Disclaimer: Do not own the Wonderful World of Harry Potter… is not making any money from my writings… DO NOT LIKE that Rowling has killed Sirius Black and have chosen to pointedly ignore that certain fact, allowing him to make an appearance here…

Note to readers: your reviews are welcome in only these types of formats: praise, gushing, skepticism, flames, anger, denial, repulse/disgust, and I suppose constructive criticism can be entertained as well…

A/N: I agree, Jessica must be really brave or really stupid…

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Ignoring people and things around her, Jessica allowed her feet to lead the way and before long, she found herself in the owlery. She usually spends time here in between classes. It's the only place she can think and where Hermione couldn't find her. She dropped her books onto the hay and rested her head against the windowsill. How long she was there, she wouldn't know. Owls of all shapes and sizes flew in and out not bothering her. Even when the door opened and someone entered, she didn't look up.

"What are you doing here?" Harry cried, taken by shock by her unexpected presence. Jessica barely lifted her head off the sill.

"I like the aromatherapy. It's very invigorating," she mumbled. Harry laughed then walked up to Hedwig. Although her head was still on the sill, she tilted it slightly so she could watch Harry.

"She's a beautiful bird," she said. Harry smiled and stroked Hedwig's head lovingly.

"I know," he said. Silence

"That was very commendable, what you did for Neville," he said finally. Jessica groaned.

"Commendable? Don't you mean condemnable?" she said.

"No, commendable. But I do think you were harsh to Hermione," he said again, expecting her to be angry with him. But she just stared out the window.

"I feel bad, but how could she… all of you just sit back and watch?" she cried, twirling around to look at him. Harry had just tied a note to Hedwig's leg. He walked over to the windowsill and released her.

"We've been Neville's classmates for six, now seven years, and Neville has been treated like that by Snape from day one. It's like a natural disaster. It'll happen whether you like it or not, but you don't stand in the middle of it, coz you don't like it," he said, looking at her.

"So you've accepted it," she said again.

"Not us, Neville has accepted it. Some of us have tried in the past to help him, but Snape just takes points off and Neville gets really upset. As long as we promise not to let him fail, he's okay with getting screamed at by Snape," he continued.

"So who prevents him from failing?" she asked but knew what the answer was already.

"Hermione," he replied. Jessica felt like kicking herself. She buried her face in her arms and let out a muffled scream.

"Honestly, I don't care very much what happens to you, but I do care about Hermione, and I think you should go talk to her and apologize and hopefully she'll apologize to you," he said. His bluntness stung her a little. So that's how it feels like to be at the receiving end, she thought.

"Why should she apologize?" she asked.

"She shouldn't have laid it heavy for you like that, she could've explained first," he said in all sense of fairness…

"Well, I'm gonna go. You may like the smell, but my head is already spinning," he said, then smiled briefly before walking out. Jessica stared at the door, even after her had gone. Her heart was doing funny things inside her ribcage, and she couldn't seem to look at Harry with indifference anymore. Something had changed in that ten minutes and she didn't know what. She couldn't recognize it, but she didn't dislike it either. Jessica sighed.

It doesn't matter. I've got to find a way to make amends. She couldn't really bother what the others thought but it was disturbing to know that Neville would be upset. Ting! She just had an inspiration. If she pulled the right strings, she just might be able to pull this off. Neville this is for you, she thought. She stayed in the owlery and her brained churned out ideas until the sun sank into the horizon. Once she had it all figured out, dinner had passed. Her stomach churned angrily but there wasn't much she could do.

Running slightly she went back to the tower. Before she could carry out her plans, she had to fix something. She glanced once across the common room and saw that Ron and Harry were there. She could see Harry tossing up and down a rubber ball. What crossed her mind was, that meant Hermione was in the room. She ran up all four floors and burst into her room. On the bed next to hers was a pink lump with brown hair sticking out from it. Jessica sat down on the bed and cleared her throat. Shit, I knew I shouldn't have slept through those people & communication class. She poked Hermione's bum. The duvet rustled slightly, and a pair of puffy brown eyes peeked out before disappearing back underneath the coves.

"Hermione, I want to talk to you," said Jessica.

"What else could you possibly have to say to me?" she asked, her voice muffled by the duvet.

"I want to apologize," she said. Immediately, the duvet was thrown off and Hermione sat up staring at Jessica.

"What?" she said, she couldn't believe Jessica was about to apologize. So that's why they say to say you're sorry could weaken the strongest of man, Jessica thought wryly. She cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry I said all those things. I was angry and acted upon what I saw. I met Harry" her heart fluttered a little when she thought of him, "and he told me your agreement with Neville, so to say," she explained, deliberately leaving out where they had met. She wanted to hold on this secret a little bit longer.

"I accept you apology," said Hermione. Oh how big of you, Jessica thought fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Well, at least she forgave me, so that's something, may be one day she'll realize she's not so perfect and apo~

"I'm sorry too," said Hermione cutting into Jessica's thoughts.

"You're saying sorry to me?" she asked in shock. Hermione had to smile at her thunderstruck face.

"Yeah, my head's not that high up in the clouds. I realize I should have explained first, and then screamed at you," she said. Jessica laughed. The first sincere one since she came to Hogwarts.

"Can we be friends, Jessica?" she asked. Jessica hesitated. She knew she'd regret it, she always did but suddenly she didn't mind the hurt that would come afterwards. She nodded.

"Yeah, okay. But don't expect me to suddenly become Ms. Sunshine, okay?" she said. Hermione nodded and smiled. Jessica returned her smile, but stopped when her stomach let out a ferocious growl. Even Hermione heard it.

"Hungry are you?" she asked.

"You don't say," retorted Jessica. Hermione's face suddenly lit up. She jumped out of bed and quickly washed her face. Jessica remained seated until Hermione reached the door.

"Well, c'mon," she said.

"Where are we going?" Jessica asked, puzzled by her sudden hyper activeness. Jessica was about to faint with hunger and Hermione was making her run around with her.

"Let's get Ron and Harry, then go to the kitchen for a midnight snack," she replied. Jessica's guts dropped an inch at the mention of her two friends. She was still stinging from Harry's words. Why? Who can say?

"I don't think so. Why don't you three go and just pack me something small," she said instead.

"C'mon! There's no need to be shy, it'll be cool," she insisted. Jessica shook her head. Hermione grabbed Jessica's hand and tried to pull her up.

"No, Hermione, you don't understand. They hate me!" she cried out. Hermione stopped pulling and thought for a while. Well that got through her thick skull, Jessica thought. Without warning, she gave one mighty pull and Jessica went flying off the bed and out the door. Hermione maintained her firm grasp on Jessica's wrist as she pulled the girl down the stairs. The common room was bare, and Jessica released a breath of relief. Declaring a truce with Hermione was enough without having to put on a thick face in front of her two boyfriends also. She wasn't the bloody UN ambassador of peace! She tried to free her wrist from Hermione's death grip and try to crawl back up to her room.

But Hermione had other plans. She ran up the stairs towards the boy's dorm, yanking Jessica behind her. God, if You make this mad woman stop, I'll never put a leash on a dog again, prayed Jessica as she flew up another set of stairs. God answered her prayer, and Hermione stopped at the top most floor. If only Jessica had been specific in her prayers. Hermione, with Jessica still hanging to her, barged into the room.

Oh…. forget the plague, forget the knife! Floor just open up and swallow me whole!

Ron and Harry, so shocked by their sudden entry, said nothing but stared at the two girls. Oh hell, forget the floor, strike me dead now!

Realistically, it wouldn't have been so bad, if Harry hadn't been standing there, in his towel only, his hair still wet, looking like some Greek god and Ron, all six feet of him sprawled on the bed in nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts, like a pin up model in a playgirl magazine. That also wouldn't have been so bad, if Jessica wasn't staring at Harry's pectoral with her jaw dangling to the floor.

"All right you guys! This is Jessica Stanford and she's my new friend. If any of you have a problem with that, then by all means take your problem and stick it up where the sun don't shine," Hermione bellowed. Thank heavens the door was closed, and thank heavens they were high enough so no one could hear them. The three had snapped out of their initial shock, and Jessica flattened her face and body against the wall, hoping she could just blend in with the wallpaper. So the kitten does have claws, she thought amusedly, inhaling the glue mix paper mix wood smell.

"Yeah, okay," said Harry, grinning at Jessica, although Jessica couldn't see it, with her trying to blend into the wall and everything.

"I'll try," Ron muttered uncharitably. He was still angry at what Jessica had said about Hermione. Immediately, Jessica snapped her head towards him.

"Don't do me any favors, Weasley," she hissed. He just glared at her. She returned his glare but when Harry stepped into her line of vision, she turned back towards the wall. Her stomach growled loudly again. Harry laughed.

"I hope you didn't come here to satisfy your hunger," then blushed beet red when he realized it didn't come out, as he had wanted it too.

"Don't be silly, Harry. We were thinking of going to the kitchen, wanna come?" Hermione said. Jessica had completely turned her back to them and was now facing the door. Damn hormones, she swore. Her body had been on fire since she walked in on the black haired Adonis.

"Yeah, I'm for it!" cried Harry. Ron second the motion.

"Cloak or no cloak?" Harry asked. Jessica perked up. What cloak? Please don't tell we're gonna walk around in a bed sheet.

"No cloak if we meet a teacher, we'll just say we're going on rounds," said Hermione.

"For us maybe, but Jessica?" asked Ron, getting up to put on some clothes. Harry was still in his towel. There wasn't much a guy could hide, changing in front of two females in a small room.

"Well, we'll just say she's been naughty girl and needs a spanking from Harry," she answered mischievously.

"Hermione!" Jessica and Harry cried simultaneously.

"What?" she innocently, "Harry was the one who wanted to quench your hunger,"

"Hermione, get out!" cried Harry. Ron was too busy busting is sides to do much.

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Jessica and bolted out of the room, Hermione not far behind.

"That wasn't funny Hermione," she snapped. Hermione laughed.

"Yes it was. It's not funny to you because you were the butt," she answered. Jessica turned to glare at her.

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't enjoy the view," she said. Of course I did! I'm not made out of rock, her mind said.

"There was no view to enjoy. Now drop it!" she said the last bit forcefully and Hermione dutifully dropped the subject.

@~~}~~~

"She's a bit different than you're usual crushes isn't she?" Ron asked casually, pulling a shirt over his head. Harry looked up from zipping up his pants. He held out his hands and a shirt flew out of his cupboard, into his awaiting hand.

"Who?" he asked trying to act as if he didn't know but flushing slightly as he had been thinking of her. Ron noticed the flush and smiled harder.

"You know who I'm talking about. I'm surprised she hadn't dislocated her jaw, gawking at you, not that you had objections to her looking," Ron said, pulling his pants up and zipping it. Harry combed his hair and tried to act indifferent. It had made him feel really good to see the blunt admiration on Jessica's face. What he didn't like was the queasy, stomach flipping heart-thumping feeling that accompanied it. He hadn't felt it since Cho left Hogwarts. He threw down his comb.

"Weasley, when you're done concocting hairball stories, come down. I'm going now," said Harry then exited, not before flicking his wrists and sending a pillow towards Ron, which he deflected (he is a keeper after all). Ron shook his head. He had noticed something Harry hadn't. Harry had subconsciously sprayed some cologne onto himself, and Harry never wore cologne unless it was to meet a girl he fancied.