Jack, not Jackson

Chapter 46: Quietly

3rd Person: POV

It was a quiet affair when Dumbledore left. Maybe it was the awkwardness of the students or the disbelief of the Professors that allowed his exit to be what it was. They had taken to avoiding him in the three days he remained after Frost confronted him.

So, early in the morning when the fog and mists rising from the plant life was yet to be scared off by the glint of sunlight—though faint traces of yellow and orange had begun to filter through— Dumbledore prepared to leave.

Only Jack was there to see him off. Any words spoken were done softly, and with absolutely no fight left in them. One, the voice of the stern. And the other, the voice of the defeated.

If there had been anyone to hear them as Jack loaded the last of Dumbledore's chests into the back of the carriage, they would have been astonished to hear the words of understanding and encouragement that Jack murmured to the former Headmaster.

"You are smart, Albus. Now go and seek wisdom. your downfall was your ignorance to humanity. Go find it again and when you have, come back and teach what you've learned."

Albus said nothing. He had no strength or wits left to do battle; but in the light of the slow rising sun, he look a little bit like a kid again. Unsure if he had been the one to fire the curse that killed his sister.

This brief encounter —had it been witnessed—would have made anyone question who was the older of the two. Everyone thought Dumbledore was 100 years older then Jack, having just celebrated his 117th birthday. Jack, of course, was in reality 2,883 years older then Dumbledore.

Weird how in a world of magic people sill forget to expect unexpected things. A flying skeleton horse invisible to anyone who hadn't witnessed death? Sure why not?
An immortal 3,000 year old demigod with the original magic flowing strong in his veins cursed perpetually to be a teen? Nah.

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Jack did not take over command in the way that every Professor had expected him to. He did whatever was asked of him, answered every question he could and if he didn't know the answer, he would find out. He did not move to the headmasters office or stop teaching his classes.

This did absolutely nothing to convince the rest of the castle occupants that he was not the one in charge. He may have been the youngest looking Professor but his air of authority was unmistakable.

The students trusted him to lead without question. He was honest when he said he didn't know something. And so it was believed when he said he did.

The first thing Jack did was change the classes around so that all students were accommodated, such as adding personal speaker spells next to the students with hearing problems.

Adding gloves that followed along in sign language or tapped gently when the student was called. A spell that wrote homework for the student while they spoke became popular, and helped many cope with the stress of the work.

Grades improved, but the important part was that students improved. They wanted to learn. They were eager to find out exactly how much they were capable of, and didn't feel burdened by the fact that this might be less then what their classmates were capable of.

By the end of the week, there were more safety barriers up (like around the moving staircase) and paintings that directed students who couldn't find classes.

The house elf cleaners were now allowed to be seen, often spotted interacting with the students whose punishments now involved helping the magical beings.

It wasn't until the second week that Jack turned the entire school's focus to mental health issues. His class had remained focused on healing from the war, but there were still students holding back- especially in a larger group setting- due to fear of judgement.

Jack started by giving each student an appointment to talk to him. It could be about whatever they wanted and take place wherever they wanted.

It was a completely judgment free zone where Jack tempered his responses. If they wanted guidance, he gave it. If they wanted to scream out all the frustrations they'd had about the past week? There sat Jack, patiently waiting for them to calm on their own.

This is how Jack learned that nearly every student, even those not present during the battle, were having nightmares. Deep, unsettling nightmares made even more unsettling by the drops of truth they held.

They seemed to be plaguing everyone. As thick as Jack cast shielding over the entire school, some still managed to paw their way through like half-starved beasts sucking emotional strength from their victims.

Something about the nightmares unsettled Jack. He wasn't having them personally, but as he uncovered more students having them, the more similarities he found.

Dreams of darkness grabbing, ripping, nashing. Of shadows too solid to walk through and of manic laughter all mixed with the usual nightmares of the Hogwarts Battle.

Jack had had his fair share of fights and the tension in the air that always came before a fight broke out was nestled so firmly in the air that he found it hard to sleep. His senses screamed that something was wrong.