A/N: See! I didn't forget about this story! As a matter of fact, while I've been in the land of the unconnected (it's a very scary place) I've been writing several chapters for this story.
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Chapter 4: First Impressions
'I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong'
-Linkin Park (Somewhere I Belong)
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"Right. So. The arrival of the troll assassin kinda ruined my plans. Yes, I knew there was a magical war going on. Yes, I knew that they expected me to fight in it at some point. The thing is, I'd have thought that they would've at least let me get settled in before I had to do any actual fighting. And, ya know, maybe learnt how to use, oh, I don't know, ANY magical skills would be good. But no. I was facing off against a butt ugly troll, in front of the entire school no less, and with no clue what I was doing.
I was SO gonna die. I was going to be squished by the troll and then used as it's snot rag. At least I'd had a purpose in life. Great first impression, right?"
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Harry was on his feet in an instant, Hermione and a reluctant Ron following.
"Yo, D, I think we have a problem!" Jessica backed away on hands and feet like a crab, her eyes intently staring up at whatever it was that had threw her through the doors. Only problem was, no one else could see it.
"What is it? We can't see it!" Dumbledore began to move around the table. The students began to stand up.
"You can't see it!" The girl suddenly spun sideward, her hair whipping passed her face as something came extremely close to hitting her head. "Oh, this is friggin' great, this is!" heavy sarcasm laced her words even as she spun in the opposite direction, this time landing on her back and staring up at whatever it was stood high above her. "I have a bloody great troll trying to see if I'm crunchy on the inside and you can't see it!" She rolled backwards, even as there was another great whoosh of air and a loud crack as the stone floor cracked where she'd just been lying. Screaming, students began to rush away from the area surrounding her.
Harry swore vocally as Ron groaned, "Not again!"
McGonagall began shouting at the students, trying to calm them down and get them away from the invisible troll.
"There's got to be some kind of invisibility spell on it" Hermione was scrutinising the spot where Jessica was looking. "How can only she see it and not us? Why hasn't she got her wand out!"
Harry and his friends backed away more slowly, trying to see something above her that would give them a clue as to what exactly she was seeing, a way somehow, to help her.
"Okay, moving on. Why can't you see it, why does it seem to be only focused on me and how the hell do I get rid of it!" Jessica managed to get out, practically repeating what Hermione said before she was apparently hit or kicked in the stomach, sending her skidding and rolling painfully across the floor to finish in a crouched position, hair in her face, clutching her stomach and glaring daggers at the invisible troll. She spat some blood out onto the floor and shoved her now loose hair from her face. Harry and the others winced.
"I told you, all the spells we put on you no longer work now you're in this world and he has spies everywhere. He knows you're back now. He knew you would be eventually and he sent this troll in the hopes of killing you!" Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were all standing and had their wands out, despite the fact that they couldn't do anything to help her if they couldn't see the threat. One of them fired a spell in its general direction and missed the troll completely.
"Voldemort?" She got to her feet and ducked as something flew over her head.
Meanwhile, all students were cowering away from Jessica and the main path between the 2 inner tables. At the mention of the troll, they had all panicked and had begun to scramble away from the rather strange scene. At the casual, if slightly annoyed mention of Voldemort's name, many had gasped. Who was this girl who was wanted dead by the Dark Lord? How could she say his name without fear? Why did she dress like a muggle and act so strangely? How could she talk to the Headmaster like this?
"Is he that much of a coward that he couldn't come here and try to kill me himself?" The strange girl jumped to the side, avoiding yet another hit.
"We will discuss this later, you must incapacitate the troll!" Dumbledore watched as she fell to her knees, dove forward to move beneath another dangerous blow, spun back up to her feet and glared back up at the troll defiantly. She now had her back to the door but that didn't last as she was picked up by her t-shirt and thrown back towards the teacher's table. She landed painfully and coughing up more blood. Now, she slowly got back up to her feet and wiped her blood on the back of her hand.
"Duh." Was her sarcastic reply to Dumbledore even as she shook her hair from her eyes, "Now, how do you suggest I do that?"
She moved more slowly now as she moved away from the teachers table, one end of the table shattering in her wake as she moved further back into the space between the tables. There wasn't anyone who could face a troll and not walk away uninjured… except Harry Potter but even he hadn't faced a troll alone.
"Get angry!" Dumbledore shouted.
McGonagall's head whipped round to give Dumbledore a disapproving look even as several of the scared teachers shook their heads as they began to look more fearful, some shuffling away.
"Give in to your emotions!"
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"Angry?" Jesse glared up at the troll even as it swung at her again. On cue, rage began to run through her system as though turned on by some invisible switch. Everything that had happened to her in the last few days hit her like a tonne of bricks and Jesse was not happy. Any thought of staying here with these people disappeared. Not only had she made the worst first impression EVER, but these people couldn't even protect her against a troll for crying out loud!
She ducked and glared over her shoulder at the old man, "You want me pissed off? You kidnap me, tell me I'm never going home, then tell me I have to fight in some war I have no part of- the same war my freakin' parents died fighting, and now you think you can tell me what to feel? Ooh, I'm pissed off alright!"
A warm tingling feeling began to spread from her chest, rushing through her veins and causing her to shiver. Jesse closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, her stomach churning. What the hell was happening? An earthy smell reached her, like dried grass and damp earth. Like the musky smell of animals, and the cool smell of moss. She felt that if she opened her eyes, she'd be in a forest. Wind caressed her face, not harsh, but gentle, tickling her face and ruffling her hair. Instead of freaking her out, this feeling, this experience felt… comforting.
She began to feel light headed as the feeling grew stronger. Extra adrenaline seemed to take hold of her burning aching muscles to give her some much needed energy. Her body seemed to be made of air, her heartbeat pounded in her ears, her eyes watered, her muscles flexed involuntarily and then suddenly, it all stopped. Jesse opened her eyes. People began to whisper but she ignored them.
The loss of that warm feeling made Jesse sway on her feet. She didn't see the next swing until it was too late.
Pain racked her body once more, she thought the troll might've broken some ribs.
She flew up into the air and hit the wall next to the Slytherin table and fell, spinning through the air down towards their table, about to ruin their dinner and be impaled on lots of sharp cutlery. What a way to go.
Several paintings yelled out and screamed in shock and outrage as they fell from their hooks on the wall to fall to the ground, but it all stopped immediately as Jesse's decent abruptly ended. To Jesse, one minute she was falling in slow motion with the table and its contents rushing up to meet her and the next, nothing. It felt like someone had yanked on some invisible strings attached to her body and the falling sensation abruptly stopped.
When she felt no impact, Jesse peaked through the hands that had been protecting her face and looked down into the face of a blonde guy staring up at her with wide eyes who was a mere foot away.
Jesse looked down her body to see that she was hovering above the heads of the students who all looked up at her with fear and shock on their faces. No looks of disdain now. She looked sideways, passed the other tables and faces to see the troll beginning to lumber towards her.
It was huge, way bigger than Hagrid, about 15 foot tall and it was green. Not grass green or leaf green but that really gross green like snot or mushy peas. And talking about snot, it had a huge bit dangling from its weird mashed up looking head.
The lumpy head seemed too small for it's body, with tiny gormless eyes, a huge bulbous nose and a big mouth filled with rotten yellow teeth.
He, because no female whatever the species could like that ugly, was wearing what looked like an old giant brown sack and matching shoes.
It's arms were so long, they damned near touched the floor and in one of its hands it held a huge wooden club.
It began to shuffle towards her, past the tables.
"Everybody at Ravenclaw" Jesse's voice was clear in the terrified silence and she was pleased that it came out almost normal. "Stand up very slowly."
Everyone at the table did as she said.
"Now, from the end nearest the door, walk in a line to that end of the hall and then peg it to the other side."
Again, her instructions were followed extremely quickly.
The troll had just reached the end of the Ravenclaw table that was now thankfully empty.
'Okay, now, let's see what I can do' Jesse thought, looking back down at her floating body. 'If only I knew how to get freakin' down.'.
Immediately, she knew. It was as simple as that. Jesse knew that all she had to do was will it and she would be able to guide her decent or accent. However, it wouldn't last long.
Jesse smiled, gave the hot blonde guy a wink and flew upwards towards the ceiling.
When she was near the ceiling, gravity took effect and she used her arching descent to somersault backwards to drop down on the trolls head.
The troll bellowed as she gripped its head in her hands and held on for dear life.
'Okay' she thought as the troll began to thrash around 'what do I do now?'
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Forbidden Forest:
'Almost there now' He couldn't see the distant hills he needed to reach, but the smell of the forest was different, less magic filled. His journey was almost done. He would be at his destination within the hour and then begin his appointed task.
Suddenly, there was a thump a few feet away and he ducked and froze instantly, his glowing eyes talking in the muted colours of the forest, his ears taking in the sounds. He bristled. He wasn't alone.
"Do not fear," a deep male voice emitted from behind the tree and then a head appeared, followed by the upper torso of a man and the body of a horse. "We are friends." The centaur smiled, as he looked down at him.
The centaur had a black body, with black hair and striking blue eyes. Four more centaurs emerged from the darkness and the warrior cursed himself for being so distracted.
He stayed in his crouched position, his eyes on the one that had spoken, the leader.
"Every creature of this forest knows of your quest into the land of humans. We only wished to help you on your way."
"Why?" he asked, not relaxing his stance, ready to strike or flee whatever the circumstances needed.
"The one you go to meet, belongs to this land as much as we do. Ancient blood from times before the humans came in many numbers. The land has waited and now she returns. We do not want her to leave so soon."
"Why?" he asked again and the centaur shrugged.
"You and I know both that the land will be stronger once she is here, stronger than it has been since the last left this world and moved into the world of light and shadows. Everyone will benefit when she reconnects to this land, that is why you have been given this task." The centaur looked deep into the warrior's eyes as if searching for something. "You believe this too, that is why you have accepted this quest. You believe that our world and theirs will be better off- safer, with her in it."
The warrior bowed his head "I do. Her line is ancient- from the times before the land was green, before the times of ice and snow."
The warrior looked away for a second, as if looking into the past of his people. "She is from a strong people, they understood our ways. We are old allies, old friends of her kin." The warrior looked back into the centaur's eyes "Only now, can we re-establish our link with them, with her. Only now, do my family believe we can meet with her again. She will need all the help she can get and I will be by her side until the end."
He lifted his head defiantly, "A war is coming. An old enemy of many is preparing for attack. His power is growing, his army coming together once more. When he attacks, they will need all the help they can get to fight his warriors. For if he wins, it is not just the world of men that will fall prey to his power grabbing hands." The warrior looked deep into the forest to see the many glowing eyes of creatures, intelligent creatures, magical creatures, watching him, listening to his words. "If he conquers over them, all worlds will feel his wrath." He looked back at the centaur towering above him. "She will need all the help she can get."
Bane, the centaur nodded and one by one, he and his kind bowed to the warrior. "We will lead you safely to her, to the land of humans, and you can truly begin your task."
The warrior smiled in acceptance and then once again began his journey, this time with an escort around him and leaving many eyes to watch as they moved amongst the trees.
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Unbeknownst to Jesse, the moment she had prolonged contact with the toll, whatever spell that protected it from the sight and hearing of everyone else was interfered with. He began to slowly fade into view from the head downwards, like mist clearing away to reveal his location and his bellows of anger filled the echoing hall. Shouting, several teachers managed to fire some stunning spells at him, but all it did was make the troll stagger slightly, it's focus still on Jesse as she clung to its head.
Jesse heard several people gasp, and a few people swear as she gripped tightly to the troll's head. She didn't have time to wonder what their problem was as the troll managed to grab her by the back of her black t-shirt again and fling her over his head.
"Shiiiiiittttttt!" Jesse sailed through the air towards the now empty table. Whatever magic that was in the great hall, had cleared the table away as soon as all of the students had left it. Jesse landed on it with a crash, flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her before rolling off of the table and onto the floor. She didn't know why, but she hadn't been able to float like she'd been able to before.
She sat back up with a groan as pain radiated from every limb. "I'm not having a good day" she mumbled to herself as the troll made its way towards her again. Another bust of anger rushed through her system and people gasped again. Jesse ignored them, staring up at the troll with unconcealed fury. She stood up slowly and watched the troll make it's way towards her.
'I need to stun it' Jesse thought and then felt something tingly and warm in the palms of her hands. She looked down and her eyes widened. There, in the palm of each hand, was a glowing ball of orange fire. It didn't hurt, it didn't burn. This was reassuring to Jesse.
'Nifty!' she looked back up at the troll and smiled.
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A/N: Okay, I need some help here guys- tell me what you want to happen! I have these ideas in my head but what I need help with is getting them there. Also, when she meets Draco, things are not going to go smoothly. Where would be the fun in that? But what I need is some good insults. If you guys have any ideas, please send them in me in an email entitled 'Harry Potter' and if I use them or use similar ones inspired by the ones you gave me, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you.
