The portrait hole closed silently behind them, as a stunned Jessica
and Harry sat down in front of the common room fire. It was a while before
either of them spoke.
"So," Jessica said finally, "What does that mean? They're closing the school?"
Harry nodded. "I think so."
"So, all bets are one us," Jessica said glumly. "If we don't do it, no one will."
"Do what?" Harry asked bewildered.
Jessica took a deep breath.
"Save the school," she paused for a moment, "and our lives."
The next few days at lessons, it was obvious that the teachers were doing their best to try and act normally. Of course, the only students that knew were Harry, Jessica, Amanda, and Ron. Professor McGonagall kept getting distracted in the middle of her lectures. Infact, right in the middle of giving the class instructions, she sighed a glanced out the window.
"It's a lovely day isn't it?" she said quietly.
Jessica and Amanda exchanged looks. Most of the class looked confused, glancing at Professor cautiously.
Still looking out the window, she spoke again.
"You never really appreciate something wonderful until you lose it. Do you know what I mean, students?" She looked back at them, although Jessica was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question. The class nodded mutely.
Jessica swore she saw a tear roll down McGonagall's cheek, before she turned back to the board and began to write again.
Even Snape's level of nastiness had gone down considerably. When Neville's potion exploded and sprayed the class with red foam, which caused them all to grow huge welts, Snape merely sighed, waved his wand and took ten points from Gryffindor, instead of the usual fifty. Apparently, more than a few people noticed the sudden and dramatic changes in the teachers.
"I can't believe this!" Malfoy complained loudly as he, Crabbe and Goyle were making their way to the dining hall. "That idiot mutates half the class and Professor only takes away ten points! If I were the teacher I would have taken a hundred!"
"Yes, well if you stay on the path you're currently on, you'll probably end up being the head of Slytherin house, anyway. So don't despair, your chance to terrorize innocent students will come soon enough," Jessica sneered as she and Amanda passed by. Harry and Ron had been kept after class by Snape, although Jessica wasn't sure why.
Draco smirked. "Well look who it is," he said in his cold, taunting drawl, "Miss Muggle and her devoted sidekick, Miss…or shall I say, MRS. Weasel? Are you half as poor as their family? I mean, never mind his mother's weight. I wonder how they manage to keep her so well fed?"
Amanda went red and looked down at the ground. Jessica, however, stopped in her tracks and turned to stare Malfoy down.
"Shut your face, Malfoy," she growled.
"No, I don't think I will," he smirked.
"You aren't one to be talking about other people's families," Jessica continued coolly, choosing her words carefully.
"What are you talking about?" Malfoy demanded, trying to sound defiant, but Jessica was sure his voice had faltered slightly.
"I think you know perfectly well what we mean," came Amanda's voice. Jessica looked quickly over her shoulder. Amanda was standing with her hands on her hips, looking determined and as angry as Jessica had ever seen her.
"It speaks!" Draco stumbled backward as Crabbe and Goyle laughed dimly.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Really?" she said in mock fascination. "You don't say? Come on Amanda, let's go," she said in disgust, turning away.
"No," Amanda said quietly.
"What?" Jessica asked bewildered.
"Are you denying that there's something strange about your family?" Amanda asked softly, her gaze narrowing on Malfoy.
His smirk fell slightly. "Leave my family alone," he hissed.
"I wish I could," Amanda said, giving him a pointed look.
For a moment, he looked confused. Then his eyes grew wide.
"You..." he stuttered, "You…you…"
"That's right," she said a little louder, "I know. Jessica knows. And if you don't watch your step, the entire school will know."
Jessica had heard all that she could stand. She grabbed Amanda's arm and pulled her down the hallway, away from Malfoy who was reaching inside his robes for his wand. They skidded to a halt four corridors away.
"What were you doing?" Jessica hissed, her hands on her knees, panting.
"Oh, I don't know," Amanda moaned, covering her face. "I don't know what happened to me. I shouldn't have said anything! Now he knows that we know! It's just when he starting talking about Ron's family…I lost it."
Jessica looked at her, exasperated.
"I know."
Amanda looked down at the ground.
"Should we tell Harry and Ron?" she mumbled.
Jessica thought for a moment. If they were to tell Ron, she knew he'd go after him, fist first.
"Let's only tell Harry," she said after careful deliberation. She could just imagine Ron taking out one of the possible saviors of the magical world.
(A/N) Please review!!
"So," Jessica said finally, "What does that mean? They're closing the school?"
Harry nodded. "I think so."
"So, all bets are one us," Jessica said glumly. "If we don't do it, no one will."
"Do what?" Harry asked bewildered.
Jessica took a deep breath.
"Save the school," she paused for a moment, "and our lives."
The next few days at lessons, it was obvious that the teachers were doing their best to try and act normally. Of course, the only students that knew were Harry, Jessica, Amanda, and Ron. Professor McGonagall kept getting distracted in the middle of her lectures. Infact, right in the middle of giving the class instructions, she sighed a glanced out the window.
"It's a lovely day isn't it?" she said quietly.
Jessica and Amanda exchanged looks. Most of the class looked confused, glancing at Professor cautiously.
Still looking out the window, she spoke again.
"You never really appreciate something wonderful until you lose it. Do you know what I mean, students?" She looked back at them, although Jessica was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question. The class nodded mutely.
Jessica swore she saw a tear roll down McGonagall's cheek, before she turned back to the board and began to write again.
Even Snape's level of nastiness had gone down considerably. When Neville's potion exploded and sprayed the class with red foam, which caused them all to grow huge welts, Snape merely sighed, waved his wand and took ten points from Gryffindor, instead of the usual fifty. Apparently, more than a few people noticed the sudden and dramatic changes in the teachers.
"I can't believe this!" Malfoy complained loudly as he, Crabbe and Goyle were making their way to the dining hall. "That idiot mutates half the class and Professor only takes away ten points! If I were the teacher I would have taken a hundred!"
"Yes, well if you stay on the path you're currently on, you'll probably end up being the head of Slytherin house, anyway. So don't despair, your chance to terrorize innocent students will come soon enough," Jessica sneered as she and Amanda passed by. Harry and Ron had been kept after class by Snape, although Jessica wasn't sure why.
Draco smirked. "Well look who it is," he said in his cold, taunting drawl, "Miss Muggle and her devoted sidekick, Miss…or shall I say, MRS. Weasel? Are you half as poor as their family? I mean, never mind his mother's weight. I wonder how they manage to keep her so well fed?"
Amanda went red and looked down at the ground. Jessica, however, stopped in her tracks and turned to stare Malfoy down.
"Shut your face, Malfoy," she growled.
"No, I don't think I will," he smirked.
"You aren't one to be talking about other people's families," Jessica continued coolly, choosing her words carefully.
"What are you talking about?" Malfoy demanded, trying to sound defiant, but Jessica was sure his voice had faltered slightly.
"I think you know perfectly well what we mean," came Amanda's voice. Jessica looked quickly over her shoulder. Amanda was standing with her hands on her hips, looking determined and as angry as Jessica had ever seen her.
"It speaks!" Draco stumbled backward as Crabbe and Goyle laughed dimly.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Really?" she said in mock fascination. "You don't say? Come on Amanda, let's go," she said in disgust, turning away.
"No," Amanda said quietly.
"What?" Jessica asked bewildered.
"Are you denying that there's something strange about your family?" Amanda asked softly, her gaze narrowing on Malfoy.
His smirk fell slightly. "Leave my family alone," he hissed.
"I wish I could," Amanda said, giving him a pointed look.
For a moment, he looked confused. Then his eyes grew wide.
"You..." he stuttered, "You…you…"
"That's right," she said a little louder, "I know. Jessica knows. And if you don't watch your step, the entire school will know."
Jessica had heard all that she could stand. She grabbed Amanda's arm and pulled her down the hallway, away from Malfoy who was reaching inside his robes for his wand. They skidded to a halt four corridors away.
"What were you doing?" Jessica hissed, her hands on her knees, panting.
"Oh, I don't know," Amanda moaned, covering her face. "I don't know what happened to me. I shouldn't have said anything! Now he knows that we know! It's just when he starting talking about Ron's family…I lost it."
Jessica looked at her, exasperated.
"I know."
Amanda looked down at the ground.
"Should we tell Harry and Ron?" she mumbled.
Jessica thought for a moment. If they were to tell Ron, she knew he'd go after him, fist first.
"Let's only tell Harry," she said after careful deliberation. She could just imagine Ron taking out one of the possible saviors of the magical world.
(A/N) Please review!!