Professor McGonagall led her down one quiet deserted corridor after
another. Finally, they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She sat
snoozing in her frame. The Professor McGonagall once again turned to
Jessica.
"I will never understand every aspect of the Headmaster's plan. However, I can see why he trusts you. You do have a very honest face, although we may have to administer truth potion to you to convince some of the teachers," then, catching the look on her dance, she added hastily, "it doesn't hurt."
Somehow, Jessica didn't believe that.
"Come on, now," Professor continued, "Watch your step." She gave the portrait the password (higgly-dee-piggle-dee), and they stepped inside.
The common room was a sea of black, which made Jessica, in her light blue shirt, stand out a mile. The moment she entered, the room fell silent. Professor McGonagall climbed in after her, rather ungracefully. She straightened up, and turned to address the students.
"Gryffindors. I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our house. Her stay may be temporary, or it may be permanent. Either way, I expect you to treat her with the same respect you show eachother. I have no doubt that you will not disappoint me. You are all now dismissed to your last class. I will stay behind and show Jessica around. Please, treat her as if you have known her as long as you have known eachother. She is just as confused about his as we are. You are dismissed," Professor McGonagall finished, with a distinct note of superiority.
Jessica stepped out of the way of the portrait hold, and watched as the room slowly filtered out. With all of the students gone, she could see the common room clearly.
It was just how the book had described it. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace at the back of the room, and it was surrounded by a bunch of squashy armchairs. Tapestries displaying the Gryffindor lion hung on the wall. It was a very big room, and to either side of the fireplace, stairs went winding upwards. She recognized these as the staircases that lead to the separate dormitories.
Then, she noticed something that had not been a part of the book. A golden door was attached to the wall to the right of the girl's staircase. Professor McGonagall led her over to it, and with a rush of excitement, she realized that this is where her room was.
Professor nodded at the door, and stood back. Hands trembling, Jessica stepped forward and placed her hand on the knob. Slowly, she turned it and pushed the door open.
Whatever Professor McGonagall had meant by calling this room "small" was lost on Jessica. The room was the size of a hotel suite, including a large brass bed in the middle. The bed was draped with light blue and gray sheets, and the headboard and the footboard were a shiny bronze color. Jessica guessed that it was a queen size. However, the bed was nothing compared to the rest of the room. A large gray dresser stood against the white walls, and an odd black gizmo was sitting on top, but she was too impressed by the room to stop and worry about a few small details. The walls and floor were white, and the room were filled with small glass and porcelain figures.
She turned to Professor McGonagall, beaming, and said, "I love it. Thank you so much."
Then, Professor McGonagall did something she had never been known to do. She leaned forward and hugged Jessica very hard. Jessica tried to smile even though she was pretty sure she had cracked a rib. When they broke apart, Professor took her shoulders and looked her very seriously in the eye. "Somehow," she said, "You remind me of a young man I know. He too is very brave in strange situations. And I think that you, like he, will have a great impact on our world." She straightened up. "Right," she continued, back to her old self again, "During your time here, you will have the same responsibilities as the rest of the Gryffindors. You will follow all of the rules, and attend all of the classes," she gave her a rare smile, "I daresay you'll want to get a move on to catch up. I will talk to the other fifth years and assign you classes accordingly. I wish you the best of luck," and with a small nod, she left the room and shut the door behind her.
Jessica sighed, and flopped backward on to her bed. She was going to be attending school with Harry Potter. This should have been the happiest moment of her life, and yet…somehow, there had to be a reason she was brought here. Her wandering mind stopped as she rolled over and fell in to a deep, dream-filled sleep.
She had the strangest dream she had ever experienced. She was at her window, looking down on the Hogwarts grounds, when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Curious, she had lifted the window and soon found herself floating down toward the courtyard. She looked around as she landed gently on the stone path. Through the almost tangible night, she saw a man standing in the shadows, waiting.
"What on Earth are you doing down here at this time of night?" she called out to him. She watched for a full minute, and still he gave no reply. Soon, there was the sound of footsteps. Someone was walking quickly toward the courtyard. Jessica turned just in time to see the face of the approaching person. It was none other than Harry Potter.
"Get out," he whispered urgently, "Hurry. Run. Now!" She just stood and stared at him, noticing that he kept throwing anxious glances at the man in the corner. When she made no effort to leave, he placed his hands on her shoulders, spun her around, and pushed her as hard as he could. She stumbled, fell back, and woke in her bed with clammy hands and a searing pain in the indent of her neck.
"I will never understand every aspect of the Headmaster's plan. However, I can see why he trusts you. You do have a very honest face, although we may have to administer truth potion to you to convince some of the teachers," then, catching the look on her dance, she added hastily, "it doesn't hurt."
Somehow, Jessica didn't believe that.
"Come on, now," Professor continued, "Watch your step." She gave the portrait the password (higgly-dee-piggle-dee), and they stepped inside.
The common room was a sea of black, which made Jessica, in her light blue shirt, stand out a mile. The moment she entered, the room fell silent. Professor McGonagall climbed in after her, rather ungracefully. She straightened up, and turned to address the students.
"Gryffindors. I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our house. Her stay may be temporary, or it may be permanent. Either way, I expect you to treat her with the same respect you show eachother. I have no doubt that you will not disappoint me. You are all now dismissed to your last class. I will stay behind and show Jessica around. Please, treat her as if you have known her as long as you have known eachother. She is just as confused about his as we are. You are dismissed," Professor McGonagall finished, with a distinct note of superiority.
Jessica stepped out of the way of the portrait hold, and watched as the room slowly filtered out. With all of the students gone, she could see the common room clearly.
It was just how the book had described it. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace at the back of the room, and it was surrounded by a bunch of squashy armchairs. Tapestries displaying the Gryffindor lion hung on the wall. It was a very big room, and to either side of the fireplace, stairs went winding upwards. She recognized these as the staircases that lead to the separate dormitories.
Then, she noticed something that had not been a part of the book. A golden door was attached to the wall to the right of the girl's staircase. Professor McGonagall led her over to it, and with a rush of excitement, she realized that this is where her room was.
Professor nodded at the door, and stood back. Hands trembling, Jessica stepped forward and placed her hand on the knob. Slowly, she turned it and pushed the door open.
Whatever Professor McGonagall had meant by calling this room "small" was lost on Jessica. The room was the size of a hotel suite, including a large brass bed in the middle. The bed was draped with light blue and gray sheets, and the headboard and the footboard were a shiny bronze color. Jessica guessed that it was a queen size. However, the bed was nothing compared to the rest of the room. A large gray dresser stood against the white walls, and an odd black gizmo was sitting on top, but she was too impressed by the room to stop and worry about a few small details. The walls and floor were white, and the room were filled with small glass and porcelain figures.
She turned to Professor McGonagall, beaming, and said, "I love it. Thank you so much."
Then, Professor McGonagall did something she had never been known to do. She leaned forward and hugged Jessica very hard. Jessica tried to smile even though she was pretty sure she had cracked a rib. When they broke apart, Professor took her shoulders and looked her very seriously in the eye. "Somehow," she said, "You remind me of a young man I know. He too is very brave in strange situations. And I think that you, like he, will have a great impact on our world." She straightened up. "Right," she continued, back to her old self again, "During your time here, you will have the same responsibilities as the rest of the Gryffindors. You will follow all of the rules, and attend all of the classes," she gave her a rare smile, "I daresay you'll want to get a move on to catch up. I will talk to the other fifth years and assign you classes accordingly. I wish you the best of luck," and with a small nod, she left the room and shut the door behind her.
Jessica sighed, and flopped backward on to her bed. She was going to be attending school with Harry Potter. This should have been the happiest moment of her life, and yet…somehow, there had to be a reason she was brought here. Her wandering mind stopped as she rolled over and fell in to a deep, dream-filled sleep.
She had the strangest dream she had ever experienced. She was at her window, looking down on the Hogwarts grounds, when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Curious, she had lifted the window and soon found herself floating down toward the courtyard. She looked around as she landed gently on the stone path. Through the almost tangible night, she saw a man standing in the shadows, waiting.
"What on Earth are you doing down here at this time of night?" she called out to him. She watched for a full minute, and still he gave no reply. Soon, there was the sound of footsteps. Someone was walking quickly toward the courtyard. Jessica turned just in time to see the face of the approaching person. It was none other than Harry Potter.
"Get out," he whispered urgently, "Hurry. Run. Now!" She just stood and stared at him, noticing that he kept throwing anxious glances at the man in the corner. When she made no effort to leave, he placed his hands on her shoulders, spun her around, and pushed her as hard as he could. She stumbled, fell back, and woke in her bed with clammy hands and a searing pain in the indent of her neck.