A/N: I'm SO sorry to keep you guys waiting for this! I've just been distracted with uni etc. It'll probably happen again, but I hope this chapter will make up for it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Chapter 5: Don't Care

'Because by tomorrow morning I'll have this thing beat

And everything will be back to the way it was

I wish it was just that easy'

-Lifehouse (Somewhere In Between)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Everyone had watched in shock as Jesse had been covered in a silver shimmer of light when Dumbledore had told her to get angry. The glow seemed to intensify and light up the whole hall like a star, and it seemed to be coming from within her. The whole hall seemed to darken while Jesse glowed and shimmered, and a cool breeze seemed to gently ruffle her hair. Looking up, the enchanted ceiling began to darken and swirl around in a dark hurricane of stars until suddenly, they were looking up at the galaxy. Everyone stared in awe until the cutlery on the remaining tables began to rattle and shake and some of them began to rise up into the air. When Jesse opened her eyes, they were glowing white, no pupil showing. She looked blind.

Then, she'd been thrown or knocked up into the wall beside the Slytherin table, only to fall back down and float above their heads. The cutlery fell back to the tables with a clatter.

Jesse then seemed to fly back upwards, doing some impressive acrobatics to land on what they had then been able to finally see- the troll. As soon as she was thrown away from it, they could no longer see him, but apparently, Jesse still could. Glowing, she stood up slowly, it was obvious she was in a lot of pain, but then, she was bleeding from cuts everywhere. She looked up at the troll then back down at her hands. That was when they saw the spell she contained in them. She held no wand, but in her hands was an unmistakable ball of magic. Jesse looked back up at the troll and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

Harry, Hermione and Ron stared in wonder as Jesse seemed transformed.

"What is she going to do?" Ron whispered, his mouth agape as he stood behind Hermione, a forgotten chicken leg still in his hand.

"What do you think?" Hermione snapped, "stick a wand up it's nose?" She was busily going through her memory to see if she'd read anything about anyone being able to do this before.

"She's going to fight it" Harry smiled as Jesse took a step forward, "She's going to fight it and win."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jesse looked up as the troll began to lumber towards her more quickly. 'What is this spell?' she thought frantically and the answer came to her. It stuns.

Pulling her arm back, Jesse threw the spell with all her might at the trolls chest. It exploded on impact in an array of sparks and the troll staggered back. A dark burn mark was left on it's skin.

"Bugger" she muttered when it let out a howl of rage and charged at her.

She threw the other stunning spell at it, ran and jumped up onto the now empty Ravenclaw table. Running along, she racked her brain, trying to think of something to knock the troll out with, or at least slow it down some more. 'Wow, I just used a spell on a troll…' was all she could think as she ran, 'I just used MAGIC… I can't believe I can even think that. Magic is in books. Magic does NOT exist. Magic will not help me stop this thing from killing me.'

She jumped and rolled with a muttered curse as a swipe almost knocked her flying when the troll spun around, trying to follow her quick movements. If she could somehow stay ahead of it at all times, then it wouldn't be able to catch up with her.

Jesse was not having a good time. Her whole chest hurt every time she moved or even breathed and right now, she really wanted to keep breathing. But she couldn't keep her head from spinning mentally at the fact that she was facing a troll- a TROLL for God's sake, that was trying to KILL her!

"I SO didn't ask for this job!" Jesse yelled as she ducked yet another hit, sending herself skidding on her side down the rest of the table before she rolled off the end, hitting the floor with a loud, "umph" as she landed on her back painfully.

'I'm not gonna die!' Jesse hugged herself as pain caused her breath to hitch, 'I'm not gonna die! This can't be happening! Please, someone tell me this isn't real!' She slowly got to her knees.

The troll paused, looking dumbly at the now empty table before growling and ambling towards where it saw Jesse disappear. When it got there, it stopped and stared at the empty floor.

'Something stronger!' Jesse thought frantically as she crawled away from her spot on the floor, making her way back towards the teacher's table, ignoring the looks she was getting from the Slytherins. 'I need something to knock the sod out, not make it even more angry at me!'

She stopped at the end of the table, crouched down in front of the damaged platform with the teachers looking down at her in concern. 'I'm not gonna die! I'm not gonna die! I'm not gonna die!'

She looked down at her hands. "C'mon," she muttered to them, "Give me something!"

She was talking to her hands, asking magic to appear so she could use it against a killer troll.

What was wrong with this picture? Oh yes, the fact that there were no men in white coats coming after her!'

She blinked when another ball of magic filled her hands from nowhere, this time a pinkish-purple in colour. Still crouching, she stuck her head around the bench on her left and looked for the troll, it was walking slowly, still looking for her. In a moment of inspiration, it reached down and picked up one end of the table with it's free hand. She was so dead.

"Oh, shit!" Jesse swore before launching herself away from the end of the table and moving as far away from the troll as possible, walking backwards towards the other tables with her eyes still glued to the troll.

'It can see me! What can I do? What can I DO!'

She glanced briefly down at her hands before shrugging, 'Oh, right.'

She threw one spell at it with all her might, just as the troll threw the table away from itself. The table would've hit the teachers if Dumbledore hadn't deflected it with a spell of his own, putting it further away from the centre isle, almost pinning the Slytherins in.

The other teachers themselves had remained standing, all with wands in their hands and it should be said, all but Dumbledore, McGonagall and who could only be Snape seemed to be standing tall in the face of this threat. The others were backing away from Jesse in unconcealed terror. This really didn't endear them to her.

The spell hit the troll on it's upper chest making the troll bellow in rage. The noise was so loud that Jesse yelled and fell to her knees, reaching up to clutch her ears in pain before she remembered the spell she still held.

Wincing, her ears stinging from the noise it was making, she looked up to see the troll now running at her from it's end of the Great Hall, it's pounding footsteps making the plates clatter on the tables that still held them. The troll didn't seem too stable as it moved faster than its usual speed. Due to it's oversized limbs (and probably stupidity) it was not a good runner.

"What does it take to knock you out, already!" Jesse jumped to her feet, swaying against the pain before she flexed the hand that held the spell. Her head was pounding so hard she felt as if it'd explode from the pressure of the pain in her skull. Her vision was slightly blurry, her ears still ringing. Even with the pain, everything seemed so surreal. She was using magic to fight a troll!

The troll was practically on her yet Jesse held her ground out of tiredness and a sudden idea. She waited until it was just one giant club swing away before she threw the spell with all of her strength up at the trolls head, or rather it's chin as she couldn't exactly aim that high. Wincing, Jesse was already in motion, hoping that there'd be enough left of her so she would be recognizable at her funeral. Would she even have a funeral? What would be the point if no one would go to it?

Surprising her, the stunning spell hit exactly where she wanted it to go- the bottom of it's head, the top of it's neck, beneath it's jaw. The spell seemed to explode into hundreds of sparks as it hit it's target like a small firework.

Jesse dived to her left as the troll's bellow was cut short, it's mouth slamming shut as it's head snapped backwards. It's journey was stopped as it's head snapped back so hard it pushed itself off balance even further, it's lower body still moving forward with the momentum, it's upper body causing it to topple backwards at the same time.

The troll hit the floor with a giant bang, causing the actual tables themselves to shudder with the impact. It's head hit the floor before it's feet did, cracking the stone, and Jesse saw it's eyes roll back into it's ugly head. She barely managed to dodge it's club as it came down, still in it's giant hand, to land by it's side. Jesse followed it with her eyes. The troll's hand relaxed and the club rolled away slightly to come to a stop at her feet.

Jesse blinked down at the troll and then the club for a few seconds in the absolute silence that followed. She, Jesse had just decked a troll. Shouldn't she be screaming or something right now? This can't be freakin' real! Instead, she allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction.

"I came, I saw, and I kicked your bloody arse!" Her voice was tired but satisfied and then her injuries began to really let themselves be known.

Her legs threatened to give way beneath her and Jesse slumped against the club, making it visible for the others to see.

Dumbledore took one cautious step down from the broken platform. "Is it-" He stopped, looking from the club to Jesse. "Is it dead?"

Jesse shook her head wearily. "Can't you see it yet?"

"Only when you touch it."

"Unconscious." said Jesse and she gingerly touched it's foot with one of her trainers, still leaning heavily on the club.

The school looked at the unconscious troll as it once again faded into view.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the students and then suddenly, they burst into cheers and applause.

The teachers, though shook and pleased, immediately made them calm down. She wondered if any of them had wet themselves. It seemed highly likely with some of the embarrassed looks the teachers were wearing.

For some reason, Jesse wasn't pleased by the cheers and applause of the school. As a matter of fact, it grated on her nerves.

"Voldemort will not be pleased to find one of his minions out of service." Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't been interrupted as the children became quiet again.

Jesse snorted and winced. "I think it's safe to say that he knows I'm here." She wiped away some blood on the back of her hand and spat some more out onto the floor. She grimaced at it and looked down at her clothes. They were covered in her own blood. She had no idea how she hadn't got any troll snot on them but she was entirely thankful nonetheless. Just that thought alone brought with it another wave of anger and that smell of earth and nature.

"Man, I hate this place already!" Jesse practically growled as she brushed some hair from her face where it was sticking to her forehead with sweat and blood. She pushed off of the club and began to limp back towards her little table, every movement making her body scream in protest. It felt like, well, it felt like she'd just gone a few rounds with a troll.

How very typical. She couldn't go anywhere without getting into a fight.

A deep base-like growl came from behind her when Jesse was about hallway to the teacher's table, though it seemed like miles away. Jesse froze. Everyone's obvious relief was once again turned into fear though they couldn't see or hear anything. Their eyes bore into Jesse and she could've sworn she heard a whimper from the teachers platform.

A loud grating noise reached her ears and sighing, Jesse slowly swivelled on the spot to look at the troll.

It was awake, though barely, but it was slowly pulling it's massive club towards it as it began to sit up into a sitting position, a massive bump on the back of it's head the size of a football.

Jesse's shoulders sagged and she glared at the troll. "Won't you ever leave me alone!"

She looked down at her hands and stared at them with resignation. "Killing spell" She said to them grimly. 'I just want this thing to leave me alone!'

Unmistakable green flames filled her hands and everyone knew what she held. Avada Kedavra. One of the worst spells known to wizarding kind. One of the Unforgivable Curses said to be unblockable and with no counter-curse. And she held it in the palm of her hand.

The troll was sitting up now, it's club by it's side as it dazedly fixed it's beady little eyes on Jesse's face. When it saw her, it let out a giant bellow.

Jesse didn't even attempt to cover her ears as she stared up at it. She took a step towards the troll, turning slightly and pulling back one of her hands, preparing to throw. Her face showed them what she was feeling. Annoyance, anger and a deep tiredness that was only partly due to being physically battered.

"Jesse, stop!" Jesse paused, the deadly green flames continued to flicker in her hand causing her face to come into sharp relief and her eyes to glow even more strangely. Of course, Jesse didn't know this. She didn't know that she looked positively scary to every man, woman and child in that hall at that very moment. All Jesse knew was that at that very moment, she felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion. She felt like she could sleep for a month. She felt like she could cry for a year at the unfairness of it all.

"You are not a killer, Jesse!" Dumbledore walked down from the platform steps slowly, his eyes on Jesse and his wand in his hand. Everyone wondered who it was for, the troll or the witch.

"I'm not a witch either but no one gives a damn about that!" Jesse spat back at him and turned back to the troll. She raised her hand again. Why couldn't she just go home? What had she ever done to deserve this?

"You see why he wants you dead!" It was Professor McGonagall's voice that made her stop this time, "You see why he sees you as a threat?" She swept up beside Dumbledore.

"Screw that" Jesse moved towards the troll as it attempted to get to it's knees.

"He sees what you can become and he knows he is less likely to win with you back amongst your kind!" Dumbledore shouted into the silence, a loud booming voice that seemed to shake the very walls and make the plates and cups clatter like the troll had done.

Jesse finally heard what they were saying, though the look on her face didn't change. Though she wanted to go home, though she was physically and mentally exhausted, she didn't want to kill. Jesse could be a very violent person at times and she had an attitude a mile long, but she wasn't a killer. Though did this mean that Voldemort was scared she'd become one? It made her pause for thought.

The flames flickered and turned to a blue-silver colour- another strong stunning spell. She threw it at the troll where it promptly fell back down unconscious. The flames then flickered once more and died in Jesse's hands as she turned to face the teachers with a sigh. "Here we go again" she rolled her eyes and folded her arms, trying not to wince as she caught some of her cuts and bruises.

"He wants you dead because of who you are, because of what you are, because of your birthright." Dumbledore carried on in his booming voice, his eyes blazing as he stared down at her. "You are Jessica Hunter, the daughter of Juliana and Marcus Hunter. You are the last of your family, the last of the Guardians!"

There was a gasp from the Gryffindor table that was ignored.

"Wow, are you finished yet?" Jesse asked into the shocked silence that followed. She sounded bored and annoyed. She was bored and annoyed. But mostly tired. Pissed off was coming a close second though.

Students began to whisper, staring at her open-mouthed. They seemed to like doing that. Well, that and the silence thing, and the staring thing. Sheep-like much?

"You have a destiny to fulfil, Jesse. You have to stay here, you have to help us fight." Dumbledore said more quietly, though his voice hadn't lost its edge.

Jesse stared at him impassively even as many students looked positively scared at Dumbledore's outburst. This man was feared by the very Dark Lord himself. He was one of the strongest wizards in the entire world.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time you told me this shit, and you know what?" Much to everyone's shock, she began to walk towards the imposing wizard. "I don't care." The words were spoken clearly and calmly. A statement of fact that seemed to shock the whole faculty and it was said defiantly. Jesse even met Dumbledore's eyes as she said it. She saw the look of disappointment in them but she ignored it. What did she care what this old man thought of her? She'd just been beaten bloody because he'd brought her to this place!

She moved back over to the chair she had been sitting in and removed her jacket from the back of it and slipped it on, not allowing a single gasp of pain to pass her lips. Only then, did she turn back to him. "You took me away from this life a long time ago. Your so-called protection helped to make my life a living hell. I worked hard to get what I had back there" Jesse limped back over to the troll. She looked from it to Dumbledore. "Then, you take me from that life, the world I was used to and brought me back here. Did you give me a choice?"

Dumbledore didn't reply. He just continued to look at her sadly.

"Did you even ask me if I wanted to come here?" Jesse's anger was growing.

Still nothing.

"No, you didn't. You acted on your own opinions- your own beliefs. You expected me to be thankful for this. You expected me to be grateful for you dumping me in this world with this- this stupid war!" She kicked the troll's leg.

"It's your destiny, Jesse. It's what your parents would've wanted." Dumbledore didn't sound angry at her outburst, in fact, he seemed almost saddened by it.

"And I'm meant to care what they wanted?" Jesse looked at him like he'd said the world was flat and the moon was made of cheese. "I never knew them! As far as I'm concerned, they don't exist!"

"They loved you, Jesse" McGonagall looked as sad as Dumbledore but her voice came out sharp and angry, "You were the most important thing in the world to them!"

"Uhuh, that's why they went up against Voldemort and left me with you idiots!"

The silence was thick now. No one liked being called an idiot.

"Now, if you're quite done, I'm leavin'." Taking a deep breath, Jesse walked out, the doors magically opening by themselves to let her pass and slamming shut in her wake.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

'peg' means to run like hell

A/N: As always, I need insults. No, I'm not being weirder than usual. I need some good sarcastic ones to use in this and several of my other stories, so if you have any good ones, please please please send me them either in a email or via review. Thanks!

Professional scatterbrain Thank you for the insults! I'll be sure to use them when I have the chance. If they don't end up in this story, it'll be one of my other ones.