Selena and Jake sleepily made their way out to the Herbology greenhouses and found most of the students already there.
"So, you know what today we're gonna do?" Selena asked yawnily.
"Wish i knew. I hope it's nothing gross. I mean I'm so tired."
"I just wish that we can sleep in now. Here, drag me to the greenhouse." Selena leaned into Jake. Jake pushed her gently, "Selena, we're there. Don't worry. And hey, at least there's only three classes for today i think." Jake said.
"Yeah with hours of doing homework!"
"Ah come on, I know we're both bloody tired but hey, i'll let you sleep and i do my homework. Then let you copy off mine but make slight changes so it doesn't cause suspicsion."
"You're so sweet." Selena said yawnily.
Professor Sprout smiled distractedly at them before she moved towards a strange-looking plant.
"Bubotubers. They need squeezing. You will collect the
pus-" She began.
"The what?" Jake and Seamus asked at the same time.
"The pus, Finnigan, Jake. The pus. And it's extremely
vaulable so don't waste it. You will collect the pus,
I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide
gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when
undiluted, bubotuber pus." Selena and several girls wrinkled their noses as they moved towards the plants.
"Weird this stuff." Selena commented as the gross pus
squeezed out oozingly.
"Good thing my stomach's iron. Or I would have puked." Jake said.
"Oh ha, ha." Selena said sarcastically as she squeezed
it and Jake squeezed it a bit too hard but caught it
all in the bottle successfully. Neville tried the same manualover but wasn't quite as successful.
Jake chuckled a bit. Selena began to growl grumpily from lack of sleep and disgusting projects.
"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy, an excellent remedy
for the more stubborn forms of acne, Bubotuber pus." Professor Sprout said seriously as she popped a cork in a last bottle..Every bottles are now filled with pints of pus.
"Must she keep saying that? It sounds revolting." Jake
whispered to Selena. Selena just shrugged, "We can't really do anything about that." Selena whispered.
"Like poor Eloise Midgeon. She tried to curse hers
off." Hannah Abbott said to a small audience of listeners. Jake snorted a bit.
"Silly girl, but Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose in the
end." Sprout said.
Jake snorted a bit to Selena but the blond girl paled.
"That doesn't sound too pleasent." She mumbled.
"Mornin'!" Hagrid said as the class assembled around his hut for the class. Selena had a creeping sensation in her stomach.
Jake looked at Hagrid, "Wow. He's bigger than Robbie
the guy who played Hagrid." He commented.
"Shhh." Selena said smiling.
"Be'er wait for the Slytherins, they won't want to
miss this... Blast ended skrewts." Selena's eyes widened and she took visible steps away from the viberating boxes. Jake seemed as if he was ready to remain where he was but then he seemed to recall something from his memory. He walked to Selena, who was standing a good distance from the boxes. Harry and Hermione secretly wondered what the new American students knew that they didn't.
"Come again?" Ron asked
"Eurgh!" Lavender screeched. Hagrid was beaming down at the creatures as if they were a crate of stuffed animals instead of hideous and disgusting creatures they were.
"Only just hatched so you'll be able to raise them
yerseves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of
it."
"And why would we want to raise... them?" Draco said
as he arrived. Couple of slytherins followed behind him.
Jake smirked at Draco. Draco, on the other hand, gave him an ugly
sneer. Jake glared but Selena's face turned bright red.
She looked away.
While Hagrid spoke about the Skrewts, he mentioned that he had no idea what they ate. Selena immediately spoke up.
"I know what they eat Hagrid." She said calmly. All of the students looked at her and Jake in astonishment. Hagrid's face brightened tremendously but the American teenagers looked at the creatures seriously.
"Really? What?" Hagrid asked eagerly.
"Each other." Jake and Selena said. Harry and Ron shared a look. Draco snorted and whispered to the Slytherins and Hagrid looked at them disappointedly and Jake shook his head chuckling.
Later, during the much-needed lunch, the Gryffindors ate up eagerly. No one quite equalled Hermione, however, as she started eating quickly.
"Is this the new Elfish right? You're gonna make
yourself puke instead?" Ron asked bluntly. Jake and Selena exchanged knowing glances from their seat just five spaces away. They didn't want to suddenly intrude on the group since they had been together for four years while Selena and Jake had arrived only the day before.
"No. I just want to get to the library." Hermione
spoke to Ron between mouthfuls.
"Hermione, this is the first day back! We haven't even gotten any
homework yet!" Ron said in horror. She shrugged at him carelessly.
Selena spoke to Jake, "Do you think she'll be asking
us to join spew any time soon?"
"I hope not." Jake whispered back nervously.
"I been thinking since people starts to think that since we're together, i fear they might think of us as..." Selena said.
"Cousins. We're cousins. Sounds good though. Hey, if they rub it the wrong way we'll tell them we're just cousins."
"I like that idea. How about we also don't get too close to each other much too."
"Yeah. Good idea." Jake said and edges away from her. Selena shook her head and rolls her eyes.
When the next bell sounded, all of the Gryffindors made their way up the grueling stairs to the Divination Tower. Once they opened the trap door, Selena and Jake started hacking and coughing because of the large amounts of vapors in the room. As the Divination class began, Professor Trelawney gave a long and very annoying lecture about death, more specifically Harry's death and she even mentioned two ways that Selena and Jake would die as lovers. Both blushed crimson red.
"He's my cousin! Why would we do that?" Selena demanded quickly. Trelawney paled and cleared her throat, ignoring the question. Ron and Harry snickered two tables away.
"I'm sorry my dear but I believe that the planet Saturn is looming over you." Trelawney said as she turned to Harry, almost as if he was the easy way out of being embarressed. "Death and destruction-," She began to relax into her role before Selena pipped up.
"What a minute, that isn't right!" Everyone turned to her in shock. "Saturn simply means that he would be independent and worldly goods would hold no interest for him." She explained. "He has a strong will and a desire to show all that he can be. And besides, is he even a Cappricorn?" She turned to Harry. He blinked.
"What?" He asked.
"When's you're birthday?" He and Ron glanced at each other thoughtfully. "In July." He said. "So you're a Leo! You're ruled by the sun anyway!" The class bursted into little snickers and giggles all over the room. Jake grinned darkly. Parvati and Lavender glared in horror at Selena and Jake. "I can see how Saturn could be mistaken for the sun." Jake muttered so that the tables close by could hear him. "I mean, July and December are easily mistaken for the other." More laughter followed. Jake laughed along and seemed to approve of getting attention and Selena grinned at the professor getting into a bit of trouble.
"Enough!" The professor hissed. She began to assign work instantly and with none of her previous airiness.
As Harry started to ask, "I've got two Neptunes here. That can't be right can it?"
Jake and Selena were privately looking at their papers angrily. Two Neptunes?! That was nothing! Selena had about two suns and twelve Mercuaries along with an Earth or two. Jake had three Uranuses and twelve moons and a pair of Mars planets.
"Aaaaah, when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it's a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born Harry." Ron said mimicking Trelawney's misty voice. Everyone around them laughed. Even Jake and Selena. Lavender glowered at Ron viciously but turned to her papers to get her mind off of his rude comment. "Oh, Professor, look! I think I've got an unaspected planet. Ooh. Which one is that Professor?"
"That's Uranus, my dear." Trelawney said.
Jake started to get wide eyes and started to look red and tried to keep a seriously straight face. Selena was muttering about 'men' and 'sick minds'.
"Can we have a look at Uranus too Lavender?" Ron asked sweetly. Everyone laughed again and Jake streamed with tears of laughter. Selena just blushed.
"Hey Weasley! Hey Weasley! Your dad's in the paper!" Draco taunted. And so they all read the paper realizing how badly it lied about Arthur Weasley and the ministry.
Selena and Jake were glaring at Draco angrily with their wands already out and moving towards his general direction. If only they knew what spell to use for a punishment! Draco insulted Ron's mother by calling her fat.
"You know your mother Malfoy? That _expression she's got like there's dung under her nose, was she always like that or was it because, you're with her?" Harry asked calmly. Jake glares at Draco as he holds his wand threateningly as Selena had opened a book and was trying to find a spell.
When they saw Moody coming forward, they instantly bursted into uncontrollable laughter! Jake dropped his wand and Selena dropped her enourmous book as they both clutched their sides and shook with laughter.
"Don't you dare insult my mother Potter."
"Then keep your fat mouth shut then."
BANG! "Oh no you don't laddie!"
Selena and Jake were currently on the floor laughing their heads off. Moody came along and began bouncing the ferret whom was Draco around as if he were nothing but a rag doll. Jake had his wand out lying before him uselessly and Selena was trying to rise but failing miserably, and then McGonagall came down lecturing Moody about punishments with a horrified expression on her face. She turned Draco back into a human again (at which time he noticed the two American students laughing hysterically).
Moody decided to take Malfoy to see Snape for more punishment.
"Don't talk to me." Ron said. "Why not?" Hermione asked. "I want to fix that picture in my memory forever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."
"Its just too bad it only lasted for two minutes." Jake said teasingly as he and Selena joined the trio. "Well I'm glad McGonagall stopped him. He could have hurt Malfoy." Hermione said. "Hermione! You ruined the best moment of my life!" Ron said with a horrified expression on his face.
Selena and Jake moved away from them slightly when they noticed Fred, George, and Lee talking about Moody and how great his skills and teaching was. Jake looked at Selena as they listened to the conversation and talked themselves. Jake grinned darkly. "Maybe we should try stopping the Imperio curse's effects on us." He said as he grinned. "Hmm... I think so too. It'll be great since he doesn't know about us completely. We know how Harry stopped its influences too."
The few neighbors looking at them tried to strain their ears but they didn't catch a word the teenagers had said.
"What?" The two Americans asked when they noticed the people looking at them. They looked at the staring audience and they started to gather thoughts.
"Nothing. We're just wondering what you were talking about." Fred said.
"Oh nothing you mind. You had your fun bickering about how great Moody was as we just saw him turn Malfoy into a ferret." Jake said smirkly. "Moody did what?" Fred asked in shock. He laughed and so did Lee and George. "Well, obviously." Hermione said hotly.
Two days passed without much incident except when Neville melted his sixth cauldron, and Jake 'accidently' spilled the boiling potion on one of the Slytherins and got detention with Neville.
"You know why Snape's in foul mood right?" Ron said to Harry as they watched Hermione teach Jake the scouring charm since he still had a large helping of the disembowelment spell on horned toads. Neville got to learn a bit too.
"Moody." Harry said.
"Reckon Snape is afraid of him. What a wimp."
Jake grinned a cocky grin. Ron smiled a bit and so did Harry. Selena was flipping through pages to pages on Standard Spells grade four. She was on chapter eighteen (and showing her true colors as a second Hermione).
Hermione was on chapter thirty four so Selena still had a way to go. Still, she hadn't had the summer to study like Hermione had. Of course Hermione stopped where she was to help with the scoring charm to rid of the guts from Jake and Neville's fingernails and went back to her book.
"Imagine if Moody turned Snape into a horned toad." Ron said thoughtfully.
"A Jellyfish." Jake commented.
Ron turned to him and his eyes sparkled, "A slug. So we can step on him."
"A rat so I can stuff all of the fireworks in his mouth. No, not even one can fit it. Damn. How about gun powder?" Jake said grinning.
"Jake, what are you talking about?" Selena asked distractedly as she turned the page of her book carefully, eyes glued to the page.
"Him. That traitor who... framed Black." Selena glanced up from her book with her skin as pale as Neville's had been when he'd melted his cauldron. Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at each other with astonishment.
"How did you..." They asked. "We know because it was in the papers about Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban and some kid told the minister of magic he believed that some how Peter Pettigrew was still alive. And I believe you. We believe you." Selena said quickly, turning to Jake with a 'why-did-you-open-your-big-mouth?' expression on her face.
"How could you figure that out?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "
Well, I'm much of a thinker. While most people believe its cock bull, but hey, if Sirius Black had been after you, why did he stop? And as a matter of fact, where is that rat Pettigrew?" Three eyes grew wide and they looked at each other with astonishment. 'But how did you know if it were true that Peter is alive and Ron has a rat?" Hermione as suspeciously.
Jake realized he opened his bid bad mouth but said, "It was obvious because if the boy in the [hrp[het said he was scabbers, Ron's rat. and said Sirius was after him and not Harry. Yet that was my guess that Sirius was after Peter all along."
Selena was making cutting motions to her throat for him to stop. "Yes and now, if you four don't mind, we have to get to class. Defense Against the Dark Arts." Selena said briskly as she closed her book shut.
"My favoritest classroom. Thank God Lockhart ain't teaching it anymore. He's a loser." Hermione glared at Jake. Jake simply grinned back.
"You can put these away. These books. You won't need them." Moody growled as he entered.
Jake watched as Selena tried to get comfortable in her chair.
"Right then. I had a letter from Professor Lupin. He said you done well tackling dark creatures except you two Americans. Especially since one of you has a smart aleck atittude and the other is too ignorant to pay attention." Jake blushed scarlet red as some kids laughed but Selena had turned a deathly pale. She hated being called stupid.
"But! You all are very behind. Behind on curses. So I'm here to bring you up to stratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've only one year to teach you..."
"You're not staying?" Ron asked. "You must be Arthur's son. Yes, your father got me out of a tight situation. Yes, one year until retirement. Favor from Dumbledore. Ha. Straight onto curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Minister of Magic, I'm suppose to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not suppose to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in sixth year. You're not suppose to be old enough to deal with it till then."
"I have one question Professor." Jake asked. Selena and the rest looked up,
"If we are too young to learn about the Dark Arts until we're in our sixth year, why do you say that we are behind?" Moody gave him a strangely threatening grin.
"According to Dumbledore he feels you can cope. Sooner you know what you're up against the better. How else would you know what spell a wizard or witch is gonna use? A wizard isn't going to say it nice and polite in your face. You got to be prepared and you need to put that away Ms. Brown while I'm talking." Apparently, Moody's magical eye could see Lavender trying to show Parvati a paper of her complete horoscope. Jake smiled and shook his head a bit.
"Does anyone know a curse?" Moody asked. Ron put his hand up. "My dad told me one. Is it called the Imperius curse?" "Ah, yes. Your father would know about that. Gave the Ministry a hard time. Total control. I could make this spider jump out the window, drown itself, and throw itself down one of your throats. Years back witches and wizards were controlled by the Imperius curse. Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out on who's controlling on their own will and who's not. Imerius curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, it takes real strength but not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Everyone jumped and Selena's book fell on the floor. Now Moody asked for the second curse. Neville raised his hand and said it was the Cruciatus curse. All except the two Americans looked at hm in amazement. Then Hermione told the third and the worst. Avada Kedavra. And explained that it's a killing curse. No countercurse for it. Yet he destroyed his spiders with each of the three different Unforgiveable Curses.
Since the class was over, Hermione was urgent to leave, "Hurry up."
"Not that ruddy library."
"No. Neville." As they all went to see Neville who was pale and shaky.
Jake looked at Selena with grim look on his face.
They knew why he was like this. They are the only ones who know the truth about why Neville was taken in by his grandmother. Jake cast his eyes down and Selena tightened her hold on the books she was carrying.
Moody came up to speak to them and take Neville to his office. Harry wore a grim expression on his face too. Jake and Selena knew why also.
Then they went up to the Gryffindor common room after dinner, and Selena finally got her sleep in a comfortable-looking chair as Jake tried to keep awake as he did his homework for figuering the different terrible things to happen to him. He wrote on and on until Hermione came up behind them. Ron and Harry were finished.
"Hello, I've just finished." Hermione said.
"So have I!" Jake and Ron said in the same time.
Hermione looked at them both and saw their papers. "Not having a good month are we?"
"At least we're forewarned." Ron nodded in agreement with Jake.
"You seem to be drowning twice Ron and you Jake seem to have broken your legs in a pointless fight."
"Really? Then I'll change that to getting bit by a werewolf." Jake added when he saw the expression on their faces.
"Why isn't she doing her homework?" Hermione asked to get off the subject.
Selena had turned over and was in a fetal position on the chair.
"Sacrificing my sleep for hers so I can suffer a terrible day as she can enjoy herself." Jake said.
"And how, if I may ask, is she gonna finish her homework?" Hermione asked icily as she watched Selena for a moment.
"Copy off mine of course." Jake said bluntly. Ron looked at Harry with a look. "No you don't. Besides, how is she gonna learn much about these things?"
"She read the books about three times and she talks like the dictionary every time I ask her a question. She wants to copy the Divination homework since it doesn't take too much brains to do it and she's tired. Don't worry, she'll manage."
"I'm not sure you might graduate here or anything." Ron said slowly. "After all, you don't know what the exams are like around here."
"Well, we might not be here to take the exams or prehaps we might eventually if we can't go home." Jake said as he finished rewriting his homework quickly. "Don't you think the teacher will realize that you guys made this up?" Hermione said as she did a double check up on the predictions.
"How dare you. We've been working like house elves here." Ron said. "Yeah and besides, we're not as happy as they are." Jake said.
Hermione gave each one an icy glare. "It's just an expression." Two boys said instantly. Harry looked at the three and shook his head with a grin on his face.
Jake was similar to Ron, but there was a different quality about him. He refused to take crap, and he'd even told Malfoy off enough that the Slytherin had walked away with a crimson blush on his face. Selena was usually a quiet girl, but occasionally she would tell them something that was both fascinating and at the same time intelectual. Harry felt as if he had known them his entire life. If he'd had friends like Jake and Selena from the start, he wouldn't have felt as bad that Voldemort was after him as he'd felt after his first year
As so then, selena got to have her beauty sleep, and Jake takes few hours of sleep, Ron slept well, but Harry laid on his four poster bed thinking about His two best friends and two Americans. He then slept on smiling. tomorrow, will be the arrival of two schools. Course, few classes before that as so things wouldn't be as complicated for them all.
starts to flutter.
"So, you know what today we're gonna do?" Selena asked yawnily.
"Wish i knew. I hope it's nothing gross. I mean I'm so tired."
"I just wish that we can sleep in now. Here, drag me to the greenhouse." Selena leaned into Jake. Jake pushed her gently, "Selena, we're there. Don't worry. And hey, at least there's only three classes for today i think." Jake said.
"Yeah with hours of doing homework!"
"Ah come on, I know we're both bloody tired but hey, i'll let you sleep and i do my homework. Then let you copy off mine but make slight changes so it doesn't cause suspicsion."
"You're so sweet." Selena said yawnily.
Professor Sprout smiled distractedly at them before she moved towards a strange-looking plant.
"Bubotubers. They need squeezing. You will collect the
pus-" She began.
"The what?" Jake and Seamus asked at the same time.
"The pus, Finnigan, Jake. The pus. And it's extremely
vaulable so don't waste it. You will collect the pus,
I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide
gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when
undiluted, bubotuber pus." Selena and several girls wrinkled their noses as they moved towards the plants.
"Weird this stuff." Selena commented as the gross pus
squeezed out oozingly.
"Good thing my stomach's iron. Or I would have puked." Jake said.
"Oh ha, ha." Selena said sarcastically as she squeezed
it and Jake squeezed it a bit too hard but caught it
all in the bottle successfully. Neville tried the same manualover but wasn't quite as successful.
Jake chuckled a bit. Selena began to growl grumpily from lack of sleep and disgusting projects.
"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy, an excellent remedy
for the more stubborn forms of acne, Bubotuber pus." Professor Sprout said seriously as she popped a cork in a last bottle..Every bottles are now filled with pints of pus.
"Must she keep saying that? It sounds revolting." Jake
whispered to Selena. Selena just shrugged, "We can't really do anything about that." Selena whispered.
"Like poor Eloise Midgeon. She tried to curse hers
off." Hannah Abbott said to a small audience of listeners. Jake snorted a bit.
"Silly girl, but Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose in the
end." Sprout said.
Jake snorted a bit to Selena but the blond girl paled.
"That doesn't sound too pleasent." She mumbled.
"Mornin'!" Hagrid said as the class assembled around his hut for the class. Selena had a creeping sensation in her stomach.
Jake looked at Hagrid, "Wow. He's bigger than Robbie
the guy who played Hagrid." He commented.
"Shhh." Selena said smiling.
"Be'er wait for the Slytherins, they won't want to
miss this... Blast ended skrewts." Selena's eyes widened and she took visible steps away from the viberating boxes. Jake seemed as if he was ready to remain where he was but then he seemed to recall something from his memory. He walked to Selena, who was standing a good distance from the boxes. Harry and Hermione secretly wondered what the new American students knew that they didn't.
"Come again?" Ron asked
"Eurgh!" Lavender screeched. Hagrid was beaming down at the creatures as if they were a crate of stuffed animals instead of hideous and disgusting creatures they were.
"Only just hatched so you'll be able to raise them
yerseves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of
it."
"And why would we want to raise... them?" Draco said
as he arrived. Couple of slytherins followed behind him.
Jake smirked at Draco. Draco, on the other hand, gave him an ugly
sneer. Jake glared but Selena's face turned bright red.
She looked away.
While Hagrid spoke about the Skrewts, he mentioned that he had no idea what they ate. Selena immediately spoke up.
"I know what they eat Hagrid." She said calmly. All of the students looked at her and Jake in astonishment. Hagrid's face brightened tremendously but the American teenagers looked at the creatures seriously.
"Really? What?" Hagrid asked eagerly.
"Each other." Jake and Selena said. Harry and Ron shared a look. Draco snorted and whispered to the Slytherins and Hagrid looked at them disappointedly and Jake shook his head chuckling.
Later, during the much-needed lunch, the Gryffindors ate up eagerly. No one quite equalled Hermione, however, as she started eating quickly.
"Is this the new Elfish right? You're gonna make
yourself puke instead?" Ron asked bluntly. Jake and Selena exchanged knowing glances from their seat just five spaces away. They didn't want to suddenly intrude on the group since they had been together for four years while Selena and Jake had arrived only the day before.
"No. I just want to get to the library." Hermione
spoke to Ron between mouthfuls.
"Hermione, this is the first day back! We haven't even gotten any
homework yet!" Ron said in horror. She shrugged at him carelessly.
Selena spoke to Jake, "Do you think she'll be asking
us to join spew any time soon?"
"I hope not." Jake whispered back nervously.
"I been thinking since people starts to think that since we're together, i fear they might think of us as..." Selena said.
"Cousins. We're cousins. Sounds good though. Hey, if they rub it the wrong way we'll tell them we're just cousins."
"I like that idea. How about we also don't get too close to each other much too."
"Yeah. Good idea." Jake said and edges away from her. Selena shook her head and rolls her eyes.
When the next bell sounded, all of the Gryffindors made their way up the grueling stairs to the Divination Tower. Once they opened the trap door, Selena and Jake started hacking and coughing because of the large amounts of vapors in the room. As the Divination class began, Professor Trelawney gave a long and very annoying lecture about death, more specifically Harry's death and she even mentioned two ways that Selena and Jake would die as lovers. Both blushed crimson red.
"He's my cousin! Why would we do that?" Selena demanded quickly. Trelawney paled and cleared her throat, ignoring the question. Ron and Harry snickered two tables away.
"I'm sorry my dear but I believe that the planet Saturn is looming over you." Trelawney said as she turned to Harry, almost as if he was the easy way out of being embarressed. "Death and destruction-," She began to relax into her role before Selena pipped up.
"What a minute, that isn't right!" Everyone turned to her in shock. "Saturn simply means that he would be independent and worldly goods would hold no interest for him." She explained. "He has a strong will and a desire to show all that he can be. And besides, is he even a Cappricorn?" She turned to Harry. He blinked.
"What?" He asked.
"When's you're birthday?" He and Ron glanced at each other thoughtfully. "In July." He said. "So you're a Leo! You're ruled by the sun anyway!" The class bursted into little snickers and giggles all over the room. Jake grinned darkly. Parvati and Lavender glared in horror at Selena and Jake. "I can see how Saturn could be mistaken for the sun." Jake muttered so that the tables close by could hear him. "I mean, July and December are easily mistaken for the other." More laughter followed. Jake laughed along and seemed to approve of getting attention and Selena grinned at the professor getting into a bit of trouble.
"Enough!" The professor hissed. She began to assign work instantly and with none of her previous airiness.
As Harry started to ask, "I've got two Neptunes here. That can't be right can it?"
Jake and Selena were privately looking at their papers angrily. Two Neptunes?! That was nothing! Selena had about two suns and twelve Mercuaries along with an Earth or two. Jake had three Uranuses and twelve moons and a pair of Mars planets.
"Aaaaah, when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it's a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born Harry." Ron said mimicking Trelawney's misty voice. Everyone around them laughed. Even Jake and Selena. Lavender glowered at Ron viciously but turned to her papers to get her mind off of his rude comment. "Oh, Professor, look! I think I've got an unaspected planet. Ooh. Which one is that Professor?"
"That's Uranus, my dear." Trelawney said.
Jake started to get wide eyes and started to look red and tried to keep a seriously straight face. Selena was muttering about 'men' and 'sick minds'.
"Can we have a look at Uranus too Lavender?" Ron asked sweetly. Everyone laughed again and Jake streamed with tears of laughter. Selena just blushed.
"Hey Weasley! Hey Weasley! Your dad's in the paper!" Draco taunted. And so they all read the paper realizing how badly it lied about Arthur Weasley and the ministry.
Selena and Jake were glaring at Draco angrily with their wands already out and moving towards his general direction. If only they knew what spell to use for a punishment! Draco insulted Ron's mother by calling her fat.
"You know your mother Malfoy? That _expression she's got like there's dung under her nose, was she always like that or was it because, you're with her?" Harry asked calmly. Jake glares at Draco as he holds his wand threateningly as Selena had opened a book and was trying to find a spell.
When they saw Moody coming forward, they instantly bursted into uncontrollable laughter! Jake dropped his wand and Selena dropped her enourmous book as they both clutched their sides and shook with laughter.
"Don't you dare insult my mother Potter."
"Then keep your fat mouth shut then."
BANG! "Oh no you don't laddie!"
Selena and Jake were currently on the floor laughing their heads off. Moody came along and began bouncing the ferret whom was Draco around as if he were nothing but a rag doll. Jake had his wand out lying before him uselessly and Selena was trying to rise but failing miserably, and then McGonagall came down lecturing Moody about punishments with a horrified expression on her face. She turned Draco back into a human again (at which time he noticed the two American students laughing hysterically).
Moody decided to take Malfoy to see Snape for more punishment.
"Don't talk to me." Ron said. "Why not?" Hermione asked. "I want to fix that picture in my memory forever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."
"Its just too bad it only lasted for two minutes." Jake said teasingly as he and Selena joined the trio. "Well I'm glad McGonagall stopped him. He could have hurt Malfoy." Hermione said. "Hermione! You ruined the best moment of my life!" Ron said with a horrified expression on his face.
Selena and Jake moved away from them slightly when they noticed Fred, George, and Lee talking about Moody and how great his skills and teaching was. Jake looked at Selena as they listened to the conversation and talked themselves. Jake grinned darkly. "Maybe we should try stopping the Imperio curse's effects on us." He said as he grinned. "Hmm... I think so too. It'll be great since he doesn't know about us completely. We know how Harry stopped its influences too."
The few neighbors looking at them tried to strain their ears but they didn't catch a word the teenagers had said.
"What?" The two Americans asked when they noticed the people looking at them. They looked at the staring audience and they started to gather thoughts.
"Nothing. We're just wondering what you were talking about." Fred said.
"Oh nothing you mind. You had your fun bickering about how great Moody was as we just saw him turn Malfoy into a ferret." Jake said smirkly. "Moody did what?" Fred asked in shock. He laughed and so did Lee and George. "Well, obviously." Hermione said hotly.
Two days passed without much incident except when Neville melted his sixth cauldron, and Jake 'accidently' spilled the boiling potion on one of the Slytherins and got detention with Neville.
"You know why Snape's in foul mood right?" Ron said to Harry as they watched Hermione teach Jake the scouring charm since he still had a large helping of the disembowelment spell on horned toads. Neville got to learn a bit too.
"Moody." Harry said.
"Reckon Snape is afraid of him. What a wimp."
Jake grinned a cocky grin. Ron smiled a bit and so did Harry. Selena was flipping through pages to pages on Standard Spells grade four. She was on chapter eighteen (and showing her true colors as a second Hermione).
Hermione was on chapter thirty four so Selena still had a way to go. Still, she hadn't had the summer to study like Hermione had. Of course Hermione stopped where she was to help with the scoring charm to rid of the guts from Jake and Neville's fingernails and went back to her book.
"Imagine if Moody turned Snape into a horned toad." Ron said thoughtfully.
"A Jellyfish." Jake commented.
Ron turned to him and his eyes sparkled, "A slug. So we can step on him."
"A rat so I can stuff all of the fireworks in his mouth. No, not even one can fit it. Damn. How about gun powder?" Jake said grinning.
"Jake, what are you talking about?" Selena asked distractedly as she turned the page of her book carefully, eyes glued to the page.
"Him. That traitor who... framed Black." Selena glanced up from her book with her skin as pale as Neville's had been when he'd melted his cauldron. Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at each other with astonishment.
"How did you..." They asked. "We know because it was in the papers about Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban and some kid told the minister of magic he believed that some how Peter Pettigrew was still alive. And I believe you. We believe you." Selena said quickly, turning to Jake with a 'why-did-you-open-your-big-mouth?' expression on her face.
"How could you figure that out?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "
Well, I'm much of a thinker. While most people believe its cock bull, but hey, if Sirius Black had been after you, why did he stop? And as a matter of fact, where is that rat Pettigrew?" Three eyes grew wide and they looked at each other with astonishment. 'But how did you know if it were true that Peter is alive and Ron has a rat?" Hermione as suspeciously.
Jake realized he opened his bid bad mouth but said, "It was obvious because if the boy in the [hrp[het said he was scabbers, Ron's rat. and said Sirius was after him and not Harry. Yet that was my guess that Sirius was after Peter all along."
Selena was making cutting motions to her throat for him to stop. "Yes and now, if you four don't mind, we have to get to class. Defense Against the Dark Arts." Selena said briskly as she closed her book shut.
"My favoritest classroom. Thank God Lockhart ain't teaching it anymore. He's a loser." Hermione glared at Jake. Jake simply grinned back.
"You can put these away. These books. You won't need them." Moody growled as he entered.
Jake watched as Selena tried to get comfortable in her chair.
"Right then. I had a letter from Professor Lupin. He said you done well tackling dark creatures except you two Americans. Especially since one of you has a smart aleck atittude and the other is too ignorant to pay attention." Jake blushed scarlet red as some kids laughed but Selena had turned a deathly pale. She hated being called stupid.
"But! You all are very behind. Behind on curses. So I'm here to bring you up to stratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've only one year to teach you..."
"You're not staying?" Ron asked. "You must be Arthur's son. Yes, your father got me out of a tight situation. Yes, one year until retirement. Favor from Dumbledore. Ha. Straight onto curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Minister of Magic, I'm suppose to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not suppose to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in sixth year. You're not suppose to be old enough to deal with it till then."
"I have one question Professor." Jake asked. Selena and the rest looked up,
"If we are too young to learn about the Dark Arts until we're in our sixth year, why do you say that we are behind?" Moody gave him a strangely threatening grin.
"According to Dumbledore he feels you can cope. Sooner you know what you're up against the better. How else would you know what spell a wizard or witch is gonna use? A wizard isn't going to say it nice and polite in your face. You got to be prepared and you need to put that away Ms. Brown while I'm talking." Apparently, Moody's magical eye could see Lavender trying to show Parvati a paper of her complete horoscope. Jake smiled and shook his head a bit.
"Does anyone know a curse?" Moody asked. Ron put his hand up. "My dad told me one. Is it called the Imperius curse?" "Ah, yes. Your father would know about that. Gave the Ministry a hard time. Total control. I could make this spider jump out the window, drown itself, and throw itself down one of your throats. Years back witches and wizards were controlled by the Imperius curse. Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out on who's controlling on their own will and who's not. Imerius curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, it takes real strength but not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Everyone jumped and Selena's book fell on the floor. Now Moody asked for the second curse. Neville raised his hand and said it was the Cruciatus curse. All except the two Americans looked at hm in amazement. Then Hermione told the third and the worst. Avada Kedavra. And explained that it's a killing curse. No countercurse for it. Yet he destroyed his spiders with each of the three different Unforgiveable Curses.
Since the class was over, Hermione was urgent to leave, "Hurry up."
"Not that ruddy library."
"No. Neville." As they all went to see Neville who was pale and shaky.
Jake looked at Selena with grim look on his face.
They knew why he was like this. They are the only ones who know the truth about why Neville was taken in by his grandmother. Jake cast his eyes down and Selena tightened her hold on the books she was carrying.
Moody came up to speak to them and take Neville to his office. Harry wore a grim expression on his face too. Jake and Selena knew why also.
Then they went up to the Gryffindor common room after dinner, and Selena finally got her sleep in a comfortable-looking chair as Jake tried to keep awake as he did his homework for figuering the different terrible things to happen to him. He wrote on and on until Hermione came up behind them. Ron and Harry were finished.
"Hello, I've just finished." Hermione said.
"So have I!" Jake and Ron said in the same time.
Hermione looked at them both and saw their papers. "Not having a good month are we?"
"At least we're forewarned." Ron nodded in agreement with Jake.
"You seem to be drowning twice Ron and you Jake seem to have broken your legs in a pointless fight."
"Really? Then I'll change that to getting bit by a werewolf." Jake added when he saw the expression on their faces.
"Why isn't she doing her homework?" Hermione asked to get off the subject.
Selena had turned over and was in a fetal position on the chair.
"Sacrificing my sleep for hers so I can suffer a terrible day as she can enjoy herself." Jake said.
"And how, if I may ask, is she gonna finish her homework?" Hermione asked icily as she watched Selena for a moment.
"Copy off mine of course." Jake said bluntly. Ron looked at Harry with a look. "No you don't. Besides, how is she gonna learn much about these things?"
"She read the books about three times and she talks like the dictionary every time I ask her a question. She wants to copy the Divination homework since it doesn't take too much brains to do it and she's tired. Don't worry, she'll manage."
"I'm not sure you might graduate here or anything." Ron said slowly. "After all, you don't know what the exams are like around here."
"Well, we might not be here to take the exams or prehaps we might eventually if we can't go home." Jake said as he finished rewriting his homework quickly. "Don't you think the teacher will realize that you guys made this up?" Hermione said as she did a double check up on the predictions.
"How dare you. We've been working like house elves here." Ron said. "Yeah and besides, we're not as happy as they are." Jake said.
Hermione gave each one an icy glare. "It's just an expression." Two boys said instantly. Harry looked at the three and shook his head with a grin on his face.
Jake was similar to Ron, but there was a different quality about him. He refused to take crap, and he'd even told Malfoy off enough that the Slytherin had walked away with a crimson blush on his face. Selena was usually a quiet girl, but occasionally she would tell them something that was both fascinating and at the same time intelectual. Harry felt as if he had known them his entire life. If he'd had friends like Jake and Selena from the start, he wouldn't have felt as bad that Voldemort was after him as he'd felt after his first year
As so then, selena got to have her beauty sleep, and Jake takes few hours of sleep, Ron slept well, but Harry laid on his four poster bed thinking about His two best friends and two Americans. He then slept on smiling. tomorrow, will be the arrival of two schools. Course, few classes before that as so things wouldn't be as complicated for them all.
starts to flutter.