"Come on, Harry. Let's go," she said, still glaring after their retreating
figures. Once they had turned the corner she spun around to look at Harry.
"What? What's wrong?" she asked, worried that he had sustained some kind of
brain damage. He was standing, gaping at her, not realizing that he had
dropped his wand.
He stood at a lost for words for a moment. Finally he managed to croak out, "Wow."
She laughed, a wonderful laugh that rang throughout the hall, echoing in the empty classrooms. She grabbed his arm and still laughing said, "Come on."
Later, he, Ron, Hermione and Jessica sat around the Common Room fire, finishing their homework. Harry and Jessica we're working particularly hard, trying to catch up from their time in the hospital wing. All of them had been discussing the events of the past couple of days. Harry had just finished telling them the story of what had happened with Malfoy, and Ron was positively crying with mirth. Harry, Jessica, and Hermione joined in with his laughing, and after several minutes, Hermione cleared her throat and turned to Jessica.
"So what was it that you showed Malfoy?" Hermione asked, still smiling.
Harry watched as Jessica's face took on a look of shock, followed by an odd closed expression, and followed by confusion. Jessica looked around and realized they were all staring at her with mild concern. She gave a small laugh that no one believed, and shrugged.
"Oh, well. I guess that's for me to know and you to find out," she said, teasingly. But her eyes gave her away. She looked terrified at the very thought that they might find out what she had shown Malfoy. Hermione looked somewhat shocked. But Ron seemed to not notice her strange reaction.
"Awww come on, don't keep us in suspense!" Ron said pleadingly.
Jessica stood up very quickly, sending her books crashing to the floor.
"It's late isn't it?" she said loudly, "It is, well I better go to bed. Don't want to be tired tomorrow." She gave them a would-be cheerful wave, and practically ran back to her room.
Now, even Ron could not deny the fact that she was acting oddly. The three of them sat staring at eachother, with their mouths hanging open.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked quietly.
Harry shrugged, "I have no idea. But one of us should go and try to find out." The three of them sat and looked at eachother for a long time, until finally, Harry sighed and said, "Alright. I'll go." He stood up and started to walk toward the door. When he reached the knob he spun around and called out, "If I'm not back if ten minutes, assume I'm dead," he said with a grin. Ron, however, cast a sideways look at Hermione, who was looking very wary. He waved his hand at them, and opened the door.
"Jessica?" he called quietly. The lights were not on, but there was a little relief from the darkness, coming from a candle situated on the night table. He could barely see three feet in front of him. "Jessica?" he said a little more confidently, "I want to talk to you. Where are you?" He had just taken a step forward, when she emerged from the shadows. Her pale skin was even more apparent in the near darkness.
"Harry?" she whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh," he said, suddenly struck dumb, "I, er, wanted to talk to you about what just happened out there." There was a long silence, and he had the distinct impression that she was sizing him up.
"Alright," she said finally, "Come here, have a seat." She walked over to the night table, picked up the candle, and carried it to the window. Jessica tore the curtains open, and the dying daylight flooded the room. It was a nice room, Harry thought. The different shades of blue and gray gave it a quiet tone, and he noticed that it was fairly depressing. "Go on then, sit down," she said, motioning at the bed.
He walked over to it, and sat down reluctantly. "Sorry there's no where else to sit," she said as she too sat down, "Now what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Harry looked at her for a moment. Her brown hair was slung over her shoulder, and she had little worry lines forming on her forehead. He was suddenly speechless.
"Er," he said, stumbling to find the words, "Why did you get so upset when Hermione asked you that question about the thing you showed Malfoy?" His question came out in a blur of incoherent words, but she seemed to understand. She looked down at her hands, and picked at a fray on the blanket.
"I dunno," she said quietly, "I really can't tell you what I showed him, not yet anyway." She quickly stopped fidgeting, and lifted her head. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly there was a tremendous bang. Harry felt the ground shake beneath his feet. It must have been an explosion, he thought. Jessica, however, stood up quickly and ran to the window. "Oh, oh," she was at a loss for words. She spun around to face Harry, and hissed, "Come here, right now! They've come! They've actually come!"
These words made no sense to Harry, but he stood up quickly and raced toward the window. The grounds were eerily silent, but he could hear a muffled screaming coming from somewhere else inside the castle. At first, he couldn't see what was unusual, but when he lifted his head he saw it. The Dark Mark was floating sixty feet in the air above the courtyard. The Dark Mark was a gray smoke figure of a huge skull with a snake curved and positioned as the tongue. It was Voldemort's trademark sign, and only he and his Death eater followers knew the spell to create it. Just watching it float made the hair on Harry's head stand on end. He turned to face Jessica, and saw that she was already looking at him, her face a pale yellow.
"I thought they were coming," she whispered faintly, "They're already here."
Just then, Ron and Hermione threw the door open and came running in.
* * *
He stood at a lost for words for a moment. Finally he managed to croak out, "Wow."
She laughed, a wonderful laugh that rang throughout the hall, echoing in the empty classrooms. She grabbed his arm and still laughing said, "Come on."
Later, he, Ron, Hermione and Jessica sat around the Common Room fire, finishing their homework. Harry and Jessica we're working particularly hard, trying to catch up from their time in the hospital wing. All of them had been discussing the events of the past couple of days. Harry had just finished telling them the story of what had happened with Malfoy, and Ron was positively crying with mirth. Harry, Jessica, and Hermione joined in with his laughing, and after several minutes, Hermione cleared her throat and turned to Jessica.
"So what was it that you showed Malfoy?" Hermione asked, still smiling.
Harry watched as Jessica's face took on a look of shock, followed by an odd closed expression, and followed by confusion. Jessica looked around and realized they were all staring at her with mild concern. She gave a small laugh that no one believed, and shrugged.
"Oh, well. I guess that's for me to know and you to find out," she said, teasingly. But her eyes gave her away. She looked terrified at the very thought that they might find out what she had shown Malfoy. Hermione looked somewhat shocked. But Ron seemed to not notice her strange reaction.
"Awww come on, don't keep us in suspense!" Ron said pleadingly.
Jessica stood up very quickly, sending her books crashing to the floor.
"It's late isn't it?" she said loudly, "It is, well I better go to bed. Don't want to be tired tomorrow." She gave them a would-be cheerful wave, and practically ran back to her room.
Now, even Ron could not deny the fact that she was acting oddly. The three of them sat staring at eachother, with their mouths hanging open.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked quietly.
Harry shrugged, "I have no idea. But one of us should go and try to find out." The three of them sat and looked at eachother for a long time, until finally, Harry sighed and said, "Alright. I'll go." He stood up and started to walk toward the door. When he reached the knob he spun around and called out, "If I'm not back if ten minutes, assume I'm dead," he said with a grin. Ron, however, cast a sideways look at Hermione, who was looking very wary. He waved his hand at them, and opened the door.
"Jessica?" he called quietly. The lights were not on, but there was a little relief from the darkness, coming from a candle situated on the night table. He could barely see three feet in front of him. "Jessica?" he said a little more confidently, "I want to talk to you. Where are you?" He had just taken a step forward, when she emerged from the shadows. Her pale skin was even more apparent in the near darkness.
"Harry?" she whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh," he said, suddenly struck dumb, "I, er, wanted to talk to you about what just happened out there." There was a long silence, and he had the distinct impression that she was sizing him up.
"Alright," she said finally, "Come here, have a seat." She walked over to the night table, picked up the candle, and carried it to the window. Jessica tore the curtains open, and the dying daylight flooded the room. It was a nice room, Harry thought. The different shades of blue and gray gave it a quiet tone, and he noticed that it was fairly depressing. "Go on then, sit down," she said, motioning at the bed.
He walked over to it, and sat down reluctantly. "Sorry there's no where else to sit," she said as she too sat down, "Now what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Harry looked at her for a moment. Her brown hair was slung over her shoulder, and she had little worry lines forming on her forehead. He was suddenly speechless.
"Er," he said, stumbling to find the words, "Why did you get so upset when Hermione asked you that question about the thing you showed Malfoy?" His question came out in a blur of incoherent words, but she seemed to understand. She looked down at her hands, and picked at a fray on the blanket.
"I dunno," she said quietly, "I really can't tell you what I showed him, not yet anyway." She quickly stopped fidgeting, and lifted her head. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly there was a tremendous bang. Harry felt the ground shake beneath his feet. It must have been an explosion, he thought. Jessica, however, stood up quickly and ran to the window. "Oh, oh," she was at a loss for words. She spun around to face Harry, and hissed, "Come here, right now! They've come! They've actually come!"
These words made no sense to Harry, but he stood up quickly and raced toward the window. The grounds were eerily silent, but he could hear a muffled screaming coming from somewhere else inside the castle. At first, he couldn't see what was unusual, but when he lifted his head he saw it. The Dark Mark was floating sixty feet in the air above the courtyard. The Dark Mark was a gray smoke figure of a huge skull with a snake curved and positioned as the tongue. It was Voldemort's trademark sign, and only he and his Death eater followers knew the spell to create it. Just watching it float made the hair on Harry's head stand on end. He turned to face Jessica, and saw that she was already looking at him, her face a pale yellow.
"I thought they were coming," she whispered faintly, "They're already here."
Just then, Ron and Hermione threw the door open and came running in.
* * *