It's just not the same when you wake up in the morning
With a smile on your face
When you know you lied yourself to sleep to make it better
To make it better

August 22nd 10AM

Remus and I woke up early the next morning and had a light breakfast. Neither one of us mentioned what had transpired the night before and I was grateful for that and he seemed to be as well. After breakfast Remus drove us to the Burrow where we found Draco sitting at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet.

"I don't know why you read that thing Draco," I told him as Remus and I walked into the kitchen. He glanced up for a moment before continuing to read.

"I like to stay up on what's happening in the world," he drawled. Remus and I sat down next to him at the table.

"Has Severus stopped by yet?" I asked hopefully. Draco didn't look up from the newspaper as he answered.

"Yes," he replied, "but he left again. He's not a big fan of the Burrow or the Weasleys," he added with a sneer. We sat in silence for a moment longer before I got up and headed upstairs.

"I'm going to go and change my clothes," I told Remus, "and then I was wondering if we couldn't head into Diagon Alley." Draco looked up from the paper in surprise.

"Are you crazy?" he asked, "What if someone recognizes you? You could be attacked or kidnapped or something. Besides, you don't have any money to buy anything anyway"

"I'm sure Remus can protect me," I answered with a frown, "I brought some money along with me and I'm sure I can get it exchanged at Gringotts. I'd like to buy some robes before I go to Hogwarts and I'd like to get my own wand."

"I thought you had Harry's wand," said Remus, "Why would you need another one?" Draco huffed loudly and folded up the Daily Prophet before dropping it on the table.

"Because it's Harry's wand," Draco answered for me, "Jenny needs her own wand. Harry's might work well enough but I'm sure there's a wand better suited for her." Remus seemed to think for a moment before nodding his head.

"Good point," Remus replied to Draco and then turned to me, "Go get changed and I'll escort you to Diagon Alley. Perhaps I should firecall Arthur first though and see if we might be able to get some extra protection."

"Extra protection?" I questioned and Draco rolled his eyes.

"He means an auror," he explained, "If people see you with an auror they may be discouraged from trying anything around you."

"You two worry too much," I said as I got up and left the kitchen.

I returned fifteen minutes later, cleaned up and changed into a set of old black robes that Ginny had left out for me. To give Draco and Remus a good look, I twirled around a few times, my long black hair whirling around me as I spun.

"You look very nice Jenny," Remus said kindly. I looked over at Draco but he did not say anything. Instead he gave a stiff nod, picked the Daily Prophet up from the table and began to read once again. I was slightly confused by his actions until Remus and I were walking out of the kitchen and I glanced back to see Draco staring at me over the top of the paper. He seemed to blush slightly before raising the paper up higher so I could no longer see him.

Remus led me to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. I couldn't keep myself from groaning in disgust. I really didn't like traveling by floo powder.

"Isn't there any other way to get there?" I asked hopefully. Remus just shook his head and threw the powder into the flames.

"This is the fastest way," he replied, "just say 'The Leaky Cauldron' as clearly as possible and you'll be fine." He gave me a reassuring smile before stepping into the green flames and calling out, "The Leaky Cauldron." He disappeared in an instant and I was left staring at the fireplace, attempting to will the feeling of nausea to leave me.

"The Leaky Cauldron," I called out as clearly as possible as I stepped into the green flames. I instantly shut my eyes tight as I felt myself spinning uncontrollably. A sigh of relief escaped me when I fell out of the flames into the werewolf's strong arms.

"Thanks Remus," I mumbled. He held me around the waist and led me to the entrance of Diagon Alley. We waited for the bricks to move out of the way. Once we stepped into Diagon Alley I felt better almost instantly and I briefly wondered why the place had such a strong effect on me.

"Shall we head to Gringotts first?" I asked Remus and I was surprised when he shook his head.

"Draco gave me some money before we left so that you'd be able to buy what you need," he explained as he held up a small black pouch.

"He didn't need to do that," I said, slightly embarrassed by Draco's generosity, "I have my own money." Remus just chuckled and shook his head.

"Just thank him when we get back and that will be enough for him," he said, "Draco has a hard time showing that he cares. He has tons of money but no one to spend it on. It's easy to see that he already cares for you very much so I suggest you just accept his generosity with a smile."

Remus and I walked down the street for about five minutes before we met up with the auror that Arthur had assigned to us. It was some guy named Jackson. I didn't recognize the name or his face so I asked Remus about him. Remus admitted that he had never heard of him either but Arthur assured him that Jackson was quite trustworthy.

We made our way through the crowds, Remus pointing out different shops as we walked. Jackson stayed a few steps behind us and his presence was soon forgotten by Remus and myself.

We stopped at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions first and Remus helped me pick out four sets of robes. I ended up getting three sets of black robes and, after Remus complained about the lack of variety in my wardrobe, one set of emerald green robes. After Madam Malkin took my measurements she informed us that the robes would be done in a half hour and we could either wait, come back later in the day to get them, or they could be sent by owl post. We told her we'd be back to pick them up later and then Remus and I headed towards Ollivanders, Jackson still trailing behind us dutifully.

"Remus," I said hesistantly as we stood outside of Ollivanders, "I'm a little nervous." Remus gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and guided me towards the door to the shop. I pushed the door open and paused for a moment before Remus gave me a firm push from behind.

Ollivanders was a dirty and dusty looking shop with shelves upon shelves packed with small boxes. I looked behind me to get another reassuring smile from Remus but growled in disapproval when I realized I was in the store alone and Remus was standing outside talking to Jackson. He glanced at me for a moment, winked and then went back to ignoring me as I glared at him through the glass.

"So you have finally returned Miss Riddle," a voice called out behind me, "or should I say Miss Potter." I spun around in surprise and found myself under the quizzical eye of a creepy gray haired man who I could only assume to be Mr. Ollivander.

He turned around quickly and began walking between the shelves, periodically pausing to pull out a box and carry it to the counter in front of me. After he had ten boxes on the counter he stopped to stare at me intently.

"Which hand is your wand hand?" he asked.

"I guess my left," I replied nervously, "Why did you take out so many wands?" I asked, "I only need one." He chuckled softly as he pulled out a wand and handed it to me. I gave it a small wave and he snatched it back quickly when nothing happened.

"It took me quite awhile to find your father's wand," he answered as he handed me another wand which was snatched away just as quickly as the last one had been, "One can only assume you will be just as difficult."

The search for my wand went on for hours and it seemed as if I'd held almost every wand in Ollivanders. Even Remus was getting impatient and he finally entered the store to see what the hold up was.

"It seems your wand isn't here," Mr. Ollivander said cryptically as he banished the wands back to their places on the various shelves.

"What do you mean, not here?" Remus asked as I gripped the bottom of my t-shirt anxiously. I couldn't help the fear that was rising up in me.

Perhaps I'm not really a witch after all. Maybe I'm just a muggle with no magic. What a laugh, the daughter of the great Harry Potter is nothing but a muggle. Or would it be a squib? I became so lost in my thoughts that I barely heard Mr. Ollivander answer Remus.

"There is a wand out there that is waiting to be found. Although her father's wand will serve her current purposes," Mr. Ollivander replied in an ominous voice, "Miss Potter's wand is not here." And with that he turned and walked into the bowels of the shop, leaving Remus and I with our mouths hanging open.

Remus led me out of Ollivanders and we walked slowly back down the street towards Madam Malkin's. I couldn't help but be disappointed at the fact that I would be returning to the Burrow with no wand of my own.

"Don't worry about it," Remus said as he attempted to cheer me up, "He didn't say that there isn't a wand out there for you, he just said that he didn't have it in the shop. I'm sure we'll find it."

"I suppose," I answered dejectedly.

Once we returned to Madam Malkins I was handed a bundle of robes and forced into one of the fitting rooms. I tried on each set of robes and Remus made a great show of whistling at each one. By the time we left the store my cheeks were red as tomatoes, Remus was laughing hysterically, and the disappointment I experienced at Ollivanders was all but forgotten.

We thought about having lunch at The Leaky Cauldron but decided against it after I reminded Remus of the Daily Prophet article. We returned to the Burrow around two and Remus seemed just as shocked as I was when we found Draco in the kitchen making lunch.

"I thought you two might be hungry so I decided to throw something together," he said as he set down a plate down in front of us.

"Hamburgers?" I asked in shock. He nodded his head and grinned madly.

"I read somewhere that Americans love hamburgers so I thought I'd try and make you feel more at home," he answered benignly, "I hope I made them right." I took one bite of the burger that he had pushed in front of me and smiled.

"It's excellent Draco," I said appreciatively, "and it was very nice of you." He waved off my comment but I could see him smirk slightly as he bit into his own burger.

"So," Draco said as we finished eating, "let's see your new wand." I stared down at my plate sadly and Draco shot Remus a questioning look.

"Jenny wasn't able to get a wand at Ollivanders," he told Draco, "but he did say that her wand does exist, he just doesn't have it in his shop." Draco looked surprised but made an attempt to cheer me up the best he could.

"Hey," he said, "don't worry about it. It's no big deal. I'm sure you'll find your wand someday and until then you still have your father's wand which seems to work perfectly well for you." He reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. I looked up at him and smiled at him sadly.

"I'm sure you can smile better than that," Remus said wryly and I stretched out one leg and kicked him under the table. "Ow!" he exclaimed as he rubbed his shin gently, "that hurt."

"You're a werewolf, I think you can take it," I answered with a snort. Remus stuck his tongue out at me but quickly stopped as Draco glanced at him. I giggled and Draco shot me a confused look.

"Well, what are we all doing for the rest of the day?" Remus asked nonchalantly as he made his way around the table picking up dishes. Draco held up a hand to stop him, pulled out his wand and had the dishes washing themselves in the sink in the blink of an eye.

"I swear," Draco said as he rolled his eyes, "sometimes I think you forget you're a wizard." I giggled again and Remus growled under his breath.

"I don't know about you two," I said, "but I'd like to finish Hogwarts:A History. It would be nice if someone were around to answer any questions I might have though." I gave Remus a pleading look and he smiled happily.

"I'd love to stay and answer your questions," he said, "I'll just pop back to Grimmauld Place and pick up the lesson plans I've been working on." There was a loud crack and Remus was gone. My eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time I'd seen someone disapparate. A moment later he was back and I pounced on him immediately.

"Remus," I said excitedly, "that was so amazing. Do you think I'll be able to learn how to do that?" Remus smiled broadly at me but shook his head.

"It takes a long time to learn," he said, "and you haven't had any magical training. You're going to have to start out small and work your way to apparition I'm afraid."

"But I will be able to learn someday?" I asked and he nodded his head in confirmation. "Excellent!" I exclaimed and gave him a gigantic hug causing him to stagger slightly.

"Hey," Draco exclaimed indignantly, "I know how to apparate too, where's my hug." He crossed his arms in front of him and had the most intimidating sneer on his face.

"Don't be a baby," I said in amusement as I walked over and gave him a gentle hug. He relaxed in my arms for a moment before pushing away.

"I've got errands to run," he stuttered and quickly left. Remus raised on eyebrow but made no comment.

"Well," he said, "any questions you'd like to ask me straight away?" I thought to myself for a moment and remembered that I had a few questions that I had been planning to ask Severus.

"I was wondering," I stated, "in Hogwarts: A History it says that the Hogwarts Express leaves from Kings Cross on September first and reaches Hogwarts that night but Draco and Severus said that it takes three days to get there."

"That book Hermione gave you must be rather old," he stated, "the trip to Hogwarts used to take only a day but five years ago it changed for some reason. I remember waiting for the train to show up so that I could lead the first years across the lake but the train never came. Severus, Minerva and I ended up going out on broom to see what the problem was and we found the train still heading towards Hogwarts. It had slowed down so much that it took three days instead of one."

"But why?" I asked, "And if there's something wrong with it then why didn't Dumbledore just get a new train?"

"The Hogwarts Express can't just be replaced," he explained, "It's bound to the castle with very strong magic. The best way to think of it is as an extension of the castle itself. No one knows why it slowed down so much but there are rumors." He added the last part nervously and then made a show of fussing over some of his school papers.

"What rumors?" I asked. He stopped shuffling the papers around on the table and gave me a look that was a mixture of fear and curiosity.

"There are some people who think the problem with the train is directly related to the other problems at Hogwarts," he said.

"You mean like the staircases not moving anymore?" I asked, "Or the Room of Requirement not showing up anymore?" He nodded his head nervously. "What do these people think is the cause of it?"

"They think the magic is either being drained from Hogwarts or that the castle is dieing," he stated.

"What?!" I exclaimed, "How can a castle die?"

"Well," he said calmly, "the castle is a magical being which means it does have life in it. I always thought Albus could speak to the castle but it seems even he is at a loss as to what to do to correct the problem. He does seem to know something though," he added, "but Albus always seems to know everything."

"Then why can't he fix it?" I asked.

"Who knows," Remus said with a shrug, "Now why don't you go get your book and I'll pour us each a glass of pumpkin juice."

"Sounds good," I replied happily.

"Have you had pumpkin juice before?" he asked.

"No," I answered with a shrug, "but anything is better than more tea."