Hidden in the Dark

Jessica silently watched as her parents led the surveillance wizard out of their home. It was the third time since school ended. Her breath fogged up the glass every time she exhaled. She frowned when she saw the wizard look over his surroundings once again and mutter words to his self-writing notepad.
"I'm home!" She heard Anna call out from the library door, and for a short moment, Jessica completely forgot about the intruding wizard.
"I missed you." Jessica mumbled into Anna's coat as she embraced her older sister.
"What's this I hear about you entering a chamber and rescuing Ginny Weasley?" Anna grinned.
With a deep sigh, Jessica started telling her sister about everything that happened, including certain facts about the ever so complicated Draco Malfoy. She'd half expected Anna to tease her about this, but she didn't. Instead, Anna frowned and sighed.

"Draco's confused, Jess, and there's really nothing you can do about it. He'll eventually come to terms with the fact that you two like different things and people. He'll either learn to accept those differences or he'll find a way to exclude you for good. Whatever his decision, it's going to take some time." Anna said, sighing again. She looked over her shoulder and noticed Josh walking past. She couldn't resist the urge to be the annoying older sister from time to time. She smirked and raised her voice slightly: "Boys are the slowest of creatures."
"Anna!" Josh said, looking up from the letter in his hands, slightly startled. "When did you get here?"
"Just now... Didn't you hear me calling?" Anna frowned.
"No... I wasn't paying much attention." Josh mumbled.
"Someone's moody." Jessica smirked.
Anna picked herself up from the comfortable armchair and glided towards her brother, snatching the piece of parchment from his hands. He didn't protest much, simply rolled his eyes in response.
"I can't believe it!" Anna screeched.
"What? He's not expelled, is he?" Jessica panicked slightly.
"Why would they expel me? They love me." Josh smirked.
"You're damn right, they love you! Josh has been made prefect!" Anna beamed, jumping up and down.
"Prefect? That can't be right." Jessica gaped.
"Like I said, Munchkin, they love me." Josh shrugged. "I have no idea what's going through McGonagall's head though... Me, a prefect? Sounds pretty ridiculous."
"Just wait until mum and dad hear about this." Anna grinned.

x.x

Athos silently tapped a finger on the side of his whiskey glass. He wasn't usually one to drink in front of his children, but he was feeling rather irritated and couldn't really be bothered by it right now. Elena quietly ate her food, nothing really out of the ordinary about that, except she was spending more time cutting up her food than actually eating it. Anna's frown was getting bigger by the second. Not only had she'd received a very poor greeting, her parents weren't telling them what was going on. Jessica stared at Joshua, hoping to get him to finally tell them about the big news. Eventually Josh sighed, making Jessica smirk. He'd given in.
"So, I received a letter about an hour ago-"
"You had no right to allow that man inside this house, for a third time. Third time, Athos. This is getting absolutely ridiculous!" Elena said, throwing her fork to the side and glaring daggers at her husband. "He even went into my drawing room. He has absolutely no right to invade my private property and-"
"Technically he does. Someone reported it, so he had to check things out. I'm not exactly thrilled by it either." Athos said, pouring a little more whiskey into his cup.
"Who would be daft enough to report us? Surely you could figure it out if you wanted to." Elena's voice was cracking already. She'd been crying a lot lately, but never in front of anyone.
"I can't and you know that. It was an anonymous report, there's nothing I can do about it." Athos said, drinking the liquid down in one big gulp.
"No, you don't want to do anything about it. Are you enjoying having someone inspect your house as if you were some sort of criminal?" Small bits of food would fly off Elena's plate every time she banged her fists on the table.
"Yes, I am enjoying having someone come here and check things out." Athos said sarcastically.

"Oh grow up." Anna huffed as she stood and left, her chair making a screeching noise as it scratched against the floorboards.
Elena glared a-t her as she left the room. Athos sighed and placed his head in his hands.
"What were you going to say about a letter?" Athos eventually asked, turning to face Josh.
"Oh... I got a letter from Hogwarts. Apparently McGonagall wants me to-"
"What did he take from the drawing room?" Elena asked urgently, making Athos roll his eyes and turn his attention back to his furious wife.
"How am I supposed to know?"
"You were with him most of the time! Did he take anything of mine?" Elena was shaking slightly by now. She didn't really notice when both Joshua and Jessica rolled their eyes and left the dining table.
"Why? Was there anything compromising in there?" Athos asked, eyes darkening slightly.
"N-no... Of course there wasn't... I just-"
"Elena, what the heck did you have in that room?" Athos asked, body tensing completely.
"Nothing! Just my things. I don't like people going through my things. I'm going to the library... Please, no more drinks. You're bad enough as it is." Elena sighed at the last part. She was very thankful he didn't get drunk easily.

x.x

Jessica sat under the big tree in her back garden. She stared at the gate, which was mostly covered in plants and flowers. In fact, most of the entire wall was covered with plants. The tree was the furthest she was allowed to go. She never really understood why. Perhaps her mother feared a stranger would stop by the gate and try to start a conversation. She never really bothered to question her mother's rules, no matter how strange they were.
"You know how your mother feels about you being out here." Athos said, sitting next to his youngest.
"I figured you'd both be too busy to take an interest." Jessica shrugged.
"Alright, I can take a hint." Athos laughed slightly. "Sorry, sweetheart. Your mother and I are going through a tough time right now and-"
"Did Josh tell you?" Jessica asked, interrupting him completely.
"Yes, after a few frowns and smart remarks." Athos smiled.
"Well you had it coming." Jessica frowned.
"Alright... Forgive and forget, shall we?" Athos laughed, pulling his daughter into a hug. She embraced him instantly, as always. "I want you home for Christmas this year, understood?"
"Yes, sir." Jessica grinned.
"Bring Harry along with you; it might be nice for him to have a change of environment."

They both eventually went inside, seeing as it was getting quite late and Elena wasn't enjoying having them out there. Jessica walked passed her sister's room and noticed she was packing again.
"Not leaving already, are you?" Jessica said as she knocked on the door.
"Actually... Yes. Starting tomorrow, I shall be travelling around the world!" Anna grinned. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but mum and dad managed to ruin that."
"Tomorrow's my birthday." Jessica pouted.
"I know... I'm leaving after lunch, so that means I can have the entire morning with you. I can hardly believe you're going to be thirteen already." Anna said, patting her sister's hair and analysing her endless curls. "It's possibly longer and twice as curly."
"More like wavy, actually." Jessica rolled her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

Jessica stared out of the library window. She couldn't be bothered to go to sleep just yet and would much rather be surrounded by a variety of books instead of her bedroom accessories. She was almost drifting off with the light sound of rain hitting the glass, when she spotted something outside. She raised her head slightly and mentally thanked herself for blowing out her candle ages ago. The strange creature outside sent a shiver down her spine. It wore a dark cloak, with a pointed dark hood. Its face wasn't visible but Jessica managed to catch a glimpse of a mask, which resembled a skull. It was talking to another person, wearing a black coat and carrying a black umbrella. Weirdly enough, that person's outline reminded her a little too much of her mother. The creature grabbed her supposed mother by the arm and was slightly shaking her, whispering things to her. Jessica's fingers clenched the window sill. She was shaking. She didn't know why, nor could she hear what was being said outside. But despite that, she felt afraid. She was afraid that creature would enter their house and tear everything apart, afraid it would take her mother from her right then and there, afraid it would kill...

She could hear the Basilisk in her mind. But of course it was only in her mind, the beast was dead. Harry killed it. But the events of her second year were still sinking in. She'd dealt with things well throughout the school year, but being away from her friends and having such a tense atmosphere at home, only made her focus on her thoughts. When she remembered to look back out of the window once again, the creature was gone. With slight panic, she ran towards the door. She opened it slowly, her wand in hand and ready for action, and peered out. Nothing. All she heard was light footsteps of someone climbing the stairs and heading towards her mother's drawing room. She quietly made her way to her room and dropped her body onto her large bed. She was out in a matter of minutes, Roary secured in her arms.

x.x

Jessica jumped up when she heard a very loud noise echo through her bedroom. She turned to find Josh smirking right at her.
"Happy thirteenth birthday, munchkin!" He said, making his way to her bed and throwing himself on it.
"You'd better have a good reason for scaring me like that." Jessica mumbled, still half asleep.
"Presents, of course." Josh grinned, handing her a package. Jessica opened the reasonably big and bendy package, pulling out a light pink coat, with chocolate brown buttons. Her eyes went wide and her lips curled into a huge grin as she revealed it. "I know you won't be wearing it for a while, but I thought it was perfect."
"I love it!" The grin hadn't faded yet.
"Good... It'll go well with Anna's gift." Josh said, tilting his head towards the door.
"So much for yelling surprise." Anna said, rolling her eyes. "Here, Jess. Hope you like it!"
Jessica eagerly opened Anna's box and pulled out a pair of brand new shiny black flats. She pulled her sister into a hug and tried them on.
"Told you shoes won over coats." Anna smirked towards her brother. He rolled his eyes in response.

Athos had bought her new clothes, a book about medical incantations, which she knew Hermione would want to borrow, and a new broomstick.
"I figured it might encourage you to try flying again." Athos smiled, though he wasn't sure it was going to work.

Anna left them right after lunch. Their mother, apparently, was still locked inside her drawing room. She didn't head down to say goodbye to Anna, and she seemed to have forgotten what day it was altogether. It was dinner time when Athos managed to get her out. She ate in silence, like always.
"Mum... Aren't you forgetting anything?" Josh eventually asked her.
"Like what, Joshua?" She snapped, obviously not in the mood for conversation.
"Elena..." Athos said faintly.
Jessica sighed and focused on her food. Whatever was going on with her mother had to do with the creature from the previous night. She would figure out what was wrong and help her mother. She'd fought against the Dark Lord's power, she could handle anything.

The four Selwyn's had mutually agreed to spending some quality time in the library. Hermione would be quite proud once she found out just how many hours her friend had been spending surrounded by books. Jessica was halfway through her medical incantations book when she excused herself. Her mother definitely forgot what day it was. She was about to enter her room when Brownie screeched. Grinning widely, Jessica ran towards the highest level of the household and took the letters in Brownie's beak, handing the bird a few snacks. She smirked at the first one...

I can't believe you made Brownie stay by my window for an entire week, not allowing me to have my birthday presents. All this because I ate all your pumpkin pasties on the train? You have an evil mind Jess! Anyway, happy birthday to us! I hope you're having a good time, because I'm definitely not. My aunt and uncle love telling me how they don't care about me at all. Not that I mind, I'm getting used to it by now... But in other news, Ron tells me we're all supposed to meet up around the 15th at Diagon Alley. Hope you can make it. Miss you.
Harry.

"Yes, it was because you ate my pumpkin pasties." She said to herself.

Jess! Happy birthday! I hope you're having a great day and I hope Brownie gets this letter to you soon. I'll be back in England on the 10th, let's meet at Diagon Alley on the 15th okay? I didn't send your present with Brownie because it's too big, but you'll have it at school! Can't wait to see you!
Love, Hermione. X

Jessica wondered what Hermione could've gotten her for a present... It was most likely a book. Although the thought of receiving a large book slightly frightened her. Hermione would try to get her to read it within a month.

Happy birthday Jess! Sorry I haven't written much, I've been busy. I've got loads to tell you. Let's meet up on the 15th. Mum's got to buy us our new books and all. Fred and George are asking you to give Josh the message too, because they really can't be bothered to write. They're lazier than I am! Hope you're well and having a good time.
Ron.

Ronald Weasley, always straight to the point. She did feel quite curious to know what he'd been up to all summer, however. She stared at the last letter, maybe it was from who she hoped...

Happy birthday J! Wishing you the best, as are my parents.
Blaise
PS – Burn this once you've read it okay? Draco's entering contemplation mode. This whole 'being friends with someone in the Golden Quartet' isn't really easy, especially for us Slytherin's. We don't blame you for being in Gryffindor, we blame the sorting hat for that, but just bear with us for a while, okay? We still love you J, and we miss your pouting over things that don't go how you want them too.

Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. Since when were they being called the 'Golden Quartet'? Why would they even think about blaming anyone – or anything – about her being in Gryffindor?
"I don't pout over things that don't go my way." She said to herself, pouting slightly.

She eventually made her way back to her room, after safely burning away Blaise's letter, and threw herself on her bed. Slowly she began remembering her day, especially how her mother was acting. She didn't even remember her own daughter's birthday, even with all the hints. She had to know what was going on and she would find out now.

Once she was certain her mother was sound asleep, in her room, Jessica made her way towards the Drawing room. After thirteen years in the house, she knew all of her mother's favourite hiding places. She easily found the room's key and slowly opened the door. She walked in and tried her best to remember everything she laid eyes on. She flinched slightly when one of the floorboards creaked.

"Did you know the Ministry raided our house last month? They didn't find anything though... We've got our own secret chamber hidden under the Drawing room floor..."

Jessica's eyes widened as Draco's voice echoed through her mind. She spun round, not bothering to be slow about it, and slowly pulled on one of the floorboards. There wasn't a hidden chamber, but she found a black bag. She opened it, carelessly, and inside was a cloak and a mask, which resembled a skull. With her heart beating fast, she put everything back and left the room. Whatever it meant couldn't be good.

x.x

"Josh, Fred and George want to meet you at Diagon Alley on the 15th. Are you free?" Jessica asked.
Her brother was redecorating his bedroom, with the help of a few house elves. He usually enjoyed messing around with paint, and was pretty good at it too. He wanted to paint a solar system on the wall opposite his bed. The others would remain white, with a few pictures here and there. But no matter how good he was at painting, the clumsiness would usually get the best of him. His dark jeans, black sleeve-less shirt and dark blond hair were covered in paint. He was half done with Venus when he heard his sister's voice by his door.
"Sure, sounds good to me. Could you send Lila a letter for me?" He grinned slightly.
"Should I include 'I love you' at the end?" Jessica smirked.
"Only if you wish to wake up with ice in your PJ's." He replied, not taking his eyes off his work of art.

Jessica was by the tree once again. She'd sent all the letters necessary, Blaise not included, and decided to get some fresh air. She stopped by the kitchen to grab herself a bowl of strawberries, a chocolate bar and a bottle of water, before heading outside and running towards her favourite spot. It was a bright, sunny and warm day. She only wasn't wearing shorts because she disliked the sensation of grass prickling her legs. Her dad would normally laugh about that, saying she was just like her mother. She frowned slightly at the thought of her mother. She wanted to know what that costume meant. It was normal fabric, there wasn't anything special about it, yet it managed to send shivers down her spine.

She had eaten half of all her snacks when she spotted Josh walking out the back door. He was still covered in paint.
"You should see my new wall. I'm definitely going to become an artist if my job as an auror goes down the drain." Josh called out as he ran towards her.
"Why not just skip the auror part?" Jess grinned.
"Because I actually find it interesting. Besides, I need to aim for something for my O. this year... I highly doubt 'artist' is on the options list."
Jessica silently decided that was a valid argument. She wondered if she could tell her brother about her recent discovery, without causing much trouble in the household. She could usually trust him with anything, sometimes even more than Anna. Only because Anna would try to solve everything by herself and verbally attack whoever was being condemned.

However, Joshua wasn't stupid. He'd had a certain gut feeling that something was happening with his family, something more than what his parents were letting show. He knew his sister all too well; especially when she was deep in thought, planning her next move. Either she was just as suspicious as he was, or she knew more.

"If this has to do with mum forgetting your birthday, just ignore her." Josh eventually said. He leaned back, resting on his elbows, and tilted his head backwards to stare up at the tree leaves.
"It's not that... Well, it is, but there's something else. I-I'm just not sure how to explain." She said quietly.
"How about you just tell me." Josh suggested.
"I... I don't know Josh. I shouldn't have been looking anyway. I don't even know what it means."
She was feeling scared again, without any particular reason. Josh was thinking about something useful to say when a stray dog caught their attention. It was barking excitedly by the gate, wagging its tail.
"That's something you don't see every day." Josh smirked. He somewhat hoped the dog's appearance would ease things up slightly, even though he wasn't sure what exactly was going on.
"I bet it's hungry." Jessica mumbled. "I've got a few strawberries left. Do dogs eat strawberries?"
"Give them here and keep an eye out for mum or dad." Josh said, already picking himself off the ground.

The dog practically cried as Josh got closer to the gate. He hesitantly threw a strawberry towards it and watched as the dog swallowed it whole. Josh got closer to the gate and placed the other strawberries on the ground just outside. The dog stared at him, pleadingly.
"I can't keep you, you know? I shouldn't even be here because my mum's paranoid." Josh said, smiling at the dog. "And I'm not going to touch you because it's likely you're not vaccinated."
He suddenly chuckled to himself. He was talking to a dog and it was almost as if it could understand every word he was saying. He had the urge to keep it, take care of it, or at least give it more food. But he knew perfectly that his mother wouldn't have it. Especially something as dirty and ragged as this dog was.
"Josh!" His sister called out.
He got up a few seconds too late and was met with a very furious woman making her way towards them. He fought the urge to roll his eyes, thinking it might be best to keep quiet for now.
"Have you completely lost your mind? Get inside this instant!" Elena shouted hysterically.
Josh couldn't hold back his frown as he walked back. He didn't argue, knowing it would be pointless. He would have to prepare for the hysterics that would come in a few moments though. Elena took one good look at the creature standing behind the gate. Her eyes were wide as the dog stared back at her, growling slightly. It retreated when she pulled out her wand.
"It's just a dog, mum. There's no need to scare it off with that." Josh called out. He held a hand out to pull his sister to her feet.
Elena, however, wasn't at all convinced. She silently fired a few spells towards the gates and eventually the dog was nowhere to be seen. Satisfied, she turned back and headed towards the house, glancing backwards every now and then just to make sure her two children were following.

Jessica went to sleep early that night. She couldn't be bothered to have dinner with her hysteric mother, her exhausted father and her very annoyed brother. Sleep definitely sounded much more inviting. She suddenly couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts.

x.x

Meeting up with her friends couldn't have arrived faster. It turned out that the 15th had become a hard day for everyone, so they ended up meeting on the last day of summer holidays. It had been more days of Elena wandering around the house, fidgeting with everything she saw, another raid, and Athos running out of alcohol. Diagon Alley had been the best part of her summer holiday so far. She'd wandered around the entire place, hoping to find her friends. She'd spotted Ginny buying a few books; the youngest Weasley had greeted Jess with a great big hug.
"I really can't thank you enough for last year." Ginny grinned, still holding onto Jess.
"It was nothing, really. You would've done the same for me, I suppose."
"Of course I would!" Ginny beamed. "I have to get going now, though. But I hope we see each other on the train tomorrow!"

It turned out that Jessica had seen nearly everyone at Diagon Alley that day. It was quite surprising to see so many people leaving everything to the last minute. Normally, Jessica would have everything the day after her letter arrived.
"Glad to see you're well, Jess!" Neville called out as he led his grandmother to Flourish and Blots.
"Hope we have a quiet year this time!" Dean said as she passed him and Seamus buying new school uniforms.
She was happy to see everyone again; it easily took her mind off family troubles. She silently admitted that even spending time at Malfoy Manor would've been more entertaining.

Eventually, she found her three friends sitting just outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. She grinned.
"Took you long enough!" Ron called out.
"Jess! Get over here!" Hermione said, jumping up from her seat.
"You three have no idea how much I've missed you." Jessica grinned as she hugged each and every one of them.
"Did you hear about Harry blowing up his aunt?" Ron eagerly said, wriggling his eyebrows.
"Ron, it's not funny." Hermione sighed.
"You blew up your aunt?" Jessica asked, eyes wide.
"She's fine though... And I'm not expelled either." Harry said.
"Those teachers love you." Jessica smirked. "So, Ron... You mentioned you had something to tell me."
"I went to Egypt! I saw the pyramids and everything. We were even in the newspaper, look!" Ron said, practically jumping in his seat.

Ron excitedly told them all about Egypt. Harry and Hermione had apparently heard the entire story already, but they didn't seem to mind about hearing it all over again. Harry then told them about his ride on the Knight Bus and how strange it had been.
"There were talking heads and everything!"
Hermione then started talking about Sirius Black, the mass murderer that broke out of Azkaban. That was when Jessica realised how completely alienated she'd been during the holidays. Harry grabbed one of the wanted posters that was behind them and handed it to her.
"You seem a little strange... Are you feeling okay?" Hermione asked, curiously.
"Yeah... Just sleepy." Jessica smiled goofily.
"I'm surprised you didn't know about it, it's been all over the Daily Prophet." Ron said, raising an eyebrow.
"Have you all bought your things already?" Jessica asked, taking a spoonful of Harry's ice cream.
"We're all set. We're staying here until tomorrow, seeing as it's closer to King's Cross." Hermione stated. "You should get to it if you've still got things to buy. I heard they were closing down early today."
"Oh damn... Alright, I'll see you all later." Jessica sighed.

It took Jess and Josh a total of four hours to buy everything. They'd both agreed that this year they deserved new uniforms. Jessica also bought a new pair of tights, having practically torn hers in the Chamber of Secrets.
"Who do you suppose will be our DADA teacher?" Jessica asked as she grabbed her books.
"I kind of hope its Snape." Josh smirked.
"You've lost your mind."
"No... Think about it. The man's been after that job for years. He's creepy, so he could fit the part perfectly. As for potions... Not sure, but maybe we could get a really good looking woman around-"
"So you like cougars then?" Lila said, appearing out of nowhere.
"Lila! Babe... Hey." Josh grinned.
"I'm still curious to hear the end of your little theory, babe." Lila smirked. She walked towards Jess and patted her head. "Nice to see you Jess. Your hair's longer, it looks good."
"Thanks." Jessica smiled.
"I'm taking you and Hermione for a girls day at Hogsmede this year, make sure you let her know." Lila grinned.
"Will do. I'll leave you two to catch up. See you later." Jessica waved them goodbye before things got too mushy for her liking.

Athos had managed to get his two children back home that night, instead of staying with their friends. He wanted at least one decent dinner before they headed to school. Elena agreed not to fuss for one night and sat in silence, eating her food.
"We're all agreed then? You both are coming home for Christmas." Athos said eventually.
"Hopefully for the entire two weeks." Josh mumbled.
"As long as you don't drive me insane." Elena spat back.
"Hey... We agreed on one decent night, remember?" Athos rolled his eyes. "I'll be taking you two to the station tomorrow morning. Make sure you pack everything up tonight, okay?"
"Already packed." Jessica nodded.
"Your permission slip for Hogsmede is on your dresser, sweetheart." Athos stated.

Jessica finished reading the book Athos gave her that night. She concluded that being medical wizard was definitely not cut out for her. Although it was a very interesting area of work, it was too messy. She would take the book along with her, in case Hermione wanted to read through.
"Can I come in?" Her mother asked, already opening her bedroom door.
"Yeah." Jessica tried not to shrug, but it was almost inevitable.
"I'm sorry sweetheart... Having the house raided was a little too much for me to handle. Whoever decided to report us in was just being cruel." Elena sighed. "I bought you this... I'm sorry I forgot to hand it to you on your birthday."
"Better late than never, I suppose." Jessica replied, taking the box. It was a long pearl necklace; she recognized it to be the one that once belonged to her grandmother. "I thought Anna would get this."
"Anna got the ring. She said she didn't mind if you had the necklace, you've always liked it." Elena smiled as she placed the necklace over her daughter's head. "I know I shouldn't have ignored you. Being thirteen is actually a pretty big deal... But I love you and that will never change."

Jessica slept much better that night, not even bothering to spend a few minutes thinking about cloaks and masks. She just wanted September 1st to come around. She wanted to be back in that giant castle and she was somewhat curious to know what would happen this year. Who knows, her father could've actually been right about zombie vampires.