Predictions
Jessica, Harry and Hermione stayed up that Friday night, waiting for Joshua to return with good or bad news. Ron was only aware of everything because Hermione promised to go up every now and then to keep him updated. She'd tried to get him to head down to the common room and solve his issues with Harry, but both boys refused to cooperate. Harry couldn't bring himself to worry about everything else that was going on. All he could think about was Sirius's possible freedom.
"What happens if the Minister decides not to grant him his freedom?" Hermione asked, as she skipped downstairs once again. "Ron wants to know."
"You can tell Ron to stop jinxing things." Harry muttered, irritably.
"He'll get locked up." Jessica said, ignoring Harry's rants.
"Oh... Yes, I thought so." Hermione said, sadly. "I'll go let him know then."
"I swear, if Sirius gets locked up, I'm blaming Ron." Harry huffed.
"If it comes to that then I think it'll be far more intelligent to blame the Minister and the interrogators." Jessica snorted. "And I suggest you stop being so negative about this. Josh assured me he would be able to convince them."
"No offense to you or your family, Jess, but Sirius was condemned as a murderer. I don't think anything can convince the Ministry." Harry frowned.
In that very moment, the common room door opened. Harry jumped to his feet immediately, anxious to know who was walking in. Unfortunately for him, it was only Lavender Brown.
"I hope you lot aren't planning another wild adventure. I just got told off for being just outside, talking to the Fat Lady." Lavender huffed.
"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere." Harry said, rolling his eyes. He sat down on the floor once again.
"Oh! Jess, do you think you could start leaving your stuffed lion on my bed in the mornings? It would look really pretty next to my teddy and my china doll." Lavender said, grinning excitedly. Harry raised an eyebrow towards his friend and silently waited for the extremely impolite response that was about to be heard.
"Lavender..." Jessica said, quietly and through gritted teeth. "Touch my lion and you'll find yourself accidently falling over the edge of the Astronomy Tower."
"Well, there's no need to rude about it!" Lavender huffed, irritably, and stomped up the stairs.
"Some people never learn." Harry smirked.
"I will seriously murder her if I find out that Roary's been touched." Jessica said, viciously.
"I might have to ask Hermione to keep an eye on you then." Harry grinned.
"Why? What did you say to Lavender this time?" Hermione sighed.
"Nothing." Jessica said, innocently.
"She wouldn't be huffing and puffing if it were nothing, Jess." Hermione scolded.
"I think it was within reason." Harry nodded.
"Thank you." Jessica grinned.
"Don't encourage her!" Hermione shrieked.
Hermione began her usual, daily rant, making all three of them fail to notice Joshua's arrival in the common room. The blond boy stood in the corner, simply observing the lecture and smirking.
"So, unless you actually want to end up in big trouble with Dumbledore, I suggest you stop it!" Hermione finally finished.
"What a lovely way to end a long day." Joshua chuckled. Harry, Jessica and Hermione all jumped and immediately ran towards the blond, crowding around him and begging him to tell them everything. Jessica was shaking her brother's arm, while Harry was trying to pull Joshua to sit on the sofa, by the fireplace.
"Before you tell us their decision, tell us everything else." Hermione said, once Harry had successfully pushed Joshua onto the sofa.
"Alright..." Josh said, raising an eyebrow as the three youngsters sat on the floor, in front of him. "Where's Ron?"
"Being a prat." Harry said, waving his hand. However, Josh caught a glimpse of ginger hair hidden in the corner, on the stairs.
"Right..." Josh sighed dramatically. "I'll have you know that those interrogators were merciless. They made sure I knew I could get myself in serious trouble by helping a convicted criminal."
"You're not in trouble, are you?" Jessica asked, worriedly.
"You have little faith in me, Munchkin." Josh said, shaking his head. "Luckily for Sirius, I had proof."
"Proof?" Harry asked. Joshua smirked and handed Harry the tape recorder.
"Listen to later." Joshua told him. "Anyway... The Minister came to a final decision."
"What decision?" The three asked in unison.
"I'm free." Sirius said.
The three children jumped up at the sound of the man's voice. Sirius Black was in the Gryffindor common room, with a large smile on his face. Athos and Remus were just by the door.
"We can't be too long, Sirius. The other students don't know about this yet." Remus said, anxiously.
"You're free? You're actually free?" Harry asked, amazed.
"Yes!" Sirius beamed. Harry grinned excitedly and ran into his Godfather's arms.
"Well, he's actually on probation for a year." Josh corrected.
"What does that mean?" Jessica asked, confused.
"It means the Ministry will have tabs on me for a year. They'll know everything I do and where I do it. I must be very careful with the spells I use and to where I travel." Sirius said.
"Which is why you won't be travelling at all for a year." Athos ordered.
"Precisely." Sirius smiled. "Now, I must go, before McGonagall comes and pulls me away by the ear."
"Go... I'll see you soon then?" Harry grinned.
"Definitely!" Sirius exclaimed. "Good night you lot."
"Behave!" Athos said, before waving goodbye. Remus managed to wave also, before the door closed and the three Marauders disappeared.
"I can't believe you actually managed, Josh." Jessica smiled. Joshua rolled his eyes and frowned.
"I didn't doubt myself for one minute."
x.x
Jessica found Draco waiting impatiently in front of the library. He was trudging back and forth, with both hands in his clock pockets. However, he remained as neat and perfectly poised as ever. Jessica found Draco's neatness to be quite amusing. Even when he loosened his tie or rolled up his sleeves, he still looked neat and tidy. Jessica also found herself wondering why on Earth Draco was wearing his school shirt and tie on a Saturday. Surely they didn't need to be in uniform for detention, did they?
"What are you staring at? You're late." He huffed.
"I'm right on time, actually." Jessica smirked, before walking over to him. "And you stress yourself out too easily, sweetheart, you'll end up with wrinkles."
"Shut up." Draco sighed. Jessica grinned triumphantly, but silenced herself.
Professor McGonagall appeared only a few minutes later, carrying a small pot with quills and parchment. She was quite surprised to find them both in one piece and silent.
"Well, this is nice. It's the type of behaviour I expect to see at all times." She said. The two students startled from their mutual silence and followed Professor McGonagall into the library. She led them to the far corner of the library, where Professor Flitwick was going through a few books.
"Ah, hello there, Minerva!" Professor Flitwick squeaked.
"How's the research coming along, Filius?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Quite well, Minerva. There are still a few things I must take a closer look at, but I should be able to get it done over Christmas." Professor Flitwick smiled. "Well, I'll leave you to it, Minerva."
Jessica smiled and Draco nodded as Professor Flitwick passed them. They sat down on the table where Professor McGonagall placed her pot. Draco immediately folded his arms and leaned back against his chair, looking rather annoyed by the entire situation.
"I've got quite a simple task for the two of you. It shouldn't take much time; it all depends on your cooperation, really." Professor McGonagall pulled out the quills and unrolled the parchment. "I'd like a list."
"Of what, exactly?" Draco sighed, irritably.
"What you really dislike about each other." Jessica couldn't help but notice the sly smile on Professor McGonagall's face.
"You've got to be kidding me." Draco muttered.
"Judging by how constantly you two bicker, in and outside of school, the list must be endless." Professor McGonagall continued. "I'd like you both to write it all down and read it out to each other."
"Can't we just say it, instead of wasting our time with writing?" Draco asked.
"Very well, Draco. I'll grant you this, but only this once." Professor McGonagall said, as she placed her folded hands on her lap. "Jessica, why don't you start?"
Jessica tapped her chin thoughtfully and furrowed her eyebrows. Truthfully, she could've started her list instantly, but she was enjoying the look of pure annoyance on Draco's face. Teasing him endlessly was the perfect payback for absolutely everything he'd ever done.
"Just hurry up with it." Draco muttered.
"You're impatient." Jessica glared. "Arrogant, snobby, and sometimes just a pure jerk."
"Well you're irritating and childish." Draco glared back.
"You're both quite childish, actually." Professor McGonagall interrupted, making the two students stare at her indignantly. "Now, I'd like you to write down what you like. You won't have to show each other, unless you really want to, but you shall hand it to me."
"Well, what's the point of doing that?" Draco huffed.
"Take all the time you need. Once you've finished you may leave. There must be at least one word on that list." Professor McGonagall said, ignoring Draco completely. She gave both students a stern look before getting up and heading elsewhere.
Jessica pouted slightly and stared at the blank parchment. Draco wasn't all bad – not all the time at least. She liked knowing there was someone who knew everything about her, even though she'd never admit it out loud. She sighed and picked up her quill. What should she write?
"Where did Professor McGonagall-"
Draco wasn't there. Startled, Jessica stood up, only to find Draco by the library door, handing Professor McGonagall his piece of parchment. Jessica groaned irritably and stared at the parchment. There had to be at least one word, right? Jessica could think of more than one, but she was a little too embarrassed to write them down. With another groan, she wrote the only thing that could sum it all up.
Professor McGonagall sat on a chair, by the door, reading a book. Draco's parchment was neatly folded on her lap. She was trying her very best not to smile at her student's childish behaviour. She'd promised both Narcissa Malfoy and Athos Selwyn she'd do her best to get them to act more civilised towards each other, but she hadn't expected this. Yet, now that she thought about it, the constant bickering suddenly made sense.
"Professor, may I leave now?" Jessica asked, as she approached the elder witch.
"Yes, you may." Professor McGonagall replied. "And please try to cooperate a little more, Jessica. I understand you may get frustrated from time to time, but try to act civilised."
"Yes, ma'am." Jessica nodded.
Professor McGonagall only unfolded Jessica's piece of parchment when she was certain the student was long gone. Judging by the time Jessica spent, she was partially expecting a long list. However, the result was much more amusing than she'd thought it would be.
"Ah, yes, that is the result I predicted." Professor Trelawney said, as leaned over Professor McGonagall's shoulder. "Such a fascinating future lies ahead those fourth years, it amazes me. I always knew there would come a time where nearly every student would be crucial. It comes to no surprise that it happens to be the time when Harry Potter is with us. But, returning to the matter at hand, what are you going to do about this?"
"Nothing." Professor McGonagall smiled.
"Nothing?" Trelawney asked, somewhat confused.
"Goodnight, Sybill." Professor McGonagall said, getting up from her chair and exiting the library.
x.x
"I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now... Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it... I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament because they're watching over me."
Jessica had to pause in the middle of Rita Skeeter's article to burst out laughing. There was no need to ask Harry whether or not he'd said any of this to know it was a lie.
"Keep reading, it gets better." Harry muttered, sarcastically. Jessica snorted and picked up the Daily Prophet once again.
Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey (13), says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger (14), a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school.
Jessica's laughter was louder than ever. Harry, however, couldn't see the amusement hidden within Skeeter's article. He wanted to break the woman's quill and burn her notepads.
"Right... Not funny..." Jessica wheezed.
"You didn't seem to think her work was amusing when it was about your darling mother." Harry mumbled. Jessica's laughter faded instantly.
"Want me to kick her ass for you? I'd be happy to." She smirked evilly.
"No." Harry sighed. "What am I going to do? Everyone's already giving me a hard time about participating in this tournament. How the hell am I going to face them now?"
"With me by your side, of course." Jessica said, confidently. "Unless you'd rather have Hermione... She is your first love, after all."
"Oh, shut up." Harry said, as he pushed Jessica, making her fall sideways onto the cold grass.
From the moment the article had appeared, Harry had to endure people – mainly Slytherin's – quoting it at him as he passed, and making sneering comments.
"Want a hanky, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?"
"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Potter? Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?"
All this mostly happened whenever Harry was walking alone, or alongside Hermione. The Slytherin's had the tendency to refrain themselves when Jessica was around. Either they were truly afraid of her and her momentary outbursts or her quite easily angered older brother.
"Hey... Harry!"
"Yes, that's absolutely accurate!" Harry bellowed irritably, as he wheeled around in the corner. "I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do it a bit more-"
"No... It was just... You dropped your quill." It was Cho. Harry instantly felt the colour rising in his face.
"Oh... Right, sorry." He muttered, snatching the quill back. He was too afraid to look Cho in the eyes, so he kept his vision directed to the floor.
"Good luck on the first task. I really hope you do well." She said, leaving Harry feeling extremely stupid.
Hermione had received her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she hadn't yet started yelling at innocent bystanders; in fact, Harry was full of admiration for the way she was handling the situation.
"Stunningly pretty? Her?" Millicent Bullstrode had shrieked the first time she had come face to face with Hermione after breakfast.
"She was probably judging against a chipmunk." Pansy smirked.
"Ignore it, Harry." Hermione said, in a dignified voice, holding her head high in the air and stalking past the sniggering Slytherin girls, as though she couldn't hear them.
But no matter how hard he tried, Harry couldn't ignore it. Ron hadn't spoken to him at all. Harry half hoped they would've made up during the two hours they spent together in detention with Snape, but that happened to be the day Rita Skeeter had showed up to interview the champions. Harry was somewhat surprised her article hadn't appeared the very next day. But it seemed Rita Skeeter and The Daily Prophet were waiting for the first task to draw nearer before revealing the details on the champions.
Hermione and Jessica found themselves running between Harry and Ron, trying to get them to talk to each other once again. Harry actually agreed with forgiving and forgetting – as long as Ron apologised and admitted he was wrong about Harry putting his name into the Goblet.
"I didn't start this. It's his problem." Harry would say, stubbornly.
"But you miss him!" Hermione would reply. "And I know he misses you too."
Even though Harry wouldn't say it, Hermione was right. Whenever Jessica was busy hanging around with Ron, Harry would spend time with Hermione – and that would result in heading off to the library to study. It seemed as though Hermione was spending more time in there than usual. He wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, to get him to be friends with Ron again, but he refused to give in. He still hadn't mastered the summoning charm, so he figured he might as well get his extremely intelligent best friend to help him out. Viktor Krum also happened to spend a fair amount of time in the library, which Harry found to be quite amusing. He was always surrounded by a group of giggling girls, and acted as though he had no idea he was being followed. Hermione, however, often complained about Viktor Krum being in her presence, seeing as the giggling girls distracted her from her studies.
"He's not even that good looking!" She muttered angrily, as she scribbled a few notes on Arithmancy. "They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing-"
"Wronski Feint." Harry corrected, silently imagining the look on of disbelief on Ron's face if he heard such a thing.
Harry was thankful to have Jessica on Thursday. Spending time with Jessica meant getting homework done and spending time talking by the lake. Hardly anyone spent much time outside anymore, seeing as it got darker a lot earlier and it was always chilly, but Harry and Jessica would grab a blanket and hide away from the other students. Sometimes Neville would be down by the lake too, studying different plants for Herbology, but he wasn't one to give Harry a hard time.
"Amazing!" Neville gasped.
"He seems amused, doesn't he?" Jessica smirked.
"I suppose." Harry shrugged.
"This argument between you and Ron better end soon, because I'm getting annoyed about having to set up time-tables with Hermione." Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm only going to talk to him when-"
"I know, I know." Jessica sighed, interrupting Harry. "When he apologises and blah, blah, blah."
"Amazing!" Neville said again.
"Have you figured out what you're going to do about all this?" Jessica asked.
"What do you mean?" Harry said, confused.
"Well, you're going to have to know a little more spells than you do now, right? Have you been studying? Have you at least mastered the summoning charm?" Jessica said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes... Well, no... I'm getting there." Harry huffed.
"Getting there won't help you win." Jessica smirked.
"I don't want to win. I don't want to participate at all, actually." Harry frowned.
"Well tough luck, Potter. I don't want you to die, so I suggest you get to work." Jessica grinned.
"Amazing!" Neville beamed.
"Neville, you're doing it again." Harry said, irritably.
"Right... Sorry..." Neville said, shyly. "Oh... Have you and Ron made up?"
"No." Jessica and Harry replied in unison, though Jessica rolled her eyes as she said it.
"Then why is he headed over here?" Neville asked, worriedly.
Jessica was on her feet in an instant. Though, she immediately regretted being out of the blanket and directly in the cold wind.
"Mione... I trust you come in peace?" Jessica said worriedly.
"I'm only here to deliver a message." Hermione said, somewhat irritably. Jessica bit her cheek to keep her laughter intact. Hermione didn't like delivering messages between Harry and Ron. She didn't like the one bit. But seeing as Jessica had very much refused from the very beginning, Hermione ended up being in charge of that. "Ronald would like me to tell you... That Seamus told him... That Parvati – no wait... Seamus told Dean... That was told by Parvati... No, that's not right either... Hang on..."
Jessica stared at Hermione as she ran back up to Ron and started whispering irritably. She was feeling quite confused about what Hermione wanted to say, and judging by the look on Harry's face, he was too.
"Anytime now would be lovely." Jessica said, shivering slightly as the cold wind hit her once again.
"Right... Parvati was told by Seamus... Who was told by Dean... No... Seamus told Dean..." Hermione stopped to think and groaned loudly.
"Why don't you just skip that bit?" Jessica suggested.
"Right... Harry, Hagrid's looking for you." Hermione said.
"That right?" Harry said, irritably. "Well, you can tell Ronald that-"
"I'm not an owl!" Hermione shouted, exasperated. "You know what? I've had enough of this. You two are going to apologise to each other this very instant."
Harry and Ron exchanged glares, but neither opened their mouths to say anything. Hermione glanced over at Jessica, who nodded in response.
"Silence?" Jessica said, raising an eyebrow. "Fine. If that's how you two are going to act, then we want nothing to do with it."
"Precisely." Hermione nodded, linking her arm with Jessica.
"We're not going to speak to either of you until this argument ends." Jessica said, with her nose in the air.
Harry watched, in complete shock, as Jessica and Hermione walked off together. Ron seemed to be equally surprised, but he didn't move. Harry waited a few good minutes for Ron to say something, but eventually he rolled his eyes and headed back to the castle – he would stop by his room and grab his cloak, before heading off to see Hagrid.
"Do you really think this will work?" Hermione said, worriedly.
"If it doesn't, we'll make them do a list of things they like and dislike about each other." Jessica smirked, evilly.
"What good does that do?" Hermione asked, confused.
"No idea... But it seems to keep peace." Jessica said, glancing over to where Draco and Blaise were chatting animatedly.
x.x
Jessica left Hermione in the library that Friday. It was the Friday before the first task and even though they weren't talking to Harry and Ron, Hermione insisted she had to make a list of useful spells for Harry. Jessica, however, had managed to get all her homework done during lunch and wasn't really in the mood for more studying. She too was worried for Harry's sake, but she didn't believe there was anything she could do to help at this point. She was walking along the ground floor corridor, staring out at the lake, when someone stopped right in front of her.
"Hello, stranger." Cedric Diggory stood, with a reasonably wide smile on his face.
"Oh... Hello..." Jessica said, quite surprised.
"I was hoping to see you actually, seeing as I haven't had the chance to talk to you since Halloween." Cedric said, somewhat nervously. "I was wondering if you'd like to hang out tomorrow, at Hogsmeade."
"Oh... Yeah, that sounds nice, actually." Jessica grinned.
"Good... I'll meet you tomorrow morning then." Cedric smiled.
Jessica was about to answer when a sudden commotion outside caught her attention. From the distant she managed to catch a glimpse of shiny blond and messy dark hair. Surely Harry and Draco were in the middle of yet another discussion. Not too far from them, however, was Professor Moody, and he seemed quite moody indeed. Then, in a matter of seconds, laughter erupted within the group of students that surrounded them.
"Oh, this can't be good." Jessica muttered.
"Lay off Mad-Eye! It's not 'cause you're a teacher that you can do whatever you want in this school!" Blaise said, angrily.
"What's going on?" Jessica asked, nudging Blaise on the side.
"Mad-Eye's gone mad, that's what's going on. Look at what he's done to Draco!" Blaise exclaimed.
Bobbing up and down in the air was a white ferret. Jessica's eyes went wide when she realised that ferret happened to be none other than Draco Malfoy. She bit her lip and lowered her head, to hide the slight giggles that were threatening to escape.
"It's not funny, Selwyn." Crabbe said, irritably.
"Au contraire, it's actually very funny." Jessica grinned.
"Professor Moody!" Professor McGonagall screeched, as she came running towards the crowd. Jessica almost told her she could head back to the castle, because everything was fine, but she wasn't willing to push her luck. "Professor Moody, what are you doing?"
"Teaching." Moody replied, coldly. The ferret was now flying around and being threatened to fall onto Goyle's head.
"Malfoy looks good in white!" One of Cedric's friends exclaimed.
"Malfoy? Is that a student, Professor?" McGonagall gasped.
"Technically it's a ferret." Moody muttered.
Professor McGonagall looked as though she was just about ready to say something very rude to Professor Moody, but she managed to control herself. She whipped out her wand and waved it once. In an instant, the ferret transformed into a very scruffy looking Draco Malfoy. Draco jumped to his feet and glared at Professor Moody.
"My father will hear about this!" He spat, angrily.
"Is that a threat?" Professor Moody shouted, as equally angry. He began limping towards Draco, but the blond fourth year Slytherin was quick to start moving. "Is that a threat? I can tell you stories about your father that will curl even your greasy hair, boy!"
"Alastor!" Professor McGonagall said, firmly.
"It doesn't end here!" Moody continued shouting at the fleeing group of Slytherin's.
"Alastor!" McGonagall said, a little louder. "We never use transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Dumbledore told you that."
"He might've mentioned it." Moody mumbled.
"Well you'll do well to remember it!" McGonagall ordered. Jessica was going to ask Harry if he was alright, but Professor Moody was quick to drag him away from the crowd.
x.x
Later that night, Harry was sat just outside the Gryffindor common room, reading through the list of spells Hermione had silently handed him. He was quite happy to know that his friends still had his back, even though they weren't exactly talking to him. However, he couldn't help but feel lonely. He wouldn't mind even spending an entire afternoon with Hermione in the library if he had to. He had nothing against Neville, but he felt slightly awkward around him sometimes – and all Neville liked to talk about was Herbology.
"What are you doing out here, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked, as she walked up the stairs.
"Just reading, Professor, but I'll head inside if I must." Harry said, emotionlessly.
"Actually, Potter, would you mind getting the Selwyn siblings and coming with me?" Professor McGonagall said, with a slight smile on her face.
"Er... Okay..." Harry said, confused.
Luckily for him, Jessica and Joshua were both in the common room. Jessica looked as though she was in the middle of a very serious conversation with Hermione, Parvati and Lavender. It was actually quite strange seeing the four of them conversing normally and not having Lavender and Jessica at each other's throats. Joshua, however, was resting lazily on the sofa, chatting with Fred, George and Lee Jordan. Judging by the cheeky grin on George's face, the topic was 'girls'.
"Er... Josh... Jess... McGonagall needs us..." Harry said, quite nervously. He noticed Ron, who was sat with Neville, Dean and Seamus, looked up curiously.
"Go on then, we'll finish this later." Lavender said, folding up the large piece of parchment that was on her lap. Harry couldn't help but feel curious about what they were doing.
McGonagall led the three students across the long hallways, up a few stairs and only stopped once they reached Dumbledore's office.
"Sherbet Lemon." Professor McGonagall said.
"Doesn't Professor Dumbledore ever change his password?" Harry wondered aloud. Joshua snorted and took the lead up to Dumbledore's office.
Jessica was growing impatient with all the secrecy. Professor McGonagall had been silent the entire way, even when Joshua decided to ask her why she wasn't allowing him to rest peacefully in the common room – or wander around the castle with Lila Davis whilst 'patrolling'. However, as soon as she entered the room, she understood why McGonagall seemed quite excited.
"Sirius!" Harry beamed and ran into the man's arms. Jessica smiled and hugged Remus. She was quite saddened, however, that her father wasn't there too.
"Well, I'll leave you two to it. Minerva and I shall be back shortly." Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, yes, and here is tomorrow's copy of The Daily Prophet, as promised."
"Tomorrow's copy?" Joshua asked curiously, as he walked forward.
SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT?
The Minister for Magic has decided, after much consideration, that Sirius Black is innocent. Peter Pettigrew who was known to be dead has been declared a living man, hiding behind his ability to transform into an animal. Sirius Black shall remain under probation for a year. If all goes well, he shall be relieved from all charges.
For full story, please turn to page 9.
"At least it wasn't written by Skeeter." Remus said, happily.
"Oh... What a shame... I would've loved another reason to punch her in the face." Jessica muttered.
"Believe me, one day Rita Skeeter will get what's coming to her." Sirius grinned. "But that's not why I'm here."
"It's about the first task, isn't it?" Josh nodded.
"Dragons." Harry mumbled.
"Wait... What?" Jessica gasped. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because we're not speaking to each other, remember?" Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"Is it wise for us to ask what's wrong?" Remus asked Sirius. Sirius shrugged but looked quite worried.
"It's your own fault." Jessica said, sticking out her tongue. "He and Ron are having a big fight and Hermione and I got tired of being in the middle of it."
"Oh... In that case, let's leave that aside for the time being." Sirius smiled, nervously.
"Exactly." Joshua said, rolling his eyes. "So... Dragons... I'd say divide and conquer, but seeing as you're fighting alone-"
"He needs to be cautious but quick." Remus nodded.
"But not stupidly cautious, otherwise you'll end up dead." Joshua said, mimicking Remus's nod.
"You must also be careful, Harry." Sirius sighed. "Karkaroff... He was a death eater. He spent time in Azkaban too. He managed to gain his freedom by giving the Ministry more names. Loads of Death Eater's were sentenced because of him – needless to say, he's not very popular."
"Isn't that a good thing, though? I'd rather have one running loose than one-hundred." Jessica said, confused.
"It may sound better, little one, but this man is here now and he could be dangerous." Remus said, frowning slightly.
"I don't think he put Harry's name in the Goblet." Joshua stated, suddenly, making the two adults look at him curiously.
"Well, if he did then he's a damn good actor." Harry said, furiously. "He was strongly against me being in the tournament, saying it was unfair and all."
"Yes, but we know he's a good actor." Sirius said.
"He managed to set himself free from Azkaban. He told them he'd seen the error of his ways and all that." Remus said.
"I still don't think it's him." Joshua said, as he walked around the desk and sat on Dumbledore's big chair. "Ah... I knew it was more comfortable than the other one."
"Why don't you think it was him?" Sirius asked, curiously.
"I don't know. I just don't think it was him." Joshua shrugged.
"You still should be careful, Harry... It's not like Dumbledore asked Mad-Eye to be here without reason. He's the one that put Karkaroff in Azkaban the first time." Sirius said.
"He was attacked before school started, wasn't he?" Joshua asked, as he fidgeted with one of Dumbledore's quills.
"I don't know how you know about that... But yes, yes he was." Sirius said, as he stared at the young lad. There was something about Joshua – something very curious indeed – but Sirius didn't know what it was. "So... Someone didn't want him to come to Hogwarts?" Jessica asked, as she tried to follow her brother's train of thought.
"For all I know it could've been Snape, just for a laugh." Harry muttered.
"Hate to break it to you, Harry, but if Snape wanted you dead... You'd be dead by now." Joshua smirked. "He may have a grudge against the Marauder's, but he's not stupid."
"Snape's harmless." Remus sighed. "I cannot say the same about Karkaroff, however."
"Well, I can't say the same about Mad-Eye." Joshua huffed.
"Are you insane?" Sirius gasped. "Yes, he's a bit strange, but the man is simply brilliant! He's one of the best auror's out there!"
"I know he is..." Joshua said, raising an eyebrow. "I may just be paranoid, but there are little things that don't really scream 'Mad-Eye-Moody' to me."
"Joshua, perhaps you're jumping to conclusions." Remus sighed.
"Oh... Like I did with my mother, right?" Joshua smirked. Sirius opened his mouth to speak but closed it instantly.
"We don't know for sure about mum..." Jessica mumbled. She rubbed her forehead irritably and took a seat on an empty chair. Her head was pounding.
"There's no point in trying to convince yourself otherwise, Munchkin." Joshua said, as he leaned back against the chair.
"I don't think Mad-Eye's the problem." Harry said, shaking his head. "I've spent time with him and everything. He's had endless chances of getting to me and all he's been doing is helping me."
"Alright... Alright... I'll keep an open mind about Mad-Eye." Joshua said, raising his hands up in defeat. "But next time he puts his gravy on top of his pork, I'm going straight to Dumbledore."
"What does gravy have anything to do with this?" Sirius asked curiously.
"I remember Mad-Eye telling me, a very long time ago, that he liked his gravy on the side. Something about liquids touching solids must've bothered him." Joshua shrugged. "He also told me to keep it a secret, because he was certain it'd ruin his career if people knew."
"You're definitely being paranoid." Remus chuckled. Joshua shrugged again and fidgeted with the sleeve of his navy blue sweater.
Jessica rested her head in her hands and took a few deep breaths. The pounding seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. She was also starting to feel a bit nauseous. Why was this happening? Was she going to pass out like she did last time? McGonagall said she'd wanted to speak to her about it, but she'd managed to get out of it. Her Professor hadn't said a word since, but she assumed it was only a matter of time – and if it happened again, there wasn't a chance she'd be able to avoid it. What if this had to do with her Slytherin inheritance? If only she could speak to Salazar Slytherin himself... That would be very useful.
"Are you feeling okay, Jess?" Joshua asked, suddenly, interrupting the slight discussion between Sirius and Remus on which spell was best out of the list Hermione gave Harry.
"Fine..." Jessica tried to say, but it seemed as though her voice had vanished. It felt as though everything was spinning. Why was this happening again? Madam Pomfrey was actually going to think she had an eating disorder now, thanks to Hermione. To make matters worse, she didn't eat much at dinner, because she'd filled herself with Pumpkin Pasties right after class.
"Jessica?" Remus said, worriedly, as he placed a hand on the younger girl's back. She could see everyone's worried faces. Joshua was on his feet and he was talking endlessly, but she couldn't hear him anymore. Not even a whisper. And then... Darkness.
x.x
Jessica woke up to a pair of wide, hazel-green, worried looking eyes staring down at her. If it weren't for the dark eyebrows above them, she would've thought it was her brother. Wasn't her father supposed to be busy at the ministry or something?
"How are you feeling?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing together as he spoke.
"Sleepy." Jessica mumbled, as she turned to the side and cuddled the extremely low pillow. She allowed the silent darkness to embrace her once again – at least then her head wouldn't hurt so much.
"See? Told you she'd be fine." Remus laughed, slightly. However, Athos didn't laugh along with his friend.
"That's the second time, dad." Joshua said, irritably.
Harry kept his eyes on Jessica and her father at all times. He'd appeared not even five minutes after Dumbledore sent him the message. The man looked worried – too worried for Harry's liking. Was Jessica going to be okay? Was she sick? She surely didn't seem sick most of the time.
"Potter... Perhaps you should head to bed." Professor McGonagall said, as she entered the Hospital Wing. Harry frowned deeply. He didn't want to leave Sirius just yet. He was enjoying having his Godfather beside him, walking freely and not having to worry about people sending him back to Azkaban – unless he did something stupid, of course. But Remus and Athos weren't allowing him to wander around alone and most of the time he did everything without magic. "Potter?"
"Right... Yes... I'm going." Harry said, still frowning.
"Don't worry, Harry. I'll be here on Tuesday." Sirius assured.
"We'll all be here." Remus nodded in agreement. Athos momentarily looked up and smiled. Harry sighed and complied with McGonagall's request. Once he was out of the room and out of sight, Professor McGonagall spoke again.
"You should head to bed too, Joshua." However, Joshua simply snorted in response and stood from the stool and headed closer to his sister's bed.
"Not tired, Professor. Besides, I'm technically patrolling. But if you'd rather I go find Lila, then I'd be happy to." Joshua grinned.
"I bet you get a lot of patrolling done with Lila, don't you?" Sirius smirked.
"You have no idea." Joshua smirked back. Athos glared at Sirius and his son.
"Enough of your nonsense, Joshua." Professor McGonagall said, hitting Sirius on the back of his head.
"Ouch!" Sirius said, angrily, as he rubbed his head. "You should be hitting him, not me."
"I'm not allowed to hit my students." Professor McGonagall said, with her head held high. Joshua simply continued to smirk at Sirius. "Athos... What am I to do with her? Is this going to continue?"
"It might..." Athos sighed, as he ran a hand through his daughter's hair. She looked paler than when he'd arrived and he didn't like it. "I don't know what to do. I've checked with my father and apparently this is normal... But that doesn't help me sleep at night."
"She's alright most of the time." Joshua said, furrowing his eyebrows together. "It happened suddenly."
"When we were talking about possible dangerous people." Remus nodded.
"Perhaps it's a trigger?" Professor McGonagall said, making her four students look up confused. "Perhaps it happens when she knows something bad might happen. It might be sign... But it's premature still."
"I would've imagined her powers would've developed by now. She's been talking to snakes since she was little." Remus said.
"If talking to snakes was the only thing, then yes, it would've fully developed by now." Professor McGonagall nodded. "You shouldn't worry yourself too much, Athos. She'll be fine."
"She better be... Who else is going to threaten anyone that teases Harry or Hermione?" Joshua chuckled. Sirius and Remus smiled also, both hoping their friend would calm himself.
"Please... Just to be on the safe side..." Athos said, as he adjusted the blankets that covered his daughter. "Get Sybill to help... Please..."
