I own nothing, but wouldn't it be cool if I did?
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Today was not a good day, even for Quidditch, Fifth year student, Jenna Malfoy was certain of that the moment she woke up. Unfortunately she was the captain of the Gryffindor team, therefore she was required to be at the match against Slytherin today. Not that she didn't normally enjoy massacring the Slytherins, or any team she came up against but she just had a sick feeling about today, and her feelings were usually right. Before she had time to ponder her feeling any further her co-captain and best friend poked her head into her curtains.
"Wake up sleepy head." Eilis, Elli for short, Potter said. Eilis had long straight black hair and green eyes.
"No." The blonde said, burying her face in her pillow and dragging her blankets over her head.
"Come on, we get to beat the Slytherins today, we'll be one match closer to the house cup. For the fourth year in a row." She sing songed, she knew that appealing to her friend's competitive nature would surely put her in better spirits.
All she replied with was a muffled grunt.
"Come on Malfoy move your arse. We're all waiting for you to go to breakfast and I'm afraid if you don't get down there soon the boys will resort to eating the common room furniture.
"Fine, fine." The blonde got up and started to gather her clothes and broom.
"Besides it's parents day, we get to show off." Eilias said as she left.
When the door shut Jenna dropped the trainers she was holding, the sick feeling returned to her stomach full force. "Shit." She remembered why today was going to be a bad day, she didn't want to talk to either of her parents, and they most certainly did not need to be in the others presence.
----The Match----
Jenna was seeker of the Gryffindor team, and her one time friend now sworn enemy Cameron Milford was the Slytherin seeker. Cameron's Family was a Slytherin house family from as far back as the history of Hogwart's itself. Jenna was the first Malfoy in the history of the school to not be one, this was the cause of much discussion and discontent in the Malfoy house as far as Lucius and Narcissa were concerned but after awhile they got used to the idea.
Jenna was circling the field keeping an eye out for the golden snitch while keeping another on the play. "Damn they just tied us." They were leading 50, 0 but Slytherin just got 5 goals in a row past their keeper. Jenna let out a loud whistle, getting her teams attention, then raised her right arm in the air and gave her forearm a whirl. In the blink of an eye her entire team switched positions, with the exception of her, but there were days she played other positions. The Gryffindor's key to success was versatility and knowledge of their positions. Just as a bludger whizzed by her head, she quickly veered away and pulled up to dodge it, she saw the golden snitch. "There you are my beauty." She said, she checked to see what Cameron was doing, he was still searching for the snitch. Quickly she took off like a bolt of lightning toward the snitch.
"And Jenna Malfoy has spotted the Snitch. If she catches it this will mean another win for Gryffindor, and a Second loss this season for Slytherin." The announcer said.
"Shit, damn announcer. Bloody Ravenclaw!" She cursed to herself, knowing that Cameron would be on her tail very soon, and he'd be pissed at her for that trick play she just pulled.
"And Dawson takes a beater to the head."
'What the hell?' Jenna thought to herself, she wanted to go down there and help her teammate out but she had to catch that snitch before it was too late, they had an understanding about that.
"And James Potter throws the quaffle at Rogers, Rogers dodges it but it hits Upton. Upton whips it at Malfoy but Dawson hits it with a beater and shoots it back at Rogers, this time he gets it right in the gut. Ooh Madame Hooch does not look thrilled. She's blowing her whistle full force but no one seems to be paying her any mind. Come on seekers, one of you needs to get that snitch before someone gets hurt."
"Give up Malfoy." Cameron sneered at her, he was now neck and neck with her.
"Not on your life Milford. Why don't you go help out your team before mine dismantles them?" The blonde girl chuckled.
"You're dead Malfoy." He growled.
"I disagree, I feel very much alive you git." With that she pressed on faster, but he caught up to her and swerved into her side, nearly knocking her off her broom, and sending her spinning out of control towards the teacher's and Alumni box, she saw a hint of her mother and with that it summoned all the anger she needed to throw her magic into over drive and stop her broom dead before she accidentally knocked poor Professor Flitwick off his seat. Her eyes changed from grey blue and gleamed a dangerous quicksilver and her features hardened, if you were close enough to her the air around her crackled with magic. She quickly righted herself and turned towards Cameron who was a mere 30 yards from the snitch. In a flash she was less than a yard from him, even with her Firebolt 8 Series she couldn't move that fast, she was propelled by her own magic and anger, a very dangerous combination.
"And Malfoy is back on course on her way to the snitch. No she's on her way to Cameron Milford, this is not going to be pretty folks."
Before Cameron knew what hit him Jenna had planted her shoulder firmly in his side, and sent him flying off of his broom and into the Hufflepuff stands, landing on a group of first years. After taking a millisecond to appreciate her handiwork she took off toward the snitch, less than a second later she had the snitch in her hand, Gryffindor had won and all hell broke loose on the field, a bludger caught her in the side and she fell off of her broom and was rapidly coming colser to the earth, when a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her, it was James Potter, Elli's younger brother and the other Gryffindor seeker, he Grabbed Jenna by her robes and pulled her onto is broom with him. "Thanks Jimmy." She said with a pained smile as she clutched her side.
"Hey what are friends for? C'mon Jen let's get you to the infirmary." The red haired boy said.
"Forget that, let's go kick some ass. Accio Broom." Still in pain, she summoned her broom which was spinning out of control over the middle of the field and threatening to crash, needing another new broom this season would not go over well with her father no matter how much money they had. As soon as it got close enough she grabbed the handle with both hands and threw her leg over and took off toward the mayhem. She and Jimmy found the Slytherin who sent the bludger at her, young Gregory Goyle Jr. no less, and lured him to about 10 feet above the field, then clothes lined him off his broom and sent him sprawling onto his back into a great mud puddle. By this time most of both teams had landed, the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands had also cleared out with the students joining their respective teams, and the air attack had turned into an all out soccer brawl complete with dueling. No amount of whistle blowing from Madame Hooch could stop the fist throwing and hexing that was going on. There were screams, and yelling, dirt was flying, brooms were whizzing about, objects were flying at people, people's body parts were being transfigured, scarves were being turned into snakes and other dangerous things.
Dumbledore, who had just about enough of this foolishness, stood in his seat and projected his voice and cast a spell on the two teams, "Immobilise." Immediately the group of quarreling teens froze in their place. HE spoke in his usual calm voice, "The Gryffindor and Slytherin teams will change, then proceed to my chambers and wait for me. Minus 200 points from Slytherin and Gryffindor houses for conduct unbefitting." He unfroze them and they went off silently, then he fixed the transfigured and charmed objects and students on the field. He unprojected his voice and turned to professors Snape and McGonogall, "If you would gather their parents who have came here today. I believe it is best to solve these matters here and now before someone gets expelled or sent to Azkaban. And do hurry, I do not believe leaving them alone is a good idea." The two professors went about doing what they were asked.
----Dumbledore's office---
When Dumbledore lead Professors Snape, McGonogall and the group of 28 or so parents into his rather large office he was not at all shocked, but still a little perturbed at the sight that awaited him, he'd hoped the teens had gotten all of their aggression out on the field and wouldn't have destroyed his office. Oh how wrong he was. Broken glass and instruments were lying everywhere, not that those couldn't be repaired by a simple charm, the children were still throwing fists, hexes and spells at each other. The pictures were gasping and yelling at the students causing such a scene. Eilis Potter went flying into a wall, Jenna sent the girl who did it a Slytherin third year named Alexandria Upton flying into the opposite wall, but making sure she hit a suit of armor on the way, Lliam Rogers summoned a large globe to fly at Jenna, effectively throwing her into the nearest trophy case, Cameron Milford had younger Jimmy Potter in a headlock. Jeffery Dawson was missing. Everyone else was brawling in some way.
"Stop this all of you right now!" Professor McGonogall shouted, but that got her nowhere. "This is unacceptable!"
"Expelliarmus." Dumbledore said calmly. As soon as their wands flew out of their hands the teens stopped what they were doing and fixed their attention on the group of shocked teachers and embarrassed parents standing at the entrance. "That's better." With a simple flick of his wrist all of Dumbledore's belongings were restored and fourteen chairs were summoned or transfigured and arranged in a horseshoe in front of his desk. "If you would all have a seat this could begin." As soon as the students had arranged themselves into Gryffindor and Slytherin Dumbldore summoned more chairs for the parents and sat down behind his desk. His usual cheerful manner and twinkling eyes were now replaced by a scowl and dark eyes. The grandfatherly tone was now terse and disapproving. "I have never in all my years of teaching seen a worse display of sportsmanship. In less than ten minutes you all brought more shame on both of your houses than anyone in ten centuries of Hogwart's. I should expel each and every one of you right now for the inappropriate use of magic alone. And where is Mister Dawson?" There were a lot of shared looks between the Slytherins but no one would own up to what happened to him. "NOW!" He shouted.
"One of them turned him into a Chinchilla and we can't find him." Eilis said darkly.
Professor McGonogall held her head in her hands. "I will find him." She left to go retrieve the boy.
"I should disqualify both houses from the rest of the season after today's events and the others that have been going on around here. We have had house unity in this school for the past seventeen years, ever since Voldemort was defeated, and now…" Dumbledore stopped and shook his head in disgust. "Weekly food fights in the great hall, first and second year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws crying at the drop of a hat because of the general malcontent your houses are causing, dueling and fist fights in the halls, students being found bound to the whomping willow tree on a regular basis, Gryffindors and Slytherins are in here on a daily basis for some infraction or other, there was a snowstorm in the dining hall 2 weeks ago that no one will own up to, I believe yesterday's involved sabotage in potions and the dungeons needing to be evacuated until the evening." At that Jenna and Eilis shared a look and a smirk. "THIS IS NOT A JOKING MATTER!" He roared at them, immediately stopping the girls shared joy. "The worst of it all is the older students, including prefects and captains are teaching these behaviors to the first and second years as acceptable. And now matter how hard they try the teachers are powerless to stop it. Like I said I should expel you all from school, and I should disqualify both houses from the cup. But I'm not. I will be paring you up in groups of 2 from each house for detention three nights a week from now until the end of the school year." They all wanted to groan but knew better of it. Professor McGonogall walked in with Jeffery Dawson who, aside from looking a bit ruffled was no worse for the wear after being turned into a chinchilla, took a seat with the rest of his fellow Gryffindors. "Good Professor McGonogall, Mister Dawson you're just in time to hear your punishment. As I was telling you all of you will be paired in groups of 2 from each house and helping teachers on a rotating basis, none of you will be going on Hogsmeade field trips or on your free time for the remainder of the semester as Hogsmeade is a privilege granted to mature students, you will have to earn it back before you are allowed to go next semester. Instead you will be working together tutoring first years in the library, since you all seem to be so proficient at the art of magic you can share it with others. As of today all Gryfindor and Slytherin class schedules are to be changed so that you only have classes with each other, you will learn to get along or you can all leave the school it is your choice, and do pass that on to your housemates. Everyone except, Mr. Dawson, Ms. Malfoy, and Mr. Milford and excused. The rest of you may leave with your parents and eat lunch, your teammates will be down to join you shortly." He looked back at the three students in front of him and shook his head in disgrace. "Prefects, the three of you are prefects and team captains, you represent the best and brightest in your years and you are acting like a bunch of pre-schoolers. You are to be leading by example, not leading the mob. Do any of you have anything to say for yourselves?"
"Malfoy cheated sir."
"You're out of your bloody mind!" She screeched.
"Watch your mouth Milford!" Jeff said threateningly.
"Ms. Malfoy, Mr. Dawson please calm down. How did Ms. Malfoy cheat Mr. Milford?"
"They changed positions that's not allowed sir."
At the look of outrage on Jenna's face Dumbledore thought it best to let her handle the situation before she exploded. "Ms. Malfoy do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"Yes headmaster I do." She said respectfully, then she whipped her head around, so that her curly blonde locks flew behind her in the wind she created and settled her angry blue grey eyes on Cameron. "If you'd bothered to read the rules, ever, you would have seen that in Section four, Article 2 Paragraph 8, it states that all players with the exception of seeker may change positions at any point in the game, but no more than twice, as long as the captain calls for it and the move is consensual on all parties parts. We agreed that we do what's best for the team. Most teams elect to switch two players at a time, we like to be daring. The reason Slytherin team never does it is because you all are too busy looking out for yourselves to do what's best for the team, that and I'm pretty sure most of you are illiterate. Don't ever accuse me of dishonest play again, unless you want to wake up with the mer people."
Professor Snape watched the scene unfold with equal parts awe and distaste. The girl was brilliant, much like another Gryffindor he knew, but why did she have to verbally castrate one of his house members?
"Why you little…"
"Mr. Dawson I believe you have been given a proper explanation. That's enough for now, the three of you are dismissed."
"Thank you Headmaster." The three teens said and shuffled out with their parents in tow.
"Um, Ms. Granger Mr. Malfoy a word if I may. Jenna your parents will be down to the great hall to meet you in a few minutes."
Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger looked at each other warily and turned back around to meet with their old headmaster.
When they turned back all the extra chairs from before were gone and only two remained in front of his desk, although they were far more plush than the ones the children had been sitting in they still felt like they had done something wrong to be sitting there along with Dumbledore again.
"Lemon drop?" He asked as he held out the candy dish.
"No thank you sir." Hermione said with a slight shake of her head.
"None for me thanks." Draco said casually.
"It always amazes me that students never seem to appreciate these as much as I do. Oh well." He said offhandedly as he popped one into his mouth.
"Professor you wanted a word?" Hermione asked, she was getting really uncomfortable.
"Oh yes, I was just thinking how it only seems like yesterday you were put into Gryffindor house, and you Slytherin, and now Jenna is in her fifth year. It is amazing how time does seem to fly." Her marveled. "But that's not why I asked the two of you to stay behind. You have to excuse the mind, it wanders in old age." He chuckled. After he sobered he looked back at his former students, "I know home has not been easy the last few years." Both adults just looked at each other and gave a slight nod in the affirmative. "When, well that terrible day happened we all grieved for your loss, and we all tried to help Jenna in every way we knew how. We haven't had many problems with Jenna, nothing major, but this year she seems out of sorts. She has been cross with almost all of the staff, including Minerva and Severus and she usually gets along with them so well. She's been sent up to see me at least two times a week since the beginning of term. Her temper has become erratic and somewhat violent. She seems distant from everyone and everything, but no one notices because she puts on an act. She is a brilliant girl and her powers are beyond most, and why wouldn't she be with you two as her parents. The headmasters from Beauxbaton's and Drumstrang are both interested in her as one of the Hogwart's students for the semester long exchange program we do with the sixth years. I believe both of you went on it as sixth years." They both nodded yes. "Her grades are holding but I'm afraid they will slip soon if she doesn't put real effort into her work, or start showing up for classes on a regular basis. I don't need to remind either of you that O.W.Ls are at the end of next term. She even seems to have lost some of her love for quidditch, and she is so good at it. Do either of you have any idea what has gotten into her?"
Draco shook his head 'No.' "I'm sorry sir, I don't get to see her as often as I'd like to ever since the divorce. Truthfully she is usually very content when she is at my house, she loves to go flying you see it's not something she's allowed to do in Vermont." A smile crossed his features. "We talk about school and such but Jenna is not very open about her feelings, not since…" He trailed off not being able to go on with what he was going to say.
Dumbledore gave a sympathetic nod of the head. "I understand Mr. Malfoy."
"She has been mad at me ever since the divorce." Hermione said quietly. "Even when she is home she doesn't say more than five words to me in a row, and they're usually 'I wanna go to dad's'. When we moved she didn't speak to me for months. This summer I dropped the Malfoy from my name and went back to Granger and started dating someone and she hasn't spoken to me since. I think she realized it's truly over. This also would have been Edan's first year at Hogwart's that may be why she's acting out so much." She said as her voice clenched.
"She has had to deal with so much at such a young age and I am sure being away at school makes it harder." Dumbledore said. "We are all concerned for her. Christmas break is coming up at the end of next month, where will she be spending her break?"
"We share her." Draco said with a hint of disdain. "Hermione gets her for the first half of break and I get her for the second half. It's been that way since the divorce, I always get her last." He said with a pointed glare at Hermione.
"I understand. Well may I suggest one of you sitting down and trying to talk to her? I didn't want to say anything in front of Jenna, but the other children look up to her and ever since she and Mr. Milford seem to have had a falling out she has become one of the main leaders in this inter-house war. If she has another term like this one, I don't know if there will be a place at Hogwart's for her next year, and although I know she would be accepted at any other wizarding school in Europe or the Americas it would hurt me greatly to expel her and I'm not sure that would do her any good. It could send her into a permanent downward spiral and I don't think any of us want that."
They both agreed with a nod of their heads.
"Well I think it's time we go to the great hall and enjoy what is left of lunch."
"Thank you headmaster. We'll try and talk to her before the start of next term." Hermione said.
"Yes headmaster, thank you for bringing this to our attention." Draco added.
They got up and left.
As soon as they were out of Dumbledore's office and in the hallway Draco asked Hermione, "Seeing someone are you, well who is it?"
"I don't believe that is any of your business Malfoy. We're not married anymore." She hissed back at him.
"It becomes my business when your actions cause our daughter distress." He ground out at her.
"We don't even know if that's the case. You know Jenna she's…"
Draco stopped and grabbed Hermione's arm, dragging her into a classroom behind him. "No I don't know Jenna, not for the last four years. You walked out on our marriage and took our daughter with you. I only get her for the last four weeks of the summer, and the last part of break, and I still have to work so I don't get to spend as much time with her as I want to. I love her and I want what is best for her, but you refuse to let me prove it."
"If it makes you feel any better she doesn't want to be with me! She spends all of her time with me either in her room or out with her friends. She won't even look at me." Tears started to form in Hermione's eyes. She looked down and lowered her voice. "I think it's best if she stays with you all winter and only sees me if and when she wants to." Hermione didn't cry, she just wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
He softened his voice. "If that's what you feel is best."
"I don't know what's best anymore, all I know is she hates me and worships you. Maybe you'll have some luck with her."
He decided not to press the issue of who Jenna was staying with anymore. "You never answered my question. Who are you dating?"
She blushed. "A muggle man from work, his name is Andrew."
"Well, if he makes you happy."
"He does Draco, thank you. Let's go down to the great hall, I'm hungry." She didn't want to have this conversation right now.
When they arrived in the great hall many families were still dining, there was a loud buzz coming though the doors as families caught up with each other but much of it was about today's quidditch match. They saw Jenna sitting among her Gryffindor friends and their families, which included Fred, George and Ron Weasley. Even after all these years Draco felt a bit awkward walking toward the Gryffindor table, but that's where he was headed.
Jenna was talking animatedly with Elias and Fred and George Weasley about something and didn't notice when her parents walked up.
"Um Jenna…" Eli gave a slight nod of her head in Draco and Hermione's direction.
Jenna turned around, "Hi Daddy." She gave Draco a smile and stood to give him a hug.
"Hello sweetheart."
She turned to Hermione and gave her a curt, "Mother."
"Hello Jenna."
They all sat back down to join the conversation. Draco had fought on the side of good during the second war so he was on good terms with all the table's occupants.
"Draco I didn't think you'd be able to come this weekend with being so busy at the ministry." Ginny said.
"There was no way I was going to let work get in the way of the annual Hogwart's family weekend. Some things can wait, and some things can't."
Fred and George were discussing their new line of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, "Freak Weather Fizzies", a line of tablets you drop into a pitcher of water that create weather phenomenon. The boys at the table all had sheepish looks on their faces.
Hermione was happy and sad at the same time to be back in the great hall with her old friends. "So Ginny do you and Harry know if you're having a boy or girl yet?"
Ginny rubbed her round stomach. "No not yet, we're going to see the medi-witch about it tomorrow. Truthfully I don't care if it is a boy or girl, it is the last one. We are not carrying on the tradition of the children vastly outnumbering the parents." Ginny didn't realize what she was saying until the words left her mouth. The conversation around them fell silent. "Oh gods, 'Mione, Draco I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by it. I swear."
"It's alright, no offence taken." Draco said.
"Really Ginny it's fine." Hermione added.
Both of them were lying, they knew Ginny really meant them no harm and neither were mad at her, they had no reason to be, but their hearts both longed for the child they had lost almost 5 years ago.
The tension at the table was broken when a child came up and tapped Jenna on the shoulder. "Excuse me."
"Yes." Jenna said as she turned around. She smiled when a girl of no more than 6, with brown hair and blue eyes looked up at her. "How can I help you?"
"Are you the seeker from the quidditch game today?"
"I'm one of them, yes."
"My brother told me that only boys can be seekers and girls can only play chaser."
"Well your brother is mistaken. Who is your brother anyway?"
"Theodore Ramsey."
Theodore Ramsey, third year Ravenclaw, she'd save that piece of information for later. "And what is your name?"
"Rebecca."
"Well Rebecca, when you start to play quidditch you can play whatever position you're best at, and tell your brother he's a dirty liar."
"Cool, thanks. You're a really good seeker Jenna." With that the little girl scampered back to her table and did indeed tell her brother he was a dirty liar.
"Jenna has a fan club." Jimmy sing-songed from across the table at her.
"Jealous?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I'm jealous that you're popular with the kinder-care group."
"You would be."
"Speaking of quidditch," Harry said. "What happened out there today?"
"Truthfully Dad, same shit different day." Eli said.
"Elias Potter watch your mouth." Ginny corrected her daughter's language.
Jimmy jumped in to help. "Well she's right mum, it's never ending around here, those dirty Slytherins think they can get away with murder." He looked over at Draco. "Sorry Mr. Malfoy."
"It's alright." Draco said.
"Yes, they may instigate but none of you are innocent either. You retaliate right back, and I refuse to believe that you all don't instigate either. I know those looks of feigned innocence. You have to use your magic responsibly." Hermione said.
"You know what mother. I already got this talk from Dumbledore today along with the threat of expulsion, I don't need to hear it from you too. You don't even live in the magical world anymore so why the hell are you even here, just go home to your boyfriend." With that she got up and left the great hall
When Jenna left the great hall she headed to the one place no one would go in the middle of the day, the astronomy tower.
It wasn't until almost dinner when someone found her curled up, on a window ledge in the astronomy tower wrapped up in her robes, she had nodded off and fallen asleep. Eli tapped her on her shoulder.
"Huh…what?" She asked groggily as she was shocked awake. "Hey Eli, what's up?"
"You're kidding right, Your parents and my family are out looking for you. Not to mention Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore. Your parents are going to flip on you, they've been bickering for hours, we had to separate them."
She shrugged indifferently.
"Come on, let's get inside. It's getting cold out here."
She looked away from her friend and stared back at the darkening landscape of the castle grounds. "No."
"What do you mean, 'no'?"
"Just what I said, no. I don't care anymore. First off, if my parents can't sort their shit out I'm not going to be used as a bargaining chip anymore. As for school, let Dumbledore throw me out, I'm done. I don't care about any of it anymore."
"You don't mean that. You're top in our class, the only female Quidditch captain in the school, and a prefect for Merlin's sake." Eli said dismissively. "You're tired, it's been a long day. Just come inside and…"
"Shut up, just shut up Eli!" She hopped out off the ledge and stood face to face with Eli. "This is my life and it's not getting any better. My brother is dead, my parents hate each other, the whole fucking school is in a constant uproar. And somehow it always comes back to me."
"Hunny no one blames you for any of this."
"Really? Look at my mother's face the next time I use magic in front of her, it disgusts her. She doesn't even look at me anymore. She hates my father, she hates all things magic, she hates me! As for school, that fucking backstabbing asshole Milford and all the rest of the Slytherins would leave the rest of you alone if I wasn't here and everyone else would be just fine. I don't know what I did, things were never like this." With that the young girl's anger and resolve broke and she dissolved into tears.
"Oh Jen." Eli hugged her long time friend as she cried out all her frustration. "You are no more responsible for any of those things than you are for the rising and setting of the sun. Edan was killed, and we still don't know by whom, our fathers are both work fir the Ministry and they still have no leads, your parents got divorced because they couldn't handle it and you're stuck in the middle. As for school, I don't know what crawled up the Slytherin's asses, they used to be normal, they don't hate you they hate all Gryffindors."
Awhile later Eli got Jenna calmed down and they performed a cleansing charm to get the redness and puffiness out of her face then they walked back inside the castle.
The girls walked back into the castle and to the entrance hall. "Why are we here?" Jenna asked.
"This is where we're all supposed to meet up, whoever found you was supposed to bring you back here."
"And we just wait for everyone to stumble back in?"
"No, Dumbledore charmed the room so that when you walked in the castle windows would all glow blue, see." Eli pointed to the windows overhead that the girls hadn't noticed up until then.
"Oh goodie. Let the mayhem begin." Jenna said as she walked over to the grand staircase and sat down on the bottom step.
Within minutes the rest of the group came running into the entrance hallway from different directions.
"Ms. Malfoy thank goodness you're here." Professor McGonagall said as she came rushing in from one of the hallways with professor Snape.
"Uh, Hi." She said weakly.
"Goodness Jen where the he…oh hi professors…" Fred said as him and George came running in from one of the secret passages. "Where have you been." They both grabbed her in a big hug.
"Thanks guys," She said.
The rest of the adults, including Hagrid who they had recruited in the search, came running in the room, all saying different things to Jenna. Sending her head spinning.
Hermione and Draco were the last to come in, Hermione came running in through the front doors with Harry, Draco had taken his old friend Blaise Zabny with him and they came up in from the back.
Hermione ran up to Jenna and gripped her by her upper arms. "Do you know how worried we were?" She all but screamed at the teenage girl, her hands gripped Jenna's arms tighter and tighter with every word. "We didn't know where you were, you could have gotten hurt or worse. There are dangerous creatures in the dark forest that can and will kill you. And there is a person who killed…"
"I KNOW, SOMEONE KILLED EDAN AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO! BUT YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU!" Jenna screamed at her mother.
"I think it is best we leave the three of them to sort this family matter out." Dumbledore said as he ushered the rest of the group out of the great hall.
"I care…"
"No, no you don't. If you cared about me you wouldn't have left dad, you wouldn't have uprooted me and made me move to America, you wouldn't make me pretend to be a muggle, you'd let me live with dad. You were the most talented witch of the 21st century there are books written about you and you ran, I can't believe I used to want to be exactly like you, now I don't want to even know you. Let me go!"
Hermione dropped her hands from Jenna's arms as tears slid down her cheeks.
"You will not speak to your mother in that manner."
"Why not dad? She hates us, you should see the look on her face whenever an owl comes to the house. And when I leave for school, I swear she's half relieved to get rid of the magical impurities in the house and half upset that I'm with you and not under her control anymore."
"Jenna stop it right now, you are hurting your mother."
Tears started to prick at Jenna's eyes, "She doesn't care that she hurts us. She's not the only one who lost someone. I lost my entire family. You both just shuffle me around like a piece of luggage, load Jenna on the plane, take Jenna off the plane. I have more frequent flyer miles than a traveling sales man."
"Oh princess I had no idea." Draco went to give Jenna a hug but she squirmed away.
"Please don't touch me."
He nodded his head in understanding. "As you wish."
Hermione composed herself. "Well you'll be happy to know that you will not be treated as luggage this winter break. You will be staying with your father all break."
"Why go anywhere at all? Why don't I just stay at Hogwart's? I have a few friends staying here, we'll have a great time."
"That's what the staff is afraid of. Dumbledore does not want you here alone over break. You are staying with me and that's final."
"Fine! Good night!" She stomped off toward Gryffindor tower.
Draco looked over at Hermione. "Well I think that went smashingly. We pissed her off even more if that's humanly possible."
Hermione gave him a weak smile.
"Hermione are you alright?"
"Yeah I'll be fine. It's just not everyday that you find out that not only does your only living child despise you, but she thinks you hate her and her father. Draco she's wrong I don't I care about both of you, I know getting divorced makes it hard to see but I do. I want what is best for both of you."
"I understand. If it makes you feel better she doesn't like me any better right now."
"It does."
They both shared a chuckle.
"It was good to see you Draco."
"You too Hermione."
They shared a brief hug and parted ways.
When Jenna got to her room she pulled the drapes around her bed, cast a silencing spell and cried herself to sleep.