Woooo... Long time no update! So I won't keep you long. Here it is, chapter 14! Let's go go go!
Enjoy ^.^
The Room of Requirement
Harry had spent the rest of the trip with the map in his hands, constantly looking around it, hoping to spot Jessica on the Hogwarts grounds. He spotted her, just as the first carriage was about to leave to head back to the castle, but she wasn't alone. Draco Malfoy had accompanied her back to Hogwarts, and it made him rather upset. He jumped onto the carriage, after giving Hermione and Ron a wave, and left.
Jessica was sat outside, by the lake, plucking bits of grass off the ground. She seemed much calmer, Harry noticed, as he quietly approached her. She glanced back, having heard him step on a twig, and gave him a small smile.
"Hermione gave Zack Smith a warning of her own." Harry said, sitting down next to Jessica on the grass. "It was pretty brilliant." Jessica laughed slightly.
"I'm sorry..." She said, looking down at the ground.
"Don't be." Harry said, now also plucking the grass. "He wasn't nice about it, and honestly... I can't imagine it being easy..."
"It's definitely not." Jessica mumbled.
"But the more you let it get to you, the worse it becomes." Harry said. "We know you, Jess. We know you're not like your mother." Jessica nodded. "And that should be all that matters. Who gives a damn what everyone else thinks?" Jessica hummed in response. They fell silent. Harry wanted to tell her she could trust them, just as much as she supposedly trusted Draco Malfoy - but he decided against it. He didn't want to risk starting an argument with her.
"I'm hungry." Jessica said, suddenly.
"Good." Harry grinned. "Come on, I'm sure we can sneak something out of the kitchens."
x.x
The rest of the weekend went by without much event. Harry and Ron spent most of their Sunday catching up on their homework, with Jessica's assistance. Meanwhile, Hermione had decided to spend her day knitting hats and scarves - with bewitched knitting needles, that worked beside her in midair.
Monday morning soon came around. Harry and Ron were the first, of the four, to head downstairs to the common room. They were discussing Angelina's idea for a new move in Quidditch - the Sloth Grip Roll - when something caught Harry's attention. A small group of first years were huddled around the notice board, seemingly furious. A sign had been attached to their notice board; one so large that it covered everything else on it - the lists of second-hand books for sale, the regular reminders of school rules, the Quidditch team training timetable, the dates of the Hogsmeade weekends, the lost and found notices, and other small messages from fellow Gryffindors. The new sign was printed in large, black letters and there was an official-looking seal at the bottom, beside a neat and curly signature.
BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded.
An organisation, society, team, group or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.
Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).
No student organisation, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.
Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organisation, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor, will be expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.
Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor
"We're screwed." Ron muttered, disheartened, as Harry read through the notice once more.
"This isn't a coincidence." Harry said, angrily. "She knows."
"How?" Ron asked, immediately.
"Let's face it, we can't trust everyone that turned up." Harry said, pacing. "What if someone ran off and told Umbridge? Someone like Zack Smith?"
"The girls need to see this." Ron said, urgently.
"Wait-" Harry called out, but he hadn't been quick enough. Ron had dashed to the stairs, and without thinking, headed in the direction toward the girls' dormitories. There was a loud wailing klaxon-like sound - and then a thud. Harry stopped at the bottom of the staircase, only to find that the steps had moulded together, and formed one smooth stone slide, leaving Ron lying flat on his back, at the bottom.
"We're not allowed in the girls' dormitories." Harry said, with a large grin on his face, although he tried his hardest not to laugh hysterically, as he helped Ron back on his feet.
Two fourth-year girls came zooming down, giggling. "Oooh... Who was the boy that tried to come upstairs?" One of the girls said, looking at Harry teasingly.
"Me." Ron huffed, as he adjusted his uniform. "It's not fair! The girls can come into our room."
"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule." Hermione's voice was heard, and suddenly, she appeared down the slide. She seemed annoyed by it. "It's in 'Hogwarts: A History." Hermione stated. She adjusted her uniform once again as she got up. "Apparently girls are a lot more trustworthy than boys."
"Yes!" Jessica's voice was heard, from upstairs. Harry and Ron both grinned at this. She giggled madly, as she slid down, stopping at the end in a full on fit of laughter.
"Oh, please." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"Don't be an old soul, Mione!" Jessica called out, practically crying already. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down - but her wide grin remained. "Boys should try and come upstairs more often."
"Nice to see you in a good mood." Harry said.
"Yeah, but we're going to ruin it." Ron frowned. "Come here, you both need to read this."
Ron pushed Hermione and Jessica towards the notice board. "Honestly, Ronald, you don't need to guide us here-"
"WHAT?!" Jessica shrieked, eyes wide - she had only read the first line of the sign, but already her mood had changed drastically. Once she'd read the entire thing, however, she was practically growling. "That bitch!"
"Jessica, please!" Hermione warned, as she glanced nervously back at the group of first years that were giggling at the four.
"I'm going to kill that foul, little, mother-"
"Jessica!" Hermione warned again, hitting her with one of her books. "Honestly, please, there are people around."
"How are you not furious?" Jessica accused.
"I am. Believe me, I am." Hermione frowned.
"Someone blabbed!" Ron said, furiously.
"If they did, we'll know about it." Hermione said.
"We jinxed the parchment." Jessica smirked.
"Don't be proud of it!" Hermione said, infuriated.
"Hang on, how exactly would we know about it?" Harry asked, confused. Hermione sighed, dramatically.
"Well..." Hermione began, cautiously, as she looked around to make sure no one was listening in. "Let's just say, it would make Eloise Midgeon's acne look like cute freckles."
"Wow... Evil." Ron said, impressed.
"Thank you." Jessica grinned, and gave a bow.
"Honestly, Jess." Hermione said, shaking her head.
"Oh, leave off, Hermione..." Ron said. "It was good thinking, Jess, I strongly approve."
"Let's just go hunt down the traitor." Jessica grinned.
The four headed out of Gryffindor Tower and made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. It immediately became apparent, on entering the Great Hall, that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in their common room. There was an intense chatter amongst the students, and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables, conferring on what they had read. They had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, George and Ginny rushed toward them.
"Did you see it?" Ginny asked, desperately.
"Do you reckon she knows?" Neville added, nervously.
"I don't know." Harry answered, honestly, though, they all continued to stare at him, helplessly. "We're going to do it anyway, of course."
"Knew you'd say that." George grinned.
"And the prefects?" Dean asked.
"We're in this too." Hermione nodded, confidently, making Ron grin at her, excitedly.
Seemingly content, Neville, Dean and Ginny walked off, taking their seats. "Here come Ernie and Hannah Abbott." George said.
"No one looks spotty." Harry wondered, as he looked around the Hall.
"Never mind the spots!" Hermione said, somewhat anxiously. She shook her head at Ernie and Hannah, and mouthed 'later' to them. Harry, Ron, Jessica and George stared at her, confused. "Umbridge clearly stated that large gatherings are no longer allowed."
"Fair enough. I'll be off then." George grinned.
"What does that mean for us then?" Ron asked.
"We'll split." Hermione said, frowning slightly.
"Oh my goodness!" Jessica gasped, suddenly. Her three friends turned their attention to her, immediately, all rather concerned - until she grinned. "Of course!"
"What?" Hermione asked.
"I completely forgot..." Jessica grinned.
"We don't read minds, Jess." Hermione said, sharing a worried glance with Harry and Ron.
"The three of us didn't split up in Divination." Jessica said, still grinning. "I knew the bitch was up to something when she kept staring at us-"
"Honestly, Jessica, if someone were to overhear-"
"To hell with that!" Jessica said, rolling her eyes. "She thinks she's dead clever by doing this. She's keeping us apart as much as she can. Well, she's got another thing coming." Jessica, quite violently, stabbed her fork into her pancakes.
"Umbridge sure brings out your evil side, doesn't she?" Ron said, strongly amused.
"She can't keep us apart in the common room." Hermione said.
"For the time being." Harry added.
"Oh no..." Ron said, suddenly looking terrified. "It's Angelina... She looks furious."
Angelina was rushing into the Great Hall, practically stomping her feet. She stopped by Fred and George. "We're going to have to ask permission to re-form the team." She said, angrily.
"What?!" Fred said, as equally furious.
"Harry..." Angelina said, turning her death glare on him. "I am saying this for the last time. So please... Please, and I mean it Potter, do not lose your temper with Umbridge again, or she might not let us play anymore - and I cross my heart, Potter, if we can't play, I'm going to kill you."
"Yeah..." Harry said, eyes wide. "No, yeah. I promise." He added, nodding his head. Angelina sat down next to George and tried to calm herself. Harry went back to his food, quietly.
"Look at that..." Jessica said, teasingly, shaking her head.
"Shut up." Harry scowled.
"Never thought your greatest fear would be Angelina Johnson." Jessica grinned.
"No, trust me, she's scary." Ron said, with a slight shiver. Jessica and Hermione simply exchanged amused looks.
x.x
They headed to and from their first lesson - History of Magic - in pairs, although, they remained quite close either way. Ron had bet Jessica a chocolate frog that Umbridge would be inspecting Professor Binns, which made Hermione want to leave for class earlier than usual, but it turned out that she wasn't there. The lesson went on, with its usual challenge of trying to stay awake while Professor Binns spoke.
As they reached the dungeons, for Snape's lesson, they heard the voices of Draco Malfoy and his friends, seemingly excited. "Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin team permission to continue playing straightaway." Pansy bragged, as other students entered the classroom.
"Don't you even dare." Hermione warned, stopping before her three friends. "None of you are allowed to rise to this."
"Can't make any promises." Jessica said, rolling her eyes. "It's her voice! It's annoying!"
"I don't care." Hermione said, sternly.
"Malfoy asked and he got it." Crabbe said, loudly. Draco, however, seemed to not pay attention to his friends. Instead, he and Blaise had their books open, and were discussing something.
"Well, of course he did." Pansy said, snarling at the other students that continued to enter the classroom. "Draco's father is close friends with Professor Umbridge."
"Shame, ain't it?" Crabbe said, as Dean walked past. Dean glared at him for a moment, and Crabbe stood his ground, challengingly. Dean entered the classroom, however, without further confrontation. "Gryffindors suck!" Crabbe yelled, as Dean walked off.
"They're asking for it." Jessica said, through gritted teeth.
"Jessica, I mean it." Hermione warned.
"Can't we just go in?" Ron said.
"Not while they're out there, because someone will say something, and Jessica, over here, will probably jump them." Hermione stated.
"You make me sound so terrible." Jessica said, innocently.
"Hey..." Neville said, as he approached the four. "Are we not allowed in?"
"Malfoy and the gang are being pricks." Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"Ah..." Neville nodded.
"Alright over there, Weasley?" Goyle yelled, teasingly. "Heard they're finding an excuse to sack your dad from the Ministry. Shame."
Pansy seemed to fall quiet after realising Jessica was there. She gathered her bag and entered the classroom, dragging Millicent Bullstrode with her. Crabbe and Goyle simply gave her a weird look. "See what you do, Selwyn?" Goyle called out. "You go round attacking people, and they end up worried about being near you!"
"Jess." Hermione warned.
"I'm cool. I'm calm." Jessica said, raising a hand. "In fact, I'm so calm, that I'm going in."
"You and Potter should head off to St Mungo's." Crabbe said, devilishly, as Jessica approached the classroom. "They've got a special ward for people whose brains have been messed up." Crabbe continued, making Goyle laugh. Goyle made a grotesque face, his mouth hanging open and his eyes rolling.
"Ain't that right, Longbottom?" Goyle taunted. Draco and Blaise were on their feet now.
In a flash, Neville dashed forward. Crabbe and Goyle were laughing, hysterically, unaware of Neville's sudden outburst.
"Neville, no!" Hermione gasped, reaching forward to grab his sleeve, but missing. Jessica turned now, and saw Neville hurrying forward. Crabbe and Goyle now also seemed to notice what was happening.
Harry was quick after Neville. He managed to grab the back of his sweater; Neville struggled frantically, his fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Crabbe and Goyle, who both looked ready for a fight.
"A little help?!" Harry shouted at Ron, as he clearly struggled to hold Neville back.
"No, come on then!" Goyle said, hitting his chest.
"Oh, back off!" Jessica said, turning to him and pushing him back - though, he barely moved from his spot.
"You want a fight, Selwyn?" Goyle said, as he moved toward Jessica in an intimidating manner. However, in an instant, Draco got in between Goyle and Jessica, and shoved him back, angrily. Jessica stared at the back of Draco's head, startled.
"Walk away." Draco muttered.
Goyle scowled, and it was obvious he wanted to fight back, but he remained quiet. He gave Jessica a smirk, before taking a step back with his hands raised. Draco shoved him again, and continued to do so, until they were both in the classroom - leaving Jessica standing there, still startled.
"Let him go, Potter, let him fight!" Crabbe said, approaching the others. Neville tried to release himself once more.
"No one is fighting, or else!" Hermione said, stepping in front of the three, courageously.
"Piss off, mudblood." Crabbe spat.
"You what?" Ron said, furiously, letting go of Neville, and making it easier for him to release himself from Harry.
Neville leapt forward, and managed to push Crabbe back. Eyes wide, Crabbe stumbled backward. There was a slight pause, in which Neville couldn't believe he'd done that - and then Crabbe's fist connected with Neville's face, knocking him to the ground.
"Stop it!" Hermione cried.
In a huff, Blaise dashed forward and helped Harry and Ron get Crabbe off Neville. Seamus and Dean were back outside now too, having obviously heard the commotion - and they were quick to assume. "Get off him!" Seamus shouted angrily. Blaise managed to pull Crabbe off Neville, who had a very bloody nose, but Seamus then shoved Blaise from behind. Blaise took a deep breath, before turning to Seamus, who had both fists up.
"Come on then!" Crabbe said, grinning.
"Shut up." Blaise said, shoving him back. Seamus lowered his fists, somewhat uneasily. Dean shared a confused look with Harry and Ron. "Get your fat ass inside."
"Or what?" Crabbe said, turning on Blaise.
"Or you'll fuck things up." Blaise muttered, dangerously. Crabbe huffed, but complied. He gave Neville one last threatening look before going into the classroom. Crabbe went to mess with Jessica on his way inside, but got shoved by Blaise once again. Jessica gave Blaise a small smile as he looked back at her.
Dean and Seamus helped Neville back on his feet. Neville frantically began wiping his nose on his sleeve. "Honestly..." Hermione said, shaking her head, before heading into the classroom also. "And you-"
"At least I didn't fight this time." Jessica said, as Hermione stopped beside her.
"What was all that?" Ron asked, confused. "It's not like them to help us out."
"No clue..." Jessica said, but a small smile formed on her face, which Hermione noticed.
In the few minutes that the students sat waiting for Snape to enter, everyone had heard about the fight outside. Most couldn't believe that Neville had been in a fight, and were in complete awe over him and his bloody nose. When the dungeon door slammed shut with an echoing bang, however, the entire class fell silent.
"You will notice that we have a guest with us today." Snape said, as he glided to the front of the class, closely followed by Professor Umbridge, with her clipboard secured in her arms. "We're continuing with our Strengthening Solution today. You will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson; if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend - instructions..." Snape waved his wand. "... On the board. Carry on."
Professor Umbridge spent the first half hour of the lesson making notes, sat in the corner. Everyone seemed rather eager to hear what she was going to ask Snape - some so eager, that their potions weren't going quite right. When Umbridge got on her feet, several students seemed to freeze. "This will be good." Harry muttered - he was amongst those who could no longer focus on their task. Umbridge strode over to Snape, who was bending over Dean's cauldron.
"Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level." Professor Umbridge said, briskly, to Snape's back. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus."
Snape straightened up, slowly, and turned to look at her.
"Now... How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" She asked.
"Fourteen years." Snape replied, coldly.
"You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked.
"Yes." Snape replied.
"But you were unsuccessful?"
"Obviously." Snape said, his lip curling. Professor Umbridge made a note on her clipboard, with a smile.
"And you have applied regularly for the post since you first joined the school?" Umbridge asked, looking up at him once again.
"Yes." Snape replied, barely moving his lips. He seemed very angry - but the students who were paying attention were trying their hardest not to giggle.
"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked.
"I suggest you ask him." Snape replied.
"Oh, I shall." Umbridge replied, with a sickeningly sweet smile.
"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh, yes." Umbridge said. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understand of teachers... And of course, their backgrounds."
She gave Snape another smile, before turning her attention to Pansy Parkinson, questioning her about the class.
x.x
Jessica dashed across the hallway, rather carelessly, shoving passed several gloomy-looking students. "Watch it, Selwyn!" Someone shouted, as she ran, but she ignored them. Outside, sat on the grass, she spotted the blond mop of hair she'd been looking for. Composing herself, and controlling her breathing, she walked over, head held high.
Draco, Blaise and Theodore Nott were sat on the grass, seemingly doing homework. Theodore was the first to spot Jessica approaching them, and threw his quill at Draco to get his attention. Confused, Draco looked behind him. "I need a word." Jessica said, somewhat nervously - why was she suddenly so nervous?
"Okay?" Draco said, turning his attention back to his work.
"Privately?" Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I can't right now." Draco muttered. Blaise shook his head.
"Come on, you can show me that book you were on about." Blaise said to Theodore, as he got up. Theodore huffed, but followed. Jessica gave Blaise a small smile, before sitting down next to Draco on the grass. He, however, continued to stare down at his book.
"About earlier-"
"Jess, I've got homework." Draco said, somewhat annoyed.
"It's quick!" Jessica whined. Draco sighed, but closed his book, and looked at her. She opened her mouth to speak - but suddenly, it was as though she couldn't. It was as if words were something foreign to her. She furrowed her eyebrows, and tried her hardest to form a sentence, but nothing seemed right.
"Do you want to draw it out?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I..." Jessica began, but shook her head. "No. Never mind." She went to leave, but Draco grabbed her hand.
"It was nothing." He smiled, slightly. She stared down at his hand, which was holding on to hers, and she was certain her face was turning red. Noticing this, Draco wordlessly let go. "Just try and keep Longbottom from charging forward again. I have a reputation to uphold." Jessica smiled at this.
There was a moment of silence - but it wasn't an awkward silence. Jessica, however, for some strange reason, couldn't look him in the eyes. "Thanks." She said, suddenly.
"I just said-"
"No..." Jessica interrupted. "No, about Hogsmeade. And bringing me back. And then leaving me to it." She smiled. "It was nice of you."
"Yeah, don't spread that round." Draco smirked. Jessica smiled wider now, but shook her head.
"Need help?" Jessica asked, pointing at Draco's Potions book.
"I'm practically finished." Draco said, looking down at the book.
"I should let you get to it then." Jessica said.
"Yeah..." Draco nodded.
"Well, yeah, thanks again." Jessica said, smiling - and there was another pause. They looked at each other. The world fell silent. Everything became a blur. For a moment, both wanted to lean in - and then realisation hit. "I should go." Jessica said, somewhat urgently.
"Yeah." Draco said.
"Bye-" And suddenly, Jessica leaned in, placing a kiss on his cheek. It was quick - seeing as she practically jumped back immediately, her face bright red and her eyes wide. "Sorry... I... Sorry..." And she left, quickly, hoping silently that no one saw that. Draco, however, remained sat. He was surprised, but also somewhat disheartened - but still, it was better than nothing. In his mind, this was progress. He then remembered where he was, and discreetly began looking around. Almost everyone outside was either doing homework or chatting animatedly. No one seemed to have noticed anything - and for now, he knew that was for the best.
x.x
It was well past midnight, and Harry and Jessica were the only ones awake in the Gryffindor common room - both just as bored as the other. Harry was trying his best to finish his Potions homework, while Jessica rested on the armchair, comfortably, with The Marauder's Map lying open on her lap. She watched, unexcitedly, as a few names glided across the piece of parchment - very few of the seventh years were patrolling tonight.
"And... I... Am..." Harry signed the bottom of his roll of parchment. "Finished." He leaned back against the chair, exhausted.
"Yey..." Jessica said, with very little enthusiasm.
"And I managed, with very little help, thanks." Harry added, with a grin.
"You're a genius." Jessica said, sleepily.
"Go on, tiny, get to bed." Harry laughed.
"You're not-" Jessica yawned. "-the boss of me."
"Yeah, well-" Jessica jumped suddenly, making Harry stop mid-sentence, seemingly much more awake. She stared down at the map, shocked. "What?" Harry asked, concerned, quickly making his way over to her. She grinned up at him, excitedly.
"Come on." She said, getting on her feet.
"What?" Harry said, grabbing her hand before she could leave.
"I have a surprise for you." Jessica sang, waving the map in his face.
"Let me-"
"No! Just follow!" Jessica grinned.
"At least let me grab my cloak?"
Hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, and with the map secured in Jessica's hand, the two sneaked out of Gryffindor Tower and headed out.
"Where are we going?" Harry whispered - though, it was barely audible. Jessica didn't respond, however, and kept guiding them down the stairs, along the long hallways, and eventually outside. Once they were a fair distance from the castle, Jessica pulled the cloak off the two of them. She continued walking, silently, with the map held in front of her. Harry tried glancing over her shoulder, to figure out why they were headed straight for the Whomping Willow, but she would move the map from his view every time.
As they approached the tree, Harry noticed it was still - far too still. In the distance, they saw a dark figure - a dog - and it quickly transformed.
"Sirius!" Harry said, cheerfully.
"You're welcome." Jessica grinned.
"Glad to see you're putting that to good use." Sirius grinned. "Thought I'd chance it." Harry gave him a hug. "How are things?"
"Terrible." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams-"
"Or secret Defence Against the Dark Arts groups?" Sirius smirked.
"How do you know about that?" Jessica asked, shocked.
"Meeting in The Hog's Head of all places?" Sirius chuckled. "Told your dad about that, Jess, even he was shocked."
"Hermione said The Three Broomsticks would be too packed." Harry said.
"Might've made it harder to overhear, I suppose." Sirius shrugged.
"Well, who overheard us?" Jessica demanded.
"Mundungus!" Sirius said, and when the two looked at him, puzzled, he laughed. "He was the witch under the veil." Harry and Jessica exchanged confused looks, as Sirius continued to laugh. "It was quite brilliant."
"Well, at least it wasn't Umbridge." Jessica shrugged.
"Why was he there?" Harry asked, still confused.
"Keeping an eye on you, of course." Sirius said. "Speak of which, your dad wants to know if he needs to have a word with that Zack Smith boy?"
"What?!" Jessica practically shrieked, feeling her face heat up. "No... I... That's taken care of."
"Why couldn't he just show himself? He didn't have to hide from us." Harry said.
"Oh, he wasn't hiding from you lot, but when he realised where you were headed, he had to disguise himself. Got banned from The Hog's Head around twenty years ago." Sirius grinned. "And not to mention, we lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis got arrested, so Dung's been dressing up quite a lot lately."
"Brilliant." Jessica said, with a teasing grin on her face.
"Anyway..." Sirius said, waving his arms about. "I have a message for Ron, from his mother, and she says that on no account whatsoever, is he allowed to take part in an illegal secret group. Says he's too young, and there will be plenty of time to learn... And she said quite a bit more, but if I'm very honest, I just tend to tune her out after a while." Harry grinned at this. "Now, your father, however..." Sirius began, looking at Jessica. "Surprisingly, he wishes you all the best. Says try not to hurt anyone too badly. But should anyone try and hurt you, well... I'm sure you've got all that sorted anyway."
Jessica seemed very surprised by this. "And he's not the least bit concerned?" She asked.
"Oh, no, he's practically losing his hair over it. Takes forever to fall asleep at the mere mention." Sirius grinned. "But he's all for it. He figured it would be best - seeing as you tend to get yourself into the middle of things anyway." Jessica shifted on the spot, smiling. "So, tell me, how are you planning on doing this? Where are you meeting?" Sirius asked, excitedly.
"We haven't got that far, yet." Harry said.
"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Sirius beamed.
"We might have way too many people for the Shrieking Shack." Jessica said, pouting slightly. "And it's kind of gross in there."
"Honestly, you, Anna and Joshua... Really are your father's children..." Sirius said, shaking his head.
"We thought about a few empty classrooms, but we risk having Umbridge running in on us." Harry said.
"There's an old room, it's in the secret passageway, behind the mirror on the fourth floor-"
"That passageway got blocked." Jessica frowned.
"Ah... Well, there might be a place, perhaps-" A sound of a twig snapping caught their attention. Startled, they fell silent and looked around. Only then did Jessica remember the map - but no one was around.
"Probably just an animal." Harry said.
"In any case, you should head back. It's late." Sirius said, giving Harry another hug. He held his arm out for Jessica too, and she happily accepted. "Take good care you two. Say hello to Ron and Hermione, and Hermione's cat."
"Will do." Harry grinned.
Sirius remained by the Whomping Willow, quietly, watching as Harry and Jessica disappeared up the hill. He saw Harry placing the Invisibility Cloak over them and waited. He waited for a good twenty minutes before moving to the other side of the tree.
"You weren't seen." Sirius said.
"I did say it would work." Snape snarled. "The map proved rather easy to trick."
"Yes, well, good for you." Sirius snapped, rolling his eyes.
"How soon?" Snape asked, and Sirius sighed.
"Soon."
"And you're both certain?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you?" Sirius asked, somewhat accusingly. Snape smirked, slightly, before gliding off. "Snape..." Sirius called out, and Snape turned, eyebrow raised. "How do you suppose they'll react?"
Snape thought for a slight moment, before giving Sirius a very small, almost unnoticeable shrug. "Terribly."
x.x
The next morning, Harry informed Ron and Hermione about his and Jessica's encounter with Sirius by the Whomping Willow. Hermione was quick to scold them, unsurprisingly, but she gave up when she realised neither seemed too bothered by her words. Ron nodded when Harry told him his mother was against the idea of an illegal group, and continued eating. "I take it you're ignoring her?" Harry asked, grinning.
"Well, obviously." Ron said, his mouthful.
"Honestly, Ronald." Hermione said, shaking her head.
Angelina had managed to get permission to reform the Quidditch team that morning. She rushed into the Great Hall, in such a good mood, that Harry wondered if George had slipped something into her goblet. "We'll meet tonight at seven. Make up for lost time." She said, excitedly. Ron worriedly glanced up and out the window - it was pouring down with rain. "Yeah, hope that clears up." Angelina shrugged. "We're three weeks away from our first game. We've got to get our act together!"
Hermione's mood turned rather sour as Angelina rushed off. She looked down at her breakfast, with a deep frown. Jessica threw a grape at her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm just starting to wonder if this was a good idea."
"What are you referring to?" Jessica asked, confused.
"This. The lessons." Hermione said, nervously.
"What?!" Ron said, dumbfounded.
"Hermione, it was your idea to begin with." Harry said.
"I know, but knowing that Sirius is all for it, makes me think it's a terrible plan." Hermione said, worriedly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, angrily.
"Well... He's known to be sort of reckless-"
"Look, you can't back out now." Jessica said, before Harry could argue back. "You insisted on this and got everyone together. We're all in now, and we can't just go through the year not learning anything. You even admitted that you needed help."
"I know, but-"
"But nothing." Jessica said, firmly. "Come on, we don't want to be late."
x.x
Hermione and Jessica weren't in the common room when Harry and Ron returned, soaking wet, from their Quidditch practice. Ron got one of the first year girls - that was sat with her friends, doing homework - to go get them. Harry laughed slightly at this. "Afraid of falling again?" He asked, teasingly.
"Those staircases have no mercy." Ron said, terrified at the thought.
It was a couple of minutes before the girls came downstairs, both in pyjamas. Jessica looked as though she'd been asleep already.
"I'm impressed. It's just gone ten." Harry said.
"Yes, and Jess happened to be sleeping peacefully." Hermione said, irritably. Jessica simply smiled, goofily, still obviously half asleep.
"Come here..." Ron said, ushering the two over to one of the tables in the corner, so no one could overhear them. "Harry's scar hurt again." Ron whispered, urgently.
"What?" Hermione said, worriedly, turning to face Harry.
"And he can read You-Know-Who's mind!" Ron whispered - though, he was somewhat excited, and a large grin was starting to spread across his face.
"Am I dreaming?" Jessica muttered, confused.
"No, Jess, sit down." Hermione said, impatiently, pushing the girl on to the chair. "Harry-"
"It's not quite like that." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "We're connected. Dumbledore's tried to explain it before."
"Oh, good, Dumbledore knows." Hermione said, relieved.
"And it's not his mind..." Harry said, furrowing his eyebrows. He glanced down at Jessica and noticed she was asleep again. "I just... I can sense his mood. Like, when he's angry, for example."
"Okay... And what happened? What did you feel?" Hermione asked, worried.
"I don't know." Harry replied.
"You said you think he's after something?" Ron said.
"Yeah, but I've got no clue..." Harry said. "It's something he didn't have last time... From what I understand."
"You need to speak to Sirius." Hermione said, urgently.
"Well, I can't exactly send him a letter." Harry frowned.
"No. Owls are being intercepted." Jessica muttered, with a yawn - and then seemed to fall asleep once again.
x.x
Her footsteps were heavy, tired, and she swayed slightly as she walked across the wet, muddy grass. Tombstone after tombstone. Thunder sounded in the distance, and she wondered if it would begin raining once again. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and paused by one of the tombstones to rest. She pulled out the bottle of water she'd been carrying and took a swig. It was meant for emergencies, but she could barely see now. She was finding it almost impossible to get back - but she would get back. She had to. She reluctantly allowed her body to slump down against the tombstone. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head. She took a few deep breaths and allowed her body a moment of rest.
It felt like hours before she started to feel a little less dizzy and ill. Slowly bringing her head back up, she noticed it was almost sunrise. Right before her eyes was another tombstone. She tried to focus her eyes on the name written:
Here lies Athos Andrew Selwyn
Son, Father, and a great man
December 10th 1959 - December 1st 1995
She felt a tear fall down her cheek. Of all places to stop, of course she'd stop here. His name seemed to taunt her.
"You left me..." She spoke, weakly.
Thunder sounded in the distance, and she suddenly found the determination to continue. She hated thunderstorms, after all. She carefully picked herself up off the grass, using the tombstone behind her as support. Thunder sounded, and she looked over in the direction of the sound.
There was a silhouette.
"Of all places to be." The silhouette spoke.
She smiled, somewhat darkly. No matter how weak she felt, she wouldn't let it show. "You're the one who has no right to be here."
"You dare challenge me?" The silhouette spoke. "You are broken."
"I may be broken." She spoke, feeling a sudden pain surge through her body. She screamed, and fell to her knees. "I am broken..."
"Give up." The silhouette spoke, moving slowly closer.
"I am broken..." She sobbed. "But you-" She whipped her wand out, despite her body's protest. "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a bright green light that flashed. The silhouette fell back, with a thud.
"You are dead."
She breathed heavily and allowed her body to fall to the ground. The last thing she remembered seeing was that tombstone... Athos Selwyn...
x.x
Harry looked up, lazily, from his book, when he heard the footsteps rushing down the stairs. It stopped quite suddenly, but no one appeared, and he heard soft crying noises. Whoever was refusing to enter the common room seemed to be trying to calm themselves down before doing so. Harry closed his book and sat up properly. He quietly got up, placing his book on the centre table, and began making his way toward the stairs.
Jessica appeared.
Harry furrowed his eyebrows as her eyes widened. Eyes bloodshot red and still watery.
"Hi." She smiled, weakly.
"Need to talk?" He asked, concerned. She bit her lip and looked away.
"It was just a bad dream." She said, clutching her eyes shut.
Harry walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He'd been doing that quite often lately, and it worried him. He wanted nothing more than for Jessica to be the brave, loud and cheerful girl he bumped into at Diagon Alley when they were eleven. He rubbed her back and thought about how being eleven seemed like a lifetime ago. "Believe me..." He began. "Nightmares are the worst."
"Do you get them because of your connection with You-Know-Who?" She asked, pulling back slightly, and looking up at him.
"So you were paying attention earlier?" Harry grinned, and she amusedly shook her head. "But, yeah, I would think so."
"It felt so real." Jessica said, quietly, resting her head on Harry's shoulder once again. He seemed to hug her tighter now.
"Yeah, it tends to." He muttered.
"You should head to bed." Jessica said, pulling away from his arms completely now, and making her way to the sofa. She dropped her body onto it, quite violently, face first. "Ow..." She muttered into the sofa cushion. Harry grinned and sat down by her feet. She turned around and rested her legs on his lap.
"You know I don't go to bed early." Harry shrugged, and it made her smile slightly.
They stayed like that for a good hour or so, in silence, both reading books which had been left downstairs by other students. They heard the Gryffindor Tower door creak open, and glanced at each other.
"Of course you two are up." Joshua said, as he walked in. Jessica sat up, confused - Neville Longbottom sheepishly followed Joshua into the room.
"Hi..." He said, nervously.
"You a prefect now?" Jessica asked, grinning.
"No, but he was roaming about, looking for trouble." Joshua smirked.
"No!" Neville argued. "Crabbe locked me in a cupboard, put a few hexes on the door, and I pretty much just about managed to get out."
"I'll kill him." Jessica said, narrowing her eyes, and Harry shook his head.
"But..." Neville began, glancing nervously at Joshua, who urged him to continue. Jessica and Harry exchanged confused looks. "Well, he locked me upstairs you see? And I had to avoid Filch, so I took the long way across the seventh floor..." Neville began fidgeting.
"And?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. Joshua urged Neville to continue once again.
"Well, you see, I thought I was going to get caught, because I heard footsteps, and I just started thinking: if only I could hide away somewhere, until the morning... But, you see, I didn't exactly want to be locked in a cupboard again..." He glanced at Joshua nervously again. "And... And well... I found something..."
"What?" Jessica asked, curiously.
"The Room of Requirement." Joshua smirked. "I must admit, Neville, I'm quite jealous. The amount of times I could've had Lila in there-"
"Don't be gross." Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
"What's the Room of Requirement?" Harry asked, also rolling his eyes, but only because they were getting off topic.
"It appears when a witch or wizard has a real need for it. Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it's not. When it does appear, though, it's filled with stuff - for the seeker's needs." Joshua said, and Harry's eyes widened.
"So, say you really needed the bathroom?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, I guess." Joshua shrugged. "Ask Hermione, she's smart, she might've read about it somewhere." Joshua said, waving a hand. "The point is, that's your answer right there, Potter. You're welcome." Joshua grinned.
"I think it's thanks to Neville, really." Jessica smirked.
"What?!" Joshua feigned shock, placing a hand on his chest. "I think you'll find that if I hadn't decided to patrol the seventh floor, I wouldn't have freaked Neville out, sending him straight to it."
"True..." Neville agreed, vigorously nodding his head. Harry smiled.
"He's teasing you, Neville." Jessica said, shaking her head. "So you two can be duelling partners now, and Neville can kick your butt." Jessica grinned - Neville, however, seemed truly terrified by the idea.
"I won't be participating, I'm afraid." Joshua said, getting up and heading towards the stairs.
"Why not?" Jessica said, bewildered, and Joshua chuckled in response.
"Good night." He said, before heading upstairs. Jessica looked at Harry, eyes wide.
"Well, he's pretty good already." Harry shrugged.
"He was doing something pretty cool earlier... Like a dog... Thing... Silver..." Neville said.
"A Patronus." Harry stated. "Josh's Patronus is a wolf."
"Oh..." Neville said, amazed.
x.x
Hermione did, in fact, know about the Room of Requirement, and practically slapped herself for completely forgetting about it. The four excitedly discussed how they were going to spread out during lunch and inform everyone else. Hermione gave each of them a small piece of parchment, with the names of the people they'd each approach.
"I still can't believe Josh doesn't want to do it." Jessica said, frowning slightly, as she and Hermione walked together to Herbology.
"He doesn't really need to." Hermione shrugged. "In fact, he doesn't really need to be here at all anymore."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jessica asked, with slight hostility.
"Well..." Hermione began, pointedly. "You didn't hear this from me, but he's quite advanced already. Professor McGonagall is trying to find other things for him to do, but he's fully prepared for N.E. - and not to mention he had the highest O. score in centuries. He's a lot smarter than what he lets on." Jessica said nothing to this. She knew Joshua was smart, but she never quite thought about how smart he was.
Stanley MacMillan was the first person Jessica spotted from her little list. He was sat with his usual group of friends, outside. She smiled for a moment, remembering how Cedric used to be a part of that group. She felt her chest tighten slightly, but took a deep breath and brushed it off. "Stanley..." She began, as she approached the group. They all seemed to stare at her, strangely, and Stanley seemed rather reluctant to go up to her. He did, however, after slight hesitation, and made sure she was quite far away from his friends.
"Charming guys." Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
"Look, sorry, but they... They're all kind of grieving still... And..."
"It's fine." Jessica sighed. "Tonight, eight. Seventh floor, opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, with the trolls-"
"Got it." Stanley said, somewhat urgently. He glanced back at his friends, who still stared in their direction, rather furiously. "You should probably go."
"Hating on me won't bring him back, pricks!" Jessica called out, before leaving. She could hear the discussion that commenced shortly after.
Jessica managed to find Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot next. They were just outside of the library, chatting up a couple of girls. "Hi..." She said, sheepishly, ignoring the looks she got from the girls - who were quick to leave. Surprisingly, however, the two boys weren't annoyed by it.
"Did you find somewhere?" Anthony asked, excitedly.
"Yes, actually..."
ooooooh it's all getting so real now! D.A here we come!