Chapter One

Her pale hand reached swiftly across the wooden table. She intended to grab a slice of toast on a nearby platter, but she knocked over a goblet of orange juice instead.

"You little rodent!"

"Sorry," she muttered to the infuriated girl. The girl she had always wished to be. The girl that was smart, pretty, charming and always around him. The girl was Hermione.

"Jennifer," Hermione said calming down a bit. She grabbed a napkin and began to dab the wet spots on her shirt and skirt. "I thought you were those first year brats. Last night while I was reading my transfiguration book, they were squealing nearby. They said things like, 'Look at Miss Smarty-Pants!' and, 'What a loser!'" Hermione did a perfect imitation of the squeaky little first year girls. "What bothers me most is they didn't bother anyone else but me, and when Harry and Ron came to sit me, they shut up quickly. Not to mention the fact that they were completely drooling over both of them. Also, I think-"

"Hermione," Jennifer said snapping awake to his name. "I'd love to stick around and chat with you, but I've got to run." She stood up quickly, and was just getting to the entrance hall when Hermione came running to her.

"Jenny," Hermione said walking beside her. "Would you mind coming up to the dorm with me? I need to change."

"Why?"

"Juice."

"Oh yeah, I'm really sorry about that," Jenny said with a beautiful smile on her face. Her straight dark brown hair went down the middle of her back, and her almond shaped hazel eyes with a tint of green on the outer edge glistened. She was actually a very beautiful girl, without a boyfriend. She had one in her fourth year, but at the end of the year he told her, "Your bad attitude is a lot stronger than your beauty, and we have to end it before I won't be able to stand you."

Actually, she was bad at many other things too. She was bad at keeping her face off the floor (she was a major klutz), she was a bad Quidditch player, and she was horrible in both arithmancy and herbology. The only professors she got along with were Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Sprout. Though she failed miserably in herbology all her life, Professor Sprout enjoyed her as a pupil.

"So have you finished your potions essay?" Hermione asked as they were climbing the stairs. "I just need to add a bit to the end of mine."

"When is it due?"

"Tomorrow."

"How long does it have to be?" Jenny asked mortified.

"Two feet."

"Oh no!" Jenny yelled as she coincidentally bumped into Professor Snape.

"Miss Tarelton," Snape said with a malicious smirk. "Tell me, how are you getting along on your three foot essay on the side effects of love potions?"

"Three feet?" Jenny said exasperated. "I thought it was only two feet."

"Not for you. Good day ladies," he said as he glided down the stairs with a horrible grin.

"Great!" Jenny said sarcastically when he was out of earshot. "I haven't even started, and he added another foot to mine! Why is he such an angry man? Did he have a bad childhood or something? Sometimes I want to just take my wand, jab it at his chest and curse him with the all the worst curses I have ever learned!"

"And what curses are those?" Hermione asked with curiosity.

"I ––er–– can't remember any at the moment," Jenny answered, trying to sound intelligent. "But I can try. You know what? I'm actually going to crack open a curse book right now and read it."

"You mean after you finish your essay on the side effects of love potions, right?"

"Love potion?" Jenny said intuitively. "Hermione you're a genius!"

"I know, but-"

"We could accidentally slip a love potion into Snape's goblet tomorrow," Jenny said not minding whatever Hermione was trying to tell her. "Then we'll see the real side effects, not only what they say in books."

"We? Count me out. Plus, love potions are banned from school. Jenny, don't do it, think of how much trouble we'll be in, and we might even face expulsion." Hermione pleaded until they finally reached the common room.

"So you're in," Jenny said happily. "You've been saying we all this time, so I figured you changed your mind. Do you know where Moaning Myrtles bathroom is? Meet me there tonight, lets say around seven-thirty. I have to head down to the library and cram enough information about love potions and their side effects. Oh yeah, and how to make them. See you tonight!" Jenny left Hermione standing with her mouth open, all alone in front of the portrait of the fat lady, who was napping.

"I can't believe I'm actually here," Hermione said as she slipped into the bathroom with Jenny. Jenny brought a potion book, and many of her potions equipment.

"The one I found isn't very powerful, but it's simple and it'll be good just the same. So, let's get started," Jenny said as quickly as possible. "Hopefully we'll make it back to the common room before nine."

"Hopefully?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "We better be back before nine, I can't risk getting into trouble."

"Hermione," Jenny said with laughter. "Think of all the things you've done with Ron and Harry. Don't you think most of those things are a whole lot worse than this? Personally, when you three lost Gryffindor all those points in out first year, I rather hoped you three would be expelled, but that was before I got to know you in our third year. It's strange how we met in the library, since I hate the library. I don't even remember why I was actually in the library. It was so funny when you sat across me and just started mouthing off about Ron, you called him quite a few names. You actually didn't stop talking until I asked who you were." Hermione laughed and handed Jenny ingredients. "Then you told me your name and I realized we were the same house, and we actually became sort of friends, until you neglected me because Ron and you made up," Jenny said all this while she added ingredients to the cauldron, the last thing she added was a runespoor egg.

"I'm sorry Jenny," Hermione said sympathetically.

"It's all right though, I've got Keila," Jenny said as she read the ingredients. "Okay, now we wait fifteen minutes, add an ashwinder egg, then turn off the flame and let it cool overnight." They both just sat there quietly staring at the bubbling cauldron.

"So, where's Keila then? I haven't seen her since Friday," Hermione said to break the awkward silence. Jenny just shrugged her shoulders and stirred the purple liquid. They added the ashwinder egg, and the mixture became bright red. "Remember, make sure you don't pour this into pumpkin juice."

"Why not?" Jenny asked confused.

"You don't know why and you just finished your essay?" Hermione said disapprovingly.

"Of course I do, I was just joking," Jenny lied. She poured some of the mixture into a vial, and Hermione poured the rest in a toilet. They had barely finished cleaning when Jenny jumped up.

"Quick!" she yelled. "It's eight fifty-four!" They rushed up the stairs to the common room, and made it in right before it was nine. They smiled at each other and hurried up to the dormitory. Hermione went up first, and right before Jenny was going to follow, somebody tapped her on the shoulder. It was him!