Chapter 6 – The Trouble with Teenagers

After the final shopping in Diagon Alley, it hardly took any time at all as Chris wanted to hurry back to Grimmauld Place to check on Jen. They had to use normal transport, they couldn't risk the Knight Bus taking them to the headquarters, lest someone tried to trace them.

The muggle bus dropped them off a few streets away from Grimmauld Place, though the walk took them no time at all. Hurrying around the corner, the small group looked at the space between the houses and when it appeared, they hurried through the door.

The door slammed shut behind them and the first thing to hit them was the heat. The flaming torches that were lit all through the house seemed to be going overtime, large flames were blazing, the heat that filled the house was intense.

The second thing to hit them was the screaming and the shouting. The kitchen door had been left open a space and through it they could see Jen shouting at Dumbledore. He had taken a seat at the table and was looking at her with the usual calm demeanour he always did. Lupin was also present, he was sitting the other side of the table, edging away somewhat, looking as if he would like nothing more than to run away. Chris slipped into the room, cautiously. They all waited for whether Jen or Dumbledore to protest and ask them politely to leave, but no such request came.

Harry and Ron followed him in, though Hermione retreated to her room, no doubt to memorize the books she had just purchased. Chris, Harry and Ron took their places beside Lupin, but soon realized why he didn't want to be there. It was quite something to watch the teenage girl let loose at her grandfather who just sat there taking all the abuse she threw at him, his calm, benevolent expression never faulting.

'Wow…she's got courage,' Harry thought, then he remembered how at the end of the previous year Harry himself had let loose at the headmaster at the loss of Sirius. 'Sirius…' he broke off, his stomach lurching.

"I am not going to Hogwarts!" she screamed. She stopped ranting and for a moment Harry thought she was about to collapse. She stood still, panting heavily her anger apparently vented.

"Harry would you excuse us?" Dumbledore muttered, quietly, turning to Harry.

"No! Let him stay! Why send him out of the room every time we're about to talk about him!" Jen cried, "Besides, he's the one who's wrecking my life!"

"I am not wrecking your life!" Harry shouted back, aghast.

"Ever since I had to pick you up…" she snarled, before trailing off to mutter inarticulate curses under her breath, "I have to cancel my plans to take him to Diagon Alley, I have to drop out of school just to bring him here, I have to be subjected to his arrogant, stuck up bitch of a friend and now I have to babysit him!" she shrieked, her anger rising once again. Harry felt an indiscernible feeling rise up inside him, 'Well…she hates me,' he thought bitterly.

"Jennifer Miranda!" Dumbledore called, his voice rising over hers. She looked down at him, the sound of her full name apparently disgusted her, but it silenced her nonetheless.

"Harry," he said, turning to the boy, ignoring Jen for the moment. "We have always strived to protect you from Voldemort…"

"Maybe he doesn't need protecting!" Jen snapped.

Harry felt his heart rise, 'Now she likes me?'

"After all would any of us truly miss him if he died?"

'Ah,' Harry shook his head, 'Maybe not.'

"Jennifer," Dumbledore muttered again and again she fell into a haughty silence. Once more Dumbledore turned to Harry, "Though somehow or other…we always overlook something and you end up in harms way. I am not prepared to let that happen again. We cannot assign a teacher to protect you, instead I am sending Jen to Hogwarts…"

"I told you I'm not bloody going!" Jen cut across.

Ignoring her, Dumbledore continued, "as a student. She can blend in, protect you, learn things."

"Malfoy?" Ron muttered. Dumbledore nodded,

"Yes…needless to say, Jen's relationship with Draco Malfoy could prove highly useful…and of course if Draco chooses to follow his father's footsteps…"

"He already has," another interruption came, this time from Lupin and Lee. This time Dumbledore didn't ignore this one,

"Now now, that's only a rumour. We must grant Draco the benefit of the doubt after all one is innocent until proven guilty."

"Oh come on," Lupin protested, "You've seen the signs, just like Snape…" he cut off as the candle beside him exploded. All eyes fell on Jen who was glaring at Lupin for some unknown reason.

"Can someone listen to me?" Jen cried, and the desperation in her voice made Harry look up in surprise. "I don't want to go," she pleaded, "It's Hogwarts, you know how I feel about it! I can't go! Not with…him there!" Harry looked away again, embarrassed. "I can't…" she muttered, breaking off.

"I know it will be hard for you, I know how you feel…"

"Why does everyone say that!" Jen cried, interrupting Dumbledore, "You haven't got a clue how I feel, you haven't got a bloody clue. How could you possibly understand how I feel!" Her voice faltered and Chris moved forward to embrace her, for a moment, Harry genuinely thought she was about to burst into tears. She shook Chris off and turned to Dumbledore,

"besides I'm a sorceress not a witch, there is a difference!"

"You are half witch," Lupin said, "You can perform the spells better than anyone," he laughed, "The sorceress thing is hardly a decent excuse." Jen glared at him, lips pursed.

"I don't like performing magic, there is a reason why I went to a muggle school! I want a normal life! How is that ever going to happen at that place! And lest we forget I don't like performing magic."

"Bouncers…the bouncers at that club in Newcastle," Lupin muttered, "The girl at the concert in Manchester, that time Orlando Bloom wouldn't give you an autograph, the time the guy refused to serve you…"

"Oh I get the picture, but all those times were when I was angry." As if to christen her statement, the flames within the room burned fiercely and went out. "I can't," Jen sighed, defeated, finally dropping into a chair, "I just can't."

"Please Jen?" Dumbledroe asked tentatively but something in his voice made the decision that jen would have to go toHogwarts. , "Think of the lives you'd be saving, not just Harry's think of them all. Maybe this is a time to reconcile yourself with the past, forgive and forget so to speak,"

"Forget!" Jen snapped, but Dumbledore continued,

"and if that doesn't persuade you think of all the times you can get one over on Malfoy while pretending to be totally innocent."

A smile spread across her face, "I do like the bitchiness," she admitted, "But not enough to go to that place."

"The most important factor has been overlooked," Chris muttered, "You don't have a choice."

Jen glared at him, "Alright, I have conditions. Condition One I do not sleep in dorms. Condition 2 I am taking Pyro. Condition 3 No potions! Condition 4 I do not do homework. Condition 5 I reserve the right to burn anyone who gets on my nerves. Condition 6 I do not do uniform."

"Sleeping in dorms, uniform and potions are unavoidable. Of course you can take Pyro, homework you can avoid if you want to fail, as for the burning, Madame Pomfrey will take care of that. Anything else?"

"Condition 7 I am taking the bike." Before Dumbledore could protests against this, she had already left.

"Lupin, Chris - make sure she gets on that train."

TBC