Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter Four

The next day, Jena sat in the common room with Daisy. They were sat by the fire, talking quietly with Lucy, who was one of the girls who shared their dormitory. It was the beginning of the day, and the boys still hadn't come down from their own dorm yet, so there was no sign of Bill.

Lucy stood up, " I should be getting to breakfast," she said, " I was going to meet Zack and some of his friends down there. "

" Oh wait," Jena said, shaking her head, " there was something I wanted to tell you ... it's nothing, honestly, but I ... I was going to tell Daisy anyway, and you're good with boys Lucy, so while you're here ... "

" What are you babbling about? " Lucy asked, sitting back down in confusion.

There was a pause, before Jena looked at her two friends. She didn't know exactly what to say and she looked from one to the other and back again, feeling like she was being stupid about what had happened the previous day.

" It's Bill," Jena finally said, glancing at the stone steps to the boys dormitories and hoping he wouldn't appear when she was halfway through telling them. She tore her eyes away from the stairs in time to hear Lucy say,

" What about him? Did you kiss him? Oh my God, are you secretly dating? "

" Don't be stupid," said Jena, shaking her head.

" Then what? " Lucy asked impatiently, while Daisy sighed a little too.

Jena started recounting the tale of what she and Bill had gotten up to the day before, hiding from Filch, and she finished with, " And I know it sounds stupid, but we were stood there, quite close together, sort of pressed against each other. It was ... it wasn't like anything before. It wasn't even like it was Bill. They way I felt ... sort of funny inside ... but I've never felt like that with Bill. It was like he was someone I was only just seeing for the first time. "

" Then what happened? " Lucy asked, while Daisy's eyes widened in interest.

" Then nothing happened," Jena finished, " I probably made a fool out of myself. I looked at him, and he looked at me. I blushed a bit, and he apologised for being so close, and then Filch had gone, so we just moved out of the way and back into the corridor. It felt a little awkward at first, but then we acted liked nothing had happened, and everything was back to normal. No more feeling funny inside. He was just ... Bill. "

" Do you think you fancy him? " Lucy asked with a smile.

" No! " Jena replied at once, before blushing and answering quieter, " no, I mean ... no! "

" But you felt like you did? " asked Daisy, " you felt different around him? "

" I guess," Jena shrugged, " but only a little bit. I don't know how to describe it, but it was like nothing I've ever felt before - really surreal. I don't feel like that anymore though. I only sort of saw him different for a minute or so ... it was nothing, right? I mean, he's Bill! I could never see Bill that way. "

Lucy and Daisy looked unsure, and Jena wondered if she was as bad at convincing them as she was at convincing herself.

Finally, Daisy said, " You're sure you don't like him? "

" I can't fancy Bill," Jena said, beginning to find the idea more and more ridiculous and feeling that she never should have mentioned it in the first place, " he's my best friend. No way - I was just getting confused. "

" And how do you think he felt about it? " Daisy asked quietly.

" I don't know," Jena said, exasperated, " I'm just confused by the whole thing. He was sort of looking at me, but you know Bill - nothing bothers that boy! He was just all cool and smiling and ... Bill. "

There was a pause, before Jena shook her head, " You know what? Don't listen to me. I was just confused over it. It's nothing. "

" If you say so," Lucy nodding, finally. She saw that Jena was still confused, and said, " look - how about you just carry on as normal around him, and see how things go. You're probably right - it was nothing - but see how you feel after a while. Don't stress yourself out over it though. "

" Thanks," Jena nodded gratefully.

Lucy stood up, said a quick goodbye and then walked off, claiming that her handsome boyfriend was waiting for her. Jena shrugged, leaning back against the sofa, shaking all the thoughts from her head.

" Don't worry about it," Daisy said with a kind smile, " it doesn't matter what's going on, as long as you're happy. Bill sees you as his best friend - me, you and Bill, right? He cares about you, and you'll always have that. "

Jena nodded

Meanwhile, in the boys dorms, Bill was fastening his tie up.

" How's it going? " Allan Cole asked, clapping a hand to his dorm-mate's shoulder as he also got ready for school.

"Not bad," Bill shrugged, also thinking of the incident with Jena, though his thoughts were much less complicated - or at least, he wasn't going to tell them all to Allan, like Jena had to her friends.

" How's Jena? " Allan asked, suprising Bill.

Bill raised his eyebrows, " She's ... fine. Why ask me? Don't you see her all the time? "

" Yeah," Allan shrugged, " but not like you do. I mean, you guys are close, right? "

Bill knew what Allan was implying and shook his head, " Yeah, but not like that. Though I think we had ... a thing, yesterday. She was in front of me, just looking at me. And she was blushing. "

" You like her like that? " Allan asked, sitting down on the bed to put one shoe on.

" I don't know," Bill replied truthfully.

" Huh," was Allan's only reply.

When Bill sat down opposite Daisy and Jena at breakfast, he gave them both a smile, and the conversation flowed as naturally as it always did - it was as if neither of them had felt anything the day before, and they both both determined to carry on exactly as they would have done anyway.

" What have you got first? " Bill asked, looking at the girls.

" How have you not memorised the timetable yet? " Daisy asked, shaking her head, " we've all got Potions. "

" Brilliant," Jena muttered," I mean, not that I don't like the subject, but I'm sure Snape has it in for us. And it's always so cold down there in those dungeons! "

" Oh, Snape has it in for all of the Gryffindors," Bill said, waving a hand, " and if you're cold, then wear a jumper under your robes. "

" I hate wearing jumpers," Jena said, shaking her head, " they look all ... lumpy. Not flattering at all. They make me look lumpy too. "

" They do not," Bill replied, a little too quickly, before catching himself and adding, " I mean, I'm not saying you look like an oil painting, but I wouldn't quite say lumpy. "

As they started walking to the dungeons, Daisy and Jena ended up behind Bill, who'd gotten caught up with some of the boys from the dorm and was talking to them.

" See? " Daisy said, " things are fine between you two. "

" Yeah," Jena said with a grateful smile, " I don't know what I was thinking ... Bill and I are the same as we've ever been. Must have been having a ... mental moment. "

After classes that day, Jena entered the common room between her two best friends, as she always was, to see people gathered around the notice board.

" What's going on? " Daisy asked curiously

Bill gave her an incredulous look, " How do we know? We walked at the exact same time as you did! "

Jena, however, had already walked away from the pair of them to join the crowds around the notice board. She smiled when she saw the notice pinned their - the first Hogsmeade trip of the school year was a week on Saturday.

" Hey guys! " she called over her shoulder, " Hogsmeade, Saturday after next! "

" Thanks Jena! " Bill shouted, much louder than he needed to, " I think you've just informed the entire school. "

Jena knew she should be embarrassed by this, but didn't really care. She easily ignored the stares of other people as she crossed the room to sit with Bill, Daisy, Lucy and Allan.

" Ah, I love Hogsmede," she said, sitting on the floor and stretching out her legs.

" Don't we all? " Bill grinned, " first stop: The Three Broomsticks? "

" Of course," Jena said with a nod.

Their Hogsmeade trips last year had followed a pattern. Jena wandered around with Bill and Daisy - they stopped at the three broomsticks for a large glass of butterbeer, then stopped off at all the neccessary places - Honeydukes, Zonkos, the book shop, Gladrags, and some of the other shops, before taking a long walk to look at the outside of the Shrieking Shack and heading back to the castle at the end of the trip.

Occasionally, Bill had gone out with one of the girls whilst there - he was quite popular with the girls and seemed to turn heads wherever he went. He'd spent time with a couple of girls, but nothing lasted longer than two weeks, and there was never anyone he'd shown a long-term attatchment to. Jena knew, however, that he'd had experience in kissing girls, while she had no experience in kissing boys.

" Who's everyone going with? " asked Lucy, excited.

Jena rolled her eyes, " We're all going with our friends," she said, " because we're sad and single, while you're the only one going with someone else. How is Zack these days? "

Lucy pulled a face, " Oh, it's not my fault if none of you are with anyone! "

Bill grinned, throwing an arm around Daisy's shoulders, and the other around Jena's, " I'm perfectly happy to go with my friends. "

Jena smiled, grinning at Bill, " Yeah, you say that now, but you own't be saying that in a few days time, if some pretty blonde asks you to go with her. "

" Nor will you, if some tall, dark and handsome guy asks you to go with him," Bill countered.

" Oh never mind who's going with who then, if you're going to argue," Lucy said, shaking her head, " I wish I'd never said anything. "

" Who's arguing? " Jena asked innocently.

" We're not arguing," Bill insisted.

Jena laughed, and Bill ruffled her hair, becuase he knew it annoyed her. Jena groaned in frustration and slapped his arm, making him mess her hair up even more.

Jena could barely remember a time when she and Bill hadn't spent hours in the common room, laughing together and teasing each other, annoying each other and just being themselves. It always felt right, and she had a strong feeling that it always would.

" What about the quidditch match on Saturday then? " Bill asked when he and Jena had settled down long enough to engage in conversation with everyone else.

" What about it? " Jena scoffed, " we're going to win it. "

There was a cheer from her friends at this. Bill and Jena were both big quidditch supporters because they liked to watch Charlie playing and support him, and they were interested in it anyway. Since Charlie idolised his big brother, Bill was often nagged at to come to watch practise, and since Jena was a fan, she usually went along with him. Sometimes it felt like Charlie was her own little brother. Daisy put up with it to cheer on her friend's little brother, but Allan and Lucy had very little tolerance for the sport.

Lucy shook " I wouldn't be so sure about it. Hufflepuff have got a good side. "

" Please," Jena scoffed, "Gryffindor can beat Hufflepuff in their sleep, and you know it. "

" Just because your lover boy's on their team ... " Bill said, teasing the blushing Lucy lightly.

" Yeah, but he's good," Lucy countered.

" He's a beater," Jena said, " it doesn't matter how good he is - you need a star seeker, and we've got the best one Hogwarts has seen in a long time, so get on board and support your house. "

" Yes ma'am," Lucy said, rolling her eyes with a mock salute.

Two hours later, they were all sat at the Gryffindor table together, eating dinner, when a figure came up behind Bill and tapped his shoulder lightly. It was Maria Cross - a Ravenclaw in their year, who Jena knew little about and had little to do with.

Maria was giving Bill a wide smile, and it didn't take a genius to work out what was going to happen next.

" Hey Billy," she smiled, a little too sweetly.

" Um ... hi," Bill said, a little thrown off - no-one ever called him Billy. His friends all new how much he hated it.

" I suppose you saw the noticed about the Hogsmeade trip? " she asked, continuing to smile at him, " because the thing is ... well, it's a little embarrassing, but I don't have anyone to go with. I was hoping you might like to go to Hogsmeade with me? "

Jena felt something burn up inside her, though she couldn't quite describe it. It was like there was a little monster inside her, ready to rip out and lash out at Maria, for reasons she couldn't figure out. Maria had never done anything wrong to her. Jena couldn't figure out why she was suddenly so mad at the other girl ... all she'd done was ask Bill to ... Jena's thoughts came to a halt. Maria had asked Bill out. She couldn't be jealous, could she? Jealous? No. Why would she feel that way? Ridiculous.

She watched closely for Bill's reaction.

Bill turned around to look at she and Daisy. He looked ... hopeful, Jena noted. That annoyed her, but she pushed it away, because if Bill wanted to do something, he was perfectly free to. No way was she gong to stand in his way.

" Do you mind? " he asked, sounding sorry for leaving them behind, but not wanting to turn Maria down.

Daisy was the first to shake her head, closely followed by Jena, who was determined not to stand in his way if it was something he wanted to do.

" Don't worry about us," Jena said, " do whatever makes you happiest. "

She somehow found it painful to watch as Bill turned back to Maria and smiled, " In that case, I'd love to. Why not? " Maria grinned at him, and he added, " I'll see you in the entrance hall on Hogsmeade day then - though I'm sure I'll see you around," he told her, giving her the grin Jena always thought was his charming grin.

Jena felt so annoyed at herself as she tried to shove away the feelings. She couldn't decide why this had suddenly come out of nowhere. One minute Bill had been her best friend, and then she started to see him a little differently, and get jealous of other girls. She told herself that was stupid, but she couldn't stop feeling that way. It was something she'd never experienced before and she didn't know what to make of it.

" Jena," Bill said loudly, pulling her out of her daydream.

She looked up sharply and realised from the tone of his voice that he must have called her name more than once already. " Sorry," she said, throwing all her worries away and giving him an easy smile, " what was that? "

" Just checking that you don't mind me ditching the pair of you," Bill said.

" Of course not," Jena said, thanking god that she was a good liar - either that, or Bill had no reaon to doubt her, " It might be good for Daisy and I to spend some quality time together, anyway. It gets annoying when you're around all the time. "

" I know what you mean," Bill said with a sly smirk, " I can't put up with you two for that long either. "

Jena stuck her tounge out at Bill, and he laughed heartily.

It wasn't long before another figure approached the table. Jena looked up to see Mark Chang standing there. She tried to smile at him and act completely calm, knowing exactly what he'd want. He wasn't too bad - he was just vain. She could put up with vain.

" Hi," she said, making the first move. She kenw he was going to ask her to Hogsmeade, and ten minutes ago, she wouldn't have even considered saying yes. However, if Bill was going with someone else, then why couldn't she? Maybe he'd get the same weird feeling - the feeling she refused to class as jealous, though she knew it was - and they'd be in the same boat. Maybe then he'd start to get the same odd feeling she was starting to get about him. Maybe they could ... no. She stopped herself. She had no idea what was going on, but she couldn't want things to be any different. Bill was her best friend. Nothing more. How could she possibly date her best friend. Date? Where had that word suddenly come from. No, this was all kinds of wrong.

" Hi Jen," he said, nodding at her and giving her a grin that showed off all his teeth.

" Can I help you? " she asked.

Mark smiled, but she couldn't help comparing it to Bill's smile. Bill always smiled and it was effortless - it was perfect. Mark's was too much. Too cheesy. " I was hoping you might let me take you out on a date? To Hogsmeade? "

Jena was a little tempted to accept, but told herself that doing so in the stupid hope of making Bill jealous was ridiculous. " Mark," she said simply, " I really had planned on going with Daisy. "

Mark looked put out and frowned, " You're saying no? "

Jena didn't want to be mean about it, but she couldn't imagine herself on a date with anyone, so she simply shook her head, " I'm sorry, but I don't want to ditch my friends. Maybe next time? "

He sighed, but accepted it and walked away.

" You know," Daisy said, looking after him, " I know he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but if he likes you, and you want to go out with him, then I dont mind. I can always find someone else to hang around with. "

Jena smiled a little, " I appreciate that, but I'm not so bothered. "

Bill eyed her carefully. He wasn't sure how he felt about it - Jena had never been with any of the boys, so it was strange to imagine her with anyone. He couldn't picture her with Mark Chang, and he was glad she'd said no - if she was going to be with anyone, he felt she deserved someone nicer. Someone who'd treat her like she was a princess. Look after her, protect her, care about her. Be everything she needed. Someone like ... Bill stopped. He realy needed to stop thinking these things.

At the end of the day, Jena clambered into her four poster bed and pulled the curtains around it. She sighed quietly as she pulled the covers around her - she couldn't be bothered with everything that was happening.

It seemed so odd that she'd started feeling like this for Bill. Even getting jealous when he had a date. She wondered how he'd have felt if she said yes to Mark. She knew Mark wouldn't give up - not becuase she was something particularly special, but because he didn't like to lose - and considered saying yes the next time he asked, just so she'd have a date, and she could make Bill take notice of her.

She groaned and shook her head.

She really needed some sleep.