Authors Note: This is short monologue of an event that happened about a six
months prior to Jenny's invitation to Hogwarts and the events of my story
Heir of the Phoenix. She simply refers to it as "The Incident" in that
story. You might want to read Heir of the Phoenix before you read this.
It'll make more sense, but I believe it can stand-alone.
Heir of the Phoenix is the story of Jenny Hansen, a young girl with a heritage that she knows nothing of and friends from all strands of society, wizarding and muggle alike.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jenny sat at her desk quietly, finishing the arithmetic problems that her fifth grade teacher-Miss Blake had written on the board.
The long division problems weren't hard, but they gave Jenny headaches anyways.
Jenny was sure it wasn't the math's problems that was making her head hurt. It was the amount of concentration she needed to keep from screaming during math's that made her head throb like there was a grandfather clock pendulum bashing against either side of her skull at regular intervals. Sort of like the old grandfather clock that stood in the formal living room at home.
Jenny's legs swung underneath of her chair, an inch shy of the ground.
Jenny had always been short, thin and delicate. Her long brown hair fell in tight curls to her waist and stuck out at random intervals. A hair band barely tamed the mass of messy curls, curls that the other kids behind her liked to yank on.
Jenny tugged her blue skirt and resumed dividing 50 487 by 34, ignoring the ball of paper that bounced off her back.
Bobby and his friends had no doubt thrown it, and Jenny knew what she would find written in it, if she had cared to pick it up off the floor and unfurl the crinkled lined paper.
Jenny had smoothed out the balls of paper that Bobby and his gang of friends had lobbed at her too many times to count. And each time, her large, emerald green, almond shaped eyes would start to leak hot, salty tears.
She couldn't stand the little words, scrawled in messy handwriting across the countless little pieces of paper that had been thrown at her over the months, because the only reason that she could think of that they had been written and thrown at her was because they had to be true.
All the adults, teachers and even Aunt Angela said No, those notes weren't true. She was gifted, with something they didn't quite know and didn't really want to know. Adults and old people looked at her with a bit of curiosity, then turned away and went on with their lives.
Mum understood...sort of...She didn't say anything when Jenny had told her about the notes. She had just pulled Jenny into a silent hug and later, when Jenny touched her hair, she found some wet bits, as if mum had been crying.
She could recite the repertoire of little notes that he threw at her from memory. They all said basically the same thing.
Jenny's a freak!
Jenny felt like a freak. She didn't belong.
It was a deep underlying feeling. She didn't look like a freak, or act like one...most of the time.
Sometimes though, things went strange. She could do strange things, see strange things and hear strange voices uttering strange words.
Jenny felt another wad of paper bounce off her back. Her fingers curled with anger, her pale complexion flushed pink and she felt her hair go staticky and crackle slightly with energy.
She was turning freakish again, something the boys behind her loved watching and taunting her about.
Slowly, she stilled her quickened breathing and wound a brown curl around her finger, chewing on her lip nervously. Sneaking a glance behind her, she could see Bobby, Damon, Travis and Jordan two rows behind her, sniggering.
They had seen her react.
Just like they always wanted her too.
She had used to cry and lash out at them, throwing the paper back at the boys, and tell the teacher.
Now, she just sat there - ignoring it and winding and unwinding her hair around her finger. Trying not to cry.
Arithmetic was always the worst class for this; Bobby was good at Math's and almost always finished his homework first. He usually used the time leftover to write notes and chuck them at her. One thing that Jenny hated was that Bobby was smart and right about almost everything he was asked to answer in school, so he had to be right about her. Right?
Damon, Travis and Jordan were too stupid to do well in anything but brainless subjects like PE, but they usually goofed off and tried to trip her when they ran laps around the school football field. They idolized Bobby; because he was smart and strong enough to even beat the 6th graders in math and football.
Jenny hated them.
Most of her other classmates stayed neutral. The girls had no interest in Jenny; she wasn't really interested in movie stars or makeup like they were. All the boys played football and Game boys at lunch. None of them really talked Jenny, for fear of Bobby and his friend's wrath. None were actually mean though.
The only girl who made any attempt to be nice or even notice Jenny was Charlotte. Charlotte was a shy girl in Jenny's class. She had short, shoulder length blond hair, rosy cheeks, a small unobtrusive ski jump nose and hazel eyes. She stood maybe an inch taller than Jenny and rarely spoke.
Charlotte had moved to their school in the middle of 4th grade, she was so quiet that most people never noticed her. She had a way of disappearing into the shadows. It was a natural reaction to deal with her father, who often came home from the pub, staggering drunk and roaring mad, often swearing at and slapping Charlotte,
Jenny didn't know whether to be envious that Charlotte actually had a father she knew or too be thankful she didn't have a father like Charlotte's, Even if it meant not having a father at all.
Jenny was shaken from her thoughts by another paper ball bouncing off her back.
She turned and glared at Bobby, a glare that made most who knew her freeze with fear. Bobby just grinned at her hard green eyes and mouthed "Freak".
Jenny saw red. She was so angry and upset... She was a freak and there was nothing she could do about it. It was all she could do to keep from exploding.
Bobby kept grinning. Jordan laughed aloud.
Charlotte nudged her from the side and shook her head slightly. Jenny stared stonily at her desk and her neat straight rows of arithmetic problems. She didn't see the corners of her paper starting to curl as smoke rose from them, for thoughts of terrible revenges against Bobby and his friends were flitting about her head. She would rip them all apart at the seams.
Charlotte noticed the smoke though. Quickly, she snatched the paper away, before Jenny could set fire to it and draw attention to her already too obvious abilities.
Jenny twitched as the focus of her anger, the paper, was taken away. She sank further away into her mind, wallowing in anger and her green eyes burning with hatred.
Charlotte was never intimidated by this; like the other kids. To her, it was no different than her father's anger and shouting. Charlotte kept Jenny's recent rises in temper out of trouble and out of notice - most of the time. Bobby had noticed though. He was smart enough too. He had told everyone else, drawn they're attention to it.
He now tormented Jenny with her difference. The other children never really joined in, because they were afraid and wary of both competitors in this conflict.
Charlotte remembered one time on the playground; She and Jenny had been playing with a football, kicking it back and forth. Bobby and his friends had been playing with another football nearby. Suddenly, the ball had came flying towards Jenny's head. There was no doubt of who had kicked it.
Jenny had whirled suddenly towards the ball, sensing that it was flying towards her, bringing up her hands as she turned. The ball stopped, hovering in mid-air, then dropping to the ground and bouncing away. Not many other kids had seen it happen, the few who had, pretended that they hadn't. Bobby didn't.
Bobby's teasing had increased that day. Charlotte remembered Jenny's anguished crying after school.
Charlotte cautiously placed the Arithmetic paper back where it had been in front of Jenny.
The bell for lunchtime rang. Jenny's hands shook as she put her pencil and eraser back in her pencil case. Another paper ball bounced off her back.
As most of the students stood to go fetch their lunch bags. Bobby poked Jenny in the back as he walked by.
"Freak" he whispered.
Jenny let out what sounded like a scream of frustration. Before Bobby could move past her, she was on her feet so fast that she knocked her chair over. Bobby was a good five inches taller than Jenny, but she seemed to grow with her fury.
"Why don't you shut up Bobby Smith?" she snarled, her hair crackling with energy and her eyes burning.
Everyone froze to watch the impeding spectacle. Would she try to beat Bobby up? Most doubted it. Jenny may have slightly odd abilities, but Bobby was taller and at least as twice as strong.
"Why should I shut up Hansen?" Bobby replied nastily, "I only speak the truth."
Jenny normally would have wilted at this comment, but today she didn't. Instead, she drew herself up and her hair seemed to spark with unchecked energy.
Rage consumed Jenny, she had gone a blotchy pink color, and the pale smattering of freckles on her nose had disappeared. Her emerald eyes grew harder and her fists clenched.
Charlotte felt a slight breeze ruffle her hair and gulped. There were no windows or doors open. This was not good.
The rest of the class was completely silent. Miss Blake had gone to photocopy some worksheets.
Bobby grinned slowly.
"At least I'm not a-" he started.
He never got to finish the sentence.
A roar filled the classroom, as the breeze that Charlotte had felt grew stronger. Several of their classmates screamed and dove for cover.
Charlotte pulled her hair away from her face. There was a rushing whirlwind rotating around Jenny. Her eyes were closed and her fists clenched. Her face was contorted with concentration. Her hair barely fluttered.
She was the eye of the storm.
"Jenny!" called Charlotte desperately. Her voice lost in the rising wind in the classroom. Papers and other miscellaneous objects were flying about in the maelstrom. Most of the class had taken refuge under desks and the door of the classroom had slammed shut.
The whirlwind roared and raged, fueled by Jenny's anger. Faintly, Charlotte could hear people screaming.
The only people still standing where they originally had been were Jenny, Bobby and Charlotte herself. Bobby was backing away, his blue eyes for once, showing fear.
Jenny's eyes flicked open and focused on Bobby. Her eyes were nothing but pure rage. Bobby seemed to shrink. He was no longer the tall, strong boy that could beat the 6th graders in football, but a small cowering one, fearful and repentant.
Jenny brought her hands up and the wind seemed to explode towards Bobby. The wind seemed to hold back slightly, and then suddenly roar forwards like a stampeding herd of elephants.
There was a crash that was loud enough to be heard over the wind.
Bobby flew backwards over two rows of desks and hit the wall with a sickening crunch.
The wind died down as quickly as it had come.
It left Jenny standing there, exhausted and also a scared little girl.
She was paler than a sheet and trembling madly. Tiny lines had appeared around her eyes, which were staring at Bobby; horrified.
Charlotte couldn't help staring at him either. The class was silent, broken by a few scared sniffles.
Blood was staining Bobby's blond hair and his blue eyes were shut. There was a crack in the wall from where he had hit it.
Jenny swayed and started to fall forwards. Charlotte lurched forwards and caught her shoulders and they sank to the ground.
Jenny stared some more at Bobby and began to sob.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." she cried, rocking back and forth, hugging herself. Charlotte had let go of her and was patting her on the back. Jenny had grown so hot to the touch that Charlotte's hand burned when touching her.
Jenny looked at Bobby once more, then at the rest of her class, staring wide-eyed and fearful at her from under the desks, then at Charlotte.
"I'm sorry," She whispered.
And sank within her mind to depth where no one could reach her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobby didn't wake up for two weeks.
Jenny was paralyzed with fear. She had never meant to hurt anyone so badly.
No one had told Ms. Blake what had happened when she returned from her photocopying. They were all too scared. Ms. Blake had ended up sending both Bobby and Jenny to hospital.
Genevieve and Bobby's parents had rushed to the hospital, but neither could figure out what had happened to their children. Jenny was so exhausted from using so much energy, that Genevieve kept her home from school, in bed.
"Mommy..." Genevieve heard Jenny cry. The first word she had spoken in almost a week.
Genevieve rushed to Jenny's room and wrapped her arms around Jenny, who was sobbing.
"Shh... don't cry...don't worry baby...mommy's here" she whispered, stroking Jenny's hair.
Jenny looked up at Genevieve and whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt him..." her bright green eyes wide. They were so innocent, yet so wise and sad.
"I know you wouldn't hurt anyone baby"
"But I hurt him...I hurt Bobby badly... I hurt him with the Wind."
Genevieve looked at her daughter in surprise.
"The Wind? What wind are you talking about?" Her dark blue eyes searched her daughter's green ones.
"The Wind...the it wanted me to hurt him...I couldn't stop it... I wanted maybe to punch him...or maybe kick him, too teach him a lesson...but it hurt him so much!"
Jenny tried to describe the force that had roared through her body. How she had felt it before, but never so strong.
Genevieve waited till Jenny had cried herself to sleep. Her dark blue eyes were of a deep shade of navy now, because she was so lost in thought.
Walking to Jenny's window, she peered out onto the quiet London street, then back at Jenny, sleeping quietly in her bed.
Why is my child so different?
So unique?
So special? So dangerous?
Is it me?
Is it her?
The father we don't know?
Why her? Why my little girl?
What did the fates do to my little girl?
Slowly, with one last glance at the stars, Genevieve returned to her bedroom and slept.
~~~~~~~
Hundreds of miles away, in a great castle on a lake, a man named Harry Potter couldn't sleep at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heir of the Phoenix is the story of Jenny Hansen, a young girl with a heritage that she knows nothing of and friends from all strands of society, wizarding and muggle alike.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jenny sat at her desk quietly, finishing the arithmetic problems that her fifth grade teacher-Miss Blake had written on the board.
The long division problems weren't hard, but they gave Jenny headaches anyways.
Jenny was sure it wasn't the math's problems that was making her head hurt. It was the amount of concentration she needed to keep from screaming during math's that made her head throb like there was a grandfather clock pendulum bashing against either side of her skull at regular intervals. Sort of like the old grandfather clock that stood in the formal living room at home.
Jenny's legs swung underneath of her chair, an inch shy of the ground.
Jenny had always been short, thin and delicate. Her long brown hair fell in tight curls to her waist and stuck out at random intervals. A hair band barely tamed the mass of messy curls, curls that the other kids behind her liked to yank on.
Jenny tugged her blue skirt and resumed dividing 50 487 by 34, ignoring the ball of paper that bounced off her back.
Bobby and his friends had no doubt thrown it, and Jenny knew what she would find written in it, if she had cared to pick it up off the floor and unfurl the crinkled lined paper.
Jenny had smoothed out the balls of paper that Bobby and his gang of friends had lobbed at her too many times to count. And each time, her large, emerald green, almond shaped eyes would start to leak hot, salty tears.
She couldn't stand the little words, scrawled in messy handwriting across the countless little pieces of paper that had been thrown at her over the months, because the only reason that she could think of that they had been written and thrown at her was because they had to be true.
All the adults, teachers and even Aunt Angela said No, those notes weren't true. She was gifted, with something they didn't quite know and didn't really want to know. Adults and old people looked at her with a bit of curiosity, then turned away and went on with their lives.
Mum understood...sort of...She didn't say anything when Jenny had told her about the notes. She had just pulled Jenny into a silent hug and later, when Jenny touched her hair, she found some wet bits, as if mum had been crying.
She could recite the repertoire of little notes that he threw at her from memory. They all said basically the same thing.
Jenny's a freak!
Jenny felt like a freak. She didn't belong.
It was a deep underlying feeling. She didn't look like a freak, or act like one...most of the time.
Sometimes though, things went strange. She could do strange things, see strange things and hear strange voices uttering strange words.
Jenny felt another wad of paper bounce off her back. Her fingers curled with anger, her pale complexion flushed pink and she felt her hair go staticky and crackle slightly with energy.
She was turning freakish again, something the boys behind her loved watching and taunting her about.
Slowly, she stilled her quickened breathing and wound a brown curl around her finger, chewing on her lip nervously. Sneaking a glance behind her, she could see Bobby, Damon, Travis and Jordan two rows behind her, sniggering.
They had seen her react.
Just like they always wanted her too.
She had used to cry and lash out at them, throwing the paper back at the boys, and tell the teacher.
Now, she just sat there - ignoring it and winding and unwinding her hair around her finger. Trying not to cry.
Arithmetic was always the worst class for this; Bobby was good at Math's and almost always finished his homework first. He usually used the time leftover to write notes and chuck them at her. One thing that Jenny hated was that Bobby was smart and right about almost everything he was asked to answer in school, so he had to be right about her. Right?
Damon, Travis and Jordan were too stupid to do well in anything but brainless subjects like PE, but they usually goofed off and tried to trip her when they ran laps around the school football field. They idolized Bobby; because he was smart and strong enough to even beat the 6th graders in math and football.
Jenny hated them.
Most of her other classmates stayed neutral. The girls had no interest in Jenny; she wasn't really interested in movie stars or makeup like they were. All the boys played football and Game boys at lunch. None of them really talked Jenny, for fear of Bobby and his friend's wrath. None were actually mean though.
The only girl who made any attempt to be nice or even notice Jenny was Charlotte. Charlotte was a shy girl in Jenny's class. She had short, shoulder length blond hair, rosy cheeks, a small unobtrusive ski jump nose and hazel eyes. She stood maybe an inch taller than Jenny and rarely spoke.
Charlotte had moved to their school in the middle of 4th grade, she was so quiet that most people never noticed her. She had a way of disappearing into the shadows. It was a natural reaction to deal with her father, who often came home from the pub, staggering drunk and roaring mad, often swearing at and slapping Charlotte,
Jenny didn't know whether to be envious that Charlotte actually had a father she knew or too be thankful she didn't have a father like Charlotte's, Even if it meant not having a father at all.
Jenny was shaken from her thoughts by another paper ball bouncing off her back.
She turned and glared at Bobby, a glare that made most who knew her freeze with fear. Bobby just grinned at her hard green eyes and mouthed "Freak".
Jenny saw red. She was so angry and upset... She was a freak and there was nothing she could do about it. It was all she could do to keep from exploding.
Bobby kept grinning. Jordan laughed aloud.
Charlotte nudged her from the side and shook her head slightly. Jenny stared stonily at her desk and her neat straight rows of arithmetic problems. She didn't see the corners of her paper starting to curl as smoke rose from them, for thoughts of terrible revenges against Bobby and his friends were flitting about her head. She would rip them all apart at the seams.
Charlotte noticed the smoke though. Quickly, she snatched the paper away, before Jenny could set fire to it and draw attention to her already too obvious abilities.
Jenny twitched as the focus of her anger, the paper, was taken away. She sank further away into her mind, wallowing in anger and her green eyes burning with hatred.
Charlotte was never intimidated by this; like the other kids. To her, it was no different than her father's anger and shouting. Charlotte kept Jenny's recent rises in temper out of trouble and out of notice - most of the time. Bobby had noticed though. He was smart enough too. He had told everyone else, drawn they're attention to it.
He now tormented Jenny with her difference. The other children never really joined in, because they were afraid and wary of both competitors in this conflict.
Charlotte remembered one time on the playground; She and Jenny had been playing with a football, kicking it back and forth. Bobby and his friends had been playing with another football nearby. Suddenly, the ball had came flying towards Jenny's head. There was no doubt of who had kicked it.
Jenny had whirled suddenly towards the ball, sensing that it was flying towards her, bringing up her hands as she turned. The ball stopped, hovering in mid-air, then dropping to the ground and bouncing away. Not many other kids had seen it happen, the few who had, pretended that they hadn't. Bobby didn't.
Bobby's teasing had increased that day. Charlotte remembered Jenny's anguished crying after school.
Charlotte cautiously placed the Arithmetic paper back where it had been in front of Jenny.
The bell for lunchtime rang. Jenny's hands shook as she put her pencil and eraser back in her pencil case. Another paper ball bounced off her back.
As most of the students stood to go fetch their lunch bags. Bobby poked Jenny in the back as he walked by.
"Freak" he whispered.
Jenny let out what sounded like a scream of frustration. Before Bobby could move past her, she was on her feet so fast that she knocked her chair over. Bobby was a good five inches taller than Jenny, but she seemed to grow with her fury.
"Why don't you shut up Bobby Smith?" she snarled, her hair crackling with energy and her eyes burning.
Everyone froze to watch the impeding spectacle. Would she try to beat Bobby up? Most doubted it. Jenny may have slightly odd abilities, but Bobby was taller and at least as twice as strong.
"Why should I shut up Hansen?" Bobby replied nastily, "I only speak the truth."
Jenny normally would have wilted at this comment, but today she didn't. Instead, she drew herself up and her hair seemed to spark with unchecked energy.
Rage consumed Jenny, she had gone a blotchy pink color, and the pale smattering of freckles on her nose had disappeared. Her emerald eyes grew harder and her fists clenched.
Charlotte felt a slight breeze ruffle her hair and gulped. There were no windows or doors open. This was not good.
The rest of the class was completely silent. Miss Blake had gone to photocopy some worksheets.
Bobby grinned slowly.
"At least I'm not a-" he started.
He never got to finish the sentence.
A roar filled the classroom, as the breeze that Charlotte had felt grew stronger. Several of their classmates screamed and dove for cover.
Charlotte pulled her hair away from her face. There was a rushing whirlwind rotating around Jenny. Her eyes were closed and her fists clenched. Her face was contorted with concentration. Her hair barely fluttered.
She was the eye of the storm.
"Jenny!" called Charlotte desperately. Her voice lost in the rising wind in the classroom. Papers and other miscellaneous objects were flying about in the maelstrom. Most of the class had taken refuge under desks and the door of the classroom had slammed shut.
The whirlwind roared and raged, fueled by Jenny's anger. Faintly, Charlotte could hear people screaming.
The only people still standing where they originally had been were Jenny, Bobby and Charlotte herself. Bobby was backing away, his blue eyes for once, showing fear.
Jenny's eyes flicked open and focused on Bobby. Her eyes were nothing but pure rage. Bobby seemed to shrink. He was no longer the tall, strong boy that could beat the 6th graders in football, but a small cowering one, fearful and repentant.
Jenny brought her hands up and the wind seemed to explode towards Bobby. The wind seemed to hold back slightly, and then suddenly roar forwards like a stampeding herd of elephants.
There was a crash that was loud enough to be heard over the wind.
Bobby flew backwards over two rows of desks and hit the wall with a sickening crunch.
The wind died down as quickly as it had come.
It left Jenny standing there, exhausted and also a scared little girl.
She was paler than a sheet and trembling madly. Tiny lines had appeared around her eyes, which were staring at Bobby; horrified.
Charlotte couldn't help staring at him either. The class was silent, broken by a few scared sniffles.
Blood was staining Bobby's blond hair and his blue eyes were shut. There was a crack in the wall from where he had hit it.
Jenny swayed and started to fall forwards. Charlotte lurched forwards and caught her shoulders and they sank to the ground.
Jenny stared some more at Bobby and began to sob.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." she cried, rocking back and forth, hugging herself. Charlotte had let go of her and was patting her on the back. Jenny had grown so hot to the touch that Charlotte's hand burned when touching her.
Jenny looked at Bobby once more, then at the rest of her class, staring wide-eyed and fearful at her from under the desks, then at Charlotte.
"I'm sorry," She whispered.
And sank within her mind to depth where no one could reach her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobby didn't wake up for two weeks.
Jenny was paralyzed with fear. She had never meant to hurt anyone so badly.
No one had told Ms. Blake what had happened when she returned from her photocopying. They were all too scared. Ms. Blake had ended up sending both Bobby and Jenny to hospital.
Genevieve and Bobby's parents had rushed to the hospital, but neither could figure out what had happened to their children. Jenny was so exhausted from using so much energy, that Genevieve kept her home from school, in bed.
"Mommy..." Genevieve heard Jenny cry. The first word she had spoken in almost a week.
Genevieve rushed to Jenny's room and wrapped her arms around Jenny, who was sobbing.
"Shh... don't cry...don't worry baby...mommy's here" she whispered, stroking Jenny's hair.
Jenny looked up at Genevieve and whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt him..." her bright green eyes wide. They were so innocent, yet so wise and sad.
"I know you wouldn't hurt anyone baby"
"But I hurt him...I hurt Bobby badly... I hurt him with the Wind."
Genevieve looked at her daughter in surprise.
"The Wind? What wind are you talking about?" Her dark blue eyes searched her daughter's green ones.
"The Wind...the it wanted me to hurt him...I couldn't stop it... I wanted maybe to punch him...or maybe kick him, too teach him a lesson...but it hurt him so much!"
Jenny tried to describe the force that had roared through her body. How she had felt it before, but never so strong.
Genevieve waited till Jenny had cried herself to sleep. Her dark blue eyes were of a deep shade of navy now, because she was so lost in thought.
Walking to Jenny's window, she peered out onto the quiet London street, then back at Jenny, sleeping quietly in her bed.
Why is my child so different?
So unique?
So special? So dangerous?
Is it me?
Is it her?
The father we don't know?
Why her? Why my little girl?
What did the fates do to my little girl?
Slowly, with one last glance at the stars, Genevieve returned to her bedroom and slept.
~~~~~~~
Hundreds of miles away, in a great castle on a lake, a man named Harry Potter couldn't sleep at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~