"I'm so happy! Isn't this exciting, Jessica? We get to go to the Hogwarts
dance!" Amanda said to Jessica in private. All of them were sitting in the
Common Room, discussing what Professor McGonagall had told them. Jessica
smiled and nodded.
"Well I don't know what I'm going to do," Hermione said, agitated, "If it's only open to Hogwarts students, I'm thinking about not going at all. It would be the perfect time to keep researching and working on our little project," she added to Amanda and Jessica in a low whisper.
Jessica could have sworn that Amanda looked confused, but the next second it was back to her usual cheerful expression.
"Oh but you have to come, Hermione," she said, giving her bambi eyes, "It just wouldn't be the same without you!"
"I suppose," Hermione said.
"So who're you going to ask, Ron?" Harry asked, leaning back in to his chair.
Ron flushed and glanced at Amanda, who didn't seem to have noticed. For a moment, Harry couldn't distinguish between Ron's face and hair, both were such a bright red.
Harry grinned at Ron, who looked down at the floor.
"Alright, then who were you going to ask, Harry?" Ron retorted.
Harry suddenly took on a confused expression. "I don't know yet." He looked over at Jessica, who was talking to Amanda and Hermione in quiet whispers, all three of them were extremely giggly. Harry guessed that they were talking about the boys they wanted to go with. "Jessica made me promise not to talk to Faith again, and I don't really want to. But still, going to a dance with Cho…" he trailed off in to silence for a moment. "No," he said suddenly, sounding angry, "Jessica is right. If Cho won't go with me, then I'll just find someone else. I have to admit, though," he said, shifting uncomfortably, "That Faith girl did make me feel a little strange."
"Just go with Jessica then," Ron suggested nonchalantly.
The funny thing was, Harry had even considered that as an option.
"I just don't know," he said slowly, confusing himself with his own attitude. He noticed Ron was looking at him oddly, and said the first thing that came to mind, even though he didn't mean it. "I don't think she'd go with me," he blurted.
Ron laughed. "Please! You're Harry Potter. Girls would probably die to go with you."
Harry smiled and shook his head. Ron had said the same thing last year, although, it had turned out to be partly true. But he still hadn't gone with the person he really wanted to, Cho.
Hermione suddenly burst out in very loud laughter. Ron and Harry stared. They had never heard Hermione laugh like that. But then again, Hermione had never really had any friends that were girls before. Harry supposed that Amanda and Jessica brought out a side of Hermione they hadn't seen before.
Now, watching the three of them giggle and flip their hair, he had the sudden, inexplicable urge to do something drastic.
"Harry? Harry, you ok?" Ron's voice brought him back to reality.
"What? Oh…yeah. Yeah. I'm fine," Harry said, feeling rather foolish.
Ron laughed. "What's the matter? Never seen a girl before?"
Harry laughed too, but in the back of his mind, he was thinking that he'd never seen a girl in that way before. Before, every girl had fallen in to one of three categories, friend, enemy, or Cho. But now, it was different. There was something odd about his relationship with those three girls, particularly Jessica. It was deeper than friendship, but they were nothing like girlfriends. Harry shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all his scrambled thoughts.
Hermione stood up, still grinning.
"Well, we'd better go down for dinner now," she said to Jessica and Amanda. Then she turned to Harry and Ron. "Are you two coming with us or are you going to go down later?"
"No, we'll go with you," Ron said as he lifted himself out of the chair, and they started their way down to the Great Hall in high spirits.
"Amanda," Jessica whispered, "I have the perfect person for Hermione to go with." She said with a sly grin.
"Ooooh," Amanda squealed, "Who? Who?!"
"I'll tell you in a minute…"
The five of them walked through the open oak doors that led in to the Great Hall. Students were sitting down to dinner, talking excitedly about the Spring Ball. Jessica pulled Amanda to the side and pointed at a tall, dark haired boy sitting at the end of the Hufflepuff table.
"Justin Finch-Fletchly," Jessica said quietly. Amanda went oddly silent.
"I thought he was dating that girl in Ravenclaw," Amanda said in a voice of forced calm.
"What?" Jessica said, looking at her, "Oh, that Faith girl…Well she doesn't count, does she? Besides Hermione is loads prettier than her…nicer too."
Amanda flushed slightly. "I happen to know her, and I think Faith is a very nice girl. And I also think she's prettier than Hermione."
Jessica gaped at her. "Are you serious?…Amanda, she made fun of you. She called you a Muggle when we both know that's not true. I mean, you're a descendent of Mr. Elithab, so you must have some magic blood in you."
"Well, I think she was right to call me a Muggle! I mean, you're one too!" Amanda said, going red in the face.
Jessica took a step back. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Instead, she nodded slowly.
"You're absolutely right, Amanda," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "Let's go sit down, ok?"
"Alright," Amanda said suspiciously.
Amanda started off toward the Gryffindor table, but Jessica hung back slightly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already sitting down, talking and laughing. Jessica took a seat right next to Harry, and Amanda sat across the table, beside Ron.
Jessica smiled and talked with the rest, but when Amanda excused herself to go to the bathroom, Jessica seized the opportunity.
"That isn't Amanda," she whispered urgently to Harry.
"What?" Harry asked, obviously taken aback.
"I said," Jessica pressed on, "That isn't Amanda. I know Amanda, and that's not her."
"You mean we were right?" Harry said unbelievingly, "I mean, about thinking she's not herself."
Jessica nodded. "She's more than 'not herself'. Infact, I have reason to believe that she's Faith. She's in Amanda's body for some reason…probably going to try and get you to help her win her bet. Or maybe she's after something more…"
Harry nearly upset his glass, he stood up so quickly.
Ron and Hermione, who had been talking about the Ball, looked startled.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Me and Jess have to tell you something."
"Well I don't know what I'm going to do," Hermione said, agitated, "If it's only open to Hogwarts students, I'm thinking about not going at all. It would be the perfect time to keep researching and working on our little project," she added to Amanda and Jessica in a low whisper.
Jessica could have sworn that Amanda looked confused, but the next second it was back to her usual cheerful expression.
"Oh but you have to come, Hermione," she said, giving her bambi eyes, "It just wouldn't be the same without you!"
"I suppose," Hermione said.
"So who're you going to ask, Ron?" Harry asked, leaning back in to his chair.
Ron flushed and glanced at Amanda, who didn't seem to have noticed. For a moment, Harry couldn't distinguish between Ron's face and hair, both were such a bright red.
Harry grinned at Ron, who looked down at the floor.
"Alright, then who were you going to ask, Harry?" Ron retorted.
Harry suddenly took on a confused expression. "I don't know yet." He looked over at Jessica, who was talking to Amanda and Hermione in quiet whispers, all three of them were extremely giggly. Harry guessed that they were talking about the boys they wanted to go with. "Jessica made me promise not to talk to Faith again, and I don't really want to. But still, going to a dance with Cho…" he trailed off in to silence for a moment. "No," he said suddenly, sounding angry, "Jessica is right. If Cho won't go with me, then I'll just find someone else. I have to admit, though," he said, shifting uncomfortably, "That Faith girl did make me feel a little strange."
"Just go with Jessica then," Ron suggested nonchalantly.
The funny thing was, Harry had even considered that as an option.
"I just don't know," he said slowly, confusing himself with his own attitude. He noticed Ron was looking at him oddly, and said the first thing that came to mind, even though he didn't mean it. "I don't think she'd go with me," he blurted.
Ron laughed. "Please! You're Harry Potter. Girls would probably die to go with you."
Harry smiled and shook his head. Ron had said the same thing last year, although, it had turned out to be partly true. But he still hadn't gone with the person he really wanted to, Cho.
Hermione suddenly burst out in very loud laughter. Ron and Harry stared. They had never heard Hermione laugh like that. But then again, Hermione had never really had any friends that were girls before. Harry supposed that Amanda and Jessica brought out a side of Hermione they hadn't seen before.
Now, watching the three of them giggle and flip their hair, he had the sudden, inexplicable urge to do something drastic.
"Harry? Harry, you ok?" Ron's voice brought him back to reality.
"What? Oh…yeah. Yeah. I'm fine," Harry said, feeling rather foolish.
Ron laughed. "What's the matter? Never seen a girl before?"
Harry laughed too, but in the back of his mind, he was thinking that he'd never seen a girl in that way before. Before, every girl had fallen in to one of three categories, friend, enemy, or Cho. But now, it was different. There was something odd about his relationship with those three girls, particularly Jessica. It was deeper than friendship, but they were nothing like girlfriends. Harry shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all his scrambled thoughts.
Hermione stood up, still grinning.
"Well, we'd better go down for dinner now," she said to Jessica and Amanda. Then she turned to Harry and Ron. "Are you two coming with us or are you going to go down later?"
"No, we'll go with you," Ron said as he lifted himself out of the chair, and they started their way down to the Great Hall in high spirits.
"Amanda," Jessica whispered, "I have the perfect person for Hermione to go with." She said with a sly grin.
"Ooooh," Amanda squealed, "Who? Who?!"
"I'll tell you in a minute…"
The five of them walked through the open oak doors that led in to the Great Hall. Students were sitting down to dinner, talking excitedly about the Spring Ball. Jessica pulled Amanda to the side and pointed at a tall, dark haired boy sitting at the end of the Hufflepuff table.
"Justin Finch-Fletchly," Jessica said quietly. Amanda went oddly silent.
"I thought he was dating that girl in Ravenclaw," Amanda said in a voice of forced calm.
"What?" Jessica said, looking at her, "Oh, that Faith girl…Well she doesn't count, does she? Besides Hermione is loads prettier than her…nicer too."
Amanda flushed slightly. "I happen to know her, and I think Faith is a very nice girl. And I also think she's prettier than Hermione."
Jessica gaped at her. "Are you serious?…Amanda, she made fun of you. She called you a Muggle when we both know that's not true. I mean, you're a descendent of Mr. Elithab, so you must have some magic blood in you."
"Well, I think she was right to call me a Muggle! I mean, you're one too!" Amanda said, going red in the face.
Jessica took a step back. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Instead, she nodded slowly.
"You're absolutely right, Amanda," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "Let's go sit down, ok?"
"Alright," Amanda said suspiciously.
Amanda started off toward the Gryffindor table, but Jessica hung back slightly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already sitting down, talking and laughing. Jessica took a seat right next to Harry, and Amanda sat across the table, beside Ron.
Jessica smiled and talked with the rest, but when Amanda excused herself to go to the bathroom, Jessica seized the opportunity.
"That isn't Amanda," she whispered urgently to Harry.
"What?" Harry asked, obviously taken aback.
"I said," Jessica pressed on, "That isn't Amanda. I know Amanda, and that's not her."
"You mean we were right?" Harry said unbelievingly, "I mean, about thinking she's not herself."
Jessica nodded. "She's more than 'not herself'. Infact, I have reason to believe that she's Faith. She's in Amanda's body for some reason…probably going to try and get you to help her win her bet. Or maybe she's after something more…"
Harry nearly upset his glass, he stood up so quickly.
Ron and Hermione, who had been talking about the Ball, looked startled.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Me and Jess have to tell you something."