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On Janna's arm were deep gashes and strange half moon marks in the sunlight the scarred pink skin shone like silver "What are these?" Albus questioned watching Janna's eyes stare at him like she was a wounded animal that was too weak to fight, her eyes looked away from him to a patch of dying grass.

    "Scars," Janna breathed, pulling her hands to her chest to push herself off the needles "you have a few too" Janna muttered sitting up, she lifted her index finger "a little one, on your neck"  Albus slapped his hand to him neck, blushing "where did you get that?"

    "Last year I was playing wizard's chess with James, one of the board pieces was so sharp that it scratch my neck open" Albus explained opening his collar of his shirt, showing white skin where a small etch in his skin shone—Janna felt sick when she caught herself wondering what his neck would taste like if she bit it on a full moon. Janna swallowed her disgust attempting to ask a question to take her mind off the thought "What's wizard's chess?"

   "Oh, it's a board game, like checkers?" Janna nodded  "Well, Muggles play it but the pieces don't do anything much"

Janna pulled a face "is that it?" Albus didn't want to talk about chess now, he wanted to ask Janna about her scars.  "Yeah..." Albus leaned towards her, Janna tilted her head at him, her eyes watching him carefully "you have a lot of scars, do you mind if I ask where you got them?"

A rush of hot, humidity shot through the cold air brushing up on Janna's arm, filling the grooves of the scars. In Janna's eyes there was a flash of grey streaks. Instinctively Janna pulled back her forearm holding it tightly to her chest, the feeling of stinging venom reinfecting her veins that began to contract. Breathing heavily Janna looked up at Albus who stared at her strangely, she furrowed her eyes in confusion, she asked breathlessly "Why do you want to know?"

Albus' ears turned pink, Janna stared down at her arm feeling cold, a hand snaked onto her forearm, the fingers curling around her pale arm "Because, they look interesting." Albus' hand clenched her arm his clammy fingers that began warming her icy skin "you're very strange, d-different from the other girls, I mean—I-in a good way" Janna blushed, she looked up at Albus who pursed his lips as she stared into his deep green eyes, they were almost blue in the golden sunlight.

   "I'm not interesting," Janna laughed at him, he gently lifted her arm to his nose "Those are just... They're just ugly, nothing interesting about those"

   "You didn't answer my question," Albus' face went stern "where did you get them?"

Immediately Janna felt threatened, she knew he wouldn't be able to do anything if he figured it out, of course, his father did know. But the world didn't know—what if he told the Ministry of Magic, she wasn't registered... What if—"I got them from an animal" Do not lie to him... Maybe if he finds out... Maybe he can be an even closer friend.

    "An animal?" Albus pulled her fingers up "these look really new, didn't Pomfrey heal them?"

Maybe do not tell him now "I...er...hurt my fingers with a magical object...some sort of jar—when I was in an extra lesson," Now she was not lying "Pomfrey said she wouldn't be able to heal my magical wounds" Janna inspected her other hand, splaying her fingers before her face seeing the gashes and white lines in her plan where she had hurt herself on the mirror shards on the first night "She did a good job, to be honest"

    "I wouldn't think you're accident prone" Albus stated, looking at Janna's loosened scarf which was splayed like a river of material on the pine needles "Teddy is accident prone but he doesn't get scars like this" then he pointed to Janna's collarbone where a shimmer of scar shone from under the material of her jumper "how did you get that? It's so far up for a fall" Janna slapped her hand to her neck, feeling her stomach flip in a tight heated jump.

   "I fought a dragon" Janna yelped, thinking of the first thing that came to mind "Mr. Winslow used to work in the ministry, I was...fooling around and I was somehow I stumbled upon baby dragons... I was attacked. Thankfully they were harmless" Albus nodded slowly.

   "Do you know how to handle your dark magic?" Albus blurted out, interested in her skills, her head shot up slightly as her eyes widened, gently pulling her hand back.

   "I never tried," Janna rubbed her hands together "I don't want to...because I don't know how"

   "I can get a book in the forbidden part of the library meant for the older students—"

Janna smirked "how are you going to get past Miss Finch and all the doors?"

   "James has an invisibility cloak—"

    "He gave it to me... The boys usually use it to visit me in my room"

    "That sneak! I'm his brother" Albus looked at Janna's small smile.

   "You can borrow it, I don't mind, the boys might, though" Janna felt her stomach grumble but heard a louder grunt from across her, Albus looked up at her, blushing "we need to go to breakfast, this morning has taken it's toll on us"

Albus stood up quickly, Janna stared up at him as he put out a hand for her, she took his hand and he pulled her up. She fell forwards slightly into Albus who gently caught her arms "Are you okay?" Albus asked as he leaned Janna back, she nodded slowly taking steps with her arm wrapped around his shoulder. Goldfeather lifted his large head from where he was sleeping, Albus looked over his shoulder at the bird "Can you get us out of here?"

Goldfeather squawked happily, jumping at Albus' free arm and nipping at his fingers before flapping his wings, sending great blue sparks of electricity webbed through the trees letting out strange squeaking  noises as each tree was examined by the sparks.