CH 1: BACK TO SCHOOL

The Black Lake really isn't as cold or scary as it seems. Not many people know that because they're too afraid of the Giant Squid to take a swim. I on the other hand know that Pablo the Squid is nicer than your average wizard folk.

It was that start of yet another year at Hogwarts and I was in the lake. First year on the boat ride I fell into the water. I'd kept the tradition of starting my year with a swim, and it was no different for my 7th year. I always felt safe in the water, but the Black Lake made me feel like I was coming home from a very long, erroneous trip.

The thing is if you do the same exact thing for seven years straight, people start to notice the habit.

"Hey! How's the water Jenny?" My Louis Weasley yelled, his cousin Fred and sister Dominique in tow scaling down the hill from the castle.

I waded through the blue in the general direction of the shore, slowly, so I could spend as much time in the water as possible. "Too cold for you lot! How was your summer?"

Fred put on his pouty face and whined, "Bloody boring! Those two were in Egypt the whole time and I was stuck in my dad's shoppe."

"Awwww poor baby", I laughed. Once it was shallow enough I stood up and started to walk to the shore. Dominique stepped into the water and met me halfway.

"JENNY!" She was smiling so brightly and her freckles looked beautiful in the moonlight. She quickly bear hugged me and kissed my cheek, which turned pink as I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey Dom," I said quietly with my face turned down to hide my grin. Fun fact: I had been head over heels for Dominique Weasley for years. But… I was in the closet.

As Dom and I stepped on shore Louis and I did our super secret handshake we came up with during Fred, Dom, and my's third year. He had been an adorable, sweet little first year with a heart of gold and long blonde hair, and now in his fifth year he was just the same. Next, I wouldn't say that Fred hugged me, rather I would say he attempted to squeeze the life out of me. "Fred! I'm dying!" That bastard just started laughing and held on tighter.

"Alright, alright, Freddie if you're about done trying to kill my good friend lets go to the Great Hall for some food," said Louis and Fred immediately let me go. I charmed the water off me and threw my robes on over my swimsuit.

We trekked back to the castle and the whole time Dom walked so close that her hand brushed mine a few times, I could barely even hear Louis telling me how he got lost in the desert and found a magical oasis over the beating in my chest.

The castle looked beautiful as always. There's just something about old magical places, they have an elegance. When we entered the great hall we went to our respective house tables, Dom and Freddie to Gryffindor and Louis and I to Slytherin.

That's actually how Louis started to hang out with Dom, Freddie, and I. Almost all of the Weasley and Potter kids had ended up in Gryffindor (aside from Victoire, Lucy, and Molly in Ravenclaw and Roxanne in Hufflepuff), he was the first in Slytherin. It must have been scary. His whole family fought in a war, a war where the majority of the other side had been Slytherins. He didn't really have any friends and because I was friend's with Dom I decided to look out for her little brother. Kinda took him under my wing.

Anyways we found a spot at the Slytherin table. "-and the oasis had mermaids! Did I mention the mermaids already?"

"Yep, twice actually."

He blushed, "Oh... So how was your summer? Anything exciting happen at the Kane household?"

I clenched my fingers and toes, "Uhhhh, well-"

"LOU! JJ!" Suddenly we were pulled into a group hug by Evan Chang, fifth year Slytherin and Louis' best friend. He kissed us both on the cheek, "Oh my gaaawwwddd you guys, you both look soooo good! That color looks great on you JJ," I changed my hair color at least once a month, it was light blue then, "Oh and Louis, that tan suits you very well," he winked and Louis looked like he was about to melt onto the floor his cheeks were so red.

So about these two. Evan was very obviously and most of the time flamboyantly gay. He was the only student out of the closet at Hogwarts. Louis on the other hand was harder to read. He'd been on a few Hogsmeade dates with girls but he never actually had a girlfriend. Also he would look at Evan in a way that had always pulled at my heartstrings.

I smiled, "Hey Ev, looking good." He sat down on the other side of Louis as the Great Hall doors opened to some very nervous looking first years.

Walking to the dungeons after dinner with the other Slytherins was a damn struggle. I hadn't eaten that well all summer, and I ended up having to charm my pants to be bigger. Evan and Louis were dreading their upcoming OWLs. Evan slumped and said, "Ugh, I'd do anything not to have to take the potions OWL, my cauldron always either melts or explodes."

That's when Philip Macnair decided to insert himself into the conversation. "Just let the examiner shag you, fucking faggot. Chinese blokes will do anything for a good grade." His friends laughed and he looked very proud of himself for his very funny joke.

Evan didn't respond, just kept his eyes on his feet and kept walking. Louis furrowed his brow and looked like he was going to say something but I put my hand on his shoulder. He looked to me and I shook my head, "I got this. Oi! Macnair! At least it's better than getting a 'Troll' on the transfiguration OWL! How did you manage to burn off your examiner's hair? That's beyond me."

That stopped him from laughing. "You disgusting little-" he whipped out his wand and so I grabbed Louis and Evan and ran the rest of the way to the dungeons. We slammed the door of the fifth year boys dorm behind us and started laughing, out of breath.

Louis wheezed, "Did you see his face? I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head!"

Evan was laughing so hard he keeled over, which only made Louis and I laugh harder.

It took a moment for us to calm down enough for us all to sit down on Louis' bed. It had been quiet for a minute when Evan said, "I wish that people would stop hating me." He was holding his knees up to his chest like he was protecting himself from imminent attack.

Louis sighed and started to soothingly rub Evan's back. "I don't even know what to say, mate."

I ruffled his hair and said, "It sucks, I'm sorry love. But at least all the cool people at Hogwarts love you. Everyone else can suck it." He chuckled and leaned a little bit closer to Louis, who had a small smile. This was going to be an important moment for them so I stood up and said, "Well I'm gonna go sleep and get ready for my last first day of class, see ya later kiddos."

In my own dorm I found the same three girls I had been living with for years. Ella was brushing her hair and talking to Natalie who was painting her nails. Sarah was reading a Witch Weekly. "Hey guys." Natalie smiled and asked if I wanted to paint my nails with her but Ella was giving me a dirty look. She was dating Macnair. I passed on the manicure but promised to later.

Before I knew it I was in bed and asleep.

I think my favorite part of an average day at Hogwarts was walking into the Great Hall for two reasons. One, coffee and two, seeing Dominique Weasley (not in that order). This morning she had her strawberry blonde hair in a messy bun and was arguing about something with James her cousin, a sixth year. She noticed me as I approached, smiled, made space for me to sit in between her and Freddie, and went right back to her conversation. I turned to Freddie, " What are they on about so early in the morning?"

He swallowed the obscene amount of food in his mouth and said, "Lily and Hugo, apparently they got into James' stash of Wizard Wheezes and used a dungbomb on Roxie. It was really funny actually." I looked for Roxanne at the Hufflepuff table and she looked so pissed. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

Hugo and Lily were sat across from me and watching the discourse between Dom and James. I leaned towards them, "Wow, two second years stealing from a sixth year and dungbombing a third year?" Hugo looked sheepish and Lily frowned. "You might yet make me proud and grow up to be fine, outstanding troublemakers."

They both started to laugh and Dom turned to me, pouting. "JJ no! Don't encourage them!"

"Dominique, are you trying to tell me that you've never dungbombed someone? Because I seem to remember that's how we became friends."

Hugo gaped, "Wow, really?"

"Why yes, I was but a child-"

"You were 11," Dom interjected.

"-new to the concept of being a witch, I'm a muggleborn you know, I was trying to navigate my way through this unknown, mystical world-"

"You were in the castle."

"-lost! I was lost in this castle when suddenly I was attacked by the most terrifying Gryffindor of them all, Dom!"

"To clarify I was taking the dungbomb from Fred-" she looked pointedly at him and he just shrugged and went 'eh' ,"-when it fell out of my hand, down the stairs, and hit Jenny."

I put a hand to my forehead and exclaimed, "Oh the horror!"

All the Weasley Potters at the Gryffindor table were laughing. "Lily, Hugo, the moral of this story is don't dungbomb family, just people you want to be friends with."

By the time you're a seventh year you're supposed to know what you want to do with your life. You're supposed to have a purpose. The classes you take are supposed to gear you up for what comes after school: a career.

But I had no clue who I was, what I was doing, or who I was going to be.

So I just enrolled in the general classes: transfiguration, charms, potions, and defense against the dark arts. I also signed up for herbology and care of magical creatures just for fun.

It was nerve wracking going into my last year with no plan, especially because all of my friends had one. Freddie wanted to open a pub. Dom was already being seen by scouts from quidditch teams from all across England. Even Louis knew he wanted to become an apprentice wand maker.

I had no calling. Nothing to have ambition for.

So that's why the Head of Slytherin wanted to see me after my first day of class. As I entered her office I felt my dread build. She was not very happy with me, that much was evident from her face. "Miss Kane, please take a seat." It was almost like the chairs were uncomfortable on purpose.

I weakly smiled, "Um, so, Professor, you wanted to speak with me?"

She just sat there staring at me I swear to god for a full minute. Then she finally spoke once I was sweating, "I still don't understand why you aren't going for a quidditch career! You are an exemplary keeper. Why pass up on that?"

Oh well that made sense. Professor Cena had played for the Italian national quidditch team for years before coming to instruct quidditch at Hogwarts. "Well professor, I don't want to go into a career because I'm good at it, I want to do something that will make me happy. I just haven't found out what that is quite yet."

She sighed, "I can't argue with that… but you have to put some effort into figuring this out. You don't want to leave Hogwarts with no plan." I nodded, and felt a pit in my stomach develop. "So here's what you're going to do Kane, find something you love to do and we'll find a career that has it. Okay?"

I started to feel a little better. "Yes ma'am." I was going to figure this out.

I just needed something to love.