A/N: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does, but I do own Jennifer, Anna, their parents, ect. I hope you enjoy reading this!
Tomorrow was the beginning of my last year at Hogwarts. Moreover, I am extremely displeased about that. I used to think that I would stay at Hogwarts forever, but time and intelligence have shattered my beliefs. This year, all I truly have to worry about is passing my N.E.W.T exams, and I will be set for life. I could always fail them and stay behind another year, but my parents would be very angry with that.
"Jenny!" my little sister, Anna, called to me from the house. "Lunch is almost ready, so you better get in here!"
"Fine," I called back. "I'll be there in a minute." I stood up from my shady spot underneath my favorite tree, the weeping willow. My wand tucked in my jean pockets, where it had resided since the start of summer, reminded me of what I was jumping into tomorrow. Cedric Diggory was dead and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was on the rise. I did not have time to lack cautiousness.
"I wonder who will be the new DADA teacher," Anna mused aloud as we dug into our favorite lunch, macaroni and cheese. Yeah, sometimes it is good to have a childhood food around when your world is going crazy.
"Well, if I do a recount," I drawled. "We've had Quirell with the Dark Lord on the back of his head (idiot), Lockhart who is, or was, the world's biggest asshole, Lupin, who turned out to be a werewolf, but nice nevertheless, and Mad-Eye Moody who turned out to be Crouch Jr. in disguise. My money is on a house elf." She laughed.
"There have been worse," she pointed out. I nodded sagely. "So, do you believe Potter? Half my friends think he's mad, even if he's hot." I glared at her.
"I most certainly believe him. Why would he lie about something so horrible? Hot or not, he's telling the truth, my sister."
"I'm not sure," she confessed. "I mean there's no proof. We don't know what happened in that maze. Harry could've been the one to kill Diggory and blamed it on You-Know-Who because it was convenient."
"Harry was bleeding; he looked like he went through physical hell. He is not a good actor, trust me. Gryffindors are big on truthfulness. We Ravenclaws are big on logic and wisdom, and you Hufflepuffs are big on being social and throwing parties." Anna grinned impishly.
"At least we don't hide it!" she sang. Our mother came in through the front door with our father right behind her. They were both in Hufflepuff, which is why it is so strange for me to be in Ravenclaw.
"What are you hiding? Is it food? I could go for some food," Dad announced. I rolled my eyes and snorted.
"What you could go for, Dad is some exercise."
"Is that a snide remark from my eldest daughter? Be still my beating heart!" he cried dramatically.
"Yes, ha, you're very amusing, Ryan," Mum said wryly. "We picked up your new books and materials, Jenny. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must not think you seventh years are intelligent because they're requiring a basic spell book." I shrugged.
"It might help to know who the teacher is," Anna muttered, taking her own basic spell book. "Mum! This is for toddlers! How are we supposed to learn anything with these… these stupid books?" I could tell she almost swore in front of them and I shot her a smile. She smirked back at me.
"Why don't the two of you finish packing? That way you don't have to scramble around in the morning," Mum suggested. I raised my hand slightly, looking guilty. "What is it?"
"I have already finished," I said, trying to look ashamed, but didn't quite pull it off. I am an overachiever; it is a habit.
"So have I," Anna piped up. "Can we go outside?" She's only in her fourth year, so she doesn't have to worry about any exams just yet. Mum nodded her approval and we raced outside. "Jenny, I want to ask you something."
"Go for it," I encouraged her, picking at blades of grass.
"Who do you have a crush on?" she asked casually, but slyly. Everyone has been trying to find out who my love fixation is, but I shall never tell. Despite her no-secrets policy, I just cannot bring myself to tell her. Instead of confessing, I merely shrug.
"I suppose I rather fancy… George." I blurted out the first name I could think of.
"Weasley?" she pulled a face. "Yeah, he's all right, I guess, if you're into that kind of guy." I breathed a sigh of relief. My cover was not blown.
"Well who do you fancy?" I asked smugly. "Don't tell me you're still fixated on Dean? He is a year older than you are and a well-known troublemaker. Your not in his league." She snorted.
"Dean? Nah, I have my sights set higher than Dean."
"Ah, yes. The 'I have a crush on the headmaster' phase; everyone goes through it," I said sarcastically.
"Not quite the high area I was referring to," said Anna, looking revolted at the idea. "I was talking about the Boy Who Lived himself."
"Oh, so that's why you asked about him earlier," I nodded knowingly. She blushed and giggled. "You could do worse, you know. I mean you could fancy Dumbledore."
"Yeah, but you know who's worse?" Anna questioned a gleam in her eye. "You could be in love with Snape." I laughed.
"You're right, that would be worse," I agreed. "First of all, the man's a git. Secondly, he's horrible both physically and socially, and third of all, he's a git. I can't believe this is my last year." I changed the subject because Snape wasn't my favorite thing to talk about. It's hard to like a man who makes you dissect dead insects, especially when you have a great fear of bugs, animals, and just nature in general.
"I know," Anna complained. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you around to keep motivating me to do my homework."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm the one who does your homework because you're too tired to do it from all that partying."
"I'll tell you what," she said thoughtfully. "In order to help your social life, I'll do most of my homework and introduce you to your prince charming. How does that sound, Jenny?" I rolled my eyes.
"He already knows me," I muttered.
"I don't get it; I have to beat guys off with a stick. Why no one goes after you, I will never understand; you are pretty, smart, and nice. What man wouldn't want that?" she asked innocently. I shook my head.
"It should be enough," I stated, "but I guess I'm not much of a challenge."
I stayed up all night, worrying about how the next year was going to go. I wondered what was going to be on my schedule. Would I get the advanced Potions class I asked for and the astronomy? The variables kept my mind in a state of turmoil. By six in the morning, I had sufficiently worn down my nerves and was jumping to get going.
I checked my bags and refolded my robes. I made sure I packed my makeup and toothbrush with my favorite toothpaste. Finally, I took a deep breath and heading downstairs to eat something for breakfast. Toast and water seemed to be in order, so I made that and tried to eat. My insomniac act made my vision blur and my head feel twice as heavy.
"Good morning!" Mum sang cheerily to me and made herself some coffee. I stared at her deadpan.
"That is yet to be determined. If you've gotten more than five minutes of sleep, then yes, I suppose it's a lovely morning," I nodded slowly. "But if you didn't, it's not good news." She frowned.
"Oh, sweetheart, why were you up all night?"
I waved a hand in helplessness. "I couldn't sleep. Don't worry, I'll take a nap on the train." I knew I would not do any such thing. I hate sleeping when the sun is still up. It throws off my internal clock and I think it is morning when it is actually afternoon. "Anna will be sure to be hyper, so can I have a headache-relieving potion before I go?"
"Sure," she said sympathetically. "Go wake her up, by the way. At this rate, we won't be leaving until nine and by then it will be too late." I forced myself to stand up and staggered back up the staircase. I knocked on her door and got no response. I broke in, not patient enough to knock again. She was still sleeping. A twinge of jealousy shot through me.
"Anna, wake up," I shook her roughly. "We're going to be late if you don't wake up and I'm not above dumping cold water on your bed." She groaned and looked at me through sleep-glazed eyes.
"Not yet, I'm required to sleep in two more hours because I'm younger." She got up anyway.
"Sorry, my sister," I said breezily. "There's no such thing as sleeping in when Hogwarts is calling."
"So you say. Now get out so I can get dress… which you had better do, too. Unless you want to arrive, starting your own trend," she smiled and indicated my clothes. I glanced down. I was still wearing a long cotton nightgown.
"I'll save the fashion trends for you," I laughed. "Oh, by the way, if you see me go into a self-induced coma, it's because I got absolutely zero sleep last night. No worries, right?"
"Define 'no worries'." I left her bedroom to go change into my regular clothes. I grabbed my red shirt with the vee-neck and pulled on some jeans. It was definitely a struggle not to just lie down on the floor and sleep for five seconds, but duty calls. I nearly bumped into Anna on the last step.
"There seems to be a traffic jam," I commented. She ignored me.
"What do you mean if I don't get my act straightened up you'll pull me out of Hogwarts?" she cried. "I've been getting good grades, haven't I? Doesn't that count for anything?" Mum sighed.
"Yes, it does, but you also party and get detentions at least twice a week. Employers look at that kind of stuff, honey. I just want you to be the best you can be." Anna's back stiffened and she marched out to the car we were taking to King's Cross. I gave Mum an apologetic grimace. Then I went to the car to give my sister some comforting words and promises that I would not let them pull her out of Hogwarts.
At least I could claim I was diplomatic.
I stared dully out the window as the scenery flashed by, but no matter how much I willed my mind, it wouldn't shut down in order to sleep. The sun was up and I had been awake for more than eighteen hours. This wasn't boding well with my metabolism.
Anna and I ran through the barrier and we heard the roar of a crowd and owls before we saw them. I own a small, black owl who I have named Bubbles. I like bubbles, okay? I boarded the train, my sister in tow and let her go find her friends. I, being a slight social outcast, immediately went in search of an empty compartment. I knew that soon it would be filled with people I didn't know, but I could enjoy the silence for now. I yawned violently into my elbow. Even though no one was around, I still kept good manners.
"Hello, is this seat taken?" a silvery-blonde haired girl asked. I thought about saying it was, but shook my head and she sat opposite of me. "My name's Luna."
"It's nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Jennifer."
"Yes, I know," she said matter-of-factly. "You are two years ahead of me and quite smart." I blinked. This was somewhat awkward.
"Thank you," I muttered uncertainly at the compliment. "I'm sure you're smart, as well. I'm not the only one; there's nothing unique about me." Oops, I was babbling on. I hate it when I do that. She tilted her head to the side, thinking.
"Actually, the nargles disagree with you on that. They think you're extremely special. Oh, and they say you're in love with someone. Who is it?" Luna inquired dreamily. I felt my face pale.
"George Weasley," I said abruptly and stared pointedly out the window, breathing in shallow breaths. Why didn't I just say I didn't like anyone? I love how ideas come to me after I'm done talking.
"I know that's not true, because you never talk to him," she said bluntly. My eyes widened in surprise. I liked this girl despite her odd personality. What were these nargles, anyway? If they could tell I'm in love, what else could they tell? It wasn't a pleasant prospect to dwell on. I rubbed my eyes, forgetting that I put on mascara earlier. Now I looked like either a raccoon or a sleep-deprived zombie. I internally groaned and fixed my error. This was going to be a long train ride.