"Ridiculous," Hermione said faintly.
Jessica shook her head frantically. "No! It's not! You have to believe me, that is not Amanda!"
Hermione shook her head. Ron was still staring in to the fire, trying to hide the fact that he was disturbed by this news.
"Look" Harry said impatiently, "Do you believe us, or not?"
Hermione looked at Jessica, as though trying to see if they were telling the truth. Jessica just shook her head and looked down at her hands.
Hermione heaved a sigh. "Alright, I believe you," she relented.
"What about you, Ron?" Jessica said, turning in her chair to face him.
The fire crackled eerily as Ron continued to stare in to space. Jessica looked at Harry who shrugged. They hadn't been able to get a word out of Ron since they had first entered the Common Room and told him and Hermione about Amanda.
The seconds lengthened. Finally, he said in a quiet voice. "Do you mean to say that she was never Amanda?"
"No, Ron," Jessica pressed on, "She was Amanda until the night I told you about, when she disappeared. Something came to our door. I don't know who or what it was, but it pulled her out of sight. When I got out of our room, the Common Room was empty, and the portrait hole was shut. But there was a note on the door…It said basically the same thing you told me I did when I went in to that trance. Then I think I passed out, and I ended up in the forest, and I saw…I saw…" Her voice faltered for a moment. Ron and Hermione were looking at her with raised eyebrows. Harry looked at her a nodded, encouraging her to tell them the rest. "I saw the six Aurors," she said quietly.
"What?" Hermione said, jumping out of her chair. "You mean that Dumbledore is keeping them on the grounds?! With all the dangerous things lurking in that forest, I thought for sure he'd send them to stay at the Ministry…"
"Yes, but like you said," Harry interrupted, "The forest is full of dangerous beasts. No one in their right mind would go in there…that is, except Hagrid…"
"But that's not the point," Jessica said hurriedly, "I want to know who left that note for me to find! And when are we going to find out about the other Aurors we contacted?? And what are we going to do about our fake Amanda? And where on Earth is the real Amanda?!?" Everyone stared at her. She felt the color rising in her face. "What I mean to say," she continued in a forced calm sort of voice, "Is that we have to stop arguing about things that we don't have to deal with right now. We need to focus on more important things…don't you agree?"
"Of course we do," Hermione said briskly, "You're right. But I think the first thing we need to address is Amanda…"
"Wait a minute," Harry said suddenly, "We haven't discussed anything about our plan in front of her…have we?"
"Oh no," Hermione said, looking at Jessica. "I mentioned it while we were talking about the Ball." She sounded scared, but Jessica waved her hand passively.
"Don't worry about it, Hermione," she said confidently, "I'm sure it didn't mean anything to her, especially if she didn't know what the plan was…"
"Uh oh," Ron said quietly, looking at the floor.
"What do you mean 'uh oh'?" Harry said slowly, dreading the answer.
"Well, the one night, she couldn't sleep, and I had homework to finish and we were alone in the Common Room talking," he turned a brilliant shade of magenta, "and…and…I told her all about the plan. She said she didn't understand exactly what it was we were going to do, so I went over the whole thing with her…She knows everything…everything."
"Oh Ron," Hermione groaned. Jessica's head dropped in to her hand, with her elbow sitting on her knee. Harry let out a long breath and leaned way back in to his chair, bringing his hands up to cover his face.
"So what are we going to do now?" Jessica said with her head still in her hand, speaking to the floor.
"God, Ron! You're so thick! Why would you tell her about the plan? She was there when we came up with it, she knew what it was about!" Hermione exploded, going red in the face.
"I didn't know!" Ron stammered, apparently startled by her speech. "Maybe I did it for the same reason you kissed Harry on the cheek at the end of last year!" he retaliated, also going scarlet in the face.
Hermione's eyes flashed. "You swore you wouldn't tell," she hissed.
"Ya well, I guess some promises don't matter anymore, do they?" he spat.
For a moment they stared straight at eachother, each still red in the face. Hermione's eyes were filling with tears. She whimpered, turned on her heel, and ran up the staircase to the girl's dormitory, silent tears streaking down her face.
Harry had dropped his hands to his lap, his mouth hanging open. He had seen Ron and Hermione fight before, but never like this. There had been something evasive about the way they were fighting, almost as though there was something they didn't want him and Jessica to know. Harry threw a sidelong glance at Jessica who was sitting in the exact same position as him, except for the fact that she noticed her mouth was hanging open and shut it quickly. She looked at Harry, utterly bewildered. Ron was still red in the face, he sunk back in the chair, breathing hard and shaking his head.
Jessica leaned over towards Harry.
"You take care of Ron," she whispered, "I'll go talk to Hermione."
Harry nodded, sitting back up. Jessica stood up and smoothed her clothes. As she started toward the girl's staircase, she suddenly stopped and looked at Ron.
"It's ok," she said quietly. Harry marveled at how her voice could be so business like and professional one moment, then go to quiet and sympathetic the very next. As Harry watched, Ron stared in to her light blue eyes, that were shining with tears. Harry was startled, he hadn't even thought about her eyes in so long. In all that had been happening, her gaze had lost it's twinkle…it's light. As Ron looked at her, his face faded from a red to a light pink, and finally back to it's usual color. She offered him one last smile, then started up the staircase.
* * *
Jessica shook her head frantically. "No! It's not! You have to believe me, that is not Amanda!"
Hermione shook her head. Ron was still staring in to the fire, trying to hide the fact that he was disturbed by this news.
"Look" Harry said impatiently, "Do you believe us, or not?"
Hermione looked at Jessica, as though trying to see if they were telling the truth. Jessica just shook her head and looked down at her hands.
Hermione heaved a sigh. "Alright, I believe you," she relented.
"What about you, Ron?" Jessica said, turning in her chair to face him.
The fire crackled eerily as Ron continued to stare in to space. Jessica looked at Harry who shrugged. They hadn't been able to get a word out of Ron since they had first entered the Common Room and told him and Hermione about Amanda.
The seconds lengthened. Finally, he said in a quiet voice. "Do you mean to say that she was never Amanda?"
"No, Ron," Jessica pressed on, "She was Amanda until the night I told you about, when she disappeared. Something came to our door. I don't know who or what it was, but it pulled her out of sight. When I got out of our room, the Common Room was empty, and the portrait hole was shut. But there was a note on the door…It said basically the same thing you told me I did when I went in to that trance. Then I think I passed out, and I ended up in the forest, and I saw…I saw…" Her voice faltered for a moment. Ron and Hermione were looking at her with raised eyebrows. Harry looked at her a nodded, encouraging her to tell them the rest. "I saw the six Aurors," she said quietly.
"What?" Hermione said, jumping out of her chair. "You mean that Dumbledore is keeping them on the grounds?! With all the dangerous things lurking in that forest, I thought for sure he'd send them to stay at the Ministry…"
"Yes, but like you said," Harry interrupted, "The forest is full of dangerous beasts. No one in their right mind would go in there…that is, except Hagrid…"
"But that's not the point," Jessica said hurriedly, "I want to know who left that note for me to find! And when are we going to find out about the other Aurors we contacted?? And what are we going to do about our fake Amanda? And where on Earth is the real Amanda?!?" Everyone stared at her. She felt the color rising in her face. "What I mean to say," she continued in a forced calm sort of voice, "Is that we have to stop arguing about things that we don't have to deal with right now. We need to focus on more important things…don't you agree?"
"Of course we do," Hermione said briskly, "You're right. But I think the first thing we need to address is Amanda…"
"Wait a minute," Harry said suddenly, "We haven't discussed anything about our plan in front of her…have we?"
"Oh no," Hermione said, looking at Jessica. "I mentioned it while we were talking about the Ball." She sounded scared, but Jessica waved her hand passively.
"Don't worry about it, Hermione," she said confidently, "I'm sure it didn't mean anything to her, especially if she didn't know what the plan was…"
"Uh oh," Ron said quietly, looking at the floor.
"What do you mean 'uh oh'?" Harry said slowly, dreading the answer.
"Well, the one night, she couldn't sleep, and I had homework to finish and we were alone in the Common Room talking," he turned a brilliant shade of magenta, "and…and…I told her all about the plan. She said she didn't understand exactly what it was we were going to do, so I went over the whole thing with her…She knows everything…everything."
"Oh Ron," Hermione groaned. Jessica's head dropped in to her hand, with her elbow sitting on her knee. Harry let out a long breath and leaned way back in to his chair, bringing his hands up to cover his face.
"So what are we going to do now?" Jessica said with her head still in her hand, speaking to the floor.
"God, Ron! You're so thick! Why would you tell her about the plan? She was there when we came up with it, she knew what it was about!" Hermione exploded, going red in the face.
"I didn't know!" Ron stammered, apparently startled by her speech. "Maybe I did it for the same reason you kissed Harry on the cheek at the end of last year!" he retaliated, also going scarlet in the face.
Hermione's eyes flashed. "You swore you wouldn't tell," she hissed.
"Ya well, I guess some promises don't matter anymore, do they?" he spat.
For a moment they stared straight at eachother, each still red in the face. Hermione's eyes were filling with tears. She whimpered, turned on her heel, and ran up the staircase to the girl's dormitory, silent tears streaking down her face.
Harry had dropped his hands to his lap, his mouth hanging open. He had seen Ron and Hermione fight before, but never like this. There had been something evasive about the way they were fighting, almost as though there was something they didn't want him and Jessica to know. Harry threw a sidelong glance at Jessica who was sitting in the exact same position as him, except for the fact that she noticed her mouth was hanging open and shut it quickly. She looked at Harry, utterly bewildered. Ron was still red in the face, he sunk back in the chair, breathing hard and shaking his head.
Jessica leaned over towards Harry.
"You take care of Ron," she whispered, "I'll go talk to Hermione."
Harry nodded, sitting back up. Jessica stood up and smoothed her clothes. As she started toward the girl's staircase, she suddenly stopped and looked at Ron.
"It's ok," she said quietly. Harry marveled at how her voice could be so business like and professional one moment, then go to quiet and sympathetic the very next. As Harry watched, Ron stared in to her light blue eyes, that were shining with tears. Harry was startled, he hadn't even thought about her eyes in so long. In all that had been happening, her gaze had lost it's twinkle…it's light. As Ron looked at her, his face faded from a red to a light pink, and finally back to it's usual color. She offered him one last smile, then started up the staircase.
* * *