Janna Black and The Cite of the Dead

Juniper Berry

¤ ¤ ¤

The door of the pub swung open to an atmosphere thick with whiskey and other alcohols, Janna put her hand over her nose to block out the strong stench, Professor Potter lead the two past a full bar where people were clapping  along with a mandola, a chitole, Irish drums and a man singing a quick paced folk song about a Scottish man wearing a kilt.

Janna glanced at the band as she pulled Orion along, she stopped—Orion's father was playing the mandola, he had a soft smile on his face with his eyes blindfolded, the cloth bunched up his long, straight black hair that was bundled into a pony at the back of his nape, she stopped at Orion's shoulder to see the band as well "Aye, tha' is ma pa!" Orion shouted through the loud whistling  and cheering of the music "C'mon" he pulled her hand to walk away.

The room carried on for some time, people came pouring in from a corner which Potter lead the pair of students to, Orion pulled Janna behind him to take the brunt of being elbowed or shouldered by the adults rushing to the music. Eventually Potter ushered them into a hearth taking a handful of Floo dust, soon saying inaudible words as he dropped the powder which lit up into a green flame that engulfed the party.

The flame ceased to reveal the office of the Professor come into sight, Janna pulled Orion out before wiping the soot off is cheek after licking her thumb, he pulled back his face "Er...naw—lemme do tha'" then he brushed his sleeve across his cheek which cleaned the rest of the soot.

   "You two go to the Great hall for breakfast—and stay out of trouble" Potter ushered the two out of his office down to the classroom with a bit of urgency, he let them leave without him as they came to the foot of the staircase watching as Orion attempted to ruffle Janna's hair that still had snow caught in the curls when they crossed through the desks to the classroom door.

¤ ¤ ¤

There was a boy who had caught Snuffles' attention while Janna was gone, this boy's name was Albus Severus Potter... Sirius questioned why Harry would name his son after Snape, in Sirius' opinion Remus would have suited this boy as a middle name just so Albus would not end up in Slytherin and have such a mediocre life.

Albus had a straightforward life, he woke up went to breakfast and then spent the rest of his day alone, usually talking to himself about how he disappointed his father and how he wished he went with Scorpius Malfoy for the holiday. However Snuffles worried about the boy, he had attempted to whisper to him but the boy would then bury his head in a pillow whimpering that he was already losing his sanity and becoming insane.

When Janna had left all of a sudden Albus seemed to think it was his fault: he thought she left him because he was boring—Sirius did not disagree with that... Snuffles attempted to find Janna on the night she had left but he could not find her anywhere in England she could be, although he had not checked his old house... 12 Grimmauld Place, he shivered at the thought of Janna being in that horrid dank house, the only comfort there was that Harry would never take her there.

One night Snuffles stopped in a house where a woman with black hair came home late with a man who she leaned on like a love sick puppy, she stroked his chin with a long skinny finger, he swatted her hand away.

   "Moira, what about the young girl..?" The man contemplated the name of the girl "June... Juniper... Jules, Joan, Joanna, er... Julianna..." 

The woman named Moira looked up at him lazily before kissing his jaw softy, putting her fingers under his chin "What of that horrid girl?" Moira purred "she was Julian Winslow's problem, not mine"

Soon where the black dog was standing Sirius appeared, the woman's eyes widened as all the pipes in the house began to burst and the cupboard doors swung open, plates and other cutlery poured out of the shelves causing the woman to shriek as she clung to the man's shoulders as he held her waist, using her as a shield. Sirius came to a painting of a vase with blue flowers, he came as close as he could to the woman's ear before muttering "Be warned Moira Winslow" Sirius hissed, he smirked as he watched the woman jump almost five feet in the air then run away up the stairs screaming in horror.

The next morning after Sirius' escapade he came to Harry's office to see if anyone was back, nothing appeared to have changed until Harry came through the office door looking rather tired before disappearing in the hearth with green flames.

To pass time Snuffles checked on Albus who was staring unknowingly at the portrait he was sat in, Sirius wanted to appear to the young boy but he saw Lily next to him out of the corner of his eye, she was hidden from Albus' eyes as well.

   "Isn't there anything we can do for him?" Sirius muttered as he stared back at the boy, he laid in his bed with a bored, unhappy face "just let me appear to him, Dumbledore won't have to know"

Lily stared at Albus before looking at Sirius, he watched her emerald green eyes stare at him "we can't, only when Janna sees us first... Dumbledore said it has to be her to bring us back"

Sirius scowled "Why don't we do the whole thing now then? Save Janna and many others the expense of waiting?" He nudged Lily's arm with his elbow, grinning "C'mon, Janna already knows what to do"

    "No," Lily said sternly, "Janna doesn't know how to do the whole... thing, I guess." Lily shook her head "we have to tell her what to on the full moons, when she's alone"

Feeling frustrated Sirius left, changing into Snuffles to run back to Harry's office, when he trotted past the wall of the class he saw Janna walking out with of Harry's classroom with her wiry haired friend. The black dog skidded in a portrait into a man holding a skull full of mead, the man looked around very confused before moving into a different part of the portrait.