Disclaimer: I never will own HP. That privilege belongs to J.K. Rowling. I do own Jessica, however.

Jessica had always been a prankster. The guardian of the orphanage would often joke about her playing tricks before she could walk or talk. But being young, that's what they seemed to expect. So they taught her the limits to the pranks she pulled. Anything which involved someone getting hurt or placed in any danger was not allowed.

But when Jessica turned 11 and began attending Hogwarts, the professors noticed similarities between Jessica and two previous students of the school. At first the similarities they saw were minute; her striking grey eyes and the curve of her jaw. But then she began to act exactly like one of them.

When Jessica entered her third year at Hogwarts, she overheard two professors talking about her during lunch one day.

"…Have you noticed how Jessica seems to look more and more like him every year? Merlin, she's even got his eyes! And her looks; she's got that too!"

"Have you seen her face, though? It's almost exactly like Maria's." The professor sighed. "It's a shame she had to go like that. Claiming she had something to do, had to leave Jessica and run. Wouldn't take no for an answer from the poor man. Just made him promise to care for the girl no matter what, then up and left. They found her the next morning in the woods near Godric's Hollow. I still don't understand what she was thinking going there that night. Perhaps to visit the Potter's, wish them a happy Halloween. We may never know…"

Jessica heard lots of things about her mother. After all, she had been three when she'd died. The only thing she knew about her father, though, was that he was a pureblood, while her mother had been a half, and proud of it.

But nothing could have ever prepared Jessica for what occurred in the summer before her 7th year at Hogwarts, when she visited 12 Grimauld Place for the day.

Jessica was amazed at just how dark Sirius Black's family had been. There was an air of pride to the entire place that almost made Jessica feel as though she were about to lose her breakfast. But at least she didn't, for just at that moment a short, plump woman appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen one floor down.

"Good morning, Jessica. The others are upstairs if you would politely wait for the meeting to end up there; and send Sirius down, would you; the meeting's about to start."

Jessica shrugged her shoulders and headed down the hall, being careful to skirt the troll's leg umbrella stand as she did.

CRASH.

"Oh no, not again! I…" Was all Jessica caught before an almighty screech emanated from a pair of moth-eaten curtains which promptly burst open revealing the most life-like portrait Jessica had ever seen.

Someone with thick, fairly long Black hair bounded down the stairs and began forcing the curtains shut as the woman in the portrait turned her attention on him.

As Jessica realized the man was having difficulty re-closing the curtains, she grabbed one and aided until with one last jolt the curtains closed upon the portrait and the screeching stopped.

"Thank you for helping me shut up my mother. She's a real…" The man's voice trailed off as he looked at Jessica.

"Maria?"

Jessica looked quizzically at the man. "My name's Jessica. Maria was my mother."

The man's face continued to smile, though Jessica noticed his eyes betray a hint of sadness in them.

"Why are we all hanging around here? Has Mrs. Black had a change of heart and decided to aid us in the fight?"

The man looked up at the identical twins Fred and George before he shook his head. "She merely had to give her say for the day before we shut her back up in her curtains."

After the meeting Mrs. Weasley allowed the children to enter the kitchen for lunch before shooing them all into a room where they began the pain staking job of cleaning. Sadly, Jessica was included in this, so she positioned herself by Crystal a fifth year who had grown up at Hogwarts and nearby Hogsmeade.

"Did you see Black's face when he first saw you this morning, Jess? It was like he was looking at a ghost."

Jessica tried not to remember the conversation. It had hit home to be called by her mother's name, when she knew she didn't look that much like her at all.

Sighing Jessica replied. "Yes, I did. Though I didn't enjoy it. I am not my mother. I've seen plenty of pictures of her, and the only thing I seem to have inherited from her was my temper and jaw bone."

Crystal chuckled. "Actually, the temper wasn't your mothers. That seems to be yours alone. McGonagall told me she never saw or even heard of Maria losing her temper while at school. Except around Black and Potter, that is. She and Lily Evans were always defending the other students against them."

"And you asked McGonagall about my mother, why?" Jessica pressed.

"She was going to tell you, but you ran off too quick. So I simply asked and said I'd tell you when I got the chance."

Jessica carefully pulled at a drawer, only to find it refused to open. Then, pointing her wand at the handle, without a word, it obeyed the wordless command.

"Gotta love being of age. Gives you privileges no other student has outside of school. Sorry, Crys, forgot you were next to me. Wanna see what's in it?" Jessica pointed at the newly opened drawer and laughed as Crystal wrinkled her nose.

"Fat chance! That's full of dangerous things! You'll need Molly's help with it. By the way, I have something I need to tell you and Black when you get the chance. Say, after dinner?"

Jessica rolled her eyes and laughed. Being a Seer often made Crystal a little paranoid. She'd noticed that it was most often when there was something unpleasant needing done, so Crystal had pulled it a lot within just the last half hour of cleaning. This and Fred and George's occasional mishaps with magic brought for a lot of entertainment to Jessica. Though she wondered what Crystal was planning to tell her and Black later in the evening.

Author's note: This is the first time I have ever written anything that is not intended to have romance in it. Please, please, please review, as I would like to know what you all think about it! Review, review, review!