Jane Yu had yet to realize the dreadful news that she might be assigned another subject.
After all, the end-of-term exams were still ongoing.
"Jane, although you're my future boss, I won't go easy on you during exams."
Professor Lupin gave Jane a warm smile, gesturing for her to begin her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam.
She observed the format of the exam and found Lupin's outdoor test rather intriguing.
She had to wade through a deep pond inhabited by Grindylows, cross a series of pits filled with Red Caps, traverse a marsh misled by Hinkypunks, and finally climb into an old chest to face a new Boggart.
With great enthusiasm, she began the exam, swiftly passing the low-danger magical creatures and arriving at the old chest.
She was curious to see what her Boggart would turn into.
Perhaps it would be Hogwarts itself? Or Dumbledore saying, "You are not allowed to drop out"? Or maybe it would be Voldemort, delivering yet another piece of juicy gossip?
Then again, it might not transform into anything at all.
After all, her soul had been fortified, granting her the effects of Occlumency. The Boggart might not even be able to read her fears.
But what the Boggart turned into was entirely unexpected.
It became a mass of black, ink-like fluid with a glowing red core and shimmering white eyes.
The black substance began thrashing about inside the chest, flying wildly and wreaking havoc...
What on earth was this?
But Jane had no time to ponder.
She collapsed into the chest, feeling as though she had lost control of her body. She trembled uncontrollably, every cell in her body transmitting a strange pain and fear.
The black, ink-like substance surged toward her like a raging flood, threatening to engulf her entirely and drown her in endless darkness. She could only take deep breaths to prevent herself from suffocating.
But as she inhaled deeply, she realized that this overwhelming emotion did not originate from her soul. Instead, it felt as though it came from somewhere else... as if separated by a layer of mist, a veil...
"Conquer it, conquer your fear!"
"Magic is a part of you. Accept it... embrace it..."
Her soul shouted subconsciously, though she had no idea who she was speaking to, as if addressing a non-existent person.
She didn't know how long she had been shouting, but she gradually regained control over her body. Her soul began to reclaim some agency, and her right hand slowly reached for the wand inside her robes.
"Riddikulus!"
The Boggart transformed into a black ball of yarn, which fell to the bottom of the chest, motionless, with a loose thread dangling from it.
It seemed as though her soul had fully reclaimed her body, and the inexplicable sense of fear receded like a tide.
A childish, feminine voice let out a satisfied sigh deep within her mind, as if expressing gratitude.
It felt as though something had been extracted from her body—perhaps remnants of the original host's soul, or some kind of obsession...
Jane's senses became extraordinarily sharp, and she could even hear Professor Lupin speaking outside the chest.
She moved her limbs and found them exceptionally nimble.
The magical energy that had fluctuated due to her rapid growth also settled down, flowing steadily and gently through her body.
Only then did she feel a sense of grounding, as though her body and soul had been fused together with superglue, tightly bonded.
She realized that she had finally become the true master of this body.
"Was that... an Obscurial?"
She murmured, momentarily unable to collect her thoughts.
"I need to find time to ask Dumbledore."
She had to figure out what had happened to the original host of this body—the girl who shared her name.
Even though her soul had passed on, her lingering obsession had remained hidden within the body for so long...
...until Jane turned that Boggart-version Obscurial into a black ball of yarn.
Perhaps the original host's death was not as simple as it seemed.
...
But after all the exams were over, when Jane wandered into the Headmaster's office, she once again encountered Minister Fudge.
Both Dumbledore and Fudge looked displeased—one with a stiff expression, the other with a face flushed red.
"This is utterly irresponsible, Cornelius."
Dumbledore gestured for Jane to sit down:
"Peter Pettigrew has escaped, yet you have taken no remedial action, putting the safety of wizards at risk—"
Jane could tell that his words were unusually harsh.
Fudge looked embarrassed and reluctant:
"I can't—dispatch Aurors or Dementors to hunt him down. Such a big commotion would alert the public to what has happened—"
"Two prison escapes in a row—what will happen to the Ministry of Magic's credibility? I might even be forced to step down—"
He glanced at Jane, his expression growing even more awkward.
"I need help, Albus," Fudge muttered. "Look, you and your child—Miss Yu here—since she managed to capture an escaped convict once, perhaps she has a way—"
Dumbledore was furious.
He struggled to calm himself, lest he cast a nasty hex on the spot:
"You want a thirteen-year-old child to do what?"
Fudge stared in shock as Dumbledore's hair and beard seemed to stand on end with anger. Waving his hands defensively, his survival instincts kicked in as he hastily added:
"No, no, I just meant—"
"Perhaps you could lend a hand in this matter—"
"I'm afraid I can't help," Dumbledore said icily. "Since you refuse to deploy Aurors to track down Peter Pettigrew, our conversation ends here." He stood up and showed him out without hesitation.
After sending off the Minister, Dumbledore returned to his usual gentle demeanor.
Smiling, he turned to Jane and said:
"Although you're taking 11 subjects, you managed to sit for 12 exams."
"A rather amusing little surprise, isn't it?"
Jane felt a chill run down her spine.
She thought of that mathematics paper, and a sense of foreboding began to grow.
"Professor Vector has kindly offered to tutor you on Sundays," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Arithmancy is far more rigorous than Divination..."
"Of course, I know you're tired... I explained this to Professor Vector, but she said she wouldn't assign you homework. It would be like learning through play..."
Jane couldn't listen to another word.
She knew that nothing good ever came from visiting the Headmaster's office!
Twelve subjects, for goodness' sake!
"I'd like to drop some subjects," she protested flatly. "The workload and assignments are too exhausting—"
Dumbledore took a deep breath, cutting her off:
"No need to worry, Jane."
"After discussions with several professors, we've decided to implement some curriculum changes next year—"
"Most assignments will involve group work among the four Houses. With help from other students, you'll find things much easier."
This news did bring Jane some comfort.
She decided to stick close to Hermione next year.
Let the top student drag her, the freeloader, along.
"Oh, by the way," Dumbledore suddenly returned to the original topic, "was there something you wanted to discuss with me?"
"I wanted to ask how you brought me from the orphanage director to Hogwarts in the first place."
Jane began to probe subtly.
Her instincts told her—
She must never reveal the truth about her "soul swap."
Dumbledore froze, and after a long pause, he asked uneasily:
"What made you think to ask this, Jane?"
Jane deliberately kept her answer vague:
"Because of the Boggart—I saw fear."
She trusted her guardian's ability to overthink things, confident that he would quickly piece together the information she wanted to know.
But Dumbledore fell silent.
It seemed as though a fierce internal struggle was taking place in his mind, and the Headmaster's office grew quiet for a long time.
"Very well... I was planning to visit there during the summer anyway..."
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