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 26: A Piece of the Puzzle Revealed
Ron ran quickly down the corridor and up to the Gryffindor Tower. He couldn't waste time. The others needed to know what happened. They needed to know that Jesabelle could possibly in trouble.
He skidded as he turned the corner and screamed the password at the Fat Lady.
"Do calm down!" the Fat Lady said, opening to allow him in.
Ron walked into the Common Room quickly, breathing heavily. Harry and the others, except for Luna, who was in her own house, were seated in their spot next to the fire. Seeing Ron, they all got up.
"Ron!" Hermione said, running to him. "Are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm all right 'Mione." Ron said.
"Sit down mate." Harry said, motioning toward an armchair.
Ron gratefully plopped down and caught his breath, which was beginning to slow.
"What happened, Ron?" Hermione asked again, watching her boyfriend with a worried expression.
"Jes, and Dumbledore, and.." Ron mumbled, drifting off, still trying to catch his breath.
"Just start from the beginning Ron." Ginny said.
"All right." Ron said. "I followed Jesabelle when she headed towards Dumbledore's office. She was too fast and she closed the door before I could slip in." He paused. "Then I stuck my ear to the door so I could hear them. Jesabelle seemed worried. She kept saying that she couldn't stay here, at Hogwarts any longer. She just kept saying a bunch of things that didn't make sense. And then she said that he was going to find her soon."
"He? Who's this he?" Neville asked.
"It may be some sort of wild guess, but I think it might be Dumbledore." Ron said. "But there's even more."
The rest looked at Ron, shocked. Ron continued.
"She was frantic, stressed, confused, and all at the same time. She was practically screaming at Dumbledore. She kept saying that she couldn't risk putting us in danger. But Dumbledore kept saying that running away would eventually get her captured."
"What?" Neville asked.
"Let him finish Neville." Ginny said, putting a trembling hand on his arm.
"And then she said that some sort of truth will be revealed. The truth about her will be revealed. Then she talked about the Goblet of Fire, and in our fifth year, when Harry had those dreams and when Voldemort could reach into his mind." He stopped again, recollecting his thoughts. "Then she said that staying here would be like offering herself and you, Harry, to Voldemort on a silver platter." Ron stopped again, and looked at Harry.
Hermione was pale. Ginny was trembling slightly, Neville putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. Harry was staring into the fire, the color slowly draining from his face.
"It gets worse." Ron continued, looking at the rest of them. "She said that being here is pretty much against the law."
"Against the law?" Hermione asked.
Ron nodded in response.
"Things make more sense now." Neville said, standing up. "Didn't I tell you? I told all of you that there was something wrong about this whole thing with Jesabelle. There were things that Jesabelle was hiding from us."
"What are you trying to say Neville?" Harry asked softly, looking away from the fire.
"Put all of the pieces of the puzzle together Harry." Neville said. "I hate to say this, but from what Ron said, it sounds like Jesabelle might be a Death Eater."
"A Death Eater!" Harry screamed, jumping up from his chair.
"Quiet down Harry, anyone could hear you." Ginny said, tugging at his arm and pulling him down into the chair.
"It makes sense Harry, I mean; her being here against the law is enough to support the theory." Neville said.
Harry stayed silent for a while and cast a glance at everyone else. He knew that they all agreed with Neville, and, he hated to admit, he did too.
"Even if she is a Death Eater," Harry began, "what's she doing here?"
"She could have wanted to finish her schooling here." Hermione said. "I don't think she would be working for Voldemort."
"But why is Voldemort after Jesabelle in the first place?" Ginny asked. "I mean, sure, when a Death eater runs, he looks for them, but it seems like he's been trying a lot harder than most people would think just to find Jesabelle."
"Ginny's right." Ron said. "What is it about Jesabelle that makes her so important to Voldemort?"
"I don't know." Hermione said.
"Hermione's right on one thing though." Neville said.
"And what's that, Neville?" Harry asked.
"She can't be working for Voldemort." Neville said. "Why say she wants to protect us? Why say she wants to leave?"
"She could have said that to throw people off." Ron said.
"But in front of Dumbledore?" Ginny asked. "He would see right through the charade."
"But he didn't realize it with Moody though." Hermione said. "The same thing could very well happen again."
"I don't understand!" Harry said.
"Neither do we, Harry." Ginny said.
"But even if she was working for Voldemort, she could have lead Harry away from Hogwarts anytime. She could have killed him anytime." Hermione said.
"That's right." Ginny said, nodding her head.
"But what if the dark Lord has something bigger planned?" Ron asked.
"Then why put on the whole 'I want to protect Harry and the others' act?" Neville asked.
"I don't know." Ron said, putting his face in his hands. "I just don't know."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle sat there, trying to recollect herself. She didn't know how long she sat there, sobbing, but she knew that if she was going to take action, that it was going to take careful strategy to do so. She knew what she had to do. She knew she had to leave Hogwarts.
She got up from where she was sitting and wiped her tears away, forcing the vision of Draco and Pansy together away from her mind. She couldn't let the events that took place earlier cloud her thoughts.
She sat on the edge of her bed. Leaving Hogwarts tonight is what Dumbledore would expect, and it would be way too suspicious. She wanted to see Harry and the others first before she left. She couldn't bring herself to leave without looking at them one last time. No, she would have to leave tomorrow night. She would head north. It was rumored that Voldemort was somewhere up in that direction. She would go over there and divert Voldemort away from Harry and the rest of them.
That wasn't as good as plan as she would have gone with, but it was the only thing that she could think of. Unless, she could head north, but not to Voldemort, she would force him to change his search parties and force them up north once word got out that she was gone. She doubted that it would take him long to figure that out. She secretly hoped that she wouldn't run into any trouble as she traveled. She didn't need the Ministry on her back, not yet anyways.
She sighed and walked to her closet, opening it and looking around at her wardrobe, pointing out mentally which ones she will take on her trip. It was going to be a long trip if she was going to stay on the run, especially if the Ministry started to look for her. She would have to pack warm and light.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I say we pretend like we don't know anything." Hermione said. "Jumping up to her and asking questions about things we most likely shouldn't know about will probably end up terribly."
"That's going to be hard, considering that we think that she's a Death Eater." Neville said.
"We have to at least try Neville." Ron said. "We don't want an argument to break out. It would be all over the school."
"And something like that will only provoke her even more into leaving." Ginny said.
"Just act completely normal. Don't give off any sign that you might know something, and we'll see how she'll act around us tomorrow. Then we can think about what we're going to do about this whole thing." Harry said.
"Why don't we just go to Dumbledore?" Ron asked.
"Even if we do go to Dumbledore, do you think that he would really tell us what is going on?" Hermione replied. "He is probably keeping it all a secret too, especially since she's probably a Death Eater."
"Let's just go back to our original plan, and take things from there." Harry said. "But be careful, all of you."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was four or so in the morning. Pansy had left a few minutes earlier, and Draco felt like running to the toilet and spitting out the contents of his stomach, in hopes of removing Pansy's spit from his mouth. He already tried wiping his tongue with a towel, but with no luck.
Finally giving up, he threw the towel aside and pulled on a new pair of boxers, rubbing the back of his neck and taking a moment to look out of his window. Maybe if I stare out into the sky long enough, my problems will disappear, he thought, shaking his head at his childish remark. He was really starting to lose it. The days spent without even the slightest bit of contact with Jesabelle was already starting to wake its toll on him. He really had to start getting out more, or keep himself busy, that way his thoughts wouldn't always drift to her.
He had refused Pansy when she wanted to go all the way, not that he already had, it's just that Pansy wasn't Jesabelle, and the thought of actually doing it with Pansy sickened him enough to tempt him to run to toilet again. He had this bad feeling that Jesabelle knew about what happened with him and Pansy earlier. When he had refused, she decided to just lounge around. Her course of action completely drove Draco off the edge, and after threatening her, he finally got her out of the Dorm, talking with the occupant of the picture guarding the entrance, telling him that she should not be permitted into the dorm ever again.
He sighed deeply and walked out of his room, pulling on a t-shirt and scanning the room. He knew that Jesabelle probably wasn't in her room, the door was open. He ran a hand through his hair and walked to the small library at the end of the Common Room, pulling back the shelf, leading him to the secret tower. He walked up the stone steps, shivering as his feet came in contact with the cold. I should start wearing socks when coming up here, he thought, I wonder where Jesabelle is tonight.
He was almost at the top of the tower when he realized that in the window ahead, someone was sitting on the stone window sill. Draco then recognized the person to be Jesabelle. He leaned against the wall, hoping that Jesabelle hadn't head him coming up the steps. He peered around the corner and looked up at her.
Gods, was she beautiful. The moonlight was shinning on her hair, making it shine with some angelic glow. She wasn't moving. Curious, Draco moved closer, against his better judgment. On a closer inspection, Draco realized that Jesabelle was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling, indicating she was deep in slumber. Draco sighed and ran a finger slowly across her cheek, feeling the electricity from the touch as it shot through his entire being, making him shiver down to the core, and just from a simple touch.
It was then that he remembered how much he really cared about her. He remembered when he saw her for the first time at Flourish and Blotts. Sure, eh was physically attracted to her, which was what brought him to speak to her in the first place. But as he got to know as the year continued to pass, he really did fall in love with her. Years from now, people would probably say that it happened too fast. That they were too young to know exactly what true love was. But at that very moment, as he looked upon Jesabelle, he realized that he did know what true love was.
Smiling at that thought, he was brought back to reality by a cool breeze that flew in through the window. Shivering, he realized Jesabelle would freeze out here, not to mention that she could fall out of the window. Shaking the thought away from his mind, he lifted Jesabelle up, carrying her down the stone steps.
In a few minutes he pushed through the open door of her room and laid her down on her bed, remembering the incident at the Halloween Ball. He still didn't punish Marshall for that stunt. Sure, a while after the incident they discovered he was drunk, but that wasn't going to save him in the long run when Draco starts hunting him down.
She wasn't wearing any shoes so he pulled the covers over her body and up to her chest, and closed the curtains of her window, still having that sinking feeling that someone was watching them.
He was about to leave when he heard her talk in her sleep.
"Mum?" Jesabelle whispered.
Draco closed the door and sat in an armchair nearby her bed, watching her, knowing it best not to wake her.
"No mum, he'll kill you!" she suddenly screamed. "Don't Mum! Call the Ministry! Send for help! Don't go! Don't leave me!"
Draco stared at her, she was having nightmares again. She was dreaming about her mother's death. He was still debating over whether or not to wake her when Jesabelle suddenly screamed.
"NOOOOO!" she cried. Then suddenly, she fell quiet, tears running down her cheeks, her eyes still closed.
Draco was amazed that she didn't wake up; she must have had those dreams before. He watched her for a few more minutes, watching as her breathing returned to normal. When he was sure she wasn't going to have anymore dreams, he began to talk to her.
"I know you can't hear me," he began, "I wish you could, but even then, I'm not sure you would even listen to me."
He looked at her.
"You don't know how hard it was to break up with you the way I did, you know that?" he asked, as if expecting an answer. "I wish I told you the truth. I am going to become a Death Eater, Jesabelle. I can't escape it, it's inevitable."
He paused, wondering why he was doing this. He had to clear his mind. He had to say these things to her, even though she couldn't hear it.
"My initiation is taking place either tomorrow or the day after. My mother has already sent a letter to Dumbledore, requesting that I return home, that I would be given my diploma, and that she is need of "medical assistance" and would like me to stay with her." Draco continued. "I wish I didn't have to. You don't know how much I want to be with you. The time spent without you is slowly killing me. I hate it. I hate the separation."
He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but forced himself to remain strong; he could not lose composure, not when he already started.
"I'm sorry. I am so sorry. So sorry that I would fight my own father to prove to you that I am sorry. I love you. I want to be with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to have children with you. I want so much with you." He paused, and looked away, wiping the tears that were already falling from his face. "Sadly, you will never know that."
He sniffled and wiped away his tears, frustrated at his lack of composure. He got up and decided against kissing her on the forehead. He didn't want to go anywhere near her sleeping form, or he would have to resist crawling in and sleeping next to her and holding her against him.
He looked at her one last time, and left the room, closing the door, and not looking back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Jesabelle woke up in her bed, wondering how she got there. I probably walked back here and crawled into bed and I don't remember, that sometimes happens, she thought. But she couldn't ignore the fact that she had an unusual dream, which involved Draco carrying her to her room, and talking to her. She could recall hearing a muffled voice as she slept. But she didn't understand what the person was saying. And she highly doubted that it was Draco. Even though another side of her believes it was. But she did dream about her mother's death last night. That, she wished she could ignore. Having those dreams always left her chilled and confused. Especially since she was going to put her plan into action tonight.
She shook her head, trying to make sense of her scramble thoughts. She had to clear her mind if she was going to think about how much money she should bring on her trip. Then there was the problem of where she was going. She also had to think about how to disguise herself. She could handle the Death Eaters if they came after her. She eluded them before, she could do it again. Now, if the Ministry started up a search, then she had a piece of work on her hands.
Let's just hope Harry and the others don't come out and search for me themselves, Jesabelle thought as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a black hooded pullover, sneakers adorning her feet. She tied her hair into a bun and sighed, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Time to make an appearance." Jesabelle said, walking out of her room and down to the Great Hall. "Man, how long did I sleep?" Jesabelle asked herself. She walked down the corridor and saw Nearly Headless Nick glide through a wall.
"Hello Sir Nick." Jesabelle said, smiling.
"Oh hello Jesabelle." Nick said, returning her smile.
"You don't happen to know what time it is, do you?" Jesabelle asked.
"Why, it's already noon." Nick said.
"Oh," Jesabelle said, surprised, "well, thank you then."
"No problem, have a good day Jesabelle." Nick said.
"All right, then, thank you, you too Nick." Jesabelle said, continuing her route to the Great Hall. I can't believe I overslept, she thought, walking into the Great Hall.
"Jesabelle!" Ginny said, flagging Jesabelle down, pushing her away from her thoughts. She gave her a small smile and walked over to the table, sitting between her and Harry, since she saved her a space there.
"Hello everyone." Jesabelle said, trying to sound as cheerful, even thought she wasn't.
"Morning." Luna said. "Or afternoon, rather." She had begun sitting at the Gryffindor table, since everyone else took a liking to her there.
"Oversleep?" Neville asked, eating a spoonful of pudding.
"Sure did. I must have been tired." Jesabelle said, rolling up her sleeves and digging in to the plate of food Harry saved for her, missing the concerned glances Harry and the others gave her.
"So, what's the schedule today?" Ron asked, trying to sound as normal as possible. Jesabelle didn't catch the hint.
"Well, we already finished all of our N.E.W.T.s, and we have about a free week of school left. So I say, we just hang around and have fun." Ron answered. "You know, lazing around."
"That sounds like a great idea, Ron." Jesabelle said, finishing her last spoonful of pudding.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They were sitting by another tree nearby the lake, laughing as them remembered old memories from their Hogwarts years.
"It's great that you all have lots of memories from here." Jesabelle said, pasting on a smile that the others did not believe was real.
"We have to admit, it is." Neville said, tripping Ron slightly, on purpose, sticking his foot out as Ron was walking by. Ron turned pink and glared at him while the others laughed.
"Ginny and I are really going to miss it here, since we're graduating early with you guys with some other advanced sixth years." Luna said.
"Yeah, so are we. It's a wonderful place to go to school; and an even better place to grow up in." Hermione said.
"I'm really going to miss it." Ron said.
"So will I." Jesabelle said softly, looking up at the castle, her expression portraying that of a lost person.
Harry nodded and looked at the castle, carrying the same expression of his cousin, the others eyeing them with concern, sharing their emotions.
They were soon interrupted when Colin Creevey came up to them and asked if he could take a picture of them, as a memoir. He was one of the fifty students chosen to graduate early.
Harry and the others assembled in front of the tree; Harry holding Ginny, Hermione holding Ron, and Luna, Neville, and Jesabelle standing together in the middle. They all smiled as Colin counted to three with his fingers. The flash came, and Colin thanked them, promising to give them copies when he was able to print them.
"Hey Harry!" Seamus said, running up to him with an oval-shaped ball in his hands.
"Hey Seamus." Harry said, realizing the object in his hands was a football.
"You guys want to play football?" Seamus asked as Dean and Justin made their way over to him. "We'll teach you how to play."
"Oh wicked!" Ron said. "Harry told us all about it; I always wanted to try it. Let's go!"
"Jolly good, Ron!" Dean said as they took their positions on the grassy field. The first team held Harry, Seamus, and Neville, while the second team held Justin, Dean, and Ron.
"Ready, set," Seamus began. "Hut hut!"
Seamus threw the ball back at Harry, who was quickly tackled by Ron, knocking the air out of him. The girls laughed, teasing Harry at being so slow.
The game continued on for another hour, in which Hermione accidentally caught the ball and ran when Ron started running towards her. She ended up scoring a goal, which made Ginny, Luna, and Jesabelle cheer. After that, the girls joined the game as well. The game ended with Ron's team winning, with the help of Luna, who turned out to be a very good football player.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They headed to dinner early, and spent the rest of the night in the Common Room. Jesabelle said she wanted to finish reading a book she borrowed from the library and left around eight. Most of the Gryffindors turned in early. And by eleven, Harry and the others were the only ones left in the common room.
"She didn't act differently." Hermione said, breaking the silence that settled over them ten minutes after the last Gryffindor headed up, wishing them a good night.
"That's right." Neville said, staring in the fire.
"But she did get this look on her face, you know, when she was staring at the castle." Ginny said.
"Harry was wearing that look too." Luna said. Hermione invited her up to talk with them, since she was pretty much considered a Gryffindor by their house.
"But Jesabelle had a different look. If you really observe it. Harry had this sort of expression that said that he was happy to have stayed here, and that he would miss it. Jesabelle had this look on that sort of made me feel like she thought she was saying some sort of silent goody- bye." Ginny said, but added quickly, "I could be wrong, it was just a feeling."
"We can't be too careful." Harry said.
"What do you think she's going to do?" Ron asked.
"If I know my cousin, and I do, she's going to try and leave even though Dumbledore told her not to." Harry said.
"But when?" Neville asked.
"If I were her, I'd leave tonight." Harry said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle had lied about the book, and already felt guilty as she walked back to her dorm, even though it was a tiny lie.
She walked into the Heads' Common Room and looked around, feeling like something was missing. She realized that some of the books in the small library were missing, and Draco's usual litter of parchment was no longer on one of the tables, and the house elves did not to clean up until midnight.
She looked at Draco's door and realized, for the first time, that is was wide open. Curious, Jesabelle walked over to room, and discovered the room empty. Her eyes grew wide and she searched around the closets, in the bathroom, and the drawers of his desk. Everything was cleaned out. Nothing was left behind. Then, Jesabelle found a piece of parchment pinned to the wall next to the door frame.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ms. Jesabelle Potter,
Your roommate, Draco Malfoy, has left Hogwarts at an earlier date, since his mother is ill at home, and requested him to return to accompany her. It was an emergency, and he left at once, sadly not being able to wish you a last farewell, for he will not be graduating with you and the other seventh years, due to his mother's illness. I was not able to tell you this in person, since I had other matters to deal with.
Have a good evening.
Albus Dumbledore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle read the note over and over again, growing slightly dizzy. Draco left? Already? Narcissa is ill?
She didn't understand at first, and read the note again, line for line, slowly. Suddenly, it occurred to her. Narcissa really wasn't sick. Draco didn't go home. His initiation must be coming up, she thought. Of course, it would be too dangerous to graduate with the rest of the seventh years. There was usually a hoard of Ministry officials there as witnesses to the event. It would be way too risky to walk into the Great Hall with the Dark Mark on his arm. But, she thought, some people have already away with that.
But it still didn't make sense. What are the Malfoys up to? What is Voldemort up to?
She looked away from the note and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, and leaning on it, sighing deeply.
A minute later, she was in her room, loading a light back pack with clothes, small portions of foods that she got from the kitchens (a favor from Dobby), and a few book she wanted to take with her. She shrunk her Firebolt Armageddon, and placed it in a small pocket of her bag. She would leave everything behind.
She began tidying up around the room; she didn't want to give anyone the impression that she left in a hurry. She was weird that way.
It was midnight by the time she was ready to leave. She sat in front of the fireplace, going over her plan. She would leave the castle at one in the morning, when the teachers and the prefects ended their shifts. Then she would keep to the inner outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and slip past Hagrid's hut. Then she would head up farther north, and stop at an old inn she read up about in a run down town, a few miles away from the coast. From there, she would formulate the next part of her plan. She would probably jump over to Ireland, and then keeping moving around Europe, leading Voldemort, and her father, away from Hogwarts.
Yes, she knew her father was alive. She knew that he was looking for her too. She knew that that bastard when never stop looking, until he pulled her back into his dark web again, like he did so before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It seems sensible." Harry continued. "I mean, you can't prolong it, so then you leave the night after, when everyone thinks that everything is going back to normal."
"Dumbledore would expect that." Neville said, looking at Harry.
"But what can he do?" Harry asked. "He can't just lock her up in her dorm. He wouldn't want to imprison her like that. Dumbledore's better than that."
"Harry's right." Ginny said, looking up at the clock, everyone following her gaze.
"But what can we do?" Luna asked. "What if we're wrong and she doesn't leave tonight? We're going to have to explain why we ended up in front of her dorm at 12:30 in the morning."
They continued arguing, until settling into a frustrated silence, watching the clock as it slowly ticked towards one o'clock.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At exactly one, Jesabelle gathered her things, gave the Common Room one last look, and left the Heads' Dorm, moving quickly. Luckily, she didn't meet anyone on the way, and my 1:10 A.M., she was heading out of the Entrance of the castle. Fudge long since removed the Aurors from the premises, since Hogsmeade residents were complaining about the loss of privacy. They already had enough of the so-called "false alarms".
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"That's it!" Harry said, getting up, "I'm going over there."
"But Harry!" Ginny began.
"No!" Harry said firmly, "The waiting is gnawing at me! I can't take it."
Harry made his way to the portrait hole, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Neville following.
They quickly made their way down the corridors toward the Heads' Dorm, looking around cautiously, just in case they ran into anyone that could cause them trouble.
Five minutes later, Hermione muttered the password and they were searching the Common Room. Ginny and Ron hurriedly ran over to Jesabelle's room, while Hermione and Luna, checked Draco's room. The door was open to both rooms.
"You guys!" Luna screamed.
The others ran into Draco's room and Luna read the note to them.
"Malfoy's gone?" Ron asked.
"Jesabelle is too." Ginny said, walking in. She had not followed them into Draco's room, but remained behind in Jesabelle's.
"What?" Harry asked.
"She's gone Harry." Ginny said, "No note, nothing, only a few things missing."
They all looked at her, unwilling to believe what she had just said, their fears intensifying.
"She ran you guys." Ginny said. "She ran.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle moved through the night, taking shelter in a bush on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Since she was wearing black, she blended well with the surroundings.
She gave the castle one final look, and continued, slithering past Hagrid's hut unnoticed, not bothering to wipe the tears that were falling down her face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry raced out of the Heads' Dorm, sprinting down the stairs, as the others followed closely behind.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled. "We have to get Dumbledore, or Tonks, or someone!"
"No! By the time we get there she might be gone. We have to hurry. We can't lose her!" Harry yelled in response, running down another corridor, and down another staircase. You'll catch her, Harry told himself. It's no too late, you'll catch her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle was picking her way through the Forbidden Forest. It was too risky to light up her wand, since she was still fairly close to Hogwarts. She increased her pace, knowing that she had to be miles and miles away by dawn if her plan was going to work.
She had gotten her pant leg stuck to a dead bush. As she struggled with it, she suddenly stopped, and quirked her head up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry and the others ran past the Great Hall, surprised no one had heard the commotion they were making. They slowed their pace and cautiously exited through the entrance doors, sticking to side, and closing it behind them.
"Now what?"
"Let's see if we can follow along the Forbidden Forest, maybe she's moving through there, so she won't be seen." Harry said.
The all nodded and followed him, looking around once more, making sure that no one had followed them or were watching them right now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle turned her head from side to side, listening to the silence. She sniffed the air. Being a vampire sure has its advantages, she thought. She smelled blood, familiar blood.
She finally pulled her pants out of the bush and walked a little, looking around, reaching a clearing that was bathed in moonlight, the trees closing in around her, tight together.
She sniffed the air again, and turned to her left.
"I know you're out there Arnold." She said. "Come on out, don't be afraid."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry and the others were slightly getting deeper into the forest. They were all too soon thinking about turning back when they heard Jesabelle's voice.
Harry put a finger over his lips, signaling them to keep silent and made his way around the brush, right behind a tree that faced the clearing.
They could see Jesabelle, her sack on the floor, her hooded cloak flying at the slight breeze. She looked around and pierced her surroundings.
"Oh come on now," she said, "I won't bite, at least, not yet."
Harry and the others looked at each other, wondering who Jesabelle was talking to.
"I know you're not alone Rockwood." Jesabelle said, malice laced with her voice. "Did you forget that as a vampire, I can smell your blood? Obviously, it seems like you did."
The rest eyed each other, carrying the look of a slight panic. Jesabelle could probably smell them too. She must have known they were there all along. They didn't anticipate that.
Suddenly, the tree branches five feet in front of Jesabelle stirred, and three people came out, cloaked in black, wearing white masks. Death Eaters.
Ron and Neville held Harry down from running in the middle of the clearing. It could end out badly if he did. They decided to wait and see what happens.
"Now that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" Jesabelle sarcastically asked, grinning at them.
"How do we know it's you?" the middle Death Eater asked, stepping forward, "And not another one of those Polyjuice concoctions."
Jesabelle grinned. "Even IF someone was going to drink a potion and turn into me, there is only one way that you could tell that it really wasn't me. By my mark. We're all Death Eaters here, carrying the same mark, except, no potion can copy mine, for mine is original." And with that, pulled back the right sleeve of her cloak and extended her arm out, revealing the Dark Mark, the skull, with not only one, but two snakes protruding from its mouth. .
Harry and the others gasped. Jesabelle really was a Death Eater.
"So it is you." The middle Death Eater said, removing his mask and pulling the hood down revealing a middle-aged man with high cheek bones, brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Arnold Rockwood.
"Yes, it is me. I was the only one given this mark, and you know that, Rockwood." Jesabelle said, bringing her arm down and restoring the sleeve. She looked behind him. "I see you didn't come alone. How's your brother, Augustus, doing in Azkaban since Harry and the rest of his friends put him there? Barely surviving or dead? I'd really like to know, it has been a bit more than a year. "
"Cut it, Potter." Rockwood said, clearly irritated.
"Oh, agitated, are we?" Jesabelle asked. "So what does my father want? Make it quick, I have places to go."
"Your father wants you to return home." Rockwood said.
"And why would my father want me to return home?" Jesabelle asked.
"He needs you." Rockwood said.
"To do what?" Jesabelle asked, clearly amused, "Formulate more disgusting plans against the innocent? I don't think so."
"He sent us here to tell you that he has a cure to your curse." Rockwood said.
"Lies will not get you anywhere." Jesabelle said, her voice beginning to waver with anger.
"He also told us to make sure that you came with us." Rockwood said.
"Then why give me a choice?" Jesabelle asked.
"Even if we have to take you back by force." Rockwood said, the other two Death Eaters raising their wands, pointing them at her.
Jesabelle threw her head back and laughed, sending chills down the spines of Harry, and the others. Her laugh sounded so amused, so evil, so much like the Dark Lord himself.
"Take me by force?" Jesabelle asked, smiling. "Really, you're still as hilarious as I remember you. What makes all three of you think that with your number you could take me? I have more knowledge of the Dark Arts than all three of you put together. Besides, why doesn't my father come after me himself? He is the Dark Lord after all, right?"
At her last statement, Harry and others looked at each other, their eyes widening even more. Jesabelle was Voldemort's daughter.
"You make it sound as if we should be afraid." Rockwood said, growing angry at how difficult the job was becoming.
"Oh no, it's not that you should be afraid, you already are afraid. I can smell your fear, and it disgusts me." Jesabelle said, spitting the words out.
"You're right Jesabelle." Rockwood said, surprising all of them. "But at least I admit to my fear. Unlike you, standing there, fighting your warring emotions. My, my, my, your father would be so disappointed."
Jesabelle kept a straight face. Rockwood grinned.
"Still not coming?" he asked. "Oh well, have it your way."
The Death Eater closest to Harry's hiding place pointed his wand there.
"Crucio!" Jesabelle yelled.
The Death Eater dropped his wand and fell, twitching in pain. Jesabelle kicked his wand away from him and turned, pointing her wand at Rockwood. Harry and the others watched, surprised that she could perform the Cruciatus Curse.
"You know how painful it is Rockwood, especially when someone with a high level of magical power casts it upon you." Jesabelle said. "It's sheer torture."
Jesabelle didn't notice that the other Death Eater was behind her, wand up, ready to stun her. Harry couldn't handle it anymore; he ran out and lunged at the Death Eater, bringing him to the ground.
Rockwood lunged himself at Jesabelle, who was distracted at Harry's sudden appearance. He slammed her to the ground, while the other Death Eater that was under the Cruciatus Curse picked up his wand and tried to stun Ron, who had followed after Harry, as did the others, missing as he did so.
Neville pulled Rockwood off Jesabelle and punched him in the face as Hermione and Luna handled a death Eater, while Ginny and Harry handled the other.
Jesabelle got up to her feet and retrieved her wand. Ginny was pushed back by a Death Eater, another one about to stun her.
"Ginny!" Jesabelle screamed, picking her up, and shoving her out of the way, as the Death Eater yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Jesabelle flew forward and hit a tree, falling backward to the ground.
Luna, Harry, and Neville were dueling one Death Eater, while Ron and Ginny were dueling the other, Rockwood was nowhere to be seen.
Jesabelle pulled herself up, her head spinning from the sudden blow. Hermione was thrown back by a stunning spell. Jesabelle stood up, her eyesight blurry. She didn't notice that Rockwood was behind her. The other Death eaters were already being pushed back into the forest.
Harry was dueling the Death eater when he noticed Rockwood.
"Jesabelle!" Harry screamed. "Look out!"
Rockwood was about to hit Jesabelle in the head when a sudden flash of red light threw him backward into the tangles of the forest.
Jesabelle looked up and saw Dumbledore, towering over them, Tonks at his side.
"Dumbledore!" Luna said.
Rockwood and the death eaters took the chance of distraction and ran.
"No!' Jesabelle screamed. "They're getting away!"
She ran after them, shouting spells as she went. Rockwood removed two vials of potion and threw to the ground at Jesabelle hissed and threw her arms up. The potion was vampire repellant. Scratches began to form on various parts of her body. Rockwood grinned and in a flash of black smoke, he was gone.
Harry and the others arrived just as Jesabelle hit the floor.
"Jesabelle!" Harry screamed, dropping down and laying her across his lap; she had fallen unconscious. "We have to get her to the Hospital!"
Dumbledore nodded and they hurried to castle, Jesabelle in Harry's arms, everyone hoping that she would awake.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There! How' that for action! I'm sorry I wasn't able to update as quickly as I would have wanted. School just started this week. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! Yay! Now THIS is my longest chapter!
Coming Up....Stay Tuned!
Chapter 27: Jesabelle tells her story.
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 26: A Piece of the Puzzle Revealed
Ron ran quickly down the corridor and up to the Gryffindor Tower. He couldn't waste time. The others needed to know what happened. They needed to know that Jesabelle could possibly in trouble.
He skidded as he turned the corner and screamed the password at the Fat Lady.
"Do calm down!" the Fat Lady said, opening to allow him in.
Ron walked into the Common Room quickly, breathing heavily. Harry and the others, except for Luna, who was in her own house, were seated in their spot next to the fire. Seeing Ron, they all got up.
"Ron!" Hermione said, running to him. "Are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm all right 'Mione." Ron said.
"Sit down mate." Harry said, motioning toward an armchair.
Ron gratefully plopped down and caught his breath, which was beginning to slow.
"What happened, Ron?" Hermione asked again, watching her boyfriend with a worried expression.
"Jes, and Dumbledore, and.." Ron mumbled, drifting off, still trying to catch his breath.
"Just start from the beginning Ron." Ginny said.
"All right." Ron said. "I followed Jesabelle when she headed towards Dumbledore's office. She was too fast and she closed the door before I could slip in." He paused. "Then I stuck my ear to the door so I could hear them. Jesabelle seemed worried. She kept saying that she couldn't stay here, at Hogwarts any longer. She just kept saying a bunch of things that didn't make sense. And then she said that he was going to find her soon."
"He? Who's this he?" Neville asked.
"It may be some sort of wild guess, but I think it might be Dumbledore." Ron said. "But there's even more."
The rest looked at Ron, shocked. Ron continued.
"She was frantic, stressed, confused, and all at the same time. She was practically screaming at Dumbledore. She kept saying that she couldn't risk putting us in danger. But Dumbledore kept saying that running away would eventually get her captured."
"What?" Neville asked.
"Let him finish Neville." Ginny said, putting a trembling hand on his arm.
"And then she said that some sort of truth will be revealed. The truth about her will be revealed. Then she talked about the Goblet of Fire, and in our fifth year, when Harry had those dreams and when Voldemort could reach into his mind." He stopped again, recollecting his thoughts. "Then she said that staying here would be like offering herself and you, Harry, to Voldemort on a silver platter." Ron stopped again, and looked at Harry.
Hermione was pale. Ginny was trembling slightly, Neville putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. Harry was staring into the fire, the color slowly draining from his face.
"It gets worse." Ron continued, looking at the rest of them. "She said that being here is pretty much against the law."
"Against the law?" Hermione asked.
Ron nodded in response.
"Things make more sense now." Neville said, standing up. "Didn't I tell you? I told all of you that there was something wrong about this whole thing with Jesabelle. There were things that Jesabelle was hiding from us."
"What are you trying to say Neville?" Harry asked softly, looking away from the fire.
"Put all of the pieces of the puzzle together Harry." Neville said. "I hate to say this, but from what Ron said, it sounds like Jesabelle might be a Death Eater."
"A Death Eater!" Harry screamed, jumping up from his chair.
"Quiet down Harry, anyone could hear you." Ginny said, tugging at his arm and pulling him down into the chair.
"It makes sense Harry, I mean; her being here against the law is enough to support the theory." Neville said.
Harry stayed silent for a while and cast a glance at everyone else. He knew that they all agreed with Neville, and, he hated to admit, he did too.
"Even if she is a Death Eater," Harry began, "what's she doing here?"
"She could have wanted to finish her schooling here." Hermione said. "I don't think she would be working for Voldemort."
"But why is Voldemort after Jesabelle in the first place?" Ginny asked. "I mean, sure, when a Death eater runs, he looks for them, but it seems like he's been trying a lot harder than most people would think just to find Jesabelle."
"Ginny's right." Ron said. "What is it about Jesabelle that makes her so important to Voldemort?"
"I don't know." Hermione said.
"Hermione's right on one thing though." Neville said.
"And what's that, Neville?" Harry asked.
"She can't be working for Voldemort." Neville said. "Why say she wants to protect us? Why say she wants to leave?"
"She could have said that to throw people off." Ron said.
"But in front of Dumbledore?" Ginny asked. "He would see right through the charade."
"But he didn't realize it with Moody though." Hermione said. "The same thing could very well happen again."
"I don't understand!" Harry said.
"Neither do we, Harry." Ginny said.
"But even if she was working for Voldemort, she could have lead Harry away from Hogwarts anytime. She could have killed him anytime." Hermione said.
"That's right." Ginny said, nodding her head.
"But what if the dark Lord has something bigger planned?" Ron asked.
"Then why put on the whole 'I want to protect Harry and the others' act?" Neville asked.
"I don't know." Ron said, putting his face in his hands. "I just don't know."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle sat there, trying to recollect herself. She didn't know how long she sat there, sobbing, but she knew that if she was going to take action, that it was going to take careful strategy to do so. She knew what she had to do. She knew she had to leave Hogwarts.
She got up from where she was sitting and wiped her tears away, forcing the vision of Draco and Pansy together away from her mind. She couldn't let the events that took place earlier cloud her thoughts.
She sat on the edge of her bed. Leaving Hogwarts tonight is what Dumbledore would expect, and it would be way too suspicious. She wanted to see Harry and the others first before she left. She couldn't bring herself to leave without looking at them one last time. No, she would have to leave tomorrow night. She would head north. It was rumored that Voldemort was somewhere up in that direction. She would go over there and divert Voldemort away from Harry and the rest of them.
That wasn't as good as plan as she would have gone with, but it was the only thing that she could think of. Unless, she could head north, but not to Voldemort, she would force him to change his search parties and force them up north once word got out that she was gone. She doubted that it would take him long to figure that out. She secretly hoped that she wouldn't run into any trouble as she traveled. She didn't need the Ministry on her back, not yet anyways.
She sighed and walked to her closet, opening it and looking around at her wardrobe, pointing out mentally which ones she will take on her trip. It was going to be a long trip if she was going to stay on the run, especially if the Ministry started to look for her. She would have to pack warm and light.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I say we pretend like we don't know anything." Hermione said. "Jumping up to her and asking questions about things we most likely shouldn't know about will probably end up terribly."
"That's going to be hard, considering that we think that she's a Death Eater." Neville said.
"We have to at least try Neville." Ron said. "We don't want an argument to break out. It would be all over the school."
"And something like that will only provoke her even more into leaving." Ginny said.
"Just act completely normal. Don't give off any sign that you might know something, and we'll see how she'll act around us tomorrow. Then we can think about what we're going to do about this whole thing." Harry said.
"Why don't we just go to Dumbledore?" Ron asked.
"Even if we do go to Dumbledore, do you think that he would really tell us what is going on?" Hermione replied. "He is probably keeping it all a secret too, especially since she's probably a Death Eater."
"Let's just go back to our original plan, and take things from there." Harry said. "But be careful, all of you."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was four or so in the morning. Pansy had left a few minutes earlier, and Draco felt like running to the toilet and spitting out the contents of his stomach, in hopes of removing Pansy's spit from his mouth. He already tried wiping his tongue with a towel, but with no luck.
Finally giving up, he threw the towel aside and pulled on a new pair of boxers, rubbing the back of his neck and taking a moment to look out of his window. Maybe if I stare out into the sky long enough, my problems will disappear, he thought, shaking his head at his childish remark. He was really starting to lose it. The days spent without even the slightest bit of contact with Jesabelle was already starting to wake its toll on him. He really had to start getting out more, or keep himself busy, that way his thoughts wouldn't always drift to her.
He had refused Pansy when she wanted to go all the way, not that he already had, it's just that Pansy wasn't Jesabelle, and the thought of actually doing it with Pansy sickened him enough to tempt him to run to toilet again. He had this bad feeling that Jesabelle knew about what happened with him and Pansy earlier. When he had refused, she decided to just lounge around. Her course of action completely drove Draco off the edge, and after threatening her, he finally got her out of the Dorm, talking with the occupant of the picture guarding the entrance, telling him that she should not be permitted into the dorm ever again.
He sighed deeply and walked out of his room, pulling on a t-shirt and scanning the room. He knew that Jesabelle probably wasn't in her room, the door was open. He ran a hand through his hair and walked to the small library at the end of the Common Room, pulling back the shelf, leading him to the secret tower. He walked up the stone steps, shivering as his feet came in contact with the cold. I should start wearing socks when coming up here, he thought, I wonder where Jesabelle is tonight.
He was almost at the top of the tower when he realized that in the window ahead, someone was sitting on the stone window sill. Draco then recognized the person to be Jesabelle. He leaned against the wall, hoping that Jesabelle hadn't head him coming up the steps. He peered around the corner and looked up at her.
Gods, was she beautiful. The moonlight was shinning on her hair, making it shine with some angelic glow. She wasn't moving. Curious, Draco moved closer, against his better judgment. On a closer inspection, Draco realized that Jesabelle was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling, indicating she was deep in slumber. Draco sighed and ran a finger slowly across her cheek, feeling the electricity from the touch as it shot through his entire being, making him shiver down to the core, and just from a simple touch.
It was then that he remembered how much he really cared about her. He remembered when he saw her for the first time at Flourish and Blotts. Sure, eh was physically attracted to her, which was what brought him to speak to her in the first place. But as he got to know as the year continued to pass, he really did fall in love with her. Years from now, people would probably say that it happened too fast. That they were too young to know exactly what true love was. But at that very moment, as he looked upon Jesabelle, he realized that he did know what true love was.
Smiling at that thought, he was brought back to reality by a cool breeze that flew in through the window. Shivering, he realized Jesabelle would freeze out here, not to mention that she could fall out of the window. Shaking the thought away from his mind, he lifted Jesabelle up, carrying her down the stone steps.
In a few minutes he pushed through the open door of her room and laid her down on her bed, remembering the incident at the Halloween Ball. He still didn't punish Marshall for that stunt. Sure, a while after the incident they discovered he was drunk, but that wasn't going to save him in the long run when Draco starts hunting him down.
She wasn't wearing any shoes so he pulled the covers over her body and up to her chest, and closed the curtains of her window, still having that sinking feeling that someone was watching them.
He was about to leave when he heard her talk in her sleep.
"Mum?" Jesabelle whispered.
Draco closed the door and sat in an armchair nearby her bed, watching her, knowing it best not to wake her.
"No mum, he'll kill you!" she suddenly screamed. "Don't Mum! Call the Ministry! Send for help! Don't go! Don't leave me!"
Draco stared at her, she was having nightmares again. She was dreaming about her mother's death. He was still debating over whether or not to wake her when Jesabelle suddenly screamed.
"NOOOOO!" she cried. Then suddenly, she fell quiet, tears running down her cheeks, her eyes still closed.
Draco was amazed that she didn't wake up; she must have had those dreams before. He watched her for a few more minutes, watching as her breathing returned to normal. When he was sure she wasn't going to have anymore dreams, he began to talk to her.
"I know you can't hear me," he began, "I wish you could, but even then, I'm not sure you would even listen to me."
He looked at her.
"You don't know how hard it was to break up with you the way I did, you know that?" he asked, as if expecting an answer. "I wish I told you the truth. I am going to become a Death Eater, Jesabelle. I can't escape it, it's inevitable."
He paused, wondering why he was doing this. He had to clear his mind. He had to say these things to her, even though she couldn't hear it.
"My initiation is taking place either tomorrow or the day after. My mother has already sent a letter to Dumbledore, requesting that I return home, that I would be given my diploma, and that she is need of "medical assistance" and would like me to stay with her." Draco continued. "I wish I didn't have to. You don't know how much I want to be with you. The time spent without you is slowly killing me. I hate it. I hate the separation."
He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but forced himself to remain strong; he could not lose composure, not when he already started.
"I'm sorry. I am so sorry. So sorry that I would fight my own father to prove to you that I am sorry. I love you. I want to be with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to have children with you. I want so much with you." He paused, and looked away, wiping the tears that were already falling from his face. "Sadly, you will never know that."
He sniffled and wiped away his tears, frustrated at his lack of composure. He got up and decided against kissing her on the forehead. He didn't want to go anywhere near her sleeping form, or he would have to resist crawling in and sleeping next to her and holding her against him.
He looked at her one last time, and left the room, closing the door, and not looking back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Jesabelle woke up in her bed, wondering how she got there. I probably walked back here and crawled into bed and I don't remember, that sometimes happens, she thought. But she couldn't ignore the fact that she had an unusual dream, which involved Draco carrying her to her room, and talking to her. She could recall hearing a muffled voice as she slept. But she didn't understand what the person was saying. And she highly doubted that it was Draco. Even though another side of her believes it was. But she did dream about her mother's death last night. That, she wished she could ignore. Having those dreams always left her chilled and confused. Especially since she was going to put her plan into action tonight.
She shook her head, trying to make sense of her scramble thoughts. She had to clear her mind if she was going to think about how much money she should bring on her trip. Then there was the problem of where she was going. She also had to think about how to disguise herself. She could handle the Death Eaters if they came after her. She eluded them before, she could do it again. Now, if the Ministry started up a search, then she had a piece of work on her hands.
Let's just hope Harry and the others don't come out and search for me themselves, Jesabelle thought as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a black hooded pullover, sneakers adorning her feet. She tied her hair into a bun and sighed, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Time to make an appearance." Jesabelle said, walking out of her room and down to the Great Hall. "Man, how long did I sleep?" Jesabelle asked herself. She walked down the corridor and saw Nearly Headless Nick glide through a wall.
"Hello Sir Nick." Jesabelle said, smiling.
"Oh hello Jesabelle." Nick said, returning her smile.
"You don't happen to know what time it is, do you?" Jesabelle asked.
"Why, it's already noon." Nick said.
"Oh," Jesabelle said, surprised, "well, thank you then."
"No problem, have a good day Jesabelle." Nick said.
"All right, then, thank you, you too Nick." Jesabelle said, continuing her route to the Great Hall. I can't believe I overslept, she thought, walking into the Great Hall.
"Jesabelle!" Ginny said, flagging Jesabelle down, pushing her away from her thoughts. She gave her a small smile and walked over to the table, sitting between her and Harry, since she saved her a space there.
"Hello everyone." Jesabelle said, trying to sound as cheerful, even thought she wasn't.
"Morning." Luna said. "Or afternoon, rather." She had begun sitting at the Gryffindor table, since everyone else took a liking to her there.
"Oversleep?" Neville asked, eating a spoonful of pudding.
"Sure did. I must have been tired." Jesabelle said, rolling up her sleeves and digging in to the plate of food Harry saved for her, missing the concerned glances Harry and the others gave her.
"So, what's the schedule today?" Ron asked, trying to sound as normal as possible. Jesabelle didn't catch the hint.
"Well, we already finished all of our N.E.W.T.s, and we have about a free week of school left. So I say, we just hang around and have fun." Ron answered. "You know, lazing around."
"That sounds like a great idea, Ron." Jesabelle said, finishing her last spoonful of pudding.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They were sitting by another tree nearby the lake, laughing as them remembered old memories from their Hogwarts years.
"It's great that you all have lots of memories from here." Jesabelle said, pasting on a smile that the others did not believe was real.
"We have to admit, it is." Neville said, tripping Ron slightly, on purpose, sticking his foot out as Ron was walking by. Ron turned pink and glared at him while the others laughed.
"Ginny and I are really going to miss it here, since we're graduating early with you guys with some other advanced sixth years." Luna said.
"Yeah, so are we. It's a wonderful place to go to school; and an even better place to grow up in." Hermione said.
"I'm really going to miss it." Ron said.
"So will I." Jesabelle said softly, looking up at the castle, her expression portraying that of a lost person.
Harry nodded and looked at the castle, carrying the same expression of his cousin, the others eyeing them with concern, sharing their emotions.
They were soon interrupted when Colin Creevey came up to them and asked if he could take a picture of them, as a memoir. He was one of the fifty students chosen to graduate early.
Harry and the others assembled in front of the tree; Harry holding Ginny, Hermione holding Ron, and Luna, Neville, and Jesabelle standing together in the middle. They all smiled as Colin counted to three with his fingers. The flash came, and Colin thanked them, promising to give them copies when he was able to print them.
"Hey Harry!" Seamus said, running up to him with an oval-shaped ball in his hands.
"Hey Seamus." Harry said, realizing the object in his hands was a football.
"You guys want to play football?" Seamus asked as Dean and Justin made their way over to him. "We'll teach you how to play."
"Oh wicked!" Ron said. "Harry told us all about it; I always wanted to try it. Let's go!"
"Jolly good, Ron!" Dean said as they took their positions on the grassy field. The first team held Harry, Seamus, and Neville, while the second team held Justin, Dean, and Ron.
"Ready, set," Seamus began. "Hut hut!"
Seamus threw the ball back at Harry, who was quickly tackled by Ron, knocking the air out of him. The girls laughed, teasing Harry at being so slow.
The game continued on for another hour, in which Hermione accidentally caught the ball and ran when Ron started running towards her. She ended up scoring a goal, which made Ginny, Luna, and Jesabelle cheer. After that, the girls joined the game as well. The game ended with Ron's team winning, with the help of Luna, who turned out to be a very good football player.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They headed to dinner early, and spent the rest of the night in the Common Room. Jesabelle said she wanted to finish reading a book she borrowed from the library and left around eight. Most of the Gryffindors turned in early. And by eleven, Harry and the others were the only ones left in the common room.
"She didn't act differently." Hermione said, breaking the silence that settled over them ten minutes after the last Gryffindor headed up, wishing them a good night.
"That's right." Neville said, staring in the fire.
"But she did get this look on her face, you know, when she was staring at the castle." Ginny said.
"Harry was wearing that look too." Luna said. Hermione invited her up to talk with them, since she was pretty much considered a Gryffindor by their house.
"But Jesabelle had a different look. If you really observe it. Harry had this sort of expression that said that he was happy to have stayed here, and that he would miss it. Jesabelle had this look on that sort of made me feel like she thought she was saying some sort of silent goody- bye." Ginny said, but added quickly, "I could be wrong, it was just a feeling."
"We can't be too careful." Harry said.
"What do you think she's going to do?" Ron asked.
"If I know my cousin, and I do, she's going to try and leave even though Dumbledore told her not to." Harry said.
"But when?" Neville asked.
"If I were her, I'd leave tonight." Harry said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle had lied about the book, and already felt guilty as she walked back to her dorm, even though it was a tiny lie.
She walked into the Heads' Common Room and looked around, feeling like something was missing. She realized that some of the books in the small library were missing, and Draco's usual litter of parchment was no longer on one of the tables, and the house elves did not to clean up until midnight.
She looked at Draco's door and realized, for the first time, that is was wide open. Curious, Jesabelle walked over to room, and discovered the room empty. Her eyes grew wide and she searched around the closets, in the bathroom, and the drawers of his desk. Everything was cleaned out. Nothing was left behind. Then, Jesabelle found a piece of parchment pinned to the wall next to the door frame.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ms. Jesabelle Potter,
Your roommate, Draco Malfoy, has left Hogwarts at an earlier date, since his mother is ill at home, and requested him to return to accompany her. It was an emergency, and he left at once, sadly not being able to wish you a last farewell, for he will not be graduating with you and the other seventh years, due to his mother's illness. I was not able to tell you this in person, since I had other matters to deal with.
Have a good evening.
Albus Dumbledore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle read the note over and over again, growing slightly dizzy. Draco left? Already? Narcissa is ill?
She didn't understand at first, and read the note again, line for line, slowly. Suddenly, it occurred to her. Narcissa really wasn't sick. Draco didn't go home. His initiation must be coming up, she thought. Of course, it would be too dangerous to graduate with the rest of the seventh years. There was usually a hoard of Ministry officials there as witnesses to the event. It would be way too risky to walk into the Great Hall with the Dark Mark on his arm. But, she thought, some people have already away with that.
But it still didn't make sense. What are the Malfoys up to? What is Voldemort up to?
She looked away from the note and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, and leaning on it, sighing deeply.
A minute later, she was in her room, loading a light back pack with clothes, small portions of foods that she got from the kitchens (a favor from Dobby), and a few book she wanted to take with her. She shrunk her Firebolt Armageddon, and placed it in a small pocket of her bag. She would leave everything behind.
She began tidying up around the room; she didn't want to give anyone the impression that she left in a hurry. She was weird that way.
It was midnight by the time she was ready to leave. She sat in front of the fireplace, going over her plan. She would leave the castle at one in the morning, when the teachers and the prefects ended their shifts. Then she would keep to the inner outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and slip past Hagrid's hut. Then she would head up farther north, and stop at an old inn she read up about in a run down town, a few miles away from the coast. From there, she would formulate the next part of her plan. She would probably jump over to Ireland, and then keeping moving around Europe, leading Voldemort, and her father, away from Hogwarts.
Yes, she knew her father was alive. She knew that he was looking for her too. She knew that that bastard when never stop looking, until he pulled her back into his dark web again, like he did so before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It seems sensible." Harry continued. "I mean, you can't prolong it, so then you leave the night after, when everyone thinks that everything is going back to normal."
"Dumbledore would expect that." Neville said, looking at Harry.
"But what can he do?" Harry asked. "He can't just lock her up in her dorm. He wouldn't want to imprison her like that. Dumbledore's better than that."
"Harry's right." Ginny said, looking up at the clock, everyone following her gaze.
"But what can we do?" Luna asked. "What if we're wrong and she doesn't leave tonight? We're going to have to explain why we ended up in front of her dorm at 12:30 in the morning."
They continued arguing, until settling into a frustrated silence, watching the clock as it slowly ticked towards one o'clock.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At exactly one, Jesabelle gathered her things, gave the Common Room one last look, and left the Heads' Dorm, moving quickly. Luckily, she didn't meet anyone on the way, and my 1:10 A.M., she was heading out of the Entrance of the castle. Fudge long since removed the Aurors from the premises, since Hogsmeade residents were complaining about the loss of privacy. They already had enough of the so-called "false alarms".
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"That's it!" Harry said, getting up, "I'm going over there."
"But Harry!" Ginny began.
"No!" Harry said firmly, "The waiting is gnawing at me! I can't take it."
Harry made his way to the portrait hole, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Neville following.
They quickly made their way down the corridors toward the Heads' Dorm, looking around cautiously, just in case they ran into anyone that could cause them trouble.
Five minutes later, Hermione muttered the password and they were searching the Common Room. Ginny and Ron hurriedly ran over to Jesabelle's room, while Hermione and Luna, checked Draco's room. The door was open to both rooms.
"You guys!" Luna screamed.
The others ran into Draco's room and Luna read the note to them.
"Malfoy's gone?" Ron asked.
"Jesabelle is too." Ginny said, walking in. She had not followed them into Draco's room, but remained behind in Jesabelle's.
"What?" Harry asked.
"She's gone Harry." Ginny said, "No note, nothing, only a few things missing."
They all looked at her, unwilling to believe what she had just said, their fears intensifying.
"She ran you guys." Ginny said. "She ran.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle moved through the night, taking shelter in a bush on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Since she was wearing black, she blended well with the surroundings.
She gave the castle one final look, and continued, slithering past Hagrid's hut unnoticed, not bothering to wipe the tears that were falling down her face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry raced out of the Heads' Dorm, sprinting down the stairs, as the others followed closely behind.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled. "We have to get Dumbledore, or Tonks, or someone!"
"No! By the time we get there she might be gone. We have to hurry. We can't lose her!" Harry yelled in response, running down another corridor, and down another staircase. You'll catch her, Harry told himself. It's no too late, you'll catch her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle was picking her way through the Forbidden Forest. It was too risky to light up her wand, since she was still fairly close to Hogwarts. She increased her pace, knowing that she had to be miles and miles away by dawn if her plan was going to work.
She had gotten her pant leg stuck to a dead bush. As she struggled with it, she suddenly stopped, and quirked her head up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry and the others ran past the Great Hall, surprised no one had heard the commotion they were making. They slowed their pace and cautiously exited through the entrance doors, sticking to side, and closing it behind them.
"Now what?"
"Let's see if we can follow along the Forbidden Forest, maybe she's moving through there, so she won't be seen." Harry said.
The all nodded and followed him, looking around once more, making sure that no one had followed them or were watching them right now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jesabelle turned her head from side to side, listening to the silence. She sniffed the air. Being a vampire sure has its advantages, she thought. She smelled blood, familiar blood.
She finally pulled her pants out of the bush and walked a little, looking around, reaching a clearing that was bathed in moonlight, the trees closing in around her, tight together.
She sniffed the air again, and turned to her left.
"I know you're out there Arnold." She said. "Come on out, don't be afraid."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry and the others were slightly getting deeper into the forest. They were all too soon thinking about turning back when they heard Jesabelle's voice.
Harry put a finger over his lips, signaling them to keep silent and made his way around the brush, right behind a tree that faced the clearing.
They could see Jesabelle, her sack on the floor, her hooded cloak flying at the slight breeze. She looked around and pierced her surroundings.
"Oh come on now," she said, "I won't bite, at least, not yet."
Harry and the others looked at each other, wondering who Jesabelle was talking to.
"I know you're not alone Rockwood." Jesabelle said, malice laced with her voice. "Did you forget that as a vampire, I can smell your blood? Obviously, it seems like you did."
The rest eyed each other, carrying the look of a slight panic. Jesabelle could probably smell them too. She must have known they were there all along. They didn't anticipate that.
Suddenly, the tree branches five feet in front of Jesabelle stirred, and three people came out, cloaked in black, wearing white masks. Death Eaters.
Ron and Neville held Harry down from running in the middle of the clearing. It could end out badly if he did. They decided to wait and see what happens.
"Now that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" Jesabelle sarcastically asked, grinning at them.
"How do we know it's you?" the middle Death Eater asked, stepping forward, "And not another one of those Polyjuice concoctions."
Jesabelle grinned. "Even IF someone was going to drink a potion and turn into me, there is only one way that you could tell that it really wasn't me. By my mark. We're all Death Eaters here, carrying the same mark, except, no potion can copy mine, for mine is original." And with that, pulled back the right sleeve of her cloak and extended her arm out, revealing the Dark Mark, the skull, with not only one, but two snakes protruding from its mouth. .
Harry and the others gasped. Jesabelle really was a Death Eater.
"So it is you." The middle Death Eater said, removing his mask and pulling the hood down revealing a middle-aged man with high cheek bones, brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Arnold Rockwood.
"Yes, it is me. I was the only one given this mark, and you know that, Rockwood." Jesabelle said, bringing her arm down and restoring the sleeve. She looked behind him. "I see you didn't come alone. How's your brother, Augustus, doing in Azkaban since Harry and the rest of his friends put him there? Barely surviving or dead? I'd really like to know, it has been a bit more than a year. "
"Cut it, Potter." Rockwood said, clearly irritated.
"Oh, agitated, are we?" Jesabelle asked. "So what does my father want? Make it quick, I have places to go."
"Your father wants you to return home." Rockwood said.
"And why would my father want me to return home?" Jesabelle asked.
"He needs you." Rockwood said.
"To do what?" Jesabelle asked, clearly amused, "Formulate more disgusting plans against the innocent? I don't think so."
"He sent us here to tell you that he has a cure to your curse." Rockwood said.
"Lies will not get you anywhere." Jesabelle said, her voice beginning to waver with anger.
"He also told us to make sure that you came with us." Rockwood said.
"Then why give me a choice?" Jesabelle asked.
"Even if we have to take you back by force." Rockwood said, the other two Death Eaters raising their wands, pointing them at her.
Jesabelle threw her head back and laughed, sending chills down the spines of Harry, and the others. Her laugh sounded so amused, so evil, so much like the Dark Lord himself.
"Take me by force?" Jesabelle asked, smiling. "Really, you're still as hilarious as I remember you. What makes all three of you think that with your number you could take me? I have more knowledge of the Dark Arts than all three of you put together. Besides, why doesn't my father come after me himself? He is the Dark Lord after all, right?"
At her last statement, Harry and others looked at each other, their eyes widening even more. Jesabelle was Voldemort's daughter.
"You make it sound as if we should be afraid." Rockwood said, growing angry at how difficult the job was becoming.
"Oh no, it's not that you should be afraid, you already are afraid. I can smell your fear, and it disgusts me." Jesabelle said, spitting the words out.
"You're right Jesabelle." Rockwood said, surprising all of them. "But at least I admit to my fear. Unlike you, standing there, fighting your warring emotions. My, my, my, your father would be so disappointed."
Jesabelle kept a straight face. Rockwood grinned.
"Still not coming?" he asked. "Oh well, have it your way."
The Death Eater closest to Harry's hiding place pointed his wand there.
"Crucio!" Jesabelle yelled.
The Death Eater dropped his wand and fell, twitching in pain. Jesabelle kicked his wand away from him and turned, pointing her wand at Rockwood. Harry and the others watched, surprised that she could perform the Cruciatus Curse.
"You know how painful it is Rockwood, especially when someone with a high level of magical power casts it upon you." Jesabelle said. "It's sheer torture."
Jesabelle didn't notice that the other Death Eater was behind her, wand up, ready to stun her. Harry couldn't handle it anymore; he ran out and lunged at the Death Eater, bringing him to the ground.
Rockwood lunged himself at Jesabelle, who was distracted at Harry's sudden appearance. He slammed her to the ground, while the other Death Eater that was under the Cruciatus Curse picked up his wand and tried to stun Ron, who had followed after Harry, as did the others, missing as he did so.
Neville pulled Rockwood off Jesabelle and punched him in the face as Hermione and Luna handled a death Eater, while Ginny and Harry handled the other.
Jesabelle got up to her feet and retrieved her wand. Ginny was pushed back by a Death Eater, another one about to stun her.
"Ginny!" Jesabelle screamed, picking her up, and shoving her out of the way, as the Death Eater yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Jesabelle flew forward and hit a tree, falling backward to the ground.
Luna, Harry, and Neville were dueling one Death Eater, while Ron and Ginny were dueling the other, Rockwood was nowhere to be seen.
Jesabelle pulled herself up, her head spinning from the sudden blow. Hermione was thrown back by a stunning spell. Jesabelle stood up, her eyesight blurry. She didn't notice that Rockwood was behind her. The other Death eaters were already being pushed back into the forest.
Harry was dueling the Death eater when he noticed Rockwood.
"Jesabelle!" Harry screamed. "Look out!"
Rockwood was about to hit Jesabelle in the head when a sudden flash of red light threw him backward into the tangles of the forest.
Jesabelle looked up and saw Dumbledore, towering over them, Tonks at his side.
"Dumbledore!" Luna said.
Rockwood and the death eaters took the chance of distraction and ran.
"No!' Jesabelle screamed. "They're getting away!"
She ran after them, shouting spells as she went. Rockwood removed two vials of potion and threw to the ground at Jesabelle hissed and threw her arms up. The potion was vampire repellant. Scratches began to form on various parts of her body. Rockwood grinned and in a flash of black smoke, he was gone.
Harry and the others arrived just as Jesabelle hit the floor.
"Jesabelle!" Harry screamed, dropping down and laying her across his lap; she had fallen unconscious. "We have to get her to the Hospital!"
Dumbledore nodded and they hurried to castle, Jesabelle in Harry's arms, everyone hoping that she would awake.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There! How' that for action! I'm sorry I wasn't able to update as quickly as I would have wanted. School just started this week. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! Yay! Now THIS is my longest chapter!
Coming Up....Stay Tuned!
Chapter 27: Jesabelle tells her story.
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