there was utter silence until a blaring green fire roared from the fireplace revealing two silhouetted figures that became Professor Potter and Janna after dying down. Janna stuck her head out carefully, seeing an empty cottage with a dusty old bed and a tap that was baring icicles like a dangerous creature with sharp teeth "I don't think this is it"

Potter walked out of the hearth, dusting off his coat "This is the right place, we need to go outside to see where the burial is taking place" Potter looked over his shoulder to see Janna staring blankly at the floor.

   "I should have stayed at Leve Don..." Janna muttered, her eyes glistening with tears, then she violently wiped her tears with her fingers "I wouldn't have to go this funeral then!" Janna shook her head, feeling her stomach churn with guilt "I shouldn't be here, it's my fault he died! I was the one Greyback wanted!"

Watching Janna lean further into the hearth Potter gently pulled her out my her elbow "Come on, you shouldn't stay here by yourself" Potter pulled her into a small hug, Janna  closed her eyes tightly, letting tears treacle down her cheeks "you have nothing to worry about right now"

   "What do I say?" Janna asked as she pulled herself from the hug, wrapping her own arms around her chest as she looked up at Potter "I don't know what to say to be honest; isn't that how a funeral works?" Potter looked at Janna carefully through his glasses.

   "I don't know either" Potter took Janna's elbow and hooked it with his, she looked up at him, her swollen red eyes wet with tears, Potter pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Janna "Thanks"  she said after gently blowing her nose.

The pair moved through the graveyard where tombs and stones were caked in snow, some of the names of the occupants were faded and others were blackened at the bottom curves of the letters, the dark lines trailed down like blood down to the snow.

    "I think Mr. Winslow would have loved this place" Janna choked seeing a newly dug hole under a black tree "Although he was more Welsh than Scottish," Janna breathed out and watched the puff of fog in the cold air, she looked down at her feet to see the snow crunching beneath them "Moira must have picked this place"  Potter looked at Janna carefully as she buried her hands in her pant pockets, this was the first time Janna had the stomach to call Mrs. Winslow Moira "You know, Moira isn't as bad as you think, she did care about me, once" Janna's eyes went blurry with tears as they reached the large wooden door of the small chapel, she looked at Potter, he wrapped his arm around Janna to give her a small hug.

   "I'm sure she still does" Potter said but Janna frowned at him "In some way" Janna shook her head as she placed her hand on the cold brass door handle "I doubt that, sir."  The door swung open ajar, the service had already begun Janna pulling Potter's arm to the back of the chapel to stand at the rear where candles fluttered in an apse in the wall "Can we just stand here, I don't want  to see him"

Potter nodded, he felt Janna's hand clenching his that were clammy but cold, he saw Moira at the front row with a strange man he did not know. Janna was also staring at this man, she breathed in smelling an old mothball smell, she did not want to listen to the officiant so she focused on the people who came. There was the wild fair hair of Mr. Winslow's sister, Claudia, Janna felt her stomach flip as she noted a Ministry official in the second row. This man made the hairs on Janna's neck stand up, he was clean cut and formal, however his outside did not show his inside, trying to prove Janna was a werewolf but he could not get evidence since Mr. Winslow and his sister  insisted Janna was only a sickly child.

   "Harry..." Janna whispered, her voice was trembling as she looked at him "Phillip Jackdaw...he's here" Potter leaned to his left to look around a pillar to see where Jackdaw was sitting.

Potter's face contorted "why is he off duty?" he murmured as he squinted his eyes at the dirty blonde haired man.

   "D-do you know who he is?" Janna shook, she squished herself to Potter's shoulder to keep the shadow of the pillar on her "if he knows I'm here there's nothing that can stop him from reporting me now"

Potter kept a grip on her arm to make sure she wouldn't run to the door "He can't do anything to you right now." Potter kept an arm around Janna "Just stay with me"

    "I can't go anywhere." Janna trembled, ignoring Potter, "He might be using The Trace to find me, he'll  take me to the Ministry and I bet you he will take a bribe from Greyback—"

    "Don't worry about that right now, he doesn't have anything on you" Potter reassured Janna as she watched Jackdaw carefully, he knew Janna had the potential to run before he could catch her.

Later the casket was moved on a trolley that passed Janna and Potter, seeing Mr. Winslow's calm, sleeping face caused Janna to weep loudly, she attempted to jump at his casket to see if she could wake him but Potter caught her shoulders as Jackdaw passed behind the casket. Potter pulled her to face the front of the chapel as people passed, her hands cupped over her face to keep her quiet, her shoulders shook vigorously in the shadows,

As soon as the last people exited the chapel Potter lifted his hand from Janna's back, she breathed in staggered breaths as she ran her fingers through her hair to get the corkscrew strands away from her eyes "I can't..." Janna murmured hoarsely, her face curtained in a shadow "I can't watch him being buried," Janna sank to the floor and leaned back on the wooden seat, she wiped her eyes with her sleeves while her legs bent to her chest.

Potter sat down next to Janna who had her arms crossed under her chin as she stared at the large door of the chapel "We can walk past the grave, is that alright?" Potter asked gently, Janna nodded slowly, her eyes glistening in the candlelight "We will need to find a Floo after that"

Janna left the floor first after sitting on the cold floor for a few minutes, she shakily walked to the front of the chapel, she was dimly lit by the dying candles in the small clad iron candelabras.

For a while Janna stared at the spot where the casket had stood, she hugged herself to keep warm as Potter watched her from the back of the chapel.