Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, nor do I own Harry Potter. (J.K Rowling owns them, lucky woman.) I only own my original characters and my own original plot.

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Chapter 25: The Internal Struggle Ends

Jesabelle wiped the blood trickling from her lip as she followed Dumbledore into his office. Closing the door behind her, she stood before him as he took a seat behind his desk, eyeing her carefully.

"Now, Ms. Potter, would you like to explain what happened in the Great Hall?" Dumbledore asked, putting his hands together.

"Simply a duel that spun out of control, Headmaster." Jesabelle answered, putting her hands behind her.

"Would you like to tell me why it spun out of control?" Dumbledore asked.

"Old flames got in the way of my better judgment, Headmaster." Jesabelle replied. "Plus, she blasted me through the door. She started it." She claimed, sounding childish.

"I see, and what did she say that provoked you so much?" Dumbledore asked.

Jesabelle looked at him. Now THAT was a pretty personal question to ask. She looked away. Dumbledore always made her feel like he could see right through her.

"Is it about Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked.

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Harry and the others were quickly heading towards the Headmaster's office, when they ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Professor." Hermione said. "Where's Jesabelle?"

"She is currently speaking with the Headmaster. I would prefer that you all head back to Gryffindor Tower and wait until she is finished." McGonagall said.

Harry and the others had no choice but to turn back head to the Common Room.

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Jesabelle walked into the Gryffindor Common Room about thirty minutes later, being met with whispers and pats on the back.

"Quite the show Jesabelle!" Dean Thomas said.

"Never seen a duel like that since Harry dueled Malfoy in our second year." Seamus said.

"Never knew you had so much rage!" Colin Creevey said as his brother, Dennis, nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys, I think." Jesabelle said, smiling nervously as she sat in an armchair, facing Harry.

"So, what's the punishment?" Ron asked.

"No punishment." Jesabelle said.

"No punishment?" Hermione asked, astonished.

"None." Jesabelle said.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I guess McGonagall and Dumbledore just let me slide with a warning. They said they would speak to the Ministry officials and clear everything up. Besides, knowing Slytherin, Snape probably didn't give Parkinson detention anyway. He's probably congratulating her for succeeding in provoking me right now in the dungeons!" Jesabelle said.

"True." Neville said.

"Well, at least you're not in that much trouble." Ginny said.

"So there's nothing to worry about." Neville replied.

"Anyway," Ron said, "good show Jesabelle, I never knew you were good at dueling. I always thought you'd get hit in the first round."

"Gee, thanks Ron." Jesabelle said sarcastically.

"I'm just joking, you know, good job." Ron quickly said, smiling nervously at Hermione, who was giving him the death glare.

"I agree with him Jesabelle." Ginny said. "You sure gave Parkinson a run for her money.'

"It's about time someone showed her that she isn't the center of the universe." Hermione said, nodding.

"You have skills, dear cousin." Harry said, grinning.

"You know how to dodge spells without even using spells." Neville said.

"Thanks." Jesabelle said, smiling at them.

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Later that day, Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione were seated at a secluded section in the library, away from the prying ears of the other students there. Ron said he wanted to talk to all of them about something important. Jesabelle was up in the Hospital Wing, her minor wounds being nursed by Madame Pomfrey, who was absolutely exploding at how careless she and Harry could be sometimes.

"Why did you want to talk to us, Ron?" Luna asked, "And where's Jesabelle?"

"Jesabelle's upstairs with Madame Pomfrey. I wanted to talk to all of you because I heard something related to her that bothered me." Ron said, looking each of them in the eye.

"What did you hear, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Well, when Jesabelle was blasted through that door, and began dueling Parkinson again, I heard Zabini and a Hufflepuff talking about her." Ron said.

"What did they say?" Hermione asked.

"Well, knowing the intensity of the duel, they were betting on who would win, but that's beside the point." Ron said, hastily looking at Harry. "Then Zabini said that she's quite the challenge."

"What?" Harry said.

"Wait, there's more." Ron said. "Then the Hufflepuff asked him if he had dueled her before, and Zabini said yes, saying, in his words, 'She's got a lot of fire.' And that she's a good dueler."

Ron looked at them questioningly.

"How could Zabini duel Jesabelle, when she just came to Hogwarts this year? I highly doubt they met beforehand." Ginny said.

"I don't know." Ron said. "But tonight, I have a feeling she's going to try and sneak out again, on another one of those meetings."

"She sure has been sneaking out a lot more for those meetings lately." Hermione said, sighing.

"We should follow her." Neville said, while Luna nodded.

"I already thought of that." Ron said.

"Well, I supposed you'll be needing my invisibility cloak, right?" Harry asked, grinning.

"You got it, Harry." Ron said.

"But how will you know when she will leave her dorm?" Hermione asked.

"I'll just stake it out around the Heads' Dorm." Ron said.

"Wow, Ron, good job, mean, you actually thought this through, instead of lunging straight forward without thinking." Neville said teasingly, "Congratulations mate, we're proud of you".

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked innocently, as the others laughed, Neville and Harry grinning broadly.

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At eight o'clock that night, after dinner at the Great Hall, Harry handed Ron his invisibility cloak in the boys' dorm.

"Just be careful mate, from what I hear, there have been more and more teachers patrolling these days." Harry said.

"Don't worry Harry, if I get caught, I'll just say that I was doing my rounds. I am a Prefect you know." Ron said.

"Good luck, Ron." Harry said. "We'll be waiting in the Common Room for the update."

Ron smiled and was about to pull on the cloak when Harry spoke again, grinning.

"Oh and another thing Ron," he said, "don't fall asleep."

Ron nodded, returned Harry's grin, and pulled on the cloak, vanishing from sight. Harry walked out of the boys' dorm occasionally and opened the portrait, walking out, so that Ron may follow him. Ron safely got out and stuck his hand out of the cloak, giving Harry the thumbs up. Harry shivered slightly at Ron's floating hand but nonetheless nodded, silently wishing him luck a second time.

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Ron's head was drooping. He had already been there for four hours. It was midnight, and he didn't notice any shift in normality in the corridor, except that Nearly Headless Nick glided through the wall he was leaning on, and flew right through him, giving him quite the scare. He still shuddered at the thought.

Maybe my hunch was wrong, he thought, maybe I should turn in, I mean, it's late. Any later than this, and Snape will find an invisible snoring student at the side. He chuckled silently. I guess it wouldn't be too bad, maybe I'll scare him into thinking there's some creature after him. Ron's train of thought continued.

Or maybe she had an invisibility cloak. No, that can't be possible, they're supposed to be rare, and I don't think that Harry's family would have more than one at a time.

Or..no, that can't be. Maybe she was hunting for blood; she was a vampire after all. Ron suddenly shivered. He didn't like the idea that Jesabelle could be lurking anywhere nearby, fangs bared. He shivered again. It was weird enough as it was, hearing all those things about her from other people. He thought about what Blaise Zabini had said earlier.

"She's a very good dueler, quite the challenge. She's got a lot of fire."

What did that mean?

Ron waited a few more minutes, shaking his head, downing the contents of a vial he removed from his robe. Hermione handed it to him, telling him to drink it every other hour, to keep him awake. Good old Hermione, his girlfriend.

He really had to stop thinking too much like that a time, his head was already starting to hurt a little. Besides, N.E.W.T.s were over. His brain was supposed to be taking a vacation right now. At least, until Hermione would start badgering him about the job he was going to take after they finished school, which will probably be very soon. He loved Hermione, but sometimes, he could do without the brain strain.

He was about to call it a night when around one in the morning, the portrait of the dorm opened, and Jesabelle stepped out, looking up and down the corridor, then walking down to her right, and taking the staircase down to the corridor below.

Ron stood up, adjusting the cloak, and walked a few feet behind her, making sure that he was keeping the same pace as her. He knew she would find it suspicious if she kept hearing footsteps that didn't match her own.

A few minutes later, Jesabelle reached the gargoyle and whispered the password, "Honeydukes Chocolate", and walked up the stairs, Ron following closely. Jesabelle increased her pace and opened the door to Dumbledore's office, stepping inside quickly, and closing the door behind her. Ron got caught on the cloak several times while walking up the stairs and was locked out of the room when Jesabelle suddenly closed the door.

Ron cursed silently under his breath and stuck his ear close to the door. At first he could only hear shuffling. Funny, they didn't put a silencing spell. Then he heard voice. But the words were slightly muffled by the door.

"I can't stay here." He heard Jesabelle.

She was pacing the room. He could tell; he could hear her frenzied steps.

"And why not?" Ron heard Dumbledore ask.

"There have been more sightings!" Jesabelle screamed. "More Death Eaters have been seen! Things are becoming more dangerous around here!"

"Calm down, Jesabelle." Dumbledore said, soothingly.

"I can't Headmaster!" she screamed. "He's getting closer to finding me, I can feel it. I can't stay here. I won't stay here any longer. I will not risk putting Harry and the rest of them in danger."

What are they talking about? Ron thought, his eyes widening. Who's after Jesabelle?

"Where will you go if you leave then, Jesabelle?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know." He heard Jesabelle say, recognizing the confusion in her voice. "I'll be the bait! I'll lead him away from here!"

"You know that could ultimately lead to your capture." Dumbledore said.

"What choice do I have?" Jesabelle asked, and for the first time, Ron could sense the stress in her voice.

"You can stay here." Dumbledore answered.

"And what, wait?" Jesabelle yelled.

"I know you're stressed out about this, Jesabelle, but you have to think this through. You shouldn't resort to rational thought." Dumbledore said.

"But it isn't safe enough here anymore!" Jesabelle said. "Even you know that he has his ways of getting inside the school. Remember what happened with the Goblet of Fire?"

Ron pressed his ear even harder into the door. What did she know about the goblet? Sure, Harry and the other told her about what happened in their fourth year, but by the sound of her voice, it seemed like she knew more behind it than they did.

"Yes, I remember fully well." Dumbledore said.

"And when Harry was having those terrible dreams? When he could reach into Harry's mind?" Jesabelle asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore said.

"Exactly, I rest my case. It is not safe here for me anymore." Jesabelle said.

"But running away is not the answer." Dumbledore said.

"Then what do you propose I do, Headmaster?" Jesabelle asked. "Just sit here and wait until he makes his next move? No, I refuse."

"I am not asking you to just let it go, I'm just saying that just charging out there the way you plan to will have disastrous results." Dumbledore said.

"But, things are so confused, Headmaster." Jesabelle said. "I grow more afraid as everyday ends. And what about the Ministry? Word will leak out about the truth. You and I both know that the fact that I am here is pretty much against the law."

Against the law? Now Ron really was confused. He continued to listen, wondering how Dumbledore could keep his cool when Jesabelle was practically bouncing off the walls.

"And what about Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville?" Jesabelle asked. "They're going to find out the truth soon, and when they do, all hell will break loose. I don't want to risk losing them."

What is she hiding? What truth? Ron was getting more and more frustrated at not being able to figure this puzzle out.

"Why do you wish to leave so much, Jesabelle?" Dumbledore asked.

"I do not want to put you and the rest of them in more danger." Jesabelle said, stamping her foot on the ground.

"That is not the only reason Jesabelle." Dumbledore said.

Silence filled the room, and Ron knew that Dumbledore had hit a soft spot.

"Is it because of Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked.

"You already know the answer to that question, Headmaster." Jesabelle said.

"Do you think you can escape the pain and heartbreak if you run?" Dumbledore asked gently. "Running away will just lead you straight to him. It would be like offering Harry and yourself on a silver platter to him."

By then Ron understood. This HE they were taking about. It was Voldemort. Voldemort was after Jesabelle. But why? And this thing with this truth, and things being against the law that she was here. She wanted to leave, so she could protect them. It made more sense now.

"Staying here like this applies the same concept." Jesabelle said, and Ron knew that she was sad.

"But at least here, you both have a better chance of standing against him." Dumbledore said. "Now get some sleep, you need it."

Ron backed away from the door and bolted down the stairs before Jesabelle opened the door. He had heard enough, now it was time to tell the others.

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Jesabelle sadly walked down the corridor back to her room, realizing she was crying. She wiped her tears away, frustrated with her meeting with Dumbledore. She couldn't stat. She just couldn't.

She reached the dorm a minute later and walked in after muttering the password.

The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace of the Common Room. Jesabelle looked into the fire, lost in thought.

She was about to turn in, when she heard sounds coming from Draco's room. She quietly crept up and surprisingly, his door was slightly open. She looked through and was hit with a sight. There, against the wall, Draco Malfoy was kissing Pansy Parkinson and touching her all over. She turned away, her eyes burning with tears.

Before they could realize that the door was slightly open, she ran into her room, silently closing the door, placing a locking and silence charm on it.

She leaned against the door, sobbing loudly. She slid down and landed with a plop on the ground, holding her knees, the tears flowing freely. She screamed, throwing her head back.

She got up and pounded the wall, thankful for the silencing charm. She continued until her knuckles were red.

This was it, he was over it, and he never loved her. He was kissing the girl she fought with just hours ago! Draco's words floated back into her mind.

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You are of no use to me Potter. What we 'had' was nothing short of an act to get you in bed with me.

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Draco stopped kissing Parkinson and whispered heavily into her ear, "Good job provoking Potter today. I'm proud of you."

"Do I get a reward?" she asked, batting her eye lashes.

"You get the trophy." Draco said, sneering.

He hated this. He hated Parkinson. He hated himself. He loved Jesabelle and here he was, kissing and touching Parkinson. The actions were enough to make him sick, but he had to do it. He had a feeling he was being watched. He had to convince the other Slytherins that he really didn't have anything with Jesabelle, so here he was. He didn't want to raise any suspicions. And, he was doing this because he was trying to convince himself that there really wasn't anything there with Jesabelle. But, as much as he tried, he couldn't agree with that.

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"I HATE YOU!" Jesabelle screamed. "YOU WERE SO STUPID TO BELIEVE HIM JESABELLE! YOU GIT! YOU BELIEVED HIM! LOOK AT WHAT HE'S DOING!"

Jesabelle had reached the pinnacle of her pain. She had to leave, and Dumbledore wouldn't be able to stop her. At that moment, she hated the world, she hated her mother for leaving her, she hated Malfoy, she hated Parkinson, she hated Hogwarts, but most of all, she hated herself.

She lay against the wall, hands in her hair, sobbing even more.

"I hate you Draco Malfoy." She whispered into the night. "I hate you."

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How's that for drama? So sorry to my reviewers that I haven't been updating as much as you would like. But here it is! Hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review.

Coming Up...... Stay Tuned!

Chapter 26: Jesabelle leaves Hogwarts and her biggest secret will be revealed.