I like the idea of thanking people for reviewing so, here goes.
JB: They do eventually, it just takes time. I think more is explained in this chapter. Thanks for taking an interest.
When the feast is over, I follow them up twisting hallways and random staircases. We stop at a picture of a fat lady. She must be the door. We enter and fan out into the common room. Granger goes to a private room, taking Potter and Weasley with her. I find a place to sit by the door so I can tail him without invading.
I start to work on my CD player. People start to move up to the dormitories. I stay where I am, waiting for Potter. Eventually, Weasley comes out and goes to bed, but Potter is still inside. It takes all night to fix the CD player, the same amount of time it takes for Potter to come out of Granger's room. When he does, I'm right there with my tape recorder.
"So, do you usually spend the night with Hermoine Granger?" I ask, thrusting my recorder into his face.
"Why the hell does it matter?" he pushes past me.
"They didn't tell you?" I'm surprised. I've never had a subject that didn't know they were being tailed. I'm there to survey they're weaknesses, they ask for it.
"Don't know what?" he turns around. I turn the recorder off; they don't need to hear this.
I start slowly, "I'm here to make sure you don't get hurt. I'm a highly trained FBI agent from the American Government. I need to protect my people in anyway possible and if it means I have to be in every aspect of your business, so be it. Now," I turn the recorder back on, "why did you spend the night with Ms. Granger?"
"You're really here to protect me?" he asks. God, is he stupid? Typical, I always get the stupid ones.
"Yeah, now answer the question."
He crinkles up his eyebrows in confusion. "Wouldn't that be easier if you were my friend?"
Now I'm taken aback. I shut off the tape recorder. No subject has ever wanted to be my friend. I've never had a friend. "Friend," I like the sound of it in my mouth. "Yeah, I mean, we are fighting for the same thing, right? It's not like I'm on his side or anything or that you're on his side. But what happens if he kills you? Then I'm back to where I started, alone, like it's better to be alone anyway."
"One day at a time, Jen, one day at a time," he says while walking away back up to his dormitory. I watch him go, sigh, and then walk into Hermione's room without knocking.
She looks up from her bed, where she is sitting, just sitting. "Hey! Didn't you ever hear of knocking?" she yells. I glare at her, she glares back. I raise my tape recorder and press record.
"Granger has expressed tendencies of hostility. Must be watched more carefully," I say, then press stop. I smile at her, mockingly, and she does the same. "I'm your friend now, get used to it."
She laughs. Then spat, "You're not my friend."
I raise an eyebrow at her and move closer to the bed. "Well, it doesn't matter. Friends or enemies, I have to follow you around no matter what. Now, tell me," I switch on the recorder, "what is subject Harry Potter doing leaving your room at four in the morning?"
She looks down at the bed covers, fidgeting with something. Then says quietly, "We're just friends. We were talking."
"Talking all night? Don't you need your sleep?" She didn't take kindly to that one.
"Well, what are you doing up at four in the morning? Spying on me and Harry?" she yells. The sound echoes off the walls and slaps me in the face. This is going to be harder than I thought. I press stop.
I turn around. "It's not like I wanted to. I had to. It's my job." I walk out of the room, without looking back. Alone, again. I'm always alone. They gave me a room to myself. Alone again. They put it by the boy's dorms, so I could better watch Harry. Harry, not Potter. What's wrong with me.
I walk over to my room with my fixed CD player. It was really easy to fix, actually. Just needed to over-ride the Anti-Muggle charm and put an Ever Lasting Battery spell on the thing. Again. Honestly, the thing's more trouble than it's worth.
It's four thirty in the morning now. So, I sleep till seven. When breakfast is served. I have to change into those stupid robes now. Black, how horrible. I get out right when Harry and Ron walk down the stairs. They stare at me, after all, I am a girl in the boys dorms.
"They put my room right here. So I don't miss you," I say, looking down at the ground. I'm not happy that I have to follow him. "And Hermione isn't in a good mood. You explain it to her." I leave after that, alone. Always alone.
I slip my headphones on and turn on the music. My saddleback bumps against my thigh as I walk and dance at the same time. I get many strange looks, but I don't care, I'm having fun. Then a hand is laid on my shoulder, and spins me around. I stare into the face of Professor Snape, the black haired pale one.
"You got it to work," he says. I nod slightly. "Good, don't bring it to my class." Then he walks ahead of me. I give him the finger behind his back. He's the one who wanted me hired, he should stay out of my business.
The Great Hall isn't as full as yesterday. It's Saturday, I'd sleep in to, if I were home. I sit at my appointed table, facing the opposite end of the room. A blonde haired boy sits at the far table, facing me. He looks at me and I look at him. He half smiles, with a little laugh. I narrow my eyes at him. I don't like the way he's acting. I'll ask Harry when he comes in.