The corridors were lit with flowery smelling candles, which hovered
above their heads, apparently doing some routine floating.
Jessica took a deep breath and glanced down. Why is he holding my hand? She wondered, absolutely perplexed. To her right, Seamus sighed.
"We're going to have fun," he said, almost as though it was a command.
She nodded, looking down at her hand, whose knuckles had now turned white from being squeezed so hard.
"Well?" he said, almost impatiently
"Well what?" she asked incredulously.
"Are we going to have fun or not?"
"Oh," she said, taken aback. "Sure. I mean, yes. Yes, we'll have fun."
He nodded. "Right." He gave her hand an extra squeeze. She winced as shooting pains traveled up her arm and wrist. "Right," he repeated.
Deciding that it had gone far enough, she wrenched her hand from his grasp. However, the moment their connection was broken, her scar stung like white-hot fire. She gasped and put her hand over it, feeling it burn slightly under her fingers. As suddenly as it had begun, it ended.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her.
"Nothing," she said, hand still on her throat, and utterly bewildered. "I just had to fix my hair," she said hastily, pulling a small mirror out of her handbag and pretending to busy herself with it.
Seamus shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets.
"Hey look, there's Dean," he pointed to the far end of the hallway. Jessica glanced at him. There was a girl's bathroom right behind where he was standing.
"You go ahead, Seamus," she said, shutting her compact with a snap, "I'll catch up. I just want to use the restroom before we go outside."
Seamus looked at her carefully.
"Alright," he said uncertainly. "But I'll wait right in front of the doors for you, ok?"
Jessica nodded. "Ok," she said with what she hoped was a cheerful smile.
He returned a half smile and headed down the hall towards Dean and his date, Lavender.
Jessica stood and watched them disappear. Soon, the hallway was devoid of any students and she could hear the passages below her rumbling with talk as everyone made their way outside. She turned and headed into the bathroom quickly, locking the door behind her.
"Any ideas what that was all about, Ginny?" Amanda sighed, playing with her gloves.
Ginny shook her head. "You know, I've lived with Ron all my life and I've known Harry for going on four years, and I still haven't figured them out."
Amanda smiled wryly. "If I were you, I'd have given up a long time ago."
There was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps behind them. They turned around in time to see Pansy Parkinson flying past them.
"Oh, move out of the way!" she snapped, shoving Ginny aside
Ginny glared after her. "Nice to see you too," she muttered after Pansy's retreating back.
Amanda snorted. "Forget about her."
They walked for a while in silence.
"I hate people like that," Ginny said suddenly.
"People like what?" Ron asked.
He and Harry had just skidded to a halt beside them, Harry trying to pat down his hair even though he knew it was hopeless.
"People like you," Ginny said, looking at him.
They all laughed.
"Hey what's that up ahead?" Amanda said suddenly, pointing.
Jessica had just emerged from the bathroom, casting a suspicious glance around the hallway. Then, quite suddenly, she turned and started down the corridor.
"Jess!" Amanda called, "Wait up!"
But she didn't seem to hear her, she just kept running.
Ginny looked at Amanda with raised eyebrows.
"Probably didn't hear me," she said offhandedly, 'We'll just catch her outside."
Harry and Ron exchanged looks.
Jessica burst out the front doors, starting down the sloping lawns. Dumbledore hadn't been kidding; there WERE a lot of older people there. Although she didn't know how, she recognized Oliver Wood standing by the refreshment table, talking animatedly with Katie Bell who was looking fascinated. She moved to turn around when she collided very hard with someone who had been standing behind her.
"Mr. Weasley!" she said upon seeing who it was.
He looked at her inquisitively. "And who might you be?" he asked.
"Oh," she said, quickly catching her mistake. "I'm Jessica. I know Ron," she added hastily, seeing his expression.
"Right," he said slowly, looking her up and down. "You must be that …girl. You know. You're the one who appeared out of nowhere…"
She nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."
"Well," he said, not smiling. "I'll see you later." And with that he walked away, robes billowing out behind him.
Jessica stood frozen, staring after him. The books had always made him seem so kind, why was he so mean just now? And where was Mrs. Weasley?
"There you are!"
Jessica wheeled around to see Seamus walking towards her.
"Thought I'd never see you again," he said playfully.
She smiled, resisting the urge to say 'If only…'
He led her over to Dean and Lavender, who were standing by the dance floor, looking apprehensive.
"Why aren't you dancing?" Jessica asked as they reached them.
Dean looked at her. "Why aren't you dancing?"
Jessica raised an eyebrow.
"The minister of magic is out there!" Lavender squealed, pointing. And indeed, it was true. He was standing along one of the tables, staring out at the dance floor. Jessica noted the tip of his wand poking up from his pocket.
"So?" Seamus said. "Come on, Jess. Let's show them."
Before she had time to object, he had pulled her onto the dance floor that had been set up for the occasion. She stood, letting Seamus lead, staring around the grounds. There were hundreds of people there, talking in small groups. Her eyes fell on a far off table. Draco Malfoy was sitting around it, along with Crabbe and Goyle. She had to stifle a laugh. Draco was wearing a putrid red tuxedo that made him look like a moldy strawberry, and Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing identical purple suits, complete with frilly ascots. She wondered if perhaps their constant matching was an indication of something.
As she watched, a girl with blinding blonde hair approached the table and sat in the empty seat next to Malfoy. The song ended. Seamus and the rest of the crowd turned to applaud, but Jessica stood rooted to the spot, staring at the girl. Was it her imagination, or was that Faith? But it couldn't be…she'd been taken out of Hogwarts a long time ago…
"Want to go again?" Seamus asked, bringing her back to reality.
"No," she said firmly. "No, I'd rather sit down."
"Alright," he said, disappointment in his voice. "Well that's okay," he said suddenly. "I have something to show you anyway."
He led her over to the quidditch stands, winking at Dean as they went by. He sat her down and reached inside his pocket. She looked over his shoulder at Malfoy's table where Faith was still sitting. It most certainly had to be her. Her high pitched giggle rang across the grounds, and Jessica could recognize her hair flip from even this distance.
"Oh no!" Seamus said suddenly, making her start. "I must've left it up in the dormitory."
"You can go ahead and get it, if you'd like," she replied distractedly, still staring at Faith.
Seams watched her uncertainly. "Alright," he said finally, "But don't go anywhere."
"Sure thing," she muttered.
(A/N) This chapter….I don't know, I just didn't like it for some reason lol! But here it is. More soon! School is out in 8 days, so hang with me here! This should be over within the next 5 or so chapters so stop whining that its too long! LoL …hey jenn! You're back! Lmao (you guys don't know this, but I asked around my friends to see if they wanted to be in my story. Amanda –who's one of my real life best-friends- said she did, and so did my other friend, Jenn. But she didn't want her name to be Jenn, she wanted Faith. So there ya go lol my characters are modeled after real life people …except Jenn isn't evil …lol ….i think :] ) PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!
Jessica took a deep breath and glanced down. Why is he holding my hand? She wondered, absolutely perplexed. To her right, Seamus sighed.
"We're going to have fun," he said, almost as though it was a command.
She nodded, looking down at her hand, whose knuckles had now turned white from being squeezed so hard.
"Well?" he said, almost impatiently
"Well what?" she asked incredulously.
"Are we going to have fun or not?"
"Oh," she said, taken aback. "Sure. I mean, yes. Yes, we'll have fun."
He nodded. "Right." He gave her hand an extra squeeze. She winced as shooting pains traveled up her arm and wrist. "Right," he repeated.
Deciding that it had gone far enough, she wrenched her hand from his grasp. However, the moment their connection was broken, her scar stung like white-hot fire. She gasped and put her hand over it, feeling it burn slightly under her fingers. As suddenly as it had begun, it ended.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her.
"Nothing," she said, hand still on her throat, and utterly bewildered. "I just had to fix my hair," she said hastily, pulling a small mirror out of her handbag and pretending to busy herself with it.
Seamus shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets.
"Hey look, there's Dean," he pointed to the far end of the hallway. Jessica glanced at him. There was a girl's bathroom right behind where he was standing.
"You go ahead, Seamus," she said, shutting her compact with a snap, "I'll catch up. I just want to use the restroom before we go outside."
Seamus looked at her carefully.
"Alright," he said uncertainly. "But I'll wait right in front of the doors for you, ok?"
Jessica nodded. "Ok," she said with what she hoped was a cheerful smile.
He returned a half smile and headed down the hall towards Dean and his date, Lavender.
Jessica stood and watched them disappear. Soon, the hallway was devoid of any students and she could hear the passages below her rumbling with talk as everyone made their way outside. She turned and headed into the bathroom quickly, locking the door behind her.
"Any ideas what that was all about, Ginny?" Amanda sighed, playing with her gloves.
Ginny shook her head. "You know, I've lived with Ron all my life and I've known Harry for going on four years, and I still haven't figured them out."
Amanda smiled wryly. "If I were you, I'd have given up a long time ago."
There was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps behind them. They turned around in time to see Pansy Parkinson flying past them.
"Oh, move out of the way!" she snapped, shoving Ginny aside
Ginny glared after her. "Nice to see you too," she muttered after Pansy's retreating back.
Amanda snorted. "Forget about her."
They walked for a while in silence.
"I hate people like that," Ginny said suddenly.
"People like what?" Ron asked.
He and Harry had just skidded to a halt beside them, Harry trying to pat down his hair even though he knew it was hopeless.
"People like you," Ginny said, looking at him.
They all laughed.
"Hey what's that up ahead?" Amanda said suddenly, pointing.
Jessica had just emerged from the bathroom, casting a suspicious glance around the hallway. Then, quite suddenly, she turned and started down the corridor.
"Jess!" Amanda called, "Wait up!"
But she didn't seem to hear her, she just kept running.
Ginny looked at Amanda with raised eyebrows.
"Probably didn't hear me," she said offhandedly, 'We'll just catch her outside."
Harry and Ron exchanged looks.
Jessica burst out the front doors, starting down the sloping lawns. Dumbledore hadn't been kidding; there WERE a lot of older people there. Although she didn't know how, she recognized Oliver Wood standing by the refreshment table, talking animatedly with Katie Bell who was looking fascinated. She moved to turn around when she collided very hard with someone who had been standing behind her.
"Mr. Weasley!" she said upon seeing who it was.
He looked at her inquisitively. "And who might you be?" he asked.
"Oh," she said, quickly catching her mistake. "I'm Jessica. I know Ron," she added hastily, seeing his expression.
"Right," he said slowly, looking her up and down. "You must be that …girl. You know. You're the one who appeared out of nowhere…"
She nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."
"Well," he said, not smiling. "I'll see you later." And with that he walked away, robes billowing out behind him.
Jessica stood frozen, staring after him. The books had always made him seem so kind, why was he so mean just now? And where was Mrs. Weasley?
"There you are!"
Jessica wheeled around to see Seamus walking towards her.
"Thought I'd never see you again," he said playfully.
She smiled, resisting the urge to say 'If only…'
He led her over to Dean and Lavender, who were standing by the dance floor, looking apprehensive.
"Why aren't you dancing?" Jessica asked as they reached them.
Dean looked at her. "Why aren't you dancing?"
Jessica raised an eyebrow.
"The minister of magic is out there!" Lavender squealed, pointing. And indeed, it was true. He was standing along one of the tables, staring out at the dance floor. Jessica noted the tip of his wand poking up from his pocket.
"So?" Seamus said. "Come on, Jess. Let's show them."
Before she had time to object, he had pulled her onto the dance floor that had been set up for the occasion. She stood, letting Seamus lead, staring around the grounds. There were hundreds of people there, talking in small groups. Her eyes fell on a far off table. Draco Malfoy was sitting around it, along with Crabbe and Goyle. She had to stifle a laugh. Draco was wearing a putrid red tuxedo that made him look like a moldy strawberry, and Crabbe and Goyle were both wearing identical purple suits, complete with frilly ascots. She wondered if perhaps their constant matching was an indication of something.
As she watched, a girl with blinding blonde hair approached the table and sat in the empty seat next to Malfoy. The song ended. Seamus and the rest of the crowd turned to applaud, but Jessica stood rooted to the spot, staring at the girl. Was it her imagination, or was that Faith? But it couldn't be…she'd been taken out of Hogwarts a long time ago…
"Want to go again?" Seamus asked, bringing her back to reality.
"No," she said firmly. "No, I'd rather sit down."
"Alright," he said, disappointment in his voice. "Well that's okay," he said suddenly. "I have something to show you anyway."
He led her over to the quidditch stands, winking at Dean as they went by. He sat her down and reached inside his pocket. She looked over his shoulder at Malfoy's table where Faith was still sitting. It most certainly had to be her. Her high pitched giggle rang across the grounds, and Jessica could recognize her hair flip from even this distance.
"Oh no!" Seamus said suddenly, making her start. "I must've left it up in the dormitory."
"You can go ahead and get it, if you'd like," she replied distractedly, still staring at Faith.
Seams watched her uncertainly. "Alright," he said finally, "But don't go anywhere."
"Sure thing," she muttered.
(A/N) This chapter….I don't know, I just didn't like it for some reason lol! But here it is. More soon! School is out in 8 days, so hang with me here! This should be over within the next 5 or so chapters so stop whining that its too long! LoL …hey jenn! You're back! Lmao (you guys don't know this, but I asked around my friends to see if they wanted to be in my story. Amanda –who's one of my real life best-friends- said she did, and so did my other friend, Jenn. But she didn't want her name to be Jenn, she wanted Faith. So there ya go lol my characters are modeled after real life people …except Jenn isn't evil …lol ….i think :] ) PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!