"I can't believe it," Hermione whispered, more to herself than the
others. "I can't believe I'm actually expelled."
"It'll be okay," Jessica said confidently, "Dumbledore will back up our story. I'm sure of it."
Their footsteps echoed in the empty corridors as they made their way back to the Common Room.
Harry was walking quietly beside Ron, massaging his forehead with his knuckles.
"What's up?" Jessica asked, glancing at him.
"I just don't get it," Harry replied, "I mean, how did that Faith girl even get in to the Common Room? And more importantly, who is her master?"
Ron cursed softly. "If only Snape and McGonagall hadn't burst in on us, we could have found out!" he said in frustration.
Jessica shook her head sadly. "Well never had another opportunity like that, that's for sure," she said.
Hermione whipped her head around.
"Are you honestly saying that that's the only thing your upset about?!" she cried in an unnaturally high voice.
"Well, yes," Jessica replied slowly.
"What about getting expelled?!" she fumed, stomping her foot, and making them all stop dead in the corridor.
"What are you saying, Hermione?" Harry asked quietly.
"I'm saying," she hissed, "That, quite frankly, I'm ready to wash my hands of this entire situation! It's just not worth it!"
Harry and Jessica's jaws dropped instantly. Ron, however, took a step toward her, looking concerned.
"Come on, Hermione," he said softly, "You don't mean that…"
"Like hell I don't!" she exploded. Harry felt his jaw drop lower. Never, in all the years he had known her, never had he seen her that angry.
"Hermione," Jessica said slowly, stepping forward, "Listen to the voice of reason here…"
"No, you listen," she replied, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper, "All my life, I've been picked on. This school was the one place I had some respect! This school," she yelled, looking around the corridor, "Is the only place where I've ever had friends!" Her voice was still ringing through the corridors.
After a long moment of silence, Harry stepped forward.
"Hermione…" he began soothingly.
"No!" she yelled, turning and running back down the corridor.
Harry took a step forward to go after her, but Jessica stuck out her arm.
"Wait," she whispered suddenly.
"What?" Harry asked startled. Jessica's blue eyes widened to twice their normal size. She grabbed Harry and Ron by their arms.
"Come on!" she hissed, "Hurry up!"
She drug them in to a shadowy corridor.
"What are…" Ron began, but Jessica put her hand over his mouth.
"Shhhhh!" she whispered, pointing her free hand back toward the main corridor.
Ron, her hand still clamped to his mouth, turned his head to look. Two hooded figures were walking swiftly down the hall, talking in low mutters. They stopped in front of a door just past the corridor where they were hiding. Straining their ears, Harry, Ron, and Jessica caught snatches of what was being said.
"My lord, it's happened! They've been expelled!"
"It is not good enough. They are not fully expelled yet. If McGonagall hears what Dumbledore says, they'll be allowed to stay, and we can't have that now can we?"
"No, sir. No, no, not at all."
"But what are we to do, Severus, what are we to do?" This voice was full of malice, but somehow took on a slight softness. Almost as though it belonged to a woman.
Jessica heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat. Severus? Apparently Harry had caught that too. She felt him tense up beside her.
There was a long pause. For a moment, Jessica thought they had left, but finally, the man's voice spoke again.
"What of the girl we already have? What are we going to do with her?"
There was another long moment of silence.
"We will release her," said the woman's voice.
"My lord!" gasped the man, "Isn't that a threat to our entire mission?"
"Perhaps it is, Severus, perhaps it is. I, however, am in a rather generous mood today. We will let her go. Afterall," she continued after a brief pause, "Now we have a replacement."
They laughed an awful cruel laugh, which made Jessica's scar tingle in an unpleasant fashion. Harry, Ron and Jessica didn't move until they could no longer hear their cackling. Their last words were still ringing in Jessica's ears, as though they had shouted them at the top of their lungs. 'Now we have a replacement…'Her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps, as they had practically been holding their air in the entire time. Realizing she still had her hand stuck over Ron's mouth, she blushed and lowered it.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
There was another long silence, until finally Harry voiced what they were all thinking.
"That can't have been…right?" he asked in a hopeless sort of voice.
"I don't know Harry," Ron said, shifting uncomfortably, "That voice sure sounded familiar…"
"Don't be thick! You both know who that was," Jessica said in to the darkness, "It was Snape."
"I think we should tell Dumbledore…"
"No, we should tell McGonagall…"
"McGonagall would never believe us!"
"But we can't get to Dumbledore now…"
"Will you shut up!" Jessica snapped.
Harry and Ron stopped dead in the middle of their argument.
"Touchy, touchy," Ron said quietly to Harry.
"If we are gong to do anything at all tonight," she continued, her eyes flashing, "It should be going to bed. I think you two have forgotten that we have lessons tomorrow. It will look extremely suspicious if we fall asleep in potions…"
"Not like we never do," Harry whispered to Ron.
"The point is, we told McGonagall when we told Dumbledore we wouldn't! We have to make it up to him by not telling anyone else! We have to act as normally as possible, and getting to bed on time is the first step."
Harry didn't feel brave enough to point out that it was already after hours.
"Now let's go," Jessica commanded, leading them off down the corridor.
Ron snorted. "You sound like Hermione."
Jessica stopped dead, causing Harry and Ron to crash in to her.
"Why did we stop?" Harry asked.
"Hermione," Jessica whispered more to herself than the others. "What happened to Hermione?"
Harry's stomach flopped. Hearing Snape in the hallway had driven Hermione's tirade clean from his mind.
"I reckon she just went up to bed," Ron said, shrugging. He was trying to pass his comment off as casual, but there was a definite note of unease in his voice.
"Right," Jessica said, trying desperately to convince herself, "Right, of course. I'm sure that's what happened…I mean," she said hurriedly, "That's where she must be." And with that, she led them down a different corridor.
(A/N I finally caught my freakin muse! She's a slippery little bugger lemme tell ya! But I got her, and I wrote this and im working on my next chapter…harr….hey review me puh-leeeez *bambi eyes*
"It'll be okay," Jessica said confidently, "Dumbledore will back up our story. I'm sure of it."
Their footsteps echoed in the empty corridors as they made their way back to the Common Room.
Harry was walking quietly beside Ron, massaging his forehead with his knuckles.
"What's up?" Jessica asked, glancing at him.
"I just don't get it," Harry replied, "I mean, how did that Faith girl even get in to the Common Room? And more importantly, who is her master?"
Ron cursed softly. "If only Snape and McGonagall hadn't burst in on us, we could have found out!" he said in frustration.
Jessica shook her head sadly. "Well never had another opportunity like that, that's for sure," she said.
Hermione whipped her head around.
"Are you honestly saying that that's the only thing your upset about?!" she cried in an unnaturally high voice.
"Well, yes," Jessica replied slowly.
"What about getting expelled?!" she fumed, stomping her foot, and making them all stop dead in the corridor.
"What are you saying, Hermione?" Harry asked quietly.
"I'm saying," she hissed, "That, quite frankly, I'm ready to wash my hands of this entire situation! It's just not worth it!"
Harry and Jessica's jaws dropped instantly. Ron, however, took a step toward her, looking concerned.
"Come on, Hermione," he said softly, "You don't mean that…"
"Like hell I don't!" she exploded. Harry felt his jaw drop lower. Never, in all the years he had known her, never had he seen her that angry.
"Hermione," Jessica said slowly, stepping forward, "Listen to the voice of reason here…"
"No, you listen," she replied, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper, "All my life, I've been picked on. This school was the one place I had some respect! This school," she yelled, looking around the corridor, "Is the only place where I've ever had friends!" Her voice was still ringing through the corridors.
After a long moment of silence, Harry stepped forward.
"Hermione…" he began soothingly.
"No!" she yelled, turning and running back down the corridor.
Harry took a step forward to go after her, but Jessica stuck out her arm.
"Wait," she whispered suddenly.
"What?" Harry asked startled. Jessica's blue eyes widened to twice their normal size. She grabbed Harry and Ron by their arms.
"Come on!" she hissed, "Hurry up!"
She drug them in to a shadowy corridor.
"What are…" Ron began, but Jessica put her hand over his mouth.
"Shhhhh!" she whispered, pointing her free hand back toward the main corridor.
Ron, her hand still clamped to his mouth, turned his head to look. Two hooded figures were walking swiftly down the hall, talking in low mutters. They stopped in front of a door just past the corridor where they were hiding. Straining their ears, Harry, Ron, and Jessica caught snatches of what was being said.
"My lord, it's happened! They've been expelled!"
"It is not good enough. They are not fully expelled yet. If McGonagall hears what Dumbledore says, they'll be allowed to stay, and we can't have that now can we?"
"No, sir. No, no, not at all."
"But what are we to do, Severus, what are we to do?" This voice was full of malice, but somehow took on a slight softness. Almost as though it belonged to a woman.
Jessica heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat. Severus? Apparently Harry had caught that too. She felt him tense up beside her.
There was a long pause. For a moment, Jessica thought they had left, but finally, the man's voice spoke again.
"What of the girl we already have? What are we going to do with her?"
There was another long moment of silence.
"We will release her," said the woman's voice.
"My lord!" gasped the man, "Isn't that a threat to our entire mission?"
"Perhaps it is, Severus, perhaps it is. I, however, am in a rather generous mood today. We will let her go. Afterall," she continued after a brief pause, "Now we have a replacement."
They laughed an awful cruel laugh, which made Jessica's scar tingle in an unpleasant fashion. Harry, Ron and Jessica didn't move until they could no longer hear their cackling. Their last words were still ringing in Jessica's ears, as though they had shouted them at the top of their lungs. 'Now we have a replacement…'Her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps, as they had practically been holding their air in the entire time. Realizing she still had her hand stuck over Ron's mouth, she blushed and lowered it.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
There was another long silence, until finally Harry voiced what they were all thinking.
"That can't have been…right?" he asked in a hopeless sort of voice.
"I don't know Harry," Ron said, shifting uncomfortably, "That voice sure sounded familiar…"
"Don't be thick! You both know who that was," Jessica said in to the darkness, "It was Snape."
"I think we should tell Dumbledore…"
"No, we should tell McGonagall…"
"McGonagall would never believe us!"
"But we can't get to Dumbledore now…"
"Will you shut up!" Jessica snapped.
Harry and Ron stopped dead in the middle of their argument.
"Touchy, touchy," Ron said quietly to Harry.
"If we are gong to do anything at all tonight," she continued, her eyes flashing, "It should be going to bed. I think you two have forgotten that we have lessons tomorrow. It will look extremely suspicious if we fall asleep in potions…"
"Not like we never do," Harry whispered to Ron.
"The point is, we told McGonagall when we told Dumbledore we wouldn't! We have to make it up to him by not telling anyone else! We have to act as normally as possible, and getting to bed on time is the first step."
Harry didn't feel brave enough to point out that it was already after hours.
"Now let's go," Jessica commanded, leading them off down the corridor.
Ron snorted. "You sound like Hermione."
Jessica stopped dead, causing Harry and Ron to crash in to her.
"Why did we stop?" Harry asked.
"Hermione," Jessica whispered more to herself than the others. "What happened to Hermione?"
Harry's stomach flopped. Hearing Snape in the hallway had driven Hermione's tirade clean from his mind.
"I reckon she just went up to bed," Ron said, shrugging. He was trying to pass his comment off as casual, but there was a definite note of unease in his voice.
"Right," Jessica said, trying desperately to convince herself, "Right, of course. I'm sure that's what happened…I mean," she said hurriedly, "That's where she must be." And with that, she led them down a different corridor.
(A/N I finally caught my freakin muse! She's a slippery little bugger lemme tell ya! But I got her, and I wrote this and im working on my next chapter…harr….hey review me puh-leeeez *bambi eyes*